Vocabulary and fluency
You should make sure that you spend enough time speaking and thinking in English- little and often is better than one long session
- reading or listening to English is not enough- you have to actively use it
- go to an English class offered by a good college or private language school- you need general English skills, not only professional language. Some classes give you good practice in all four language skills and in general test-taking
- if you can’t go to a class, speak in English with a partner about serious topics (e.g. stories from the news, or problems at work etc.), and do some writing about the topic afterwards.
Increase your ability to use English over a sustained amount of time
For work and for the UBELT tests, you need to be able to use English for long periods of time. You may need to build up your ability to concentrate in English
- you will need to be able to concentrate well especially during the UBELT reading and listening tests
- you could follow a simple study schedule to improve this- e.g. read or listen in English for 10 minutes for the first few days; then increase the amount of time every few days until you can read and listen for 30 minutes a day. Remember to make notes on your understanding as you listen or read so you can test your comprehension and so you can practice having to write at the same time. You could follow a similar staged increase for speaking and writing.
Produce satisfying content
Speaking and writing are not just about fluency. For UBELT and your future job, you have to be able to go into detail. That means you have to have enough language (grammar and vocabulary –professional and general) to give complete and satisfying answers.
Increase your language and your familiarity with a good variety of topics
You should keep up to date with general topics and health issues. Finding out about current ideas helps to keep you motivated and introduces you to more language. Use the English media for this. One Internet site you might enjoy is the BBC health news.
Work on grammar
Some examples of good self-study books
How English works
Intermediate to Lower-Advanced grammar book with answers
Authors: Michael Swan & Catherine Walter
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 978-0-19-431456-5
English Grammar in Use
Intermediate to Upper-Intermediate grammar book with answers & CD ROM
Author: Raymond Murphy
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 978-0-52-153762-9
Advanced Grammar in Use
Advanced and Proficiency grammar book with answers & CD ROM
Author: Martin Hewings
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 978-0-52-153291-4
Check on vocabulary
You can use a translation dictionary, but when you reach intermediate stage you should use a good English-English dictionary which is for language learners.
Paperback with CD-ROM
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN-13:9780521604994 / ISBN-10:0521604990
