Are you looking for ways to practice your English outside of the classroom while you study English in Cambridge? 

Here are some of our top picks for apps and websites that create fun and interactive learning platforms for you to improve your English. 

Apps: 

• Duolingo – this app will take you through lots of different stages where you can unlock extras as you move up the levels. 
• BBC Learning App – this app features 6-minute lessons that are easy to fit into your day.
• Wordable – includes the most useful English from the Cambridge Dictionary and caters for levels A1-C1.

• Memrise – tests your memory as you learn English.

Websites:

• BBC Learning English http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/ – the website for the app. It features news articles and a ‘grammar game show’.
• Macmilan Education http://www.macmillanenglish.com/category/readers/ - offers lots of free reading material that is graded so you can pick which level you want to read.
• Learn English British Council Podcast http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/learnenglish-podcasts - practice your listening skills with these helpful podcasts.
• Cambridge English https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/learning-english/activities-for-learners/ - this site has lots of short activities to suit the level of English you want to learn.
• BBC iPlayer https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer - iPlayer offers a range of different programmes from documentaries to drama to game shows. Watching your favourite type to TV show in English is a great way to practice your listening skills.
• ITV Hub https://www.itv.com/hub/itv  – another site to watch English TV - we recommend watching ‘Grantchester’ which is set in Cambridge and Grantchester. See how many places you recognise! 
• Cambridgeshire Live https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/ - As you learn English in Cambridge, why not keep up with Cambridge news?

We hope these apps and websites help you improve your language skills while you learn English in Cambridge with us! Don’t forget to regularly read our blog posts and social media pages as this can be a great way to practice your English skills. 

If you are interested in booking an English course with us, please click here.

​Halloween has been and gone, now the UK is getting ready for the next autumnal celebration: Guy Fawkes Night.
Guy Fawkes Night is also referred to as Bonfire Night, or Fireworks Night. It is on the 5th November every year in the UK to remember the day the Gunpowder Plot failed. The Gunpowder Plot was a planned assassination of King James I during the State Opening of England’s Parliament on 5th November 1605.

​The Plot failed due to authorities receiving an anonymous letter on 26 October 1605 which was sent to William Parker, the 4th Baron Monteagle. The letter revealed the plotted assassination of the King on the 5th November. As the authorities were made aware of the Plot, they ordered a search of the House of Lords on the 4th November 1605 and at midnight, they found Guy Fawkes guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder - enough to reduce the House of Lords to rubble. Guy Fawkes was arrested on the spot and the gunpowder explosives were ceased by authorities. Most of those involved in the Plot fled from London as they learned of the Plot's discovery. Several plotters made a stand against the pursuing Sheriff of Worcester at Holbeche House. Many men were shot and killed.

​Once Guy Fawkes was arrested and the news that the Plot had failed reached the public, people celebrated the survival of King James I by lighting bonfires. Over time, people started to celebrate with fireworks too as fireworks were traditionally made with gunpowder. Therefore, the same celebration has different names. 

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On the 27th January 1606, the eight known plotters who survived, including Guy Fawkes, were sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered.

Today, Guy Fawkes Night is still celebrated with fireworks, bonfires and sparklers. There is even a saying of “remember remember the 5th of November” so that we remember the day the Plot failed.