How to Study English By Yourself

Improving your English takes time.  On average, it takes a full-time English student 6 months to go from one English level to the next, from elementary to lower-intermediate, for example.  For a full-time IELTS student, it usually takes 3 months to go from one band to the next.   If you are not studying full-time at an English school you will need to find time to study by yourself.  Here are some ideas to get you going:

Have a plan 

Having a plan is a great way to get you studying regularly.  The more specific you can be with your plan the better.   For example, you could say which exercises you are going to do or how many pages of a book you are going to read.  As well as writing your plan, take some time to prepare all the materials in advance.  You may need to bookmark certain pages in textbooks or print out materials.  Have them ready on your desk each day.

Try to create a habit  

You are more likely to continue studying if you can make it a habit.  A considerable amount of research has been done on habit forming.  Whether it is a new exercise regime, learning a musical instrument or studying a language, it is thought that the process within our brains is a three-step loop .

The first step is the cue.  This is the thing that tells your brain to start the habit. For example, if you have a smoking habit your cue might be drinking coffee with friends.  Whenever you drink coffee with your friends you feel the need to smoke.  There are different cues for different habits.  Examples of cues include:

•     Getting back from work
•     Putting the children to bed
•     Feeling bored
•     A lunch break
•     A time of day (set the alarm on your mobile phone)
•     Meeting a particular person

Try to decide on a cue for studying English.  When are you going to study?  What needs to happen for you to start studying?

The second step in the loop is the routine.  In our case, this would be studying English.  

The reward comes after the routine.  The reward is supposed to tell the brain that the loop is worth remembering, and can be physical or emotional. Possible rewards include:

•     Eating chocolate
•     Time watching TV
•     Time on social media
•     The sense of accomplishment got from following a study plan
•     A feeling of pride

Before you start studying, think about what your reward will be.  What will you get when you finish studying?  What would motivate you to study?  What would you look forward to getting?

Make it easy for yourself

At the beginning, it is more important to get into the habit of studying than to learn English, and you are more likely to sit at your desk and study if the work you have set for yourself is easy.  If you choose material which is too difficult for you, you are going to find it harder to keep studying.  To begin with, I would recommend choosing texts and listening that you can understand at least 80% of.  

Use a buddy for support 

It is difficult to study regularly. You may find that it helps to talk to someone in the same situation as you.  You can use Durham School of English’s English Arch to find a Skype buddy.  Use your Skype buddy for conversation practice and support.   At the start of each Skype session you and your Skype Buddy could ask each other the following questions:   

•     Did you follow your plan this week?  If not. why not?
•     How long did you study for?
•     Which activities did you find interesting?
•     In which activities did you learn the most?
•     What are you finding difficult (grammar, vocabulary etc.)
•     Have you found any good self-study materials?