The Wheel of English: A visual tool to steer your learning in the right direction.
A sketchnote showing the eight areas of Jane’s Wheel of English visual coaching tool.
How do you know if you’re making progress in English?
Maybe you’ve taken an online test and discovered you’re at B1 or C1 level. But what does that actually mean for your day-to-day English? A test score is useful, but it doesn’t always tell you where you’re doing really well and where you need to improve. That’s where the Wheel of English can help.
Maybe you find reading magazine articles easy but struggle to join in a conversation at work. Or you enjoy watching your favourite Netflix series in English but have to search for words during a client meeting.
You can visualise a range of language points in a coaching wheel. It’s a simple visual tool that helps you see your strengths and weaknesses in different skill areas of English.
I regularly use the Wheel of English with my learners, and they love how it gives them a clear picture of where they are and what to work on next.
For example, while using the Wheel of English with one of my clients, Fabi, she realised it was important for her to speak emotively and passionately about her favourite topics. This insight meant I could plan sessions to help her explore how to inject emotion into the way she uses English to communicate at work.
Curious to see how it could work for you? Let me show you how…
What is the Wheel of English?
A coaching wheel to use as a visual tool to see where your strengths and weaknesses are.
The Wheel of English is a visual self-assessment tool that helps learners reflect on their skills (based on coaching wheels used by ICF-certified coaches).
You can see the wheel is divided into eight sections. A scale starts in the centre at 1 and goes up to 10 on the outer circle.
You should rate yourself in each category by colouring in the scale. The higher the number, the more comfortable and competent you feel about the skill (1 = very weak, 10 = very strong). When you have finished each of the eight sections, you will see a clear picture of your strengths as well as areas that you would like to improve.
Here's my self-assessment of my German skills as an example:
Jane’s self-assessment of her current German skills.
I noticed that I feel the German I use in a professional context is low, I often feel nervous when I want to talk about my work in German. I also want to improve my writing skills. It takes me a long time to write a well-crafted email, especially if I don’t use DeepL to help me translate it! I would like to top up my grammar know-how. On a positive note, I feel happy with my vocabulary and know I’m a good listener. Doing this self-assessment made me realise that I need to schedule regular, focussed practice and get good quality feedback.
How do you feel about your current skills in each of the areas?
Give yourself a number on the scale
Here are some aspects you could consider for the different categories:
Reading: How well can you understand different types of texts? (emails, business articles, fiction, reports etc.) Do you understand key ideas, skim read effectively, and recognise tone and nuance?
Writing: Are your sentences clear, accurate and well-structured? Do you spend too much time using DeepL or Google Translate?
Speaking: How comfortable do you feel speaking English? Can you express yourself in the way you want?
Listening: Can you follow conversations? Do you pick out the important and relevant information?
Grammar: Do you use a variety of structures in a clear and accurate way? Do you know the meaning and usage of each structure? Is grammar important for you?
Vocabulary: How wide is your vocabulary? How easy (or difficult) is it for you to remember new words?
Intercultural Skills: Are you aware of cultural differences in communication styles and ways of working? What’s your way of working with an international team?
Work communication: How do you feel about using English in your job? Is there room for improvement?
Once your wheel is complete, take time to reflect.
For example, what does a ‘5’ in grammar mean to you? Where do you want to be on the scale? What is the next small step towards a ‘6’? Where can you get support to reach your goal? Revisit the wheel regularly to track progress and plan learning activities.
The Wheel of English is a wonderful way to take control of your learning and focus on what really matters. Instead of feeling lost, you’ll have a clear, visual compass to follow. The best part? It’s completely flexible, you can adjust your focus as you grow.
Now it’s your turn!
Grab a pen, sketch your own Wheel of English, and see what insights you discover. I’d love to hear about your experience, what surprised you? What’s your next learning goal?
If you’d like to discuss your results and get personalised guidance, let’s chat!
⬇️Book a free discovery call, and let’s work together to take your English to the next level.
Hello,
I’m Jane Carvell, a business English trainer, language coach and visual thinking enthusiast. I help German-speaking professionals improve their English communication skills, so that they can build better connections to grow in an international working world.
