Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I find answers to questions when I can't work them out for myself?
Unfortunately, we do not provide the answers to questions on the website. Early experience taught us that if we do, pupils then use them to cheat and that defeats the object of the exercises and teachers don't like it! As such you would need to ask your teacher for help, or look the answer up somewhere - some units contain language lists at the beginning, and many grammar units have explanations which may help too.
How can I save results of exercises?
Unfortunately this is not possible on this website. I developed a second website called 'languages online extra' where tracking progress is possible, but unfortunately the take up for that has not been sufficiently successful to justify its expense and after three years it has now been withdrawn.
Can I print off copies of the exercises on the website?
There is nothing to stop you printing off texts to use with students, although that does of course defeat the interactive, self-marking nature of the website.
Can you put the instructions for activities in English?
If you hover your mouse over any of the instructions in the pink and purple boxes at the top of each page then they will pop up in English.
Why don't you link activities to GCSE and A Level specifications?
I do not do this deliberately for a couple of reasons:
- Firstly, the website is used globally, and GCSE and A Levels do not mean much to many users in other countries around the world.
- Secondly, specifications have a rather nasty habit of changing rather frequently, so any effort spent tying resources to specifications will quickly become out of date. Likewise the actual types of activities and styles of questions in UK exams are changed at the whim of QCA or the exam boards, so I am reluctant to invest too much time preparing things that will quickly become history.
Instead, I focus on providing resources to practise the actual language, trying to make them as universally available as possible, to help students to improve their understanding of, accuracy in, and hopefully enjoyment of the language.
How does the percentage at the end of exercises work? I've got it all right, but it doesn't give me 100%.
The percentage result at the end of an exercise depends on various factors. If you get all the answers right first time, you will score 100% straight off. However, if you check it as you go along, or have to correct errors after checking, there are penalties for doing so, and even when you have completed it all, the score will not be 100%. Similarly, if you click Help buttons (where provided) there are penalties for doing so and you will not score 100%. To get the full 100%, you've got to get it all right on the first "Check" click!