Cambridge English: Key Cambridge English: Preliminary Cambridge English: First For schools or not for schools – that’s a good question! Cambridge English: Key Cambridge English: Preliminary Cambridge English: First Liceo Scientifico “G. Ancina” Fossano November 20th 2012 Marcus Tubby ELT Consultant Cambridge University Press

Aims of this seminar To look at how for schools exam content and topics reflect the interests and experience of school-age learners To explore some classroom ideas for preparing students for the examination To introduce a useful resource for teachers – the English Vocabulary Profile

Why choose Cambridge English for Schools? A range of tests specifically designed for school-aged children and teenagers, with: TASKS that relate to the classroom and will increase enthusiasm for studying English TOPICS that are familiar to the age group and will be motivating

Task types Identical to Key (KET), Preliminary (PET) and First (FCE), providing: Coverage of reading, writing, listening and speaking Development of useful sub-skills Variety of question types Reliable testing of each CEFR level (A2, B1, B2)

Treatment of topics CEFR topics but for a younger age group: Shopping: buying a DVD not exchanging a jacket House and home: living with family not finding a flat World of work: parents’ jobs not weekend jobs

Treatment of topics Suitable topic angles for your students? Entertainment: Sport: Food and drink:

Paper 1: Reading and Writing

Paper 1: Reading tasks Starts with short tasks to build confidence Tests basic reading skills, language functions, vocabulary and grammar Assesses candidates’ability to understand meaning at word, phrase, sentence, paragraph and text level Covers familiar topics, in line with the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) A2 descriptors for reading Texts based on real life – signs, notices, articles, etc.

Part 1: matching notices

Reading paper

Which person says they realised it would be difficult to change the band’s image? it is important to develop in your role as a member of a band? their favourite time was when the band was first together? they nearly lost the opportunity to stay in the band? You are going to read a newspaper article about young pop stars. For questions 16–30, choose from the people (A–E). The people may be chosen more than once. Part 3

Key - Classroom ideas: Reading Find short texts online on topics students enjoy. Edit them as necessary to A2 level. Write short sentences that are right or wrong. Get students to match the sentences to ideas in the text. Give students two‘Doesn’t say’ type sentences (these are often the most challenging in Part 4).

Preliminary & First - Classroom ideas: Reading Oxford this summer English family Other boy was Italian Difficult to understand full of Italians

First - Classroom ideas: Reading Interviews Technology reviews Graded readers Online blogs, reviews, articles Cross-curricular topics Textbook articles Magazines What do your students read?

Paper 1: Reading and Writing

Paper 1: Writing tasks Writing is mostly limited to spelling or copying words Tests understanding and completion of simple personal messages – s, postcards, short letters Final task requires a short message of 25–35 words Reflects the CEFR Can Do statements for writing at A2

Paper 1: Part 7 task

Writing paper

Which task – Part 1 or Part 2?

Key - Classroom ideas: Writing Correct spelling is important in the exam: Make spelling fun! Give dictionary definitions with jumbled words Introduce simple games like ‘hangman’ Make spelling competitive! Team games

Preliminary & First - Classroom ideas: Writing Chain writing Self/Peer correction Self/peer embellishment Use writing examples from handbook

Use of English

For questions 25–34, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to form a word that fits in the gap in the same line. There is an example at the beginning (0). Write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet. Example: CITEPMOTIO 0 Skyscraper? No, ‘water-scraper’! Each year, EV Magazine hosts a skyscraper design (0) …. Most entrants imagine giant buildings taller than anything under construction today. However, the most (25) …… entry this year went the opposite route. Malaysian designer Sarly Adre bin Sarkum’s (26) …… to the problem of conceiving a different kind of development was to drop his building straight downwards into the sea. He deliberately designed it to COMPETE IMPRESS SOLVE Part 3 N

Classroom ideas: Use of English

Word formation

Paper 2: Listening

Which listening task?

Listening paper

Which task – Part 1, 2, 3 or 4?

Key - Classroom ideas: Listening Part 2 – matching task

Classsroom ideas: Listening Work with transcripts to build confidence Highlight where the answers come Point out the‘distraction’text Compare words used in recording and on the question paper Point out paraphrasing Podcasts dictagloss

Dictagloss

Paper 3: Speaking

Speaking paper

Paper 5 Speaking  What might the people find difficult about learning to do these different things?

First Speaking: Classroom ideas for Part 2

Speaking classroom activities Students write their own activities Video – use authentic Cambridge English video material – available online Sts record themselves

Content and Topics What topics do your students enjoy talking about in class?

Content and topics CEFR A2 topics include: Clothes Entertainment and media Hobbies and leisure Personal feelings and experiences School and study Sport

Content and topics Cambridge English: Key for Schools covers the A2 CEFR topics from a school-age perspective: Suitable for 11–14 year olds Texts and topics are accessible and of interest All tasks are pretested with students and feedback collected Exam preparation relates to real-life skills in English

Classroom ideas: Writing Part 6 – Spelling words in a topic set

Which of these words for clothes do A2 learners know?

Key - Classsroom ideas: Speaking Provide regular speaking practice focusing on personal information (Part 1) Work on accurate question formation (Part 2) Encourage students to make their answers longer, to show their range of language (Parts 1 and 2)

What is Cambridge English: First/ First for Schools?

Why choose Cambridge English: Key for Schools? Cambridge English: Key for Schools Exam content and topics targeted at interests and experiences of school-age learners Enables students to take an internationally recognised exam and enjoy the exam experience Exactly the same format and level as Cambridge English: Key Support and ideas to prepare students Gives an accurate guide of your student’s level Is easy and fun to prepare for in the classroom

Online resources

3 reasons to use Cambridge English books for Cambridge English exams Cambridge Learner Corpus Exam content checked by Cambridge ESOL editorial team Official preparation material

Thank you! marcustubby.wordpress.com