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All about the Cambridge exams

March 1st, 2012 | Posted by glenn in English Exams - (0 Comments)

Cambridge exams are used around the world by students like you to evaluate and prove their English language abilities.  Cambridge ESOL is the administrator of the exams listed below but they also helped to create the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

IELTS is by far the most widely known and used exam from Cambridge.  It is used by students who are looking to enter universities and also jobs which require a certain level of English. 

Cambridge exams

CPE

The Cambridge Proficiency Exam (CPE) is said to be the most difficult of the exams.  It is recommended you do this test when you are very sure of your English ability (C2 in CEFR or 9 in IELTS).  There are 5 sections; reading, composition, use of language (grammar and vocabulary), listening and interview.

CAE

The Certificate of Advanced English (CAE) is an exam for advanced students.  The level of this exam is recommended for students who can communicate with confidence and who get about 7.5 in IELTS or C1 in the CEFR.  It has 5 sections, reading, writing, use of English (tests ability to use grammatical structures and vocabulary), listening and speaking.

FCE

The First Certificate in English (FCE) is an exam that is appropriate for Upper-Intermediate students.  This means that if you attain the B2 level in CEFR or a 6 in IELTS, this exam is for you.  The FCE has the same 5 sections as the CAE.

PET

The Preliminary English Test (PET) has 3 sections; reading, writing and listening.  The PET is an intermediate-level exam.  It is said that at this level, you should be able to enjoy a holiday in an English-speaking country.  This exam is equivalent to a 4.5 in IELTS or B1 in CEFR.

KET

The Key English Test (KET) is a test for elementary students.  It has 3 sections; reading and writing, listening and speaking.  This is test is for students who have achieved A2 in CEFR or less than 4 in IELTS.

Business Cambridge exams

BULATS

The Business Language Testing Service (BULATS) is a multi-level test.  IT will give you a level similar to the way IELTS gives you a band.  There are 4 sections which can be done separately;  computer test, standard test (which includes listening and reading and language knowledge), speaking and writing.

BEC

The Business English Certificate (BEC) has three levels

There are three levels of BEC:

  • BEC Preliminary (B1 in CEFR)
  • BEC Vantage (B2 in CEFR)
  • BEC Higher (C1 in CEFR)

This exam is designed to be useful preparation for business English courses.

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Mastering the reading section of IELTS

September 25th, 2011 | Posted by glenn in English Exams - (0 Comments)

Understanding the reading section will go a long way towards getting those extra marks that you need to increase your band. Here are some tips that can help you to do just that.

Practice the skills of skimming and scanning
The questions do not test your ability to comprehend large chunks of text. They focus on these two skills.
Scanning: This is where you search the text for particular information. Just as you would look for your stop on a bus timetable or search for your name on a register. You know the information you are looking for.
Skimming: This is where you quickly read through a passage to get the gist of what it is about, just as you would when you read through articles in newspapers, magazines and websites.

The answers to the questions will generally appear in order in the text. So, you should find the answer to number 4 after the answer to number 3. This means that you can do the following:

The technique
First, read the questions to get an idea of what you are looking for.
Then, scan the passage to find information. Underline any dates, numbers, reasons, names etc.
IELTS guyNow read question 1 again, scan to find the answer, then question 2, scan to find the answer.
If you cannot find the answer to question 4, read question 5 and start scanning from where you found the answer to question 3. When you find the answer to question 5, you can narrow down your hunt for answer 4.

Do not spend too long looking for an answer; you can always come back to it later.

Finally, I cannot stress the importance of reading the instructions enough. Don’t lose marks because you wrote 4 words instead of 3 or because you wrote true instead of yes.
Best of luck!

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Acing the writing in IELTS

September 12th, 2011 | Posted by glenn in English Exams - (0 Comments)

When people write IELTS tips on forums, I often see the advice to do the second writing task first because it is easier.  I think that this is good advice if you are doing IELTS for the first time and just trying to get as high a score as you can.  If you are looking to break the 6.5 barrier though, it is time to focus your attention to each mark and make a good attempt at each one.

So I would like to dedicate this post to the first writing task.

Getting a good mark writing task one in IELTS

In this task, you will be asked to write one of the following types of letters

  • Complaint / Request (of information) letter
  • Formal business letter
  • Job application letter
  • Personal letter

and you should spend 20 minutes on this.

Some tips to help you

  1. Aim to write just over the minimum number of words.  Don’t do more as you will run out of time for the second task.  Don’t write less or you will be penalized
  2. Don’t try to memorize a letter as you will be tempted to write it even if it does not exactly match the question.  Irrelevant text will cost you points
  3. Time is your enemy if you have not practiced so keep an eye on the time
  4. Write clearly.  Don’t lose marks because the marker couldn’t read it!
  5. You can write a plan or outline on the question sheet.  It will not be marked
  6. The markers are looking for structure, vocabulary and fluency of language

Structure

You should have 3 paragraphs (or more) in your letter and each paragraph should fulfill a purpose:

  1. State the purpose of the letter
  2. Fulfill the purpose of the letter
  3. Summarize what should happen next and close the letter

Vocabulary

The vocabulary that you use should set the appropriate tone.  It should be formal for all of the letters except for the personal letter.  You should use a wide range of words that you feel comfortable using.  Do not try to use words that you are not sure about just to make your writing sound technical as you will probably lose marks for lack of sentence coherence.

Fluency of language

This means that you can make your language flow into one smooth letter.  In order to do this, read lots of sample letters and see the phrases that they use and understand how they use them.  Do not try to memorize sample letters and reproduce them in the test but understand words, phrases and conventions that are used in letters so that you can put them together into a smooth letter in the test.  These days, you can find a multitude of such sample letters on the Internet.

A lot of students start a notebook where they can write down the new language that they see.  If you do this, keep a section aside for useful phrases that you see when you are looking at sample letters on the web.  This will help you to remember to include these in the appropriate task when you do the writing test.

Good luck for your English exam preparation and I wish you all the best in the IELTS test.

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IELTS listening tips

August 30th, 2011 | Posted by glenn in English Exams - (0 Comments)

With a lot of students studying overseas and people moving to live in other countries, IELTS is becoming a popular test.  The best advice that I can give you for succeeding in the IELTS listening test is practice, practice, practice.

How to prepare for the IELTS listening part

And when you practice, here are some good habits to build:

1)      Get used to a variety of accents.  Don’t just watch American series.  Make sure that you get a good intake of British accents but also New Zealand, Australian, Irish, and even Asian accents.  They could all come up in your test.

2)      Follow the instructions carefully.  It doesn’t feel good to lose marks for silly mistakes.

3)      Get used to guessing.  Read the question before you listen and try to predict what they might say.

4)      Use the background noise to help you to imagine the scene.  If you imagine the scene, you are more likely to predict what they are about to say.

5)      Try to read two questions.  Sometimes they come soon after the one before so reading two questions will help you especially in the latter half of the test.

6)      Be careful of speakers correcting themselves.  They might say one answer and then change to another answer so be careful.

7)      Look at any tables, labels and other visual clues.  This will help you to know what to listen for.

8)      Don’t leave any questions unanswered.  Try to eliminate ridiculous answers first and then guess from what’s left.  Also, if you leave a blank answer, you might mistakenly write the next answer there.  Now every answer you write is in the wrong place.

Good technique and lots of practice will help you to feel confident in the test so try to make these habits yours and then you can relax and achieve the score that you really want.  Good luck.

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Getting the score you want on IELTS speaking

August 19th, 2011 | Posted by glenn in English Exams - (0 Comments)



IELTS is a popular exam for people who want to live, work or study in an English speaking country.  Good results come from good training so here are some ways to train for this event.

IELTS speaking

Part One:  Introduction and Interview

Write three-minute speeches and practice speaking for three minutes on each of the following topics:

My home town My family My childhood
My hobbies My job My home
My pets My future Why I study English
Why I chose my career path

Three minutes on each topic will be longer than you need for the 4-5 minute test but it is important to get into the habit of speaking in longer answers.  A yes/no answer will not get you very far in this part of the test.

Practice ways to ask for clarification.  If you can handle this kind of situation easily, you may not lose points for not understanding or not knowing the vocabulary.  If you face this situation, relax.  A calm mind will help you to figure out what the examiner is trying to ask you.  More practice means you will be less nervous.

Part Two:  The Long Turn

You will have one minute to think about what you want to say.  You can and probably should write notes to remind you of things that you can talk about.  A good way to do this is using a mind map.  Write the topic in the middle of a page and draw a circle around it. The subtopics should branch off this main topic.  Then you can list your points under each subtopic.

Do not rush through your ideas, try to talk about each one completely before you move onto the next and try to find ways to connect the ideas that you are talking about or at least have a logical order for them.  Try to use phrases that structure your answer like, firstly, secondly, another good reason .., so in conclusion, finally, etc.

Practice lots of example questions before you go in.  This will help you to feel more at ease when constructing your answers but again, relax and speak clearly.

Part Three:  Two-way discussion

One really important skill to practice for this part is thinking words.  Each culture has words that they use to buy some time when they are thinking.  Practice these stalling techniques to buy you thinking time (that’s a very good question, well, that’s a question I’ve never been asked before, let me see).

Try to personalize your answers.  If you are talking about something that you find interesting, chances are, it will be more interesting for the examiner.

Finally, relax and enjoy the test.  I know that is easier said than done but if you have trained for the event, it will be easier to relax and a clear mind will help you to remember all the great phrases that you practiced. Good luck.

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