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. […]
First (FCE) Speaking Part 2 Pictures Read More »
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
First (FCE) Song – Fast Car – Tracy Chapman Read More »
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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Are you looking for something to do with your classes before the Christmas break? Whether it’s an exam class or just a normal one, you can never go wrong with a lively Christmas songs listening activity. These have been designed to look the same as a Cambridge exam listening, but the content all comes from
Christmas Songs Listening Read More »
Phrasal verbs are one of the love to hate them areas of the English language, but love them or hate them, they are a vital area to understand before taking an exam, hence this list of phrasal verbs. As you progress through levels of exams, especially Cambridge exams, you’ll notice phrasal verbs coming up more
The 120 most useful phrasal verbs list Read More »
By B2, learners taking an exam should be comfortable using conditionals, which is why we’ve designed 10 First (FCE) conditionals transformations. The key-word transformations activity, Use of English Part 4, is one of the likely areas that where you may encounter conditionals (they could also pop up in Use of English Part 2, the open
First (FCE) B2 Key Word Transformations – Conditionals Read More »
Linking words, also known as linkers, cohesive devices, connectors and transition words, are a vital part of writing. Often when we teach English, we feed vocabulary and phrases to students which, if we’re not careful, can start sounding forced. For me, linking words are the exception to that. I find that a solid lesson with
Linking words – How to improve your writing Read More »
Writing rhetorical questions is a literary device that professional writers love to hate, but if you’re writing an article for an exam, they can be a very useful tool. You may need to write an article in Cambridge Preliminary (PET) or First (FCE) and in Trinity ISE I, II, or III. Writing an article is
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Giving advice is such a key area of functional language. It’s useful in real life and it’s useful for official exams. For the collaborative task in Trinity ISE II and ISE III, it’s essential! This is one of my favourite activities to practise giving advice in a fun and communicative way at B2 level. Your
Giving Advice – Call a Psychiatrist Read More »
On the first day of any new class you need to get to know your students and they need to get to know each other. Every teacher seems to have a few tricks up their sleeves whether it’s ball games, name tags or the classic find someone who. I like to keep it simple with
First day get to know you questions Read More »
