Advanced Courses C1 and C2

We were ILC students from 2006 to 2016, so it was a big part of our lives. We started by meeting Alvin, Erlina or Willlow (the coolest book characters ever) and we finished our journey with two Cambridge Certificates and tons of friends and stories to tell, since the epic trip to London to an emotional farewell party.

Thinking about ILC, we cannot begin to thank our parents enough for enrolling us and not letting us quit before getting our certificates - it eased our future life immensely. We were able to skip the English exams when applying to university, where most of our classes are taught in English or apply to an Erasmus programme, confident we would keep up.

We could not finish without mentioning Fil and Helen, who are two of the best teachers we have ever had.

Their motivation and innovative methods meant that all the hard work didn't seem half as complicated. And, as everyone knows, hard work invariably leads to successful results.

Besides teaching English, they managed to teach us far greater things - how to properly and effectively study, how to connect with others, how to speak our minds without being afraid or embarrassed to do so, how to be organized and most importantly how to work hard.

Ask us how they did it, and we won't be able to answer it, that's how effortless their made everything look.

After ten years we can say that ILC was more than our house, it became a home.

--- The twins Inês and Filipa Neto CAE

ILC is the place where I learned all my current English skills. I was a student in ILC for 10 years and it was a place where I passed a huge part of the afternoons of my youth. I consider that the teachers in ILC not only teach us English but also some values that we take for our entire lives. The combination of a rigorous evaluation and a relaxed environment ILC has, creates the perfect balance a student needs to be motivated while learning. After all, it is a big privilege and honour for me to be able to say that I studied in ILC.

--- André Silva

My journey with ILC started when I was six years old. I was in a private primary school and they would come twice a week to teach English. When I was 10 years old and changed to a public school, I enrolled at ILC. I only left when I did my FC exam.

 There is a moment I will never forget. We were preparing for an external exam. It was time to register for the exam. I thought that I was not prepared and did not want to take the exam. Fil and Helen became aware of the situation and had a private meeting with me to show me that I was prepared for the exam and they believed I could do it. They also put in place support sessions for the exam to ensure I would pass. I passed the exam and had a great grade!

 I am beyond grateful for the years I studied at ILC. For believing in me when I wanted to give up, for giving me extra support when I needed it and more importantly for giving me the language skills that allowed me to move to the United Kingdom and study there at a university level. Thank you ILC, you had a big role in my success outside Portugal!

--- Teresa Valente

I´ve attended English classes in ILC for many years and it fast became “my house”. Not only it taught me English grammar or vocabulary but also what effort, hard work and commitment means and where they can lead us in life. Today I’m just about to finish Medical School and I couldn’t be more thankful for what I’ve learnt all those years in ILC. It’s easy for me to read or write any article, understand any medical book or even write a master thesis in English. I’ve also been part of the Erasmus Program during 6 months in Czech Republic and I could get the most of it due to everything I’ve learnt in ILC, through the practice in speaking and listening in all those classes. None of these experiences would have been possible if it wasn’t for the wonderful ILC teachers that prepared me for real life, who never give up on their students because they know how much it means for us and for our future.

--- Cláudia Rosa CPE

I attended ILC from since I was 6 until I was 18 years of age, so I can say Fil and Helen saw me growing up. Signing me up for English lessons was for sure one of the most important decisions my parents could have made on my behalf, barely they knew at the time that, for professional reasons, I would ended up moving to Dublin. Since day one over here, I was complemented on my "brilliant English" and "perfect grammar" and even though that may not always be the case (no one is perfect) I can say that all those years in ILC paid off and gave me the opportunity to find a better job and made the transition to an English speaking country quite smooth and easy

--- Claudia Rodrigues CAE

My time at ILC gave the me the tools to study and work abroad, which I have done for 8 years now. Given their dedicated teaching I was able to complete 3 levels at my own pace, by also offering intensive courses throughout the summer period. I couldn't ask for kinder people to learn from and friends to learn with. ILC allowed me access to the world by tearing down language barriers.

--- Filipa Pereira

I started on ILC when I was just a kid in elementary school. ILC was my family in the following years. More than 10 years with them. They saw me growing up, they helped me growing up. They don’t teach us just languages. Here we learn that pro-activity, initiative and effort are also necessary for our future. They prepared me for the future and I couldn’t be more grateful for that!

--- Ricardo Lopes FC

ILC meant hard, serious work but it also meant family and a lot of fun. I believe it was that combination that made it so enjoyable and easy to learn. Teachers celebrated my accomplishments and help me through my struggles. More than new languages, ILC taught me hard work does pay off. It allowed me to pursue my college studies in a foreign country, in English.

--- Joana Paulo