General English Skills

Here we have yet another brilliant student podcast on helping with your English study. This podcast includes discussion from one of our students on general English skills. More fun while learnign English. Great tips and tricks! General English skills: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Downl...

IELTS Band Scale

IELTS is scored on a nine band scale. Each Band corresponds to different English competence. The Band Scores are in either whole or half Bands. The nine bands are described as such: 9 Expert User Has fully operational command of the language: appropriate, accurate and fluent with complete understanding. 8 Very Good User Has fully...

How to pass IELTS

Here is one of our best podcasts which will help with your IELTS preparation. Here we have a 5 Steps 2 IELTS student telling us how to pass IELTS. Paul Brown is there to discuss as usual. Helpful audio resources for English language learning. How to pass IELTS: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Downl...

Writing Essays

Here is another great podcast which will help with your IELTS preparation. Here we have a 5 Steps 2 IELTS student telling us how to write effective essays. Helpful audio resources for English language learning. Writing Essays: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Downl...

Academic Reading for IELTS

Here we have another very good student podcast discussing IELTS and also how to be confient at academic reading. Very useful English language learning resources. Academic IELTS reading: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Downl...

General English Skills

Here we have yet another brilliant student podcast on helping with your English study. This podcast includes discussion from one of our students on general English skills. More fun while learnign English. Great tips and tricks! General English skills: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Downl...

How to improve your vocabulary

Student podcast discussing how to improve your vocabulary. How can you do this? Listen and learn! Very good English language tips and technique to improve language skills. Improve your vocabulary: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Downl...

How to improve your English speaking skills

How can you improve your speaking skills? Here we have another student podcast by the 5 Steps Team to improve this important skill in your language progress. Speaking is the key to effective English communications. Improve your speaking skills: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Downl...

Problems with English Listening Skills

Do you have problems with listening in your English studies? Many students feel the same way. Please find here another student podcast discussing this important area of English language learning. Problems with listening: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Downl...

Problems with English reading skills

For all of you with concern and problems with reading skills listen to our student podcast which discusses this important area. Problems with reading: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Downl...

Problems with English writing

For those with English writing problems and for those wanting to hear how to improve your writing this podcast is very good support material to help with your studies. Listen to our great students talking about these issues and giving there ideas and tips! Problems with writing: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Downl...

How to improve your motivation

Listen to another great podcast and hear how to improve your motivation. Good help with IELTS and English study. Here we discuss motivation. How to improve your motivation: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Downl...

IELTS Speaking skills you need

Fluency and coherence Fluency is the ability to be able to speak without too many pauses or hesitations. Coherence is the way that your speech is understood by the examiner, it is how well you stay on topic and how clear your arguments and ideas are. Effective vocabulary Lexical resource refers to how well you can use vocabulary and the range and accuracy of that vocabulary. As it is a...

IELTS Writing Ideas

1. ‘Some people believe that they should keep all the money they have earned and should not pay tax to the state. Do you agree or disagree? 2. ‘What are the advantages and disadvantages of mobile phones?’ 3. ‘ Today, the advances in science and technology have made great changes to people’s lives, but artists, such as musicians, painters and writers are still highly valued. What can arts...

IELTS level for entry to academic study

IELTS minimum levels required by institutions depend sometimes on particular college or school and country. As a rule, institutions from English spoken countries require a higher level of IELTS than those from non English spoken countries. According to IELTS official site the highest IELTS level required by a University is 8.5, only two institutions are included here, both from the U.S.:...

Online English learning course

Want to learn English online? We have a dedicated subject areas and many members who are updating content everyday. Learn English online with our forums for ESL learners and have fun and join this growing community. Living abroad: Asking for directions, making a doctor’s appointment or talking to your teacher can all be hard in English if you are not confident. Our forums can give you confidence...

IELTS Preparation

It is normal for anyone to feel nervous while attending the test. Always carry a positive attitude to avoid tension in the test center. If you feel you are not comfortable with anything in the examination hall make sure you tell the examiners there for a change of seat. On the IELTS test day Don’t forget your breakfast on the IELTS test day morning. Keep yourself cool and don’t panic seeing...

British English Pronunciation guide.

This list contains the main sounds of standard British English. This pronunciation guide can be very helpful for Asian learners and those in Thailand, China and the region. For those studying for speaking exams it may also be useful. Of course it is mostly extra material for IELTS exam and TOEFL exam students are the regions including Asia. CONSONANTS The following letters have their usual...

IELTS Test Structure

Reading section- Academic - for learners and IELTS preparation students around the regions, including Asia, Thailand and China. Cambridge IELTS. The reading section lasts for about an hour and is divided in to three sections of forty questions. If the candidates write on the question paper they cannot take it outside the exam hall. No extra time will be provided for the candidates. Mostly...

IELTS Test Results

IELTS marking is carried out at the test centre by trained examinerswhose work is closely monitored. This ensures that test resultsare available without any administrative delay. See more English language help and exam or ESL advice and tips,including our English discussion on our forum Results are standardised and usually available within two weeksof the test, and Test Report Forms are...

IELTS Test Format

Candidates are tested in listening, reading, writing and speaking.All candidates take the same Listening and Speaking Modules. There is a choice between Academic and General Training in theReading and Writing Modules.The tests are designed to cover the full range of ability fromnon- user to expert user. The first three modules – Listening, Reading and Writing –must be completed in one day....

Top 3 tips for IELTS exams - Dos and Donts

Here are the Top 3 Tips for your IELTS Exam in the areas of Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. Come back soon for Top 10 Tips! Or join our Forums LISTENING Don’t just glance at instructions; read them carefully. They can vary considerably. It often happens that the speaker will give you an answer and then correct what s/he has said - watch out for this ploy. Try to anticipate...

Steps to improving speaking

Tips and advice in learning English as well as for IELTS preparation. Here we have a podcast of English from our radio show. Standard Podcast: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Downl...

Speaking tips

Here we have the second installment of our English language podcast. Here you can listen to Paul on radio with listeners and guests talking about English and IELTS as well as TOEFL or other English exam learning techniques and tips. For those seeking English language help and to improve their speaking and listening then this [...] ...

How to improve your memory

Our third installment of our podcasts for English language learning. Our podcasts are proving to be very popular, just like those offered by the BBC. We hope to reach a wide audience with these radio shows and to offer audio for English learning that will be very easy to understand but will allow listeners to [...] Standard Podcast:...

How to be an effective listener

The fourth show in our IELTS and English language radio show which we have used for podcasting and using English as a podcast subkect area to help listeners with their studies and their exams. We cover a range of topics for learners of English and other areas such as ESL and TESOL topics. Our podcasts [...] Standard Podcast: Hide...

Podcast of our show, Monday 21May 2007

Heh guys, here is the Very Good Feeling, 5Steps2English.com Love FM 97.5 show from Monday 21 May, 2007, enjoy!Guests were Mr Huj and Mr Meng.Mr H 5 Steps 2 English - Love FM [61:18m]: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Downl...

Podcast of our show, Wednesday 16 May 2007

Heh guys, here is the Very Good Feeling, 5Steps2English.com Love FM show from Wednesday 16 May, 2007, enjoy!Our guest was Richard of Usingenglish.comMore soon!Mr H 5 Steps 2 English - Love FM [57:55m]: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Downl...

Podcast of our show, Wednesday 09 May 2007

Heh guys, here is the Very Good Feeling, 5Steps2English.com Love FM 97.5 show from Wednesday 09 May, 2007, enjoy! Our guest was Christiana from Italy.Mr H Standard Podcast [58:51m]: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download No Comments...

In Afghanistan, Preparing for a Threat to Wheat Plants

Special English This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report. Farmers in Afghanistan already struggle with the effects of drought and years of conflict. Now there is worry about a new threat headed in their direction in the wind -- a fungus that destroys wheat crops. The disease is a form of stem rust named for its discovery in...

'Non-Formal' Schools Aim to Fill Need in Kenya's Slums

This is the VOA Special English Development Report. In two thousand three, the government of Kenya established a program of free primary education for all children. But there are not enough public schools for all the children who live in the crowded slums of Nairobi. Instead, some of these children attend what are known as non-formal or informal schools. These are supported by communities,...

Microsoft, Google Take Aim at Each Other

This is the VOA Special English Economics Report. Google, the Internet search leader, will now offer a free operating system for personal computers. The company hopes to loosen Microsoft's hold on the market. Microsoft Windows is on more than ninety percent of PCs. Google...

Authors of Medical Studies Not Always Who They Seem

Special English This is the VOA Special English Education Report. Medical journals are an important part of continuing education for doctors and other health providers. Journals say they do their best to publish high quality studies by trusted authors. The International...

Elementary Exercise 6

A morning routine This lesson can be used either before or after the adverbs of frequency lesson, or all alone! Look at the picture below, can you identify the six items? What do you do in the morning? Do you get up immediately or think about your day for a moment? What do you drink? eat? Do you shower? Bath? shave? Now listen to the exercise...

Elementary exercise 5

Adverbs of frequency.(In the morning) Take a look at the table below. Never is 0% and always is 100% . You can see that the others are somewhere inbetween. As you look at the table think about how often you do these things. Visit friends, study English, watch a movie, listen to music. Now listen to the exercise and complete the gaps with...