Exams

The mock exams begin the second class after we return in January, as follows:

Class 1 Wed 11 Jan / Thurs 12 Jan
Class 2 Mon 16 Jan / Tues 17 Jan
Class 3 Wed 18 Jan / Thurs 19 Jan
Class 4 Mon 23 Jan / Tues 24 Jan

Your teacher will tell you which tests you are doing on each of the dates.

If you want extra practice during the Christmas/New Year holidays, look at the links on the right of the blog. You will find lots of Use of English, Listening and Reading practice exams and other practice. You can also watch videos of the speaking exams.

Reports
You will receive your reports on 1st or 2nd of February (depending on your classes). When you have received your results, you can sign up for the exam in June.

June Exam Date
The exam is on Saturday, 9th June, except the oral exam. We don't have details of the oral exam but will let you know as soon as possible.

Sign up for the exams
Once you have received your mock exam results, you can sign up for the June exam as follows:

at ELI: between Monday 6th February and Friday 17th February
at the British Institute: between 19th March and 23rd March (for JUNE exam)

It costs 170 euros.

Good luck to everyone!

Reading Part 2 - Gapped Text

Reading, Part 2, tests your knowledge of how texts are structured.  Seven sentences or short paragraphs are removed from a text and you choose a sentence/paragraph from a jumbled list to complete the gaps.  There is one sentence/paragraph that is not used.

For this part of the reading test, it is important to read what comes before and after the gap.  Clues in the text include:

• pronouns
• linkers of contrast, addition, etc. (however, in addition, furthermore, etc.)
• vocabulary related to the theme of that part of the text

Candidates who are successful in this part of the text use these clues to predict the content of the gaps before attempting to complete the text.  Here are some tips that may help you with this part of the exam:

1. Read the whole text quickly to get an idea of what the text is about.
2. Carefully read the text before and after the gap and think about the meaning.  Try to predict the type of information that is missing.
3. Read the sentence options and find one that makes sense by using the clues above (pronouns, vocabulary, etc.)
4. If you have problems choosing the correct answer, eliminate those you know are wrong.
5. Read the complete text.  Does it make sense? 
6. If you are unsure, about an answer, make an intelligent guess.  Do not leave gaps.  It is possible your guess is correct and you will get more points!

Click here for some online practice.

Good luck with this part of the exam!

UoE Part 3

Use of English Part 3 tests your knowledge of the way words are formed in English.  This includes prefixes, suffixes and spelling rules connected with the changes.  You will read a text of about 200 words with 10 gaps.  For each gap there is a "stem" word and you have to make the correct form of the missing word.  Here are a couple of examples:

1. Australian Aborigines are famous for their exciting stories, which are not read from a text but from their _________________.
2. Aborigines say that the land has a gi that either likes you or makes you feel disturbed and _________________.  

What type of word is missing in each sentence?  The type of missing word is usually an:

• adverb
• adjective
• noun
• occasionally a verb

In the first example, the missing word is a noun.  Should it be single or plural?
In the second example, the missing word is an adjective.  Should it be positive or negative?
The missing stem words are:

1. SURROUND
2. COMFORTABLE

What are the correct forms to complete the gaps?  The answers are at the end of this post.

Here are some ideas to help you complete this part of the exam successfully:

1. Read the complete text first for general understanding.  
2. Cover the stem words.  Decide what type of word is missing for each gap.
3. Look at the whole sentence, not just the words before and after the gap.
4. Check carefully whether the word should be positive, negative or plural.
5. Read through the text and make sure that your words are grammatically correct.
6. Check your spelling.  No points are given for misspelt words!

Click here for some Word Formation practice.

Answers to examples:

1. SURROUNDINGS
2. UNCOMFORTABLE 

Listening Part 2 - Gapped Text

Paper 4 of the First Certificate is the Listening test.  Listening Part 2 is the part of the test where you complete the gaps with grammatically correct words or short phrases.  Here are some tips to help you with this part of the test.

  

1. There are ten questions and each answer is worth one point.
2. The questions follow the order of the text.
3. Read the questions before you listen.  Think about the kind of information that is missing.  Is it a noun, adjective, etc.?
4. It is not a dictation.  The words you read will be in a different order to the words you hear but you will hear the exact word(s) you need to complete the gaps.
5. You can write between 1 and 3 words in each gap.
6. You can write numbers as figures or words.
7. Do not repeat words that you read.
8. Check that your word or phrase is grammatically correct and makes sense.
9. Check your spelling.

The Exam
Try to relax while you are listening, and don't try to understand every word. If you're not sure about something, continue with the test and complete what you can.

At the end of the test you will be given some time to transfer your answers to an answer sheet.  If you couldn't complete all the gaps during the listening, take a guess!  Maybe you'll right and you'll get an extra point!

If you find this part of the listening difficult, don't worry.  It is only one part of the listening test, and a small part of the whole First Certificate exam.  If you are good at other parts of the listening test or exam, you will still pass!

Click here for some Australian accent online practice.


Good luck with your studies!

UoE Part 4

Use of English Part 4 - Sentence Transformations consists of eight separate questions, each containing a lead-in sentence, followed by a 'key word' and a second, gapped sentence. It is worth spending some time practising sentence transformations because you can get up to two points for each correct answer.  If you only get part of the answer correct, you can still get one point.  There are 16 points available in this part of the test - the other parts of Use of English are only worth 10-12 points for each part.

The more you practise, the more you will be able to identify exactly what the question is testing you on.  Here are some reminders and tips to help you with Use of English Part 4 - Sentence Transformations:

I have been driving much longer than Mark.
NEARLY
Mark hasn't been driving for __________________ me.

1. The answer ALWAYS consists of between TWO and FIVE words.
2. Contractions count as two words e.g. don't = do not.
3. Do not change the form of the key word.  It must be exactly as it appears in the question.  In the example above, NEARLY must appear as NEARLY in the answer.
4. UoE Part 4 tests your grammar and vocabulary knowledge.  When you read the question, think about what type of grammar or vocabulary it is testing.  Sometimes it can be both!  What is the example question above testing?  (Continue reading for the answer)
5. Always write something.  Remember!  You can still get points if your answer is only half right!
6. Here is a list of some of the language points that cause most problems in UoE Part 4 (this is not a complete list of everything in the exam):

• comparison/superlative structures
• active/passive structures
• direct/indirect speech
• conditionals/hypothetical situations
• verb patterns (gerund/infinitive)
• phrasal verbs and collocations (e.g. adjective/verb + prepositions)
• perfect tenses

Good luck with your studies!

Did you work out the answer to the example question?  It is testing your knowledge of comparative structures.

I have been driving much longer than Mark.

NEARLY

Mark hasn't been driving for nearly as long as me.

Speaking Parts 3 and 4

La Mansion Speaking Video Parts 3 and 4

Speaking Parts 1 and 2

La Mansion Speaking Parts 1 and 2

Speaking Test Videos

Here are some sample speaking test videos from Cambridge.  You will need to register with Cambridge to access these videos then download them onto your computer.

Speaking Test Sample Video Part 1

Speaking Test Sample Video Part 2

Speaking Test Sample Video Part 3

Speaking Test Sample Video Part 4


There are also some good speaking lesson plans on the website.

Study - Vocabulary

How do you study vocabulary?  Do you scribble a note on a piece of paper and never look at it again?  Do you keep vocabulary cards? Do you look at your vocabulary frequently?  Do you prefer to do a little bit of English every day or a lot in one day? 

Scientific studies show that to truly remember a word or expression, we need to see it in use between 10 and 20 times.  Therefore, it seems sensible to review as much vocabulary as possible as frequently as possible.  Here are some ideas to help you do that:


1.  Recording vocabulary:

• Write an example of how it is used
• use colours to help you remember
• note different forms of the word, e.g. noun, adjective, verb, negative/positive, opposite, etc.
• highlight any special features of form - for example, if a preposition follows the word e.g. proud of)
• translation - be careful with translation.  Sometimes it doesn't have the same meaning or use.

2. Review frequently.

• After class, rewrite your vocabulary using one of the methods above or create flashcards.
• Carry your vocabulary notebook/flaschards with you.  Read it while you're travelling, waiting to see the dentist or the doctors, etc.  Any time you have a few minutes give yourself a mini test.
• Find a study partner and test each other

3.  Most of us have brains that get tired after too much processing.  When learning new language, studies show that most people remember between 7 and 15 words and expressions in one study session.  So, maybe it's better to study little and often instead of trying to do 4 hours on a Sunday!  Try studying 30 minutes to 1 hour of English every day instead of doing it all in one long afternoon.


4.  Try not to learn individual words. Try to learn small phrases - this will help you to use the language correctly too.


5.  There are always some words and expressions that are more difficult to remember than others.  Write the words on post-its and stick them on the walls and cupboards at home.  By seeing them frequently, it could help you to remember them more easily.

6.  Instead of creating boring lists, create colourful spidergrams.  It is more fun creating colourful pictures than writing long lists - this might help you remember!


Finally, the most important thing to remember is that learning a language is not the same as other subjects.  It is not possible to memorise a whole language.  For most people, the best way to study any language is to study for a short time every day - little and often.  This way, you have frequent contact with the language, have an opportunity to review vocabulary and grammar, and you won't get tired and bored!

See you next week!

Exam and Study Tips

We're already two months into the course and you're probably starting to feel a little bit tired, and maybe starting to worry about the mock exam.  Remember, you need to get 60% to be recommended for the exam in June.  If you haven't already, now is the time to think about how you can make sure you get a good mark in the exam.  To help keep you motivated, and give you extra advice, we are starting a new "Exam and Study Tips" series.  Check out this blog regularly for more ideas to help you pass the exam!

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Other new links include ELI Facebook page and links to corpora and concordancing tools.

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