I'm going to improve my listening comprehension skills through listening to BBC podcasts (The Inquiry) and the Economist (audio version) on various topical issues. This will also enlarge my vocabulary and provide content for other aspects - speaking and writing essays. Listening will be both passive and active with putting down arguments and new expressions. I'll be able to train this aspect mostly during strolls with my baby.

Goal - 30 min/day = measure unit. 4 days a week. 16 units/month. not less than 80 units on the whole

I think it's better to monitor progress by months.

1. 30 min

2. 30 min: 15 min

3. 30 min

4. 30 min

5. 30 min

6. 30 min

7. 30 min

8. 30 min

9. 30 min

10. 30 min

11. 30 min

12. 30 min

13. 30 min

14. 30 min

15. 30 min

16. 30 min

Reading in English both fiction and non-fiction is an absolutely beneficial activity.

I'm going to read the following:

Fiction

1. The Cuckoo's Calling R. Galbraith

2. The Silkworm. R.Galbraith

3. Career of Evil. R.Galbraith

4. To kill a Mockingbird. Lee Harper

5. Three men in a boat. Jerome K Jerome

Non-fiction

1. The Economist

2. Articles and reports on UN web-site

3. Articles and special reports on CNN, BBC web-sites

4. Posts and video on Leonardo DiCaprio web-site

How shall I read it?

While reading novels I'll be mentioning idioms, whereas articles in magazines and reports are interesting in terms of new vocabulary on specific issues such as climate change, migration crisis, clean energy, renewables, etc. I'm going to read and put down useful words and expressions building up a glossary on each topic.

Measure units - article/30 pages of a book

1. article (Shades of grey. The elderly)

2. article

3. article

I've heard a lot about this textbook and having looked it through, I'd say it's very useful!

1. 1-2
2. 3-4
3. 5-6
4. 7-8
5. 9-10
6. 11-12
7. 13-14
8. 15-16
9. 17-18
10. 19-20
11. 21-22
12. 23-24
13. 25-26
14. 27-28
15. 29-30
16. 31-32
17. 33-34
18. 35-36
19. 37-38
20. 39-40
21. 41-42
22. 43-44
23. 45-46
24. 47-48
25. 49-50
26. 51-52
27. 53-54
28. 55-56
29. 57-58
30. 59-60
31. 61-62
32. 63-64
33. 65-66
34. 67-68
35. 69-70
36. 71-72
37. 73-74
38. 75-76
39. 77-78
40. 79-80
41. 81-82
42. 83-84
43. 85-86
44. 87-88
45. 89-90
46. 91-92
47. 93-94
48. 95-96
49. 97-98
50. 99-100
51. 101-102
52. 103-104
53. 105-106
54. 107-108
55. 109-110
56. 111-112
57. 113-114
58. 115-116

Idioms and phrasal verbs are an immense field of study. The main focus here not only to understand their meaning but to be able to use idioms and phrasal verbs in my own speech.

Phrasal verbs with Come, Get, Go, Look, Make, Put

Upon completing this book I'd like to buy English Collocations in Use Advanced with Answers (1583 rub)

12 TakePace: 60 units = 5 units/week = 12 weeks = 3 month

week 1

week 2

week 3

week 4

week 5

week 6

week 7

week 8

week 9

week 10

week 11

week 12

Phrasal verbs:

1. come

2. go

3. get

4. look

5. make

6. put

It is definitely one of the most difficult aspects for me, I guess, because I don't have so much practice.

Writing consists of 2 parts, the first one is an essay and the second one contains a report, a letter, a review, a proposal.

To build my confidence in writing I need to practice as much as possible, but first of all I should read a lot of reports, reviews, proposals, letters and essays to understand their structure and key features. At this stage I might need some help and assistance.

Useful tools to perfect my writing: https://www.grammarly.com/ Free Grammar Checker

1. Essay

- understand main characteristics

- read sample essays

- write 5 essays: essay 1, essay 2, essay 3. essay 4, essay 5

2. Report

- understand main characteristics

- read sample reports

- write 5 reports: report 1, report 2, report 3. report 4, report 5

3. Proposal

- understand main characteristics

- read sample essays

- write 5 proposals: proposal 1, proposal 2, proposal 3. proposal 4, proposal 5

4. Letter

- understand main characteristics

- read sample essays

- write 5 letters: letter 1, letter 2, letter 3. letter 4, letter 5

5. Review

- understand main characteristics

- read sample essays

- write 5 reviews on books I've read and on films with Leonardo DiCaprio: review 1, review 2, review 3. review 4, review 5

I should speak as much as possible. It would be better to find a partner via skype or a teacher on italki.com.

Besides, I need practice in describing pictures + revising different useful structures like "I firmly believe/I strongly feel that..."

to-do list:

- Make a list of structures introducing opinion

- Make examples with these structures

- Practice in front of the mirror

15 pictures for the preparation period would be great.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

At final stage I'm going to practice with sample tests from past papers. I haven't decided on a text book yet. Something like "Complete Advanced".

Why not learning poems by heart? It trains memory perfectly and can serve as a switch from Russian into English.

This one if my favorite:

If

By Rudyard Kipling More Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!