Every language in the world comprises four basic principles - reading, writing, speaking and listening. These four principles are intrinsically linked but also very different. They must all be mastered to become fluent in a language but all have their own unique chracteristics. People can be good at one and poor at another communication skill. A fluent speaker can perform all four disciplines - some may be harder than others - but to converse with native speakers, they must all be mastered eventually. Although speaking seems to be the most desirable communication skill valued by learners of English, there is little chance of learning a language well if the person learning does not master all the four communication skills. There is no middle ground with languages. A person who can understand the spoken word should be able to understand the written word. And likewise, if someone can write the language, they should be able to speak it as well. The main aim of the survey was to reveal the priorities that students from Lithuania and Turkey give to different communication skills as well as the priorities that are given at schools of the two countries.

The article presents the definition of a concept of an adult learner and provides the tips for teaching EFL to adults. The current paper aims at examining the needs, experiences and expectations of adult learners of English at the Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences as well as suggesting some ways of overcoming the challenges teachers face. The data of the current research is taken from the survey of adult learners doing an English course at LEU. The main motivating factors, the most difficult and the most important communication skills, the most difficult language aspects and the most useful teaching methods were identified.