When we say that someone “speaks” a language fluently, we usually mean that they have a high level of proficiency in all four language skills – listening, speaking, reading, and writing. To use English effectively in various contexts, one must have knowledge and practice in each language learning skill. However, many learners often have strengths or weaknesses in specific skills, and in some cases, they may achieve high levels in one skill but need to catch up in the others.
If one’s reading and listening skills might be of a B2 level of proficiency, and at the same time, their speaking and writing remain stuck at a B1 level, they failed to practice those skills.
There are several reasons why this may occur, either out of fear of making mistakes or not following structured lessons.
This unbalanced development of language learning skills can limit students’ communication ability in different situations. On top of that, the longer this situation persists, the more reluctant the student might become to develop their weaker skills to focus their confidence on what they already know. But this will only dampen one’s motivation on their language learning journey.
What are language skills?
Before we go into the importance of learning language skills together, let’s understand each language skill.
These skills are split into 2 groups, productive skills and receptive skills.
Productive Skills
- Writing
- Speaking
Writing and speaking are productive skills.
Productive skills involve an output from the person by using the language, creating a piece of writing, or using the language by speaking.
Receptive Skills
- Reading
- Listening
Reading and listening are receptive skills.
Receptive skills involve processing information in the language by either listening to someone speaking or reading a piece of text.
The imbalance often comes from the way the student began learning, either focusing more on their productive or receptive skills.
Take a balanced approach
It is essential to develop each language skill in parallel with the others to achieve overall proficiency in English. Below are a few issues that might occur if you do not focus your learning on all four language skills together:
1. Limited Communication
If someone only focuses on speaking, they may struggle to understand what others are saying in writing. This limits the ability to understand English in different situations.
2. Reduced Comprehension
If someone only focuses on reading, they may struggle to understand spoken English or to express themselves clearly, leading to limited comprehension of the language.
3. Poor Pronunciation
If someone only focuses on writing, they may have poor pronunciation skills, because they never practiced speaking.
We encourage a holistic approach to language learning, that engages all your skills, despite the challenges you might face. Learning a language involves stepping out of your comfort zone and making mistakes regularly, especially in the areas you feel weakest in.
This is why at EC Live we have incorporates Pre-Lesson Tasks and Post-Lesson Tasks within each lesson for students to practice all four language skills within a certain number of lessons, ensuring you will practise all four skills throughout any course. Learn more about EC Lives Intensive lesson structure here.
If you take the Premium Course, you will have a task for each of the four language skills every week. If you take our Standard Course, you will have 4 tasks over 2 weeks.
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