At B1 level for the Cambridge PET exam, more complex grammar starts to become a factor. Conditionals are one of those grammatical areas that definitely fall into the complex category. B1 level candidates are expected to have control over simple grammar and have some control or at least attempt complex grammar. With these 14 PET transformations, conditionals will be the least of their surprises in the exam.
NOTE: Preliminary (PET) no longer has a Transformations activity as of January 2020
Contents
Conditionals at B1 level
Conditionals is a very broad area of grammar and a challenging one. At B1 level, an exam candidate is not expected to master the intricacies of all conditional forms, but they are expected to be able to form basic conditionals. Here are a few examples of conditionals that could be expected at PET level.
Zero conditional
- If I’m hungry, I have a snack.
- When it’s my birthday, I always have a party.
- I don’t go out with my friends if I have to study for an exam.
1st conditional
- If I miss the bus, I’ll be late for class.
- We will celebrate if we win the match tonight.
- He won’t have any money unless he gets a job.
2nd conditional
- If I were you, I would study more.
- If I could visit any country in the world, I would go to Japan.
You might teach 3rd and mixed conditionals to B1 students and you might encourage them to produce them in writing or speaking. However, I wouldn’t expect them to tested in PET transformations.
Conditionals can be a great resource for students to show off their level and demonstrate their ability, so get as much practice with them as possible.
The Materials
Exam candidates may love them or hate them, but no matter what, they will need to practice PET transformations. Conditionals are an important grammar point at this level and candidates should be able to recognise, use and produce them without too much hesitation.
Here are 14 PET transformations with conditionals on the topic of mobile phones to get used to how they might appear in the exam.
EXAM PART: PET Writing Part 1
EXAM SKILLS: Using grammar appropriate to the level (B1), transformations
TOPIC: Technology (mobile phones)
TIME: 20 minutes
PREPARATION: One copy of the worksheet per student
Download
