About Breakout English
Breakout English creates materials for teachers and learners preparing for Cambridge English exams. Our focus is straightforward: practice at the right level, explanations that make sense and activities worth bringing into the classroom.
What makes Breakout different?
Good exam preparation starts with an honest challenge. An exercise that is too easy can leave you feeling ready without preparing you for what comes next. We aim to reflect the language, thinking and demands of the exam, so that your practice has a clear purpose.
Challenge at the right level
B1, B2 and C1 materials should ask different things of a learner. We pay attention to the language being tested, the difficulty of the questions and the choices learners have to make. A useful task gives you something to work on and a reason to think about your answer.
Language learning alongside exam practice
Knowing the exam format matters. So does having something to say. Alongside exam-style tasks, you’ll find conversation activities, games, vocabulary work and writing support that help you use the language you’re learning.
Clear support for the next step
A difficult question is more useful when you can understand what went wrong. Our guides, models and reference materials help you work out how a task works and what to practise next. Teachers can choose the support their class needs; learners can return to a particular skill or language point.
Quality you can look at
Browse a few resources and see how they approach the job: our C1 inversion transformations focus on a specific language area, while Liar, liar! puts the present perfect and past simple into a speaking game. Our B2 First for Schools story-writing guide connects exam advice with the decisions a writer needs to make.
The same care goes into revisiting existing materials. The second edition of 230 Key Word Transformations, for example, brings revised practice, answer explanations and vocabulary reference sections.
A note from the founder
I’m John Hayward. I’ve been teaching English in Spain since 2010, with exam preparation a large part of my work. I completed the Cambridge DELTA with a specialism in teaching exam classes, but the idea for Breakout came from a familiar classroom problem: finding the right extra material.
Coursebooks need supplementing. I wanted tasks that challenged my students, helped them understand the language and gave us something to enjoy in class. I started creating my own, then built Breakout English to share them with a wider audience.
That balance between challenge and enjoyment is still at the heart of the website. I hope you find something here that makes your next lesson, or your next bit of exam practice, worthwhile.
John Hayward
Founder of Breakout English
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Free materials and books
You can explore our free materials or choose a book for more extended practice. Book sales support the continued development of both free and paid resources.
If something could be clearer, or there’s a resource you’d like to see, get in touch. Feedback helps us decide what to improve and what to make next.
