Text (read twice at natural speed): 'Migration has always shaped cities. London, Paris, and Sydney grew because people moved there looking for work.' Learners compare their reconstructions in pairs.
In the 4-3-2 technique, learners tell the same story three times: four minutes, then three, then two. Repetition forces fluency — they stop translating and start retrieving. Nation developed this.
Writing for a teacher-examiner is motivationally thin. Writing for a real or imagined audience gives learners a reason to make the text work.
Editing is improving content and structure — does the paragraph make sense, is the argument clear? Proofreading is checking form — spelling, punctuation, grammar. Teach them as separate stages.
When analysing a model text, look at the form first — what the text does in each section — before asking learners what they think of it. Jumping to opinion skips the language focus entirely.
A model text shows learners what a good version of the target text looks like before they write their own. It sets the standard and provides language they can adapt — not copy.
Process writing focuses on how a text is built — planning, drafting, revising. It mirrors how real writers work and raises awareness of writing as a recursive skill.
Classroom writing is not homework. In-class writing allows the teacher to monitor process, give real-time feedback, and use errors as teaching material.
Long presentations overwhelm both speaker and audience. A two-to-three minute talk with one main point and one example is hard enough at B1 and generates better language than a ten-minute ramble.
Decision-making tasks — 'agree on X' — have a natural endpoint, require genuine exchange of views, and generate negotiation language without a script.
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Sourov Deb EI · SIRET 106 764 061 00011 · Saint-Pierre, La Réunion