To Test or Not to Test, That is the Question! - ABS - · PDF file · 2013-10-17To...

ABS International • Malaver 2072 • (1636) Olivos • Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina Phone (5411) 4797 5974 • info@abs-international .org • www.abs-international .org

To Test or Not to Test, That is the Question! By Kate French INTRODUCTION 1 Do you prepare students for FCE, CAE or CPE?

2 Are these (a) dedicated exam preparation classes or (b) are they general English classes which include students who do not intend/wish to take the exam? If (b), what problems can this cause?

3. Do you enjoy teaching exam classes? Why/Why not?

4. What are students’ expectations of these types of classes? What do they want exactly?

5. Which Paper do you/your students find most difficult? Why do you think this is?

• Paper 1 Writing • Paper 2 Reading • Paper 3 Use of English • Paper 4 Listening • Paper 5 Speaking

6. Generally speaking how do you prepare your students? What types of material do you use and what activities do you do?

EXERCISE 1 - A QUIZ

1. Chocolate originally comes from which part of the world? 2. At Easter in Britain approximately how much is spent on chocolate? £100m+ £200m+ £300m+ £400m+ 3. Chocolate comes from the cacao plant. Which ancient civilization first cultivated the plant? 4. Which country invented the ‘chocolate bar’ 5. How many bars of chocolate does the average British person eat in one week?

EXERCISE 2 – DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What is one of the best things you’ve ever done or seen? 2. Have you ever arrived just in time for something? Was it something very important? 3. Have you ever done something e.g. play football, even though it was raining heavily? Why? 4. Do you have a problem that you can’t find a solution to at the moment? What is it? 5. Have you ever been advised to do or not to do something? Did you take the advice? 6. How often are you too tired to study your English or do your homework?

EXERCISE 3 – OPEN CLOSE

What will the city of the future look like? This question has been asked so many times over the past 500

years – and answered inconsequentially an equal number of times – that we can be sure of one thing only;

no one can predict with any degree of accuracy how cities will look 50 or 500 years from now.

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The reason is simple. Cities change continually. In the last fifty years they have changed so rapidly that the

oldest residents will remember a time when their city seemed to belong not just to another era but to a

different dimension.

This is true both of planned and unplanned cities. Planned cities such as New York and Paris, which are

closely organized on a grid or diagram of streets and avenues, have effectively burst at the seams this

century, while unplanned cities such as London, Tokyo and Los Angeles have grown just as dramatically.

EXERCISE 4

Student A: You are the owner of a large house in the Devon countryside. You would like to rent it out this summer so you recently placed the following advertisement in various newspapers. Somebody telephones you and you have to give them all the details over the telephone.

Devon Countryside House with swimming pool. Four bedrooms, large garden, use of four bicycles Plenty of local interest Some dates still available Tel: 0392 – 786-96666 for further details

Additional Information

• big, comfortable bedrooms • nearby market, local museum, castle and 1 hour to beach • tennis courts and horse-riding available • cost £160 per week • available July 10th-23rd only • weather good at this time of year – sunny but showers too - umbrella

Student B: You and two friends have decided to rent a house for two weeks in the summer. You’ve seen the following advertisement for a house in the country but you need to contact the owner to find out some additional information. Make notes as you speak to the owner.

Devon Countryside House with swimming pool. Four bedrooms, large garden, use of four bicycles Plenty of local interest Some dates still available Tel: 0392 – 786-96666 for further details

Additional Information Required

• bedrooms - small/large? • what places of local interest? • other things to do? E.g. any sport facilities? • how much? • dates available? • weather?


EXERCISE 5 – LISTENING Extract 1 Man: Did you remember to bring the tennis balls?

Woman: No, I didn’t …

Man: What! I thought you said you’d bring some. How are we going to play without them?

Woman: Well, the ones I had were very old and I know you’d only get cross if we played with them.

So I phoned Janet. She’s just bought some new tennis balls. She’ll be along in a few

minutes and then we’ll be able to play.

Extract 2 Woman: Right, let’s have a look. Oh no!

Man: What’s the matter? Faulty?

Woman: This is no use

Man: Why?

Woman: I told them over the phone what I needed it for and they said this one would do, but it

obviously won’t. Look!

Man: Uhm. I see what you mean.

(Cambridge FCE Practice Test Book 4 Test 3)


EXERCISE 6 You will hear 5 short extracts in which people are talking about the experience of winning something TASK ONE For questions 21-25, choose from the list (A-H) the person who is speaking A unemployed person

B cook C artist D author E parent F horse trainer G gardener H retired person

(Cambridge CAE Practice Test Book 4 Test 1)

To Test or Not to Test, That is the Question! - ABS - · PDF file · 2013-10-17To...

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