Describe a person who is good at learning and speaking new languages

Band 6

I would like to talk about my friend Ioana, who is very good atBasic phrase; limits Lexical Resource learning languages. We met at university in Cluj, in Romania, four years ago, and now we isSubject-verb agreement error: should be “are” in the same group. She can speak five languages: Romanian, French, English, German and a little Spanish, but her Spanish is still, erNatural hesitation marker, minor filler, quite basic. She started French with her grandmother when she was a child, and she began English and German at school. Now she learns new things in some different ways. First, she watches films without subtitles, and when she hears a new word she writeSubject-verb agreement error: should be “writes” it in a small notebook. She reads this notebook on the bus every morning. Second, she speaks to tourists in the old town, because she is not afraid of make mistakesVerb form error: should be “is not afraid of making mistakes”. Third, once a week she has a video call with a language partner in Madrid, and they talk about many thingsVague phrase; “all sorts of topics” is more precise. Last year she goTense slip: should be “went” to Spain for a short course, and her Spanish became much better. She also reads a short article in Spanish every evening before she goes to sleep. Our classmates often ask her for help before exams, and she always explains patiently. You knowFiller phrase used as a hesitation marker, I feel she is a really greatBasic adjective; limits Lexical Resource person and I admire her a lot. Sometimes I feel a little jealous, because I studyTense error: should be “have been studying” English for ten years and I still don’t speak so easily. But she also gives me advice, so I want to practise more.

Band 7

I’d like to talk about my friend Ioana, who has a real talent for learning languages. We met at university in Cluj, in Romania, four years ago, and we’re now in the same group. She can speak five languages: Romanian, French, English, German and a little Spanish, although her Spanish is still quite basic. She started French with her grandmother as a child, and she began English and German at school. She has several methods for learning new things. First, she watches films without subtitles, and whenever she hears a new word she writes it down in a small notebook, which she reads on the bus every morning. Second, she speaks to tourists in the old town, because she isn’t afraid of to makeVerb form error: should be “making” mistakes. Third, once a week she has a video call with a language partner in Madrid, and they talk about all sorts of topicsNatural, flexible phrase. Last year she took a short course in Spain, and her Spanish improved noticeablyPrecise adverb in place of “became much better”. She also reads a short article in Spanish every evening before she goes to sleep. Our classmates often ask her for help before exams, and she always explains patiently. To be honestDiscourse marker introduces a personal feeling, I admire her enormously, but I’m also a little envious, because I’ve been studying English for ten years and I still can’t speak as fluently as she doesComparative “as … as” structure used accurately. She’s generous with advice, so she motivateSubject-verb agreement error: should be “motivates” me to practise more.

Band 8

I’d like to talk about my friend Ioana, who has a real flair for languages. We met at university in Cluj, in Romania, four years ago, and we’re now in the same group. She speaks five languages: Romanian, French, English, German and a little Spanish, although her Spanish is still at an early stage. She started French with her grandmother as a child, and she began English and German at school. She goes about learning new things in several ways. For a start, she watches films without subtitles, and whenever she hears a new word she jots it down in a small notebook, which she reads on the bus every morning. She also strikes up conversations with touristsIdiomatic verb phrase in the old town, since she isn’t afraid of making mistakes. Once a week she has a video call with a language partner in Madrid, and they talk about everything under the sunIdiom used naturally. Last year she took a short course in Spain, and her Spanish improved noticeably. She also reads a short article in Spanish every evening before she goes to sleep. Our classmates often ask her for help before exams, and she always explains patiently. I admire her enormously, though, if I’m honest, I’m also slightly envious, because I’ve been studying English for ten years and still can’t speak as fluently as she does. She’s generous with advice, too, and the more I watch her, the more I want to practiseComparative correlative used accurately, so, on balance, she’s a source of motivation rather than discouragement.