Lena was a student at a language school. She liked her classes very much. She studied hard every day. She also liked to help other students. One morning, Lena walked through the corridor. She saw her friend Marco sitting on a bench. He looked very sad. His books were on the floor next to him. Lena stopped and looked at him. She sat down beside him. "Hello, Marco," she said. "Are you okay?" Marco looked up at her. His eyes were red. "No, I am not okay," he said quietly. Lena put her bag down and listened.

"What is wrong?" Lena asked. Marco took a deep breath. "I failed my speaking test," he said. "I am not good at speaking. I always make mistakes. I feel so bad about it." Lena nodded slowly. She understood his problem. "I know how you feel," she said. "I also failed a test before. It was very hard for me too." Marco looked surprised. "Really?" he asked. "Yes, really," Lena said with a small smile. "But I tried again and I passed. You can do the same thing." Marco listened carefully to her words. "Can you give me some advice?" Marco asked.

Lena thought for a moment. "First, practice speaking every day," she said. "Talk to other students in the corridor. Talk to your teachers too. Do not be afraid of mistakes." Marco nodded. "That is good advice," he said. "Also, you can record your voice and listen to it," Lena added. "That helped me a lot." Marco smiled for the first time that morning. "Thank you, Lena," he said. "You are a very good friend." Lena picked up her bag. "You are welcome, Marco. I believe in you," she said. They walked to class together. Marco felt much better now.

Lena had been studying at the language school for several months, and she had grown to enjoy the daily routine of classes, group activities, and conversations with fellow students. One Tuesday morning, while she was walking through the corridor between lessons, she noticed her friend Marco sitting alone on a wooden bench near the notice board. His shoulders were slumped, and he was staring at a piece of paper in his hands with a troubled expression. Lena could tell right away that something was bothering him, so she decided to approach him and find out what had happened. "Marco, you don't look like yourself today," she said gently as she sat down next to him. "Is there something on your mind?" Marco hesitated for a moment before handing her the paper, which turned out to be his test results. "I got the lowest score in the class," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. Lena studied the paper carefully and then looked at Marco with a warm, reassuring expression.

"I can see why you're disappointed, but I don't think this result defines your ability," she told him thoughtfully. She explained that she had experienced a similar setback during her first term, when she had struggled with listening comprehension and had almost given up. "What helped me was changing my approach to studying," she continued. "Instead of just reviewing notes, I started having real conversations with classmates and recording myself to track my progress." Marco seemed interested but unsure whether these methods would actually work for him. "I've been studying alone in my room every evening, and I thought that would be enough," he confessed. Lena shook her head and suggested that isolating himself was probably making the problem worse rather than better. "If you're open to it, I have a few suggestions that might help you improve," Lena offered. She recommended that Marco join a study group that met in the common room twice a week, where students practiced speaking in a relaxed and supportive environment.

She also advised him to set smaller, more achievable goals rather than focusing on the final exam score. "When you break things down into manageable steps, the whole process feels less overwhelming," she explained. Marco listened attentively and began to nod as he considered her words. "I suppose I've been putting too much pressure on myself," he said, sounding both relieved and grateful. "You've given me a lot to think about, Lena. I really appreciate your honesty." Lena smiled and patted his shoulder before they both headed to their next class, with Marco looking noticeably more confident than he had just minutes earlier.