As an ESL Teacher with over 25 years of experience I have worked with huge variety of books. It is imperative that the correct book be chosen in order that the lesson run smoothly and the student is motivated to learn. I believe that the book should include the four skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening. These are all resources used as part of my ESL tutoring sessions.
One of the best series of books that I have worked with that comprise all the above components is Interchange, published by Cambridge University Press and written by Jack C. Richards. This series takes a learner of English from the Beginner Level using Interchange Intro to the Intermediate Level using Interchange 3. This is a four level, four skills course for adult and young adult learners. It has been used successfully around the world. The Interchange series has been around a long time (first published in 1990). It has been tried and tested and of course updated. Interchange Fourth Edition has a revised content and new digital components to ensure that students are engaged and motivated.
To achieve a higher level I use Passages 1 and 2 written by Jack C. Richards and Chuck Sandy and published by Cambridge University Press. This is a two-level, four-skills course for high-intermediate to advanced learners of American English. Passages, Second Edition, is an excellent follow up course to the Interchange series and is designed to follow smoothly after Interchange.
