How to use this guide
Sessions are taught online, one to one or in small groups, and are always adapted to the learner in front of
us. Use the outlines below to find the level that sounds closest to your current English, then get in touch for
a free placement conversation. If you are between two levels, we will confirm the right starting point during
your initial assessment.
A1
Introducing yourself and your day
Beginner · 60 minutes · One to one or small group
Aim: by the end of the session the learner can greet someone, give basic personal information
and describe a simple daily routine using the present simple.
Session flow
- Warm-up: greetings and names, modelled and repeated (5 min)
- Vocabulary: family, jobs, numbers and times (15 min)
- Guided practice: question and answer pairs (15 min)
- Speaking task: introduce yourself in six sentences (15 min)
- Review and next steps (10 min)
Language focus
- Verb to be in positive, negative and question forms
- Present simple for routines with I and you
- Wh- questions: where, what, when
Skills practised
- Listening for key personal details
- Speaking with supported prompts
- Writing short sentences about yourself
Independent practice
Record a 60-second self-introduction and complete a short vocabulary sheet on daily routine verbs.
A2
Shopping, travel and everyday transactions
Elementary · 60 minutes · One to one or small group
Aim: the learner can handle common everyday exchanges — buying, asking for directions,
booking — and can talk about past events in simple terms.
Session flow
- Warm-up: recall of last week's target language (5 min)
- Listening: two short shop and station dialogues (15 min)
- Language work: past simple regular and irregular verbs (15 min)
- Role play: a return journey with a problem to solve (15 min)
- Feedback and error correction (10 min)
Language focus
- Past simple for finished events
- Countable and uncountable nouns with quantifiers
- Polite requests: could I, would you mind
Skills practised
- Listening for prices, times and platform numbers
- Transactional speaking under light time pressure
- Reading short notices and signs
Independent practice
Write a short message describing a recent trip, then complete a past simple gap-fill task.
B1
Opinions, plans and telling a longer story
Intermediate · 60 minutes · One to one or small group
Aim: the learner can give and support an opinion, talk about future plans and narrate an
experience with connected sentences.
Session flow
- Discussion starter on an everyday topic (10 min)
- Reading: a short article with comprehension focus (15 min)
- Language work: future forms and linking words (15 min)
- Extended speaking: a two-minute personal story (10 min)
- Written summary and feedback (10 min)
Language focus
- Will, going to and present continuous for future
- Linking words: however, although, because of
- Present perfect for experience
Skills practised
- Reading for gist and detail
- Sustained speaking without prompts
- Paragraph writing with clear structure
Independent practice
Write a 120-word opinion paragraph on the reading topic and note five new words in context.
B2
Argument, nuance and workplace communication
Upper intermediate · 60 minutes · One to one or small group
Aim: the learner can argue a position, respond to counterpoints and write clear, well
organised professional messages.
Session flow
- Warm-up debate on a current issue (10 min)
- Listening: a short talk with note-taking (15 min)
- Language work: conditionals and hedging language (15 min)
- Task: respond to a difficult work email (10 min)
- Detailed correction and pronunciation focus (10 min)
Language focus
- Second and third conditionals
- Softening and hedging: it may be that, arguably
- Collocations for reporting and persuading
Skills practised
- Note-taking from extended listening
- Discursive speaking and turn-taking
- Professional email and report writing
Independent practice
Draft a 200-word discursive response and record a two-minute spoken argument for feedback.
C1
Academic register and critical response
Advanced · 60 minutes · One to one or small group
Aim: the learner can evaluate a source critically, use precise academic register and produce
structured extended writing.
Session flow
- Lead-in: unpacking a complex question (5 min)
- Reading: an authentic text with critical analysis (20 min)
- Language work: nominalisation and cohesion devices (15 min)
- Speaking: a short structured presentation (10 min)
- Targeted feedback on accuracy and style (10 min)
Language focus
- Nominalisation and passive structures for academic tone
- Cleft sentences and inversion for emphasis
- Precision in near-synonyms and idiomatic usage
Skills practised
- Critical reading and source evaluation
- Presenting and defending a position
- Essay planning and redrafting
Independent practice
Produce a 300-word critical response with a plan, then redraft after written feedback.
C2
Mastery, style and spontaneous fluency
Proficiency · 60 minutes · One to one or small group
Aim: the learner can shift register at will, handle abstract and specialist subjects
spontaneously, and write with control of tone and implication.
Session flow
- Spontaneous response to an unseen prompt (10 min)
- Analysis of a demanding text: tone, implication, bias (20 min)
- Language work: idiom, connotation and register shift (10 min)
- Task: rewrite a passage for a different audience (10 min)
- Fine-grained feedback on nuance and delivery (10 min)
Language focus
- Register shifting between formal, neutral and colloquial
- Idiomatic and figurative language used accurately
- Subtle discourse markers and implication
Skills practised
- Reading between the lines of demanding texts
- Effortless, spontaneous discussion
- Stylistic control in writing
Independent practice
Rewrite a chosen article for two contrasting audiences and prepare a five-minute unscripted talk.