26 Dec 2014
10 Dec 2014
PAPER TOWNS: Book trailer
When reading a story you usually imagine how characters and places would be like, don't you?
Watch this trailer...
Are Margo and Q what you expected?
What about the places, do they look like the ones you imagined?
Are Margo and Q what you expected?
What about the places, do they look like the ones you imagined?
2 Dec 2014
PAPER TOWNS: Final Task
Hi people!
While reading Paper Towns we've discussed a lot about the different characters and how you felt about them and what they did or didn't do.
Now, I'd like you to answer this question in a few words (not more than 3 lines).
Post your answer in COMMENTS below and remember to WRITE YOUR NAME AND SURNAME.
While reading Paper Towns we've discussed a lot about the different characters and how you felt about them and what they did or didn't do.
Now, I'd like you to answer this question in a few words (not more than 3 lines).
WHICH CHARACTER DID YOU LIKE MOST,
OR WHICH ONE DIDN'T YOU LIKE?
26 Nov 2014
SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION: KEYS
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PEOPLE, HERE THEY ARE.
CLICK ON THE LINK AND YOU'LL FIND THE EXERCISE PLUS THE KEYS.
https://etornauta.wordpress.com/category/sentence-transformation/
REMEMBER THAT IF YOU HAVE DOUBTS YOU CAN ASK ME IN CLASS!
14 Nov 2014
12 Nov 2014
PAPER 5, PART 3
Watch and say what candidates have to do in this part.
How do you think these two candidates did it?
11 Nov 2014
Paper 5: Speaking. Talking about photos.
In Part 2 you are expected to talk on your own about two photographs for about a minute.
So you will also need to,
c) Speculate
d) React.
Have a look at the following presentation and work on your skills
The interview will begin with the examiner saying something like:
In this part of the test I'm going to give each of you two photographs. I'd like you to talk about your photographs on your own for about 1 minute and also to answer a short question about your partner's photographs.
(Candidate A), here are your photographs. They show......................
I'd like you to compare and contrast these photographs and say.................
Notice there are TWO instructions here,
a) 'Compare and contrast' the two photographs,
b) 'say..........................' .
In Part 2 candidates need to show they can compare but also give an opinion.
In Part 2 candidates need to show they can compare but also give an opinion.
So you will also need to,
c) Speculate
d) React.
Have a look at the following presentation and work on your skills
Getting ideas for your speaking test part 2 !
Make a click on this link and watch the video. Write down the ideas you find useful when comparing and contrasting pictures.
FCE - THE SPEAKING PAPER by York
FCE Speaking Test: Key Facts
Duration: Approximately 14 minutes.
Participants: Candidates interviewed in pairs. (In threes for the final session at a centre with an odd number of candidates). Two examiners are present. One examiner (the interlocutor) carries out the interviewer whilst the second (the assessor) focuses on the candidate's performance.
Format: There are four parts to the test.
FCE Speaking Test: Part 1 (Interview)
Tests ability to: use language for social purposes, e.g. making introductions, answering questions about yourself.
Part 1 of the FCE Speaking test lasts about 3 minutes. The examiner will ask some 'getting-to-know-you' questions perhaps to find out where you come from, your interests, your family or your studies etc.
Example Questions
Q: Where are you from?
Q: Tell me something about your family.
Q: What did you enjoy most when you were at primary school?
Q: Do you have any plans for a holiday this year?
Q: Do you play any musical instruments?
Tips!
Giving full answers to the examiner's questions will help get the interview off to a good start.
1) Avoid giving short, uncommunicative replies.
Q: Tell me something about your family.
A: I live with my mum, dad and sister and brother. (Don't stop there!) My sister's younger than me and still goes to school. My brother works as a computer technician.
2) Avoid short, 'yes', 'no' answers to closed questions. (These are questions beginning 'Have you ...', 'Do you ...', 'Is it ...' etc which can be answered simply with a yes or no answer).
Q: Do you have any plans for a holiday this year?
A: Yes. (Don't stop there!) If I get the chance I'd like to visit my friend in Germany. We haven't seen each other for a while and I'm really looking forward to seeing him and getting to know Germany.
Q: Do you play any musical instruments?
A: No. (Don't stop there!) We had music lessons when I was at school but I was never very good.
3) Offer examples to help you explain a statement.
Q: Why are you preparing for the FCE exam?
A: No reason really. (Don't stop there!) I enjoy learning English and I think it would be good to have a qualification to show my level.
FCE Speaking Test: Part 2 (Long Turn)
Tests ability to: speak at length coherently, use language to describe, compare and contrast and comment upon a topic.
Part 2 of the FCE Speaking test lasts between 4 minutes (6 minutes for groups of three). The examiner gives you two photographs and your partner a different pair of photographs. You have to speak about your two photos without interruption for about 1 minute and also answer a question about your partner's photographs when he or she has finished their long turn.
Example Task: The interview will begin with the examiner saying something like:
Q: In this part of the test I'm going to give each of you two photographs. I'd like you to talk about your photographs on your own for about 1 minute and also to answer a short question about your partner's photographs.
Q: (Candidate A), here are your photographs. They show people participating in sporting activities.
Q: I'd like you to compare the two photographs and say why sport is important to people.
Q: All right?
Notice there are TWO instructions here: first to 'compare' the two photographs and also 'to say why' sport is important to people. In Part 2 candidates need to show they can compare but also give an opinion.
The examiner will then ask Candidate B a short question about these photographs.
Q: Thank you (Candidate A). (Candidate B) which sport would you most like to try?
Candidate B will then do their long turn with a different set of photographs and at the end, Candidate A will be asked a short question.
Tips!
1. Listen to the instructions carefully and make sure you know what you have to talk about. If you don't understand the instructions you should ask the examiner to repeat them:
"Excuse me, could you say that again?"
"I'm sorry, but would you mind repeating that?"
2. The question will help you with the structure of your talk.
A) Start with a general summary of the topic:
'These two photographs show people involved in a sport.'
B) Then move on to a comparison of the two pictures, using words to help explain the comparison:
Both photographs were taken outside and each of the people are concentrating hard on what they're doing. 'The top photo shows a woman rock climbing whilst the bottom photo is of a young skating ... It looks like the woman is out in the natural world whereas the boy is in a man-made skating park ..... etc.'
C) Finally give your opinion with examples, again using signposting words and expressions to help the examiner follow your argument.
'In my opinion, sport is important for people in lots of ways. For example, it's a way to keep fit of course, but we also meet new people and can get a lot of enjoyment from a sport ... etc.'
4. Practise making short one-minute talks as often as possible to get an idea for how long 1 minute feels like. Time yourself and ask a friend for feedback.
FCE Speaking Test: Part 3: (Collaborative Task)
Tests ability to: use language to discuss, express an opinion, to agree and disagree, speculate and evaluate etc.
In Part 3 of the test, which lasts about 3 minutes, the examiner will give both candidates instructions and a set of visuals and the candidates will have to try to reach some form of agreement.
Example Task
The exam
Q: Now, I'd like you to talk about something together for about 3 minutes.
Q: I'd like you to imagine that you are planning a week-long touring holiday with your partner around the country that you're studying in. You want to see as much as possible but don't want to spend too much money on transport. Look at the types of transport shown in the photographs.
Q: First talk to each other about how useful each of these forms of transport might be for your holiday. Then decide which one would be best.
Q: All right?
Notice there are TWO instructions here: first to talk about each form of transport then to 'decide' which one is best for your holiday. This means you have to do more than just describe the different forms of transport. You also have to show you can work with your partner to try to reach some form of agreement. You don't have to reach agreement but you must at least work towards this.
Tips!
It will help both yourself and your partner if you work together collaboratively on this task.
1. Be prepared to ask your partner for his or her opinion rather than simply stating your own. For example:
'What do you think?'
'How about you?'
'Do you think ...?'
2. Listen carefully' to what your partner says and respond to comments he or she makes to help the discussion flow. For example:
'Do/Have/Are you?'
'Don't/Haven't/Aren't you?'
'Do you think so?
'Really?'
3. If you disagree try expressing this politely. For example:
'I see what you mean but ...'
'I can see your point but ...'
'But don't you think ...'
4. Use expressions to allow yourself time to think. For example:
'That's a good question.'
'Well, let me think ...'
'It's difficult to say ...'
5. You'll possibly find you don't understand something your partner has said. If this happens, take control with simple questions like those below to help you deal positively with the situation. This will also give you the chance to impress the examiner with your communication skills.
A) If you didn't quite understand a word or phrase just say something like:
"Sorry but could you explain what you mean by ........" or
"I haven't come across that word/expression before. Could you explain what you mean?"
B) If you didn't hear or didn't understand something your partner has said, ask them to repeat it:
"Sorry, I didn't catch that. Could you say that again?"
"Excuse me. Could you repeat that?"
C) Alternatively, you might want to confirm what you think your partner said so you could say something like:
"Do you mean ........"
"When you say ........, are you asking/do you mean ........?"
FCE Speaking Test Part 4: (Discussion)
Tests ability to: use language to express and justify an opinion, to agree and disagree etc.
In Part 4 of the test, which lasts about 4 minutes, the examiner will join both candidates in a discussion about the general topic that appeared in Part 3.
Example Questions
Q: Which sports are popular with young people in your country?
Q: Some people say people don't participate in sport as much as they should. Do you think this is true?
Q: Do you think team sports are more fun than individual sports
Tips!
1. Again, as with earlier sections of the test, avoid short, 'yes', 'no' answers to the examiner's questions.
2. Continue to work with your partner. Respond constructively and show interest in things he or she says.
10 Nov 2014
MODAL VERBS: CERTAINTY AND POSSIBILITY
If you have any doubt about these modals, watch this video. It shows you how to use them in context.
WOULD RATHER? WOULD PREFER? PREFER?
Hi!!! Look what I've found...
Hope it's useful!!! :)
Hope it's useful!!! :)
How to use would rather, would prefer and prefer correctly.
| Would rather vs. would prefer - to express a specific preference | ||
| When we speak about a specific preference,would rather and would prefer have the same meaning and are interchangeable. | We went to the theatre yesterday. Today Iwould rather go to the cinema. We went to the theatre yesterday. Today Iwould prefer to go to the cinema. | |
| Would rather can be abbreviated to 'd rather. Would prefer can be abbreviated to 'd prefer. | I'd rather go to the cinema today. I'd prefer to go to the cinema today. | |
| Would rather is followed by the bare infinitive. Would prefer is followed by to + infinitive. | I'd rather have water. I'd prefer to have fruit juice. | |
| We use a past tense after would rather when we speak about the actions of other people, even though that action may be in the present or future. | I'd rather you took a taxi (instead of walking) - it's not safe on the streets at night. The film is quite violent. I'd rather our children didn't watch it. | |
| When making a comparison we say: would rather ... than | It's such nice weather - I'd rather sit in the garden than watch TV. | |
| After would prefer we say: would prefer ... rather than | It's such nice weather - I'd prefer to sit in the garden rather than watch TV. | |
| Prefer vs. would rather - to express a general preference | ||
| When we talk about general preferences we can use prefer or would rather. The meaning is the same. | I prefer walking to cycling. I'd rather walk than cycle. | |
| After prefer we use the verb in its ing form. After would rather we use than. | I prefer using a keyboard to writing with a pen.I'd rather use a keyboard than write with a pen. | |
11 Aug 2014
Writing: Letter of Application
Writing a formal letter of application (job) paper 2 part 2 from Diego Mauricio Suárez Vivas
Have a look at this video. It provides a useful guide suggesting different steps.
Have a look at this video. It provides a useful guide suggesting different steps.
Source: http://englishaula.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPOQA6HC0lQ
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Source:http://www.canaryzoo.com/ESOL%20FCE%20Writing%20Phrases%20Letter%20of%20Application.htm
Take a look at the following task:
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Source: http://fce-writing-nadeen.blogspot.com.ar/2011/10/letter-of-application.html
Now write your letter.
10 Aug 2014
Formal writing: LETTER OF APPLICATION
HAVE A LOOK AT THIS
FCE GAME SHOW.
CAN YOU ANSWER THE 10 QUESTIONS CORRECTLY?
4 Aug 2014
25 Jul 2014
How strong is your vocabulary?
Take our 10-question quiz to find out — and maybe learn some new words along the way.
You can try it as often as you'd like.
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Click on the link to take the Quiz
http://www.merriam-webster.com/quiz/index.htm
Useful phrases when writing letters
Have a look at these
Collection of idioms used in letters and e-mails
Take a look! The first group you´ll find phrases related to work, the second image has phrases you can use when writing about your free time.
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Free time
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Source:
Language Learning Base An online community for learning new languages
http://languagelearningbase.com/73230/collection-of-idioms-used-in-letters-and-e-mailsUseful Words & Phrases
Linking words are very important for written and spoken English.
They help you build a logical argument in your assignment by linking one statement to another.
Take a look at these lists of words and have them near next time you have a writing assignment.
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Phrases to use when we want / need to communicate our agreements or disagreements.
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Source:
Language Learning Base An online community for learning new languages http://languagelearningbase.com/20630/list-of-useful-linking-words
15 Jul 2014
10 Jul 2014
The Go-Between
This is the Glogster presentation made by Milagros, Marian and Victoria on Marian from "The Go-Between" Good job!
3 Jul 2014
The Go - Between
This is another glogster presentation on Ted Burgess made by Federico and Demian. Enjoy it!
The Go- Between
This is a glogster presentation made by Andrea, Florencia and Miriam on Leo. Soon there will be more glogsters to show you!!!
14 Jun 2014
10 Jun 2014
ESSAY WRITING: ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY
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Click on the link. Copy the phrases in the correct gap in the text. Then read it to have an idea of what an argumentative essay is like.
http://englishaula.com/en/writing-part-2-exam-1-fce-cambridge-first-certificate-english-practice-test-exercise-essay.html
ESSAY WRITING
Have a look at this slideshare.
Considering the tips, write your essay.
Include linkers and phrases from here.
Considering the tips, write your essay.
Include linkers and phrases from here.
Opinion essay FCE from Ibag65
30 May 2014
Paper 4 Listening
Our second mock is getting near,
let's try this site to do some listening practice!
Then write down a comment and say which part was the easiest and which part was the most difficult one.
26 May 2014
23 Apr 2014
A LIST OF NOUNS WITH SUFFIXES
For you to have at hand in case you're in doubt!
Click on the link and you'll find a lot of nouns formed with different suffixes...
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Click on the link and you'll find a lot of nouns formed with different suffixes...
31 Mar 2014
Watch and answer
1. What's the singer complaining about in this song?
2. What do you notice about the speed in the video?
3. In what way does the video show what the song expresses?
19 Mar 2014
FCE Practice exam!
Print a copy of Paper 3 Use of English, Test 1 and do it for Wednesday.
http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/fce/students/tests/tsindex.htm
http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/fce/students/tests/tsindex.htm
12 Mar 2014
10 Mar 2014
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