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