English self-study plan

Determine the level of knowledge

The first step is to determine what knowledge is already available. Perhaps you studied at school or university, and some things will seem familiar to you. However, if you've never learned English before, don't be discouraged. Practice shows that some numbers, words and expressions will be familiar to you, due to the borrowing of some lexical units. Determination of the level is necessary in order to clearly understand the topics to be worked on. For example, if you already have a decent knowledge of English, then it will be very difficult to determine the gaps on your own. Entry testing comes in. After checking your own results with the correct answers, circle or underline the questions that contain errors. This is necessary in order to draw up a curriculum for further study of the English language in accordance with your level of knowledge. Don't worry about too many mistakes. Believe me, they will still meet on your way. They are not enemies, but rather helpers.

Set a goal and a timeframe for achieving it

We have already highlighted a few important ingredients:

• patience,
• discipline,
• calm reaction to mistakes.

But the most important is the reason. Answer yourself the question: “Why do I need English?” The fact is that without a clear answer, motivation and strength will fade after the first month of training. The clearer and more specific the reason, the faster you will achieve your goal. Have you heard the expression: "Elephant is better to eat in pieces"? If you have big plans, like moving to Australia or getting a job at Google, it's best to break them down into stages. For example, “I want to record a video about myself” or “talk about everyday topics abroad.”

We make a schedule of classes

As with anything, planning and persistence is the secret to success in learning English. But as you know, a new habit successfully enters life in 2 months. Therefore, it is very important to start small. Give the language from 15 to 30 minutes a day, then progress will not be long in coming. Don't expect quick results if you only spend 2 hours a week with a teacher. This is certainly necessary and plays a big role, but it is not enough. Further, for clarity, we will give examples of how many hours you need to spend on mastering each level. Decide for yourself the time of day when you are most active and productive and write English learning into your calendar.

Step by step learning plan from scratch

At the first stage of learning English, we master basic grammar and word order in a sentence. This is the basis of the foundation, as there is serious work to be done. takes an average of 90-100 hours to master the Beginner. Therefore, studying only with a teacher twice a week, you will need about 50 lessons. If you want to speed up the process, then independent and additional hours are a must. There are many different methods for this. We recommend that you study them in our article. Let's learn how to evenly distribute the load on all skills.

Reading and listening

Contrary to the general opinion, the rules of reading do not need to be taught: they are necessary for children to memorize and distinguish sounds. Instead of learning a lot of rules and even more exceptions, adults can start working with their ears right away. Therefore, when studying letters and sounds, it is worth starting with the English alphabet. On YouTube, you can find the original voice acting of the alphabet in the form of songs and poems. Pause in time and carefully repeat after the speaker to learn how to pronounce the words correctly. The same applies to days of the week, months and numbers.

Vocabulary

In parallel with working with sounds, you will memorize about 100 basic English words needed to build simple sentences using basic grammar. At this stage, you can and should use electronic dictionaries to translate new words and phrases. Lingualeo mobile app which will help you study words systematically. You have to match the pictures with the names, as well as arrange the letters in the correct order, in order to strengthen your visual memory. Core knowledge at this level also includes colors, family members, pronouns, and animals.

Grammar

At the initial stage, you will get acquainted with the verb to be and its function. Knowing the words we talked about above, you can already compose your own short sentences of 3-5 words. For example: The dog is black. She is 55. To many, grammar seems boring and tedious. That is why it is so important to choose the right textbook. New Round-Up by Pearson is a bright and colorful example of how beginner English learners can make learning grammar easy and fun.

The first two months of study will seem difficult, so we recommend that you have patience and the support of a teacher. We recommend that you study detailed information about knowledge at this level in our article.

Study Plan for Elementary

When you have received a small portion of primary knowledge and have a small understanding of the grammatical rules of the English language, it's time to move on. At this stage, which is designated as A1, you will get acquainted with the vocabulary and grammar necessary to maintain a dialogue on everyday topics: about the weather, animals, plans, work, clothes, home and holidays.

• It will take you about 200 hours to acquire a basic vocabulary and learn how to use it.
• As a rule, difficulties arise when getting acquainted with times.
• As a basic textbook for passing the level, you can take New English File 3rd edition. It contains the main topics and vocabulary with which you have to work.
• It is important to learn to distinguish the present from the future using special auxiliary verbs. The grammar book from the previous paragraph is great for working out the necessary structures in the form of negatives and questions.
• We recommend YouTube channel called Lots of English Texts to practice listening and reading.
• Write questions to the text and then answer them. If you decide to study without the support of a teacher, then do not forget to arrange a dictation for yourself from time to time. This is important for correct writing and listening.
• Include already familiar voiced texts and try to write down what you hear. Here is an example a great option for practicing Past Simple.

Study Plan for Pre-Intermediate

Knowledge of English at level A2 implies a repetition of what has been passed, but with the addition of language nuances. Therefore, it is so important to fill in the gaps that will come up during the study. And if it seems to you that you are going through the same topics, do not hesitate, this is necessary for the fluency of the language. At this stage, your vocabulary consists of 1000-1500 words, so it is not difficult for you to describe yourself, your preferences, and also logically express your opinion on familiar topics. New grammatical rules and tenses are added here, as well as introductory words and expressions for the beauty of speech. At this level, people begin to watch series and understand songs by ear.

To learn English at level B1, we recommend that you include the following items in your self-study plan:

• Constantly work on replenishing your vocabulary. We recommend that you follow your favorite actors and singers on social networks in order to encounter reading and new vocabulary every day. Particular emphasis should be placed on listening. Now you get used to listening to unadapted stories.
• We recommend this service to improve your listening comprehension skills. Here are collected tasks by type: insert the missing words, arrange them in the correct order, make words from letters. That is, everything that is needed to better understand already familiar topics without subtitles.
• And this app will add fun and music to your listening. You will be able to understand songs by ear while working on vocabulary.
• To make sure that you are doing everything right and in the right direction, we recommend that you read the article about the necessary knowledge at level A2.

Study Plan for Intermediate

Knowledge level B1 involves watching films and reading books in English. Adapted texts and stories are a thing of the past. Now you have to get real pleasure from the learning process. The plan for studying English at an intermediate level is recommended to include:

• Reading in the original "How to win friends and influence people" by Dale Carnegie.
• It will be a good practice to visit speaking clubs where you will have the opportunity to improve your speaking skills. Here, most often there are difficulties with overcoming the language barrier. When you know a lot of grammar rules in theory, but don't always use them at the right time in practice. The main task here is to pay attention to speaking.
• It is important to immerse yourself in the language environment in order to provide yourself with a different context to the maximum. And if there is no way to go abroad, then you can find a pen pal from another country and arrange weekly phone calls to maintain conversational practice.
• Be sure to expand your vocabulary with catchphrases and phrasal verbs. The best solution would be daily listening. Listen and watch interviews with your favorite celebrities, repeat interesting expressions after them. To better understand what you will end up with, check out our article on this topic.

Study plan up to Upper-Intermediate

Self-study of English at B2 requires your curiosity. The main problem that students face here is the lack of eloquence. You should no longer have problems expressing your own opinion on any domestic issue, however, some discussions about health, nature, modern stereotypes and global problems baffle you.

• Particular attention should be paid to expanding vocabulary. You should have several ways to say the same thought. This is also expressed by the freedom to use all tenses in grammar. Therefore, if you have avoided Present Perfect Continuous, it's time to deal with it. With such knowledge, you can easily pass an interview and get a job in a foreign company.
• In order to fill in the gaps and significantly increase vocabulary, we recommend preparing for the FCE. And even if you are not going to take it, we assure you that the knowledge that you will receive from the preparation will significantly enrich your vocabulary and improve your speaking practice.
• For self-improvement of vocabulary on certain topics, we recommend regularly resolving the unit from Vocabulary in Use for Upper-Intermediate. This way you can learn idioms and colloquial collocations.
• Upon reaching this level, we recommend checking your achievements with those that we mentioned in the article.

How to reach the Advanced level?

English proficiency at the C1 is determined not only by the size of the vocabulary, but also by the ability to maintain dialogue in different styles, as well as 90% listening comprehension. It takes about 900 hours of constant practice to achieve such results. The point at which the dream of "speaking fluently in English" becomes a reality. Here are some tips for planning to learn English at an advanced level:

• It is difficult to single out educational materials that will collect all the necessary information, however, preparing for the CAE will be an indispensable contribution to the comprehensive development of the language.
• The necessary assistants will be English Vocabulary in Use and English Collocations in Use Advanced levels.
• Additional motivation will be classes in a group with like-minded people.
• Look for suitable English courses to prepare for this exam.
• Take it or not, the choice is yours, but this knowledge will make you a skilled speaker and an excellent conversationalist.
• We recommend you study the information about this level.

The path from Advanced to Proficiency

At level C2 need to translate unfamiliar words is minimized. It is necessary to draw up a personal plan for the further study of English, which takes into account the strengths and weaknesses of the current level:

• Here you will not meet new grammar rules, but significantly expand your knowledge in the field of their application.
• The areas for improvement remain the same as on C1, however the topics may be more specific and focused.
• The highest point in learning English is the preparation and passing of the CPE.
• Here you will find fluent speech of native speakers with different accents, as well as the use of a large number of idioms and stylistic literary devices, such as inversion. For preparation, we recommend using a tutorial such as Objective Proficiency.

How to measure progress in learning English?

The result is subjective until it is confirmed by numbers or vivid examples. That's why it's so important to first define a clear goal that you can actually feel.

Progress illustrations are:

• passing tests according to the level passed;
• passing international exams;
• passing an interview;
• understanding of your favorite films in the original without a dictionary and grammar guide;
• the ability to maintain a dialogue with a native speaker without fear of making a mistake.

As we have already found out, the primary goal can be quite small. For example, learn to talk about yourself or retell your favorite book, because it will become meaningful for you and give you a boost of motivation to move on.

Conclusion

Teaching a foreign language should be built step by step and logically according to the plan. That's why you need to rely on your own plan and the support of a teacher, and not trust dubious tutorials for quickly learning English. Despite the abundance of services and applications for memorization, English words are not all that is needed for free communication. You need to be able to perceive the speech of a real interlocutor and respond correctly to it, in other words, to maintain a dialogue.

We hope that this article will help you prioritize your training and analyze the time needed to achieve results. When you get to C1, you will realize that learning new things is a never-ending process to improve a language. That is why so many people become educators in order to constantly replenish their own knowledge.

You can start teaching by learning the methods and the online TEFL/TESOL course, which provides an opportunity to teach people around the world. Follow the link to purchase the course with a 50% discount. If you have any questions on the topic, leave them in the comments below, and we will be happy to answer them.