C1 Advanced (CAE) essay example
C1 Advanced Writing Part 1: Essay (220-260 words, 45 min approx.) TASK: Your class has watched a panel discussion on the areas which have benefited from the internet. You have made the following notes: Write an essay for your tutor discussing two of the areas in your notes. You should identify which area has benefited more from the internet, giving reasons for your choice. Write your answer in 220 – 260 words in an appropriate style. Task taken from Cambridge Write and Improve website. Link below. https://writeandimprove.com/workbooks#/wi-workbooks/bdc648bc-b760-4bac-98bc-161a95deff5e/tasks/62602255-69f6-4369-8224-48fc6013bd1d Let’s analyse the task The first thing when reading the task is to identify what two areas from the notes you are going…
How to prepare for the C1 Advanced Speaking exam?
Here are some tips to help you prepare for your Speaking exam. At C1 Advanced level you are expected to have a good command of your language both lexically and grammatically. What’s more, you will need to provide opinions on diverse topics and give reasons for them. 1. Remember to keep it short but give full answers Length: about 30-40 seconds Full answer: State your opinion and support it with reasons. 2. Express your opinion clearly Use phrases to introduce your opinion like the following. Opinion: I personally believe / prefer / think Emphasis: I do think/consider; the most enjoyable/ the best… 3. Structure your answer logically It might seem…
B2 First (FCE)- Key word transformations
If you are getting ready for the B2 First (FCE), you are quite familiar with the Key word transformations. It is Part 4 of the Use of English and Reading Paper of the exam. If you are just starting, let me explain what it is about. What am I asked to do? You are given a key word that you MUSTN’T change and you have to express the meaning of the first sentence with a synonymous structure. You can use between two and five words, including the word given. Example: ‘Do you know when the film starts, Sam?’ asked Molly. IF Molly asked Sam IF HE KNEW WHAT time the…
How to write an essay using a template
It can help you improve quickly Using an essay template might sound like cheating but it can give a sense of order and clear rules to follow if you are not used to writing longer pieces. It can be a quick method to help you get familiar with the structure and give you an idea of the number of sentences to use in each part. What to do In the beginning, choose certain phrases to build a sort of a skeleton of your essay to help you deal with time constraints and word limit. Later on, you could try and substitute those phrases with others. Remember, it is something to…
How to write a B2 First essay
Here are some tips on how to write your B2 First essay, which is an obligatory task in Part 1 of the Writing Paper. A typical task looks like this: Write your essay using all the notes and giving reasons for your points of view. Write your essay in 140–190 words in an appropriate style. Schools are responsible for teaching young people all the skills they need to stay fit and healthy. Do you agree? Notes: exercise, food and (your idea) Brainstorm and plan Before you even start writing, brainstorm quickly some arguments for each point. Make sure you add your own idea, too. A possible idea: stress management or regular…
Work smarter, not harder
That is a concept that applies to all the areas of our lives and language learning isn’t any different. There are a lot of ways of working smarter when learning. Memorising vocabulary is one of them. First of all, you don’t want to be looking up every single word in the dictionary. And you definitely don’t want to try and memorise all the new words you have come across. You have to go smarter about it. Choose only the words that you would use in your mother tongue. If you come across a word that you would never say or use in your personal discourse, don’t even bother to learn…
Mindful vocab journalling
The idea is simple. All you have to do is engage in a more mindful way with the word while learning it. First contact Be curious about its particular letter combination. Explore the letter sequence by writing it a few times with different type of letters or handwriting. Why not using your non-dominant hand to do it? Say it out loud Take a moment to savour the sounds. Is it difficult or quite melodic? Associate it Now take a moment to think of a similar word as a synonym or a rhyming word, an antonym is also possible. Mind map it Research or look in the text where you took…
Think on your feet
Teaching without material could be a dreadful idea in the beginning. Let’s play a game That’s a phrase that everyone loves to hear. It is a magical formula that works both with adults and children. No need for props apart from your imagination, a pen and some paper. Here are some ideas to have on your mental list when in need of improvisation. 20 questions always a favourite Apart from the classical version where you have to guess a famous person by asking 20 yes/no questions, you can modify it to guessing practically anything. Great for practising vocabulary. A fruit, a piece of furniture, a phrasal verb, you name it,…
Everyday practice ideas
Enhance your listening skills through BBC’s 6 minute English page Probably most of you, language learners, have come across and used any BBC materials. Their website is very complete and has tons of resources. I would like to concentrate on one of them in particular the 6 minute English page. For learners A lot of learners struggle with listening and the dialogues the website provides on diverse topics with vocabulary explanations and transcript are ideal in size and level for quick everyday practice. Something that you should be doing ideally if you would like to reach your English learning goals quickly. If you are not practising a bit every day,…
Quizlet a new way to study vocabulary
Paper is out, applications are in Quizlet is one of my favorite applications to use when it comes to memorising vocabulary. So here are my tips on how to use it with your students. Instead of a vocabulary notebook For example, your student has 15 new words per lesson so every time after class he or she introduces these words as a new unit. And as homework he or she can play with these words in order to memorise them. Search for a specific vocabulary topic that other people have created and then just study from there. For instance, there are a lot of irregular verbs lists, adjectives and prepositions,…