Listening & Speaking Course

Most young English learners can manage a casual conversation. Walking into an academic seminar, an international admissions interview, or a presentation room and communicating with genuine authority is a completely different challenge. It requires sharp listening, clear structural thinking, and the ability to articulate complex ideas calmly under pressure.

Give a student scripted classroom audio and standard worksheets, and they learn to pass artificial tests while their real-world fluency remains fragile. Model their training on world-class speakers, show them how to capture and organise information in real time, and give them a structured stage to speak, and their communication transforms entirely.

Designed for ambitious students covering CEFR levels A2 through to C1, this course uses real TED Talks and National Geographic content as its primary frameworks. It bridges the gap between passive language learning and active public expression, ensuring your child learns to speak with structure, precision, and genuine impact.

Speak with Structure and Influence

Fluency and true communicative competence are two different things. This course goes far beyond basic speaking practice to focus heavily on functional, structured discourse. Students learn to frame their arguments logically, choose language appropriate to their audience, and present ideas in a clear, persuasive format that listeners can easily follow.

Present with Authentic Confidence

Public speaking is a skill built through systematic preparation. This course takes students through the entire presentation lifecycle: planning a compelling narrative arc, organising clear visual supports, and managing body language and pacing. Through deliberate practice, preparation and confident delivery become second nature.

Master Natural Pronunciation and Clarity

The course focuses entirely on the elements of speech that directly affect comprehension: word stress, sentence intonation, natural rhythm, and connected speech. Students learn how native English sounds adapt in natural conversation, training their ears to listen more accurately and their voices to project with crystal-clear clarity.

21st Century Communication is the cutting-edge curriculum this course is built upon. Developed by Cengage in partnership with TED and National Geographic, it uses authentic TED Talks delivered by real scientists, creators, and global thinkers as its core learning models.

By observing accomplished speakers handle complex topics, structural transitions, and audience engagement, students learn from some of the best communicators in the world. Every unit is a deliberate journey from listening to active, personal production.

🌐 CEFR Language Levels 

• 21st Century Communication - Book 1: A2 - B1

• 21st Century Communication - Book 2: B1 - B2

• 21st Century Communication - Book 3: B2

• 21st Century Communication - Book 4: B2 - C1

Scope and Sequences

Step 1: Building Vocabulary & Context

Lessons open by introducing high-level vocabulary and idiomatic expressions rooted in the central theme. Students master these terms in context, preparing the exact language toolkit they will need to analyse the incoming talk and express their own ideas.

Step 2: Viewing & Strategic Note-Taking

Rather than passive listening, students actively watch real TED presentations. They learn critical note-taking strategies: mapping out visual hierarchies, capturing core evidence, and noting transition cues. This trains their minds to filter and process natural native speech in real time.

Step 3: Critical Analysis & Language Focus

Students unpack the structural techniques used by the speaker. They analyse how the presenter engaged the audience, how they transitioned between points, and the precise grammatical frameworks used to emphasise key information.

Step 4: Putting It Together & Performance

The unit culminates in an active communicative project. Drawing on the vocabulary, structural logic, and delivery techniques practised throughout the unit, students present, debate, or pitch their own ideas in real time, putting their skills directly to work.

Learning to swim requires water, and learning to communicate dynamically requires live human interaction. True speaking and listening competence are built through active, real-time practice.

For this reason, this course intentionally leaves traditional workbooks behind. At least 70% of every lesson is dedicated entirely to active, in-class speaking and listening. Class time functions as a highly focused communicative laboratory where students are consistently challenged to think, respond, and adapt on their feet.

We anchor our advanced reading and discussions in five world-class media institutions:

• The Guardian: Exposes students to high-level argumentative prose and sophisticated global vocabulary, teaching them to analyse diverse viewpoints.

• Smithsonian Magazine: Renowned for elegant narrative non-fiction. It expands lexical range through deeply engaging history, nature, and science feature stories.

• BBC Science Focus: Introduces cutting-edge technology and innovation, building essential technical literacy and logical cause-and-effect reasoning.

• BBC Business: Features concise, data-driven professional language, mastering the precise terminology of the modern global economy.

• BBC Culture: Explores literature, art, and societal trends, training students to comprehend abstract concepts and stylistic nuances.

There is a distinct difference between a student who speaks English and a student who commands the room when they speak. The real breakthrough happens when a child stops worrying about a small grammar mistake and starts focusing entirely on the clarity and structure of the idea they are delivering.

21st Century Communication is an exceptional series because it replaces stale, scripted classroom audio with the raw, inspiring energy of real TED Talks. Watching real people speak passionately about real ideas sets an entirely different standard for students to aspire to.

In my private tracks, this course is designed to dismantle the public speaking anxiety that holds so many bright young minds back. Because 70% of class time is dedicated to pure, interactive language production, students are consistently placed in the position of having to think, respond, and perform. That is precisely why it works.

What parents notice first is an evolution in poise. A student who once gave one-word answers begins to structure their thoughts, use transition words naturally, and speak with a level of academic maturity that genuinely commands attention. This course prepares them to stand up and be heard on the global stage, with the confidence to handle any oral assessment along the way.

To ensure individual attention and optimal conversational depth, availability within Martin’s private tracks and exclusive micro-groups is strictly limited.

Contact Tutor Martin today to discuss your personal or professional objectives and arrange a comprehensive, diagnostic placement assessment.