Criterion

Grade: 5/4/3/2/1

Comments (5 being the highest grade and 1 the lowest)

Originality

4

It is not unusual to hear English learners say that the most important thing for them on their English course, is to improve their speaking skills and be able to communicate more confidently. Although general English coursebooks do include ‘speaking activities’ and present some functional language, there isn’t always as much space devoted to developing speaking skills to fulfil the needs of some students and teachers. Collins English for Life Skills - Speaking B2+ contains 20 units dealing with a variety of contexts, functions and phrases. The focus of the units range from familiar situations such as ‘negotiating’ and ‘showing interest’ to more original areas including ‘showing that you’re sceptical’ ‘gossiping’ and even ‘using sarcasm’.

The main focus of the book is on presenting and practising useful phrases but it also includes helpful ‘language notes’ ‘speaking tips’ and ‘cultural notes’ for example on page 42 a ‘cultural note’ suggests using questions when trying to persuade someone, to avoid coming across as too forceful or aggressive or on page 57 the note raises awareness of how humour can be used to avoid answering particular questions or to get out of awkward conversations.

Practicality

4

Speaking B2+ can easily be used for self-study as the material is clear and the tasks simple to follow. Each unit is structured in a similar way with a few brief introductory questions to personalize the subject and set the context, followed by conversations that learners can read and listen to. Next are exercises to check meaning and practise pronunciation and then learners need to listen and respond to the audio.  Units end with a ‘Next Steps’ box that contains suggestions for further practice. These are rather unimaginative and repetitive, usually recommending that learners watch certain types of TV programme and listen for interesting or relevant language (e.g. p51). I’m not convinced many learners will take these ‘next steps’.

Teachers can use the book to supplement English courses by cherry-picking units relevant to their students (as the units don’t need to be followed in sequence) and adapting the material for group classes. The initial discussion task could be extended, the ‘conversations’ performed and the material is very ripe for role-play. Although there is no Teacher’s book there are instead notes with suggested activities and plans online to support teachers and help them fully exploit the material.

Presentation

4

Clever and tasteful use of colour give the book a ‘fresh’ and modern feel and pages are well organised with a clear layout. Key words and phrases are included in a section near the end of the book called ‘Everyday Language in Use’ and there is also a ‘mini-dictionary’ with definitions of a few of the more difficult words. The model conversations on the Audio CD are inauthentic and include actors attempting a variety of dodgy accents and tending towards overemphatic delivery. It is a style that will be very familiar to teachers with any experience of published English language audio materials. However, the audio is essential and not only contains the presentation conversations but also the pronunciation models and speaking prompts.

Overall rating

4

What outstanding strengths/ weaknesses do you feel this title possesses?

Teachers and students should find Speaking B2+ engaging, relevant and useful. An example would be the excellent unit 19 that deals with “Showing annoyance and Anger”. The unit kicks off with questions encouraging learners to reflect on what makes them angry, how acceptable a show of anger is in their culture and to also consider how choice of language and tone depends on who has made you angry. With the right combination of learners this could potentially become a lengthy and interesting discussion. Commonly used phrases for expressing annoyance and anger, such as: “I don’t believe it!” “I’ve had it up to here with…” and “I’m sick of …”, are introduced along with typical phrases used for calming someone down. Later in the unit learners need to listen to how tone of voice shows how angry someone is and are made aware of how expressing anger at a situation may be more culturally acceptable than expressing anger directly at someone. The contrast is given between the following:

“I’m sick of always arriving everywhere late”

“I’m sick of you always making us late”

The unit finishes with learners given prompts to respond to with annoyance or a phrase to calm someone down. It could be quite a fun, lively lesson and overall could potentially help a student avoid a punch in the face!

On which courses do you envisage being able to use this material?

It is suitable to supplement both General English and Business English courses and some units are also relevant for the speaking parts of First and Advanced exam. The material is most appropriate for upper Intermediate and advanced adult learners and would be relevant for ESOL students or for people learning English who are living in English-speaking countries. I could imagine using this book on a ‘communication skills’ course or module.

Other comments

The Collins English for Life Skills Series has separate books for speaking, reading, writing and listening at three levels A2, B1+ and B2+.