Anjali says, “IELTS 7 for speaking and an overall score of 6.5. Congratulations Max!”
The December 2011/January 2012 IELTS cohort have had very pleasing results with no score less than a 6. We are very proud of the students for working hard and achieving their goals.
It was a surprise today to see former student Misato Kamei at the Noosa school.
Misato visited the school to inform her teacher Anjali and the Director of Studies Becky that because of the English course she completed at Lexis English Noosa, she has now secured an administrative assistant position at Inpex. Inpex is a worldwide oil and gas exploration and production company ranked in the top 100 global energy companies. She is very happy at her new position and was very thankful to have been given such a great opportunity because of Lexis English. Congratulations Misato… we are so proud of you! And thanks to our friendly and intelligent teachers who make dreams come true…
This is what a delighted Isa Grube said on receiving her IELTS score of 7.
Isa Grube, her teacher Anjali Sheppard and her classmates. “I am so happy” said Isa, “I couldn’t have done it without Anjali’s help. I can really consider my choices of study now”.
Congratulations Isa.
So…did you find out what Synaesthesia means? Andi in the Cambridge Proficiency class Knows.
It is the mingling of the senses.
A person who experiences this phenomenon might feel a stimulus to one sense which produces an unexpected response in an entirely different sense. What does that mean? Well Grass might smell like purple or Chocolate might bring on a feeling of pins jabbing at you. Some people even taste words or see people in colour. Unusual but interesting.
This week you need to find out what a Pushchair is….get to it
Last week the Cambridge Proficiency class left you with Dead as a Dodo. Did you find out what it means and how to use it?
The Dodo was a flightless bird. It has been extinct since 1690.
This expression means unambiguously and unequivocally dead. You can use it to explain the end of almost anything. If you ask someone ..How is your relationship with your girlfriend going? the answer could be ..As dead as a Dodo!!!
This weeks teaser is …What is synaesthesia? Do you have this condition? Ask around. We have someone in our class who has it and it is extremely interesting.
Our first student is Yannic who is studying CAE with Danielle.
Click here to see his interview or have a look on the Lexis English Noosa facebook page!
As well as daily homework, it is important for teachers to advise students on their individual study needs. This is what GIL is all about.
Your teacher will give you a personalised GIL suggestion evey week which you can bring to the GIL teacher or a member of the academic team, Becky, Nina and Lucy.
One of the biggest challenges to learning a new language is remembering all those new words each week.
One way to build vocabulary quickly is to use flash cards. Pick up a new word and write it down on a small card with its meaning. Keep the card with you for a day and look at it whenever you get time. Prop them up in your room over the week so that you notice them all the time.
Another hint is to keep a pencil and exercise book close at hand while reading. You can be reading a magazine, a comic, a novel or a newspaper or this blog! When you come across a word that you are unfamiliar with, write them in your vocabulary exercise book. Later, when you have time, pick up a dictionary and look up the words you have written.
Don’t have an exercise book? Come and see me on Monday and I will give you one for free. Have a great week, Becky
Eumundi Markets is filled with local businesses showcasing their unique and interesting products. The Business English students conducted an on site survey as part of their course. Here are some of their comments.
“From my point of view every business at the market was unique. Because all the people sell so many products which were in their own way different and interesting to see“
Pascale
“People who work at the market know how to help make customers happy and enjoy their life. Everyone smiled kindly and sometimes they gave me other information and when I said goodbye, they wished me Merry Christmas or have a good day or they prayed for my success“
Hitomi
“Most stall holders choose this market to make a lot of contacts with customers in spite of a lot of competitors”
Louis
“Working at the markets is a good business opportunity because you can earn money and get to know a lot of people from all over the world”
Caue
“From my point of view, businesses at the markets were very beautiful. I really enjoyed the diversity of products at the market. Eumundi Markets is a good business opportunity for the storekeeper because a lot of people (customers) go there every day”
Marion
“From my point of view the Eumundi Market is a very interesting place to discover traditional products from Australia”
Elodie
“From my point of view it was very interesting to speak with stall holders about their business”
Julia
“From my point of view the Eumundi Markets are really interesting and enriching because you could see all of the different businesses and to speak with customers”
Nicky
“It was real business! Through this chance I could get to know about their life strategy and way. The best thing about this time was that it was not boring and didn’t make me aggressive”
Jason
“The Market was really interesting because I could see a variety of products and food. Furthermore, I talked with the stall holders about their own business which was very enriching”
Renato
“Every owner was really kind. When we said ‘excuse me if you have time would you mind answering some question’. It was very enjoyable”
Tomo
“I really enjoyed this market survey. I met a lot of kind people and I could practice my English conversation. Also I could learn about how I should greet customers”
Eudora
Adjectives about the market:
diverse traditional friendly great amazing awesome
kind wonderful famous different energetic enjoyable
Anjali’s IELTS class showed their competitive nature while playing a game using Body Idioms!
At Lexis English you can learn and have fun at the same time!
It’s very quiet in the common room today as the Advanced Cambridge students wait patiently for their turn to do speaking exams.
Lexis English wishes our students good luck with their exams today! We know you will do great!
This week we have had two work experience Year 10 students from Sunshine Beach High School. They each wrote about their experience at Lexis Noosa:
My day started off with meeting the events co-ordinator, Cindy. I went with her to an orientation for the new students and I walked around Noosa Junction with Cindy running errands and before I knew it, Cindy had me walking all the way to Hastings Street to make up a quiz! From putting together tote bags, to working on trivia questions and to editing photos, all together it was a great experience and so much fun!
~Rebecca Vertes~
This has been a fantastic experience for me! I’ve been working in a classroom with Daniela, helping out three amazing boys who are struggling with english. Albert, Yuki and Ziyad have taught me as much about themselves and their countries as I have taught them about Australia and myself. I’ve always been interested in cultures and languages and this experience has only heightened my ambition to learn more. I will never forget this place, the people I have met and the things I have learned. Who ever thought that work experience could be this wonderful.
~Kalani Peeters~
Dear Anne
I’m really happy to have you as my teacher. You are making the lessons interesting even if there was a lot of grammar to teach. Everyday you come with a smile into class! There was no day when i didn’t want to go to school. I have now so much pleasure that when I will be back in my country, I will keep up English by reading books or watching films in English. I’m sure now it will be easier. At that point I would like to say thank you very much for all your support.
Anne Potter is a team leader for Cambridge First Certicate preparation at Lexis English Noosa.
Best wishes
Astrid
Today was a Japanese influence of Sushi. Students learnt the vocabulary, went shopping for the ingredients and cooked together.
At Lexis Noosa, we all know that Mary is an A grade teacher… but does she pass the grade with her students ??
“If you really want to improve your English, you can do it, because Mary is very interested to help you”
“I really like to go to school. Mary’s lessons are well organised and interesting”
“It’s great that Mary helps us to improve our personal skills by handing out particular handouts and work sheets. It’s a pleasure to have such a nice and motivated teacher”
“Mary is very helpful and I like her as my teacher. Whenever I want to do some extra practice she has the exercises”
Sounds like she is A grade with the students too!
Danielle’s CAE had some serious feedback about her teaching!
‘Danielle is a lovely and motivating teacher who’s always keen to improve our skills without losing the feeling for a humourous teaching’
‘Danielle really tries to help everyone in the class improve their english’
‘Danielle’s lessons are always interesting and relaxed. There’s time left for a smile as well. There is a lot of homework but I wouldn’t change it!’
Many students have attending Tim’s classes over the years at Lexis Noosa and they all agree… Tim is terrific teacher!
The Lexis Noosa FCE classes are learning a lot and enjoying their time in Noosa.
Flurina and Priska are in Kerri’s FCE class. They have formed a close friendship since arriving in Noosa and have been studying and playing hard. Both Flurina and Priska said that they love the people in their class and that they find the course challenging and are learning a lot. They really enjoy the class timetable as they get to wake up at a decent hour and also have time in the afternoon to do plenty of activities. They have also been enjoying the weekends away organised by Lexis and the student nights. When asked if they are enjoying Noosa in general, there were big smiles all round and a definite ‘Yes… it is a really good experience’.
Olivia is enjoying Anne’s FCE class. She says that Anne communicates very well, is very patient and understanding and smiles a lot. She enjoys the mix of nationalities in her class and has made many friends from around the world.
Keep it up FCE classes! Sounds like you are enjoying your course and having a great experience in Noosa!
Anjali took her IELTS class to visit the Maleny Cheese Factory. Below are some reports written by her wonderful students!
Maleny Cheese Factory
Last Thursday my IELTS class went to Maleny Cheese Factory to discover the stages in cheese production. There we were able to be inside the little world of a small family owned company.
First of all we met with Anna. She was the person who introduced us into the cheese making world. Anna started explaining the curious story about the discovery of cheese. Cheese was discovered 4.000 years ago by nomads in the desert. Due to the high temperatures they met the milk that they had for feeding had turned sour and lumpy. This was the beginning of the cheese’s history.
Nowadays the production of the cheese is not so simple as in the past because the factories need to follow really strict steps for health. Once was a simple process but now it is complex, modern and with many stages to get the final product.
This process starts when the milk is delivered in the factory from mixed herds of cows. First of all milk needs to be pasteurized due to Australian regulation. To get pasteurized milk, the product has to be heated to high temperatures, 36ºC or more. In this process, milk losses many properties such as calcium, good bacteria and lactose that later must be added. Next, the product is poured in vats where it is mixed and cooled to 2 or 3ºC. Then, calcium, bacteria, lactic acid and mold spores are stirred into the product.
Afterwards it is necessary to wait for the cultures to grow before adding rennet to get a solid product. When the product is in this stage it can be separated into curd and whey to be able to cut it repeatedly.
Finally the product obtained is poured into the mold trays to leave some time in a setting room to mature. This time to mature depends on the kind of product that is being produced. In this last stage the cheese product is obtained and it is ready to be packaged and sold.
After the contact with the process of the cheese we could taste all of the products and buy fresh product to consume.
By Paloma Cabanas
Process of Cheese Making
Last week, we discovered the way of Cheese Making during our class excursion to the Maleny Cheese Company in Montville.
First of all milk is needed to produce cheese. This is collected from a mixed herd of cows before it is delivered to the Maleny Cheese Company where the production takes place. On the arrival at the company the fresh milk needs to be pasteurized with a temperature of 36°C and then cooled down to 2°/3°C in a huge vat after the pasteurization is finished.
Next, some things like bacteria and lactid acid, Calcium, mould spores and many other cultures, which were destroyed in the sterilization process, have to be added. Now, the liquid has to rest for one hour, because the cultures need time to grow, before the rennet is added.
After the rennet is added, the milk separates into the liquid whey and the solid curd, which is needed for the further production of cheese. After the curd is cut, the thick cream is poured into many moulds , which are brought into a setting room for maturing.
After a few months, when this has taken place, the cheese is finally ready to be packed and sold.
By Isa Grube
Shannon is an extra ordinary teacher!
Today the students started their day at school with some hula hooping fun to get the day started on a positive and happy vibe. Take a page from Shannon’s book of life… have a happy and fun day everyone 
CPE teacher Merrilyn says that the Cambridge Computer Suite is perfect for her one on one guided individual learning sessions.
FCE students enjoyed a well deserved break in Pinaroo Park this afternoon after their first week of study.
Surrounded by beautiful nature and gorgeous sunshine they got to know each other better and even practised the superlative! Teachers Kerri and Anne are delighted with their efforts and said the students are ‘simply the best’!
The Pre Intermediate Level classes enjoyed language learning exercises in our sunny courtyard today.
What better way to review verb forms for questions and answers, then by joining in a ‘speed dating’ fest. Thank you Sandra, Michelle and Sonia for making learning so much fun.
The next round of Cambridge courses start on Monday September 12th. See Becky or Nina for more information or the student notice board to sign up.
Cambridge English Preliminary Certificate PET
This is an intermediate level qualification in English that will help you improve your English for work, study and travel. A perfect preparation for students considering higher level Cambridge exams in the future.
Cambridge English First Certificate FCE
The first certificate is an upper intermediate level exam which requires students to be able to cope confidently with a range of written and spoken communications. A pass at this level indicates proficiency in English for use in clerical, secretarial and managerial jobs in many industries, particularly tourism. It is also useful for academic courses such Vocational Training courses which are offered at our local TAFE campuses.
Cambridge English Advanced Certificate CAE
Studying for CAE helps you to improve your English in a wide range of contexts. The exams are based on realistic tasks, and indicate the ability to use the language in practical and academic situations. If you are successful, you’ll be able to participate in meetings and discussions, expressing opinions clearly, and be able to understand and produce texts of various types, including business letters and reports. You’ll also be more than capable of following university courses taught in English.
Cambridge English Proficiency Certificate CPE
Studying for CPE helps you to improve your English and use it at the highest levels, including postgraduate and PHD programmes. In the business world, it prepares you to lead, negotiate and persuade effectively at senior management level in international business settings.
International English Language Testing System IELTS
The IELTS course is an intensive academic English course. Choose this course if you are intending to study at at University or TAFE colleges or need professional registration, e.g. nursing.
This is how our students looked at the start of the March to June Cambridge session.
And they are still smiling !!!
Congratulations to all our Cambridge students on your EXCELLENT results.
From your teachers Sharon, Anne, Tim, Jonathan, Mary, Bronwen, Merrilyn and the whole GV team.
Read what FCE student Sebastian Schuth has to say:
After four and a half weeks full of hard work in order to prepare for our exam at the end of August, we, the FCE Course of Noosa and our teacher Sharon decided that it was time to have some fun.
What happened was that we spent one class period making pancakes. Sharon split us into two teams, who had to compete against each other like in the TV show – Masterchef. The strong pressure to win this competition (the losing team had to do the washing-up!) made both teams try various kinds of spices to impress the judges – Sharon and Nina.
On the one hand there were scary burnt and strange tasting pancakes and on the other hand absolutely delicious and great looking ones. Anyway, each team managed to serve two perfect pancakes and it was very difficult for the judges to decide, who the winner was.
All in all it was a lot of fun and a great opportunity to get new energy for the final period before the exam.
The Judges
The world is changing! When a business man in China talks to a business man in France, what language does he use?
Nowadays, businesses may ‘outsource’ to companies all over the world. For example, a film company in Australia may use a Polish company to do their graphics, an Indian company to do their sound editing and a company in Germany to do their location searches. They use English to ‘talk’ to each other and so English has become the ‘Lingua Franca’ or language of common use.
It is interesting, that even in countries such as Norway, Sweden and Denmark, where people traditionally could understand each other’s languages; now choose to communicate in English.
That is why students need to learn to understand English accents from all around the globe. Cambridge exams now use a variety of accents for the listening tests and are emphasising the importance of not relying on the traditional British accents.
So, having an ‘accent’ other than the traditional English one is no disadvantage to being an English teacher. Non native English speaking teachers who have had to learn learnt and English teachers who have learnt another language are usually wonderful English teachers. They understand the challenges of language learning. They tend to have a greater understanding of grammar structures than native English speakers and they tend to be more sympathetic to the frustrations of language learning.
So, if your teacher has a non traditional English accent, don’t think you are disadvantaged. It is not a hindrance to your English learning. The next time you are doing group work, remember that listening to the other students will help improve your global English skills and help yourself, by talking to as many different nationalities as you can around your school every day.
Becky
Director of Studies
GV Noosa
A visit to the local gallery helped our FCE students prepare for their exams in August.
This is what Sebastian wrote about his class excursion:
On Thursday 21 July we, the FCE class of Noosa, went with our teacher Sharon on a trip to the art Gallery in Tewantin.
This visit gave us the opportunity to have a look at traditional art from the Indonesian island Java. Everyone was impressed by the beauty and the details this kind of art offered. During our trip we also spent a lot of time comparing the different pieces of art in order to improve our speaking skills for the exam.
All in all this was a very interesting trip with much fun and we are all looking forward to going on our next trip.
By Sebastian Schuth
1) Spend the time!
By far the most important factor is how much time you are immersed in the language. The more time you spend with the language, the faster you will learn. This means listening, reading, writing, speaking, and studying words and phrases. This does not mean sitting in class looking out the window, nor listening to other students who do not speak well, nor getting explanations in your own language about how the language works. This means spending time enjoyably connected to the language you are learning.
2) Listen and read every day!
Listen wherever you are on your MP3 player. Read what you are listening to. Listen to and read things that you like, things that you can mostly understand, or even partly understand. If you keep listening and reading you will get used to the language. One hour of listening or reading is more effective than many hours of class time.
3) Focus on words and phrases!
Build up your vocabulary, you’ll need lots. Start to notice words and how they come together as phrases. Learn these words and phrases through your listening and reading. Read online, using online dictionaries, and make your own vocabulary lists for review. Soon you will run into your new words and phrases elsewhere. Gradually you will be able to use them. Do not worry about how accurately you speak until you have accumulated a plenty of words through listening and reading.
4) Take responsibility for your own learning!
If you do not want to learn the language, you won’t. If you do want to learn the language, take control. Choose content of interest,that you want to listen to and read. Seek out the words and phrases that you need to understand your listening and reading. Do not wait for someone else to show you the language, nor to tell you what to do. Discover the language by yourself, like a child growing up. Talk when you feel like it. Write when you feel like it. A teacher cannot teach you to become fluent, but you can learn to become fluent if you want to.
5) Relax and enjoy yourself!
Do not worry about what you cannot remember, or cannot yet understand, or cannot yet say. It does not matter. You are learning and improving. The language will gradually become clearer in your brain, but this will happen on a schedule that you cannot control. So sit back and enjoy. Just make sure you spend enough time with the language. That is the greatest guarantee of success.
Written by Steve Kaufmann
GV IELTS students were asked to write a report this week on the information session given by the USC. Thank you Daniil, for this outstanding effort.
USC – University of the Sunshine Coast. It is one the best universities in Queensland which has been given 5 stars for their teaching quality and generic skills. It has a 100-hectare campus with all kinds of facilities including an international-standard athletics track and $10 million sport stadium. You can choose an academic programme that will suit you from a huge list presented at the USC.
The university is located at Sippy Downs in the heart of the Sunshine Coast region. At USC, you are only 15-20 minutes from beautiful beaches, hinterland rainforests and the restaurants, clubs and nightlife of Mooloolaba and Alexandra Headland. Efficient bus station connect students to coastal communities, shopping centers and other local attractions. The Sunshine Coast is an ideal base for exploring Australia’s big cities, the Outback or the Tropics.
At USC, you can choose from six major academic areas: Business and Information technology, Communication and Design, Education, Health, Humanities and Social sciens and also Science and Engineering. In each sector you have a variety of at least seven programmes. Also there are two Academic English programs for intermediate and upperintermediate levels that run every 10 weeks. After this program you can enter the university without doing any other english exams (e.g. IELTS).
The University of Sunshine Coast has a huge and modern 100-hectare campus which is attractively located on the edge of a national park and is home to kangaroos and a variety of other distinctive Australian flora and fauna. USC’s impressive and environmentally friendly architecture has received national awards. The university offers modern learning resources, as well as an art gallery, bookshop, sporting facilities and eateries. Shops, banks, cafés and student accommodation are within easy walking distance of the campus.
All information about the university such as academic programmes, fees, dates and entry requirements can be easely found at www.usc.edu.au/international
