This “REAL TALK English” course has been developed from a student point of view, as such the information is displayed clearly and concisely and the screen is designed to be clutter free.

Once you have logged in, you will be presented with the “REAL TALK English” front page which is shown below:

From here you can what you want to do. If you are starting a new course, or if this is the first time you have logged in, you will choose Course Menu. You will then have to choose the Level you wish to study at, as shown below:

Now you have chosen your Level, you need to select the Course Module that you wish to study, such as “At the Post Office”, “Buying a Train Ticket” etc. NB: Levels become more difficult as they progress.

Once you have selected the Course Module you want to take, click the “Next” button to display the following screen:

• Dialogue and Questions allows you to listen to real people having a conversation about your chosen topic, such as “Buying a Train Ticket”
• Speaking Practice allows you to play the part of one of the characters
• Working with a Partner allows you and a partner to play the main roles in the conversation.

So let’s choose Dialogue and Questions – you will now see:

To close the Instructions page down and start the course, click on Close. This will present the first screen of your Dialogue and Questions course, shown below:

If you click on the Play button in the bottom left hand of your screen, you will hear the dialogue (conversation).

Once you have listened to the conversation, you should click on Questions and answer them as they appear on the screen. Once you have selected your answer you need to click on the Answer button that appears – you will then be able to click Continue to move on to the next question. If you get a question wrong, you will have the opportunity to Try Again by clicking on the appropriate button before you can Continue.

When all of the questions have been answered, you will be taken to the Speaking Practice screen, shown below:

If you click on the Play button in the bottom left hand corner of your screen, you will hear the first part of the conversation. Once you have heard it (you can play it again by clicking the Play button again) it is your turn to speak by replying to what you have just heard. The words underneath “Your turn to speak” will help you think of what to say. If you get stuck, click on the Answers button and some possible answers will appear.

Once you have finished, click Next to hear the next part of the conversation.

When you have completed this section, you will be taken to Working with a Partner where you can practice what you have learnt so far with a partner. This screen is shown below:

If at any stage you need help, you can click on the Help button in the top right hand corner of your screen

If at any stage you wish to go back to the first page of the course to select a different Course Module or Course Level, simply press Menu in the top right hand corner of your screen.

Suggested sequence for completing the course

1. Choose Level 1, then work through Levels 2 and 3
2. Choose your Course Topic, such as At the Post Office
3. Choose Dialogue and Questions, then work through Speaking Practice and Working with a Partner

Required Computer Specification

• 200mhz Pentium with 32mb RAM running Windows 98 onwards
• 800 x 600 256-colour graphics card
• Internet connection of at least 56k (broadband recommended)
• Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher with Flash installed
• Sound card and speakers or headphones.

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