I’m thrilled to announce the details of our next challenge. 

It’s called “The News of 2024 Challenge”, and will help you improve your English, learn new vocabulary and write more confidently…with the news.

Here’s how it’ll work:

• The challenge will start on Monday 2nd December and last until Friday 13th December(12 days in total).
• Every day you will receive a real news story (from a well-known English-language publication).
• Along with the news story, you will receive a video lesson in which we will go through the text (or watch the video) of the story and learn at least 10 advanced pieces of vocabulary/expressions.
• These vocabulary expressions will be a mixture of B2, C1 and even some C2 level, as well as some unusual phrasal verbs and colloquial expressions.
• Your exercise (the fun bit!) is to write something using a minimum of 5 of the  expressions. You choose which ones you’d like to practise! 
• You’ll receive immediate feedback (if you want) from our in-house AI-English tutor, Da Vinci.
• This will continue every day, for a total of 12 days.
• At the end of the challenge, you’ll have worked with 12 real news stories in English, and learned 100+ new words and expressions!
• What’s more, you’ll also have learned how to learn English with the news.

We’ll use stories from publications such as the BBC and the Guardian, as well as hear kings and presidents.

We won't only be covering the biggest stories from the year, but the most fun and interesting. From debates about punctuation to presidential debates, the science of dogs to the Stanford Prison Experiment, there is a bit variety of stories we will be using in this challenge.

It has been a lot of fun to make, and I’m sure it will be even more fun to do.

👉 Here’s the link to sign up

Please note, if you are not currently a member, a Pro membership of Leonardo English is required to take part.

Who will enjoy this challenge?

• You want to learn new vocabulary
• You want to be accountable to others
• You want to learn as part of a community
• You want to learn how to read the news in English
• You want to have a reason to spend time using English every day
• You want to connect with others from different countries and cultures
• You think that December isn't a time just for mince pies and mulled wine...

What are the dates of the challenge?

• Registration for the challenge is open now and closes at midnight on Sunday, 1st December
• The challenge starts on Monday 2nd December and continues until Friday, 13th December
• Note, you can come back and rewatch the lessons at any time, even after the challenge has finished.

Who can take part in this challenge?

• Participation is included for free for all Pro members of Leonardo English (or anyone who became a member before 1st March 2023)

I’m not on the “Pro” membership. Where can I get it?

• If you are not a member of Leonardo English, you can become a Pro member here

Note: if you became a member before March 2023, you are automatically entitled to take part for free.

Why should I do this?

Getting into good habits is hard, and doing something over a continuous period with a group of people is one of the best ways to get into the habit of something.

Sharing a journey with other people is incredibly motivational, and by doing this challenge with a group you will have a far better chance of success.

It will also be a lot of fun, you will learn a lot, and your confidence, writing skills and use of language will improve.

How long do I need to spend doing this?

We would recommend a minimum of 30 minutes every day. 

It has been designed specifically so that you can take part in this challenge while continuing your normal busy life.

Of course, the more you engage with the news stories, as well as other people’s work, the longer it will take but the more value you will get from it.

What’s Da Vinci?

Da Vinci is our AI-powered English tutor. It will read every piece of writing submitted and provide you with detailed feedback and corrections. All within an average of 2 minutes :)

I'm shy and would rather not share in public

I understand - people don't generally like sharing their work, especially with strangers. But it can be incredibly motivational, and everyone will be going through the same process.

The sharing is the magic. It's also not completely 'in public' - only other members of the challenge will see it.

And if you really don’t want to write anything, you can follow the video lessons without writing anything.

OK, I’m ready. How do I register?

You can register for the challenge here.

Please note, Pro membership is required to be approved.

I have another question

Please email challenges@leonardoenglish.com