New year, new ideas

How to teach an exam class for B2 First for Schools &

C1 Advanced

Alberto Costa
Sarah Ellis

2 February 10:00 GMT

4 February 15:00 GMT
Overview

Photo by David Tran on Unsplash

• SMART goals
• Know the exam well
• Exam classes for B2 First for Schools and C1 Advanced
• Ideas and activities for developing language skills
• Getting ready - resources for teachers
 B2 First for Schools/
SMART goals C1 Advanced
 S M A R T
Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant Time-bound
(assessable)

What do I Is this level- What do I

How will I/
want my appropriate What are my want my
they know
students to and what students’ students to
they are
achieve this support do I learning achieve this
making
year/term/ need to give needs? year/term/
progress?
class? them? class?
Know the Exam Well
Handbooks for Teachers
Preparing for reading
Preparing for reading

Paper Content Marks Length

(% of total)
B2 First for Schools
Reading and Use of 7 parts/
40% (1 hour 15 Minutes)
English 52 questions

Paper Content Marks Length

(% of total)
C1 Advanced
Reading and Use of 8 parts/
40% (1 hour 30 minutes)
English 56 questions
www.cambridgeenglish.org/supporting-teachers/
Part 1 B2 First for Schools
cut and tear
 C1 Advanced

1B, 2C, 3C, 4A, 5B.

 What does the reader have
B2 First for Schools to know about these words
in order to choose the correct
answer?
The meaning of all four words is
similar, but the use is different.

I can see ‘for’ in the text after ‘his

black belt’.
I know that ‘varied’ isn’t followed
by a preposition,
‘differed’ is followed by ‘from’ and
‘replaced’ is followed by ‘with’ or
‘by’.
The correct structure is ‘swap’
something for something’, so the
best answer is ‘swap’.
 Part 2

B2 First C1 Advanced
 Part 2 B2 First for Schools

its

9. which/ that
10. up
11. or
12. like
13. so
 http://l.georges.online.fr/tools/cloze.php

PART 2 – OPEN CLOZE

Building confidence in dealing with this type of task. -

Create your own cloze
Start by removing the articles

Marge Baisch was riding on her parents’ farm in Montana in the USA when
she noticed what at first (0) sight seemed to be the bone of a cow. In fact, it (1)
turned out to belong to a dinosaur called a triceratops. About 65 million years
ago, dinosaurs regularly (2) gathered near huge rivers in this part of Montana.
Luckily for modern day dinosaur enthusiasts, the (3) conditions here were
perfect for preserving those that died there. However, once prehistoric bones
are (4) exposed to the air, they can become fragile, so it is important to find
and preserve them before they disappear into the dust.
Adapted from Part 1 Sample Paper Use of English
http://l.georges.online.fr/tools/cloze.html
With the articles removed

Marge Baisch was riding on her parents’ farm in Montana in ____ USA
when she noticed what at first sight seemed to be the bone of a cow. In
fact, it turned out to belong to ____ dinosaur called ___ triceratops.
About 65 million years ago, dinosaurs regularly gathered near huge
rivers in this part of Montana. Luckily for modern day dinosaur
enthusiasts, _____ conditions here were perfect for preserving those
that died there. However, once prehistoric bones are exposed to the air,
they can become fragile, so it is important to find and preserve them
before they disappear into the dust.

http://l.georges.online.fr/tools/cloze.php Adapted from Part 1 Sample Paper Use of English

B2 First for Schools C1 Advanced
 Part 3
B2 First for Schools
Word formation and vocabulary development B2/C1
 compete
• What have these people been involved in? • a competition
• What do you call a person who takes part? • a competitor
• competitive
• What how do describe a person who really
• uncompetitive
wants to win and works hard to do so?

• How do you describe someone who is not

interested in winning or working hard to
win?
www.englishprofile.org/wordlists/evp
The skills of reading

• Reading for the main idea - skimming

• Reading for detail - scanning

Challenges for the learner

• Managing ambiguity
• coping with unfamiliar words,
• understanding attitude, opinion, tone of the
text,
• understanding text organisation features
B2 First for Schools
 Part 5 – Multiple choice
Challenges and pitfalls for the learner

• Not reading the whole text first

• Reading the multiple-choice answers

• Before/alongside first reading of the
text
• Being distracted by the multiple-choice
options

Image courtesy of: https://unsplash.com

Preparing for Part 5 – teaching strategies

Learners read the text first, then read the questions BUT cover the A, B, C, D
options.
Preparing for writing
Preparing for writing

Paper Content Marks Length

B2 First for Schools (% of total)
An essay
A number of possible 2 parts/
Writing 20% (1 hour 20 minutes)
text types 2 questions

Paper Content Marks Length

C1 Advanced (% of total)
Discursive essay
A number of possible 2 parts/
Writing 20% (1 hour 30 minutes)
text types 2 questions
Preparing for writing
B2 First for Schools and C1 Advanced – Part 1
The B2 First for Schools Writing paper has two parts.
Part 1 has only one task, which you must answer.
You will:
✓ be given the essay title.
✓ be given two ideas to write about.
✓ need to add one more idea of your own.
✓ need to give an opinion and support it with reasons.
✓ need to write between 140 and 190 words.
✓ have 40 minutes to complete each writing task (80
minutes in total for the Writing paper).
The C1 Advanced Writing paper has two parts. Part 1
has only one task, which you must answer.
You will:
✓ be given the topic of an essay and a set of notes
consisting of 3 bullet points and 3 quotes
✓ be asked to choose two of the bullet-pointed
ideas to write about
✓ need to give an opinion and support it with reasons
✓ need to write between 220 and 260 words.
✓ have 45 minutes to complete each writing task (90
minutes in total for the Writing paper).
Preparing for writing
B2 First for Schools and C1 Advanced – Part 1
Preparing for writing
B2 First for Schools – Part 1

In Writing Part 1, you need to show that

you can use language appropriately to do
things such as:
• Agreeing or disagreeing
• Giving opinions
• Giving information or explanations
• Giving reasons
• Giving examples
• Comparing and contrasting ideas and
opinions
• Drawing conclusions
Preparing for writing
C1 Advanced – Part 1
Doing research on different topics and making your own writing practice tasks is a great way to build your
vocabulary and confidence on common topics in the exam, including those you feel less confident about.
Read, think and complete the following tasks: 2. Choose one topic from the list above that you find
interesting and use the Internet to research it in English.
1. Are you a technophobe or a technophile? Do
Essay title: The impact of [your topic] on society
you think the following are beneficial or dangerous
today. Make notes in English on one of the areas below.
to society? Why?
• artificial intelligence
a) how the topic (e.g. social media) has influenced
• social media
society
• the Internet
b) benefits
• online learning
c) drawbacks
d) ways to improve it
e) ways that the government could help improve it
Use the P.O.W.E.R. process to write your practice essays:

P = Prepare Do your research, narrow down your topic, brainstorm ideas.

O = Organise Choose your best ideas, write a plan or outline of your essay, think
about paragraphing
W = Write your answer
E = Edit your work. Check carefully for errors or unnecessary repetition
R = Review When you practise for the exam, have someone else check your work
and Reflect too and think about what you can improve on next time.
B2 First for Schools
Points to consider when
marking a piece of work
C1 Advanced
Points to consider when
marking a piece of work
Set text for B2 First for Schools only

Set texts (an option for Writing – Part 2)

Set text for January 2021–December 2022: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
(Pearson Level 5 Edition).

Teachers may choose to prepare candidates for questions on this set text by studying
any film version of Rebecca, as well as, or instead of, the book.

For more information: https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-and-tests/first-for-schools/exam-format/

B2 First for Schools
Points to consider when marking a piece of work
C1 Advanced
Points to consider when marking a piece of work
New! Teacher Guides for the Assessment of Writing
Designed to help you teach and assess learners’ writing in preparation for their exams
Preparing for listening
Preparing for listening

Paper Content Marks Length

(% of total)
B2 First for Schools
4 parts/
Listening 20% (40 minutes)
30 questions

Paper Content Marks Length

(% of total)
C1 Advanced
4 parts/
Listening 20% (40 minutes)
30 questions
C1 Advanced

B
Preparing to listen

• prediction
• activating prior
knowledge
• think about the topic
• anticipate vocabulary
B2 First for Schools
C1 Advanced
Part 2 First for Schools
 Developing listening strategies

• activate prior knowledge

• think about the topic
• anticipate vocabulary
Predict the
answers
Preparing for speaking
Preparing for speaking

Paper Content Marks Length

(% of total)
B2 First for Schools
(14 minutes per pair of
Speaking 4 parts 20%
candidates)

Paper Content Marks Length

(% of total)
C1 Advanced
(15 minutes per pair of
Speaking 4 parts 20%
candidates)
Preparing for Speaking
B2 for Schools and C1 Advanced – Part 2

B2 First for Schools C1 Advanced

Part 2: Individual long turn Part 2: Individual long turn
Preparing for speaking
B2 First for Schools – Part 2
Photo by Ben Collins on Unsplash

Top tip! Find a study buddy to practise

speaking with.
• Record your speaking and share your
speaking with your study buddy. Send your
recording via email, email, WhatsApp,
Dropbox, Google Drive or similar tools.
• Find a time to practise speaking live to your
study buddy by telephone or Skype.
• Use video conferencing tools to speak live to
your study friend. You can share pictures on
your screens and create your own practice
speaking tasks.
Preparing for speaking
B2 First for Schools – Part 2

Practice 1: Compare two photos

1. Set a timer for one minute.
2. Prepare to record yourself.
3. Look at the pictures of people trying to win a
sporting event. Talk about the ways they are similar
to or different from each other.
4. Start the timer, start recording, and speak about the
photos until the timer rings.
5. Record your speaking a few times until you’re
happy with your speaking and the recording.
6. Save your favourite recording. You will come back
to it later.
Preparing for speaking
B2 First for Schools – Part 2

Here are some useful expressions to help you with this. Can you put them in the right categories?
• In the second picture, we can • He/she seems to be… • The most obvious difference is…
see… • To begin with, … • Overall, …
• As for the question…* • In both cases… • …while…
• Rather than… • The first picture is… • For the first/second picture…
• In the first/second picture, • …whereas… • It looks as though…
there’s…

Organising your response Describing the photos Comparing the photos

Preparing for speaking
C1 Advanced – Part 3
Photo by Compare Fibre on Unsplash

Warm up (15 minutes) – whole class activity or

in pairs/small groups
• How is education today different from the way
your parents learned?
• What digital resources and tools do you use in
your classroom?
• What digital resources and tools do you use
when you study at home?
• What are their advantages and disadvantages?
• How will teaching and learning change in 20
years’ time?
Preparing for speaking
C1 Advanced – Part 3

Listening
You are going to watch a video* on TED.com
about how virtual reality can revolutionise
science lessons. Read the questions first and
then watch the video. You are going to watch
the video twice.

Image from:
https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_bodekaer_this_virtual_lab_will
_revolutionize_science_class#t-142912
Preparing for speaking
C1 Advanced – Part 3

Speaking (20’) – in pairs: Complete the mind map with five benefits that virtual reality can have for
education using the ideas discussed in class and in the video.
Set SMART Goals
 S M A R T
Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant Time-bound
(assessable)

What do I Is this level- What do I

How will I/
want my appropriate What are my want my
they know
students to and what students’ students to
they are
achieve this support do I learning achieve this
making
year/term/ need to give needs? year/term/
progress?
class? them? class?
Set SMART Goals
https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/blog/five-exam-preparation-tips-to-help-build-student-confidence/

My exam preparation learning plan Name: _________________________

I need to work on... I will... By (date) ...

… building my … start a word list … by the end of this
vocabulary for these topics: week
• my home
• my neighbourhood
Resources
Resources

• Sample tests
• Can Do summaries
• Handbooks for Teachers
• Posters
✓ B2 First for Schools
Resources

• Sample tests
• Can Do summaries
• Handbooks for Teachers
• Posters
✓ B2 First for Schools
Resources

• Sample tests
• Can Do summaries
• Handbooks for Teachers
• Posters
✓ B2 First for Schools
Resources

• Sample tests
• Can Do summaries
• Handbooks for Teachers
• Posters
✓ B2 First for Schools
Three B2 First for Schools posters, three booklets of activities
Technology Environment Entertainment
Lesson plans
https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/your-new-classroom/back-to-class/
Assessing Skills
writeandimprove.com & speakandimprove.com
Exam preparation page
https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/learning-english/exam-preparation/

• Sample tests (paper-based and computer-

based exams)
• Links to English practice activities
• Information for candidates
• Games and social media
• Official Cambridge English preparation
materials
New! Teacher Guides for the Assessment of Writing
Designed to help you teach and assess learners’ writing in preparation for their exams
www.cambridgeenglish/org/your-new-classroom
https://view.pagetiger.com/cambridge-english-
teacher-support-pack
https://view.pagetiger.com/cambridge-english-
teacher-support-pack