Students' Resources
British Council Learn English
British Council Learn English
I have worked for the British Council in Tunisia (2 years), Myanmar (3 years), Colombia (3 years), Czech republic (4+ years), British Council Online (1+ year). If you work for a charity organisation (yes the BC is a registered charity, a non-profit organisation) for that long they must offer something amazing. This was long overdue, so a look at their student/teacher resources: Learn English
What is it
They have 4 major websites with student resources:
- https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/ For adult
- https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/ For teens
- https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/ For children
- https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/ For IELTS
The first 3 websites offer a wide variety of resources for students/teachers
Fist of all they offer courses: They are a school in the end, but they also offer free resources:
- Skills: focuses on the 4 different skills: Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening
- Grammar: Grammar explanations and exercises for different levels A1- C1
- Vocabulary: Vocabulary exercise for different levels A1-C1
- Business English: resources for business students
- General English: more resources for General English
Again they offer courses, but also resources:
- Skills: focuses on the 4 different skills: Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening
- Grammar: Grammar explanations and exercises for different levels A1- C1
- Vocabulary: Vocabulary exercise for different levels A1-C1
- Exams: resources for different exams
- Study Break: resources to have a small break but still use English
- Blog: Blog posts on different topic
- Listen and watch: different listening and video resources
- Read and write: different reading and writing resources
- Speak and spell: different resources for speaking and spelling
- Grammar and Vocabulary: different resources for both grammar and vocabulary
- Fun and games: resources to enjoy and have fun
- Print and make: worksheets and crafts resources
- Parents: help for the parents
- Take IELTS: resources for students
- Organisations: resources for organisations who use IELTS
- Teach IELTS: resources for Teachers
- Partner organisations: More information on their Partners
Who is it for?
- https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/ is for adult students and their teachers
- https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/ is for teen students and their teachers
- https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/ is for children their teachers and parents
- https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/ is for anyone who is interested in IELTS
How long does it take?
It really depends on the resources you select. Some take 5 minutes, some are useful to teach a whole 1 hour class.
Most of the self-study resources don’t take up too much time.
Why use it?
They are a highly reputable organisation and they have some amazing teachers and they know what they are doing.
The self-study materials just give you some extra things you as a student can do at home to improve your English. All the resources are professionally made and easy to use.
How use it?
For students it is a real treasure trove of extremely useful resources to advance your English. Just have a look at what you need and use it.
Teachers can use it to help teach classes and supplement their classes.
Watch out for!
- They have really extensive resources, but of course can’t cover everything. Sometimes you need the help of a teacher to point you in the right direction.
- You will also still need a teacher to help you with speaking and structuring everything for you
- The IELTS website just offers the basics of resources
- There aren’t any resources for Cambridge exams First, Advanced and Proficiency
How have I used it?
- I have pointed students in the right direction and told them which resources would help them best based on the problems they have.
- I have used some of the resources in my classes when teaching
So, go have a look at the British council resources, don’t get lost, but do tell us which ones you liked the most in the comments below.
Spread the word
Kristof Abrath
Teacher, Trainer, Course Designer
Teaching in English on 4 different continents since 2006.
