Life at EF Academy Torbay by Margarita Alekhina
/)
I had been studying on the High School Preparation Course for 5 months before I’ve started my IB program. Actually, I found this course really helpful because I’ve learned a lot of new knowledge and skills which will be useful in my future.
Academically, our program was divided into 4 subjects: Exam Preparation, Study Skills, Literacy, General English and Learning Outside the Classroom. This division helped me to focus on different parts of English learning and to get much more from this course.
In June, I passed FCE Exam, for which I had been preparing since April. I found it difficult because I hadn’t had lots of time to learn all stuff that I had to know. However, I can say that I’ve achieved lots from that, I’ve become more confident in my abilities and I had much practice as well, which is involved plenty of teamwork, writing tasks and reading exercises.
Furthermore, I joined many out-school trips, such as Eden Project, Living Coast, Brixham Trip and others, that helped me to develop as a person. Also, we had some activities after school, like badminton, ultimate frisbee, etc. So, I got a lot of new skills and experience.
As for moral aspect, I’ve been always supported by teachers, so I knew I could rely on their help at any time. In general, all the teachers are very understanding and patient in terms of study, so I’ve always being helped with essay writing (which I found the most difficult part of learning English), listening practice and others important things, that I had problems with.
To sum up, I’d like to say that the High School Preparation Course is a great opportunity to learn language and get used to school life in EF Academy. It includes many different and interesting things, so it’s not only about study. Also, it helps to develop skills that you’ve already had and to get new as well.