Paula, from Spain, studied the 3 week Super Intensive IELTS course at Kings Oxford last Summer. After taking the course, she went on to achieve fantastic results in both the IELTS exam, and more recently, the Cambridge English PTE which she took in December. Below, she tells us a bit more about her experience at Kings Oxford and how the course has helped her.
“I am Paula Carbonell, a Spanish 17-year-old who was at Kings Education during Summer. I took the 3-week IELTS Super Intensive Course with Kath. It was my pleasure to be at Kings Oxford last July. I would no doubt recommend Kings to any student.
I am currently in my last year of high school. I'm not entirely sure about what the British equivalent would be (Year 12?), but where I live it is called Second of Baccalaureate. I am currently taking 9 subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Maths, Catalan, Spanish, English, History (of Spain), Philosophy, as well as one that's similar to Economics content-wise. I intend to study a Medical degree at university. However, I am not certain about where I am going to do so yet. To be honest, I do not need this level of English for any particular matter, since I have the intention of staying in my country, specifically in Catalonia. I may consider spending a year abroad in a near future, though.
I have been coming to Oxford every Summer since I was quite young due to some close family friends that live there, but I previously went to a Summer camp (also in Oxford) with children my age. Since I knew I'd be too old for that camp last year, my Mum and I started considering other options for 2019 and came across Kings Education. I was not disappointed in the least! The teacher I spent the most hours with was Kath, so I do have to thank her the most. The first day I knew practically nothing about the IELTS structure. Three weeks later, I'd practiced the test a dozen times and had been given the chance to do a mock exam before the actual exam.
"I was ecstatic when I saw the results of the test 13 days later! Band 8!"
I also got the opportunity to meet people from all over Europe. Furthermore, I recommended the centre to a friend of mine who then took the English Plus Art and Design course at the Kings Oxford St. Michaels campus for two weeks. He was also very happy.
While I haven't needed to use any specific English skills acquired throughout those three weeks, I do have to say I learnt a lot in regard to analysing a short article and charts. This has been essential throughout the past few months, and I've realised I previously lacked this ability.
Ever since I started taking official English tests, learning the language has helped me organise my thoughts and put them into words, not only in English, but also in my mother tongue language - Catalan - and Spanish.
Oxford has been my favourite city for a long time. Going to the St. Joseph's centre in Temple Road, though, has made me discover streets I hadn't been to before and fall in love with this city even more, if possible. There are a thousand spots to visit and revisit every day and one is guaranteed not to get tired of going back to those places.
I took the [Cambridge English CPE] Certificate of Proficiency in English in the beginning of last December and I got a Grade A in the exam, so I believed it was necessary for me to thank all of the staff at Kings Oxford. I certainly think the enthusiasm and hard work put into the academy, by both students and teachers, was one of the many reasons why I achieved these results.”
