Taller de Comunicacin Escrita (2016) 1

Sheila B. Mignolet

Spotlight on FCE Students Book

Jon Naunton and John Hughes
Heinle, Cengage Learning (2009)
Pp. 240 and PIN code
ISBN 978-1-4080-0762-4

1. Introduction
Spotlight on FCE is a students book published by Heinle, designed for foreign
students of English that want to sit for Cambridges First Certificate in English.
The 240-page book, accompanied by a PIN code to access follow-up online
activities, is aimed at students with an intermediate or advanced level of English
and can be used in class or for self-study. All in all, I recommend this book as it
displays various strengths that I consider suitable for students and teachers to
contribute to the L2 learning experience.
2. Format
The books first pages consist of an illustrated map of the book, a chart
comparing the revised exam and the old exam, an introduction, an overview of
the exam and a FCE glossary. Following these, the book is divided into sixteen
units that provide relevant and meaningful contexts for the teaching points that
are to be dealt with in them. Moreover, each unit includes seven corners
destined to specific training on vocabulary, grammar, use of English, reading,
listening, speaking and writing. This book also offers the sections: grammar
reference, speaking files, writing guide, tapescript, useful expressions,
information files, phrasal verbs, wordlist, and irregular verbs.
3. Contents
Within the set format for each unit described above, the student will be exposed
to a wide range of different exercises, tasks and activities. Each unit begins with
the presentation of a significant topic such as festivals around the world,
crime and social responsibility, etc. and an activity aimed at inferring some
ideas about this topic. Following this, a reading or a listening activity is
presented for students to grasp more details about the topic. After that, a series
of activities are introduced in order to provide students with an in-depth
understanding on the topic. Vocabulary and grammar points drawn from the
previous activities are given specific sections where students and teachers are

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Sheila B. Mignolet

expected to work together and analyze these aspects of language. Even though
each section ends with either a writing activity or a group speaking activity,
these skills are also devoted exhaustive analysis in later units. Furthermore, the
book comes with a PIN code that students can use to get further training online.
All in all, this material provides a complete set of resources and activities that
can be adapted to the class or students specific needs.
4. Skills Work
As this is a book specialized in preparing students for the FCE, the emphasis is
on helping learners practice the four skills speaking, listening, reading and
writing following the parameters set by the examination board. Even though
language is always presented in suitable contexts, certain aspects of it relevant
for the FCE are given a more in-depth analysis than others. The listening
passages often feature English speakers of various nationalities, giving students
a general idea about accents and pronunciation patterns. The speaking and
writing activities, although tailored to meet the examinations needs, usually
offer topics and ideas that students may find interesting to explore and develop.
In a similar fashion, the reading activities consist of fostering students ability to
read for different purposes.
5. Learner training
There is a strong and explicit focus on learner training throughout the book.
Students are encouraged to continue working on their own outside the
classroom and to make connections between the points of view presented and
their own opinions. They are given suggestions on how to approach the learning
of specific skills and how to improve their own learning methods. The advice
given in each section of the book often raises awareness of some peculiarities of
language.
6. Conclusion
Finally, Spotlight on FCE is a book that I strongly recommend since it presents
students and teachers with suitable contexts for second language development.
The strengths of this book lie in the harmonious balance between
communicative activities and relatable contexts, and more structural tasks
aimed at mechanizing particular aspects of the language. It is a book that will
provide students with specialized tools to both improve their language use and
be ready to sit for the FCE. Furthermore, teachers can make use of this material
whether their students are taking the FCE exam or not, since most of the
activities can be adapted to regular class work.