Speaking Boost

Speaking practice is a crucial component of language learning with a multitude of benefits for learners. Naturally, discussion needs input, and the input in the class usually comes from reading or listening based content. At One World Learning, our main input for general discussion is from news and magazine articles. This encourages you to speak about a variety of subjects; not just the subjects in your comfort zone.

Engaging in conversations sharpens listening comprehension as you need to understand others’ responses. Speaking and listening are, in ‘real life’, interconnected skills.

Speaking practice often involves discussions about culture, customs, and personal experiences, contributing to a broader understanding of the language and its context, and allowing you to apply your vocabulary knowledge in real-time. It’s one thing to know words, but using them in conversations reinforces understanding and retention.

And don’t forget pronunciation. Speaking practice is a direct route to improving pronunciation. It allows you to hear and correct your own mistakes, helping you sound more natural and confident.

Speaking practice for exams is tailored to the specific exam that you are taking, and is part of the Exam course.

Graded News Articles

News articles from leading British newspaper The Guardian.Edited at 3 levels for English language learners.Audio versions available to Boost Listening skills.

Boost your A1/A2 Vocabulary!

News Article Headlines in the Elementary – Pre-intermediate collection.

  1. A crazy story – how a Chinese vase valued at £2,000 sold for £8m

  2. A lifeline for dirty cars – EU backs new air pollution limits, but not until 2035

  3. A more human LinkedIn – Spain media project helping Covid jobless

  4. A new start after 60 I was devastated by divorce at 70. But at 102, I know the secrets of a well-lived life

  5. A role model – how Seville is turning leftover oranges into electricity

  6. A swipe at fashion capitalism – Telfar’s experiment lets customers set prices

  7. AI used to create new and final Beatles song, says Paul McCartney

  8. Almost unsaleable – slump in school trips to UK blamed on Brexit

  9. Antarctic expedition to renew search for Shackleton’s ship Endurance

  10. Are you a bad boyfriend These techies can fix that

  11. Being male and on your phone are biggest dangers on Scottish mountains

  12. Beowulf is lit – could ChatGPT really write good book blurbs

  13. Can AI stop rare eagles flying into wind turbines in Germany

  14. Can the US electric bike market get a jump start

  15. Canadian pair return from round-the-world trip

  16. Cashless society draws closer with only one in six payments now in cash

  17. China’s 11.6m graduates face a jobs market with no jobs

  18. China’s crackdown on tutoring leaves parents with new problems

  19. China’s noisy ‘dancing grannies’ silenced by device that disables speakers

  20. Colombian library goes beyond books to keep stories alive

  21. Colouring books for adults top Amazon bestseller list

  22. Common disinfectant wipes expose people to dangerous chemicals, research reveals

  23. Damn, this is a Caravaggio! – the inside story of an old master found in Spain

  24. Digital detox Going cold turkey with no wi-fi in the Lake District

  25. Dutch couple become Europe’s first inhabitants of a 3D-printed house

  26. Eight hours – sleep! And you must eat breakfast!’ The truth behind 10 of the biggest health beliefs

  27. Elizabeth Gilbert was ridiculed for shelving her Russia-set novel, but I quite admire her

  28. Europe’s unluckiest train station gets new lease of life as hotel

  29. Everything I hate is on Twitter – how can the alternatives compete

  30. Five intimate friendships is the optimal number ‘ I scrape two

  31. From a pandemic to plastic surgery how Covid changed the way we see our faces

  32. From oximeters to AI, where bias in medical devices may lurk

  33. From Titanic to American Sniper the biggest lies in fact-based movies

  34. Goodbye, fish and chips changing trends in British dining

  35. Google introduces its driverless car

  36. Here’s why we should stop weeding. Learn to love our dandelions and brambles

  37. How an alligator became an emotional support animal ‘They said it was a middle life crisis’

  38. How creating wildlife crossings can help reindeer, bears – and even crabs

  39. I can’t afford what I used to – how the cost of living has changed viewing habits

  40. I left my job in London to grow food. This deep connection with nature gives my life meaning

  41. I was a champion of fake meat but I’m not surprised people are losing their taste for it

  42. If you pay them, they will come the US city giving tourists cash to visit

  43. If you’re sad, get a cookie – how US schoolkids launched a hotline to spread joy

  44. It’s about community, culture and language – Welsh family farmers dig in for their future

  45. It’s cooler to hang Lennon’s guitar than a Picasso – pop culture wins out at auctions

  46. It’s like scoring a hat-trick – how sport is aiming to drive sustainability

  47. It’s radical – the Ugandan city built on solar, shea butter and people power

  48. Like Uber for snake emergencies – tech takes the sting out of bites in rural India

  49. Listen to the fish sing scientists record ‘mind-blowing’ noises of restored coral reef

  50. Lived experience – finally, a disability reporter who has a disability

  51. London’s smallest microflat up for sale at £50,000 for 7 square metres

  52. Lost and found the extraordinary story of Shackleton’s Endurance epic

  53. Making a killing why James Bond is forever

  54. Meat, dairy and rice production will bust 1.5C climate target, shows study

  55. Meet the man who accidentally started an assassin hiring website

  56. Milan’s bicycling bookseller takes on the online giants

  57. Native American tribe in Maine buys back island taken 160 years ago

  58. New demand for TV presenters to include climate in forecasts

  59. New rewilding project teaches tour guides to offer fresh look at travel

  60. Now it’s continuous noise – Italy’s Crusoe adjusts to life off his island

  61. Off-road, off-grid the modern nomads wandering America’s back country

  62. Pan pipes, pinot noir and productivity the hidden power of music

  63. Parisians vote to ban rental e-scooters from French capital by huge margin

  64. People want to reclaim something pure – the rise of the urban honesty stall

  65. Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary

  66. She believed in every one of us ex-pupils on their inspirational teachers

  67. Should I worry about how much sun I get

  68. Six surprisingly well-paid jobs

  69. Stand-up comedy course for men at risk of suicide

  70. Stinging wasps are precious, not pointless, say scientists

  71. Stoked! Surfboard lost in Tasmania turns up 2,700km away in Queensland

  72. The funds that maintain the White House’s ‘museum quality’

  73. The microwave lemon trick –  and 10 other household hacks that actually work

  74. The people making a difference the teacher running a free school uniform exchange on her doorstep

  75. There is a pleasure to it – the simple joy of eating the same meal every day

  76. Thinking inside the box the Welsh teen who tried to post himself home from Australia

  77. Turkey embarks on cultural mission to preserve its fairy tales

  78. US beach town bans balloons to save the ocean

  79. US national parks are overcrowded. Some think ‘selfie stations’ will help

  80. Waiters reveal what they really think about tipping

  81. We called the mums about an hour after the ceremony – the rise ofsecret weddings

  82. We must cut food waste by a quarter

  83. We need to become the solution – older New Zealanders join climate change fight

  84. We were very blessed – in the Cook Islands, pandemic proved a welcome respite from tourists

  85. What are the most effective ways to get cars out of cities

  86. What is this if not magic – The Italian man living as a hobbit

  87. When I tell people, they might laugh – George Clooney and the men who sew

  88. When we plant, they come – thirsty elephants pose new problem for drought-hit Kenyan farmers

  89. Where the heart lives the enduring homesteads tying Maori to their heritage

  90. Why it’s time to stop filming strangers in public for social media thrills

  91. Why we should all shower less

  92. Why you should start work at 10am

  93. Will AI free us from drudgery ‘ or leave us jobless and hungry

  94. You could cook while on the toilet a night in one of Tokyo’s micro-apartments

  95. Young Americans drop McDonald’s for tastier rivals

 

Boost your B1/B2 Vocabulary!

News Article Headlines in the Intermediate – Upper Intermediate collection.

  1. A crazy story – how a Chinese vase valued at £2,000 sold for £8m

  2. A lifeline for dirty cars – EU backs new air pollution limits, but not until 2035

  3. A more human LinkedIn – Spain media project helping Covid jobless

  4. A new start after 60 I was devastated by divorce at 70. But at 102, I know the secrets of a well-lived life

  5. A role mode – how Seville is turning leftover oranges into electricity

  6. A swipe at fashion capitalism – Telfar’s experiment lets customers set prices

  7. AI used to create new and final Beatles song, says Paul McCartney

  8. Almost unsaleable – slump in school trips to UK blamed on Brexit

  9. Ami, the tiny cube on wheels that French 14-year-olds can drive

  10. Animal crossings the ecoducts helping wildlife navigate busy roads across the world

  11. Antarctic expedition to renew search for Shackleton’s ship Endurance

  12. Are you a bad boyfriend These techies can fix that

  13. Being male and on your phone are biggest dangers on Scottish mountains

  14. Beowulf is lit – could ChatGPT really write good book blurbs

  15. Billionaire Chuck Feeney achieves goal of giving away his fortune

  16. Can AI stop rare eagles flying into wind turbines in Germany

  17. Can the US electric bike market get a jump start

  18. Cashless society draws closer with only one in six payments now in cash

  19. China’s 11.6m graduates face a jobs market with no jobs

  20. China’s crackdown on tutoring leaves parents with new problems

  21. China’s noisy ‘dancing grannies’ silenced by device that disables speakers

  22. Colombian library goes beyond books to keep stories alive

  23. Colouring books for adults top Amazon bestseller list

  24. Common disinfectant wipes expose people to dangerous chemicals, research reveals

  25. Damn, this is a Caravaggio! – the inside story of an old master found in Spain

  26. Digital detox Going cold turkey with no wi-fi in the Lake District

  27. Dutch couple become Europe’s first inhabitants of a 3D-printed house

  28. Ecotricity founder to grow diamonds ‘made entirely from the sky’

  29. Eight hours – sleep! And you must eat breakfast!’ The truth behind 10 of the biggest health beliefs

  30. Elizabeth Gilbert was ridiculed for shelving her Russia-set novel, but I quite admire her

  31. Europe’s unluckiest train station gets new lease of life as hotel

  32. Everything I hate is on Twitter – how can the alternatives compete

  33. Face masks pick perilous path from health protector to fashion accessory

  34. Finland is the happiest country in the world

  35. Five intimate friendships is the optimal number – I scrape two

  36. From a pandemic to plastic surgery how Covid changed the way we see our faces

  37. From oximeters to AI, where bias in medical devices may lurk

  38. From Titanic to American Sniper – the biggest lies in fact based movies

  39. Give millennials £10,000 each to tackle generation gap

  40. Good news at last – the world isn’t as horrific as you think

  41. Heatwave made more than twice as likely by climate change

  42. Here’s why we should stop weeding. Learn to love our dandelions and brambles

  43. How an alligator became an emotional support animal ‘They said it was a midlife crisis’

  44. How creating wildlife crossings can help reindeer, bears ‘ and even crabs

  45. How smart devices are outsmarting criminals

  46. How the world works when you’re sitting on a plane int

  47. How tycoons can go shopping for a new passport

  48. How US schoolkids launched a hotline to spread joy

  49. Huge reduction in meat-eating ‘essential’ to avoid climate breakdown

  50. I can’t afford what I used to – how the cost of living has changed viewing habits

  51. I left my job in London to grow food. This deep connection with nature gives my life meaning

  52. I was a champion of fake meat but I’m not surprised people are losing their taste for it

  53. If you pay them, they will come the US city giving tourists cash to visit

  54. It’s about community, culture and language – Welsh family farmers dig in for their future

  55. It’s cooler to hang Lennon’s guitar than a Picasso – pop culture wins out at auctions

  56. It’s like scoring a hat-trick – how sport is aiming to drive sustainability

  57. It’s never too late to learn a new language

  58. It’s radical – the Ugandan city built on solar, shea butter and people power

  59. Like Uber for snake emergencies – tech takes the sting out of bites in rural India

  60. Listen to the fish sing scientists record ‘mind-blowing’ noises of restored coral reef

  61. Lived experience – finally, a disability reporter who has a disability

  62. London’s smallest microflat up for sale at £50,000 for 7 square metres

  63. Lost and found the extraordinary story of Shackleton’s Endurance epic

  64. Making a killing – why James Bond is forever

  65. Man quits job to become full-time Pokémon hunter

  66. Meat, dairy and rice production will bust 1.5C climate target, shows study

  67. Meet the LA man who walks people for a living

  68. Meet the man who accidentally started an assassin hiring website

  69. Milan’s bicycling bookseller takes on the online giants

  70. Native American tribe in Maine buys back island taken 160 years ago

  71. New demand for TV presenters to include climate in forecasts

  72. New rewilding project teaches tour guides to offer fresh look at travel

  73. Now it’s continuous noise – Italy’s Crusoe adjusts to life off his island

  74. Off-road, off-grid the modern nomads wandering America’s back country

  75. Pan pipes, pinot noir and productivity the hidden power of music

  76. Parisians vote to ban rental e-scooters from French capital by huge margin

  77. People want to reclaim something pure – the rise of the urban honesty stall

  78. Pupils react to French phone ban

  79. Revise, reuse, recycle how to be a sustainable student

  80. Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary

  81. She believed in every one of us – ex-pupils on their inspirational teachers

  82. Should I worry about how much sun I get

  83. Six surprisingly well-paid jobs

  84. Social-media spying is turning us into a stalking society

  85. Stand-up comedy course for men at risk of suicide

  86. Stinging wasps are precious, not pointless, say scientists

  87. Stoked! Surfboard lost in Tasmania turns up 2,700km away in Queensland

  88. The funds that maintain the White House’s ‘museum quality’

  89. The microwave lemon trick ‘ and 10 other household hacks that actually work

  90. The people making a difference the teacher running a free school uniform exchange on her doorstep

  91. The signs revamping low-traffic neighbourhoods

  92. There is a pleasure to it – the simple joy of eating the same meal every day

  93. They hate each other’s political views – so why have they become friends

  94. Thinking inside the box – the Welsh teen who tried to post himself home from Australia

  95. Turkey embarks on cultural mission to preserve its fairy tales

  96. US beach town bans balloons to save the ocean

  97. US national parks are overcrowded. Some think ‘selfie stations’ will help

  98. Want to lose weight Eat off a crinkly plate

  99. We called the mums about an hour after the ceremony – the rise of secret weddings

  100. We must cut food waste by a quarter

  101. We need to become the solution – older New Zealanders join climate change fight

  102. We were very blessed – in the Cook Islands, pandemic proved a welcome respite from tourists

  103. Western society is chronically sleep deprived

  104. What are the most effective ways to get cars out of cities

  105. What is this if not magic – The Italian man living as a hobbit

  106. When I tell people, they might laugh – George Clooney and the men who sew

  107. When we plant, they come – thirsty elephants pose new problem for drought-hit Kenyan farmers

  108. Where the heart lives the enduring homesteads tying Maori to their heritage

  109. Why do authors get a pittance for film rights

  110. Why it’s time to stop filming strangers in public for social media thrills

  111. Why we should all shower less

  112. Will AI free us from drudgery – or leave us jobless and hungry

  113. You could cook while on the toilet a night in one of Tokyo’s micro-apartments

 

 

 

Boost your C1 Vocabulary!

News Article Headlines in the Advance collection.

  1. A crazy story – how a Chinese vase valued at £2,000 sold for £8m

  2. A lifeline for dirty cars – EU backs new air pollution limits, but not until 2035

  3. A more human LinkedIn – Spain media project helping Covid jobless

  4. A new start after 60 I was devastated by divorce at 70. But at 102, I know the secrets of a well-lived life

  5. A role model – how Seville is turning leftover oranges into electricity

  6. A swipe at fashion capitalism -Telfar’s experiment lets customers set prices

  7. AI used to create new and final Beatles song, says Paul McCartney

  8. Almost unsaleable – slump in school trips to UK blamed on Brexit

  9. Ami, the tiny cube on wheels that French 14-year-olds can drive

  10. Animal crossings the ecoducts helping wildlife navigate busy roads across the world

  11. Antarctic expedition to renew search for Shackleton’s ship Endurance

  12. Being male and on your phone are biggest dangers on Scottish mountains

  13. Beowulf is lit – could ChatGPT really write good book blurbs

  14. Billionaire Chuck Feeney achieves goal of giving away his fortune

  15. Can AI stop rare eagles flying into wind turbines in Germany

  16. Can the US electric bike market get a jump start

  17. Cashless society draws closer with only one in six payments now in cash

  18. China’s 11.6m graduates face a jobs market with no jobs

  19. China’s crackdown on tutoring leaves parents with new problems

  20. China’s noisy ‘dancing grannies’ silenced by device that disables speakers

  21. Colombian library goes beyond books to keep stories alive

  22. Common disinfectant wipes expose people to dangerous chemicals, research reveals

  23. Damn, this is a Caravaggio! – the inside story of an old master found in Spain

  24. Digital detox Going cold turkey with no wi-fi in the Lake District

  25. Dutch couple become Europe’s first inhabitants of a 3D-printed house

  26. Ecotricity founder to grow diamonds ‘made entirely from the sky’

  27. Eight hours’ sleep! And you must eat breakfast! – The truth behind 10 of the biggest health beliefs

  28. Elizabeth Gilbert was ridiculed for shelving her Russia-set novel, but I quite admire her

  29. Europe’s unluckiest train station gets new lease of life as hotel

  30. Everything I hate is on Twitter ‘ how can the alternatives compete

  31. Face masks pick perilous path from health protector to fashion accessory

  32. Fake news is “killing people’s minds”

  33. Fifth of young adults live with parents

  34. Finland is the happiest country in the world

  35. Five intimate friendships is the optimal number – I scrape two

  36. From a pandemic to plastic surgery how Covid changed the way we see our faces

  37. From oximeters to AI, where bias in medical devices may lurk

  38. From Titanic to American Sniper the biggest lies in fact based movies

  39. Give millennials £10,000 each to tackle generation gap

  40. Good news at last the world isn’t as horrific as you think

  41. Goodbye, fish and chips changing trends in British dining

  42. Heatwave made more than twice as likely by climate change

  43. Here’s why we should stop weeding. Learn to love our dandelions and brambles

  44. How an alligator became an emotional support animal ‘They said it was a midlife crisis’

  45. How creating wildlife crossings can help reindeer, bears – and even crabs

  46. How smart devices are outsmarting criminals

  47. How tycoons can go shopping for a new passport

  48. How US schoolkids launched a hotline to spread joy

  49. Huge reduction in meat-eating ‘essential’ to avoid climate breakdown

  50. I can’t afford what I used to – how the cost of living has changed viewing habits

  51. I left my job in London to grow food. This deep connection with nature gives my life meaning

  52. I was a champion of fake meat but I’m not surprised people are losing their taste for it

  53. If you pay them, they will come – the US city giving tourists cash to visit

  54. Indians embrace campervanning and help to revive country’s tourism

  55. It’s about community, culture and language – Welsh family farmers dig in for their future

  56. It’s cooler to hang Lennon’s guitar than a Picasso – pop culture wins out at auctions

  57. It’s like scoring a hat-trick – how sport is aiming to drive sustainability

  58. It’s radical – the Ugandan city built on solar, shea butter and people power

  59. Like Uber for snake emergencies – tech takes the sting out of bites in rural India

  60. Listen to the fish sing scientists record ‘mind-blowing’ noises of restored coral reef

  61. Lived experience – finally, a disability reporter who has a disability

  62. London’s smallest microflat up for sale at £50,000 for 7 square metres

  63. Lost and found the extraordinary story of Shackleton’s Endurance epic

  64. Meat, dairy and rice production will bust 1.5C climate target, shows study

  65. Meet the man who accidentally started an assassin hiring website

  66. Milan’s bicycling bookseller takes on the online giants

  67. Native American tribe in Maine buys back island taken 160 years ago

  68. New demand for TV presenters to include climate in forecasts

  69. New rewilding project teaches tour guides to offer fresh look at travel

  70. Now it’s continuous noise – Italy’s Crusoe adjusts to life off his island

  71. Off-road, off-grid the modern nomads wandering America’s back country

  72. Pan pipes, pinot noir and productivity the hidden power of music

  73. Parents struggle to keep up with children’s career options

  74. Parisians vote to ban rental e-scooters from French capital by huge margin

  75. People want to reclaim something pure – the rise of the urban honesty stall

  76. Pupils react to French phone ban

  77. Should I worry about how much sun I get

  78. Silent salons why people are choosing to keep quiet at the hairdresser

  79. Social-media spying is turning us into a stalking society

  80. Stand-up comedy course for men at risk of suicide

  81. Stinging wasps are precious, not pointless, say scientists

  82. Stoked! Surfboard lost in Tasmania turns up 2,700km away in Queensland

  83. The funds that maintain the White House’s ‘museum quality’

  84. The microwave lemon trick ‘ and 10 other household hacks that actually work

  85. The millennials not using social media

  86. The people making a difference the teacher running a free school uniform exchange on her doorstep

  87. The signs revamping low-traffic neighbourhoods

  88. There is a pleasure to it – the simple joy of eating the same meal every day

  89. They hate each other’s political views ‘ so why have they become friends

  90. Thinking inside the box the Welsh teen who tried to post himself home from Australia

  91. Turkey embarks on cultural mission to preserve its fairy tales

  92. US beach town bans balloons to save the ocean

  93. US national parks are overcrowded. Some think ‘selfie stations’ will help

  94. We called the mums about an hour after the ceremony – the rise of Secret weddings

  95. We need to become the solution – older New Zealanders join climate change fight

  96. We were very blessed in the Cook Islands, pandemic proved a welcome respite from tourists

  97. Western society is chronically sleep deprived

  98. What are the most effective ways to get cars out of cities

  99. What is this if not magic – The Italian man living as a hobbit

  100. When I tell people, they might laugh ‘ George Clooney and the men who sew

  101. When we plant, they come – thirsty elephants pose new problem for drought-hit Kenyan farmers

  102. Where the heart lives the enduring homesteads tying Maori to their heritage

  103. Why do authors get a pittance for film rights

  104. Why it’s time to stop filming strangers in public for social media thrills

  105. Why we should all shower less

  106. Will AI free us from drudgery – or leave us jobless and hungry

  107. You could cook while on the toilet a night in one of Tokyo’s micro-apartments

  108. Young Americans drop McDonald’s for tastier rivals

 

News articles from leading British newspaper The Guardian.Edited at 3 levels for English language learners.Audio versions available to Boost Listening skills.

A ‘mind-blowing’ experience: A2 example news article.

How can speaking practice help me?

Speaking practice is like going to the gym for your English skills—it really makes a difference!

Speaking practice is crucial for English language learners as it enhances various aspects of language acquisition. Regular practice allows learners to gain confidence in expressing themselves in English. The more they speak, the more comfortable and self-assured they become.

Speaking regularly helps improve fluency. It enables learners to think on their feet and respond more quickly in real-life situations, ultimately enhancing their overall fluency.

Through speaking, students can actively use and reinforce their vocabulary. It’s an opportunity for them to experiment with new words and phrases, expanding their lexical range.

Communication involves not just words but also cultural nuances. Regular speaking practice provides insights into cultural aspects of language use, making learners more culturally aware.

Speaking and listening go hand in hand. Engaging in conversations helps students improve their listening skills as they pay attention to others and respond accordingly.

While speaking, learners naturally apply grammar rules in real-time. It’s a practical way for them to reinforce grammatical structures and correct any errors through immediate feedback.

Speaking practice enables learners to apply what they’ve learned in real-life situations. This bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical use.

Through speaking, students develop communication strategies, learning how to convey meaning even when faced with limited vocabulary. This skill is invaluable in real communication scenarios.

What materials do I need?

One World Learning provide you with an online folder with your course material available for download. However, there are several essential requirements to ensure a smooth and effective learning experience.

A personal computer or laptop with up-to-date hardware and software is necessary.

Classes contain video and audio playback so a stable and high-speed internet connection is recommended for attending online classes.

A webcam and microphone are essential for participating in virtual classes and discussions. Most computers come equipped with built in webcams and mics.

Headphones or earphones can help reduce background noise and provide a better audio experience during online classes.

Set up a dedicated and quiet study space where you can focus on your online classes without distractions.

Have digital or physical note-taking tools ready. This could be a notebook, digital note-taking app, or any other method you find effective.

By ensuring that you have these essentials, you’ll be well-prepared for a positive and productive online learning experience.