Cambridge English: First

Writing and Speaking

2

Handout 1 FCE Writing Task types

Complete the task descriptions, numbered 1–7, with the missing task types below.

a letter an email a report an essay

an article a short story a review

1) ........................ is written in response to the situation outlined in the input

information. Candidates can expect to write to, for example, a college principal, an

English speaking friend or a colleague.

2) ........................is usually written for an English language magazine. The main

purpose is to engage the interest of the reader. Effective answers have a clear

storyline which links coherently to the prompt sentence and demonstrates a sound

grasp of narrative tenses.

3) ........................is written for an English language magazine or newspaper, and

the reader is assumed to have similar interests to the writer. The main purpose is

to interest and engage the reader, so there should be some opinion or comment.

4) ...................... is usually written for a superior or a peer group. Candidates are

expected to give some factual information and make suggestions and

recommendations. It should be clearly organised and may include headings.

5) ......................... is written in response to the situation outlined in the question. It

requires a response which is consistently appropriate in register and tone. It could

be written to, e.g. an English speaking friend or colleague, a potential employer, a

college principal or a magazine editor.

6) ..................... is usually written for an English language magazine, newspaper or

website. The main purpose is to describe and express a personal opinion about

something which the writer has experienced and to give the reader a clear

impression of what the item discussed is like. Descriptions, explanation and

recommendation are key functions to this task.

7) ...................... is usually written for a teacher and may be written as a follow-up

to a class activity. It should be well organised with an introduction, clear

development and an appropriate conclusion. The main purpose of the task is the

development of an argument and/or discussion of issues surrounding a certain

topic. Candidates are expected to give reasons for their opinions.

3

Handout 2 Example answers to Writing Part 1

Example Answer A

Example Answer B

Example Answer C

4

Handout 3 Part 1 question

FCE Writing Part 1

You must answer this question. Write your answer in 120–150 words in an appropriate

style on the opposite page.

You have arranged to visit your English-speaking friend, Chris, for the weekend. Read Chris’s letter, and the notes you have made. Then write a letter to Chris, using all

your notes.

Write your letter. You must use grammatically correct sentences with accurate spelling

and punctuation in a style appropriate for the situation.

No, because …

Say which and why

Hi! I’m so glad you can come and stay with me for the

weekend. There’s a Science Festival in my city that

weekend and I thought we could go to it.

The Festival Programme looks great. We can go to the

exhibition in the morning, but in the afternoon we have to

choose one of these talks: ‘Can Animals Speak?’ which is

about animal communication, or ‘The Power of the Sun’.

Which would you prefer?

Is there anything else you need to know about

the festival?

Finally, would you like to stay with me for a bit longer?

There’s so much that I want to show you.

See you soon.

Best wishes

Chris

Yes!

Ask Chris about …

5

Handout 4: Extracts from answers to Part 1

Here are examples of how some candidates handled the prompts. Each bullet point is

from a separate answer. Identify what the problem is with each one.

Prompt 1

Great to hear from you. I haven’t been back to the park that you and I explored

together last time you came to see me – it was such fun and I still enjoy looking

at the photos.

I don’t mind going to the festival with you.

Prompt 2

I would prefer ‘the power of the sun’.

I would like to go the talk on animal communication because it will be

more interesting.

Both talks seems to be nice but I prefer Can Animals Speak because it is nice

to learn about the communication of for example Mondays.

Prompt 3

Can you pick me up from the station?

Prompt 4

No because I will take an exam next week.

I’m sorry I mustn’t stay in your home longer.

6

Handout 5: Teaching ideas for Part 1 prompts

Three strategies for handling Part 1 prompts are:

1. Always get learners to plan their answers before writing and, where possible,

to plan orally with a partner. Set questions for learners to discuss and answer such

as:

What is the scenario?

Who are they writing to?

What reason could they give for not being able to stay longer, etc.

1. This will help them use the appropriate register and include appropriate content.

2. Show learners contrasting sample answers, some strong and some weak. The weak

answers can help learners to understand and avoid weaknesses and the strong

answers can be a source of ideas and language. Vary when you do this – showing

sample answers before learners write their own answers can be a helpful way to

guide learners in their writing, although at times you will want to challenge them

more and show the sample answers after they have written their answers, so they

can compare.

3. Examine prompts from past papers, identifying:

exactly what they have to do (e.g. expand, ask a question, give a reason)

the functional language required (e.g. explaining, suggesting, requesting

information)

what each should be about (focus on relevance).

Candidates could then brainstorm several variations of what they could write.

7

Handout 6: Part 1 gapped answer

Dear Chris,

Thank you very much for your quick reply. I’m so happy that I found a free weekend to

visit you.

1 __________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

You know, because of my job I haven’t so much time to visit such festivals.

2 __________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

But if you would rather listen to the other one it’s okay as well.

I have two questions about it. I would like to know

3 __________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Unfortunately, I can’t stay longer because

4 _________________________________________________________________.

___________________________________________________________________

I’m looking forward to seeing you soon!!

Lots of love

1

A It would be fantastic if we could go to this Science Festival in your city.

I’m very keen on science and it would be a great chance for me.

B I would like to go to the festival with you.

2

A I think the ‘Power of the Sun’ is more interesting.

B I would prefer the talk about animal communication. I love animals

and when I was a child I always annoyed my mother with questions

about them.

3

A how long it would be in your city and are there any facilities for example

games or exhibitions especially for children?

B I can see other talks at the festival and they are interesting.

4 A Next week I have an important exam and I failed it.

B I have so much to do for my job.

8

Handout 7: Key to Part 1 gapped answer

1

A It would be fantastic if we could go to this Science Festival in your city.

I’m very keen on science and it would be a great chance for me.

B I would like to go to the festival with you. The candidate hasn’t given

a reason.

Sample improved version: I would love to go to the festival with you

because science is my favourite subject at school.

2

A I think the ‘Power of the Sun’ is more interesting. The prompt isn’t

developed so there is a very limited range of language

Sample improved version: I think the ‘Power of the Sun’ sounds

fascinating as global warming is such an important issue.

B I would prefer the talk about animal communication. I love animals

and when I was a child I always annoyed my mother with questions

about them.

3

A how long it would be in your city and are there any facilities for example

games or exhibitions especially for children?

B I can see other talks at the festival and they are interesting. The candidate

hasn’t formed questions.

Sample improved version: if I can see other talks at the festival and

whether there are any other interesting ones?

4

A next week I have an important exam and I failed it. The candidate hasn’t

used the correct tense and so it is confusing.

Sample improved version: next week I have an important exam and

I must study hard because I don’t want to fail it

B I have so much to do for my job.

9

Handout 8: Key to ‘Frequently confused words’

Key:

1. The festival will take part next weekend.

The festival will take place next weekend or I will take part in the festival

next weekend.

The candidate is confusing the phrasal verbs take part and take place, perhaps

because they look very similar and they can both be used when talking about

festivals, shows, etc.

2. We don’t want to lose our visit to the museum.

We don’t want to miss our visit to the museum.

The candidate is confusing the verbs miss and lose as both can mean something is

absent.

3. I was there and it was greatful.

I was there and it was great.

The candidate is confusing the adjectives great and grateful, thinking that they

are one word or belong to the same family as they are pronounced the same.

4. I’m writing a book named ‘The World’.

I am writing a book called ‘The World’.

The candidates is confusing named and called as they both refer to what

something’s name is and they are using the more formal named instead of

the less formal called.

5. You can’t miss to order the wine.

You shouldn’t forget to order the wine.

The candidate is confusing the modal verbs for advice shouldn’t and can’t as well

as miss and forget, as in some languages there aren’t two separate words for these

concepts, and they both express absence.

10

Handout 9 Worksheet: What kind of mistake?

Impeding – prevents understanding

Non-impeding – we understand despite the mistake

1. I hate it when Mum asks me to keep a foot on my little

sister. I don’t like looking after her.

2. I always help my mother make the housework.

3. Jane likes opera and nor do I.

4. I’ll take an umbrella so that it rains.

5. I have a really high tree growing in my garden.

6. You can walk – the post office is far from here.

7. He doesn’t really enjoy to play tennis.

8. I’m interested on history – I love reading historical books.

9. I met him tomorrow.

10 If you had studied harder, you will pass the exam.

11

Handout 10 Part 1 answers Script A Dear Chris Thank you for your answer. I'am very happy to hear from you again. I would love to join you at the Science Festival. It must be a lot of fun. I am very fond of going to the exhibition in the morning. I would like to choose the talk about animal communication. It must be very interesting to hear about the different possibilities for communication with animals. I heard about a monkey which can remember arround 250 signs and is able to use them for communication with its trainer. Can you imagine that? It is maybe possible to discuss that. Can we see some chemistry experiments in the morning? Unfortunately I can't stay a bit longer with you, because I have a lot of work to do and a very important exam to prepare for. I am looking forward to see you again. Best regards Script B Hi Chris

I'm looking forward visiting you in London. It's a nice idea to go to this Science Festival. I didn't know, that there's going to be one in your city. We're going to take this chance. It will be interesting. Now here are my toughts about the two different talks. The first one named "Can Animals Speak?" would be funny for sure, but the other one named "The Power of the Sun" would be better, because it is something for the future. Maybe I can use something from it for my job as IT‐ Specialist. This one has a bit more to do with techniks. By the way, what's the name of the festival? I want to read in the internet about it, what's important to see at this festival. How many people will be there? It's a pitty that I can't stay longer. I have to go, to school on Monday. Best wishes

12

Handout 11 Part 2 question

You have seen this announcement in an international

magazine.

Write your article.

Talk about what you would expect in terms of:

1. Content

2. Communicative conventions

3. Organisation

4. Language

MY FAVOURITE TEACHER

Tell us about a favourite teacher of yours and say what

you remember about him or her.

We will publish the most interesting articles next month.

13

1) You have seen this announcement in an international magazine:

Friendship Today

How do you make friends?

Do friends have to agree on everything?

The best articles will be published in next month’s magazine.

Write your article.

Handout 12 Part 2 answer

Part 2 question

14

Handout 13 Part 2 answer

Friendship Today

What is the basic of a real friendship?

The new electronic world give us a lot of opportunities about friendship. With

differant tools like Facebook is it easier to keep relations actif even if you're

fare away from your friend and thats great.

But is it necessary to comunicate in the same way with friends which are

next to you? If we do so, we will loose the face to face contact and that's not

great.

Friendship is something very individual and is based on differant

circumslances as I already mentionned. The most important thing is to be

honest with your friends, even if he/she has another opignon. The basis of a

friendship is confidence, acceptance and it doesn't matter where you're

friend is located.

Sometimes is it ok to have another point of view to build up a deeper own

meaning.

Take care of your friends!

15

Discourse management definitions

Here are some areas which are assessed under the broad heading of Discourse

management. Can you match an item to its definition?

Relevance 1) Words and phrases which explicitly state the

relationships between sentences, paragraphs and

ideas. Examples are: so, as a result, and, in addition,

however, on the other hand, finally.

Coherence and

cohesion

2) The stretch of language produced (which is more than

just a short phrase) should be appropriate to the task.

Long turns expect longer stretches of language, but a

task involving discussion will include shorter responses.

Cohesive devices 3) What the candidate says should be related to the task

and not about something else.

Extent 4) This means that a contribution is unified and structurally

organised, and it is easy to follow the progression of

ideas. One way of doing this is to use cohesive devices,

but candidates can also use related vocabulary and

reference pronouns.

16

Sample Speaking test: Ottavia and Hannah

Part 1

Watch Ottavia and Hannah in Part 1 of the Speaking test, and decide whether the

following comments refer to Ottavia, Hannah or both of them:

Answers questions fluently and mostly accurately.

Answers questions with little hesitation, only to gather thoughts.

Speaks rather hesitantly at times.

Speaks rather fast at times (maybe due to nerves) but shows good fluency.

Occasional inappropriate usage.

Sometimes tails off at the ends of her utterances.

Some inaccuracies but corrects herself naturally.

Extends where necessary.

Part 2

Listen carefully to the interlocutor’s instructions to Ottavia. Does he ask her to

describe the two photos? Her other task is to say why the people have chosen to

communicate in the different ways shown in the photos.

Now listen to Ottavia speaking for a minute. Does she do as the interlocutor

instructed?

How well does Hannah answer her follow-up question about the internet?

Hannah is asked what people might find difficult about learning to ski or to cook.

Does she address her task well?

How well does Ottavia answer her follow-up question about cooking?

As a teacher, what correction point would you focus on, to deal with accuracy, after

watching this part?

17

Part 3

According to Cambridge ESOL assessors, both candidates interact well, Hannah very

well. Watch the clip and note how the two candidates interact.

What phrases do they use to develop the interaction?

How could they interact better with each other?

What does Hannah do that Ottavia does not in terms of developing the discussion?

How do they move the discussion along?

Do they reach a decision?

Part 4

Below are some comments by Cambridge ESOL examiners on the performances of the

two candidates. Watch the video clip of Part 4, then fill in the gaps with a suitable word

from the list.

pronunciation, fluency, little, extends, range, structures, fully, personal, all,

vocabulary, hesitant, grammatical, develops, inaccurate

Ottavia answers ………… her questions and tries to extend her answers a ……...... . She

is less hesitant when talking about …………….. experiences. This seems to give her

confidence and her …………… improves. She shows a good range of ……………. and

……………., but is sometimes rather ………………. .

Hannah answers all her questions ………….. , she ……………… her ideas and

…………… where she can. She is sometimes …………………. when she is trying to

explain complex ideas, and has occasional …………………… problems (for example

with singular and plural), although her ……………. of vocabulary is good.

The …………………… of both candidates is easily understood.

Why have the people chosen to communicate in these different ways?

18

What might the people find difficult about learning to do these different things?

19

How could these different things help the students to learn about life in another country?

Which two would be most useful for the students?

21

20

Worksheet: What is the best answer?

A) Read these extracts of different students completing Part 1 of the Cambridge English:

First Speaking test. Then answer the questions that follow.

Student 1:

Examiner: Where are you from?

Student: Barcelona

Examiner: Do you like living there?

Student: Yes.

Examiner: Why?

Student: My family. My friends.

Student 2:

Examiner: Where are you from?

Student: Barcelona, in Spain.

Examiner: Do you like living there?

Student: Of course! All my friends and my family live there and there are many

things to do. Barcelona is a very popular city!

Student 3:

Examiner: Where are you from?

Student: I am from Barcelona. It is the second-biggest city in Spain and the

biggest city in Catalonia in the north-east of Spain. It has a population

of more than 4 million people. Barcelona is very popular with tourists

because it is a beautiful city and has many attractions for visitors to see,

especially the famous architecture of Gaudi. It is also an industrial city

and the textile, chemical and pharmaceutical sectors are all big

employers in the region. It is also famous for football …

Which answer do you think is the best? Which one sounds most natural?

B) To practise for Part 1 of the Cambridge English: First Speaking test, discuss

these questions with your partner. Try to make your answers as natural-sounding

as possible.

How do you get to work/school/college every day?

What is your favourite time of the year? Why?

Do you like listening to music? What kind of music do you listen to?

Are you more of a morning person or an evening person?

What do you like to do with your friends?

21

Classroom activity: Part 2 – answering the question

Timing 10 minutes

Materials One copy each of worksheet (A): Answering the question for half the

class, and one copy each of worksheet (B): Answering the question for

half the class.

Rationale This activity helps students focus on answering the second question

in Part 2 of the test, going beyond simply comparing and contrasting the

photographs. It could be used at any time during a Cambridge English:

First preparation course.

Procedure

1. Ask students to remind you of the format of Part 2 of the Cambridge English: First

Speaking test. Clarify that they must speak alone about two photographs. They

always have two questions to answer, one is to compare and contrast

the two photographs and the second usually develops on the theme of

the photographs.

2. Before giving out the worksheets, explain to students that they cannot show their

worksheet to their partner, and that after they read their questions, they must fold

their worksheet so that their partner can see their photographs, but not the question.

You might want to demonstrate by folding the page appropriately for students. Tell

students that while they are speaking, their partner’s job is to guess what the second

question is.

3. Distribute the worksheet (A): Answering the question to one person in each pair.

Ensure that they read the question before folding the page and showing the

photographs to their partner. Give student A a minute to speak and then ask student

B in each pair to guess what the question was.

4. Distribute the worksheet (B): Answering the question to the students who listened

the last time. Ensure that they read the question, fold the page and show the

photographs to their partner. Give them a minute to speak and then allow time for

student A to guess the supplementary question.

5. In feedback, you can discuss whether students guessed right or wrong and you

could give (or elicit from students) some good examples of ways to answer the

questions that they have just discussed.

22

Worksheet (A): Answering the question

Student A

You are going to answer the following questions about the photographs. Read the

questions, but do not tell your partner what the questions are. Fold the sheet and show

the photographs to your partner, but do not show them the questions.

Here are two photographs of people eating. Compare and contrast the

photographs and say what you think the people are enjoying about eating

in these situations.

****************fold here***************************fold here*********************************

23

Worksheet (B): Answering the question

You are going to answer the following questions about the photographs. Read the

questions, but do not tell your partner what the questions are. Fold the sheet and show

the photographs to your partner, but do not show them the questions.

Here are two photographs of people with animals. Compare and contrast

the photographs and say why you think the animals are important to these

people’s lives.

****************fold here***************************fold here*********************************

24

Practising comparative structures

Timing 20–30 minutes, depending on the number of students in class

Materials Pairs of photographs brought in by the students

Rationale This relates to Part 2 of the test. It should be more motivating for students

if they bring in their own photographs, for example of singers, actors,

sports, animals, etc. This activity works best when the photographs are all

on the same theme. Students will practise using comparative structures

and focusing on the language as they write sentences, then try to match

them to visuals. Students need to be able to use comparatives structures

– this is a good practice activity after doing written exercises on this

language point. The activity also involves moving around the room, which

is another advantage when teaching restless teenagers.

Procedure

6. Put the students’ pairs of photographs around the classroom, keeping each pair

together. Give pairs of students some strips of paper to write each sentence on.

7. Students walk around in pairs, and write one sentence for each pair of photos. Tell

students not to make it too obvious which pictures the sentences refer to.

For example, for a pair of pictures showing cycling and walking, ‘the first sport

is more demanding than the second’ is less obvious than ‘cycling is more demanding

than walking’.

8. When students have finished, collect all the sentences they have written.

9. Students now choose a strip of paper (not their own), walk around again and put it

beside the photographs it describes. They continue doing this until all the strips of

paper are gone.

10. Feedback can be conducted by asking a student to hold up the photographs for the

class to see, while another student reads the sentences chosen to match those

visuals. There may well be lively discussion if opinions differ, for example, on the

merits of one singer or band over another. Hopefully the discussion will also include

plenty of comparative structures.

25

What are the challenges of the Writing paper?

Answering the question and completing the task fully

Using a good range of grammar and vocabulary

Using an appropriate style and register

Understanding the format and style of different types of texts

Using different grammatical forms accurately

Covering all the content points and using their own words in

Part 1

Organising their ideas clearly

Giving clear opinions and expanding their ideas effectively

Strategies for handling Part 1 prompts

Plan answers before writing: orally or in writing.

Set questions for discussion, e.g.:

What is the scenario?

Who are you writing to?

What reasons can you give?

Show contrasting answers (strong and weak):

• Weak answers help understanding and how to avoid

problems

• Strong answers help by giving ideas and language

Examine prompts from past papers.

Identify:

• What learners have to do

• The functional language required

• What each prompt is about.

Brainstorm a range of answers.

26

How do you help your students learn to use confusing

words correctly?

• Students gap-fill sentences, choosing from options of

frequently confused words.

• Look at sentences in class containing frequently confused

words and focus on context and sentence structure in

each one, to help understand the differences.

• Students write personalised sentences using frequently

confused words.

• Focus on frequently confused words within a topic, e.g. an

interview which contains the words ‘say, tell, speak, talk’.

27

Useful links

1. Main Cambridge website:

www.cambridgeenglish.org

2. Access to handouts and teaching blog:

www.TeachingTogether-CambridgeEnglish.blogspot.com

3. Courses and information:

www.CambridgeEnglishTeacher.org

4. Teaching resources:

www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org

The link to handbooks, sample papers, listening recordings, etc. is:

Home» Exams » General English » Cambridge English: First