Preparing for
international
exams
Higor Cavalcante
DISAL Auditorium
February 18th, 2011
the
EXAMS
How much do you know?
 IELTS
 TOEFL
 KET
 PET
 FCE
 CAE
 CPE
 TKT
 CELTA
 CELTYL
 ICELT
 DELTA
International English Testing System
Test of English as a Foreign Language
Key English Test
Preliminary English Test
First Certificate in English
Certificate of Advanced English
Certificate of Proficiency in English
Teaching Knowledge Test
Certificate in ELT to Adults
Certificate in ELT to Young Learners
In-service Certificate in ELT
Diploma in ELT to Adults
The Cambridge Main Suite
and the CEF
 KET
(A2)
 PET
(B1)
 FCE
(B2)
 CAE
(C1)
 CPE
(C2)
The Cambridge Teaching
Awards (and equivalents)
 TKT
 CELTA
 ICELT
- TrinityCert
– TrinityCert
 DELTA
– TrinityDip (Master’s UK)
preparing
for
language EXAMS
Without a course
 Reading
vastly and variedly is the most
important thing one must do when
preparing for an international
examination.
 Discuss
agree.
with a partner whether or not you
Get to know the test!
 Cambridge





Main Suite (FCE, CAE, CPE)
Reading
Writing
Use of English
Listening
Speaking
Reading a lot will help with ALL of them,
especially Reading, Writing and Use of
English.
Reading
 READ
a lot!
 Magazine, newspaper articles
 Books (different genres: thriller, romance,
(auto)biography, chick-lit, classic etc.)
 Intensive and extensive reading
 Exam-like exercises
 Full mocks (timed, with answer sheet)
Writing
 READ
a lot!
 Texting, sexting, scrapping, list-making,
MSNing etc. NOT EXAM GENRES!
 Writing






Different genres: letter, proposal, report,
article, essay etc.
Style (layout)
Register
Cohesion & coherence
Punctuation
Target audience (objective)
Writing (cont.)
 Extensive
practice (exam-like and not –
writing for language)
 Blogging (practice & motivation)
 Exposure to models (exam-like)
 Full mocks (timed)
 Correction
& feedback (course/peers)
Example:
 An
international film magazine wantes
readers around the world to contribute a
review to a special edition entitled The Art
of Advertising: Selling Products through
Film. Write a review of a memorable
advertisement you have seen at the
cinema or on television, evaluating its
visual impact and its other features. You
should also assess how much influence
such advertisement have on us.
Use of English
 READ
a lot!
 Vocabulary & grammar







Collocations
Phrasal verbs and idioms
Conjunctions
Word formation
Paraphrasing
Synonyms
Varied grammar (inversions, participle clauses,
varied conditionals, sound knowledge of tense
and aspect – not terminology!)
Use of English (cont.)
 Vocabulary
notebook (recycling)
 Extensive exam practice
 Full mocks (timed)
 Part
5, CPE: Summary (correction – course;
peers)
Example:
 Could
you tell her my address if, by any
chance, you see her.
Should ________________________________.
 My
advice to you is to get another job.
If ______________________________________.
Example:
 Students
are advised to keep their options
__________ and not to take the first offer of
a university place they get.
 It is also important to find a doctor who is
prepared to be frank and __________ with
you and answer all your questions.
 His interpretation is ____________ to
criticism on two main grounds.
Listening
 Only
British English?
 Exposure
to lots of authentic English
(podcasts, radio, movies, series, news
programs, CNN, BBC etc.)
 Sub-skills:
gist, specific information, inference,
deduction, attitude etc.
 Extensive
exam-practice
Speaking
 Is
teaching good speaking practice?
 Seize
every opportunity to speak
advanced English!
 Speak to native(-like) speakers as often as
possible
 Accept peer correction
 Study exam Discourse
 Record
yourself, transcribe and comment.
With a course
teaching
CERTIFICATES
TKT
 Only
theory (no practice)
 Exam,
not a course
 Preparation
course (studying TESOL)
 Vast
reading
 IHSP
IHTC
IHTC & CELTA
 Theory
and practice
 Course,
not an exam
 Written
assignments on various aspects of
teaching and learning
 Lesson
plan)
observation (feedback and action
Diplomas (DELTA, TrinityDip)
 Initial
certificate (CELTA, TrinityCert) + 2
years’ experience
 C2
level of English (CEF)
 International
DoS, teacher trainer
 Certificate-level
tutoring
Reference Material
(language)
 How
to Teach for Exams, Sally Burgess &
Katie Head
 English
Collocations in Use – Advanced,
Felicity O’Dell
 English
Vocabulary in Use – Advanced,
Michael McCarthy
 Advanced
Language Practice, Michael
Vince & Peter Sunderland
Reference Material (exam
practice)
 Books
of mock exams
 FCE/CAE
Result – Oxford
 Objective
 Gold
Proficiency – Cambridge
series – Pearson
 Spotlight
on FCE/CAE - Thomson
Reference Material (teaching
awards)
 The
TKT Course, Mary Spratt & Alan
Pulverness & Melanie Williams (CUP)
 Learning Teaching, Jim Scrivener
(Macmillan)
 How to Teach English, Jeremy Harmer
(Pearson) – with DVD
 The Practice of ELT, Jeremy Harmer
(Pearson) – with DVD
 A Course in Language Teaching, Penny Ur
(CUP)