September 26 2012 sees the eleventh annual European Day of Languages, established in 2002 by the Council of Europe as a celebration of linguistic diversity across the continent.  The principal message conveyed is that foreign language skills are a necessary right for each and everyone one of us, regardless of nationality, geographical location, age or […]

In the last blog in our current series on studying distance learning IGCSE French and IGCSE Spanish, an Oxford Open Learning tutor looks at the four key skills in language learning. For some students, an IGCSE is the ultimate accolade and also the culmination of years of hard work and language learning. For others, those […]

In blog 9 in our series aimed at students studying distance learning French IGCSE or distance learning Spanish IGCSE, an Oxford Open Learning distance learning tutor gives tips on how to succeed in oral exams. When you are preparing for your IGCSE speaking exam, it’s definitely worth bearing in mind that it will be recorded […]

In blog 8 of our  French and Spanish series an Oxford Open Learning tutor gives advice on preparing for language oral exams. The oral or speaking exam is of course optional at IGCSE, but for many people integral to the reason that they are studying French or Spanish in the first place – to be able […]

IGCSE French/Spanish: 7:  How to dream in a foreign language; tips to increase your immersion. It is a common belief amongst linguists that once you actually have a dream in a foreign language you have achieved fluency, and as such is an ambition of many language students. What constitutes fluency is a continual matter for […]

IGCSE French/Spanish: 6: Making your writing more interesting; maximising exam performance. A lot of what you are about to read may sound obvious, but students are under a huge amount of pressure in an exam, and it is therefore not surprising that even the most ‘obvious’ things often get forgotten. Key things you should try […]

In blog 5 of our French and Spanish blog, an Oxford Open Learning tutor gives advice on making your writing more accurate. IGCSE French/Spanish: 5: Word perfect; how to increase your levels of accuracy in writing. This is a tricky one, and students often think that it is simply a matter of natural ability, as […]

In today’s language blog an Oxford Open Learning tutor gives advice on improving your ability to read in French and Spanish. IGCSE French/Spanish: 4:  Read all about it; how to understand more of what you read. Most of what you learnt in the previous blog about improving your listening skills can also be applied to […]

Blog 3 in our French and Spanish blog series looks at ways to improve your listening skills. IGCSE French and Spanish: 3: How to tune your ear; improving your listening skills. For many students listening skills are the hardest part of learning a language, but this is nothing that can’t be rectified with regular practice. […]

In the second in our blog series on language learning, an Oxford Home Schooling tutor gives advice on ways to learn French and Spanish verbs. Conquering conjugation; how to learn verbs and tenses properly. Verbs can be the bane of every language student’s life, but unfortunately are an essential part of speaking and writing accurately. […]