The right Secondary school English tuition for the real world
The British Council’s Secondary courses in Singapore place an emphasis on learning English for the real world. But why is it important? And what does it mean for our students? Here we’ll explain what makes our approach to English tuition different.
Why learn English for the real world?
Life in the 21st century is changing at a fast rate and we need to be ready for the future. While mastering fundamental skills like understanding grammar, expanding vocabulary, improving pronunciation play an integral part of learning a language, more and more emphasis is put on communication (spoken and written) in a global, intercultural setting.
Let’s think about the role of English in Singapore. What is the purpose of speaking English to a high standard? What opportunities will that create for your child? It is the global language of business and our lingua franca – a vital connection to people, communities, cultures and global initiatives. To learn English ‘for the real world’ is not only to make communication possible, but to navigate the challenges of our increasingly interconnected world with confidence. It is to develop a global mindset.
Learn more on English courses and camps for kids and teens
Learning English for the real world at the British Council
Our aim at the British Council is to help your child succeed academically, while nurturing the 21st century competencies needed to thrive in our fast-changing world. Courses are aligned to the syllabus set by the MOE and designed to encourage essential skills such as critical thinking, resilience and deep reading.
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Such skills will help young learners to engage closely with English, developing their ability to think independently and express their unique point of view. Students will grow to become reflective in their learning, at the same time becoming adept at presenting evidence-based arguments in lively and dynamic group discussions.
One of the most effective ways to engage students with English is to explore language through complex, real-life topics, such as climate change, ethical food and tourism. Vitally, this gives young people the chance to widen their knowledge of current world issues promoting intellectual curiosity, passion and motivation for life-long learning. Through the use of problem-solving strategies and analysis of texts and evidence, they become better at coping with tasks at school and in life with more resilience and a positive attitude.
The British Council, being a global network, is in a unique position to help your child connect with students from all over the world through our Connecting Cultures project, where students in Singapore take part in an online project with Secondary students studying with us in another country. This is a huge advantage and a great opportunity to learn about the world, different cultures, and to share ideas and collaborate.
Similarly, with the use of our online platform, our students get personalised tasks to better support their development and deepen their motivation.
Learn more on English courses and camps for kids and teens
Our Secondary courses
Our main course for ages 13 to 15, Secondary Plus, is more than an English course. Developed by English language experts, outcomes include greater confidence when using English, support in exam preparation with exam strategies development and practice, as well as development of interpersonal skills like collaboration, leadership, creativity, innovation and digital proficiency. Running for four terms a year, Secondary Plus will not only prepare your child for their O-levels but also for their future life, as a community member and global citizen.
In addition, our O-level Preparation course; is a comprehensive exam preparation course that covers understanding the exam and setting benchmarks, developing exam strategies for each O-level task, development of language skills (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, comprehension and composition) with individual feedback and mock-exam tasks. We also help develop time management skills, composition planning and editing skills. What is more, we teach our students how to take care of their well-being and how to manage exam stress in this very important year at school.
Find out more about Secondary school English tuition at the British Council and register for a trial class. For further information and guidance, our recent blog post ‘How to choose a secondary English tuition centre’ suggests some key questions to ask when deciding which course is right for your child.