CAE Reading and Use of English: Tasks Overview

The correct answers in the form above are: 2, 4, 3, 1.

CAE 2015: Speaking : Part II

Part II of the CAE speaking test is an individual "long turn" for each candidate with a brief response from the other candidate. In turn, each candidate is given a set of three pictures (together with two written prompts in the form of direct questions) and has to talk about two of the pictures for a minute. After this, their partner will be asked a question related to the task as well. 

The part lasts  4 minutes in total: 1 minute for each candidate's individual speaking plus 30 seconds for the second candidate's response. 

The focus is on organising a larger unit of discourse: comparing, describing, expressing opinions and speculating. 

 In this speaking task it is not enough to merely describe what you see in the pictures. The candidates are supposed to compare two of the pictures, express their opinion and, most importantly, speculate. That's why it's essential to learn speculative vocabulary (may, might, must, could, might have, probably etc.) and practise guessing more than you see in the pictures.

The following questions might be useful to answer when workin with pictures.

- Who do you think the people in the pictures are? What are their relationships?

- What might they be talking about?

- What do you think could have happened just before the scene? Why?

- What do you think might happen next? Why?

The other thing which is absolutely vital for the task is organising and linking ideas. You will need to learn and practise a wide range of linking words and cohesive devices that help you move from one idea to the next one. 

Note: don't overestimate formal linkers which are more suitable for writing. Make a good use of simple linking words that sound natural in speaking.

 

Advanced English Games: Academy Island (CEFR Level: B1–C1)

CAE Content and Structure

Paper I. Reading and Use of English 

 

Состоит из 8 заданий и содержит 56 вопросов.

Время выполнения всех заданий - 1 час 30 мин.

Задание 1.  Текст с пропусками и вариантами ответа (multiple-choice cloze). В тексте сделано 8 пропусков. Для заполнения каждого пропуска предлагается 4 варианта ответа.

Задание 2.  Текст с пропусками без вариантов ответа (open cloze). Текст также как и в предыдущем задании содержит 8 пробелов, но вариантов ответа не предлагается.

Задание 3. Словообразование (word formation). Представлен текст с 8 пропусками, для заполнения которых необходимо изменить грамматическую форму слов, расположенных рядом с текстом.

Задание 4. Перифраз с использование ключевого слова (key-word transformation). 

Представлены 6 пар предложений. Предложения в каждой паре имеют одинаковое значение. Во втором предложении каждой пары сделан пробел. Необходимо заполнить пробел, используя от 3 до 6 слов, включая предложенное ключевое слово.

Задание 5. Текст с последующими вопросами и вариантами ответа (multiple choice). Представлен текст и 6 вопросов на его понимание. Для каждого вопроса предлагается 4 варианта ответа.

Задание 6. Соотнесение информации четырех коротких текстов (cross-text multiple matching). Представлены четыре текста и четыре вопроса на сравнение идей текстов. Например:  в каком из текстов автор выражает мнение по такому-то вопросу, противоположное мнению, представленному в тексте В.

Задание 7. Восстановление текста с выпущенными параграфами (gapped text). Из текста вырезаны 6 параграфов. Они представлены под текстом не по порядку. Необходимо определить в какой пробел вставить каждый параграф. 

Задание 8. Соотнесение высказываний с текстами (частями текста) (multiple matching). Представлены 10 высказываний и несколько коротких текстов (один текст, разделенный на части). Необходимо соотнести каждое высказывание с частью текста.

Paper II. Writing 

 

Состоит из двух заданий, одно из которых безвариантно, а второе предлагает выбор из трех вариантов. Обе работы оцениваются равным количеством баллов. 

Время на написание обоих заданий - 1 час 30 мин.

Задание 1. Сочинение. Предлагается написать сочинение на основе двух идей, представленных в сопровождающем тексте. Необходимо объяснить какая идея является приоритетной и почему. 

Длина текста: 220-260 слов.

Задание 2. На выбор одно задание из 3. Могут быть предложены:

- письмо (официальное или личное);

- отзыв (на книгу, фильм и т.д.);

- отчет;

- предложение.

Длина текста: 220-260 слов. 

Paper III. Listening

Состоит из 4 заданий и содержит 30 вопросов.

Примерное время на выполнение 40 мин.

Задание 1. Множественный выбор (multiple choice). Для прослушивания предлагается 3 не связанных друг с другом текста. К каждому тексту - по 2 вопроса с вариантами ответа. 

Задание 2. Закончить предложения (complete tsentences). Для прослушивания - трехминутный монолог. Задача - закончить 8 незавершенных предложений, используя информацию из текста.

Задание 3. Множественный выбор (multiple choice). Для прослушивания - разговор двух или более людей, длящийся примерно 4 минуты. Задача - ответить на 6 вопросов, к каждому из которых предложено 4 варианта ответа.

Задание 4. Соотнесение высказываний с текстами (multiple matching). Для прослушивания - 5 коротких монологов на одну тему, каждый примерно 30 сек. К каждому тексту нужно подобрать по одному подходящему варианту ответа из двух 8-вариантных списков.

Paper IV. Speaking

Состоит из 4 заданий.

Примерное время на все задания - 15 мин.

Задание 1. Интервью - 2 мин. 

Задание 2. Карточка с индивидуальным заданием - 4 мин. 

Задание 3. Обсуждение в паре и принятие решения - 4 мин. 

Задание 4. Высказывание собственного мнения по вопросам, связанным с темой третьего задания (5 минут).

CAE 2015: Speaking: Part I

Part I of the CAE speaking test is a short conversation between the examiner and each candidate individually. It lasts 2 minutes and the focus is on general social and interactional language. In the table below are some typical questions that you might be asked in this part of the exam.

Topics	Possible questions
Introductory questions	Where are you from? What do you do here?
Daily life	What’s your favourite time of day / time of year? What do you like to do at weekends? What do you do to relax? Do you prefer to follow a routine or do you like to do something different every day?
Past Experiences	Who do you think has had the most influence on your life so far? Why? Where is the most interesting place you have ever travelled to? What’s your happiest childhood memory / memory of school? What do you remember about your first school? Who is the best teacher you’ve ever had? What were the most useful things you learned at school? What were your favorite subjects? How has your life changed in the last year?
Studying languages / Learning	How long have you been learning English? Have you always been interested in languages? What do you most enjoy about learning English? If you had the opportunity to learn something new, what would you choose? What do you enjoy learning? Do you find it useful that you can speak English when you travel? Why?
Holidays / Travel	What kinds of holiday appeal to you most? Why? Which country would you most like to visit? Why? Would you prefer to spend your holidays with your family or your friends? What would you prefer: relaxing or adventurous holidays? Would you like to work in the travel industry? Why? What things do you most enjoy doing when travelling on holiday? Would you enjoy going on an adventurous, possibly dangerous journey? Why (not)? If you could choose something completely different from your usual type of holiday, what would it be?
Plans / ambitions	What would you like to be doing in five years time? What do you hope to be doing this time next year? How might you use your english in the future? Would you consider living abroad permanently? Are you someone who likes to plan for the future or do you prefer to let things happen?
Friends	What do you most enjoy doing with your friends? Have you ever had the opportunity to really help your friend? How? Tell me about a friend of yours and how you got to know him or her. How necessary is it to have good friends? How do you usually communicate with your friends?
Leisure / Entertainment	What are your main interests and leisure time activities? What types of TV programmes do you think are worth watching? What kinds of music do you like listening to? How important are sport and exercise in your life? Do you think having  a lot of free time is a good or bad thing?
Hometown / Home Country	What is the best way for visitors of your country to make friends? What part(s) of your country would you recommend to tourists? Why What’s the best time of year for people to visit your country? If sorne friends from abroad were visiting your region, which places would you take them to see? Why?
Jobs / Work	What’s your ideal job? What’s more important money or health?

CAE 2015: Writing: A Letter of Reference

     A letter of reference is supposed to have three key components:

     1) an opening paragraph (sentence) in which  you: 

      - state the purpose of writing; 

      - explain how long and in which capacities    you have known the person;

      2) an evaluation of the person's skills,      character and accomplishments depending on what is being expected by the employer;

3)  a closing paragraph that summarises why and to what degree you would recommend this person.

      Below I have put down some useful expressions and structures for the opening and closing paragraphs as well as for evaluating various kinds of skills

Purpose of writing	I am writing on behalf of… I am writing to recommend … for a position of … with… I am writing in regard to ...’s application..
Relations	I have known … personally and socially for for approximately 5 years /  since childhood for over 2 years during which time she worked as a … in my office we are in the same tutorial group at college and she is a highly qualified candidate for a position is qualified and experienced to accept the challenge of being...
Active position	is involved in her local community, her church and her childrens’ schools
Social skills	has an excellent rapport (gets on) with people of all ages will establish productive relationships with (will be popular with) is used to dealing with …. the social (interpersonal) skills she has learnt in this job should serve her well as .../ enable her to... / allow her to...
Organisational skills	outstanding organisational skills an excellent person to have around in times of crisis dependable not inclined to panic or lose her temper although never bossy, she can take control over difficult situations without upsetting anyone would definitely be able to cope if things went wrong… ...which may come in very useful .. is able to successfully complete multiple tasks with favourable results despite deadline pressure consistently demonstrated leadership abilities
Physical condition	an accomplished sportsman at… she has reached competition level
Communication skills	Her strong verbal and written communication skills allowed her to relay information in a clear and coherent manner. She demonstrated the ability to articulate information and ideas in both the written and verbal forms.
Diligency	She will devote herself to a position with your organisation with a high degree of diligence ...is a direct result of her hard work and strong focus With her enthusiastic commonsense (can do) approach she would ensure…. She has been effective in her efforts to...
Academic performance	exceptional (above-average) academic performance out of a class of 150 students, she graduated with honours in the top 10
Closing	I believe, she would make an excellent…/ would be a valuable asset to ... I am confident that she ... I have no hesitation in recommending her to your company (for the post) I recommend her to you without reservation. I highly recommend her ...

Advanced English Collocations: Environment

 Do you know how to speak about environmental threats such as climate change and deforestation? Which words does 'threat' collocate with?  What can be 'sustainable? 

Below you can find some useful collocations that deal with causes and consequenses of major threats to the environment, opinions on the issues, and measures to protect the planet.

What is good for the environment

                    alternative energy sources
                    renewable energy
                    solar heating
                   offshore wind farms
                   hybrid cars
                   green taxes / issues / politics / credentials
                   eco-friendly design / products
                   pollution prevention / standards / control
                   sustainable development / agreeculture / form of transport / use of resources
                   recyclable materials / substances / cardboard packaging etc.
                   biodegradable materials / chemicals / plastic
                   organic farming / gardening
                   ecological balance

Threat(en)   

 

to threaten crops / wildlife / water supplies
to pose a threat (to)
environmental /  fundumental / grave threat
under threat of extinction
the threat from overfishing /deforestation
a threat to places / species / people's livelihoods
to identify smth as an urgent threat 

to threaten / to destroy the livelihoods

Climate Change

climatic changes
irreversible climate change
to cause / to produce climate change
to fight / to tackle / to address / to adapt to  climate change

 CAUSES
global warming
greenhouse gases / effect
to contribute to the greenhouse effect
to trap heat in the atmosphere
to exist naturally
to act like a blanket
household / toxic waste      
carbon dioxide / nitrogen oxide, sulphur // veicle / exhaust  //  harmful, toxic emissions          
to release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere    
fossil fuels
to burn fossil fuels
to generate energy


CONSEQUENCES
dire / devastating / unavoidable / serious consequences
to face the consequences / new challenges for survival
to prepare for consequences

the changing weather patterns
extreme weather events
rising sea levels
melting glaciers
intense / record droughts
intense rainfalls
searing heat (обжигающая)
heat waves
heat waves become frequent
the temperatures soar
widespread flooding

acid rain

shrinking habitats
endangered species
environmental catastrophy
risks to public health
to wreak havoc on...


OPINIONS
respected scientific organisations
to reach a consensus
an overwhelming consensus

to identify smth as an urgent threat

the need for urgent action to address...
the need is indisputable

to address the crisis
to adequatly address ...
demographic / future projections
prophets of doom and gloom
the worst case scenario

to change our ways


to reduce carbon pollution // our carbon footprint // carbon / vehicle emissions // our food miles
to urgently / dramatically reduce

to offset carbon emissions
schemes for offsetting...

Deforestation

FORESTS' ROLE
to protect the planet
to produce vital oxigen
to absorb  / soak up carbon dioxide
massive amounts of CO2
to act as a carbon sink
to mitigate climate change / carbon emissions
to play a critical role in
to provide homes for
be home of the world's biodiversity / the most endangered species
to offer benefits
to keep a balance between

FORMS AND CAUSES
to clear / chop down / cut down / destroy / drain / log forests

to convert forests to farmland
conversion to agriculture / farmland / pasture land / pulp plantations
illigal logging / removal of timber

IMPACTS
result in extinctions
go extinct
unable to subsist
reduced biodiversity
to become carbon sources
to increase carbon emissions
soil erosion / loss
disrupted livelihoods

MEASURES
sustainable forestry
responsible / sustainable forest manegement

to promote sustainable bioenergy / reforestation
to combat illigal logging
to seem unattainable