EAL Band C – Developing Competence

General

Listening

Reading

Speaking

Writing

• Begin with concrete examples before introducing abstract ideas.
• Use mind maps to help organise and connect ideas visually.
• Provide key vocabulary lists for each subject area.
• Introduce new verb tenses through natural contexts like stories or historical discussions.
• Allow students to practise their ideas by speaking before writing.
• Offer sentence starters and writing frames to guide language use.
• Design listening and reading tasks that include preparation and comprehension checks.
• Share transcripts or enable subtitles for audio and video materials whenever possible.
• Pair EAL learners with strong peer role models to support language development.
• Create a classroom environment where asking questions is encouraged.
• Teach grammar points clearly and directly.
• Use flow charts and diagrams to support listening and understanding.
• Teach idioms and informal expressions in meaningful contexts.
• Explain any cultural references or unfamiliar content to aid comprehension.
• Involve learners in self and peer assessment to build reflection and ownership.
• Ensure access to learner-friendly dictionaries to support independent learning.

• Move from concrete ideas to more abstract concepts to support comprehension.
• Provide active listening tasks, including pre-listening activities and comprehension checks.
• Offer learners transcripts for audio or video materials where possible, or use subtitles.
• Group learners strategically, pairing EAL students with strong peer role models to enhance language acquisition.
• Encourage learners to ask questions to promote engagement and understanding.
• Use flow charts and graphic organisers to aid listening and processing of information.
• Introduce common idioms and colloquialisms within meaningful contexts.
• Explain culturally specific references and new content clearly.
• Encourage learners to participate in self and peer assessment activities.
• Keep instructions concise and clear.
• Reformulate answers given by other students to allow learners extra processing time.
• Design curriculum-related jigsaw reading tasks that require learners to speak to peers in structured ways while listening for key information.
• Provide audio versions of books so learners can hear natural intonation and stress patterns.

• Move from concrete concepts to more abstract ideas to support comprehension.
• Use mind maps to visually organise and link ideas.
• Provide subject-specific word banks to build relevant vocabulary.
• Introduce additional verb tenses in meaningful contexts, such as storytelling or explaining history.
• Allow learners to rehearse their ideas orally before writing.
• Use writing frames to guide learners in structuring their work.
• Group learners thoughtfully, pairing EAL students with strong peer role models to support language development.
• When placing learners in groups with more proficient students, assign them clear roles, such as group scribe.
• Encourage learners to ask questions to deepen understanding.
• Teach new grammar points explicitly and clearly.
• Involve learners in self and peer assessment activities to promote reflection and learning.
• Provide dictionaries designed specifically for EAL learners.
• When reviewing work, ask learners to highlight their ideas throughout paragraphs to track their thought process.
• Create group writing tasks, such as developing paragraphs from topic sentences or arranging instructions logically.
• Remind learners about the function of different punctuation marks.
• Draw attention to how connectives and adverbs are used in reading passages and encourage learners to incorporate them into their writing.
• Encourage learners to use more complex grammatical structures in their written work.