100 tips cambridge exams

7/22/2019 100 Tips Cambridge Exams

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Annette Capel 2013 1

100 tips and activities for the Cambridge exams Annette Capel

1 Make sure your students are enteringfor the right exam. The CambridgeEnglish Placement Test can help you

confirm this. o online and look at the

demo!http!""###.democpt.cam$ridgetest.org

2 %eep up to date #ith exam changes&

'pecifications are a(aila$le to do#nload

from Cam$ridge )nglish *anguageAssessment. +or example, First for

Schoolsis $eing re(ised for -anuary 201./isit! http!""###.cam$ridgeenglish.org"examsandualifications"firstfor

schools"examupdatefor201"

3 Co(er all four skills of reading, #riting,

listening and speaking in your classes to

gi(e your students the $est chance ofdoing #ell in a Cam$ridge )nglish exam.

4 Think a$out your students in relation

to the C)+ le(els A1 to C2. hich le(el

ha(e they reached4 5o# do you kno#4

5 +ind out more a$outthe C)+ le(els $y(isiting the )nglish 6rofile #e$site,

#here you can #atch a short (ideo!

http!""###.englishprofile.org

6 7se the English Vocabulary Profile to

get suggestions of suita$le (oca$ulary at

the right C)+ le(el. 'ign up for free at!http!""###.englishprofile.org"index.

php"resources"#ordlists"freesu$scription

7 i(e your students plenty of practice in#riting different text types. +rom 201,

the First/ First for Schools exam #ill co(eressays 86art 19, articles, re(ie#s, stories

and informal letters or emails 86art 29.

8 )ncourage your :1 or :2 students toread things in )nglish online, such asshort re(ie#s of their fa(ourite music.

!ocab"lar# activit# "sing the $!%

&opic vocab"lar# for A2

;magine you are teaching the topic of+ood and drink to an A2 class. 7se the

Ad(anced search facility to select suita$le

nouns. Then choose six #ords that may$e ne# for your students, for example!

chilli, dessert, garlic, honey, sauce, slice.rite simple definitions in the style ofKey for Schoolsriting 6art


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15 i(e students exposure to common

)nglish #ords #ith se(eral meanings,such as take andgive. These #ords are

(ery po#erful as they are used so often.

16 !ocab"lar# activit# "sing the $!%

%hrase b"ilding

et students to make phrases #ith these(er$s. 'ome nouns can go #ith more

than one (er$.

/er$s! gi(e keep reach take #ait

@@@@@ a party@@@@@ a $reak

@@@@@ a call

@@@@@ a conclusion@@@@@ an exam

@@@@@ a promise@@@@@ a $us

@@@@@ a sho#er

@@@@@ a momenthich (er$ is used the most4

17 ;ntroduce simplified multiplechoice

comprehension early on in a course, $y

reducing the num$er of #rong options.

18 )ncourage students at lo#er le(els to

say as much as they can #hen speaking.They #ill pro$a$ly get a higher mark in

their 'peaking test if they ha(e the

confidence to extend their responses.

1 'pend fi(e minutes re(ising topic

#ords from a pre(ious lesson. 'tudentscan $rainstorm ideas in teams and then

use the language in a #ritten home#ork.

20 Train students to read more

efficiently and explain that they #on>tal#ays need to read an exam text #ord

$y #ord. The multiple matching tasks

reuire scanning techniues to findspecific information.

21 7se the Cam$ridge assessment scales

to mark #ritten home#ork. The foursu$scales are Content, Communicati(e

achie(ement, rganisation and

*anguage.

22 emind students that in a Cam$ridge

)nglish listening test e(erything is heardt#ice, so they can check their ans#ers

and complete any missing ones.

23 Think a$out the differences $et#een

:2 and C1 students. ne C)+ Can dostatement suggests that C1 learners Bcan

make critical remarks or express

disagreement #ithout causing offence>.hat language #ill they need to do this4

24 Make sure your students ha(e seen

examples of the exam ans#er sheets.


%hrasal verbs for '2

raft a uiD to gi(e your :2 students,

using the ictionary examples in )/6

entries to gi(e you typical contexts.

1 hat might take off4 i(e another

example.

A a $usiness

: a #alk

C a coat

2 ho do you take after4 )xplain#hy.

A my mother: my grandfather

C someone else

26 'earch online for interesting images to

use for speaking practice in class.

27 +ind #ays to acti(ate kno#ledge of

phrasal (er$s. Appropriate informal use

of these impresses examiners&


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28 )ncourage A2 students to gi(e

detailed ans#ers to the Key/ Key for

Schoolsinstruction Tell me something

about your family/ your favourite film/

your last holiday, etc!"

2 *ook for e(idence of Communicati(e

achie(ement in your students> #riting ?ha(e they used the right register and

tone4 hat is the effect on the reader4

30 :ro#se the list of functions in thePreliminary/ Preliminary for Schools

5and$ook and think of #ays to elicit this

language in class. As an example, for

Bexpressing degrees of certainty anddou$t> you could put a set of phrases on

the $oard and ask students to order themfrom most certain 819 to least certain.

31 e(elop your students> (oca$ulary $ygetting them to record #ord families and

add to the sets. There are #ord formationtasks on First/ First for Schools,#dvanced

and Proficiency.


(ord formation

Choose t#o #ords from an )/6 ordfamily panel and gi(e students sentences

#here one #ord is missing. +or example!

The person #ho directsa film is the@@@@@.. . 8(er$ and noun9

Word family:

Nouns: direction, directions, director

Verbs: direct

Adjectives: direct, indirect

Adverbs: directly, indirectly

;f there is a difference$et#een t#othings, they are @@@@@. from each

other. 8noun and adEecti(e9

33 ork on any particular sounds that

your students find difficult in )nglish ?their pronunciation #ill $e assessed in

the 'peaking test.

34 e(ise $asic grammar points #ith :1

and :2 students so that their accuracy

impro(es ? errors in simple structureslike present simple 3rdperson singular

form $sreally shouldn>t $e happening&


)dioms for C1 and C2

Fou can search for idioms relating to a

topic or #ord. hich idiom #ith take fits

in the text $elo#4

ne of these nouns features in the idiom make idioms #ith takeusing the others.

board breath eyes heart %lunge &ay

Id wanted to move to a place of my own for

ages but living at home with my parents was

just so easy. Not only that, the apartments I

could afford were either way out of town orreally tiny. Eventually I found one at a

reasonable rent and I loved the place as soon

as I walked through the door. So... I

and went for it. I moved

in the same day.

8take the %lungeis at C2 in the )/69

36 +ocus on rganisation in some of

your home#ork feed$ack. ;s the order

of ideas logical4 5a(e suita$le linkingphrases $een used4 oes the piece of

#riting reuire more 8or fe#er9paragraphs4

37 i(e A2 students the chance to askuestions #ith &hat, &here, &hen, ho&

much, etc., as training for Key/ Key forSchools 6aper 3 6art 2


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Annette Capel 2013 G

38 'uggest that :2 students use more

ad(er$s in their #riting. ords likea%%arently, eventually, generally, highly,

and sur%risingly sho# a good range of

language and add interest for the reader.

3 Ask students to record themsel(es at

home regularly, so they can see they aremaking progress. They #ill then $ecome

more confident for their 'peaking test.

40 Make sure students can spell the days

of the #eek correctly. The learner data inthe Cambridge 'earner Cor%ussho#s that

ednesday is a particular pro$lem

8ensday, ednsday, edensday9.

41 +ocus on #ord order in sentences anduestions. 'tudents often make mistakes

in this area.

42 emind students that in an open cloDe

task 8Key/ Key for Schools6aper 1 6art H,First/ First for Schools6aper 1 6art 29,

each ans#er is only one#ord.

43 e(ise (oca$ulary for pre(ious topicsregularly, or students #on>t $e a$le to

recall all the ne# #ords.


&opic vocab"lar# for '1

'elect G< #ords from three topics in theAd(anced 'earch menu and put them on

the $oard mixed together. Ask students tosort them $y meaning. +or example at :1!

ant, athlete, button, coach, collar, frog,

goalkee%er, heel, %enguin, sandal, tiger,

tournament

Animals Clothes 'portant

'tudents could then include the #ords

from one topic in a #ritten home#ork.

45 Make sure students can start and end

letters and emails accurately. A commonmistake at :1 and :2 is B; look for#ard to

hearfrom you> 8needs the gerund form9.

46 )ncourage students to impro(e their

range of language, especially #ith regard

to adEecti(es ? instead of usinggreatallthe time, they can use #ords such as

a&esome, fantastic, lovely, &onderful, etc.

47 Consider ha(ing a selection of graded

readers> titles that students can choose.)xtensi(e reading gi(es students more

confidence in their language kno#ledge.

48 ork closely #ith teachers of other

su$Eects if your school has introducedC*;* ? you need to focus on functional

language needed for defining, descri$ing,

e(aluating, explaining, etc.

4 ra# students> attention to #ords#ith similar spelling ? for example,to, too

andt&o! )xam candidates freuently

make mistakes #ith these simple #ords.

50 'uggest students contri$ute to a class

$log in )nglish, taking it in turns to postsomething that interests them.


!erbs in the passive

There are 3G (er$s listed up to :2 le(el

that are often used in the passi(e in oneor more meanings 8this is a search

a(aila$le in the rammar menu9. 7se

some of the dictionary examples in amatching acti(ity!

1 ; #as hired $y2 The meeting has $een scheduled for

3 'he is regarded as

G Motor (ehicles are prohi$ited from

a dri(ing in the to#n centre.

$ the first company ; applied to.

c tomorro# afternoon.d one of the greatest singers this century.


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Annette Capel 2013

52 Tell students that if they use American

)nglish (oca$ulary and spelling in theexam, they should use it consistently

throughout their ans#ers. Mixing :ritish

and American spelling sho#s a lack ofcontrol and #ould $e marked do#n.

53 +ind out a$out the re(isedspecifications for Cambridge English

#dvanced (ia this #e$ address!http!""###.cam$ridgeenglish.org"

examsandualifications"ad(anced"

examupdatefor201"There #ill $e four papers not fi(e from

-anuary 201 and the exam #ill $e a$out

G minutes shorter than it is no#.

54 Train students to look for specificinformation across texts and to recognise

similar or opposing (ie#s. 6aper 1 6art in the Category menu and

then select Binformal> in the 7sage menu.

Fou #ill get 1H matches for :1 and 2G for:2. rite some phrases on the $oard and

ask students to suggest #hen they might

$e used in a con(ersation. +or example, at:2!

Fair enough 8accepting an opinion ordecision9

Kee% your mouth shut+ 8to #arn someone9on-t ask me+ 8expressing surprise #henyou don>t kno# the ans#er to a uestion9

Pretty much 8meaning almost e(erything9

emind students that informal language#ill not al#ays $e appropriate for use in

the exam.

66 i(e students some practice in

#riting in capital letters, #hich they mayha(e to do in certain parts of the exam ?

for example, in First/ First for Schools6aper 1 6arts 2, 3 and G and 6aper 3 6art

2.

67 :uild students> confidence inlistening to longer recordings $y

gi(ing them the scripts to $egin #ith.This #ill help them to follo# a discussion

or a monologue.

68 Tell students to include a clearconclusion in the final paragraph of an

essay, #here they sum up their opinions.

6 emind students that they cannot

add an ?s to uncounta$le nouns. TheCam$ridge *earner Corpus sho#s that

students at most le(els make mistakes#ith #ords like advice, e.ui%ment,

information, kno&ledge, research, &ork!

70 Check #ell $efore the exam date that

students kno# ho# much time is

a(aila$le for each paper, and discuss

likely timing issues #ith them.

71 Consider putting students in for

6retesting ? they #ill gain practice inans#ering exam tasks in a set amount of

time and a mark is gi(en, #hich #ill help

you to identify any #eaker students.

72 )ncourage students #riting a report

to include an introduction, #here theysay #hat the report #ill co(er. 8This task

#ill remain on 6aper 2 6art 2 for Firstand#dvanced in 2019.

73 /isit the Cam$ridge )nglish T/ site,#hich includes examples of 'peaking test

performance, on!

http!""###.youtu$e.com"user"cam$ridgeenglisht(

74 +indCam$ridge )nglish *anguage

Assessment on +ace$ook!

https!""###.face$ook.com"Cam$ridge)nglish;taly

75 *ook at the )nglish 6rofile ord of

the eek archi(e, #here you #ill find

interesting facts a$out 120 common#ords in )nglish!http!""###.englishprofile.org"index.php

"resources"#ordofthe#eek


(ords *ith several meanings

*ook at the entry for make! There are


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Annette Capel 2013 H

77 'et regular #riting tasks for

home#ork, $ut $rainstorm ideas in classso that students kno# #hat to include.

78 )xplain #hy the other options are#rong in a multiplechoice reading task.

7 emind students #ho are taking theComputer$ased exams that they #ill see

a timer on the screen. This #ill help themto complete all the tasks #ithin the time.

80 )ncourage students tothink carefullya$out #hy they are #riting something,

and #ho they are #riting to ? this #ill

help them produce appropriate language.

81 Ad(ise students not to lea(e anyans#ers $lank in the exam ? they might

guess correctly and there are no points

deducted for #rong ans#ers.

82 'uggest that students skim a readingtext to get a general idea a$out its

content $efore they start ans#ering its

uestions.


&opic vocab"lar# for '2

'tudents #ill already kno# the core

(oca$ulary for many topics $y :2. 7se the

topic search and B:2 only> to prepare Bodd

one out> sets, #hich students can discussand explain. ;nclude one lo#er le(el

Bkno#n> #ord in each set!Animals!%a&, s%ecies, tail, &ing 8s%ecies

is not a $ody part9

Iatural #orld! aluminium, co%%er,

element, silver 8element descri$es the

other three metals96eople! appearance! elegant, smart,

unattractive, &ellbuilt 8unattractive

refers to a negati(e aspect of appearance9'port and games! lead, .ualify, score,

tackle 8.ualify means Breach a particular

stage> so does not apply during a match9

84 emind students to #rite in a

consistent style throughout an ans#er.

85 /ary the #ays in #hich you gi(e

feed$ack on students> #riting, perhapsEust commenting on one aspect of the

assessment scale, eg rganisation.

86 e(ise uses of modal (er$s that are

rele(ant for Keyand Preliminary

87 emem$er to gi(e students some

positi(e feed$ack to $uild confidence.

88 )ncourage students to keep calm in

the 'peaking test. ;f they are relaxed, they#ill $e a$le to gi(e a $etter performance.

8 )xplain #hat happens on the day8s9 of

their exam, so students arri(e prepared.

0 :rainstorm #ays of adding suspense

or drama into a First for Schools story.


%hrases for essa#s'earch for phrases that are likely to $ene# at C1 8choose le(el BC1 only>9 and

add BinJ> to the #ord $ox ? this yields 3phrases, including!

in the event of speculatingin the form of exemplifyingin the region of estimatingin res%ect of linking

in no &ay emphasising 8not9in short summariDing

6ut these phrases on the $oard #ith thefunctional clues, and ask students to

suggest appropriate use in an essay.

2 Tell students #hat they can and can>t

take into the exam room ? no phones orta$lets are allo#ed, o$(iously&

3 i(e students practice in completing

the exam Ans#er 'heets in pencil.


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Annette Capel 2013 K

4 )licit fuller #ays of descri$ing colour,

such as dark blue, rich red, %ale green!


(ord formation for '2 and C1'elect #ords #ith negati(e prefixes

86refix menu9 $ut gi(e students the

Bpositi(e> (ersions and elicit the correctnegati(e prefix. +or example!

a%%rove 8dis9, legally 8il9, realistic 8un9

These prefixes are (ery rele(ant to 6aper

1 of First/ First for Schools and#dvanced!

6 'uggest that students re(ise tense

formation so that they can #rite a$outpast and future e(ents confidently.

7 emind students to make a

paragraph plan $efore they start apiece of #riting.

8 efer to the Cam$ridge )nglish exams5and$ooks if you are in dou$t a$out any

task do#nloada$le from the #e$site.

on>t forget to #ish your students the

(ery $est of luck for exam success.

100 +ind a comforta$le chair and relax

#ith a cup of coffee ? if you>(e read all ofthese tips, you deser(e a $reak& )nEoy

your teaching for Cam$ridge exams.

100 tips cambridge exams

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