New Cambridge and IELTS exam classes – 16th March

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Cambridge students listening to vital grammar explanations 🙂

In just over 1-month BBELS will begin it’s new classes for the Cambridge and IELTS exam courses. There are still a few spaces available if you are interested in studying with us. As you can see from previous posts, our exam teachers have a strong history of helping their students attain fantastic results.

BBELS is one of the few schools in Australia that provides lessons for Cambridge Proficiency students. Since we started teaching Proficiency our fabulous teacher Kat has helped every student pass this very difficult exam. Congratulations to Kat and her students.

Similarly, students who study with us to prepare for the IELTS exam have also had some wonderful success-stories. Many of them have achieved results higher than they expected which has helped them for immigration purposes as well as for entrance into exclusive university courses around the world.

Our next Cambridge and IELTS preparation courses start on the 16th March. Contact us at info@bbels.com.au for more information.

 

 

Meet the Staff: Lauren at Reception

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In this post we are happy to introduce you to Lauren. Lauren works at reception where she helps students with general enquiries. She is also fluent in Japanese and so she is able to help our Japanese students if they need to speak in their first language.

We asked Lauren to answer a few questions so you can get to know her better. Here they are 🙂

1. What is your role at BBELS? 

My job is student services and reception. I help our students adjust to life in Byron Bay and assist with any questions or problems they might have. I’m also in charge of Japan marketing because I can speak Japanese.

2. What did you do before coming to work at BBELS?

I worked as an English teacher in Japan for 6 years. I spent a lot of time traveling around the country and lived in Tokyo, Hokkaido and Kyoto. I have just moved home to Australia recently and was lucky enough to have the chance to continue my connection with English education at BBELS.

3. What are your tips for learning a 2nd language?

Do what you love in English! Whether it’s watching movies, listening to music, reading. Whatever keeps you interested will keep you motivated and help you to learn how to communicate in natural English, not just textbook grammar.

4. Where is a nice place you enjoy going to in the local area?

Byron Bay is very beautiful, but I also recommend visiting the surrounding areas such as Ballina (my hometown), Lennox Head and Bangalow. They have all the charms of Byron but without the crowds!

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If you would like to know more about our courses, you can contact Lauren at info@bbels.com or visit our website.

Welcome to BBELS, Byron Bay’s only independent English Language School

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This year the Byron Bay English Language School is so excited to be celebrating its 21st birthday. Since 1998 we have had over 10,000 students from all over the world enter our classrooms. These students have successfully graduated from our General English courses as well as our Cambridge and IELTS exam preparation courses.

As you can see from this previous post our students graduate with results that are above the national and international average. So not only do we have a school in one of Australia’s most beautiful beach destinations, we also ensure that our students are receiving high quality lessons that will benefit them in their future chosen paths.

Being an independent school we are able to treat students according to their individual needs, unlike the bigger chain schools which follow programs with only a mass market in mind. Our students love it here and we know that you will too.

For more information about BBELS visit our website.

 

IELTS evening classes at BBELS

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IELTS evening classes will begin at BBELS on the 29th April. The classes will be held each Monday and Tuesday from 5:00 – 7:30.

This is a great opportunity for people living in the Byron Bay region who need to sit the IELTS exam for immigration or academic purposes. More specifically, it is good for those people who work during the day and cannot ordinarily join our day classes.

If you would like to know more about our IELTS preparation classes please contact us at info@bbels.com.au or contact us directly on 02-66808253.

2017: BBELS Highlights

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Students from Italy, South Korea, Japan, the Czech Republic, Thailand, Switzerland, Spain

2017 has passed so quickly. It seems like only yesterday that we were meeting our first intake of students for the year.

A year of many nationalities studying together

Over the past 12 months we have had over 800 students come to study with us from an amazingly diverse range of countries, including: Switzerland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Austria, Russia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Laos, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Brazil.

Quality Assurance Inspections

Australia has very strict educational organisations that check if ESL schools are providing the best possible quality in terms of lessons, teachers, student services, accommodation. This year BBELS was inspected by 3 organisations (IALC, NEAS, ASQA)  and we passed each inspection with extremely positive feedback. The great comments from these inspections demonstrate our commitment to providing fantastic educational services to our students.

Study Tours

Some students from one of our Japanese Study Tour classes

Winter is the study tour season at BBELS. During this time high school groups come to study with us for 1-4 weeks. This year we had 4 Japanese groups and 1 South Korean group. These young students always enjoy their time here – they study English in the morning and then they join organised activities around Byron Bay in the afternoon. Their teachers were really happy with the level of the students’ English and their participation during outdoor activities.

Cambridge and IELTS Exam Results

 

As usual the BBELS exam teachers did a brilliant job in helping our Cambridge and IELTS Exam students achieve high results. Our exam teachers are extremely attentive to each individual student’s needs. They often work extra hours counselling students, identifying the student’s weak points, and helping students develop strategies to improve in different parts of the exams.

Many of our students still message their teachers to express their thanks and update us on how their exam results helped them. A recent message came from Jule (Germany) an IELTS student who studied in Sarah’s class. Jule wrote:

Hey dear BBELS family!

I studied IELTS at BBELS for 2 months and received my results today! I’m overwhelmed and am very proud to say that I got 8.5! Thank you so much for this perfect preparation at your language school.

Jule from Germany

Educational Excursions and the BBELS Travel Agency

Bush-walking through a  local forest

This year the BBELS teachers have provided many opportunities for our students to use English in practical settings outside the classroom. We have had excursions to local towns, national parks, art galleries and museums. Our activities team also organise regular sport events, art and music classes, cooking lessons during the weekday afternoons and during the weekend.

Our travel agency has also helped 100s of students book discounted flights and accommodation for their Australian holidays. Reuben, our travel manager, always gets extremely positive feedback from our students about the friendly and helpful services he provides.

Come and study with us!

BBELS is a great place to study English, prepare for exams, discover new cultures, make new friends. We provide top quality lessons with very experienced teachers who will improve your English and introduce you to new ideas about the world. All of this can be found here in Byron Bay, a beautiful beach town on the east coast of Australia.

If you are interested in knowing more about our school and courses please follow this BBELS link.  We hope to see you in 2018.

 

 

 

 

Study IELTS at BBELS

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Our next IELTS course starts on Monday June 19th. It is always one of our most popular courses and our students have achieved some really great results. This post will explain a little bit about the IELTS exam and answer some of the common questions that our students ask.

What is IELTS?

IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is an exam that tests your ability in English. More specifically, it examines your levels in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The IELTS certificate is recognised by 10,000 institutions around the world.

There are 2 types of IELTS tests: IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training.

IELTS Academic is suitable for students who want to study at universities and colleges. It is also suitable for professional accreditation in certain jobs, these include: healthcare, accounting, engineering, law, tourism, finance.

IELTS General Training is suitable for students who are interested in applying for visas. It is especially helpful for students who want to migrate to Australia, New Zealand, the U.K, Canada. We often recommend our students to take this exam if they are interested interested in getting an internationally recognised certificate which shows their level of English.

What is the test format?

The test is divided in listening, reading, writing, speaking. The listening format is the same for both Academic and General.

Listening (30 minutes):

You listen to 4 different recordings of native English speakers. These will include: a conversation between two people; a monologue in a social context; a conversation between up to 4 people; a monologue on an academic subject.

Writing (60 minutes):

Academic test: You will be presented with 2 tasks. Task 1 requires you to describe a graph or diagram. Task 2 requires you to write an essay.

General test: Task 1 asks you to write a letter in a semi-formal or formal style. Task 2 asks you to write an essay.

Reading (60 minutes):

Academic test: includes 3 texts from books, newspapers, whose vocabulary and topics are suitable for those at a university level

General Test: includes texts from books, newspapers whose vocabulary and topics are suitable for those who understand English on a general level.

Speaking (11-14 minutes):

The speaking test is divided into 3 parts. You will be asked to talk about yourself; speak about a particular topic; extend a discussion by expressing ideas and issues.

 

Our IELTS courses are a great way to improve your English level. You don’t have to do the exam, you can simply study in the class, however we do recommend it. We always receive great feedback about our course.

If you are interested in joining our next IELTS course (June 19th start date) please come and speak with us at reception or contact us at info@bbels.com.au.

Meet the students: Mojahid from Saudi Arabia

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Mojas

Continuing our series of “Meet the students” we are happy to introduce Mojahid from Saudia Arabia. Mojahid has enjoyed the beautiful natural experiences in Byron Bay, developing his surfing skills while also preparing for the IELTS exam.

Why did you decide to come to Australia?

Well, actually this is my 3rd time in Australia! The first time I was in Sydney. The second time I went to Noosa. For this third time, I was looking for a small town close to the beach. But the location wasn’t the only decisive factor. I also wanted to find a place where I could have a great time and improve my English. I was talking to some friends and they had told me there weren’t many Middle Eastern students in Byron Bay, so I decided to come over and have a look. I loved the place and the fact that there weren’t many students speaking Arabic was very positive, so I had to speak English all the time, which is great. In my opinion, Byron Bay is the perfect destination to learn English and enjoy the outdoors, especially for students from my age group.
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Mojahid enjoying a cooking lesson with his IELTS class.

Why did you choose BBELS?

This time I wanted to study hard to prepare myself for the IELTS exam. During my research for English Schools in Byron Bay, I found some students’ testimonials saying that BBELS have a very strong IELTS preparation course. I also heard from other students that at BBELS students have a very good social life. That’s very important when you are in a distant country learning a second language, because that’s the way you make new friends. BBELS have 2 dedicated people organising activities and travel exclusively for students. Oh yes, and there is the school café (Café Oska) and the school parties! Both are great to relax and catch up with people from all over the world.

Tell us your impressions about BBELS.

The nationality mix at school is very good and it allows me to interact and make friends from many different countries. I’ve been learning a few words in other languages and also interesting things from other cultures

The BBELS staff is very friendly, and my teacher is great. She is very in tune with the official IELTS exam. She knows so much about the English Language and also about the IELTS exam, that by sharing her knowledge with us, she has given me confidence and I really feell ready for the official exam.

Byron Bay is well known for its natural wonders…where is your favourite place in Byron?

Wategos beach! Wategos is my favourite place because I started surfing there. The waves there are perfect for beginners and it never gets too crowded. The beach is stunning and very well preserved. Surfing at Wategos is a beautiful experience. I love the afternoons at Wategos, because dolphins always come very close to the beach, and watching the sunset there, with the lighthouse blinking just before dusk, its magical.
Moja_1
Saudi Arabian culture is different to Australian culture in many ways…is there any Australian habit that you think is very different from your culture?

Yes! In Australian they eat kangaroo meat. At the beginning it sounds very weird to me, but I tried kangaroo meat, and I love it!

How do you expect the English you have been learning in Australia to help you when you get back to your country?

I am not going back to my country for long. I’m going to Shanghai next year, because I will start a Master in Business. That’s the main goal and the reason why I’m studying English. I need a good score in the IETLS test and also all my classes will be administrated in English.

At BBELS, everyone should….?

Use your English skill that you learn at school to engage yourself into the local community. That’s a great way to improve your vocabulary and also help others.

Why students study IELTS

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Silje – Norway

“Good teachers, nice students from all over the world. Teacher helps us to improve ourselves”

Charlotte – Morocco

“Why did you come to Byron Bay?”

“To learn English, live in a town where we can surf and to score at least a 7 in IELTS for further studies”

Maria – Brazil

“The best thing is the possibility of practising everything ;  speaking, listening, reading and writing. And have feedback about your performance”

                                                       

                                                 Cyrielle – France

” I have been studying three months in September – December and I came back for two  months of IELTS”

   Brian (Chang Hyun) – Korea

  ” Study Hard!!! It really gave me confidence… I have improved a lot!!”