Month: March 2020

Preparing for IELTS exams in Malta

5 Easy Steps to Prepare your IELTS Exam in Malta

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How to Prepare for IELTS in Malta

Read Tips from our BELS Malta in-house IELTS Expert

In our experience there are two kinds of IELTS students, those who panic more than needed and those who are much too laidback. Use this IELTS Malta preparation guide to help you get somewhere in between those two extremes; calm down the anxious students just enough to get working, and get the stress-free students to roll up their sleeves!

1. Choose which IELTS version you need

There are two kinds of IELTS exams: IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training. If you’re taking IELTS to join a University or for employment, ask whether they require a specific one beforehand. Generally speaking, you should take IELTS academic if you plan to study at an undergraduate or postgraduate level in an English-speaking country. Both exams can be taken at the IELTS Malta centre.

2. Realise that IELTS measures skill, not knowledge

It’s crucial to understand that IELTS is about language skill, not knowledge. IELTS tests your four skills (reading, listening, writing, and speaking) and assess your ability to communicate when working or studying in an English speaking environment. Therefore you to invest the time to develop your language skills all round, and not simply learn things for the exam.

3. Familiarise yourself with IELTS Malta Format

Acquire Cambridge preparation course books to become aware of the IELTS exam expectations. After some preparation, turn to tests books to see where your level is. At the beginning of the book there’s a grading guide and explanation of the exam format.

4. Join an IELTS Preparation Course at BELS

Having a professional’s guidance is recommend for exams like IELTS. With years of experience and many success stories, BELS is confident that we can give you the guidance needed. Remember that IELTS preparation courses are designed to familiarise students with the exam format and provide practice and tips for the IELTS exam. If your projected score is much higher than your current score, you should take general English courses first to focus on your language skills in general.

5. Register with the IELTS Malta Centre as soon as possible

There’s a high demand for IELTS Malta exams, and the spots get filled up quickly. As soon as you feel ready for your exam register at the IELTS Malta Centre.

For information about BELS Malta IELTS preparation courses, send us an email at [email protected].

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Some of our students at their host family in Malta

6 Benefits of Learning English with a Host Family

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Choosing Host-family Accommodation in Malta

A unique opportunity to discover the local way of life

When you stay with a host-family you experience something that you won’t in other kinds of accommodation. Malta might be small, but it’s got a wealth of entertainment, history and cultural identity. In between all the traditional aspects and the nightlife scene, there’s something uniquely Maltese about the way things are done. And it’s not something that can be described as much as felt.

Here are the top reasons to consider staying with host-families in Malta:

1. Experience local life

Staying with a host-family in Malta gives you a slice of the local life. No matter how much you read about a destination’s culture and customs, the real way to get to know a place is through spending time with the locals. Get tips on what the locals do and where they go to discover Malta’s gems beyond the tourist trail.

2. Home away from home

Homes are places of warmth and familiarity to return to after a long day out and about. With our host-families, you’ll feel comfortable right away. Those who open their homes to travellers are generous and hospitable people who’ll do their best to make sure you adapt to life in Malta as another member or the family. Be prepared for hearty, home cooked meals and bonds that will last a lifetime.

3. The food

Host-families prepare breakfast and dinner for their guests. You’ll never have to worry about rushing to make a snack before setting off to school in the morning, or spending more money on dinner everyday. Even better, you’ll get to try a number of local, home-cooked meals throughout your stay. If you have any allergies or special-diets, these can be catered for as well. On the other hand, if you prefer to have meals out instead of with the family, it’s also an option.

4. Practice English on a daily basis

For English language school students in Malta choosing homestay is a chance to practice English beyond the classroom environment. Learn how the language is used in everyday situations and practice all the things you’ve learnt in class while at the same time getting to know some locals and sharing stories about your cultures.

5. Host family accommodation is still independent

Even though you’ll be staying with a family, you’ll still have an independent trip. The family you’ll be staying with will go on with their normal routine or work and all, so you don’t have to to worry about that. Most host-families give students their own key, so they can enter and leave the house as they please.

6. Value for money

Home-stays are a great value for money – it provides travellers with a richer experience. Apart from that, since it’s offered on a half-board basis, it’s an easy way to budget for your trip. You already know that you have breakfast and dinner taken care of before arrival.

If you would like to enquire about accommodation with a host-family for your language course, get in touch at [email protected].

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Our teacher in class using the interactive board

10 Reasons to Learn English in Malta in Winter

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If you’re dreaming of warm weather in the middle of winter, Malta might be your perfect getaway! With its lovely mild and sunny climate all year round, Malta is the perfect spot to escape the cold weather up north and soak up some much-needed sunshine. And guess what? It’s also an excellent destination for anyone looking to learn English while on vacation. Read this blog to learn what to expect from a winter break to learn English in Malta and Gozo.

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How to learn English grammar online at home

How to Learn English Grammar Online

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5 Simple Steps to Improve your English Grammar Online

Learn what it takes to make progress on your own.

If you’re the type of person who’d rather learn English online in the comfort of your pyjamas, here’s what you need to do:

1. Get familiar with terminologies and structures

The first step towards learning English grammar online is learning the parts of speech. There are eight word groups in English: Nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, interjections. Once you understand these, every grammar point you come across will become simpler to follow.

2. Study the tenses

You need to know your tenses. Get hold of a book that is graded to your level of English. You can find grammar books for beginners, elementary, intermediate, upper-intermediate or advanced level students. There are also a number of websites that you can use to learn English grammar online. At this stage, it’s necessary to learn the past tense and past participle verbs off by heart, as they are important to most grammar tenses.

3. Test yourself

Create flashcards, find games online and register to some online learning platforms like Doulingo, or join a short course to see how you’re progressing and also discover useful tactics and coursebooks that might help you. Since there is a lot to remember, repetition is important.

4. Use in real life situations

Learning grammar is essential – without it, you can’t speak a language. But with grammar alone, you won’t be able to speak either. Once you learn a grammar point, look for contexts in which you need this grammar point. For example, if you’re learning the 3rd conditional – you can use it to express regrets, or if you’re learning the present perfect, you can use it to describe travel experiences. Practice using the newly learnt grammar in meaningful ways that relates to you and your everyday use of English.

5. Online Lessons

Language is a living thing – once you’ve learnt enough communicate you’ve got to start speaking! Online lessons are a great way to practice speaking what the English grammar you learned online. A teacher will be there to correct your mistakes and guide you on your weak points.

Start learning English online quickly and effectively. Get in touch on [email protected] for more information on online lessons and improving grammar.

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Experience the local life in Malta

How to Experience the Local Life in Malta

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Have a Unique Stay in Malta and Discover the Local Way of Life

Read tips from our local team members!

Malta’s loved for retaining its rustic charm and distinctive character even after parts of it have hopped on the train of modernity. Through all the changes over time, there’s still something uniquely Maltese about the way of life that lingers on. If you’re the kind of person who loves to listen to the story a new place has to tell, here’s how to get the most out of your trip and experience the local life.

1. Avoid the touristic centres in Malta

Sliema and St. Julian’s are the place to be for a good night out or a day of shopping. While you can find some divine eateries and a couple of traditional houses, it’s mostly commercial places. You won’t get a real feel of Malta if you stay there.

When in Malta, look for rustic villages or the less commercial towns like St. Pauls Bay and Mellieha in the North or Maraskala and Marsaxlokk in the south of the island. These places have a choice of natural, entertainment and historical places in their surroundings. And besides, wherever you stay in Malta, you’re just a short bus ride away from everything else.

2. Make use of Hostels, Airbnbs and Host-families in Malta

To get a genuine taste of the local life stay in apartments when studying English in Malta. They’re likely to be in local neighbourhoods, away from the hectic touristy places. It would be even better to try a host-family experience. It’s an opportunity to try home cooked Maltese food and pick up fresh produce from the road-side markets.

3. Find hidden locations and local restaurants

Anything that comes up on a surface level of a google search is usually a tourist place surrounded by tourist traps. To get off the beaten track you’ve got to venture past the first page of google. Ask some locals or look up articles written by travel bloggers studying English in Malta, they’ve got a knack for adventure. Get lost, you might find yourself somewhere beautiful. The best thing about studying English in Malta is knowing you’re safe (and we’ve got Taxify for those emergency situations).

For information about studying English in Malta and Gozo, contact us at [email protected]. or get a quote on the link below.

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