Speaking Practice!

Talk [Wordy] To Me!

Excuse my puns. Here's some stuff you can do for Speaking practice.

REMEMBER. ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION.
In Part 1, keep it nice and SIMPLE. If you don't have more to say, STOP TALKING. Remember, if you are at a loss of words, talk about A SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE.

In Part 2, DO NOT DESCRIBE THE PICTURES. THIS IS NOT THE QUESTION BEING ASKED. Answer BOTH questions about BOTH pictures in 1 MINUTE.

In Part 3, ONLY ANSWER THE QUESTION. Do not talk about the MOST or the HIGHEST or whatever, that will most likely be the follow up question.

In Part 4, good luck. Remember, the interlocutor wants you to succeed! That's what Part 4 is all about. If they feel that you haven't had enough of a chance to talk, they may ask you questions specifically.


First, some silly games, a la Liyan. These are games we often use in drama, to help actors improve their ability to improvise. Can be useful:

1. Concentration (group):
Sit in a circle. Create a clapping rhythm. Now name a category. Everyone in the circle has to say something that pertains to the category, to the rhythm (Example: Animals = Elephant, Snake, Tiger). Whoever cannot come up with a word/repeats a word is out.

2. Telepathy (pair):
With your partner, count to 3 together, and say a random word. Now utilize your words (Example: Vegetable + Cows), count to 3 together again, and try to get to the same word using word association (Example: Farm). Continue saying words until you say the same word together.

3. Translator (trio):
One person will be the Introducer, another the Expert, and the third the Interpretor. The Introducer will introduce the Expert (Example: Hello everyone, today we have invited Liyan, who is an expert on ducks. She knows everything about ducks). The Expert will then say things in gibberish, and the Interpretor must "translate" what they are saying.

NOW:

Speaking Practice Tests

1 Complete Test

Another Complete Test

Random Question Generator
This will help you get used to talking more! Remember, extend the question by answering "Why?"

SPEAKING PART 2 STRATEGY

PLEASE READ ME!!

Tips + Useful Vocabulary

Listening Practice!

Listen up y'all, cuz this is it, here are a list of listening practices
(Fergalicious definition make them boys go loco)

Listening Practice Tests

WOW A Lot of Listening Practice!
From one of our favorite and most frequented websites. Broken down by topic.

Practice Tests by Level (FCE, CAE, CPE)
2 full CAE practice tests, as well as a few for the other two levels to challenge yourself.

Smorgasborg of Test Stuff
This is a really odd website, and has practice for all parts of CAE. You may be redirected to a previously linked site however!

Tips and General Resources

Tricks and Podcasts
Some general tips on how to do better, as well as a link to a good academic English podcast.

Useful Academic English Podcasts
General podcasts to improve your listening

Use of English Practice Tests

Hello All-
As we have seen from our recent practice paper (Unit 6) our scores dropped off for Use of English. Therefore I wanted to provide some resources for improving this section.

Remember, UOE can ONLY be improved through practice-memorization and recognition of structures is vital to your level of achievement in this area.

Tips and Tricks:

UK Teacher Explains UOE Section
This is a video on the things to notice and be aware of in UOE. This link is older-Part 1 is now counted as a part of your Reading section.

AMAZING Tips for Key Word Transformations
Very detailed breakdown on how to improve in KWT (Part 4).

Practice Tests:

15 FULL UOE Practice Tests (Part 2, 3, 4)
These are separated and topic specific!

UOE Practice Tests by Part (2, 3, 4 Separated)
This link is older-Part 1 is now counted as a part of your Reading section.

Another UOE Practice Tests by Part (2, 3, 4 Separated)
This link is older-Part 1 is now counted as a part of your Reading section.

Compiled UOE for FCE, CAE, CPE
This link includes practice by part for all 3 levels of the Cambridge test, so make sure you use the right section!

General Resources:

Common Word Formation Flash Cards
UOE Part 3 help. Provides various forms (noun, verb, adj, adverb) of a base word.

100 Key Word Transformation Exercises + Answers
UOE Part 4 help. Read answers and memorize these key phrases!

Wednesday Homework: Resource Share!

Hello Students!

Your homework for tonight, apart from the Formal Letter Cheat Sheet, is to find a CAE resource online, and share it in the comments of this post.

This resource should be free to access and use, and should be of the appropriate level: It can be a worksheet, practice questions, exam tips, useful vocabulary, common phrases, idioms and expression, practice speaking tests, sample audio files, etc.

Please use your resource (complete the questions, read the tips, etc.) before you share it, and tell us HOW it was helpful for you, and WHY you think it will be beneficial for other students to check it out!