Blog | Battleplan

Level 4 Speaking Guide

Stanag 6001 Level 4 Speaking So, you are thinking of attempting the Level 4 Speaking exam, but you are not sure what is involved. Well,...

Jeremy Walters

Apr 7, 20233 min read

Level 3 Listening Task Two (Briefing)

The second task in the Level 3 Listening exam is the 'military style' briefing. This is a monologue which lasts approximately 5 minutes...

Jeremy Walters

Jul 18, 20221 min read

Level 3 Listening - Task One (Interviews)

The first task in the Level 3 listening exam involves listening to dialogues in the form of interviews. In the exam specifications, it is...

Jeremy Walters

Jul 17, 20222 min read

Common Mistakes in Level 3 Speaking

Preparing for a Level 3 speaking exam can be a long and stressful task. A lot of attention is rightly placed on grammar and vocabulary...

Jeremy Walters

Jun 16, 20222 min read

Level Three Reading

In the Level Three Reading Exam there are two tasks. Task One consists of 13 short texts with an individual multiple-choice question...

Jeremy Walters

Jun 12, 20223 min read

Level 3 Speaking : Discussions

The Second Task in the Level 3 Speaking Exam is the discussion. It actually forms part one of Task Two and lasts for up to 6 minutes. In...

Jeremy Walters

Jun 12, 20222 min read

Level Four Essay Writing - Dos and don'ts

For many years the Polish Military's Level Four Writing exam took the form of a somewhat guided piece of writing with a large amount of...

Jeremy Walters

May 23, 20224 min read

From A0 to Level 4 - Understanding Stanag and the CEFR

Whether you learnt English at secondary school or in a private language school, you have probably come across the Common European...

Jeremy Walters

Apr 29, 20222 min read

Letters of Enquiry - the use of Indirect Questions

As part of the Level Two Writing Exam you have to write either a letter or an email in Task One. Unfortunately you don't get a choice of...

Jeremy Walters

Feb 19, 20223 min read

Drop the verbs - use nouns! Tips for formal writing.

Have you ever wondered what the difference between formal and informal writing is? Probably the first things that come to mind are...

Jeremy Walters

Jan 16, 20221 min read

Phrasal Verbs - Are they okay in formal writing?

You have probably heard, or read in a textbook, that phrasal verbs should be avoided in formal writing. While it is true that many...

Jeremy Walters

Jan 15, 20222 min read

Improving Written Grammar

Often when we write in English it is for an exam or another stressful situation and we concentre on the task that we must do. There may...

Jeremy Walters

Jan 5, 20221 min read

Level Three Report Writing

When it comes to the Level Three Writing exam, probably the most difficult part for candidates is the Report. This forms Part Two of the...

Jeremy Walters

Dec 28, 20213 min read

Level Two Report Writing

The report is Task Two of the Level Two Writing Exam. With Level Two reports the main aim is to be logical and clear. In the report you...

Jeremy Walters

Dec 26, 20212 min read

Level 3 Briefing - Format & Planning

The Level Three briefing only lasts between 3 & 4 minutes and so, it is very important to plan it well. Before you go into the exam...

Jeremy Walters

Dec 26, 20211 min read

The Five Lives of the Human Brain

Most people grow up believing that our brains become “adult” sometime around the late teens or early twenties. School ends, university begins, careers start—and the assumption is that the brain is already fully developed by then. But new research from the University of Cambridge tells a very different story, and it’s the subject of our latest Battleplan Podcast episode. Why does this matter for our listeners? Because it challenges the long-held idea that we stop developing a

Jeremy Walters

Nov 291 min read

Invisible Front: How China Targets the West Through Political, Military, and Economic Espionage

China’s intelligence activity in the West no longer resembles the old world of secret agents and midnight handovers. Today, it’s something far broader — a blend of political access-building, cyber penetration, strategic business deals, and online influence campaigns that often look harmless until you zoom out. What makes it so effective is precisely what makes it so difficult to counter: each piece appears ordinary, even deniable, yet together they form a strategic effort to

Jeremy Walters

Nov 211 min read

Teaching English on the Front Lines: A Conversation with Olena Chekryzhova

A New Episode of the Battleplan Podcast For many STANAG students and teachers, “Military English” can feel like something that takes place in classrooms, textbooks, and training centers. But what does it look like when language teaching moves to the front lines? What happens when English becomes a tool not just for exams, but for survival, cooperation, and real-time decision making? In the latest episode of the Battleplan Podcast , I speak with Olena Chekryzhova — an experie

Jeremy Walters

Nov 102 min read