English 2 Final Project - Stage 2

Once you've chosen your product/service, you must find 80-100 customer reviews from one or several sources -preferably the more recent, the better. It is very important to discard irrelevant comments.

Next, you ought to represent the customer reviews through at least two graphs, one of which must necessarily be a line graph or a bar chart. The reasons underlying those opinions must be analysed statistically. You'll refer to these data in subsequent stages of your project and need to mention your information sources.

You should share your statistical analysis on this blog. Don't forget to use the specific vocabulary for describing graphs and charts you learned at the beginning of the academic period! You can also check this website: 

https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/writing/advanced-c1-writing/describing-graph-trends-over-time

Jobs & Careers

Read the following tips for job application.

1. Each CV should be adapted to the personality and style of the candidate, and always in line with the sector/post to which it is addressed. It is recommended that it is only one page long and that you include an introductory paragraph (see examples and templates at https://www.canva.com/). Following a chronological order isn’t a must and you can highlight the most relevant information in bold.

2. It is advisable for the CV to include a user name, link or icon of the professional social networks in which the candidate is. In this sense, both the content of the CV and the information included in these social networks (e.g. Linkedin, Hosco or Instagram) should be detailed, relevant and carefully elaborated.

3. The covering e-mail with which you will contact the company or accompany your CV must be accurate. It’s advisable to use a Gmail address with your name and surname.

4. You must attach your CV in pdf, which you should also revise in-depth, and provide clear contact details without being too personal (e.g. avoid your date of birth, address, age or marital status). In Spain it’s customary to include a picture of yourself, but not when applying abroad. You can also produce a video CV (see tips at https://www.thebalancecareers.com/tips-for-creating-a-video-resume-2064219).

5. Moreover, you can practice for job interviews by means of recorded video interviews (available at https://www.hirevue.com/, for example). You can record yourself answering questions.

6. Bearing the interview in mind, you can also work on your elevator pitch, which allows you to introduce yourself and summarise for up to 1.5 minutes some key aspects, such as who I am? what do I look for? and why am I applying? (see tips at https://www.thebalancecareers.com/elevator-speech-examples-and-writing-tips-2061976).

7. Most formal interviews nowadays take place in a relaxed atmosphere. Some interviews include unexpected code-switching in English to check oral skills. During the interview, you shouldn’t be vague and rather provide specific examples. Some questions you might have to reply to are what do you expect to find here? or why should we choose you instead of another candidate? You can also ask questions. To practice some interview questions, spin the wheel: https://spinthewheel.app/0QJPxkTGYA

8. You should have a register of your applications. Be coherent and apply sensibly, for the right post/company. It’s important to search for information about the company well in advance and be aware of the pros and cons.

Good luck with your job hunt!

English 2 Final Project - Stage 1

This project involves creating an improvement plan based on a study of an existing tourist product or service that you can investigate firsthand, such as a hotel, a theme park, or a holiday package. You are required to analyse the product or service, identify its genuine shortcomings, and use these as a foundation to design your improvement plan. Students undertaking continuous assessment must complete this in pairs, whereas single-assessment students must work individually. 

The presentation should last 12 minutes if delivered by two students, and 10 minutes for individual presentations. This will be followed by a question session with the panel of examiners, bringing the total time to 15 minutes. Visual aids are mandatory and may include PowerPoint, Prezi, and other similar tools. 

Considering the nature of this project, you should select a product or service that is not particularly successful, as this will make designing an improvement plan both easier and more realistic. You may refer to https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ or similar websites to choose a product or service that, based on user opinions, demonstrates a need for enhancement. Take into account that you'll need to gather 80-100 customer reviews. Alternatively, you can select a product or service based on your personal experience, such as a hotel where you have worked or stayed. However, you are not permitted to opt for Port Aventura, Hotel W, Ryanair, Horta Maze, Carmel Bunkers, Parc Güell, or Tibidabo amusement park. Improvement plans for transport infrastructures are also inadvisable due to their complexity. Each project should focus on a different product or service.

Post your product or service description on this blog, citing all the sources of information you employed. 

Catalan language for international students in Barcelona

Interested in learning Catalan?

Try these resources and have fun:

https://parla.cat/?lang=en

International students begin intensive introductory Catalan courses at the UB - Current events - University of Barcelona

Júlia Riera (@dailycatalan) • Fotos y videos de Instagram

You can also request a free language exchange with a local CETT student.

Enjoy!

Sustainable Solutions Report

1. Type of activity

Non‑assessable compulsory activity: collaborative written production in small groups in class.

2. Active methodology

• Task-based learning.
• Analysis of real cases.

3. Teaching unit

Sustainable tourism and ethical practices.

4. Learning objectives

• To apply key knowledge about sustainability in tourism.
• To develop collaboration, analytical, and critical‑thinking skills.
• To write a structured report using formal language and specific vocabulary.

5. Activity description

In groups of 2 or 3 students, you will analyse a real case of a destination and its sustainability issues, and you will write a structured report proposing improvement ideas from an ethical and responsible perspective. In class, we will explore the case of Goa’s sustainable evolution as a tourist destination, and a sample report on Goa will be provided as a reference.

To begin, we will watch some short introductory videos on tourism in three Southeast Asian destinations: Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia. In groups of 2 or 3 students, you will need to choose one of these three destinations, and you will have access to audiovisual materials through the virtual classroom. You must carry out a quick initial diagnosis of the main challenges with the support of GenAI tools, using real sources (news, articles, official websites, etc.). Then, you will collaboratively write a report of up to 450 words in which you will propose realistic measures to reduce the negative impacts of tourism on the selected destination. Once you have finished, each group must upload the report to the virtual campus as a practical assignment. The report must follow this structure:

1. Title.
2. Executive summary (50 words).
3. Introduction.
4. Proposals (divided by areas: social, economic, environmental).
5. Conclusion.
6. Recommendations.

6. Tasks to complete

• Selection of the case and short guided research.
• Brainstorming and discussion of sustainable proposals in the three areas.
• Collaborative writing of the structured report.
• Text revision and improvement using digital tools.
• Submission of the written report.
• Final oral reflection with the whole class evaluating the process, including the advantages and limitations of using GenAI.

7. Use of AI

• Research: ChatGPT or Copilot to explore possible sustainability challenges in each destination.
• Visual generation: Canva to add optional simple visual support.
• Written expression: Grammarly or Quillbot to review the text and improve style.

8. Learning resources

• Reference websites: UNWTO, Sustainable Travel International, National Geographic, official tourism portals.
• Reports and press articles, travel blogs, short videos.
• ChatGPT, Grammarly, Canva (optional).
• Sample report as a base example.
• Extracts from the book English for International Tourism. Upper Intermediate.
• Audiovisual resources in the virtual classroom (extension activities).

9. Assessment tasks

The group report must be uploaded to the Forum on the virtual campus.

10. Assessment criteria

A non‑assessable indicative evaluation will be made of the following aspects: language use, task achievement, topic development, active participation and collaboration within the group, and responsible and reflective use of GenAI tools.

11. Remarks

• Activity designed as practice for assessable written tasks.
• As a follow‑up activity, short oral presentations of the executive summary (2-3 minutes per group) may be carried out in class, if time allows.

Season’s Greetings & Best Wishes for the New Year

Cheers to a wonderful holiday and an amazing year ahead!

Battle of Destinations: Digital Presence & Online Reputation

1. Type of activity

• Mandatory assessment: Critical analysis activity in class (small groups).
• Optional assessment: Portfolio (individual).

2. Active methodology

• Task-based learning.
• Analysis of real cases.
• Portfolio.

3. Teaching unit

Digital tourism & social media

4. Learning objectives

• To identify and compare digital promotion strategies.
• To develop critical analysis skills for digital messages and user reviews.
• To summarise information and represent it visually.
• To work collaboratively on research and idea presentation.
• To improve written expression.

5. Activity description

In groups of 2 or 3 students, you will analyse the digital communication of two real tourist destinations, comparing their presence on social media and online reputation through reviews and brand image. In class, choose two tourist destinations (cities, regions, or countries) that have an active presence on social media and a significant number of user reviews (Tripadvisor, Google Reviews, etc.). With your group:

1) Analyse the type of content published on Instagram, TikTok, or other platforms: what formats do they use? What tone or style? What target audience do they seem to have?

2)     Collect real user opinions and assess the overall tone (positive, neutral, negative).

3)     Make a critical comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of each destination’s digital communication and online reputation.

4)     Create a comparative visual infographic summarising the key points (using Canva, Genial.ly, or similar).

5)     Print your work as a poster for an exhibition of all infographics in the classroom during the next session, and discuss them orally in a class debate.

Afterwards, you may write or record a final reflection for your individual portfolio, evaluating the activity and explaining how you used AI tools (what was used, how, and why).

6. Tasks to complete

• Research on social media and review websites.
• Debate and selection of the most relevant points.
• Visual design of the infographic with clear sections (images, data, real quotes, icons…).
• Print the infographic as a poster for display and discussion in the next class.
• Final evaluation and reflection.

7. Use of AI

• ChatGPT or Copilot: Help with formulating comparison questions or identifying patterns in reviews.
• Grammarly or Quillbot: Review short texts for the infographic.
• Canva or Napkin: Collaborative creation of the infographic.
• Google Gemini or Claude: Classify reviews according to user sentiment.

8. Learning resources

• Official social media accounts of tourist destinations.
• User review platforms: Google Reviews, Tripadvisor, Booking.
• Canva, Genially, Figma, Piktochart (visual creation).
• ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grammarly.
• Extracts from the book English for International Tourism. Upper Intermediate.

9. Assessment tasks

• Group poster with comparative infographic.
• Optionally, oral evidence (3 minutes) and/or written evidence (150-200 words) for the individual portfolio.

10. Assessment criteria

• Infographic poster: Non-graded indicative evaluation of the following aspects: language use, task achievement, active participation and collaboration within the group, responsible and reflective use of AI tools.
• Portfolio (optional): Oral evidence (3% of final grade) and/or written evidence (3% of final grade) based on these criteria: task achievement, creativity, argumentative ability, and critical thinking. For oral evidence, fluency and pronunciation will also be assessed.

11. Remarks

• It is advisable to limit destination selection to a predefined list to avoid repetitions.
• Infographics can also be shared in the collaborative space of the virtual campus instead of printing them.