Skills for Life Entry 1 Reading: Overview Teacher’s Notes

Description
This activity familiarises students with the different text types that they will have to read in the Entry 1
Reading exam. Students also look through two past exams and answer questions about the general structure
and question types.

Teacher’s Notes

Aims of the lesson • to familiarise students with the text types included in the
Entry 1 Reading exam
• to familiarise students with the overall format of the Entry 1
Reading exam

Time needed 1 hour

Materials required
• Collect authentic text types (though authentic, the content
should be as simple as possible for Entry 1 students) –
message/note, letter, email, advert (e.g. from local
newspaper), notice (e.g. from college noticeboard), sign
(e.g. direction sign), ticket (e.g. train), list (e.g. shopping
list), label, leaflet, timetable, form (filled in), instructions,
map (very simple, as you might see on an advert or leaflet),
self-profile text written by a student (from a higher level and
typed or clearly handwritten) – one set for the whole class
• Student’s Worksheet 1 – cut up cards with names of text
types – three sets
• Student’s Worksheet 2 – one copy for each student
• Student’s Worksheet 3 – one copy for each student
• Entry 1 2015 sample paper from
http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-and-
qualifications/skills-for-life/how-to-prepare/ – one copy
between two students for half of the class (e.g. four copies if
you have 16 students in the class)

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Information is correct as of January 2015
Procedure
1. Divide the 15 authentic text types into three sets of five and put each set on tables in different areas
of the room.
2. If you think your students may not know the names of some of the text types, take the students to
each table in turn, and elicit/teach the words orally.
3. Divide students into three groups and give each group a set of five cards (Student’s Worksheet 1
cut up) with the names of all the text types. Direct each group to a separate table and ask them to
match the card names with the text types. Each group will only be able to match five names. Check
they are correct.
4. Ask each group to collect all their name cards and move to another table. Repeat the procedure on
the second and third tables.
5. Hand out Student’s Worksheet 2. Explain to students that you want them to tick the box when they
find the right text and also to copy the first and last word of each text. (Weaker students could copy
just the first word.) It may help to demonstrate what they have to do. Arrange the students into three
groups and direct each group to a separate table. Monitor students as they carry out the activity.
6. Work with the whole class. Choose one text type and hold it up in front of the class. Ask students to
tell you the text name, number (from Worksheet 2) and the first word they wrote down. Also, ask the
following questions, as appropriate:
• Where can you see this text?
• Who reads this text?
• Why do people read this text?
Accept any appropriate answers.
7. Tell students they are going to look at an example of a Reading exam. Explain that you want them to
answer some questions about the exam, but not to do the tasks in the exam. Hand out Student’s
Worksheet 3 to each student. If you have weak students, make sure they understand the questions.
8. Ask the students to work in pairs. Give one exam to each pair. Monitor the activity. (You may want to
make sure that they don’t start writing answers to the questions on the exam papers.)
9. When they have completed the worksheet, ask pairs from different halves of the class to compare
their answers.
10. Check answers with the whole group if you think it’s necessary. (See Key to Student’s Worksheet
3.)
11. When you have finished, you may wish to collect the copies of the past papers so that they can be
used again.

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Information is correct as of January 2015
Additional information
Students may ask about the marks on the exam paper. The number of marks for each question is 1 mark.
The total number of marks varies from one paper to another.
Tell students not to write in the columns on the right of the paper marked For examiners’ use only. It may be
worth stressing that when the student comes to a blank page, this does not necessarily mean they have
finished the exam – they should always check if there are further questions to do. Also, stress that in the
exam they should try to answer all the questions – they don’t lose marks for incorrect answers.

Suggested follow-up activities/questions (and answers)

1. Ask students to try answering part, or all, of the exam if you think they are ready to do so. The mark
schemes for this exam is at http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-and-qualifications/skills-for-
life/how-to-prepare/
2. Make the point to students that the exam papers include many different text types, as in real life, and
it will help them to try to read anything they see around them – leaflets that come through the door,
notices, letters from their children’s schools, labels of food containers, etc.

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Information is correct as of January 2015
Skills for Life Entry 1 Reading: Overview Answer Keys

Key to Student’s Worksheet 3 (Answers for 2015 Sample Paper A)

1. How many pages does the exam have? 11
2. How many minutes do you have for the full exam? 50
3. Can you use a dictionary in the exam? No
4. Can you write in pencil? No, it must be in pen.
5. How many parts are there? Three
6. How many minutes does it say for each part? Part 1 is 15 minutes; Part 2 is 15 minutes;
Part 3 is 20 minutes. These are suggested times.
7. How many texts are there? Six longer texts and six shorter ones.
8. What kinds of texts are there? Write the texts you can see. (for example, a message) Emails,
adverts, a note, signs, an article, a timetable
9. How many questions are there? 22
10. What kinds of questions are there? Write YES or NO.
Tick (√) True or False YES
Tick (√) one box YES
Tick (√) YES or NO YES
Write an answer YES

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Skills for Life Entry 1 Reading: Overview Student’s Worksheet 1

To cut up

a message a letter an email

an advert a notice a sign

a ticket a list a label

a leaflet a timetable a form

instructions a map a student’s

writing

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Skills for Life Entry 1 Reading: Overview Student’s Worksheet 2

• Find the text and tick the box. √

• Write the first word and last word in each text.

Tick the box First word Last word

1. a message

2. a letter

3. an email

4. an advert

5. a notice

6. a sign

7. a ticket

8. a list

9. a label

10. a leaflet

11. a timetable

12. a form

13. instructions

14. a map

15. a student’s writing

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Information is correct as of January 2015
Skills for Life Entry 1 Reading: Overview Student’s Worksheet 3

Look at the exam and answer the questions.

1 How many pages does the exam have? ……………..

2 How many minutes do you have for the full exam? ……………..

3 Can you use a dictionary in the exam? ……………..

4 Can you write in pencil? ……………..

5 How many parts are there? ……………..

6 How many minutes does it say for each part? ……………..

7 How many texts are there? ……………..

8 What kinds of texts are there? Write the texts you can see.
(for example a message)
………………………………………………………………………………………..…

………………………………………………………………………………………….

9 How many questions are there? ……………..

10 What kinds of questions are there? Write YES or NO.

Tick (√) True or False …………………

Tick (√) one box …………………
Tick (√) YES or NO …………………
Write an answer …………………

© UCLES 2014. For further information see our Terms and Conditions.
Information is correct as of January 2015