Like most people in Europe, I went to a non/English speaking school. I grew up in Belgium, more exactly in Brussels. I did not study in English. English is my fourth language. At home, I speak Spanish, and my parents took care to teach my sister and me how to write in Spanish too. At school, I learned French and Dutch. Only from 3rd middle school year, when I was 14 or 15, I started learning English. That year, I was still in a French-speaking school in Brussels so the level of English taught was ridiculously low. The next year, I went to a Dutch/speaking school and that was a big shock. The level was 2 times higher if not more. I went from an A1 to a B1 in a few months since I had to follow the rhythm. I had fewer classes and less theory but more practice in language essays, reading books, debates, etc.
The thing was that 2 years later I would be back in a French-speaking school so the level of English I was taught did not get better from that point. I decided thus to take my English learning path under control. I signed up for evening classes, 6 hours a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 pm to 9 pm. I loved going to those classes, I felt that I was finally learning something.
Since I needed to prepare for the IELTS exam (to apply to foreign universities), I searched for free and cheap resources available to me. I will share them here and also, some tips and tricks I followed that really helped me increase my English level.
Feel free to comment if you have any suggestions or reviews you find relevant!
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