Phrasal verbs are a huge challenge for English language learners, and for that reason, so are key word transformations with phrasal verbs. At the Cambridge B2 First (FCE) level, phrasal verbs are certain to appear in Use of English activities and key word transformations are no exception. The challenge when you come across these words […]
First (FCE) B2 Key Word Transformations – Phrasal Verbs Read More »
Letters and emails are probably the most practical writing type in the exam. Personally, I write emails almost every day. Letters, not so much. I’m not quite sure if I’ve ever hand-written and posted a letter to be honest. However, emails to clients or job application cover letters are definitely things which I’ve written at
Informal vs formal letters and emails Read More »
Writing a review is an option in many different English language exams, and films are such an obvious choice for reviews, so knowing how to write a film review is pretty important. It’s a great topic for the classroom too. Everyone watches films and there is a lot of opportunity to teach vocabulary, either film-related
How to write a film review Read More »
Just a Minute is a BBC Radio 4 panel show where panellists are asked to talk for one minute, without hesitation, about a topic. This game can be adapted fantastically to a whole host of ESL classroom situations and contexts. I’ve played it with adults, teens, and even young learners. Depending on the class and
Just a Minute Topics Read More »
I’m a big fan of lists. Shopping lists, to do lists, meal plan lists, hopes and dreams lists, and even lists about lists. When teaching or learning English, lists aren’t the type of fun communicative task that modern language teaching thrives on, but lists get the job done. That’s why I spent time developing this
Gerunds and Infinitives List Read More »
Want to make sure your Christmas speaking activities have value for your students? By using an exam style activity, you can add some festive spirit to your lesson AND your students can practice their exam skills. The following Christmas speaking activities have been designed to look like Cambridge First (FCE) and Advanced (CAE) Speaking Parts
Christmas Speaking Activities Read More »
Passing a B2 level Cambridge exam is a big deal and only the best First Certificate books will get you there. For lower levels you may have been able to rely on materials you found online or your natural ability in English learnt at school, but for most people the Cambridge First (FCE) exam is
The best First Certificate books Read More »
IELTS Speaking is an informal conversation with the examiner. It’s the same for both the Academic and General Training versions of the exam. There are 3 parts of the speaking test. For part 1, you’ll discuss a series of IELTS Speaking Part 1 questions with the examiner. About IELTS Speaking Part 1 IELTS Speaking Part
120 IELTS Speaking Part 1 Questions Read More »
Writing Part 1 of IELTS: Academic features writing a 150 word description of a graph or a process. To succeed in this writing task, you have to give precise and clear details about the graph that you are provided. This is very specific language, but once you’ve done it a few times, you can rinse
IELTS Academic Writing Part 1 – Describing change and surveys Read More »
The essay task at Cambridge B2 First (FCE) level might be one of the first times learners encounter a truly formal writing task. At the previous level, B1 Preliminary (PET), all the writing tasks are relatively casual and informal. This is where the First Certificate writing forces candidates to prove they really know how to
First (FCE) Essay Questions Read More »
