Detailed review of Collins English For Life book

Collins English For Life is a series of books that provide readers with detailed knowledge on the 4 skills: Listening, Speaking, Writing, and Reading, with 3 levels: A2, B1, and B2. Let's explore the structure of the content in this book, along with the location to download the Collins English For Life PDF for free!

I. General Information about Collins English For Life

Before exploring the structure of the Collins English For Life book series, let's go over the general information and the target users, shall we?

1. General Introduction

Collins English For Life is a series of 12 books, equally divided into the 4 skills: Listening, Speaking, Writing, and Reading, published by Collins. The book series focuses on improving English language proficiency. In addition, learners can use Collins English For Life as a self-study resource or reference material to prepare for the Cambridge KET (Key English Test - a basic level English proficiency exam).

2. Target Users

The Collins English For Life series is divided into 3 levels:

• A2 - Pre-Intermediate

• B1 - Intermediate

• B2 - Upper Intermediate

Therefore, based on your current proficiency level and future goals, you can select the appropriate book that suits your needs. Additionally, English teachers or instructors can also use the Collins English For Life series as a reference material during their teaching.

II. Review of the Content Structure of Collins English For Life

Below, PREP will share with you the content structure of the Collins English For Life series.

1. Collins English For Life Listening

2. Collins English For Life Speaking

3. Collins English For Life Writing

4. Collins English For Life Reading

III. The pros & cons of Collins English For Life

Let's explore the advantages and disadvantages of the Collins English For Life series together!

1. Pros

• Clear division of knowledge levels: Collins English For Life includes 4 skills and 3 levels, so if you are a beginner English learner, you can start with the 3 books at the A2 level.

• Diverse illustrations: The entire Collins English For Life series is presented with a wide variety of colorful and detailed illustrations, which helps learners easily absorb the knowledge.

2. Cons

• 100% in English: The books are written entirely in English, so to understand the content, learners also need a basic foundation in English vocabulary and grammar.

IV. Reader's Evaluation of Collins English For Life

Let's listen to the comments from readers about Collins English For Life:

• Nguyen Thi Lan Anh commented in the "English Learning Books" group: "I have been using this book series to improve my English over the past 6 months and I am very satisfied. The books are divided into three levels - A2, B1, and B2, which are suitable for learners at different proficiency levels. What I like most about the series is the diverse and practical exercise section, which helps me feel more confident in daily conversations. Additionally, each lesson has clear grammar explanations, rich vocabulary, and useful listening and speaking practice."

• Tran Van Hoang, an English teacher, shared: "As an English teacher, I am always looking for good teaching materials for my students, and this is truly a series worth introducing. I have used this book series to teach students from A2 to B2 level, and have seen significant progress in them. The series has a very reasonable structure, with each skill (listening, speaking, reading, writing) being developed in a balanced way. Particularly, the vocabulary and grammar are presented systematically and clearly, accompanied by a variety of practical exercises."

V. How to Effectively Learn Collins English For Life

PREP would like to share the most effective ways to learn the knowledge in Collins English For Life!

1. Speaking

Let's refer to the effective speaking tips that the author shares in the book!

• Each lesson will last 30-45 minutes. However, instead of studying continuously for a long time, which can make you tired, you can study for 30 minutes and then take a 5-minute break.

• Before starting the lesson, review the knowledge in the previous lessons to solidify your vocabulary, grammar, and prepare for the new lesson.

• During the lesson, you will be provided with listening exercises, try to complete the dialogue exercises as well as practice listening daily!

• Find a study partner to practice speaking. After completing the individual exercises and practicing with your partner, compare the two answers.

• Complete the "Get Speaking" part in pairs: One person reads the Audio script and the other person will respond according to the instructions in the book.

• Check your own understanding: Open the audio question in the "Get Speaking" section and then answer it yourself. Compare your answer with the sample answer at the end of the book.

• Read your answer aloud and clearly, then record it on your phone. Carefully check the content of your answer, pronunciation, intonation, and stress in your answer.

• Apply many effective vocabulary and grammar learning methods. For example: Using Mind maps to learn new words more effectively.

2. Listening

With the Collins English For Life Listening book, the author recommends that learners should follow the sequence of topics in the book and complete the exercises for each chapter from unit 1 to unit 20 in order.

Each unit in the Collins English For Life Listening book includes:

• Basic comprehension questions to test the learner's understanding of the listening content.

• Exercises focused on the listening content: This section tests the learner's listening comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar skills.

• The "Gap-filling" exercise is an important task that the learner needs to complete.

• The "Vocabulary-matching" exercise will help the learner expand their vocabulary.

3. Reading

Together with PREP, explore the effective reading tips that the author shares in the book!

• Complete all the sections in each unit lesson. Each unit in Collins English For Life Reading includes 4 sections:

  • Section 1: Reading online

  • Section 2: Reading for information

  • Section 3: The media

  • Section 4: Reading for pleasure

• The author also encourages learners to follow the sequence of sections and exercises in the book:

  • Become familiar with the "Before you start" section, which helps the learner prepare for the lesson content before diving into the details.

  • Read the main reading passage in the unit.

  • The "Understanding" exercises help the learner comprehend the content of the reading.

  • The "Practising your reading skill" section provides the learner with effective reading comprehension techniques.

  • The "Language focus" section will help the learner master the vocabulary in the reading.

4. Writing

Together with PREP, explore the effective writing tips that the author shares in the book!

According to the author, you can approach Collins English For Life Writing in two ways:

• Learn from unit 1 to unit 20: Learning sequentially from the beginning to the end and following the presentation in the book will help you avoid missing any knowledge, and learning vocabulary and grammar comprehensively will allow you to apply the previous lesson content to the next.

• Choose to learn any unit you are interested in: Naturally selecting lessons with topics you enjoy will give you more motivation to learn. However, this approach may cause you to miss out on knowledge or skip over units that are not your preferred topics.

VI. Reliable places to buy Collins English For Life

Below, PREP has helped you summarize the reliable places to buy the book, as well as a link to download the Collins English For Life PDF for free, so take a look!

This article provides a detailed review of the Collins English For Life series that PREP wanted to share with you. Be sure to follow PREP regularly to update your English knowledge even more!