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 […]
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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You need to describe pictures at almost every level of Cambridge exams, but not just any pictures. It’s important to practise with pictures that are similar to what you will find in the exam. In FCE Speaking Part 2, you’ll see pictures connected to a variety of topics which are considered standard at B2 level.
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Whenever I look for a song to do with a class, I look for something that has a story behind it. With this FCE song activity, you’ve got just that. Fast Car is a beautiful song released April 6, 1988 by Tracy Chapman. Spanning a lifetime of hardship, it tells the story of a couple’s
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The Trinity ISE II topic task is a speaking task and one which requires a certain amount of preparation beforehand. You can’t just waltz into the exam room with nothing prepared even if you’ve got the level. It’s a discussion based on a topic that the exam candidate chooses in advance. That’s great news for
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