Study Guide

VLC materials listed by level of difficulty

The VLC provides materials suitable for all learning levels, from basic / elementary to intermediate and advanced learners.
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This page gives a quick overview of the materials in terms of the student levels they are appropriate for. For a more detailed explanation of the level descriptors (basic - intermediate - advanced) see the Diagnostic Scores page.

All materials assume at least a basic level of understanding: ability to read the English alphabet and to approximate the sounds associated with these letters and common spellings; a basic vocabulary of a few hundred words (see the list of 700 most frequent words), and understanding of basic English sentence structure (eg "the book is on the table").

1. For all levels

  Study Features
English Pronunciation a comprehensive guide to English pronunciation, spelling and phonetics, featuring graphical illustrations, audio and video files

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Pictorial idioms a list of English idioms and exercises with colorful illustrations - suitable for learners of all ages and levels 

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  Games and puzzles
XWord crossword puzzles difficulty levels for puzzles are listed, from easy to difficult

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Storyboard a game where all words in a text are deleted but with an accompanying sound file - difficulty levels for the exercises are listed, from easy to difficult

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WordTrap a vocabulary matching game with links to the Net Dictionary - difficulty levels for the exercises are listed, from easy to difficult
  Listening Features
Text-to-Speech text-to-speech (TTS) programs, dialogs and samples - TTS is also featured in the Net Dictionary 
RealAudio Jukebox songs with text, streaming audio files  and  direct links to the Net Dictionary and Concordancer
  Grading Tests
Diagnostic tests and learning pathways grammar and listening tests to measure your level, with personal learning pathways generated according to your test results 
  Reference
Net Dictionary online dictionary and word lists, with direct links from VLC texts and exercises
Web Concordancer searches texts to find examples of words and phrases
Word Frequency Text Profiler compares all the words in a text against frequency lists, and prints them in different colours, with direct links to the Net Dictionary
Unique Words Text Profiler lists all the words in a text with their number of instances and frequencies,  with direct links to the Net Dictionary

2. For basic / elementary  levels

  Speaking and Listening
English Conversation basic English conversation in everyday contexts, with text and audio files

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Spoken English gap filling exercises for conversation dialogs in everyday situations

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English Pronunciation a comprehensive guide to English pronunciation, spelling and phonetics, featuring graphical illustrations, audio and video files

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  Grammar
Mind Your Grammar essential English grammar from basic to intermediate levels 

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Pronouns basic pronoun usage - exercises and notes 
Articles basic use of the articles - exercises and notes 

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  Reading
Cloze passages short intensive reading texts with gap fills, written for ESL learners, with direct links to the Net Dictionary, word and frequency profiles - basic to lower intermediate 

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  Vocabulary
PictureBook drag 'n' drop quizzes for matching words and pictures, grouped in particular genres - basic to lower intermediate 

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3. For lower / upper  intermediate  levels

  Grammar and proof reading
Prepositions main uses of prepositions - exercises and notes and tables 

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Verbs main uses of the English verb - exercises and notes covering tenses, voice, verb forms and verb strings 

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Clauses main clause types - exercises and notes for relative, conditional, noun and participle clauses
Mind Your Grammar essential English grammar from basic to intermediate levels

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Common Errors some of the most common errors and mistakes that learners make, with notes and exercises  

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Proof reading identifying and correcting mistakes and common student errors  

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  Speaking & Listening
Listen and Learn a variety of texts with streeaming audio files  and  direct links to the Net Dictionary and Concordancer - intermediate to advanced

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IELTS Listening Test Preparation an introduction to the format of the IELTS Listening Test, with examples and practice tests  - intermediate to advanced
IELTS Speaking Test Preparation an introduction to the format of the IELTS Speaking Test - intermediate to advanced
  Reading
Cloze passages short intensive reading texts with gap fills,  direct links to the Net Dictionary, word and frequency profiles - basic to lower intermediate 

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Reading comprehension longer reading texts with multiple choice questions, with direct links to the Net Dictionary, word and frequency profiles - upper intermediate to advanced

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IELTS Reading Test Preparation an introduction to the format of the IELTS Reading Test, with examples and exercises - intermediate to advanced

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  Writing
Academic Writer a comprehensive course in academic writing with notes and exercises - intermediate to advanced

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IELTS Writing Test Preparation an introduction to the format of the IELTS Writing Test, with examples and model answers - intermediate to advanced
  Vocabulary
Gap fills with multiple choice questions modeled on the Cambridge English Proficiency examinations Use of English tests - upper intermediate to advanced 

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Synonyms with multiple choice questions modeled on the Cambridge English Proficiency examinations Use of English tests - upper intermediate to advanced
Collocations exercises for identifying word partners (words commonly used together) - intermediate to advanced
Drag 'n' drop exercises word matching quizzes for words in particular genres - lower to upper intermediate

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  Games
Jumbler a sentence shuffling game with audio files - lower to upper intermediate

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Word Shuffle a word reordering game based on songs from the RealAudio JUkebox -  lower to upper intermediate

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  Reference
Text Profiler compares the words in a text against word frequency lists

4. For advanced level

  Grammar
Functional Grammar a course in Functional Grammar 

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  Listening
Listen and Learn a variety of texts with streeaming audio files  and  direct links to the Net Dictionary and Concordancer - intermediate to advanced

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  Reading
News from the web ESL Corner articles taken from online news reports with multople choice gap fills and with direct links to the Net Dictionary - upper intermediate to advanced

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Reading comprehesion reading texts with multople choice questions, with direct links to the Net Dictionary - upper intermediate to advanced

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Reading for fun extended stories with direct links to the Net Dictionary - upper intermediate to advanced

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  Writing
Academic Writer a comprehensive course in academic writing with notes and exercises - intermediate to advanced

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  Vocabulary
Gap fills with multiple choice questions modeled on the Cambridge English Proficiency examinations Use of English tests - upper intermediate to advanced 

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Synonyms with multiple choice questions modeled on the Cambridge English Proficiency examinations Use of English tests - upper intermediate to advanced
Collocations exercises for identifying word partners (words commonly used together) - intermediate to advanced
  Games
Grammar Roulette a proof reading game - bet on what kind of error is shown
  Reference
Text Profiler compares the words in a text against word frequency lists

 

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