British Council Slovakia

Do you know anybody who’s a ray of sunshine? ☀️

Bring some sunshine into your everyday English with these summery idioms.

Need to describe something in your IELTS test? 🤷

Try using verbs of the senses.

It + verb + adjective

e.g. It tastes sour.

It + verb + like + noun

e.g. It looks like a little yellow rugby ball.

It + verb + as though + clause

e.g. It feels as though it’s covered in lots of bumps.

(Yes, we’re describing a lemon. 🍋)

Can you describe the object in the picture using these structures? ✍️

Find more free prep on our website. ✍️
https://ow.ly/PfJz50ZwTmS

🎨 Are you a creative or cultural professional in the Euro-Mediterranean region? Ready to boost your skills and grow your network?

The Organisation for European Programmes & Cultural Relations - ΟΕΠΠΣ – in collaboration with the British Council, materahub and the Anna Lindh Foundation Cyprus Network – invites you to the Training Course: Empowering Creative & Cultural Professionals in the Euro-Mediterranean Region.

✨ Focus Areas:
🟡 Entrepreneurship
🟢 Transversal skills
🔵 Digital creativity
🟢 Green and sustainable practices
🟣 Bonus unit: New European Bauhaus

Starts: 9 September 2026
Apply by 29 August 2026, 20.00 CET

Find out more and apply 👉 https://ow.ly/qyrY50ZwtIg

Did you know that Spanish has become the most widely entered language at GCSE in England?

French entries fell slightly compared with 2024 (–1.6%) and German continues to decline, with entries down 7% on 2024.

Find out more about English secondary students’ interest in Spanish, French, German and other modern languages in our Language Trends England 2026 report:

Language Trends England 2026 | British Council Language Trends England 2026 surveyed teachers at more than 1,000 primary, secondary and independent schools to provide an up-to-date picture of language education in England.

It’s only natural to have regrets … 😞

Add the phrase ‘in the first place’ to the end of a sentence to emphasise what could’ve been done differently.

Can you make a sentence with ‘in the first place’? ✍️

Find more free prep on our website. ✍️
https://ow.ly/krGI50Zvnj6

Is the English medium education landscape shifting? 🎓

New regional education hubs are expanding their English-taught programmes and reshaping international higher education.

📍 Europe now accounts for 50% of English-taught programmes outside the UK, US, Australia and Canada.
📍 East Asia represents 12%.
📍 The Chinese region accounts for 10% and continues to grow.

As students gain more choice, institutions face increasing competition and changing expectations.

How is your institution responding?

Read more via the link: https://ow.ly/Vpu150ZvlcO

‘I’m shaking like a leaf!’ 😱🍁

Expand your vocabulary by learning these ways to say ‘afraid’.

Which ones are new for you?

Do you have a system for learning IELTS vocabulary? 🤔

Word maps can help you remember. They make you think about new words and phrases in different ways so they’re more likely to stick in your head.

Try finishing this word map in the comments. ✍️

Find more free prep on our website. ✍️
https://ow.ly/BR2u50Zu8xC