“I chose LI was because of its long history and good reputation”

Student: Yang JunAn (Allen)

School: Languages International

IELTS score: 7.0

Courses: General English (with Conversation option class), IELTS, English for Business and Cambridge BEC, TESOL

Why did you choose New Zealand？

It is widely believed that New Zealand is well-known for its spectacular sceneries, and it is home to a number of endangered animals. As a person who is passionate about the beauties of nature, the main reason drove me to come to NZ was that studying in NZ would enable me to taste the stunning sceneries in NZ while learning English there.

Why did you choose Language International?

Well, one reason I chose LI was because of its long history and good reputation. The other one, which was more important, was that there were not many Chinese students in LI. By this I mean, I would have greater opportunities to speak English rather than speaking Chinese.

What are your plans after finishing your studies at Languages International?

I will spend about two weeks travelling around the South Island, and then go back to China. In September of this year, I will pursue my postgraduate studies in the UK.

What IELTS score do you need for your university course?

In order to attend university in the UK, I need 6 or more in each part of IELTS and overall score must be 6.5 or higher.

What score did you achieve after studying at Languages International?

Fortunately, I got 6.5 in listening, 7.5 in reading, 6.5 in writing and 7 in speaking.

What courses did you study at Languages International?

I studied at LI for 8 months and I took General English, Conversation, TESOL, IELTS, Business English and BEC.

There is no doubt that all courses I took were great, and I benefited a lot from these courses.

I learnt lots of vocabulary and grammar in GE, which helped me to build up my vocabulary range and to speak English accurately. In Conversation Class, teachers taught us how to speak English like a native speaker. By the way, I was really keen on the way that LI operated Conversation Class: we discussed different topics with classmates and teachers every day. Sometimes, it was very interesting when students from different countries had different opinions about a certain topic. We shared our experiences and learnt different cultures. In this class, I learnt not only a variety of authentic expressions, but also how to communicate ideas effectively and properly.

In IELTS class, it is thought to be a great progress I have made, especially in writing and speaking. Our experienced teacher put enormous effort into our academic studies and paid painstaking attention to encouraging us to achieve our goals.

In terms of Business English and BEC, it helped me to expand knowledge about business field, such as calling a meeting, playing a chairperson in a meeting, doing a trade and so on.

What impressed me most was TESOL which was really about teaching students how to be a teacher. Although it was a rather intense course, I realised that it was the most valuable and enjoyable class I have ever attended when I finished it . Imaging a boy who did not dare to give a speech could be able to give a lesson and a presentation in front of classmates and teachers at the end of the class. That is me! I took pride on how vast improvement I have made during TESOL. Again, I was so proud of myself, not because I learnt many teaching techniques, but I became more confident and adept at giving a speech. What is more, there was no teacher-and-student feeling in the class, we were more like a family instead. To recap, I enjoyed this class immensely!

Would you recommend Languages International to others?

Definitely! Not only because of its proximity to the city centre, but also its good facilities and outstanding teaching performance.

What I am fascinated most by LI is that the school provides a platform for students to socialise. There are a wide range of social activities after school we can do, like surfing, baking, playing Rugby and so on. In addition, thanks to various trips offered by the school on the weekends, students have greater opportunities to travel together, which facilitates better communication among them, leading to forming a social network. In the meanwhile, by networking with different people, students themselves are highly likely to be able to improve their English quickly as well.