Newsletter September 2014 Issue 5

Contents

3…….Welcome

4…….The term in pictures

6…….Exam results

7…….Term Timeline

9…… ARTICLE: Joanna’s Excel College Journey

10…...Interviews with our students

12…...ARTICLE: Science in Manchester

14…...Quizzes and Games

16…...Writing Competition

17…...Adverts and Special Offers

18…...This Term

Welcome to the Excel College September newsletter.

There were some big changes last term at Excel College. Sam, our Marketing and

Improvement Manager sadly moved to another company and we welcomed Joanna, our new

Admissions and Student Services Assistant to the team. But this isn’t the first time

Joanna has visited Excel College. Go to page 9 to read about her Excel College journey.

You can see what has been happening at the College, in Manchester, and in the UK in our term

timeline on page 7. We went on trips to John Rylands Library, Manchester Art Gallery and to the

summer outdoor cinema. We also started a new conversation club which gives students the

opportunity to meet up with teachers and staff for a chat, a coffee, and to practise their English.

On page 18 we have a summary of all of the exciting festivals and events happening in

Manchester this term including Manchester’s annual Science Festival in October. Did you know

that many famous scientists have worked in Manchester? There is an article on page 12 all about

them and their discoveries.

As always, if you’d like to practise your writing skills by writing a review, a recipe, a letter or an

article for the next newsletter, send an email to admin@excel-college.com. We’d love to see your

photos and videos too!

Anna Bartholomew

Admissions and Student Services

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Practice Test Options

Reading, Listening and Writing + Brief Feedback £35

Reading, Listening and Writing + 30 minutes tutorial £45

Reading, Listening, Writing and speaking + Brief feedback £45

Reading, Listening, Writing and speaking + 60 Minutes tutorial £70

Do you have an IELTS or Cambridge

(FCE, CAE or CPE) exam soon?

Why not take a practice test?

All tests include:

Example scores for each skill and overall score

Guidance notes on the most important points to improve

Th

e t

erm

in

pic

ture

s

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Student: Ali Country: Kuwait IELTS: 5.0 Course: IELTS Foundation Preparation

Listening Reading Writing Speaking

5.0 4.5 5.0 6.5

Student: Karl Country: France IELTS: 5.5 Course: IELTS Foundation Preparation

Student: Arathy Country: India IELTS: 7.5 Course: 1 to 1 IELTS Preparation Class

Listening Reading Writing Speaking

7.5 7.5 7.5 8.0

Student: Hura Country: Spain IELTS: 6.0 Course: IELTS Advanced Preparation

Congratulations to Arathy, Ali, Hura, Henriette and Karl on their

results and good luck to students taking exams next

term!

Student: Henriette Country: Cameroon IELTS: 6.5 Course: IELTS Advanced Preparation

Listening Reading Writing Speaking

6.5 6.5 6.0 6.5

Exam Results and Letters We love hearing about students’ exam results and their experiences at Excel College.

You can send your results or letters to admin@excel-college.com

Listening Reading

5.5 5.5

Writing Speaking

6.0 7.0

Listening Reading

4.5 4.5

Writing Speaking

4.5 6.0

Term Timeline

Summer Solstice

21st June

Pagans celebrate Midsummer,

the longest day of the year.

Some people travel to

Stonehenge for a big party.

What has been happening at the College, in Manchester and in the UK this term?

Have a look at our timeline to find out.

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Screenfields Outdoor Cinema

24th June

Luckily, the sun was shining

and students went to watch a

movie at Manchester’s summer

cinema!

Manchester Jazz Festival

18th—27th July

Manchester’s annual jazz

festival returned to the city.

There were artists from all

around the world and lots of

free performances to watch in

Albert Square.

John Rylands Library Trip

1st August

Students went on a trip to a gothic-

style library in the city centre, one of

Manchester’s top tourist attractions.

They had a tour of the building and

got to see some very old books!

Theatre Festival 24:7

18th—25th July

A week of new writing and new

theatre at a variety of Manchester

venues. The festival comes to

Manchester every year and it’s a

great opportunity to see some

original and affordable theatre!

Manchester Food & Drink Festival

18th—28th September

Manchester’s celebration of local and

international food and drink comes to

the city every year. There are lots of

food stalls, cookery demonstrations,

an Oktoberfest tent in Albert Square,

and special offers at restaurants

around the city.

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Dig the City: Urban

Gardening Festival

2nd—10th August

Every year, Dig the City makes

Manchester a greener place.

Local businesses, charities

and gardeners opened their

gardens to the public and

garden experts came to give

talks and workshops. There

was also a dog show, live

music and a city centre picnic.

Manchester Pride

22nd—25th August

Every August, Manchester Pride

comes to the city. It’s a month

long celebration of LGBT

culture culminating in a huge

party and a parade on the last

weekend of August.

First Conversation Club

22nd August

We are now holding free

Conversation Clubs every

Friday lunchtime. For our first

Conversation Club we went

to a café, had a coffee and a

chat with teachers and

students.

Coffee Morning

1st September

We had a coffee morning at

the college with lots of cake

and biscuits. Everyone got

the chance to meet some

new students and practise

their English.

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Journey

Joanna’s Excel College

Last term we welcomed a new member of staff to the team. Joanna started

working at the College as Admissions and Student Services Assistant.

But Joanna’s journey with Excel College started back in 2008.

“I’m Joanna. In 2006 I was studying

economics at university in Poland but I wanted

to try something different and moved to the

UK. My English was not good at all but I was

really excited to meet new people and learn

English.

“When I first arrived in the UK, I worked in

factories and did not have

many opportunities to learn

the language so I decided to

change my life, finish

university and get my dream

job.

“In 2008 I started studying

English at Excel College in

Manchester. Working full

time and preparing for the

IELTS exam was very

difficult. It was one of the

most stressful times of my

life. The teachers and staff at

Excel encouraged me to

practise my English as often

as I could and helped me

with my application for

university. Thanks to them I

managed to achieve a score

of 6.5 and received an

unconditional offer letter from

Manchester Metropolitan

University. That was the best

day of my life!

“After finishing my

degree and working at

another language school, I’m

now back at Excel College – but not as a

student! I’m working as Admissions & Student

Services Assistant. On a daily basis, I help

students with their applications, their issues

and make sure they feel at home here in

Manchester. I’m speaking English all the time

and helping students to achieve their dreams

just like I did.”

Interviews with our students We asked some of our students about Manchester, England and why they are here. Our students come to study for many different reasons and each of them have different reasons for liking (or

disliking!) the UK. Let us know what you think on Twitter #excelstudents

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First Name: Roberta

Age: 34

Nationality: Italian

Course: General English; Intermediate Level

How long have you been in England? Over 2 months

Why did you choose Manchester?

Because it’s smaller and cheaper than London. It’s a university city

and there are not many Italian people around. The are many

students and young people here and you can find whatever you

want on foot.

Where's your favourite place to go in Manchester?

My favourite place is The Oast House in Spinningfields. There

is live music and different people (parents with their sons,

students, workers) singing and dancing all together. It also

offers more than 40 bottled beers from around the world.

What places have you visited in the UK?

London, Chester, Liverpool and Edinburgh.

What’s the best thing about the UK?

English people. They are often friendly, helpful and they like singing.

What's the worst thing about the UK? The weather.

Why are you studying English? I just like it. I want to learn it for my job and personal

reasons.

What do you think is the best thing to do

to improve your English?

Spending several months in the UK where

you can study and speak with English

people. Also watching original English

movies.

Why did you choose Excel College?

My Italian friend recommended it to me and I

saw there was a possibility to do many

extra activities.

First Name: Alicia

Age: 25

Nationality: Spanish

Course: General English; Advanced Level

How long have you been in England? Almost 2 months.

Why did you choose Manchester?

Because it’s a relatively small city and I thought that there were not too

many Spanish people here.

Where's your favourite

place to go in

Manchester?

Sinclair’s Oyster Bar. You can enjoy spending time

with your friends while you’re drinking a beer!

What places have you visited in the UK?

Liverpool, Chester, Brighton, London and I’m going to

visit Edinburgh next month.

Why are you studying English?

I like it and I want to pass a Cambridge exam.

What do you think is the best thing to do to improve your English?

Speaking with native people and listening to the

radio.

Why did you choose Excel College?

Because I liked the variety of nationalities.

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Science in Manchester This term, as part of the 8th Manchester Science Festival, some of the world’s best scientists will visit

Manchester to give talks about their work. Throughout history, Manchester has been home to many

prominent scientists and has seen some key scientific discoveries. Here are just a few of them.

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The Atom Nuclear Physics

John Dalton was a

meteorologist and a

chemist. He came to

Manchester in 1793 as

a teacher. He did

important research into

meteorology and colour

blindness and also

developed an Atomic

Theory. His theory

established the atom as

a fundamental chemical object. Previously, people

had thought that all atoms were identical but Dalton

claimed that atoms of different elements vary in

mass and size. His theory is the basis from which

modern atomic theory evolved. Dalton became a

very famous man but was very modest and frugal

throughout his life. There is a street in the city

centre named after him.

James Prescott Joule

was born in Salford in

1818. He was taught

by John Dalton. As an

adult he managed his

father’s brewery and

started to do scientific

experiments to find

more efficient ways of

brewing. By 1840,

Joule was running his

own laboratory.

Through his experiments, he established that

various forms of energy, like heat, mechanical and

electrical, are basically the same and can be

transformed from one into another. This

challenged the popular Caloric theory and Joule’s

ideas were ignored until Lord Kelvin and some

other respected scientists gave him their

support. Joule’s discoveries were the basis for the

First Law of Thermodynamics. A unit to measure

energy, the joule, is named after him. You can see

a statue of Joule in Manchester Town Hall.

A group of scientists

working in Manchester

in the late 19th and early

20th centuries became

known as the “nuclear

family” for their work in

nuclear physics.

J.J. Thomson was one

of these scientists. In

1897 his research led him to discover the electron

as a component of atoms. He won the Nobel Prize

in Physics in 1906 and taught many men who went

on to become eminent physicists themselves. One

of his students was Ernest Rutherford who worked

alongside Hans Geiger and Niels Bohr at the

University of Manchester. Rutherford became

known as the “father of nuclear physics” when

he successfully “split the atom” in 1917.

Computing

In 1948, a computer designed by a team at

Manchester University ran for the first time. The

machine was called the Manchester Small-Scale

Experimental Machine and was nicknamed the

Manchester Baby. It was the first computer in the

world to work from a program stored in its memory

rather than a program hardwired into the system.

This computer contained all of the elements

necessary for the modern computers and software

we know today. The University and Ferranti, a UK

based electrical engineering company, used this

and subsequent research to develop Ferranti Mark

1, the world’s first commercially sold computer.

The Joule

In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF)

In 1978, in Oldham General Hospital, Lesley Brown

gave birth to baby Louise, the world’s first “test tube

baby”. The IVF technology that helped Lesley to

conceive Louise was developed by a gynaecologist

at Oldham Hospital and two physiologists from

Cambridge University. Their research was initially

very controversial and raised ethical concerns;

some groups thought of IVF as unnatural, and

immoral and worried that the “test tube babies”

would be shunned by society. Now the procedure

is much more socially accepted and more

than 5 million babies have been born

around the world using IVF technology.

Graphene

Manchester’s most recent scientific discovery is

graphene. Two scientists at Manchester University

won the Nobel Prize in Physics after discovering

graphene in 2004. It is a two-dimensional material

that is one atom thick and 200 times stronger than

steel. It is carbon based and can conduct electricity

very efficiently. Scientists are now working to find

practical ways in which the material can be used.

This year the government announced that by 2017,

there will be a new Graphene Engineering

Innovation Centre at Manchester University.

The Manchester Science Festival runs from 23rd

October to 2nd November or you can visit

Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry all

year round.

Can you match these words from the article to their definitions?

1. Eminent

2. Frugal

3. Brewery

4. Shunned

5. Mass

6. Evolved

7. Breakthrough

8. Initially

9. Discover

10. Laboratory

Word match

a. Economical with food or money

b. Famous and respected within a particular area

c. Find

d. Place where beer is made

e. At first; in the beginning

f. Ignored or rejected

g. A room or building for scientific experiments

h. A sudden and important discovery or development, usually

after a period without success

i. Developed gradually

j. Weight

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Quizzes and Games

14

1

3

2

4

H N K B Y G N I N T H G I L S

U G H Z Q Z R O E Y M R O T S

J N G N I L I O B S A Z D F I

T I S H O W E R W C T G M Q K

K R N Y X H W O B O Y U K E C

D H N A B I B L R R L K L J Z

K U M R N N U R U C O Z J D C

J O L D I S E C Z H Z F O O W

N U Y A T N K G O I E P T W D

C C R E T V L C R N D A H N I

A O R I S V M D L G X G G P N

I Y A R E D N U H T H R U O T

D L X Y D R A Z Z I L B O U R

E V A W T A E H E L A G R R U

X R L B Z C S T Z P P N D U W

TORRENTIAL GALE RAINBOW BLIZZARD

SHOWER STORMY DOWNPOUR DROUGHT

HEATWAVE WINDY LIGHTNING BOILING

THUNDER BLUSTERY SCORCHING DRIZZLE

Talking About the Weather

Now can you match the words to

these pictures?

Can you find the weather words in the wordsearch?

15

English Slang

How well do you know English slang? See if you can put the words into the sentences.

1. He’s having a bad week.

He’s really ………………….

that he failed that exam.

3. “Will you get some

wine for tonight.”

“Something expensive

or a bottle of

………………….?

2. Look at that man

driving the Bentley! He

must be ………………….!

7. You should take a coat.

It’s a bit ………….outside.

4. “I think you’re really

……………………….

Will you go out on a date

with me?”

5. I’m really

tired. I’m

going to try

and have a

……………

before we go

out tonight.

6. I spent three hours

trying to put together an

IKEA wardrobe. It was a

right ……………………….

8. Let’s go and get some

……………I’m really

hungry!

9. Can you lend me a

……………….. for the

bus? I’ve got no change.

Plonk

Fit Nosh

Minted

Faff

Gutted Quid

Nippy Kip

Writing Competition

Terms and Conditions

All entries must be in English and must be suitable for all audiences.

Any entries that arrive after 23:59BST 11/12/2014 will not be counted.

If you win, you will be asked to confirm whether you would like English lessons or Amazon Vouchers. You will not be able to change your

decision once you have confirmed.

If your visa is refused, you will not receive a cash alternative, however we will be happy to keep your hours for a future course and advise

you on how to improve your visa application.

If you use the English hours as part of a longer course and your visa is refused, you will receive a refund for the part of the course you

have paid for as per the terms and conditions on our application form. Alternatively, we will be happy to keep your hours for a

future course and advise you on how to improve your visa application.

English hours apply to group classes in the morning, afternoon or evening and cannot be swapped for one-to-one lessons or practice

tests.

Amazon vouchers will be emailed and no cash alternative will be given.

Results will be emailed and posted on social media sites on the 19/06/2014

The judge’s decisions are final and no debate will be entered into.

The wheel? Penicillin? The X Box? Enter our writing competition and tell us what

you think is the greatest invention of all time.

There are prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place!

1st Prize £50 Amazon voucher OR 15 hours of English lessons

2nd Prize £25 Amazon voucher OR 9 hours of English lessons

3rd Prize £15 Amazon voucher OR 6 hours of English lessons

m Maximum 400 words

Closing date 11 December 2014

Please email all entries to admin@excel-college.com

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Watch films in English with English subtitles

A new film every week

Bring your friends

All films shown on the projector in 2B

Mondays at 15:00

Movie Club

PINK 10 Reflexology

“your feet are in good hands”

PINK 10 REFLEXOLOGIST 20% discount for Excel College students and staff. ONLY £16.00 per treatment. Ring Lynda for an appointment on 07909700199 Based in Salford M6

EXCEL14

If you’re looking to meet new people in Manchester, join Meet Up! You can find lots of different groups in the city who host regular activities, with something for every interest: hiking, reading, international exchange, dancing and cycling to name a few! You can also keep up-to-date with Excel College social activities by joining our Meet Up group.

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English Slang 1. Gutted, 2. Minted, 3. Plonk, 4. Fit, 5. Kip, 6. Faff, 7. Nippy, 8. Nosh, 9. Quid.

Science in Manchester Word Match 1b. 2a. 3d. 4f. 5j. 6j. 7h. 8e. 9c. 10g.

Quiz Answers

What’s happening this term? We’ll be celebrating Bonfire Night with fireworks, sparklers and toffee apples. We’ll also be celebrating Halloween by wearing fancy dress and eating lots of chocolate! And, of course, there’s Christmas. We’ll be having our Christmas end of term party where there’ll be decoration making, Christmas movies, party games and food from around the world. We have trips planned to see some classical music, to the Manchester Literature Festival, to the Christmas markets, the ice rink and to the Manchester Museum. As always, we will be running our conversation club, movie afternoons and playing weekly 5-a-side football matches. Have a look at our events calendar for more information. Also in Manchester over the next few months, you can visit the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair and the Manchester Science Festival, you can watch Lady Gaga performing or you can go to a big party in the city centre when the Christmas lights are turned on. Have a look at the chalk board in reception for what is happening each weekend. To all students returning to Excel College after the break or starting classes for the first time, we hope you have a fun and successful term!

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Write for the College Newsletter!

Put your writing skills to the test!

Want to review a book, film or restaurant? Love or hate something about Manchester?

Want to give a big thank you to your favourite teacher?

We’d love to hear from you! Send articles, photos or ideas to admin@excel-college.com

To all students—past, present and future!

COME TO OUR FREE

CONVERSATION CLUB!

EVERY FRIDAY AFTERNOON

AT 13:00.

PRACTISE SPEAKING ENGLISH

WITH STUDENTS AND TEACHERS

FROM THE COLLEGE.

You’re invited to the Excel College

Christmas Party on Friday 12th December

12:00—14:00

We’ll be playing games, watching a Christmas movie and eating lots of

Christmas food. Bring food from your country so everyone

can try something new. We hope to see you there!