Outcomes advanced

Outcomes is focused on empowering learners to express themselves by developing their ability to have natural conversations in English.

To do this, we start by thinking about the kinds of speaking that we do in real life, using students’ interests and the CEFR can-do statements to help inform this. We then think of a clear task for students to work towards in each lesson to mirror these goals. This may be having a social or practical conversation, telling a personal anecdote, discussing issues around a text or completing an extended ‘problem-solving’ task. We then think about what language students might need to fulfil these tasks and write the exercises to present this in the different sections in each lesson. Much of this language is also recycled through motivating reading and listening texts that reflect the world students live in.

We think that choosing language to meet the task, rather than creating a task to practise grammar helps students and teachers. Firstly, the tasks reflect students’ real-life interactions better, which is more motivating. Secondly, students are better prepared to use what they’re learning straight away in meaningful ways. And thirdly, you will find students tend to stretch themselves more because they are trying to express genuine things. In doing so, they find out what they need to learn next and give you the chance to teach the language.

Hugh Dellar
Andrew Walkley
Combined second and third eddition