EAL Band E – Fluent

The pupil speaks and understands English fluently, similar to a native speaker. They can confidently use complex language in all subjects, read advanced texts, and write well-structured, accurate texts. Errors are rare and do not affect understanding. Support is minimal and usually focused on specialist vocabulary.

General

Listening

Reading

Speaking

Writing

  • Encourage the learner to engage in conversations with a variety of people, such as school visitors, classmates, and during assemblies.
  • Involve the learner in structured discussions or debates on thought-provoking or sensitive topics.
  • Demonstrate advanced grammatical structures, like conditional forms and the passive voice, and create opportunities for the learner to use them in context.
  • Help the learner develop exam literacy by explicitly teaching key command words and typical question formats.
  • Target specific areas of difficulty across subjects, such as subject-specific vocabulary and frequently used word combinations.
  • Use a marking code to identify common errors, allowing the learner to review and self-correct with support.
  • Show how to take effective notes, highlighting techniques and formats that support understanding and recall.
  • Demonstrate reading strategies such as skimming for gist and scanning for specific information.
  • Expose the learner to a variety of text types through oral reading, emphasizing pronunciation, expression, and fluency.
  • Direct the learner’s attention to how audience, setting, and purpose influence language choices in different texts.
  • Draw attention to the use of figurative expressions and idioms, helping the learner interpret and use them appropriately.
  • Provide opportunities for the learner to practise delivering presentations, with a focus on improving accuracy and confidence in speaking.
  • Address gaps in knowledge across subjects by concentrating on areas such as technical terms and common word pairings.
  • Demonstrate effective methods of taking notes to support information retention and understanding.
  • Read a range of texts aloud to students, emphasizing tone, rhythm, and fluent delivery to model expressive reading.
  • Draw learners’ attention to figurative language and idiomatic expressions, helping them understand and use them appropriately.
  • Encourage learners to make inferences by asking deeper, thought-provoking questions during video or listening activities.
  • Expose learners to a wide variety
  • of spoken text types, helping them to recognise how vocabulary and delivery differ in formal and informal situations.
  • Explore how meaning is shaped by a speaker’s vocabulary choices and the structure of their sentences.
  • Ensure learners fully grasp more advanced grammatical structures by checking for understanding and clarifying as needed.
  • Identify and address specific learning gaps across subjects, with emphasis on technical vocabulary and common word pairings.
  • Apply a marking code for written work to help the learner identify and correct their own errors with guided support.
  • Demonstrate effective strategies for taking structured notes to aid comprehension and recall.
  • Teach and model reading strategies such as skimming for general understanding and scanning for specific information.
  • Read various types of texts aloud to learners, using expressive tone and rhythm to develop their awareness of fluency and intonation.
  • Guide the learner to consider how audience, context, and purpose influence the language and style used in a text.
  • Encourage learners to practise reading English books to their parents and to retell the story in English or their home language, reinforcing understanding and communication skills.
  • Draw attention to figurative language and idiomatic expressions, helping learners interpret and apply them in appropriate contexts.
  • Support the learner in developing confidence by initiating conversations with a range of people, including visitors, classmates, and during assemblies.
  • Actively involve the learner in discussions and debates around current or thought-provoking issues to develop critical thinking and language skills.
  • Address specific learning challenges across different subjects, particularly in understanding subject-specific vocabulary and common word combinations.
  • Implement an error correction code during marking to help the learner identify mistakes and revise their work with appropriate guidance.
  • Expose the learner to a variety of written texts through read-aloud sessions, placing emphasis on natural rhythm, intonation, and fluency.
  • Encourage the learner to consider how audience, context, and purpose influence the choice of words and tone in both spoken and written communication.
  • Draw attention to figurative and idiomatic language, supporting the learner in understanding and using these expressions effectively.
  • Provide structured opportunities for the learner to practise and rehearse presentations, helping them build fluency, accuracy, and confidence in public speaking.

  • Involve the learner in structured debates around current or sensitive topics to enhance critical thinking and spoken language skills.
  • Demonstrate advanced grammatical structures—such as conditionals and passive constructions—and provide opportunities for the learner to apply them across subject areas.
  • Support the learner in understanding the demands of exam-style questions by teaching key command terms, familiar phrasing, and common task instructions.
  • Target specific areas of difficulty across the curriculum, with a focus on subject-specific terminology and frequently used word pairings.
  • Use a consistent marking code to highlight errors, enabling the learner to reflect on and revise their work with appropriate support.
  • Model effective note-taking techniques to help the learner organise and retain key information.
  • Guide the learner to consider how language choices are shaped by audience, purpose, and context in both spoken and written communication.
  • Teach how to incorporate research effectively into writing, showing how to paraphrase, quote, and reference appropriately.
  • Encourage the use of precise, subject-related vocabulary in written tasks to build academic language proficiency.
  • Help the learner develop their own unique writing voice by exposing them to a variety of writing styles, tones, and perspectives.

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