Linking ideas with after, when and while – A1 English Writing Test

1   Reading

a   Valeria Novak, a Hungarian student, studies at a university in London. Read her post on ErasmusBlog, a blog about students’ lives in other countries, and tick (✓) the correct answer.

The blog talks about:

1   British transport, work and shopping

2   food, London and studying English

3   Valeria’s family, travelling in Mexico and her classes

4   Valeria’s homestay family, transport and her future plans

ErasmusBlog

The city: London’s a great city, but it’s so big. There are lots of interesting places to visit and there are many restaurants and theatres, so I’m never bored!

Where I live: l have a room with a British family here. They’re very nice. Mr Henderson’s a chef and Mrs Henderson’s a nurse. They’ve got two children, Zoe and Mark. Zoe loves playing the piano and Mark likes playing computer games. Their house is near the underground station, so it only takes about 25 minutes to get to university.

What I do here: My course is very interesting. My favourite class is North American History. After we finish, the teacher often goes to a café with us to talk more about our studies. It’s great fun! I want to study more history when I go back to Hungary next year.

Who I know: I have a lot of friends on my course — they’re all so friendly. My best friend’s Antonia. She’s from Guadalajara in Mexico. She’s 22 and she loves going to the theatre with me. We’d like to see a Shakespeare play while we’re in London, but the tickets are really expensive.

b   Read Valeria’s post on ErasmusBlog again. Are the sentences true or false?

1   Valeria doesn’t like London.

2   Valeria likes living with the Henderson family.

3   Valeria has a long journey from the Hendersons’ house to the university.

4   Valeria wants to study something new when she goes back to Hungary.

5   Valeria and Antonia want to go to a Shakespeare play in London.

2   Writing Skills - Linking ideas with after, when and while

Match 1-6 with a-f to make sentences.

3   Writing

Imagine you live and study in another country. Write a post on ErasmusBlog. Try to use linking words (after, when, while). Think about:

•   the places in the city

•   where you live and who you live with

•   your studies

•   people you know.