cambridge english: key cambridge english: preliminary cambridge english: first for schools or not...

For schools or not for schools – that’s a good question!

Cambridge English: KeyCambridge English: KeyCambridge English: PreliminaryCambridge English: Preliminary

Cambridge English: FirstCambridge English: First

Liceo Scientifico “G. Ancina”FossanoNovember 20th 2012

Marcus TubbyELT ConsultantCambridge University Press

Aims of this seminar• To look at how for schools exam content and

topics reflect the interests and experience of school-age learners

• To explore some classroom ideas for preparing students for the examination

• To introduce a useful resource for teachers – the English Vocabulary Profile

Why choose Cambridge English for Schools?

• A range of tests specifically designed for school-aged children and teenagers, with:

• TASKS that relate to the classroom and will increase enthusiasm for studying English

• TOPICS that are familiar to the age group and will be motivating

Task types

• Identical to Key (KET), Preliminary (PET) and First (FCE), providing:

• Coverage of reading, writing, listening and speaking

• Development of useful sub-skills• Variety of question types• Reliable testing of each CEFR level (A2, B1, B2)

Treatment of topics

• CEFR topics but for a younger age group:

• Shopping: buying a DVD not exchanging a jacket

• House and home: living with family not finding a flat

• World of work: parents’ jobs not weekend jobs

Treatment of topics

• Suitable topic angles for your students?

• Entertainment:

• Sport:

• Food and drink:

Paper 1: Reading and Writing

Paper 1: Reading tasks• Starts with short tasks to build confidence

• Tests basic reading skills, language functions, vocabulary and grammar

• Assesses candidates’ability to understand meaning at word, phrase, sentence, paragraph and text level

• Covers familiar topics, in line with the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) A2 descriptors for reading

• Texts based on real life – signs, notices, articles, etc.

Part 1: matching notices

Reading paper

Which person says

they realised it would be difficult to change the band’s image?it is important to develop in your role as a member of a band?their favourite time was when the band was first together?they nearly lost the opportunity to stay in the band?

16

17

18

19

You are going to read a newspaper article about young pop stars. For questions 16–30, choose from the people (A–E). The people may be chosen more than once.

Part 3

Key - Classroom ideas: Reading • Find short texts online on topics students

enjoy.

• Edit them as necessary to A2 level.

• Write short sentences that are right or wrong.

• Get students to match the sentences to ideas in

the text.

• Give students two‘Doesn’t say’ type sentences (these are often the most challenging in Part 4).

Preliminary & First - Classroom ideas: Reading

• Oxford this summer• English family• Other boy was Italian• Difficult to understand• full of Italians

First - Classroom ideas: Reading

• Interviews• Technology reviews• Graded readers• Online blogs, reviews, articles

• Cross-curricular topics

• Textbook articles• Magazines

What do your students read?

Paper 1: Reading and Writing

Paper 1: Writing tasks• Writing is mostly limited to spelling or

copying words

• Tests understanding and completion of simple personal messages – emails, postcards, short letters

• Final task requires a short message of 25–35 words

• Reflects the CEFR Can Do statements for writing at A2

Paper 1: Part 7 task

Writing paper

Which task – Part 1 or Part 2?

Key - Classroom ideas: Writing • Correct spelling is important in the exam:

• Make spelling fun!

• Give dictionary definitions with jumbled words

• Introduce simple games like ‘hangman’

• Make spelling competitive!

• Team games

Preliminary & First - Classroom ideas: Writing

• Chain writing• Self/Peer correction• Self/peer embellishment

• Use writing examples from handbook

Use of English

For questions 25–34, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to form a word that fits in the gap in the same line. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet.

Example: C ITEPMO T I O0

Skyscraper? No, ‘water-scraper’!

Each year, EV Magazine hosts a skyscraper design (0) … . Most entrants imagine giant buildings taller than anything under constructiontoday. However, the most (25) …… entry this year went the oppositeroute. Malaysian designer Sarly Adre bin Sarkum’s (26) …… to the problem of conceiving a different kind of development was to drop hisbuilding straight downwards into the sea. He deliberately designed it to

COMPETE

IMPRESS

SOLVE

Part 3

N

Classroom ideas: Use of English

Word formation

Paper 2: Listening

Which listening task?

Listening paper

Which task – Part 1, 2, 3 or 4?

Key - Classroom ideas: Listening

•

Part 2 – matching task

Classsroom ideas: Listening

• Work with transcripts to build confidence

• Highlight where the answers come

• Point out the‘distraction’text

• Compare words used in recording and on the question paper

• Point out paraphrasing

• Podcasts

• dictagloss

Dictagloss

Paper 3: Speaking

Paper 3: Speaking

Speaking paper

Paper 5 Speaking What might the

people find difficult about learning to do these different things?

First Speaking: Classroom ideas for Part 2

Speaking classroom activities

• Students write their own activities• Video – use authentic Cambridge English video material – available online

• Sts record themselves

Content and Topics

• What topics do your students enjoy talking about in class?

Content and topics

• CEFR A2 topics include:• Clothes• Entertainment and media• Hobbies and leisure• Personal feelings and experiences• School and study• Sport

Content and topics•Cambridge English: Key for Schools covers the A2 CEFR topics from a school-age perspective:•Suitable for 11–14 year olds

•Texts and topics are accessible and of interest

•All tasks are pretested with students and feedback collected

•Exam preparation relates to real-life skills in English

Classroom ideas: Writing

•

Part 6 – Spelling words in a topic set

Which of these words for clothes do A2 learners know?

Which of these words for clothes do A2 learners know?

Key - Classsroom ideas: Speaking

• Provide regular speaking practice focusing on personal information (Part 1)

• Work on accurate question formation (Part 2)

• Encourage students to make their answers longer, to show their range of language (Parts 1 and 2)

What is Cambridge English: First/ First for Schools?

Why choose Cambridge English: Key for Schools?

Cambridge English: Key for Schools

Exam content and topics targeted at

interests and experiences of

school-age learners

Enables students to take an

internationally recognised exam

and enjoy the exam experience

Exactly the same format and level as Cambridge

English: Key

Support and ideas to prepare students

Gives an accurate

guide of your student’s

level

Is easy and fun to

prepare for in the

classroom

Online resources

• www.cambridge.org/elt• www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org• www.lovegrammar.org• www.cambridgemobileapps.com• www.cambridgeenglishteacher.org

3 reasons to use Cambridge English books for Cambridge English exams

• Cambridge Learner Corpus• Exam content checked by Cambridge ESOL editorial team

• Official preparation material

Thank you!

mtubby@cambridge.orgmarcustubby.wordpress.com