Invata engleza/ The Cambridge FCE test

START ENGLISH. Watch, listen, speak. Tips and tricks about English.

Presently I will offer some information about the Reading paper for the First Certificate in English exam. In my article Sample Test for the FCE Exam I have introduced tasks for the Use of English test, the Writing test and the Speaking test.

For completing the Reading Paper the time frame is an hour. The task consists of three parts.

The Reading Paper part 1 consists of a multiple choice test. So, there will be a rather long text, which you will have to read carefully and try to circle the right choice. Technically speaking this is an easier task compared with the Listening and (maybe) the Speaking papers, but you need a lot of attention for details. Many students make mistakes about this because they do not mind the details.

Firstly read the questions (they are usually 8). Frequently the gist of the task is in the question. And this applies to all tasks. You cannot do right if you do not know/understand what you are supposed to do. It is very simple in theory, but in practice students sometimes do not really pay attention and lose valuable points.

Read also the alternatives and if you decide to circle something, find reasons in the text to do so. And this is the difficult part about this text because the alternatives are often confusing and you might think that more than one is appropriate. Students seldom find two alternatives that can match the context. How to choose between them?
Scan the fragment which the task is about and find tips in the text in favor of your choice. Chose the alternative for which there are more reasons.

I could not help but noticing another type of mistake; imaginative students circle the wrong answer because they think it is a possible continuation of the fragment/text. So, do not forget, you circle something because of hard evidence in the text and not because you feel it might be alright.

As a conclusion, I need to remind you to pay attention to the time for this paper: you must complete all 3 parts of the Reading Paper in an hour, so time management is of utmost importance!

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The FCE exam

START ENGLISH. Watch, listen, speak. Tips and tricks about English.

(www.engleza-de-afaceri.ro)

I have been very busy lately trying to help my students get the highest scores for the international certificates CAE, FCE and IELTS at the exams being held this weekend and the last.

I would like to share some tips with the contestants with a view to the issues that students find the most difficult.

The outline of the FCE exam is the following:

• Reading: 1 hour
• Writing: 1 hour 20 minutes
• Use of English: 45 minutes
• Listening: 40 minutes (aprox.)
• Speaking: 14 minutes (aprox.)

-The most important thing that ensures the success is attention, so, all the time, read the questions carefully and underline keywords.

-For the FCE Speaking test Part 2, the students are supposed to speak about pictures which are rather unappealing. You should try to “squeeze’’ them of all useful information. It is advisable to build your speech around some vocabulary items that you can choose, based upon the pictures.

-Never forget to compare two of the pictures while answering the question(s).

-Pay attention to your partner’s pictures, because you will be asked a question based upon them.

To be continued.

Contact:

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Tips for the Cambridge FCE exam

START ENGLISH. Watch, listen, speak. Tips and tricks about English.
http://www.cursinengleza.ro/engleza_examene.htm

Presently I will offer some information about the Reading paper for the First Certificate in English exam. In my article Sample Test for the FCE Exam I have introduced tasks for the Use of English test, the Writing test and the Speaking test.

For completing the Reading Paper the time frame is an hour. The task consists of three parts.

The Reading Paper part 1 consists of a multiple choice test. So, there will be a rather long text, which you will have to read carefully and try to circle the right choice. Technically speaking this is an easier task compared with the Listening and (maybe) the Speaking papers, but you need a lot of attention for details. Many students make mistakes about this because they do not mind the details.

Firstly read the questions (they are usually 8). Frequently the gist of the task is in the question. And this applies to all tasks. You cannot do right if you do not know/understand what you are supposed to do. It is very simple in theory, but in practice students sometimes do not really pay attention and lose valuable points.

Read also the alternatives and if you decide to circle something, find reasons in the text to do so. And this is the difficult part about this text because the alternatives are often confusing and you might think that more than one is appropriate. Students seldom find two alternatives that can match the context. How to choose between them?

Scan the fragment which the task is about and find tips in the text in favor of your choice. Chose the alternative for which there are more reasons.


I couldn’t help but noticing another type of mistake; imaginative students circle the wrong answer because they think it is a possible continuation of the fragment/text. So, do not forget, you circle something because of hard evidence in the text and not because you feel it might be correct.

As a conclusion, I need to remind you to pay attention to the time for this paper: you must complete all 3 parts of the Reading Paper in an hour, so time management is of utmost importance!

Start FCE for 300 lei a month.

• Web: www.cursinengleza.ro I  www.engleza-de-afaceri.ro
• Tel: 0722.841.053
• E-mail: engleza_de_afaceri@yahoo.ro

 

Sample test for CAE

START ENGLISH. Watch, listen, speak. Tips and tricks about English.

The tasks for the Cambridge CAE exam are structured as following:

Paper 1 Reading

Paper 2 Writing

Paper 3 Use of English

Paper 4 Listening

Paper 5 Speaking.

This test includes tasks for the Writing, the Use of English and the Speaking Papers. The complete tests will be performed in class. You are welcome to join a group for the preparation for the CAE exam.

Paper 2 WRITING
Choose one of the following writing tasks. Your answer should follow exactly the instructions given. Write approximately 220-260 words.

1.A technology magazine, International Technology Today, has asked its readers to submit articles on the impact of mobile phones on modern society. In your article, you should discuss the different personal and business uses of mobile phones and assess the advantages and disadvantages of this technology.

Write your article.

2.Your town is hoping to host a sport event next year, which will attract competitors from other countries. The organizers of this sports event need to ensure that the chosen venue has an adequate range of facilities for visitors. Write a proposal to the organizing committee to persuade them that your town is a suitable venue. Your proposal should include information on accommodation, transport and entertainment.

Write your proposal.

3.You have been asked to write an information sheet giving advice to students from abroad about how to get the most out of studying in your college. The title is Studying and Student Life and the information sheet must include advice relating to:

-methods of study

-suitable types of accommodation

-social life

Write your information sheet.

Paper 2 USE OF ENGLISH
For questions 1-5, think of one word only which can used appropriately in all three sentences. Here is an example (0).

Example:


0 The committee decided to ……………… the money equally between the two charities.


I can’t believe that john and Maggie have decided to ………… up after 20 years of marriage.


To serve a watermelon you need to …………. it down the center with a sharp knife.

Example: 0 SPLIT

Write only the missing word IN CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet.

1 Once the management has decided on the ………of events for the training day, a letter will be sent to all the staff.

The President gave the ………….. for a holiday to be declared to celebrate the birth of his son.

I’d asked them to deliver the fridge but it never arrived, and when I inquired the company said they had no trace of my……………… .


2 After months of intensive training, Glyn thought he was in with a …………. chance of winning a medal at the games.


The manager made a ………… argument for lowering the price of the company’s product.


The …………. currents in the bay make sailing tricky even in perfect weather conditions.


3. They had a long wait at the airport so they ……… the time doing puzzles.


Jan …………. the contract to me so that I could check its accuracy.


The car that ……………. us on the motorway was going too fast.

4.  You need to …………. on the right side of Mrs Smith – she can be very difficult if she gets annoyed with you.


The doctor says I’ll need to …………… on taking tablets for at least a week.


You can ……… that bicycle for as long as you want – I never use it these days.

5.  The film examines the theme of what it is like to live in a strange ……….far from home.


He owned a large amount of ………..in the north of the country, and was said to be extremely rich.


The ……………..in that area is very fertile and supports a wide variety of crops.


Paper 5 SPEAKING


There are two examiners. One (the interlocutor) conducts the test, providing you with the necessary materials and explaining you what you have to do. The other examiner (the assessor) is introduced to you, but then takes no further part in the interaction.


Part 1 (3 minutes)
The interlocutor first asks you and your partner a few questions. The interlocutor asks candidates for some information about themselves, then widens the scope of the questions by asking about, e.g. candidates’ leisure activities, studies, travel and daily life. Candidates are expected to respond to the interlocutor’s questions, and listen to what their partner has to say.


Part 2 (a one-minute ’long turn’ for each candidate, plus 30-second response from the second candidate)


You are each given the opportunity to talk for about a minute, and to comment briefly after your partner has spoken.

The interlocutor gives you a set of pictures and asks you to talk about them for about one minute. It is important to listen carefully to the interlocutor’s instructions. The interlocutor then asks your partner a question about your pictures and your partner responds briefly.


You are then given another set of pictures to look at. Your partner talks about these pictures for about one minute. This time the interlocutor asks you a question about your partner’s pictures and you respond briefly.


Part 3 (approximately 4 minutes)

In this part of the test you and your partner are asked to talk together. The interlocutor places a new set of pictures on the table between you. This stimulus provides the basis for a discussion. The interlocutor explains what you have to do.


Part 4 (approximately 4 minutes)

The interlocutor asks some further questions, which leads to a more general discussion of what you have talked about in Part 3. You may comment on your partner’s answers if you wish.


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Tel: 0722.841.053
E-mail: contact@engleza-de-afaceri.ro.

Learn English/ About the Cambridge examinations (4)

START ENGLISH. Watch, listen, speak. Tips and tricks about English.

As I promised in my previous articles, in this piece I will offer some tips about the First Certificate in English, or the FCE exam.

The tasks for the Cambridge exam FCE are structured as following:

Paper 1 Reading

Paper 2 Writing

Paper 3 Use of English

Paper 4 Listening

Paper 5 Speaking.


Today I will enlarge upon the Speaking paper. As I mentioned in a previous article here, the speaking task is one of the trickiest. The Speaking paper has four parts and you have to manage it with a partner.

In Speaking Part 1 you will ask and be asked questions about yourself, your life, your work or studies, your plans for the future, your family and your interests.

A few tips: even this task sounds simple and pleasant do not rely only on your imagination for it. What I mean by this is to prepare some “short stories” about yourselves and some vivid descriptions of your interests, family and so on. Also do not forget about preparing some questions for your pair, I mean the other candidate. You should also be aware of the fact that, during interacting with your pair, there can be awkward moments of silence that you can counteract by asking extra questions or developing facts about yourself.

Start FCE for 300 lei a month.

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Learn English/ About the Cambridge examinations (3)

I have included useful information about these exams in my previous articles, some of them you can find here and here.

In this piece I will have a few tips about the Reading Paper for the CAE.
You will have one hour and 15 minutes to complete this task. This paper consists of four parts, each containing one text or several shorter pieces. There are 34 questions in total, including multiple choice, gapped texts and multiple matching.
 
The first part of the reading paper usually deals with multiple choice questions. It is basically an easier task as compared with the listening, writing and speaking papers. It involves reading comprehension and I couldn’t help noticing some of my students’ shortcomings concerning this task. Being generally considered easy, students do not focus too much on it. That is why they tend to sometimes choose the wrong answer.

So always read the texts carefully, paying attention to details, because the task is based upon details from the texts and not general ideas. Consequently it is not a good idea to summarize the text but to mind the important details.
More information about my courses for the CAE, the textbooks and rates you can find here.

• Web: www.cursinengleza.ro I  www.engleza-de-afaceri.ro
• Tel: 0722.841.053
• E-mail: contact@engleza-de-afaceri.ro

 

Learn English/ About the Cambridge examinations (2)

I have introduced facts about these examinations in my previous articles and I will expand this topic with some information about the Use of English paper for the CAE.
This paper consists of five parts and it tests the control of the English grammar and vocabulary. There are 50 questions in total and the time frame is one hour.
One of the tasks includes choosing between two different phrases to fill in the gaps in some texts. The task is not difficult but it requires a lot of attention. Sometimes the phrases to fill in can be confusing because they are not very common in everyday language.
A few tips: read the sentences carefully and attentively. Also read them using the two phrases alternatively. Use your sense of the language that you are supposed to have at this level of knowledge to choose the right phrase, when you are not sure whichever is appropriate in that particular sentence.
More about the Use of English paper for the CAE, you can find in the article here.
If you wish to apply for a course, all the information is here.
Next week I will have an article about the Cambridge FCE.

• Web: www.cursinengleza.ro I  www.engleza-de-afaceri.ro
• Tel: 0722.841.053
• E-mail: contact@engleza-de-afaceri.ro

 

The Cambridge examinations (2)

This article will be focused on the Certificate in Advanced English, or the CAE. I will give some advice concerning the Writing paper.

For this test the time frame is one hour and 30 minutes. So you have plenty of time to do it. The writing task consists of two parts, the topic of the first one is compulsory and you have to choose the topic of the second one out of four tasks.

The topics of these tasks are based upon what you have studied during the preparation modules and the pieces of writing can be an article, a report, an essay, a letter, a review, a proposal, a transactional letter, a letter of application, an information sheet etc.

Some of these letters or articles can be formal or informal, so pay attention to the use of English and sometimes you have to choose the appropriate style of writing.

The first piece of writing should be about 180-220 words long, while the second one should be about 220-260 words long. Being rather long, take your time and plan them carefully, in order to finish the papers in due time.
More about the same topic you can find here.

Pentru mai multe informatii va rugam sa ne accesati pagina web:  www.StartEnglish.ro.

The Cambridge examinations

In this article I would give some advice concerning the Certificate in Advanced English or the CAE. The tasks that you have to perform for the CAE are: Reading, Writing, the Use of English, Listening and Speaking. The focus of my article will be on the Use of English test, which includes some grammar and vocabulary exercises.

These are not very difficult and not really based on grammar, because grammar is usually assessed during the other tasks or papers. I noticed that students have difficulties when performing a certain task. Students are given sets of three sentences in which they have to fill the same word. So there are three sentences that lack the same word. The difficulty is that students have to find just one word, but its meaning can be different in the three sentences. Also in a sentence the word can be a noun, in another a verb, sometimes an adjective or other.

A few tips:

First read the sentences thoroughly and compare them from the point of view of the meaning. Firstly you can focus on what kind of word (noun, verb, adjective..) each sentence needs. Secondly you will notice that in one of the sentences the word is rather obvious. If you find the word, check if you can use it in the other two sentences. If not, try to find another one till all three sentences are complete and correct. More on the speaking task for this exam you can find here.

We will have more tips in future articles or provided you need more practice, apply for a course.

Pentru mai multe informatii va rugam sa ne accesati pagina web:  www.StartEnglish.ro.

 

About the Cambridge examinations

As I commented upon in my first article, there will be some articles for students who are preparing to sit in international examinations, such as the Cambridge exams. The examinations (there are two of them, Cambridge the First Certificate and Cambridge the Certificate in Advanced English) are not difficult, but in order to enter the preparation modules, you need to have an Intermediate level of knowledge.

The tasks for the exams are based upon on the typical skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening. In this article I would like to enlarge upon the speaking skill.

Usually for this examination, students are given some sets of pictures and they have to talk about them with a pair, meaning another contestant (be aware, this is not the only task concerning this skill).

My students perform very well during our classes, till we get to the pictures. I notice that they encounter some difficulties, not because they do not have the necessary vocabulary or fluency of the language, but because they do not have imagination. Taking into consideration the fact that they come from different professional backgrounds, this is not a flaw. Also the pictures are very boring and stupid, so you need loads of imagination to say something about them. Being a philologist, I learned how to develop any kind of topic, but for an engineer (doctor, economist..),  it  is very difficult to develop a conversation based upon  the picture of a bloke(guy) running after a bus. And if the contestants stop talking during the examination, the examiners will decide that they do not qualify for the speaking test.

I cannot make my students “grow” their imagination overnight, but here are a few  tips. When receiving the pictures, study them carefully and think of as many words you can, based upon them. Try to brainstorm the pictures. Make assumptions about the pictures. At the exam you can basically say whatever you want, as long as it has something to do with the pictures. Just don’t be silent.  Think of possible questions that you can ask your partner. On the other hand, you can be terribly unlucky and get a partner whose English is poorer than yours. If he stops talking, you should do the talking for him.

Basically, performing well at exams sometimes has many things to do with the phrase “to beat about the bushes”. I will let you find out the meaning.

• Web: www.cursinengleza.ro I  www.engleza-de-afaceri.ro
• Tel: 0722.841.053
• E-mail: contact@engleza-de-afaceri.ro