We discovered the hard way that generally accepted ‘rules’ for intonation are often misleading. Clear Pronunciation 2 balances ‘rules’ and ‘guidelines’. Here’s how.
Intonation: Guidelines, not rules
read more
All posts
All
Placement testing
General English
IELTS for teachers
Placement tests: Can your choice of device affect your result?
No one wants to be disadvantaged during a test. Here is a reminder of what students can expect when taking the Dynamic Placement Test on different devices.
Road to IELTS: Behind the questions
Road to IELTS experts and writers Sarah Philpot and Marijana Petrovic share their writing process and the most frequently asked questions from IELTS test takers.
Thirty years of Clarity
Our 30th anniversary has allowed us to connect, reflect and plan for the future. See more from our 30 year anniversary here.
Lessons in textspeak
It is so easy to feel lost and isolated online. Here is why textspeak is an essential part of English language learning.
Matching test items to the CEFR: The first two stages
In this post, Andrew Stokes looks at the first two stages of matching test items to the CEFR – with an accompanying webinar clip and report.
Digital assessment: Flexibility and the CEFR
Language ability in academic versus real life settings can differ greatly. That’s why the CEFR is the perfect tool to measure what students really ‘can do’.
How to assess a test
In this post, Andrew Stokes suggests ten questions you should ask yourself when selecting a placement test.
No more marking: How AI can give you back your evenings
At the British Council New Directions conference in Kuala Lumpur this month, Adrian Raper described two ways that Artificial Intelligence can help teachers grade student writing.
The English filter: DPT for recruitment
Language testing is a key part of the recruitment process. Is there an efficient, secure, and accurate approach to online English testing? Katie Stokes discusses a successful case study.
Clarity at 30: Down memory lane
Some of our partners and customers have been with us since we started 30 years ago. Here are a few memories from the early days.
Bilingualism: Tools for success
Language learning opens doors to new worlds. But getting through the language barrier is tough. Here are five reminders for when motivation wanes.
Lessons from a digital publisher: 30 years on
This year marks ClarityEnglish’s 30th birthday. Over the coming months we will share messages and lessons from a few people who have helped us get to this point. This week, Martin Moore shares four lessons for success in digital publishing.
Helping students avoid plagiarism
Andrew Stokes takes a look at how Study Skills Success can help students avoid plagiarism.
How to protect your licences
Unprotected licences might be the reason why your students are locked out of the programs you purchased for them. Here is how to avoid that.
British Council France: Providing IELTS support for universities
On a visit to British Council Paris, Clarity’s Andrew Stokes talked to Tanguy Perrichot on providing IELTS support to universities in France. They discussed a successful approach to guided self-access.
“I’m a busy teacher and we don’t run IELTS classes…”
Try this four-step process that will provide a structure for the students’ work, leaving you free to guide and advise.
Treating the untreatable: the Philippines nurses IELTS Writing Project
The requirement for a 7.0 in IELTS Writing is stopping nurses in the Philippines from travelling to the UK, and is proving a headache to the National Health Service. Dr Victoria Clark describes how her team is analysing the problem and coming up with solutions.
Speaking tests: dramatically changing the outcome
In the second most popular TED Talk of all time, Amy Cuddy comes to the intriguing, evidence-based conclusion that altering the way we stand for just two minutes before an evaluative situation — a presentation or an exam — really can lead to better outcomes. ‘We know...
Free British Council IELTS prep tools
Most IELTS candidates leave their test preparation to the last minute. When they go into the test centre, they discover they don’t understand the question types, they’re not sure how to allocate their time efficiently, and they don’t know what the examiner is looking...