In Singapore, we actually have a subject called Social Skills that is inputted into the timetable. We have noticed that today’s children n teens lack social skills because they are perpetually glued to their phones n mobile gaming. We even have posters that list down the steps to be organised or say sorry or listen with empathy, I kid you not. I would say COVID exacerbated the lack of effective in-person communication skills among the young.

I’m sorry I’m not familiar with B2. Is this the European way of measuring English proficiency? Is there a link I can look at and get back to you?

That’s because speaking and writing are productive skills, as opposed to reading and listening which are receptive skills. There are many reasons why your speaking and writing levels lag behind your reading and listening skills (I empathise because I’m a non-native Japanese speaker haha and face the same situation as you):

• interference from your mother tongue. You may think primarily in Portuguese, so it’s difficult for you to do a mental switch even if you want to. Switching to English just doesn’t feel 💯 natural yet.
• fear of making mistakes. Maybe you have a perfectionist nature and don’t want to utter half-baked thoughts. Which is why you hold yourself back in speaking and writing - which then hinders your improvement
• or maybe you speak and write decently enough (which is my impression of you), but because you are holding yourself to the standards of your Portuguese proficiency, you may feel let down by these skills?
• lack of opportunities in your everyday life to speak and write English and thus, polish those skills. (As opposed to listening to podcasts or reading SN articles xP)

Does any of this resonate with you? Sensei will tailor his recommendations when he has a better idea of your learning needs xP