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About the IELTS Exam

Over three million people take the IELTS exam every year, for university admission, their careers and to emigrate to other countries. In this post, find out more about the world’s most popular English exam.

14 Jun 2019

Five IELTS Tips

FIVE Tips on Getting Started with IELTS

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is the standard entry exam for many a university and may be required at embassies when making a visa application.

There are hundreds of websites offering IELTS preparation courses, classes, tutorials, tips, strategies, do’s and don’ts and the list goes on. However, it can sometimes be hard to know where to start.

09 May 2019

Top 5 things to do this Silly Season in Cape Town

It’s silly season again – that period when there is a higher than usual number of social engagements because  the summer holidays  have begun, the people are happy, the mood is frivolous and it’s time for summer flings and sun-downers! So where should you go to catch up with your friends and spark up new conversations while soaking up this vibe? We have selected a few or our favourite haunts among the myriad wonderful things to do in Cape Town this summer.

06 Dec 2018

Diana, one of our students, made some amazing friends here in Cape Town

Student Stories | Diana from Colombia

We love hearing from past students. We love hearing about their adventures here at ELC and in Cape Town. Diana touched a lot of lives here in Cape Town and certainly made the most of her African adventure.

23 Nov 2018

It's easy to learn on your own

5 Ways to Improve your English

Do you want to improve your English? Are you already studying 6 hours a day in a classroom? Here are 5 things to do on your own to speed up the learning process.

16 Nov 2018

Bruna on her last day at ELC with her UCT Certificate

Student Stories | Bruna from Brazil

Bruna, who came to Cape Town, with her husband, Guilherme, tells us about her amazing visit to Cape Town and ELC. Here’s a sneak peek: “What has been your best memory in Cape Town so far? (a day, or an event, or a weekend…?) I did different things in Cape Town during that time that I have never done before like jumping from the bridge in a bungy jump, hiking Lions Head, kayaking on a river and many others. But my new friends are the best part of that time. Friends from different countries and different cultures. I hope to see them again and who knows visit their countries.” It’s always about the people!

19 Oct 2018

Diouf in the ELC residence

Student Stories | Diouf from Senegal

The student stories series provides real feedback, from real students – unedited and authentic! Diouf, an Advanced student, here at ELC gave us a few tips, about his time here in Cape Town and ELC. A sneak peak: What is the best thing about Cape Town? “To me, the best thing about Cape Town is its diversity. You get to learn a lot from people from all walks of life, and most importantly, as a learner of English, you are exposed to 3 different accents. At least. Which is not a bad thing.”

28 Sep 2018

Impress with your Cover Letter

How to Write a Great Cover Letter

You have about 30 seconds to impress someone and your cover letter plays a huge role in that! We all know how important a good CV is but most of us just dash off a short cover letter and hope for the best. A cover letter is the first contact with a potential employer has and so it’s essential to make a good, strong and positive impression.

07 Sep 2018

A Quiz on Cape Town

How well do you know Cape Town? Try our quiz about places and animals in Cape Town to test your knowledge.

10 Aug 2018

Go Karting in Cape Town

Winter in Cape Town – 5 sports activities

Winter in Cape Town – sometimes better than the summer! In this blog series, Winter in Cape Town, we look at various activities including sports, cultural activities to those out in nature.

20 Jul 2018

Teacher Annaelle's TEFL journey

Teacher Annaelle and her TEFL journey

UCT’s English Language Centre is a great place to work and is attracting highly qualified, driven and motivated teachers. Here we interview Annaelle about her experience in this special industry.

13 Jul 2018

Easy languages | UCT English Language Centre

Which Language is the Easiest to Learn?

Which language is the easiest (or most difficult) one to learn? We take a brief look at this question and discuss why answering it is not as straight forward as one may think.

01 Jun 2018

English Grammar | UCT English Language Centre

Grammar in the English Language Classroom

Is it possible to learn a language by only focusing on the grammar? In this blog we argue that in order to learn an English that people actually use and will actually understand today, grammar plays the same role as all the other elements! No one aspect of a language is more important than the other, and learners should approach their English learning in a holistic way.

11 May 2018

business english exam UCT English language Centre

What Business English Exams are available?

Not everyone who takes a business English course needs to prepare for a business English exam. But, for those who do, here is a breakdown of the Cambridge business exams available to you.

04 May 2018

UCT English language Centre Travelling South Africa from Cape Town

Travelling South Africa from Cape Town

Even though cape Town is the best city in South Africa (we are biased, of course), there are so many spectacularly beautiful places to discover in the rest of the country. The question is, what are the options for travelling out of Cape Town to see the rest of these amazing places? We explore some modes of transport for travelling within South Africa in this blog post.

26 Apr 2018

How can WhatsApp help you learn English?

Is it really possible to learn English with whatsapp? The answer is yes, and we show you how this is relevant at the UCT English Language Centre! A very special shout out to our past students who still send us wonderful greetings from afar!

20 Apr 2018

long distance relaitonships \ UCT English Language Centre

Finding Love in Cape Town

Students from all over the world come to our English school with the intention of learning English, and exploring Cape Town. Most of our students achieve this. But some get the added bonus of falling in love! We have written a blog post in honour of all the love birds at our school, and provide some simple tips for easing the challenge of a long distance relationship. We also highlight all the really amazing things about cross-cultural and -linguistic relationships that share English as the only thing in common.

06 Apr 2018