A huge congratulations to Charlotte Bode who has just received her IELTS results.
Charlotte scored 8 overall with an incredible 9 in both the Listening and Reading sections. She also scored 6.5 for writing and 7.5 for speaking.
These results mean that Charlotte can follow her dream of coming back to Australia in a year or two to further her studies at University of Queensland.
We are all so pleased for you Charlotte. You worked really hard and you deserve these results.
Learn English in Byron Bay. Lexis English students study General English, IELTS, FCE, CAE and English plus Surfing or Yoga in a friendly and professional school right in the heart of Byron Bay and only 15 minutes from the beach.
Congratulations to the seven students graduating from Lexis Byron Bay this week!
Clara is from Switzerland and graduates from Ellie and Anji’s IELTS Preparation class. She is a strong IELTS student and has shown improvement in all areas of her English. She is good at expressing her ideas both verbally and in writing, and it is a pleasure to read her essays and hear her contributions to class discussions. All the best for your future Clara!
Ana is from Spain and graduates from Ellie and Anji’s IELTS Preparation class. She was a pleasure to have in class and made great progress during her time here. She particularly improved her reading and listening skills, and continues to extend her vocabulary. She was an excellent contributor to class discussions, presenting intelligent and interesting ideas to the class. We wish you the best of luck in your IELTS exam!
Elisabeth is from Spain and graduates from Kristy’s Pre-Intermediate class. She was a pleasure to have in class and has made great progress with her English grammar, vocabulary, speaking and pronunciation skills. She has been a valuable member of the class and has made many friends in her time at Lexis Byron Bay. She is now off to Sydney for the next three months to practice her English in a new environment. We look forward to seeing you back in Byron Bay in the new year!
Anja is from Switzerland and graduates from Kristy’s Pre-Intermediate class. She has been a lovely student to have in class and has worked hard to improve her English grammar and speaking skills during her time at Lexis Byron Bay. She asked excellent questions, communicated well with her classmates and made positive contributions to the class. If she continues to practice her English skills, she will soon be moving up to Intermediate level!
Julie is from France and graduates from Kristy’s Pre-Intermediate class. She has been with us at Lexis Byron Bay for just two weeks but has made great contributions to her class in that time. She has a good level of English grammar and speaking skills and she participated well in class discussions. We wish you the best for your next adventures!
Lukas is from Switzerland and graduates from Kathleen’s Intermediate class. He worked hard both in class and out to improve his English and graduates with an A grade. He has a lovely personality and a great sense of humour that he brought to the classroom, and his teacher praised Lukas’ 100% attendance and excellent punctuality! After four weeks at Lexis Byron Bay he showed great improvement in his English skills and a great ability to converse with all students on a wide range of topics. Well done Lukas and all the best for the future!
Thomas is from Switzerland and graduates from David’s Pre-Intermediate class. He has worked extremely well during his time here at Lexis Byron Bay and this is reflected in his achievement of an overall A grade. He has a good knowledge of English grammar and he has developed his vocabulary to an excellent level. He works well with other students and has been a valuable mentor when called upon. His teacher, David, said, “Thomas is a great guy and has been a fun and active student at Lexis Byron Bay. His English is improving every day and we’ll miss him when he goes travelling next week. Have fun mate and no drama sheep farmer. See you buddy from the Pre-Int 1 class.”
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Learn English in Byron Bay. Lexis English students study General English, IELTS, FCE, CAE and English plus Surfing in a friendly and professional school right in the heart of Byron Bay and only 15 minutes from the beach.
This week we have six students graduating from Lexis Byron Bay.
Jongwon is from Korea and graduates from David’s Pre-Intermediate class. He has been a pleasure to have in class and a committed student. He has worked well to improve his English skills and his confidence in using the language. His classmates gave him a send-off yesterday and wish him all the best for the future!
Teacher Paul (centre, back) with the Intermediate class including graduating students Romane to the left and Emilio to the right of Paul.
Emilio is from Spain and graduates from Paul’s Intermediate class. He has been a respectful student who was a pleasure to teach and he has improved his English during his time at Lexis. Emilio is also a keen surfer who has made the most of the awesome surf in Byron Bay. Keep chasing those waves Emilio!
Romane is from Belgium and graduates from Paul’s Intermediate class. She has improved her English and has been involved in many different activities, such as learning how to surf. She has made great friends with other students from all over the world during her time at Lexis Byron Bay. All the best for the future Romane!
Teacher Ellie (front, right) with her IELTS class including graduating students (back from left to right): Lucas, Pedro and Santi.
Pedro is from Brazil and graduates from Ellie’s IELTS class. He has had a fantastic attitude to his learning and always asks questions to explore and enhance his understanding and use of the English language. He has a very high level of English and has made great improvements during his time here. Pedro is venturing into a new chapter of his Australian life, taking on more studies to further his career. We wish you the best of luck with your next course and hope you continue to enjoy living in Australia!
Lucas is from Brazil and graduates from Ellie’s IELTS class. He has been an active contributor to class discussions and activities, providing interesting and through-provoking points of view. He has improved his English to achieve a deeper understanding and more natural use of the language. Lucas has also made a lasting impression on the attached Student Accommodation, by creating a beautiful mural on an otherwise dull wall. Both his artistic talents and his friendly personality will be missed around here!
Santiago is from Spain and graduates from Ellie’s IELTS class. He has been an enthusiastic student who happily shares his learning and understanding with his classmates. He has developed his excellent listening skills and learns new phrases quickly. Santi has been the student who wears the most fluorescent clothing to class and has been enjoying the great surf of Byron Bay during his time here! We wish you the best on your return to Spain!
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Learn English in Byron Bay. Lexis English students study General English, IELTS, FCE, CAE and English plus Surfing in a friendly and professional school right in the heart of Byron Bay and only 15 minutes from the beach.
We have ten students graduating from Lexis Byron Bay this week!
Teacher Ellie with graduating students Edoardo, Anja, Massimo and Natalia.
Ellie has six students graduating from her IELTS class.
Edoardo is from Italy and has been a friendly, conscientious member of the class. He has been an excellent student who shows great potential to extend his vocabulary range and improve his grammar. Have fun on your sailing trip!
Anja (or Annie, as she goes by in Australia) is from Switzerland and has been a pleasure to have in class. She has been a friendly student who interacts well with her classmates and other students at school. She has done very well on the practice IELTS tests and continues to improve her vocabulary. Enjoy your travels through Australia and New Zealand!
Massimo is from Italy and has been an active contributor to class discussions. His questions are probing to further his knowledge and his interesting viewpoints contributed to the areas the class was studying. We hope you enjoy your travels around Australia and keep improving your English skills!
Natalia is from Brazil and has been studying at Lexis Byron Bay for 24 weeks. She has made excellent progress in her time here, moving up to Upper Intermediate level as her English improved. Her written work is fantastic, showing great capability in both formal and informal forms. She is accurate in her use of a variety of grammatical structures and is always expanding her vocabulary. She will be enjoying a week off of study before commencing the Business course with Lexis Byron Bay. Good luck with your next block of studies!
Esther is from Spain and has been with us at Lexis Byron Bay for just two weeks. She is a friendly, hardworking student who has been a pleasure to teach. She has shown improvement in her grammar and vocabulary skills during her time here. All the best for the future!
Rafael is from Spain and has shown great competence in his command of the English language during his time at Lexis Byron Bay. He has been enthusiastic in his involvement in activities, such as BBQs and Table Tennis Tournaments, and has made good friends with his fellow students. We wish you all the best for your future studies!
Graduating students Masumi (left) and Nagomi (right) with Teacher Claudia (middle)
There are three students graduating from Claudia and David’s Pre-Intermediate class.
Masumi is from Japan and has been studying at Lexis Byron Bay for seven weeks. She has been a conscientious student who was a pleasure to have in class. She has shown great improvement in her English skills and gained confidence speaking during her time here. Good luck with your new job back in Japan and we hope to see you in Byron Bay again soon!
Nagomi is from Japan and has been a happy, friendly student. She was an excellent student and made quick friends with students from all nationalities. She has a good level of English and improved in confidence during her two weeks at Lexis Byron Bay. All the best for the future!
Rika is from Japan and has been a conscientious student. She works hard in class to improve her English skills and has been a pleasure to teach. We wish you all the best!
Graduating student Tom, holding his certificate, with his Teacher Paul and classmates
Tom is from the Ivory Coast and graduates from Paul’s Intermediate class. He has been a friendly student who has enjoyed his time in Byron Bay both in and out of class. He has improved his English in all areas since starting at Lexis, especially his speaking skills. We wish you all the best for your time in Australia and know that you will be greatly missed at Lexis!
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Learn English in Byron Bay. Lexis English students study General English, IELTS, FCE, CAE and English plus Surfing in a friendly and professional school right in the heart of Byron Bay and only 15 minutes from the beach.
From February 22nd, students will be able to study Business and TESOL programs at Lexis. These courses will run from 2pm to 7.30pm on Monday, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with optional Supervised Consolidation of Learning class available each Thursday.
Our Business and TESOL programs are fully accredited for student visas, and are ideal for students finishing their English program at Lexis and looking for a further challenge while they extend their stay in Noosa, Byron Bay or the Sunshine Coast.
To enter the Certificate III in Business, you will need to have an Intermediate level of English at Lexis, or an equivalent IELTS score of 5. For the Certificate IV in TESOL, you will need to be in Upper Intermediate, or at a 6-6.5 IELTS equivalent.
To launch our new courses, we are offering our current students an opening special for the 30 week Certificate III in Business – $3000, including all registration and materials fees. The usual price for this course will be $4500.
TAFE Queensland is the government-owned and operated provider of world-class Technical and Further Education (TAFE) in Queensland. In some countries TAFE is also known as a Polytechnic, Technical College or Community College.
TAFE Queensland offers international students:
practical, industry-relevant training
a network of 6 regions with multiple locations across Queensland
a wide range of nationally accredited and internationally recognised courses
leading-edge technology and excellent facilities
strong links and pathways to university
a friendly, safe and culturally sensitive environment
underpinning government legislation including the ESOS Act2000 and National Code of Practice 2007.
TAFE Queensland has provided quality training for over 130 years and now enrols over 230,000 students each year, including up to 10,000 international students.
Yesterday, the IELTS class went to Byron Bay Farmers market in order to prepare for an essay about the benefits of buying locally.Pedro took the opportunity for shopping while the others wanted to taste new food and drinks.
Sofie, as a good friend, also bought tomatoes for Luciana as she knew she doesn’t like those from the supermarket, and she tried cane juice with Pol. Pol really like it whereas Sofie wasn’t convinced. Aurora bought rainbow fruit and everyone liked it. Finally, Tomaso sampled pumpkin chili jam and said it had a delicious flavor, sweet and spicy. He bought dragon fruit too but didn’t already eat it so we are still waiting the verdict…
In September, Lexis Byron Bay is running 3 exam preparation classes. We still have (very limited) spaces left on the Cambridge First (FCE) and Cambridge Advanced (CAE) 12-week courses, starting on 8 September. Or perhaps you are interested in joining our IELTS course running from 22 September until 12 December. Please come and see me as soon as possible if you are considering either of these options.
In Task 1 you have only 20 minutes to write 150 words. Below, I’ve outlined the way I teach students how to ensure they include everything necessary to get the best score for their ability level.
The Task:
You will be given a table, chart, map or diagram and will need to describe what you see (fact only; do not include your opinion). Mostly commonly the illustration will do one or a combination of the following:
compare quantities or amounts
show change over time
describe a process
One quick way to approach the task is to remember the 5 Ts: Time, Topic, Thesis, Trends, Totals.
Time:
Before you start writing you need to identify what time you are talking about and what your main tense will be. For example, if it’s a graph showing change over time, are both dates in the past (Past Simple) or are you comparing the past with the present (Present Perfect)? If it’s a process question, is it a natural process when you’ll mostly use active tenses or an industrial process when passive tenses are usually required?
Topic:
Your reader needs to know what you are describing. This is the topic. Imagine that your reader can’t see your graph or diagram and describe what it shows. Usually you will be able to paraphrase (write in your own words) the question to do this. However, do not copy the wording of the question exactly because if you do this, it won’t be marked.
Thesis:
The next thing to consider is what the most important point the diagram illustrates is. If you were in the pub and you had to describe the main point/feature of the chart/graph/process what would it be? Did sales go up over time? Is one product, by far, the most popular? Do men earn way more than women despite their education background? Do not underestimate the importance of this step. You must describe the big picture as well as the details.
Trends:
Now you need to describe the main trends. This does not mean describe everything you see. Your job it to group information together or compare information to make it meaningful. Consider the following examples, which is better?
In 1980 men earned on average $200 per week. Then in 1990 they earned $250 per week and in 2000 this had grown to $300. Finally, by 2010 their weekly income had risen to $350 per week.
On average, men’s weekly income increase by $50 over each 10 year period; from $200 per week in 1980 to $350 per week in 2010.
B. is better because it groups the information and summarises the main trend.
Totals:
The final thing you must remember is that it is essential to include data in your answer. Data could be total amounts, periods of time, dates, weights or a combination of the above. Without data, the information you provide is meaningless. If you say that sales rose you need to include when and how much. If you say that the caterpillar turns into a butterfly you need to say how many stages there are and how long each stage in the process takes.
So to summarise this week’s tip – remember the 5 Ts when you write a Task 1 and get the tense (time) right, introduce the diagram effectively (topic), describe the main point (thesis) of the diagram, group and compare the key information (trends) and NEVER forget to include data (totals).
