For schools or not for schools – that’s a
good question!
Cambridge English: Key
Cambridge English: Preliminary
Cambridge English: First
Liceo Scientifico “G. Ancina”
Fossano
November 20th 2012
Marcus Tubby
ELT Consultant
Cambridge 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
Reading tasks
Part 1
Matching
short texts
Part 2
Vocabulary
multiple
choice
Part 3
Functional
exchanges
Part 4
Longer
reading
text
Part 5
Grammar
multiple
choice
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
Reading
1 hour
Multiple
choice
Gapped
text
Multiple
matching
Part 3
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.
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
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
What do your students read?
•
•
•
•
Interviews
Technology reviews
Graded readers
Online blogs, reviews,
articles
• Cross-curricular topics
• Textbook articles
• Magazines
Paper 1: Reading and Writing
Writing tasks
Word
completion
Open cloze
Information
transfer
Guided
writing:
message
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
Paper 2
1 hour 20 minutes
Task 1
compulsory
task (120–150
words)
a
letter
an
email
Task 2
(120–180 words)
choice from:
article
essay
letter
report
review
short
story
Which task – Part 1 or Part 2?
Which task?
• A. Part 1
• B. Part 2
• C. Could be 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
Paper 3
45 minutes
Multiple-choice
cloze
Open cloze
Word formation
Key word
transformations
Part 3
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: 0 C O M P E T I T I O N
Skyscraper? No, ‘water-scraper’!
COMPETE
Each year, EV Magazine hosts a skyscraper design (0) … . Most
entrants imagine giant buildings taller than anything under construction
IMPRESS
today. However, the most (25) …… entry this year went the opposite
route. Malaysian designer Sarly Adre bin Sarkum’s (26) …… to the
SOLVE
problem of conceiving a different kind of development was to drop his
building straight downwards into the sea. He deliberately designed it to
Classroom ideas:
Use of English
impress
Word formation
impressive
unimpressed
impression
impress
impressively
impressed
Impressionism
Paper 2: Listening
Listening tasks
Short
conversations:
multiple
choice
Conversation:
matching
Conversation:
multiple
choice
Conversation:
notes
completion
Monologue:
notes
completion
Which listening task?
Listening paper
Paper 4
40 minutes approximately
Multiple
choice
Sentence
completion
Multiple
matching
Multiple
choice
Series of
short,
unrelated
extracts
Monologue or
text involving
interacting
speakers
Five short
related
monologues
Monologue or
text involving
interacting
speakers
Which task – Part 1, 2, 3 or 4?
Which task is this an
example of??
A. Multiple choice
• Series of short, unrelated
extracts
B. Sentence completion
• Monologue or text involving
interacting speakers
C. Multiple matching
• Five short related monologues
D.Multiple choice
• Monologue or text involving
interacting speakers
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
Speaking tasks
candidates talk
to interlocutor
candidates talk
to each other
Paper 3: Speaking
Speaking paper
Paper 5
14 minutes
Interview
Long turn
Collaborative
task
Discussion
Paper 5 Speaking
 What might the people
find difficult about
learning to do these
different things?
Which task?
•
•
•
•
A. Interview
B. Long turn
C. Collaborative task
D. Discussion
First Speaking: Classroom ideas for Part 2
Practise the language of
comparison about
topics or interests
chosen by the students,
e.g. listening to a live gig
vs. listening to music at
home/with friends.
Break the task
down into
3 sections:
1) describe 1st picture;
2) describe 2nd picture;
3) answer the question.
Time each part.
Ask students to bring
in photos of their
choice. In groups,
students choose pairs
of photos and make up
questions to ask.
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?
A1
A2
B1
B2
• coat
• jacket
• jeans
• gloves
• sleeve
• zip
• collar
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?
Similarity to Cambridge English First
• same format and level; same recognition;
same testing focuses;
Cambridge English: First for schools
• topics and texts related to interests and
experience of school age learners
Why choose Cambridge English: Key for
Schools?
Exam content
and topics
targeted at
interests and
experiences of
school-age
learners
Support
and ideas
to prepare
students
Is easy and
fun to
prepare for in
the
classroom
Cambridge
English: Key
for Schools
Gives an
accurate
guide of your
student’s
level
Enables students to
take an
internationally
recognised exam
and enjoy the exam
experience
Exactly the
same format
and level as
Cambridge
English: Key
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.org
marcustubby.wordpress.com