As English learners originate from many cultural and language backgrounds, they come to class with different circumstances. This paper examines the backgrounds, common problems and solutions for English for Academic Purposes (EAP) students and Language, Literacy, and Numeracy Programme (LLNP) students. EAP students are from Meridian International School based in Surry Hills, Sydney, and LLNP students are from MTC Training Solutions, an LLNP provider commissioned from the Australian government to offer students with English language and numeracy proficiency to gain sustainable employment in Australia. This paper will introduce and provide insights into EAP and LLNP programmes from the perspective of a teacher/trainer. It will highlight the differences in the backgrounds of the two programmes and identify their problems and solutions, thus maximise students' learning outcomes.