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28 Best Websites to Learn English at Any Level [Updated for 2024]

Like most people, you probably take formal classes to learn English. However, there are plenty of other ways to learn and practice.

The internet has a wide range of resources for learners. In fact, there are so many that sometimes it’s hard to choose which website to use.

That’s why, in this post, I’ve collected the 28 best websites for learning English at any level, all by yourself. I’ve highlighted their best features so you’ll know which program or app will work best for you.

1. Best Overall: Duolingo

2. best video-based program: fluentu, 3. best for learning british english: bbc learning english, 4. best free program: british council, 5. best for accessing tutors: englishcentral, 6. best for studying english phrases: phrasemix, 7. best for learning academic english: cambridge english, 8. best for various learning styles: busuu, 9. best for asking english-related questions: wordreference forums, 10. best business english resource: lingua, 11. best for grammar practice: daily grammar, 12. best idioms library: usingenglish, 13. best for test prep: magoosh, 14. best vocabulary builder: knoword, 15. best for authentic speeches: ted, 16. best for university-level courses: coursera, 17. best for aussie english: abc education, 18. best resource based on current events: news in levels, 19. best dictionary: collins online dictionary, 20. best for learning english through u.s.-based news: voa learning english, 21. best for practicing speaking skills: talkenglish.com, 22. best for listening to various accents: elllo, 23. best for learning english with other subjects: nyt’s the learning network, 24. best for grammar lessons: englishpage.com, 25. most readable for non-native english speakers: englisch-hilfen.de, 26. best for learning about culture for free: open culture, 27. best for listening quizzes: randall’s esl cyber listening lab, 28. best for vocabulary: smart words, how to get the most out of your learning.

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Available on: iOS | Android

Price: Free (with in-app purchases)

Summary:  This trusted program guides you through fun, colorful activities focusing on listening, speaking and writing to get your fluency up fast.

Duolingo helps you learn new vocabulary and grammar through short games and quizzes on their easy-to-use app. Each lesson comes with cute illustrations and animations, making it even more fun to use.

The program helps you start creating sentences from the very beginning, always teaching words and phrases in context. There’s also voice recognition software for pronunciation exercises.

• Thousands of learner friendly videos (especially beginners)
• Handpicked, organized, and annotated by FluentU's experts
• Integrated into courses for beginners

And the best part is that you can do all this in just five minutes per day!

We did a full review of Duolingo , in case you want to know more about the ups and downs of this program.

Summary: FluentU uses authentic native speaker videos including music videos, movie trailers, news clips and vlogs.

It uses a natural approach that helps you ease into the English language and culture over time. You’ll learn English as it’s spoken in real life.

FluentU has a variety of engaging content from popular talk shows, nature documentaries and funny commercials, as you can see here:

FluentU makes it really easy to watch English videos. There are captions that are interactive. That means you can tap on any word to see an image, definition and useful examples.

For example, when you tap on the word "searching," you'll see this:

Learn all the vocabulary in any video with quizzes. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning.

The best part is that FluentU keeps track of the vocabulary that you’re learning and gives you extra practice with difficult words. It even reminds you when it’s time to review! Every learner has a truly personalized experience, even if they’re learning with the same video.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

Try FluentU for FREE!

• Interactive subtitles: click any word to see detailed examples and explanations
• Slow down or loop the tricky parts
• Show or hide subtitles
• Review words with our powerful learning engine

Price: Free

Summary:  This trusted media company teaches British English through a variety of activities, from video to radio podcasts.

The BBC always has high-quality material, so it’s not surprising that their BBC Learning English website has top-notch resources.

The website is designed for intermediate and advanced English learners. It teaches English with BBC-style videos and radio broadcasts. These focus on topics like stories in the news, the latest English words and phrases and even some videos that explain English pronunciation in incredible detail.

Although there’s no interactive speaking feature, each of their podcasts and videos include post-listening activities for you to check your understanding. Overall, this is a great resource for practicing listening skills.

Click here for our full review .

Available on: British Council offers several mobile apps for different learning topics

• Learn words in the context of sentences
• Swipe left or right to see more examples from other videos
• Go beyond just a superficial understanding

Price: Free (some programs have a fee, though)

Summary:  Another British English program, British Council offers all types of highly usable English for free.

The British Council’s LearnEnglish website features a huge number of interactive lessons, videos, games and podcasts. This means that no matter what level you’re at or what topic interests you, you’ll always find something here.

The website is divided into five main sections: Skills (for reading, listening, writing and speaking practice), Grammar, Vocabulary, Business English and General English (British culture, short stories and even Shakespeare).

There are many types of activities for different levels of learners. For example, if you want to work on your writing, you can practice filling out forms and writing simple texts like emails. Meanwhile, advanced learners will find lessons on how to write essays, reports, articles and college assignments.

Available on:   iOS | Android

Price: Depends on the study plan (private lessons per week and subscription period)

• FluentU builds you up, so you can build sentences on your own
• Start with multiple-choice questions and advance through sentence building to producing your own output
• Go from understanding to speaking in a natural progression.

Summary:  Focused on helping you learn through video lessons, this site uses effective speech recognition software so you can perfect your pronunciation.

English Central focuses on using over 30,000 video lessons to help you improve your English. First, you just watch the video lesson. Then, you check the words in the video with the transcript, choosing the lines and saving the words you want to practice.

Then, the speech recognition program will let you know how well your recording matches up with the video’s.

What makes English Central stand out is that you can also join a live, 1-on-1 lesson with a language tutor to discuss the video. 

Available on: iOS |  Android

• Images, examples, video examples, and tips
• Covering all the tricky edge cases, eg.: phrases, idioms, collocations, and separable verbs
• No reliance on volunteers or open source dictionaries
• 100,000+ hours spent by FluentU's team to create and maintain

Summary:  This site teaches phrases instead of words and grammar, so you can get fluent faster.

I love Phrasemix because it simulates how people actually learn languages. Instead of teaching you new words by themselves, Phrasemix teaches you whole phrases.

Also, the site focuses on phrases that real people use in real conversations . So, the next time you go to talk with your new friends in English, you’ll be able to speak like them, not like your textbook.

The sentences in PhraseMix are very natural, and each sentence is broken down, so you can understand every phrase and vocabulary word used.

Available on:  Cambridge English has several apps for different learning topics

Summary:  This trusted brand takes an old school academic approach with content-based learning.

Cambridge English is a popular resource for students who want to study for the Cambridge English proficiency exam or learn English in general. The website has hundreds of options for online activities related to reading, writing, listening, speaking, grammar and vocabulary.

These activities take about five to 10 minutes to complete. This targeted practice means you can focus on a specific skill for a short amount of time if you’re having a busy day.

All activities on the Cambridge English website have a theme and a level, so you can find one that’s perfect for your learning goals.

Summary:  This site combines culture and different learning methods—from audio-visual to more traditional listening and reading activities.

Busuu uses flashcards and mini-lessons on English phrases, vocabulary and grammar.

Busuu’s main strengths lie in repetition. You read and hear a word or phrase, and then do a variety of practice activities to help you use and remember it fully. There are also mini-grammar lessons along the way, as well as a quiz at the end of each lesson.

The app also helps with pronunciation and conversation through a chat option, which allows you to speak and interact with native English speakers. These speakers can also correct the things that you write in Busuu to help you become a better English writer.

You can read what we thought of the program in our Busuu review .

Summary:  This site is perfect for looking up words and has a helpful public forum where you can chat with other English learners.

On the WordReference forum, you can interact with English learners from across the globe. You can ask questions about native phrases, idioms, expressions, pronunciation or anything else you can think of related to English.

You can even browse the forum for previously-asked questions. This is a great way to find tips for learning English and learn about the English language.

You’ll also discover many great tips, study routines and advice from English learners.

Price: Free; Premium content costs $9.90/year

Summary:  This site has lots of fun activities based on reading, listening and dictation, and its business English section is excellent.

Lingua’s activities let you read and listen to a short text before answering a quiz or completing an exercise. The quizzes are short, so it’s an awesome way to get quick reading or listening practice. You can even listen to the audio recording of a text in either American or British English.

Summary:  This site is great for old school grammar drilling and practice.

The website design might look slightly old-fashioned, but I promise this is an awesome resource for studying English grammar.

The Daily Grammar site features almost all of the parts of English grammar broken down into easy activities. These include topics such as verbs, nouns, adjectives and adverbs. The website also has more advanced topics like indirect objects and prepositional phrases.

There’s also an interactive glossary that links to the activities based on the topic. This means you can focus on a specific grammar point and learn it properly.

Summary:  This site features an effective idiom dictionary and is a great source for phrasal verbs that can be so confusing in English.

UsingEnglish is a website with a large compilation  (many different resources from a range of topics) of English learning materials. It has word lists focusing on native English, such as idiom dictionaries and phrasal verb lists.

Plus, there are many free quizzes and reading comprehension activities to help test your level and improve your English skills. These quizzes cover grammar topics such as verb tenses, phonetics and articles.

Reading activities cover topics like entertainment, business English and politics.

Price: Free trial available ; Subscription price depends on course type

Summary:  This site prepares students for taking language tests such as the SAT, GRE and TOEFL.

Magoosh is a test preparation website that helps students develop skills to pass their upcoming exams. These include common exams in the English-speaking world such as the GRE (Graduate Record Examination), the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) and TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language).

Magoosh introduces you to English grammar in its TOEFL course through hundreds of online video-based lessons. The lessons are similar to a private tutor teaching you the materials. The videos explain the topics well and follow a nice slow speed.

Summary:  This site is perfect for building your vocabulary, and the gamified approach makes it quite fun.

Knoword is a very addictive online vocabulary building game. While the website isn’t specifically for ESL learners, it’s still a great place to practice your vocabulary and word association skills.

To play the game, you’re given a word definition and the word’s first letter. You must then type the missing word. At the end of the game, you can view your answers and summarize the vocabulary. For an extra challenge, you can set a time limit.

The lists are designed by users of the app, so they’re really varied. One helps you learn irregular verbs in English , for example. I particularly recommend the super fun idioms pack !

Available on: i OS | Android

Summary:  This site is perfect for learning about fascinating topics while you get more comfortable with listening comprehension.

TED creates videos known as “TED Talks,” which are presentations by experts in many fields. You can find TED Talks about science, philosophy, self-help, education and much more.

TED talks are fun and effective ways to practice your English listening skills . They’re often led by native English speakers, have a lot of vocabulary that’s useful for many situations, plus subtitles.

To study with TED talks, listen to the video more than once, take notes and research any unknown vocabulary. It can also be helpful to watch videos in subtitles in your native language first and then in English.

Price: Free (option to pay for a certificate at the end of the course)

Summary:  This site offers university-level language courses for free.

Coursera is a directory that has free online courses known as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The “Open” part of the name means that anyone with an internet connection can take the course.

Coursera has many MOOCs from all around the world. You can find courses in intermediate English, grammar-specific classes, business or science English and more.

I recommend Coursera because all the courses were created by recognized institutions. You can search for a course by level, length or even the institution which provides the resource.

Most courses are self-directed. This means you can go through the course material at your own pace whenever you want. Many courses include videos or readings, and some even have practice exercises to complete.

Price:  Free

Summary:  If you want to learn Aussie English , this site is the place. It combines Aussie English and culture, so you learn English at the same time you learn about the Aussie way of life.

ABC is the Australian public news service, and it has an English learning website, too.

Here, you’ll discover a number of English learning activities like articles, video courses and listening exercises. 

You can read articles that interview people about life in Australia. There are also articles for learning English idioms, grammar points and learning tips.

A fantastic resource from the website is “Behind the News.” In this section, you watch short news clips and focus on vocabulary related to the story. This is an especially useful resource if you want to develop an Australian accent or have a particular interest in Australia in general.

Price:  Free (with in-app purchases)

Summary:  Stay informed and learn English with current events at various learner levels with this excellent site.

News in Levels is another fantastic resource that introduces English learners to news stories at different levels of difficulty. Simply choose a news story of interest, and then choose a level.

On this website, you can read and watch an original news story. As you read, some words are in bold to show that they may be difficult or important to the text.

News in Levels lets you take a level test, answer questions related to the text and even speak live with someone on Skype about the content of the page.

The best part about this resource is that it updates as the news develops. New articles are added every day, so there’s always new content to choose from.

Summary:  A trusted name in dictionaries, this site is easy to use and there are lots of examples, which makes understanding words easier.

When learning English online, it’s important to have a solid and reliable English language dictionary .

Along with the online dictionary, thesaurus and translation sections, you’ll also find the latest news from Collins and other great articles all about the English language.

The thesaurus is great for finding  synonyms (words that mean the same thing), and the translation section allows you to find out the meaning of the English word in another language.

Collins also has articles where you can learn about things like “Scrabble,” a popular English word game.

Summary: VOA Learning English takes real news and makes it more understandable for English learners.

VOA stands for “Voice of America,” a news and media service. They have a section specifically dedicated for English learners. The site makes it easy to study news by adding subtitles, having special news that is spoken more slowly and making programs just for English learners.

For example, the program “English in a Minute” focuses on one phrase or expression in each episode, which is only one minute long. There’s also “Words and Their Stories” , a podcast that looks closely at a single word or type of word, like expressions related to the word “sun”  or  common French words in English .

The main Voice of America site has news made for native English speakers. The site is also available in many other languages. The English version can be great for advanced English learners, while the foreign language section can work for beginners who are still trying to grasp the basics of the language through translation .

Available on: TalkEnglish has several apps for different learning skills

Summary: TalkEnglish is focused on helping you with your speaking skills, but it also covers topics such as listening, vocabulary, phrasal verbs and idioms.

TalkEnglish features hundreds of lessons designed to help you practice your speaking skills. Just repeat the words or phrases after the native speaker says them.

Plus, if you click on almost anything on the site, you can hear someone speaking the text in a clear and natural way. Also, everything is written out as a transcript, which makes it easy to follow.

There’s also a vocabulary page with tips, links and lists to help you improve your English vocabulary, as well as 10 different sections on idioms with 15 different lessons each.

Summary: ELLLO has a huge variety of lessons and topics related to English listening, with a mixture of native and non-native speakers to help you hear a variety of accents .

Elllo is one of the “standards” in English listening lessons, meaning it’s very well-known. In addition to great listening lessons, it also has videos and other tools to help you improve your English.

It has many topics that are divided by level. Each lesson has a transcript with vocabulary and quizzes. Most materials are downloadable as MP3 files or documents. It’s very easy to use—in fact, your English teacher may even use material from this site on exams!

Summary: The Learning Network (from the prestigious or well-respected publication The New York Times ) is packed with content that works best for advanced students.

Although the Learning Network bases its content off of The New York Times articles aimed at native English speakers, it also provides tools to help language learners understand the articles better.

For example, this post on the blog gives a brief summary, including discussion questions. That makes it perfect to use in classes or groups, but you can also use this page if you’re learning by yourself.

In addition to the important vocabulary in each article, there’s also a “Word of the Day”  feature, which includes a quiz.

Summary: Englishpage is a great site to visit if you want to master English grammar.

If you look at the  index  for Englishpage.com’s grammar section, you’ll see how large it is.

On the verb tenses page alone, there are tutorials and explanations for everything you can imagine related to verbs. There are also 30 “Exercises,” which are quizzes and exams to check your understanding. And that’s just the verb tenses.

There are also a few vocabulary lessons aimed at advanced learners.

Summary: Because English-hilfen.de is made for non-native speakers, there are a lot of clear explanations and examples on the site.

It may be strange to see a German website on this list (the name means “English help” in German). But it really is a great, useful site for anyone learning English!

The grammar pages on the site include easy-to-understand explanations and user-friendly exercises . Meanwhile, the vocabulary pages are divided into subject areas  and  exercises . The exercises are fun, and include some topics that aren’t as common on other sites, like the “Customs and Traditions” section.

Summary: Open Culture isn’t specifically for English learners, but there are lots of valuable resources for everyone.

Open Culture collects different materials and resources available for free online and puts them together in one place. Most of the resources here are educational or cultural, but there’s also a section specifically for English lessons .

Summary: Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab has many listening lessons for different levels that come with quizzes to reinforce (strengthen or solidify) what you’ve learned.

The lessons on Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab usually have a few discussion questions, an audio file and a quiz at the end. There are good topics and quizzes, but they’re not easily downloadable. That means you’ll need an Internet connection to listen to the audio files.

There are also sections for learning vocabulary , but they’re small compared to the listening part.

Summary: Smart Words is a website almost completely dedicated to vocabulary aimed at English learners of all levels.

Smart Words’ site is very clear and easy to use, and everything is divided by category. As such, it can be useful when studying for standardized English tests—like the TOEIC or TOEFL, where knowledge of synonyms is very useful.

There are especially good sections about  synonyms and antonyms . I personally enjoy the pages with  quotes and sayings ,  idioms ,  puns  and  humor .

• Know your level. If the lesson is too easy, you’ll be bored. If it’s too hard, you won’t learn. So before you start to learn English online, test your English level first.
• Know how you learn best. Find English learning websites that match your language learning style .
• Use a computer or phone with a microphone.  Many of these websites and apps have activities where you can practice speaking. You’ll need a microphone for that.
• Find topics that interest you. When you use topics that you like, you’ll be more motivated to learn!
• Schedule a time each day to study.  You need to practice often and regularly to get better. Schedule a set time each day to study English, like while you have breakfast or take the train to work.
• Don’t forget to go offline as well. Even if you learn a lot from these English websites, it’s important to practice with real people, too . 

Now, all that’s left to do is take your pick and start learning!

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AS and A-level English Language

• Specification
• Planning resources
• Teaching resources
• Assessment resources

Introduction

• Specification at a glance
• 3.1 Language and the individual
• 3.2 Language varieties
• 4.1 Language, the individual and society
• 4.2 Language diversity and change

4.3 Language in action

• Scheme of assessment
• Non-exam assessment administration (A-level only)
• General administration

The aim of this area of study is to allow students to explore and analyse language data independently and develop and reflect upon their own writing expertise.

It requires students to carry out two different kinds of individual research:

• a language investigation (2,000 words excluding data)
• a piece of original writing and commentary (750 words each).

Students can choose to pursue a study of spoken, written or multimodal data, or a mixture of text types, demonstrating knowledge in areas of individual interest.

In preparation for this, students need to study how to:

• identify an appropriate investigation topic and research questions
• select and apply a methodology for data collection and analysis
• work in greater depth and with greater range
• transcribe spoken data where appropriate
• use language concepts and ideas
• evaluate and draw conclusions on the findings of the investigation
• present findings in an appropriate and accessible way
• reference reading materials correctly
• evaluate the structures and conventions of a variety of genres
• plan, draft and redraft as part of the writing process
• reflect on the writing process using methods of language analysis.

Language Investigation

Students may choose to pursue an area of individual interest. For example, this might include studies of:

• representations of different individuals, social groups or nationalities
• regional dialect
• gendered talk
• the language of new communication technologies
• children’s language use
• norms and variations in usages of different kinds
• the language of the media
• code switching and mixing between English and other languages
• the language of different occupations or pastimes
• historical changes in English over time.

Students are not obliged to restrict themselves to those areas that are formally taught, as the basis of the investigation is the value of student-led enquiry supported by open learning. Therefore, any area seen by supervising teachers as yielding interesting questions about language in use may be chosen. Students can ask a number of fruitful questions, which can be generated by questions such as the following:

• A genre-based investigation: what are the distinctive features of this type of language use?
• A function/use-based investigation: what is the language used to do?
• An attitudes-based investigation: how do people feel about this language?
• A user-based investigation: who uses this type of language?

Students will need to decide what kind of data they collect:

• spoken language
• written language
• multimodal language
• word lists (ie lists of new words etc)
• attitudes to language
• uses of language
• views about language.

Underpinning this piece of research is the challenge that, in consultation with their supervising teacher, students should collect their own data as the basis of their study, as well as select their own approach for analysis.

Investigations need a specific focus, for example:

• the writing of two children aged 8
• features of the Devon dialect, based on a survey
• the language of wedding ceremonies from two different cultures
• the language of teachers’ reports
• the language used in three different advertisements for a particular product
• how stories are told in a particular comic
• how travel guides represent a particular community
• the language of sports commentary
• how turntaking works in real-time writing online
• language patterns in the names of shops.

The list above is neither definitive nor prescriptive.

The investigation should contain the following sections:

• brief discussion of the reasons for choosing the investigation focus
• what the investigation is trying to find out (aims).

Methodology

• an evaluative account of how the data was collected and organised for analysis
• approaches to analysis.
• analysis and interpretation of the findings, responding to the aim of the investigation
• critical consideration of relevant concepts and issues surrounding the topic area
• analysis of the contextual influences upon the data collected.
• interpretation of the findings of the investigation linked to the aim/focus of the investigation.
• a list of all sources used (paper and web-based).
• clean copies of the collected data
• evidence to support quantitative approaches.

Original writing

Students will produce one piece of original writing based on one of the following three areas:

• The Power of Persuasion
• The Power of Storytelling
• The Power of Information

and one accompanying commentary.

In preparation for the writing, students will study a range of style models before selecting and analysing one style model in detail. Students will select their own style model in consultation with their supervising teacher. Students will then use this research to inform their own piece of original writing.

The commentary will allow the student to consider and evaluate the style model, the writing process and the effectiveness of the final piece of writing.

The folder submitted should contain:

• a piece of original writing
• an annotated style model
• a reflective commentary
• references (paper and web-based).

Examples of pieces of writing students could consider:

The power of persuasion

• a piece of investigative journalism
• a speech delivered on a controversial topic
• a letter to an MP.

The power of storytelling

• a short story
• an extract from a biography
• a dramatic monologue.

The power of information

• a piece of travel journalism
• a blog focusing on social issues
• a piece of local history.

Methods of language analysis

Both the investigation and original writing will have a distinctive approach to analysis that is shaped by the particular needs of the research pathway or theme chosen. However, underlying any analysis will be coverage of some relevant aspects of the language levels, as follows:

• phonetics, phonology and prosodics: how speech sounds and effects are articulated and analysed
• graphology: the visual aspects of textual design and appearance
• lexis and semantics: the vocabulary of English, including social and historical variation
• grammar, including morphology: the structural patterns and shapes of English at sentence, clause, phrase and word level
• pragmatics: the contextual aspects of language use
• discourse: extended stretches of communication occurring in different genres, modes and contexts.

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Improve your conversational English with this series of free online spoken English lessons from Oxford Online English. Learn how to speak English fluently, naturally and confidently! Enjoy browsing through these Oxford Online English archives.

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Where Are You From? – Listening Lesson (A1)

Where are you from? What is your country like? Listen to two people talking about where they are from in this free Oxford Online English listening lesson. This lesson is suitable for beginners.

More English Listening Lessons

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The IELTS Speaking Exam – Listening Lesson (B2-C1)

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Programmes & Qualifications

Cambridge international as & a level english language (9093).

• Syllabus overview

Cambridge International AS and A Level English Language provides learners with the opportunity to study English language and its use in communication. Learners will be encouraged to respond critically to a wide variety of texts in a range of forms, styles and contexts, and to promote skills of communication, reading, research and analysis.

Through their study, learners will develop an ability to read and analyse material, gaining further knowledge and understanding of English language features and issues. Learners will also develop the skills of writing clearly, accurately, creatively and effectively for different purposes and audiences.

Changes have been made to this syllabus for first examination in 2021 onwards. Please see the 2021-2023 syllabus for detailed information.

The syllabus year refers to the year in which the examination will be taken.

• -->2021 - 2023 Syllabus update (PDF, 163KB)
• -->2024 - 2026 Syllabus update (PDF, 136KB)

Syllabus support

• -->Support for English Language (PDF, 1MB)

Syllabus updates

We worked with teachers, subject expert panels and universities around the world to update our Cambridge International AS & A Level English subject group as part of our on-going review process. We have made some changes to the syllabus for examination in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Many teachers told us that they offer more than one English subject from this group, so we have made some changes so that the syllabuses work together regardless of whether a student is studying one or more subject from this group. To make it clearer for teachers, we have separated this syllabus from our other English Cambridge International AS & A Levels.

How has the syllabus changed?

• We have included a specific subject content section that sets out what students should study across the Cambridge International AS & A Level.
• After feedback from teachers, new content has been added within Paper 3 that focuses on the analysis and intrepretation of language data.
• We have increased the number of assessment objectives from three to five and have updated the wording so the expectations of each assessment objective is clearer.
• The levels of response mark schemes have changed based on feedback from schools to make sure we maintain valid and reliable assessments.
• Text and context
• Meaning and style
• We have added a list of command words and their meanings to help learners know what’s expected of them in the exam.

How has assessment changed?

• Changes to the papers have been made to update and retain the strengths of the current model. We are keeping the assessment model for English Language as a four component, exam only model.
• The A Level Paper 3 will have stimulus texts that will be accompanied by some quantitative language data, in graph and table form. This change is based on feedback from teachers who feel the skill of data analysis would be valuable for students and engage their interest.
• Language acquisition has been moved to Paper 3 from Paper 4 as this topic represents language analysis more than a language topic.
• English in the World - a new title for the current English as a global language
• Language and the self - a new topic that concentrates on the relationships between language and thought, and language and social identity. This change was made after consultation with centres, who felt the current topics in Paper 4 were not discrete enough.

When do these changes take place?

The updated syllabus will be assessed in June and November 2021, 2022 and 2023. It is also available in March 2021, 2022 and 2023 (India only). Please see the 2021-2023 syllabus above for full details.

Coming soon

We are developing a wide range of support to help you plan and teach the 2021-2023 syllabus. Visit our School Support Hub from April 2019 onwards.

Look out for our comprehensive support package to help you deliver the 2021-2023 syllabus including a Scheme of work, Example candidate responses and Specimen paper answers. There will also be Teacher and Learner guides from April 2019 onwards through our School Support Hub .

Endorsed resources

View the latest resources that are being developed for the Cambridge International AS & A Level English Language syllabus (9093).

Helps students gain an understanding of how language works for different audiences and purposes. Improve reading skills through analysis of different text types – from blogs to letters – and create imaginative, discursive and critical writing.

Read more on the Cambridge University Press website

Build skills and knowledge in a clear sequence and help students to apply skills to a range of language tasks, with up-to-date coverage of the syllabus topics and a stimulating range of international texts.

Read more on the Collins website

Important notices

Find out more about our range of English syllabuses to suit every level and ambition.

For some subjects, we publish grade descriptions to help understand the level of performance candidates’ grades represent.

We paused the publication of grade descriptions in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the temporary changes to the awarding standard in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

As the awarding standard has now returned to the pre-pandemic standard, we are working to produce up-to-date grade descriptions for most of our general qualifications. These will be based on the awarding standards in place from June 2023 onwards.

School Support Hub

Teachers at registered Cambridge schools can unlock over 30 000 teaching and learning resources to help plan and deliver Cambridge programmes and qualifications, including Schemes of work, Example candidate responses, Past papers, Specimen paper answers, as well as digital and multimedia resources.

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• How to Make Your Coursework as Good as It Can Possibly Be

Many GCSE and A-level subjects are assessed in part by coursework in addition to exams, meaning that the mark you receive for coursework contributes to your overall grade. Many students prefer coursework, because it’s a chance to showcase your academic abilities away from the high-pressured environment of the exam room, making it ideal for those who don’t perform to the best of their abilities in exams. However, the time you have available for coursework, in contrast with the time constraints of the exam room, can lull some students into a false sense of security. Coursework is arguably just as challenging as exams, just in different ways – and, given the fact that you have more time, much higher standards are expected of you in coursework than in exams. Careful planning and research are needed for successful coursework, as well as strong data-gathering and essay-writing skills. In this article, we look at how to produce excellent coursework, from planning to proofreading. This information might also be useful to you if you’re planning on attending an Oxford Summer School this summer.

What is coursework?

GCSE and A-level coursework typically takes the form of an extended essay or project. Its objectives vary from one subject to another, but there’s usually an emphasis on the student conducting independent research into a topic of their own choice. Thus coursework often takes the form of some sort of investigation; it may, therefore, help to have your ‘detective’ hat on as you explore, investigate and analyse your topic. You can usually work on your coursework at home, though it’s sometimes completed under controlled conditions through sessions at school. To give you a better idea of how coursework varies from one subject to another, here are some examples:

• English – English coursework usually takes the form of an extended essay with a title of your choice. You’re usually given a choice of themes and/or texts to explore, and you could choose a format such as a comparison between a set text and another one.
• Geography – Geography coursework usually focuses on the gathering, reporting and interpretation of data designed to answer a particular geographical question. You could investigate usage of a shopping centre, for example, or look at erosion on a particular beach.
• Sciences – coursework for science subjects often takes the form of a scientific project or experiment that you conduct and report on yourself.

Before you start work on your coursework, it’s essential that you have a thorough understanding of the rules. Failing to conform to the rules – inadvertently or not – may result in your coursework (or possibly even your entire qualification) being disqualified, so it’s a serious matter.

• No plagiarism – this is particularly dangerous given the ready availability of relevant information on the internet these days. Make sure everything is in your own words; you’ll need to sign a declaration stating that it’s your own original work.
• There’s only so much help your teacher can give you . They can provide guidance on what you need to include, and on what the examiners will be looking for. You can ask them questions, but they’ll usually only be able to check through your first draft once and offer broad hints on updating it.
• Check the word count , and stick to it. Find out whether footnotes, appendices and bibliographies are included in the word count.
• Check what topics you’re allowed to do your coursework on; if there’s an exam on this topic, you’ll almost certainly have to choose a different one for your coursework.

Choose your topic wisely

Ideally, choose something you’re genuinely interested in, as your enthusiasm will come across and you’ll find it more enjoyable to write. If there’s something you’ve been working on for the course so far that you’ve particularly enjoyed, you may be able to focus more on this as part of your coursework. For science coursework, you’ll need to choose something to investigate that you can measure, change and control; it should be what’s called a ‘fair test’, meaning that you have to acknowledge all the controls you use in the experiment and why. Try not to pick a topic for which the scope is too vast, as you’ll struggle to research it properly and you’re unlikely to do it justice, and it’ll be hard to keep within the word limit. Ask your teachers for some guidance on choosing your topic if you’re not sure what to write about; they might even tell you a bit about what previous students have done to give you some inspiration.

Plan how long it’s going to take

Never leave your coursework until the last minute, even if this is your normal approach to essays and it usually works for you. Make sure you understand when the deadlines are, including time for submitting a first draft for comments from your teacher. Then schedule blocks of time for working on it, allowing plenty of time before the deadline to cater for any unexpected delays. Allow ample time for making corrections based on teacher feedback on your first draft, and keep some time aside before the deadline for final editing and proofreading. Because actual deadlines are few and far between, you’ll need to take responsibility for the writing process and impose some deadlines on yourself to ensure it’s finished in time. Write down your deadlines on a calendar, with the coursework broken into stages and dates assigned to each, by which time each task should be complete. You can base your stages on the next few points in this article – research and data gathering, a structure plan for the piece of work, writing up, and so on.

Conducting your research and gathering data

As coursework is primarily a research exercise, the research phase is crucial, so don’t be tempted to skimp on it and go straight to writing up. Use as many different resources as you can to gather data: books, journals, newspapers, television, radio, the internet and anything else you think might be relevant. For science and Geography coursework, you’ll need to base your work on a hypothesis, so the research stage should start by coming up with at least one hypothesis, otherwise your research will lack direction. The research phase for some subjects may involve site visits for gathering data, so allow plenty of time for this, particularly if you need your parents to drive you somewhere to do so. If it’s a scientific experiment you’re conducting for your coursework, you’ll need to pay careful attention to planning the experiment using rigorous scientific methods (also noting what Health and Safety precautions you are taking), as well as reading up on the background and theory so that you have an idea of what to expect from the outcome of your experiment. In the research stage, make notes about what you expect to happen, so that you can later compare your expectations with what actually did happen. The experiment itself also forms part of the research and data-gathering stage for your science coursework; in the write-up stage, which we come onto shortly, you analyse and write up the results.

Plan your structure

Once you’ve completed your research, the process of writing up begins. Before you get down to the actual writing, however, it’s advisable to write a plan for how you’re going to structure it – essentially an essay plan for English coursework and other subjects for which the coursework is based on an extended essay. It’ll look slightly different from an essay plan for science subjects and others that revolve around project work, but the principle is the same: plan out what order you’re going to present your information in. For big projects, this is particularly important, because with a lot of information to convey, you risk being disorganised and waffling.

Writing up your project

For any coursework, but particularly coursework based around an extended essay, you’ll need to perfect your essay-writing abilities. For science coursework, writing up your project also involves data analysis, as you interpret the results of your experiment and work your notes into formal scientific language.

When you’re writing up, it’s important to find a place where you can work quietly, without distractions that could cause you to make careless errors. You wouldn’t want noise or distractions when you were in an exam room, so treat your coursework with the same reverence.

Supporting materials and images

For some subjects, namely the sciences and Geography, it would be appropriate to include images, graphs, charts, tables and so on in your coursework. For example, for Geography coursework, your extra material could include annotated images and maps of the site you’re talking about, plus tables, graphs and charts. An appendix could then detail your raw data; if, for example, your coursework focused on the results of a survey, you could put the raw survey responses in an appendix and provide summaries and analysis in the main body of the coursework.

Footnotes and bibliography

As we said earlier, it’s important that you always use your own words in your coursework to avoid the possibility of falling foul of plagiarism rules. However, it’s acceptable to quote from another source, as you would in any piece of academic writing, but you must make sure that you state where it is from and use quotation marks to show that it’s a quote from somewhere else. The best way of citing another work is to use a footnote; word processors will allow you to insert one, and it just puts a little number at the end of the sentence and another in the footer of the document, into which you put the name of the author and work, and the page within that work that the quote can be found. At the end of your piece of work, include a bibliography that includes a list of every external source you’ve used in the creation of your coursework. Stick to a set formula when including books. A common format is: Author Surname, Initial. (Date) – Title of Book , page number For example: Lewis, C.S. (1960) – Studies in Words , p. 45 When you get to university, you’ll be expected to include footnotes and bibliographies in all your essays, so it’s a good habit to get into and coursework gives you good practice at it.

The final pre-submission check

Having completed a first draft, received feedback from your teacher, and honed your work into a finished piece of coursework, have a final check through it before you send off your coursework for submission.

• Sense check : have a read through your completed piece of work and check that it all makes sense. Make sure you haven’t contradicted yourself anywhere, or repeated yourself, or laboured the point. If there are any facts that you may have meant to look up to double check their accuracy, do so now.
• Word count : ensure that the completed work falls within the word count, and double check whether the bibliography should be included in the word count. If you’ve exceeded it, you’ll need to work through the piece and tighten up your writing, omitting unnecessary information, reordering sentences so that they use fewer words, and so on.
• Proofread : check your spelling and grammar, and ensure that there are no typos. Don’t just use the spellcheck – go through it with a fine toothcomb, manually, and if you can, ask someone to read through it for you to see if they spot anything you haven’t.
• Formatting : check that you’ve included page numbers, and that the font and line spacing is consistent throughout the work. Ensure that the font is plain and easy to read, such as Arial or Times New Roman.
• Bibliography : check that you’ve included everything, that the format is the same for all sources mentioned, and that the right information is included for each.

Once this stage is complete, you’re ready to submit your coursework along with your declaration that it’s entirely your own work. Get ready for a feeling of immense satisfaction when you finally send off your hard work!

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• English as A Second Language Institute

ESL Institute Placement Testing for Spring 2025 Admission

Classes in the ESL Institute offer adult, non-native speakers of English the opportunity to improve their basic English language skills in order to actively increase their participation in the larger society, continue their education into academic programs or to prepare for citizenship.

New students MUST take the ESL Institute placement test before enrolling in a course. Taking the placement test does not guarantee you a seat in the program. The fall 2024 interest list is full. The next semester for new students is spring 2025. Classes will begin in January 2025. The placement test will be in November 2024. Sign up for the Spring 2025 interest list here to receive updates.

Todos los estudiantes nuevos deben tomar el examen de nivel del ESL Institute  antes de inscribirse en un curso. Realizar el examen de nivel no le garantiza un lugar en el programa. La lista de espera para el Fall 2024 está llena. El próximo semestre en el que los estudiantes NUEVOS pueden inscribirse es Spring 2025. Esas clases comenzarán en enero de 2025. Los exámenes se realizarán en noviembre. Regístrese AQUÍ para recibir la lista de intereses de primavera de 2025 para recibir actualizaciones .

Eligibility

Adults at least 18 years of age are eligible for the program.

Before enrolling for classes, prospective students must take the ESL Institute Placement Test.

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Program Details

The ESL Institute provides four levels of ESL instruction:

• ESL Intro (Low Beginner)
• ESL 1 (Beginner)
• ESL 2 (Intermediate)
• ESL 3 (High Intermediate)
• American Idioms (Advanced, only open to students who complete ESL 3)

Each level includes the four language acquisition skills — listening, speaking, reading and writing.

Fall 2024 Courses

• COURSE FEE : $80 for each course (American Idioms: $100), plus the cost of textbooks
• REGISTRATION: Returning students: August 2024 registration for classes beginning September 3
• REGISTRATION: New students: Before you can register for classes you must be tested for placement in ESL. The next placement test will be in November for the spring 2025 semester, which begins January 2025. Sign up for the interest list HERE .
• PAYMENT: Payment can be made online using a credit or debit card, or in person on Main Campus. Classes may be canceled due to low enrollment. Refunds will be granted only if the class is canceled or the student withdraws before the first class meeting. To withdraw, you must email Adultliteracy [at] ccp.edu (Adultliteracy[at]ccp[dot]edu) .
• Questions : Call 215-751-8531 or email Adultliteracy [at] ccp.edu (adultliteracy[at]ccp[dot]edu) .

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