A business interview
Do the preparation task first. Then listen to the audio and do the exercises.
Preparation
Transcript
Presenter: Welcome to today's show. We're very happy to have Anna Oliveira as our guest today. Anna is the creator and founder of HomeworX – spelled with an 'x' we should note – an app which helps teenagers with their homework. Thanks for coming in, Anna.
Anna: Thanks for having me.
Presenter: So, tell us about your app. How does it work?
Anna: Well, teenagers and their parents have numerous challenges when it comes to homework these days. In many families both parents work and don't have much available time to help their kids with their homework. And even if they do have time to help, they may not be able to offer support with the content. What I mean is, they may not know, or at least remember, enough in any given subject to support.
Presenter: You mean they might not be able to remember complex maths or might have never studied certain subjects, such as biology or economics, themselves?
Anna: Exactly. So they might want to support their children with their homework, but have neither the time nor the knowledge to do so.
Presenter: I see. So the app helps solve this problem?
Anna: Yes, and more. The next issue is that tutors can be expensive, and there may be long waiting lists for specialist tutors in the town or region you live in. Our HomeworX app brings students and tutors together online. Students can search a database of pre-approved tutors and sign up for live online support. They don't need to be in the same town or city.
Presenter: That sounds really great.
Anna: It is. And this approach also enables us to offer the tutoring services at lower prices because there's no travelling time involved for the tutor to get to the student's home. And tutors who live in remote areas are happy to get access to more students, and be able to work from home, even at lower rates.
Presenter: This all sounds great. So, how did you come up with the idea?
Anna: Well, as you might guess, I was one of those parents I described earlier. I really wanted to help my son with his homework, but I was either too busy with work or I didn't actually know anything about the subjects he was having difficulty with. Also, we live in an area where there aren't many tutors and the ones that are there are either very expensive or have long waiting lists.
Presenter: Yes. I can understand your predicament. Well, it sounds like a very useful app that is clearly meeting a need. And its popularity obviously speaks for itself.
Anna: Thank you.
Presenter: So, do you have plans for the future?
Anna: We've just secured some funding and hope to expand the range of services we offer using the app.
Presenter: We wish you the best of luck. Thanks again for coming in. That was Anna Oliveira, founder of the tutoring app HomeworX (with an 'x', don't forget!), which is available for both Apple and Android devices. Join us again next week for another business interview. Have a great week, everyone.
It depend, for vocabulary i use Noji/Anki. It is very helpful to remember all the new word i discovered based on space repetition learning, I also used to talk with people on tandem but now because I have english class everyday I have occasion to discuss with people. And this website is very usefull too. It is very organize something very important for me
I just have used to web sites to learn english, my english lab and british council. Both web sites are very useful for students who wants to improve their levels of english.
i truly recommend those web sites, it has helped me a lot, I have learn more about the grammar and I included more words to my vocabulary.
I do not have a favourite app for leaning English. In fact, I do not use any of it. To learn English, I have classes one time a week with a native teacher and listen to podcasts and acess this site that I like so much.
I DON'T HAVE A FAVORITE APP EITHER.I TOTALLY PREFER BOOKS AND CLASSES YOU KNOW THE CLASSIC WAY.:)
What's your favourite app for learning and why?
Youtube its my favorite because there's a video of almost everything you need, the only thing needed is using the search bar and find a video that you may think its gonna be useful.
Actually, I don’t have a favorite app. I’ve been exploring some websites and apps to study English, and the British Council has had the best content so far.
I used to practice on Duolingo, but I’ve been trying to stay away from smartphones — especially when I need to study. They break my concentration, so I prefer studying through other media.
By the way, I’d like to know what you think about AI tools for speaking practice. Are they a good way to improve English speaking skills?
My favorite app for learning english is Stimuler. It allows me to answer random questions and improve my vocabulary and grammar. However, Stimuler has some lag issues, so the feedback on intonation, grammar, and fluency doesn’t work properly. Any other app suggestions, anyone?
Very well designed websites. You are able to exercise in every part of Cambridge English exam such as Grammar, Listening, Reading and Writing. I discovered it roaming on the net and I think it is rather useful for a beginner loke me who is trying to pass B2 FIRST level.
See ya
Actually, I have many applications , I try to use them daily. BBC 6 minutes podcast, ELSA it is analyzer application for pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, Ewa story. The whole applications are useful for listening , speaking, reading& writing.
Recently, I started using an app called “ Spoken “ to improve my speaking skills. It offers short daily speaking practice with guided conversation on specific topics. The AI provides voice interaction, a transcript, and feedback after each session, which helps identify areas for improvement. I find it very useful for consistent daily practice.