Final tips and the best of luck

Hi! I hope you're not too nervous about the exam, they're already around the corner! You need to keep calm and focus on good results, I'm sure you can do great ;)

So, here I give you some last tips for the subjective parts of the exam; probably the ones which make you feel more nervous.

TIPS FOR THE WRITING TEST    

DO

•      Read each question very carefully.

•      Remember that Question 1 is compulsory.

•      Choose Part 2 questions on the basis of what interests you the most but also bear in mind the task type.

•      Decide exactly what information you are being asked to give.

•      Identify the target reader, your role as writer and your purpose in writing.

•      Check which task type you are being asked to write.

•      Organise your ideas and make a plan before you write.

•      Use a pen, not a pencil.

•      Write in an appropriate style.

•      Calculate how many words on average you write on a line and multiply this average by the number of lines to estimate how much you have written – don't waste time counting words individually.

•      Follow your plan and keep in mind your purpose for writing.

•      Use as wide a range of structure and vocabulary as you can but think carefully about when to use idioms.

•      Use paragraphs and indent when you start a new paragraph.

•      Check for spelling errors and the use of punctuation such as capital letters, apostrophes, commas, etc.

•      Check structures: subject-verb agreement, tenses, word order, singular and plural nouns.

•      Make sure that your handwriting can be read by the examiner.

DON'T

•      Don't attempt a question if you feel unsure about the format.

•      Don't include irrelevant material.

•      Don't write out a rough version and then try to write a good copy – you will not have time.

 

TIPS FOR THE SPEAKING TEST

DO                     

•      Make sure you know what you have to do in each part of the test and the timing involved.

•      Listen to the instructions carefully and focus on the task set.

•      Listen actively to your partner, develop their ideas and opinions and work with them.

•      Show interest in and respect for your partner's ideas and views.

•      Respond as fully as possible and extend your ideas and opinions, giving reasons where possible.

DON'T

•      Don't let your partner always 'take the lead' – you must also initiate.

•      Don't waffle – be direct, get to the point and say what you mean.

•      Don't speak during your partner's long turn.

•      Don't waste your opportunities to show the examiners what you can do.

•      Don't ask the examiners how you have done.

•      Don't monopolise the discussion. You must be sensitive to turn-taking.

A revision of modal verbs

Last, but not least, modal verbs need to be revised. That's why you'll find next the slides with the grammar reference for this, and they also include an activity with the answers.

Modal verbs from Míriam

Revising the inversion

Hello again, everyone!

Exams are near, and we've got now only three sessions left, in one of which we'll revise one of the favourites for the key word transformations activity in the test: the inversion.

There's (almost) always at least one sentence in which you have to create an inversion, using the word given. So, keep calm and study this fun technique!

Here you have the slides, which I would recommend you to revise at home, and make sure also to check the activities for further practice.

Inversion from Míriam

• Inversion and emphasis from Advanced Language Practice.
• Key word transformations from the use of English in unit 7.
• Inversion exercise 1.
• Inversion exercise 2.
• Inversion exercise 3.

Alternative vs. conventional medicine

So today we've been talking about alternative and conventional medicine, although unfortunately the fire drill has interrupted us! Anyway, may you believe in alternative methods (like reiki, homeopathy, and so on) or not, everything can be discussed with tolerance and acceptance.

This short film portrays the point of view of a very down-to-earth poet which lived a similar situation as the one shown in the story. Even if we don't agree with his point of view, this gives us ideas and reasons to use - some food for thought. So watch it again, maybe getting familiar with the script first.

In addition, work on the article Trick or treatment? this weekend, so next week we can study a different point of view.

And last but not least, expand on this topic by watching a video about the placebo effect: The power of the placebo effect. If you're already registered in the TedED website, after watching the video, you can take the comprehension test. If you're not registered yet, so now it's your chance ;)

Conditionals and wishes

This time it's turn for the conditionals and wishes to make their appearance. Although we've already seen conditionals this year, we studied them together with the other uses of past tenses, so it was somewhat brief.

Now we've got the chance to revise them more thouroughly, and we'll include the expression of wishes. 

So, firstly, I'm bringing you the slides, which contain explanations, examples, activities and even a The Big Bang Theory video portraiting the use of the second conditional. Make sure you don't miss it. It's always fun to see this crazy, geeky gang of scientists!

Conditionals and wishes from Míriam

Also, I prepared some photocopies for you to enhance your practice at your own will: Conditionals and wishes.

Work with passion

Is it hard to find your passion? Your true vocation? For one young man, it was, so he decided to do something special, something different. And a documentary was made to capture his experience: One week job. 

Also, the director made a speech speaking about this man's experience and reflecting on the meaning of work. I would like you to complete the gap-filling activity while listening to the video, so we can keep working at class. As the quality is not the best (it was hard work to understand it at class, sorry about that), you've ot the transcript in case you find it impossible to make out the words.

By the way, this is a lesson adapted from the amazing website Film-English.

One week job from Míriam

Vocabulary in the workplace

We've been seeing vocabulary about jobs and work through the unit, so in this entry all of them will be put together for you to revise them (we've got the exams within our graps and it's very important to show a broad knowledge of structures). 

In the workplace from Míriam

Idioms related to work and jobs from Míriam

The future

As you asked me, there it goes the grammar slides picturing the uses of the future, so you can revise everything.

The future from Míriam

Also, the cards from the game we played in class.

Can technology solve our big problems?

For next week, you'll have to watch (again) the speech of Jason Pontin analyzing how technology could solve problems, but sadly it's not the case. On Monday, we'll correct your answers to these questions:

JASON PONTIN – Can technology solve our big problems? - TED TALKS (Feb '13)

1.     How many technological advances of the 20^th century are mentioned?

2.     According to JFK, why did the Apollo 11 go to the moon?

3.     What are technologists doing instead of trying to solve humanity's big problems?

4.     Why haven't we gone to Mars yet?

5.     According to Pontin, what's the actual cause of famines?

Try not to use the script after you've finished, read it after the exercise: "Can technology solve our big problems?" script.

Idioms and collocations. Do you know them all?

Today's post deals with idioms and collocations around the topic of technology and inventions. I've prepared some activities and slides for you to practise and get familiar with them. Technology Idioms

You can revise them before or after the activity, but I recommend to try ding the activity first. When you finish, have a look at the following slides.

Technology idioms from Míriam

When you're done with the idioms, try collocations and have fun! Technology collocations

New meanings for a new era

It's a curious thing how we take ordinary words and give them a brand new meaning so as to adapt them to modern times. This happens mostly in technology and science. Some examples we've seen in class, and it would be great if you could revise them going through the next slides and playing the matching game.

Computing concepts vs ordinary meaning from Míriam

Reinvented words

Are we addicted to our phones?

Hello! Today we started talking about social media, and the use we make of them, together with our smartphones. We had an enjoyable discussion while watching the movie made from the fantastic poem by Gary Turk. Enjoy it again if you want! You can find the lyrics on his website.

To add a humouristic touch, we also watched and completed a song by Rhett & Link, two youtubers who satirize the use we make of phones nowadays.

Next you'll find the failed fixed vocabulary activities that we used for the poem. You already know my mistake, so sorry! I'll try to do some research in order to fix them. I need to find out how they work!

Look Up

Writing a report

This unit's writing task is a report. Another formal text which requires elevated language and formal structures.

To complement the activities of our book, I've designed a guide compiling the main lines to follow when writing a report. Moreover, you'll find a copy of the sample text included in your book, with some interesting constructions highlighted, so that you can see more clearly the things you must take into account.

Use of english the passive ex 123 from Míriam

The PDF version can be downloaded here.

The Emancipation of Prince

Are you dog lovers? Maybe not, but many are, right? And some breeds become instantly (and inexplicably) popular for some reason.

Chiuauas are one of those. Irritable as they may seem, possessive or skittish, this particular chiuaua protagonist of the story, is learned and highly intelligent. Unfortunately for him, his owner is not so, and that's why he'll try to get rid of her.

Feel free to watch the short film (again) and acquire some formal vocabulary completing the gapped trasncript.

For some extra work, there's a worksheet about pets by LinguaHouse that you can complete: Keeping pets. It includes a lexis task, an article and its correspondent comprehension exercise. Enjoy!

The passive voice and the causative

As the point of grammar of unit 4, you need to revise both the passive voice and the causative form, and for doing that, you can direct yourselves to your book. In the slides below, you've got the answer keys from those activites. Make sure to revise them if needed or if you didn't make it to class.

Use of english the passive ex 123 from Míriam

Plus, I include some online resources if you need further practice with this:

• Passive / Causative sentences from IH Bristol.
• The passive voice from Learn English Feels Good.
• Sentence transformation with the passive from English Exercises.org.
• Sentence transformation from University of Victoria (brief introduction before).
• More sentence transformation from Perfect English Grammar.
• Several quizzes on the passive and causative from Grammar Bank.

These activities are pretty easy for your actual level, but they should be useful if you feel you need a revision. So take the ones you consider appropriate. No pressure, no panic!

Scam baiting and other crime-related videos

You already know the TED talks. Actually, the last one we saw was the one in which James Veitch, the British comedian, narrated how he scammed back a swindler.

Watch it again, if you feel like it, on the TED website: This is what happens when you reply to spam email. You can read the transcript there, or alternatively watch it with subtitles (English and Spanish ones included). Here's the worksheet we used in class.

Keeping on the TED talks, you can also watch two other videos and answer some questions afterwards. You'll need to create an account in order to take the quiz, though, but I recommend it. Click on the following links to access them:

• How people rationalize fraud.
• What are human rights.

Have fun!

Law & Order

We've started the unit evolving around social issues, crimes and punishments. These days, we've been talking about all these, so for you to keep the material (if you haven't been in class), or rewatch it, you'll find it here.

The interview to the barrister can be done with the activities, plus it might be worth revising the vocabulary related to the topic.

The other document we worked with was related to the topic of amnesty, and we made use of expressions for giving reasons.

And I'll try to create a post as always for the idioms we worked with today!

We're back!

Hello again, everyone! At last I'm able to retake the blog maintenance (during all the pre-exams work stress).

First of all, I wanted to remind everyone that the following two weeks we'll take the mock exams, as planned since the beginning of the course. So here I post the exact dates for any absent-minded case:

• Monday 25th: listening comprehension and writing task. Please, do your best to be on time this day, as we'll start with the listening task.
• Wednesday 27th: Reading and Use of English.
• Friday 29th, Monday 1st and Wednesday 3rd of February: speaking tasks. Here you can have a look at the calendar.

Secondly, as I don't have everyone's email address, if you want to save a date, let me know next week or sending me an email.

See you next week! Break a leg!