Cambridge Assessment English

TKT
Teaching Knowledge Test

Preparation Course
Module 1 Part 1
Describing language and language skills
Contents
Introduction to the test and practice for
Part 1 ......................................................... 3
Section 1: Describing language and
language skills............................................ 4
1.1 Possible testing focuses in TKT:
Module 1 Part 1 ....................................... 4
Section 2: Grammar ................................... 5
2.1 Revising grammar – parts of
speech ..................................................... 5
2.2 Practice quiz – grammar: parts of
speech ..................................................... 7
Section 5: Functions ................................ 24
2.3 Revising grammar – the use of
grammatical structures .......................... 10
2.4 Practice quiz – grammar: the use of
grammatical structures .......................... 12
Section 6: Language skills ....................... 26
Section 3: Lexis ........................................ 13
3.1 Revising lexis – lexical terms ........... 13
3.2 Revising lexis – finding examples in a
text ......................................................... 14
3.3 Revising lexis – correcting lexical
errors ..................................................... 15
3.4 Practice quiz – lexis ......................... 16
Section 4: Phonology ............................... 17
4.1 Revising phonology – phonological
terms ..................................................... 17
4.2 Revising phonology
– phonemes........................................... 19
4.3 Revising phonology – voiced and
unvoiced consonants............................. 20
4.4 Revising phonology – minimal
pairs ...................................................... 21
4.5 Revising phonology – word
stress ..................................................... 22
4.6 Practice quiz – phonology ............... 23
5.1 Revising functions ........................... 24
5.2 Practice quiz – functions ................. 25
6.1 Revising language skills – your
experiences ........................................... 26
6.2 Revising language skills – reading,
listening, speaking, writing .................... 26
6.3 Revising language skills – receptive
skills: reading and listening ................... 27
6.4 Revising language skills – productive
skills: speaking and writing .................... 28
6.5 Practice quiz – language skills and
subskills ................................................. 29

Section 7: Describing language and

language skills – reflection ....................... 31

Answer key .............................................. 32

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Introduction to the test and practice for
Part 1
We are now going to look at Part 1 of TKT Module 1. You may wish to refer back to Task 1.2 in
the Introduction to TKT: Module 1 to remind you of the testing focus for each part.

In each section, you will complete tasks which will review some of the content covered in TKT:
Module 1 Part 1 and you will do some practice quizzes. Each time you finish a task or quiz, you
can check or compare your answers with those in the answer key (see pages 32–38).

Remember that, in the test, you will have a separate answer sheet on which to mark your
answers. Here is an example of part of an answer sheet. Please refer to the TKT Handbook for
a full example.

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 Describing language and language skills 1

Section 1: Describing language and

language skills
1.1 Possible testing focuses in TKT: Module 1 Part 1

TKT: Module 1 Part 1 tests knowledge of grammar, lexis, phonology, functions and language
skills. Let’s add some detail to each of these categories. Look at the list of subjects below and
decide which category each belongs to. The first one has been done for you. Don’t worry if you
don’t remember all of these words; you’ll be meeting these terms again in later tasks.

Task
Match the subjects 1 – 8 with the list of categories A – E. Write your answers in the boxes. The
first one has been done for you.

Categories

A. Grammar D. Functions, e.g.

• context
B. Lexis, e.g. • levels of formality
• types of meaning • appropriacy
• register
E. Language skills
C. Phonology, e.g.
• symbols from the International
Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

Subjects
1. B word groupings, e.g. synonyms, antonyms, lexical sets, homophones, collocation
2. reading, listening, speaking, writing and their subskills
3. phonemes, word stress, sentence stress, intonation and connected speech
4. features of spoken and written texts, e.g. layout, organisation, accuracy, fluency, authenticity
5. parts of speech, e.g. nouns, adjectives
6. a range of functions and their typical exponents, e.g. suggestions (Why don’t you …?)
7. word formation, e.g. prefixes, suffixes, compounds
8. the forms and use of grammatical structures

Now check your answers in the key.

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 Grammar 2

Section 2: Grammar
The first thing TKT: Module 1 tests is grammar: parts of speech, e.g. nouns, verbs, adjectives,
adverbs, and the forms and use of grammatical structures. We’ll begin by revising the names
of some parts of speech.

2.1 Revising grammar – parts of speech

Task 1
Look at the sentences below and identify the part of speech for each of the words in the
sentences. Choose from the parts of speech below. Write the correct part of speech beneath
each word. You need to use some parts of speech more than once.

main verb adverb auxiliary verb noun proper noun adjective subject pronoun
possessive adjective preposition gerund determiner present participle conjunction

My sister loves visiting big cities. She is living in

London now and sees very different things every day.

Now check your answers in the key.

Task 2
The words below are examples of four different parts of speech. Put the words into the correct
group. Some words may belong to more than one category.

newspaper carefully have health them he opportunity could mine hers early
sometimes talk information give it romantically be often finally may
him yesterday book food go

Nouns Verbs Pronouns Adverbs

Now check your answers in the key.

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 Grammar 2

Task 3
The parts of speech in Task 2 can be divided again into smaller groups. Look at the words in
your lists for Task 2 and the groups below. Find as many examples as you can from your lists
and add them to each group below. Some words may belong to more than one category.

Nouns countable nouns

uncountable nouns

Verbs main verbs

modal verbs

auxiliary verbs

Pronouns subject pronouns

object pronouns

possessive pronouns

Adverbs manner adverbs

time adverbs

frequency adverbs

Now check your answers in the key.

Task 4
You have worked on four parts of speech in Task 3. Look at the other parts of speech in the
table below and think of one example for each of them.

Adjectives e.g. large

Conjunctions e.g. and

Prepositions e.g. in

Now check your answers in a dictionary. Some ideas are given in the answer key.

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 Grammar 2

2.2 Practice quiz – grammar: parts of speech

The following questions give you practice in answering questions about grammar. In this
section, the focus is on parts of speech.

For questions 1 – 15, choose the correct option (A, B or C) to answer the questions about the
sentences. Mark the correct option (A, B or C) on the answer sheet at the end of the
questions.

First, let’s look at verb forms.

1. The birds sing a beautiful song in the garden every morning. They make a lot of noise
when I’m trying to sleep!

Which is NOT a transitive verb in these sentences?

A. sing B. make C. sleep

2. I sometimes get up early and play with the dog before I have my breakfast.

Which is NOT an irregular verb in this sentence?

A. get up B. play C. have

3. I’ve visited Sydney and have walked all over the city, but I’ve never been to the Opera
House.

Which is NOT a regular past participle in this sentence?

A. visited B. walked C. been

4. He might take the train or he can go by bus, but if he has a lot of bags, he’ll probably drive
to the airport. I hope he’s not late!

Which is NOT a modal verb in these sentences?

A. might B. can C. has

5. John really wanted Sarah to pass the interview, so he advised her to dress smartly and
suggested that she left plenty of time to get there.

Which is NOT a reporting verb in these sentences?

A. wanted B. advised C. suggested

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 Grammar 2

Now let’s look at adverbs and adjectives.

6. He works really hard but never seems to make much progress. He has such a difficult job.

Which is NOT an adverb in these sentences?

A. hard B. never C. difficult

7. The audience clapped excitedly when the singer finally appeared and started singing
loudly.

Which is NOT an adverb of manner in this sentence?

A. excitedly B. finally C. loudly

8. I often go swimming in the pool near my office before work, as the pool is so busy later in
the day.

Which is NOT an adverb in this sentence?

A. often B. near C. before

9. It wasn’t the most exciting show I’ve seen, but it was the longest! However, it was better
than the one we went to last month.

Which is NOT a superlative adjective in these sentences?

A. most exciting B. longest C. better

10. I’m so pleased that you came to the party. Let me introduce you to some people. This man
is my brother, and those women are my sisters.

Which is NOT a demonstrative adjective in these sentences?

A. that B. this C. those

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 Grammar 2

Next we’ll focus on nouns and pronouns.

11. He gave me some good advice, but I didn’t have the time to do it properly and I made the
same mistake again.

Which is NOT an uncountable noun in this sentence?

A. advice B. time C. mistake

12. Her car is old – but Jenny told me she likes it.

Which is NOT an object pronoun in this sentence?

A. her B. me C. it

13. Which parents did you talk to? I talked to the ones whose children wanted to learn English
and who hadn’t been to lessons before.

Which is NOT a relative pronoun in these sentences?

A. which B. whose C. who

14. John went to visit a famous museum when he was in London.

Which is NOT a proper noun in this sentence?

A. John B. museum C. London

15. The sheep were all standing under the tree when the people went into the field.

Which is NOT a plural noun in this sentence?

A. sheep B. people C. field

Answer sheet

Now check your answers in the key.

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 Grammar 2

2.3 Revising grammar – the use of grammatical structures

We’ve looked at parts of speech in grammar. Let’s move on now to the uses of grammatical
structures. A grammatical structure is a grammatical language pattern, e.g. past simple,
present perfect simple.

Task 1
Here are some grammatical structures and some example sentences. Match the example
sentences 1 – 6 with the grammatical structures A – F. Write your answers in the boxes below.

Grammatical structures

A. Imperative D. Past continuous

B. Present perfect simple E. Going to

C. Second conditional F. Future continuous

Example sentences

1. It’s getting very dark. It’s going to rain.

2. We’ll be arriving in Spain around 10.00 p.m.

3. What were you doing at 9.00 a.m. yesterday?

4. Write your answers in your notebook, now.

5. If I had a lot of money, I’d travel the world.

6. I’ve never eaten Japanese food.

Now check your answers in the key.

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 Grammar 2

Task 2
In Task 1 we looked at names of grammatical structures. Now let’s look at meaning and use.
Here are the structures and examples again. Match each meaning and use 1 – 6 with its
structure and example A – F. Write your answers in the boxes below.
Grammatical structures
A. Imperative, e.g. Write your answers in D. Past continuous, e.g. What were you doing
your notebook, now. at 9.00 a.m. yesterday?
B. Present perfect simple, e.g. I’ve never E. Going to, e.g. It’s getting very dark. It’s
eaten Japanese food. going to rain.
C. Second conditional, e.g. If I had a lot of F. Future continuous, e.g. We’ll be arriving in
money, I’d travel the world. Spain around 10.00 p.m..

Meaning and use

1. talking about experiences

2. talking about things happening around a particular time in the past

3. talking about something happening at a particular time in the future

4. making predictions

5. talking about things that are not likely to happen

6. giving instructions
Now check your answers in the key.

Task 3
When we talk about grammatical structures (e.g. the imperative, the present perfect), we talk
about meaning and use (e.g. giving instructions, talking about experiences). Remember that a
particular grammatical structure may have more than one meaning or use. Let’s look at the
imperative. What are different meanings/uses of these example sentences? Write your
answers in the table below. The first one has been done for you.
Examples of the imperative Meaning/Use

1. Write your answers in your notebook, now. A. giving instructions

2. Be careful! That pan is hot! B.

3. Take an aspirin and you’ll feel better. C.

4. Stop talking now! D.

5. Open the window, please. E.

Now check your answers in the key.

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 Grammar 2

2.4 Practice quiz – grammar: the use of grammatical structures

For questions 1 – 7, match the sentences with the uses of could listed A – D. Mark your
answers on the answer sheet below.

Uses of could
A. to talk about ability
B. to make an offer
C. to express possibility
D. to express permission

Sentences
1. I could come round and fix that fence if you like.

2. He told me he could speak Italian, but I don’t think it was true.

3. Do you think I could have that seat, or is it taken?

4. We could still manage to complete the game if it stops raining in the next half hour.

5. There was an accident, so the police said we couldn’t go our usual way.

6. When I was a child, I could touch my toes easily.

7. They could come later, but I’d be surprised.

Answer sheet

Now check your answers in the key.

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 Lexis 3

Section 3: Lexis
Lexis refers to words or sets of words, e.g. homework, study, whiteboard, get dressed, be on
time. Lexical means ‘connected with words or sets of words’. TKT: Module 1 may include
questions on: types of meaning; word formation, e.g. prefixes, suffixes, compounds; ways of
grouping words, e.g. synonyms, antonyms, lexical sets, homophones, collocation and register.

3.1 Revising lexis – lexical terms

Task 1a
First of all, let’s check some of the words which we use when talking about lexis. Put these
letters in order to make a word or term connected with describing lexis. Write the words in the
‘Words to talk about lexis’ column.

Words to talk about lexis Meaning

1. r p f e x i

2. n a t m o n y

3. s l f a e / f e r d n i

4. c a n t l o i o l o c

5. e i t r e s g r

6. l x e i l c a / t s e

Task 1b
Match the words in Task 1a with the definitions below. Write the answers in the ‘Meaning’
column in Task 1a.

A. the opposite of another word

B. a word in the target language which looks or sounds as if it has the same meaning as a
similar word in the learners’ first language, but does not
C. the formality or informality of the language used in a particular situation
D. a group of words or phrases that are about the same content topic or subject
E. a group of letters added to the beginning of a word to make a new word
F. words which are regularly used together; the relation between the words may be
grammatical or lexical
Now check your answers in the key.

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 Lexis 3

Task 2
Look at the lexical terms and words/phrases below. Give one example of the term for each
word or phrase. The first one has been done for you.
Suffix: Formal register:
quick / quickly Want a cup of tea? /

Prefix: Collocation:
popular / interested /

Antonym: Lexical set:

good / ruler /
Now check your answers in the key.

3.2 Revising lexis – finding examples in a text

Task
Look at the lexical terms in the table below. Read the text and find examples of each term.
Write your answers in the box below. The first one has been done for you.
Lexical term Examples
Idiom rushed off my feet,
Compound noun
Lexical set
Formal register
Informal register
Collocation
Prefix
Phrasal verb
I had been rushed off my feet at work and had an important meeting on this particular Friday at
head office. I had lots of documents, reports and papers to take to it and had to get there early to
prepare. As I came into the building, the head of the organisation was waiting for the lift. ‘Good
morning, Miss Jamison,’ he said. I really didn’t have my head screwed on and answered, ‘Oh hi.
How’s things?’ He gave me such a dirty look! I went to the meeting room and there was nobody
there, so I had a nose around. I’d never been there before, so it was an unfamiliar place. Everybody
came into the room and sat down. I was quite nervous but I thought my presentation was going
down quite well. But then, just as I started to relax, I looked down to see that I had two different
shoes on! It wasn’t the most successful of days.
Now check your answers in the key.

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 Lexis 3

3.3 Revising lexis – correcting lexical errors

Task
Look at these examples of learners’ work. There are errors in all of them relating to lexis.
Identify the error and say which lexical area the learner is having a problem with.
Example: I hate people smoking. I can’t put it up with.
Incorrect word order with phrasal verb – with a three-part phrasal verb you can only
put the object pronoun at the end of the phrase, i.e. put up with it.

1. Alex is a strong swimmer. He has always been very keen in it.

2. I love going to dinner at Mary’s house – she’s a great cooker.

3. Please could you poor me some water?

4. My brother is crazy of football. He talks about it all the time and he plays every day.

Now check your answers in the key.

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 Lexis 3

3.4 Practice quiz – lexis

For questions 1 – 6, look at the statements about lexical terms and choose the option
(A, B or C) which completes the statement. Mark the correct answer on the answer sheet
below.

1. Give up, get up and hang up are examples of

A. idioms. B. phrasal verbs. C. prefixes.

2. Happy, pleased and glad are examples of

A. phrases. B. antonyms. C. synonyms.

3. Bus ticket, dining room and paper bag are examples of

A. compounds. B. multi-word verbs. C. false friends.

4. Form, forming and formation are examples of

A. a lexical set. B. a word family. C. a fixed expression.

5. Make the bed, heavy rain and worried sick are all examples of
A. collocation. B. abbreviation. C. register.

6. Beat and beet, so and sew, know and no are all examples of
A. homophones. B. minimal pairs. C. antonyms.

Answer sheet

Now check your answers in the key.

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 Phonology 4

Section 4: Phonology
Phonology is the study of sounds in a language or languages. In TKT: Module 1, it is possible
to get questions on: symbols from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), phonemes, word
stress, sentence stress, intonation and connected speech.

4.1 Revising phonology – phonological terms

Let’s start with a task to see what you know about phonology.

Task
Answer these questions:
1. What’s a phoneme?

2. How many consonants are there in the English alphabet?

3. How many consonant sounds are there in English?

4. How many vowels are there in the English alphabet?

5. How many vowel sounds are there in English?

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 Phonology 4

6. What are the three different types of vowel sound?

7. Which two of these words include diphthongs?

mean train boy

8. What’s a syllable?

9. What is stress in a word?

10. What is connected speech?

11. What’s the schwa?

12. What is intonation?

Now check your answers in the key.

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 Phonology 4

4.2 Revising phonology – phonemes

Task 1a
Look at the words below and decide how many phonemes there are in each one. Write your
answer in the correct column. It may help to say the words aloud and you may want to look at
a phonemic chart.
Then complete the table by doing Task 1b.

Number of Schwa Long vowel Diphthong

phonemes
1. chocolate /ˈtʃɒk.lət/
2. sheep /ʃiːp/
3. jump /dʒʌmp/
4. six /sɪks/
5. take /teɪk/
6. you /juː/
7. please /pliːz/
8. o’clock /əˈklɒk/
9. about /əˈbaʊt/
10. weather /ˈweð.ə/
11. text /tekst/

Task 1b
1. Which of these words contain the schwa sound? Put a tick () in the correct column.
2. Which of these words have a long vowel sound in them? Put a tick () in the correct
column.
3. Which of these words have diphthongs? Put a tick () in the correct column.

Now check your answers in the key.

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 Phonology 4

4.3 Revising phonology – voiced and unvoiced consonants

In this task, we are going to look at consonants. In particular, this task looks at voiced and
unvoiced consonants. When we make a voiced sound, the voice is used, e.g. /b/ in bad, /d/ in
day. When we make an unvoiced sound, no voice is used, e.g. /p/ in pad, /t/ in tomorrow.

Task
Look at the words below and the sounds underlined in the words. Put the words into two
groups: voiced and unvoiced. Remember to think about the phoneme the letter represents in
the word.
Hint: There should be six words in each box.

thin joke vanilla love shower television pilot

cheap heater they thing leisure

Voiced Unvoiced

Now check your answers in the key.

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 Phonology 4

4.4 Revising phonology – minimal pairs

In the previous task, we looked at consonants. Now let’s look at consonants and vowels
through this minimal pair task. Minimal pairs are words which are different from each other by
only one phoneme, e.g. hit /hɪt/; heat /hiːt/.

Task 1a
Look at the text below. There are a number of minimal pairs underlined in it. Write down the
words which go together as minimal pairs. An example has been done for you.
Recently, I went with my friend Sue and her family to a farm near where they live. They were having
an open day and had set up a children’s zoo with cows, sheep and goats. Sue’s three children had a
great time with the animals. It was very cheap to get in and once we had paid, there were all sorts of
free activities for them to get involved in. They could walk over bridges and visit an activity
playground. There was even a place to eat. The children didn’t want to leave. I could understand that
– it was the sort of place where I would love to work!

Minimal pairs
Example: Sue /suː/ and zoo /zuː/

Task 1b
Why is it useful for learners to know about minimal pairs?

Now check your answers in the key.

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 Phonology 4

4.5 Revising phonology – word stress

Let’s finish this section on revising phonology with a look at word stress and some of the
regular patterns or rules we can use.

Task
Match the examples 1 – 6 with the rules A – F. Write your answers in the boxes.

Rules
A. Verbs of two syllables – stress the second syllable.
B. Nouns and adjectives of two syllables – stress the first syllable.
C. Words ending in -tion, -sion, -ic – stress the syllable before the end.
D. Words ending in -cy, -ty, -phy, -gy, -al – stress the third syllable from the end.
E. Words which have prefixes – the prefix is not usually stressed.
F. Words which have the suffix -ee, -ese, -eer – stress the suffix.

Examples

1. biology

2. Japanese

3. unlikely

4. letter

5. education

6. reply

Now check your answers in the key.

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 Phonology 4

4.6 Practice quiz – phonology

Match the words 1 – 8 with the syllable which is stressed listed A – C. Mark your answers
(A – C) on the answer sheet below

The syllable which is stressed

A. stress on first syllable
B. stress on second syllable
C. stress on third syllable

Words

1. democracy

2. photograph

3. impossible

4. elementary

5. understand

6. reality

7. magical

8. photographer

Answer sheet

Now check your answers in the key.

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 Functions 5

Section 5: Functions
When we talk about ‘functions’, we mean ‘the reason or purpose for using language’.
Examples of different functions are: making a suggestion or giving advice. ‘Functional
exponents’ are the phrases we choose to use to perform different functions. For example,
Have a cup of tea and Would you like a cup of tea? are both functional exponents for offering.
The exponent we choose will depend on how we feel and how well we know the person we are
speaking to. In TKT: Module 1 you may get questions about: the context of functions; levels of
formality; appropriacy; a range of functions and their typical exponents.
5.1 Revising functions

One word can be used for a number of different functions. For example, let’s look at some of
the functions we can use will and can for.

Task 1
First let’s look at will. Match the sentences 1 – 4 showing examples of will to the functions
shown A – D. Write your answers in the boxes.

Functions

A. offering C. promising
B. demanding D. making a decision

Examples with will

1. Children! Will you stop making that noise!

2. Oh look, it’s raining – I’ll go shopping tomorrow I think.

3. I told you yesterday. I’ll be there on time.

4. I’ll carry that for you.

Task 2
Now look at the functions for can below and write your own example sentences to show the
different functions.
Expressing ability:
Giving instructions:
Offering:
Expressing a fact:
Asking permission:

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 Functions 5

Task 3
You can say the same thing in a lot of different ways in English. Often it will depend on the
level of formality you want to use. Look at the sentences below. What is the function? Now
order the sentences from the most formal (1) to the least formal (5).
Would you like to come to my party next week?

Having a party next week. Want to come?

Party! Next week. Be there!

You must come to my party next week.

I would be honoured if you would accept this invitation to a party next week.

Now check your answers for Tasks 1 and 3 and look at possible examples for Task 2 in
the key.
5.2 Practice quiz – functions

For questions 1 – 7, match the example sentences with the functions listed A – H. Mark your
answers on the answer sheet below. There is one extra option which you do not need to use.

Functions

A. describing ability E. describing possibility

B. giving a warning F. making a suggestion
C. asking for information G. making an offer
D. making a request H. asking for permission

Example sentences

1. Let’s go to the cinema this evening.

2. They might be late. You know what the traffic’s like on Fridays.

3. Watch out! That’s very wet! Answer sheet

4. My brother can run very fast.

5. Is it OK if I go a bit early today?

6. Shall I show you how to use that dictionary?

7. Could you pass me that book?

Now check your answers in the key.

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 Language skills 6

Section 6: Language skills

TKT: Module 1 will include questions that test your knowledge of: reading, listening, speaking,
writing and their subskills. These may include features of spoken and written texts, e.g. layout,
organisation, accuracy, fluency, authenticity.

6.1 Revising language skills – your experiences

Before we start, take a few minutes to think about which of the language skills you most enjoy
teaching, and why. Are there any skills you aren’t so keen on teaching? Why?
Try to keep these in mind as we work through the next exercises.

6.2 Revising language skills – reading, listening, speaking, writing

Each of the four language skills have subskills which are part of the main skills. Let’s revise
these now.
Task
Here is a list of terms for the subskills in reading, listening, speaking and writing. Match the
term to the skill or skills they are part of. Some of the terms may be used for more than one
skill.

gist using interactive strategies scanning editing proofreading paraphrasing

predicting turn-taking deducing meaning from context
using punctuation global understanding

Reading Writing

Listening Speaking

Now check your answers in the key.

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 Language skills 6

6.3 Revising language skills – receptive skills: reading and listening

Let’s check that you know what these subskills are. First we’ll look at the subskills for the two
receptive skills: reading and listening.

Task 1
Write the correct subskill from the box next to the definition.

predicting deducing meaning from context

reading/listening for gist/global understanding scanning

Definitions
1. Understanding the general meaning of a text, without paying attention to details. This
subskill is .
2. Reading a text to look for specific information and paying no attention to anything else in
the text. This subskill is .
3. Guessing or working out the meaning of a new word by using other information in the text
or the situation. This subskill is .
4. Before listening or reading, thinking about the topic and what might be in the text. This
subskill is .

Task 2
Do you know any other subskills or terms for talking about reading and listening? Think about
the things we do when we read and listen. Write them in the box.

More reading and listening subskills:

Now check your answers in the key.

Cambridge Assessment English TKT: Module 1 | Part 1 | © UCLES 2019 27

 Language skills 6

6.4 Revising language skills – productive skills: speaking and writing

Now let’s look at the subskills for the two productive skills: speaking and writing.

Task 1
Write the correct subskill next to the definition.

using punctuation paraphrasing using interactive strategies editing

proofreading making texts coherent turn-taking

Definitions
1. Saying or writing something that you have read or heard using different words. This
subskill is .
2. Keeping people involved and interested in what we are saying or keeping communication
going by the use of, e.g., eye contact or gestures. This subskill is .
3. Speaking for a while in a conversation and inviting another person to speak in reply, before
we speak again. This subskill is .
4. Shortening, changing or correcting the words or content of some parts of a written text to
make it clearer or easier to understand. This subskill is .
5. Reading a text you have written in order to check whether there are any mistakes in
spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc. This subskill is .
6. Putting commas, full stops, question marks, etc. into a text to organise it into sentences
and clauses. This subskill is .
7. Putting ideas in a spoken or written text together clearly and smoothly, so that they are
logical and make sense to the listener or reader. This subskill is .

Task 2
Do you know any other speaking or writing subskills or terms for talking about speaking and
writing? Think about the things we do when we write and speak. Write them in the box.

More speaking and writing subskills:

Now check your answers in the key.

28 Cambridge Assessment English TKT: Module 1 | Part 1 | © UCLES 2019


6.5 Practice quiz – language skills and subskills
For questions 1 – 8, look at the statements about the terms for language skills and choose the
option (A, B or C) which completes each statement.
Mark the correct answer on the answer sheet on the next page.
1. Drafting is
A. writing the first version of a text,
focusing on content not accuracy.
B. preparing for a writing task by noting
ideas to use in the text.
C. correcting and improving a text that
you have already written.
2. Summarising is
A. explaining a text in detail.
B. writing the last sentence of a text.
C. giving the main points of a text.
3. Paraphrasing is
A. using phrases to say something
instead of using complete sentences.
B. connecting sentences together in
speech or writing by using
conjunctions.
C. using different words to rewrite
something you have read or heard.
4. Scanning is
A. reading a text quickly to get the
general idea.
B. reading a text quickly to find specific
information.
C. reading a text quickly to infer the
writer’s attitude.
Cambridge Assessment English TKT: Module 1 | Part 1 | © UCLES 2019 29
Language skills 6
5. Turn-taking is
A. speaking and then inviting someone
else to speak.
B. using a word or a sound in between
words to give yourself time to think.
C. making contact with your eyes to keep
people involved in your conversation.
6. Extensive reading is
A. reading a text to focus on how
language is used.
B. reading a text to understand every
word.
C. reading long texts for pleasure.
7. Deducing meaning from context is
A. using a dictionary to look up the
meaning of new words in a text.
B. working out the meaning of a word by
using other information in the text.
C. reading through a text quickly to
understand the gist.
8. Using cohesive devices is
A. ordering ideas in a text logically so the
text is easy to read.
B. using words like but, and, although to
link sentences or parts of sentences
together.
C. organising and presenting a text in a
particular way on the page.
 Language skills 6

Answer sheet

Now check your answers in the key.

30 Cambridge Assessment English TKT: Module 1 | Part 1 | © UCLES 2019

 Describing language and language skills – reflection 7

Section 7: Describing language and

language skills – reflection
That’s the end of the first part of these self-access preparation materials for TKT: Module 1.
Before you move on, take a few minutes to reflect on what you feel you did well in these
exercises and what you feel you may want to revisit and revise. This will help you in your future
preparations for taking the TKT test.

Task
Think about the subjects we have worked on and make some notes in the box below.

Grammar

Lexis

Phonology

Functions

Language skills

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 Answer key

Answer key
Section 1: Describing language and language skills
1.1 Possible testing focuses in TKT: Module 1 Part 1
1. B 4. E 7. B
2. E 5. A 8. A
3. C 6. D

Section 2: Grammar
2.1 Revising grammar – parts of speech
Task 1

My sister loves visiting big cities. She is living in

possessive noun main verb gerund adjective noun subject auxiliary present preposition
adjective or pronoun verb participle
determiner

London now and sees very different things every day.

proper noun adverb conjunction main adverb adjective noun determiner noun
verb

Task 2

Nouns Verbs Pronouns Adverbs

newspaper have them carefully
health could he early
opportunity mine (they mined for gold)talk mine sometimes
mine (the man works in a talk hers romantically
mine)
give it often
talk (he gave a talk)
be him finally
information
may yesterday
book
book (I booked two tickets)
food
go

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 Answer key

Task 3

Nouns countable nouns newspaper, talk, opportunity, book, mine

uncountable nouns information, food, health
Verbs main verbs talk, be, have, give, book, go
modal verbs may, could
auxiliary verbs be, have
Pronouns subject pronouns he, it
object pronouns them, him, it
possessive pronouns mine, hers
Adverbs manner adverbs romantically, carefully
time adverbs early, yesterday, finally
frequency adverbs often, sometimes

Task 4
Suggested answers:
Adjectives: expensive Conjunctions: because, so Prepositions: at, under

2.2 Practice quiz – grammar: parts of speech

1. C 4. C 7. B 10. A 13. A
2. B 5. A 8. B 11. C 14. B
3. C 6. C 9. C 12. A 15. C

2.3 Revising grammar – the use of grammatical structures

Task 1 Task 2 Task 3
1. E 1. B B. warning
2. F 2. D C. giving advice
3. D 3. F D. giving an order
4. A 4. E E. making a request
5. C 5. C
6. B 6. A

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 Answer key

2.4 Practice quiz – grammar: the use of grammatical structures

1. B 3. D 5. D 7. C
2. A 4. C 6. A

Section 3: Lexis
3.1 Revising lexis – lexical terms
Tasks 1a and 1b

Word Meaning
1. prefix E
2. antonym A
3. false friend B
4. collocation F
5. register C
6. lexical set D

Task 2
Example answers:
Prefix: popular / unpopular
Antonym: good / bad
Formal register: Want a cup of tea? / Would you like a cup of tea?
Collocation: interested / interested in
Lexical set: ruler / pen

3.2 Revising lexis – finding examples in a text

Lexical term Examples

Idiom rushed off my feet, have my head screwed on, had a nose around

Compound noun head office, meeting room

Lexical set documents, reports, papers

Formal register Good morning

Informal register Oh hi. How’s things?

Collocation dirty look

Prefix unfamiliar

Phrasal verb was going down (quite well)

34 Cambridge Assessment English TKT: Module 1 | Part 1 | © UCLES 2019

 Answer key

3.3 Revising lexis – correcting lexical errors

1. Alex is a strong swimmer. He has always been very keen in it.
Incorrect collocation – ‘keen on’.
2. I love going to dinner at Mary’s house – she’s a great cooker.
Incorrect noun – although many nouns describing people end in the suffix -er, here the verb and noun for the
person doing the activity are the same – ‘cook’. ‘Cooker’ refers to the kitchen machine that a cook uses.
3. Please could you poor me some water?
Here the spelling of a homophone has been used for ‘pour’. Both words have the same pronunciation: /pɔː/.
4. My brother is crazy of football. He talks about it all the time and he plays every day.
Idiom not correct. The idiom is ‘be crazy about’. This means to love something a lot.

3.4 Practice quiz – lexis

1. B 3. A 5. A
2. C 4. B 6. A

Section 4: Phonology
4.1 Revising phonology – phonological terms
1. The smallest sound unit which can make a difference to meaning, e.g. /p/ in pan, /b/ in ban.
2. 21
3. 24
4. 5
5. 20 (12 single vowel sounds and eight diphthongs)
6. Short vowels, e.g. /ɪ/ in sit, long vowels, e.g. /iː/ in reads and diphthongs, e.g. /aɪ/ in my.
7. train /treɪn/ and boy /bɔɪ/ (mean /miːn/ doesn’t include a diphthong)
8. A part of a word that usually contains a vowel sound, e.g. pen = one syllable; teacher = two syllables –
teach/er; umbrella = three syllables – um/brell/a.
9. Pronouncing a syllable in a word more strongly than other syllables, which are unstressed.
10. Spoken language in which the words join to form a connected flow of language. In connected speech, some
sounds in words may be left out or pronounced in a weak way.
11. The /ə/ sound is called the schwa. It is used in many weak forms, e.g. /kən/ in I can play tennis.
12. The way the level of a speaker’s voice changes to show meaning, such as how they feel about something.
Intonation can be rising, or falling, or both.
4.2 Revising phonology – phonemes
Tasks 1a and 1b

Number of phonemes Schwa Long vowel Diphthong

1. chocolate /ˈtʃɒk.lət/ 6 
2. sheep /ʃiːp/ 3 
3. jump /dʒʌmp/ 4
4. six /sɪks/ 4
5. take /teɪk/ 3 
6. you /juː/ 2 
7. please /pliːz/ 4 
8. o’clock /əˈklɒk/ 5 
9. about /əˈbaʊt/ 4  
10. weather /ˈweð.ə/ 4 
11. text /tekst/ 5

Cambridge Assessment English TKT: Module 1 | Part 1 | © UCLES 2019 35

 Answer key

4.3 Revising phonology – voiced and unvoiced consonants

Voiced Unvoiced
joke thin
vanilla shower
love television
they pilot
thing cheap
leisure heater

4.4 Revising phonology – minimal pairs

Task 1a
Minimal pairs:
live /lɪv/ and leave /li:v/
sheep /ʃiːp/ and cheap /tʃi:p/
three /θri:/ and free /fri:/
walk /wɔ:k/ and work /wɜ:k/
eat /i:t/ and it /ɪt/

Task 1b
It is easy for these words to be pronounced like each other and for your learners to have trouble making
themselves understood. Focusing on the pairs of similar sounds in classroom practice helps them to become
aware of the differences and to improve their pronunciation.

4.5 Revising phonology – word stress

1. D 3. E 5. C
2. F 4. B 6. A

4.6 Practice quiz – phonology

1. B 3. B 5. C 7. A
2. A 4. C 6. B 8. B

36 Cambridge Assessment English TKT: Module 1 | Part 1 | © UCLES 2019

 Answer key

Section 5: Functions
5.1 Revising functions
Task 1
1. B 3. C
2. D 4. A

Task 2
Possible answers
Expressing ability: I can swim really well.
Giving instructions: Can you put your books on my desk when you have finished?
Offering: I can come with you to the doctor’s if you like.
Expressing a fact: It can be very cold in New York in January.
Asking permission: Can I open the window?

Task 3
Level of formality for invitations
Formal 1. I would be honoured if you would accept this invitation to a party next week.
2. Would you like to come to my party next week?
3. You must come to my party next week.
4. Having a party next week. Want to come?
Informal 5. Party! Next week. Be there!
5.2 Practice quiz – functions
1. F 3. B 5. H 7. D
2. E 4. A 6. G

Section 6: Language skills

6.2 Revising language skills – reading, listening, speaking, writing

Reading: Writing:
gist editing
scanning proofreading
predicting paraphrasing
deducing meaning from context using punctuation
global understanding

Listening: Speaking:
predicting using interactive strategies
gist paraphrasing
deducing meaning from context turn-taking
global understanding

Cambridge Assessment English TKT: Module 1 | Part 1 | © UCLES 2019 37

 Answer key

6.3 Revising language skills – receptive skills: reading and listening

Task 1
1. reading/listening for gist/global understanding
2. scanning
3. deducing meaning from context
4. predicting

Task 2
Possible answers
More reading and listening subskills:
Activating previous knowledge – thinking about what you know about a topic when you are preparing to read or
listen to a text.
Listening/reading extensively – listening to or reading long pieces of text, such as stories or newspapers, often for
pleasure.
Listening/reading intensively – reading or listening to focus on how language is used in a text. This is how the
term ‘intensive listening/reading’ is used in TKT.
Reading/listening for detail – listening to or reading a text in order to understand most of what it says.
Skimming – reading a text quickly to get a general idea of what it is about.
Inferring attitude/feeling/mood – deciding how a writer or speaker feels about something from the way that they
speak or write, rather than from what they openly say.
Listening/reading for mood – reading or listening to a text in order to identify the feelings of the writer or speaker.

6.4 Revising language skills – productive skills: speaking and writing

Task 1
1. paraphrasing 3. turn-taking 5. proofreading 7. making texts coherent
2. using interactive 4. editing 6. using punctuation
strategies

Task 2
More speaking and writing subskills:
Drafting and re-drafting – writing a text quickly for the first time to put ideas down on paper (drafting), then writing
the text again, correcting and improving it (re-drafting).
Note-taking – listening to or reading a text and writing down the main ideas from the text in short form.
Paragraphing – dividing a text into sections.
Summarising – taking out the main points of a long text and rewriting or retelling them in a short, clear way.
Using fillers – putting a word or sound used between words or sentences in spoken English when thinking of what
to say.
Using cohesive devices – using words to make texts join together.
Understanding layout – organising and presenting different types of text on the page.

6.5 Practice quiz – language skills and subskills

1. A 3. C 5. A 7. B
2. C 4. B 6. C 8. B

38 Cambridge Assessment English TKT: Module 1 | Part 1 | © UCLES 2019

Cambridge Assessment English TKT: Module 1 | Part 1 | © UCLES 2019 39
 Answer key

Further information
About Cambridge English, including international language standards
www.cambridgeenglish.org/why-cambridge-english

Published research
www.cambridgeenglish.org/research-and-validation/published-research

English Profile, including Cambridge Learner Corpus

www.englishprofile.org

Teaching English, including Cambridge English Teaching Qualifications and Teaching Framework
www.cambridgeenglish.org/teaching-english

TKT
www.cambridgeenglish.org/tkt

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40 Cambridge Assessment English TKT: Module 1 | Part 1 | © UCLES 2019