A female student looks at and listens intently to a male student speaking and using his hands to emphasize the topic he is discussing.

How to improve your English skills in 2 hours

Global Launch alum shares the language practices that helped him quickly gain English proficiency

Pursuing admission to an American university as a graduate student with poor reading and no writing skills was a huge challenge; however, Global Launch online classes helped me improve and I successfully gained admission to ASU. During my studies, I found some useful ways to help me develop my English language skills, even though I don't live in an English-speaking country.

Consider these tips to avoid some common mistakes that I encountered at the start of my English-learning journey. Practice each skill, then take a 10-minute break to help reinforce what you've learned.

Several students speak and listen during conversation sitting at a desk.

1. Improve your English speaking skills in 30 minutes

A. Participate in Discussions

Engage in a conversation with your classmates respectfully and actively listen to their perspectives. Remember, everyone in your class is still learning, just like you. Don’t worry about making mistakes as you speak—mistakes are a natural part of the learning process. Global Launch teachers are there to support you, so feel free to share any challenges you're facing with them.

B. Record Your Speaking Practice

Pick a topic that you are interested in, such as technology, economy, education, etc. Then, record yourself speaking about this topic for about 2 minutes. Listen to the recording to catch any grammar errors, mispronunciations, or words you may be repeating too often. Then, record yourself again, focusing on avoiding those earlier mistakes.

A female student wearing earbuds looks at her laptop screen in concentration.

2. Improve your English listening skills in 30 minutes

A. Watch YouTube Videos

Select a YouTube video under 6 minutes that captures your interest. Start by watching without subtitles—it might be challenging to catch everything, but that’s okay.. Next, watch the video again with subtitles, repeating any parts that were hard to understand. For an extra challenge, adjust the video speed to 1.25 or 1.5 and watch it one last time.

B. Listen to Online Audio Stories

You can find an enormous number of audio stories online. Choose stories you like based on your level in English and interest. You can also ask Global Launch teachers for recommendations. Listen to each story several times until you fully understand it.

Two male students look at the writing on a paper that a third student is showing them.

3. Improve your English reading skills in 30 minutes

A. Read What You Enjoy

The key to significantly improving your reading skills is to enjoy what you read. Find stories in genres you like, such as fiction, drama, comic books. You can find plenty of free content online or find a lot of great articles in the ASU library.

B. Read Online News

There’s a variety of free online news available on topics like fashion, sports, and technology. Choose a story on a subject that interests you, and try reading it without relying on translations—this helps you learn to understand new words from context. After you’ve read the article, look up any unfamiliar words and add them to your notes or flashcards for future study.

A student looks at another student writing something on a whiteboard.

4. Improve your English writing skills in 30 minutes

A. Review Teacher Feedback on Your Writing

It is essential to carefully read the corrections and notes on your writing tasks from your Global Launch teachers. Make sure you understand all the teacher's notes and discuss what you didn't understand. Try to correct your writing mistakes and then send the corrected writing assignment back to your teacher for further review.

B. Write About Your Daily Class Activities

At the end of each day, write a short summary of what happened in each class. This will not only help you to improve your writing speed, but it will also help you to organize your notes more efficiently. Journaling will also help you to remember your teacher's directions and feedback.

There are many tips, tricks and tools to help you to improve your English speaking, listening, reading and writing skills on a daily basis. If you dedicate some time and effort to practicing these skills, you will learn quickly and move past the challenges you encounter with the language.

Global Launch alum and guest author, Ahmad Al-Ghamdi.

Meet guest author Ahmad Alghamdi

Ahmad Alghamdi is a telecommunications and electronics engineer from Saudi Arabia with a Master’s degree in optical fiber telecommunications. He participated in the advanced level of the Global Launch online intensive English Language Program in February 2023 and graduated with an honor roll certification in July 2023. Ahmad aspires to complete his studies and obtain a PhD degree in telecommunications and electronics engineering, then pursue his career goal as a researcher in this specialized field.