Programme

The Language and Life in the UK programme has a specific focus on British life and culture and is ideal preparation for living and working in the UK. It offers detail on many aspects of British history and society, mirroring the knowledge required to pass the Life in the UK Test. This content forms the basis of a comprehensive language course, delivered by a qualified, experienced and highly regarded English language teacher. One-to-one tuition enables specific language learning needs to be identified and met. 

The minimum age is 18. There is no maximum age. Students should have already reached Intermediate level or above (CEFR B1 to C2) to benefit from the programme.  

No. There are many people around the world who are keen to improve both their English language skills and their knowledge of British life and culture. 

In the first instance, please complete the ‘Contact Us’ section of the website and submit. State your language level (Intermediate, Upper Intermediate or Advanced) and provide your own contact details (email address as a minimum) and some indication of your requirements. 

Yes. A consultation session of up to one hour is offered, detailing the lesson topics available and demonstrating the teaching materials. This is free if a minimum of five lessons are then booked. Otherwise, it is priced at the standard lesson rate. 

Mostly speaking, listening and reading skills. Writing can be practised in the Google classroom. There is also a strong focus on vocabulary.

There are 110 lessons available in total. There is no minimum number of lessons.

There are three parts to the programme: 1. British History (53 lessons) 2. Modern Society (32 lessons) 3. Government, the Law and the Role of a Citizen (25 lessons). The number of lessons in each part reflects the knowledge required to pass the Life in the UK Test.

There are many popular topics in each part. Examples include:

1. British History

· King Henry VIII

· The beginnings of the Industrial Revolution

· The Slave Trade

2. Modern Society

· Festivals

· Famous writers

· Landmarks and places of interest

3. Government, the Law and the Role of a Citizen

· The Law

· The Monarchy

· The Media

All lessons are in Powerpoint and consist of between 20 and 30 slides each. They follow a set format, including:

· Learning goals

· Warm-up activity

· Vocabulary – meaning, form and pronunciation

· Vocabulary in context

· Two readings or a reading and listening text, incorporating the vocabulary

· Exercises based on the text content 

· Role playing

· Discussion points

· Review of learning goals

· Answer key

No. You can choose any lesson at any time from the entire programme. It would make sense to do the history lessons in order, but it’s not essential. 

There's no set frequency. Arrangements can be discussed and agreed in the consultation session, and varied after that if necessary. Widely differing schedules can be accommodated. 

No. The teacher can manage this, for example by controlling the pace of the lesson and omitting some of the more challenging discussion points. 

No. The teacher can manage this by exploiting the adaptability of the materials. For example, role plays may be extended and more challenging discussion points drilled into. 

Feedback tells us that it is enjoyable, dynamic and immersive.    

Here are three examples, amongst many, of points you may be invited to discuss: 

· What would you say to King Henry VIII if he proposed to you after being married five times before? (from ‘Henry VIII’)

· If you were Banksy, would you reveal your identity to the world? (from ‘Art in the UK’)

· If you went to a summer music festival in the UK, would you stay in a tent or a hotel nearby? (from ‘Music since the 1960s’)

One-to-one tuition allows individual needs and preferences to be catered for. On a practical level, you would not be dependent on other students' schedules. Group classes may be considered in the future. They do not form part of the current proposition. 

This is unlikely to be practical. Some excellent face-to-face offerings exist elsewhere. We may be consulted on this if face-to-face tuition is sought before, during or after your engagement with Language and Life in the UK.

It’s not critical that every part of a lesson is completed. Also, part of a lesson can be carried over to the next session.  

Not necessarily. Core hours are 8am to 8pm UK time, Monday to Friday. Occasional exceptions may be considered.

Yes, and the content is kept under constant review. Online materials, which can be swiftly updated, enjoy a huge advantage over traditional coursebooks in this respect. British life and culture is never static, for example within the monarchy or government. Our model has the built-in flexibility to cope with change. This enables us to remain truly modern and relevant. 

Chris, the founder of the business and author of the materials, likes to teach as many students as he can. He is a top-rated teacher of English as a foreign language, online and face-to-face. Testimonials are available on request. He is also a published author in the related field of British social history. He is deeply invested in the business and committed to supporting you at every step of your learning journey. He lives in Chester, in the north-west of England. It is a beautiful city, steeped in history and culture.

Every effort would be made to rearrange tuition with minimal disruption to your learning schedule. In exceptional cases, such as longer-term absence, another teacher may be brought in. 

Each lesson includes a review step. Your teacher will monitor your progress carefully and feed back regularly. Activities will be tailored to specific development needs. 

You will be made aware of grammar errors and corrected. Grammar exercises can be introduced if necessary.

This is not a core feature of the course but can be arranged with your teacher to meet a specific need. Completed homework would be dealt with in lesson time. There will be plenty of material for you to review and practise in your own time, if you wish.

 A computer, a stable internet connection and access to Google Workspace. 

Google Workspace, specifically Google Meet and Google Classrooms. You are sent a unique link to enable you to join your teacher on Google Meet. A PDF version of the slides is shared with you during the lesson. Your own Google classroom is created which only you and your teacher can access. The PDF is posted in the classroom immediately after each lesson. The classroom is also used for interaction between you and your teacher outside lesson time. 

A quiet indoor environment, free from distraction, is best. Noise-cancelling headphones may also be used. You are strongly encouraged to have the camera switched on during lessons.  

The lesson may be delayed or postponed until the connection is restored. This is far less of an issue in the case of one-to-one tuition. 

Yes. All the knowledge required to pass the Life in the UK Citizenship Test is included in the programme. 

Yes. It covers many topics to this end. Examples include the law, driving in the UK and becoming involved in your local community.  

You will receive a certificate of completion for the whole programme, if you reach that point, along with comments from your teacher. This is not a qualification, though it would be a considerable achievement. 

No. You would still need to meet the standard qualifying requirements. The programme would be excellent preparation for this, however.

Not currently, but any opportunities that do arise will be advertised on this website.

Yes. If five or more lessons are booked, a one-off referral commission equivalent to a single lesson rate will be paid to you. This is paid after the first lesson.

Please use the ‘Contact Us’ facility. If this is felt to be inadequate, a consultation session may be requested.