twp-education

[twp-education]

"__________" (AngloFill Beginner)

TWP Education were indundated with requests to produce coursebooks for other languages besides English. However, due to time and budget constraints, they were unable to complete the translation work. Their innovative solution was to produce a series of blank coursebooks (eight levels, covering Beginner to Proficiency), so teachers or self-study students could fill in the vocabulary and grammar for themselves, and then study it.

Student books in the AngloFill series retailed for £35 and came with an audio CD consisting of musical beds and background sound effects. There was also an accompanying workbook, priced at £21, which was blank.

Some buyers complained that the series was a little difficult to use, and bemoaned the lack of a teacher's book. In a webinar arranged to coincide with AngloFill's European release, series editor Stephen Maple accused these critics of "completely missing the point" and wanting "the Moon on a stick" before disconnecting.

#twp #education #tefl #efl #esl

[twp-education]

"Upgrade your excuses" (Headrush Academic, Level 3)

TWP entered the EAP (English for Academic Purposes) market in 2008, when it published a supplementary academic edition to its already-established Headrush edition. It was praised for its comparatively bright design and its realistic focus on the genuine needs of university students in modern Britain.

#twp #education #efl #tefl #esl #university

[twp-education]

Exam paper: TWPEC, A0 level

Following the lead of Cambridge University Press, Trinity College and others, TWP formed a language assessment division and started to offer students internationally-recognised language tests. TWP English Certificate ("TWPEC") qualifications followed the CEFR levels from A1-C2, and were hugely popular with students who sought to prove their language level for work or study.

The publisher's assessment department innovated further by introducing the "TWPEC A0" qualification, aimed at students who had not yet begun to study English, or had no interest in doing so, but wanted a record of that fact. TWP Assessment's skilled examiners produced an exam paper that they described as "unfailable".

The exam entrance fee was £370.

#english #a0 #cefr #efl #tefl #esl #exams

[twp-education]

"What's that in old money?" (Anglophile Intermediate)

Debate rages about whether the study of English necessitates the study of the culture of English-speaking countries. TWP took the view that communication, especially with older native speakers, could suffer if student's weren't primed with some unique aspects of anglophone culture. This lesson, from Anglophile Intermediate, illustrates the point, covering one notoriously thorny aspect of pre-1971 life.

#twp #education #efl #tefl #esl #intermediate

[twp-education]

"¡Dos pie and chips, por favor!" (Upshot Advanced)

TWP didn't shy away from the realities of intercultural communication and, for those students who aspired to native-like speech and interaction, presented the facts of anglophones' behaviour when abroad.

Shortly after this edition of Upshot was published, co-author Stephen Maple resigned from his job at TWP to concentrate full time on his role as a UKIP councillor in the Vale of Glamorgan.

#twp #education #tefl #efl #esl #advanced

[twp-education]

Firing and being fired (Loss Leader Upper-Intermediate)

Perhaps more than any other field, business English textbooks are inevitably a product of their time because the language and atmosphere in the field change so quickly. A tone that might have seemed appropriate a few years ago might seem overly optimistic, pessimistic or naive today. This lesson, from Loss Leader Upper-Intermediate, was published in the 2008-9 academic year, and illustrates this point.

Shortly after finishing this edition of Loss Leader, TWP invited assistant series editor Stephen Maple to be successful elsewhere. He failed to fulfil his half of that bargain.

#twp #education #efl #esl #tefl #businessenglish #upperintermediate

[twp-education]

"He had a good innings..." (Anglofile Elementary)

English courses aim to cover the routine transactions and events of life - like going shopping, travelling or ordering in restaurants - in great detail to prepare their students for these situations. However, TWP noticed that few of them dealt with rarer occasions that nonetheless called for great sensitivity and precision. This lesson, from Anglofile Elementary, covers one such occasion: Death.

#twp #education #efl #tefl #esl #elementary

[twp-education]

Disclaimer. Explainer. Background, etc.

This blog is intended as an affectionate parody of English language teaching, course materials and exams and Anglophone culture more widely.

The materials on this site are fictional and created for comedic purposes only. I do not recommend that you try to genuinely use them in an English-language class. That would be a stupid thing to do.

This blog is the work of Alex Moore, a former (retired? resting?) English teacher. His is the only real name mentioned on this blog. If you wish to contact him, please use Tumblr's own messaging service as your first port of call.

Photographs and diagrams used on this site all come from one of the following three sources:

Freeimages.co.uk and Unsplash.com free stock pictures.

My own work.

My friends' work, used with permission.

I don't believe I've libelled any individual or company or infringed their copyright, and I very much doubt this material competes commercially with any real ESL textbook or other resource. But, if you think it does, talk to me. Let's sort it out like adults.

Experienced teachers will notice that the coursebooks and resources posted on this blog resemble some popular series in the real world. That's kind of the point. As I said in the first paragraph, it's an affectionate parody of the material. It's also a love letter to an industry that gave me some of the best years of my working life and introduced me to some extremely talented and dedicated people.

Finally, and to reiterate: TWP is/was not a real thing. This whole blog is a bit of fun. Please enjoy it in the spirit in which it was intended. Peace.