This is a PowerPoint I made a while ago to help C1 students practise making the kind of formal recommendations they often need to include in the formal writing tasks in the Cambridge C1 Advanced exam. Download the PowerPoint below:
Tag: exam preparation
C1 Advanced: A Mascot’s Life
This is a quick activity I made to revise some emergent language from a C1 Advanced listening task we did in class. I took the interesting expressions from the transcript and got Chat GPT to incorporate them into a new text.
Students read a text about professional sports mascots and then examine some expressions from the text. There is a complete version or a more challenging gapped version. I’ve also included an AI generated recording of the text from play.ht.
Download the handouts below:
C1 Advanced: A Mascot’s Life – Student Handout
Pre-Reading
- What do you think the life of a sports mascot is like?
- What are the pros and cons?
- What skills, abilities or characteristics do you need to do the job?
Reading
- Read the text and see if it mentions any of your ideas from part 1.
“Hi everyone! I’m Jake, and I’ve recently started an exciting new job that I never imagined I’d be doing – I’m the mascot for our city’s professional soccer team! It’s a world full of energy, enthusiasm, and a few surprises along the way.
One major perk of this job is the thrill of entertaining thousands of fans. I seriously get a kick out of seeing their smiles and hearing their cheers. It’s not every day you get to be the heart and soul of a game!
Now, you might think being in such a huge crowd would be nerve-wracking. And you’re right! Initially, I used to get stage fright. The thought of performing in front of so many people would play on my mind for days before a match. But, believe it or not, once I’m in my mascot costume, all that anxiety just melts away.
Let’s talk about the financial side. While I’m not making megabucks, the salary is decent enough, and the joy I experience is worth more than any paycheck.
However, being a mascot isn’t always easy. There are times when the heat inside the costume can really put me off, especially on sunny days. It’s a challenge to stay focused and not get distracted by the discomfort.
Staying in shape is crucial in this line of work. You need a lot of stamina to perform energetically throughout the game. It’s not just about the costume; it’s about being fit enough to bring life to the character. For this reason, I keep trim by exercising at the gym at least 3 times a week.
At times, I can get hung up on small mistakes during a performance. Maybe I didn’t land a dance move perfectly, or I tripped over my giant mascot feet. It’s easy to get flustered in those moments, but I’ve learned to laugh it off and keep going.
The team I work with is a tight-knit group. They’re incredibly supportive and we all get a buzz from creating memorable experiences for the fans. I was taken aback by how welcoming and friendly everyone was from my very first day.
In conclusion, being a sports team mascot is an extraordinary experience. It’s a job that requires energy, dedication, and a love for the game and its fans. If you’re someone who loves to entertain and stay active, this might just be the perfect role for you!”
- Look at the expressions in bold and try to guess their meaning.
Conversation
- Would you ever like to be a mascot?
- How important is it for you to earn megabucks in your job?
- What do you get a kick out of/a buzz from in your job/studies/personal life?
- How well do you deal with stress and pressure? Do you get flustered easily?
- Do you get stage fright when you have to speak in public?
- What can people do to reduce stage fright?
- Do you get hung up on mistakes that you make? Or are you good at forgetting/letting go of past mistakes?
- If you’ve got an important event or deadline on the horizon, does it play on your mind? Or are you good at keeping things in perspective?
- How important do you think perks are when choosing a job?
- Would you choose to work for an unscrupulous company if they offered you a lot of perks?
- company car
- private health insurance
- stock options
- employee discounts
- etc.
- Would you choose to work for an unscrupulous company if they offered you a lot of perks?
- What do you do to stay in shape or keep trim?
- How important is it for you to keep fit?
- Have you ever tripped over in a really embarrassing way? What happened?
C1 Advanced – Letter to the Editor
My C1 students recently completed a mock writing exam in class and I realised some glaring flaws in their approach to the task. The main issues I observed were a lack of planning which led to a lack of coherence in their arguments and no logical throughline. So I designed this activity based on a model answer to offer them some more support.
Students will analyse a model answer to the task, then try to reverse engineer the writer’s plan/brainstorm. They will then focus on useful language for the task and then repeat the planning phase for a similar task. The idea is to model what I expect students to do in the first 5 minutes of the exam: plan out what they want to express then brainstorm advanced language to express it.
Download the student handout and teacher’s notes below:
C2: Reading & Vocabulary – My Friend Kevin
This is a lesson plan designed for C2 students in which they read a text about a man and his impulsive friend Kevin. It’s designed for students preparing for Cambridge C2 Proficiency exam as it offers some exam practice for reading part 7 and introduces some expressions that may appear in use of English part 4. Download the student handout and answer key below:
The lesson procedure is pretty straightforward:
- Pre-reading: students are introduced to the characters and predict what might happen in the story.
- Gist reading: students read the text quickly to check if their predictions were correct.
- Detailed reading/exam practice: students read again and complete the reading part 7 task.
- Vocabulary focus: students discuss the meaning of the expressions in bold, make a note of them and then test each other.
- Recall: students turn the handout over and attempt to recall the expressions using version 2 as a prompt. This replicates what they’re required to do in use of English part 4.
- Part 4 practice: students cover the text and attempt the key word transformation questions. Alternatively, these could be set for homework.
- React & Extend: students react to the text and attempt to continue it with their ideas about what Kevin and the narrator got up to next.
C1 Advanced: School Trip – Proposal Task & Handout
I was rooting through my over-stuffed Google Drive and found this C1 Advanced writing part 2 proposal task and handout that I made a few years back. Download it below:
C1 Advanced Reading Part 7: Gapped Text – Exam Technique
It’s nobody’s favourite exam reading exercise! This is a slightly tweaked version of a very old lesson plan I use to help C1 students tackle the part 7 gapped reading task. Apologies for the rather ugly PowerPoint template! Download the PowerPoint and handout below:
C2 Proficiency: Key Word Transformation Ladder
This is my C2 version of a great activity I’ve seen on some other blogs. It’s a great way of giving exam prep students an engaging way to do some practice for the use of English part 4 task.
- Students work in pairs or groups of 4.
- Each group gets 5 cards with 5 key word transformations on them.
- They place their cards on the table to form a “ladder”
- Student A goes first and attempts to complete the bottom “rung”
- They flip the card over to check their answer.
- If they’re right they go up the ladder one rung and continue until they make a mistake.
- When/if they make a mistake they must flip over all the cards and go back to the bottom.
- Student B then has a go.
- First to reach the top of the ladder wins.
- The answer they give must be the exact words on the back of the card; no “más o menos”
- They then swap cards and start again.
Download the cards below:
C1 Advanced: Key Word Transformation Ladder
This is my version of a great activity I’ve seen on some other blogs. It’s a great way of giving exam prep students an engaging way to do some practice for the use of English part 4 task.
- Students work in pairs or groups of 4.
- Each group gets 5 cards with 5 key word transformations on them.
- They place their cards on the table to form a “ladder”
- Student A goes first and attempts to complete the bottom “rung”
- They flip the card over to check their answer.
- If they’re right they go up the ladder one rung and continue until they make a mistake.
- When/if they make a mistake they must flip over all the cards and go back to the bottom.
- Student B then has a go.
- First to reach the top of the ladder wins.
- The answer they give must be the exact words on the back of the card; no “más o menos”
- They then swap cards and start again.
Download the cards below:
C1 Advanced: Grammar Range Test
A quick, simple worksheet I’ve created for my C1 Advanced class. They’re in their second year of preparation for the exam and I just want to get an idea of their grasp of some of the typical advanced grammar points that come up in the syllabus so that I know where to focus our efforts in the coming weeks.
I’m tying it into chatting about travelling and holidays and getting them to complete an informal letter writing task. I’ve used this old worksheet that I made years ago for the homework task.
It also serves as some exam practice for part 4 of the reading and use of English paper. You could have students complete it in pairs or individually then check the answers in open class. Tell students not to worry too much if any of the structures are unfamiliar as future lessons will look at them in detail where necessary.
Download the worksheet below:
Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first using the word given. You must use between 3 and 6 words, you must not change the word given.
- It took us 6 hours to walk up the mountain.
WALKING
When we arrived at the top of the mountain _____________________ 6 hours.
- It was the first time I had seen such a beautiful sunset.
BEFORE
Never _____________________ a beautiful sunset.
- You mustn’t leave the vehicle while you’re on safari.
CIRCUMSTANCES
Under ______________________ of the vehicle while you’re on safari.
- If I went there again, I’d definitely pack warmer clothes.
GO
Were ______________, I’d definitely pack warmer clothes.
- The water was so clear that we could see all the fish at the bottom.
CLEAR
So _______________ could see all the fish at the bottom.
- I enjoyed going on the roller coasters the most.
WAS
What ____________________ on the roller coasters.
- We had no idea that there were man-eating sharks in the water!
KNOW
Little _____________________ there were man-eating sharks in the water!
- I didn’t pack enough warm clothes because I didn’t know the weather would be so cold.
WOULD
Had _____________________ be so cold, I would have packed more warm clothes.
Proficiency Reading Part 6: Gapped Text Training
This is a training lesson plan to help students preparing for the C2 Cambridge Proficiency exam tackle part 6 of the reading and use of English paper. Students tend to struggle with this part of the exam and need a lot of guidance.
I’ve based this lesson plan around an example task from the CUP Proficiency Testbook 1 on the topic of expedition rafting. Download the PowerPoint, student handout and a scanned annotated copy of the text below:
Procedure
First have students activate their schemata on the topic of rafting with the 3 conversation questions in the first slide.
In slide 3 students will look for the ways in which paragraph B fits into the first gap. By giving them the answer to the first gap, we can provide them with an opportunity to analyse the text and find the vocabulary, grammar and story connections that link the paragraph to text on either side. Reveal the answers on slide 4.
Go through the exam strategy on slide 5, then have students complete the clue hunt on slide 6. Reveal the answers to them and remind them to bear the clues in mind while they complete the task.
Negotiate a time limit for the students to complete the rest of the task individually. In the official exam they should dedicate 20 minutes to this part of the exam, however, as you’ve already done some prep work on this text, negotiate a time between 10 and 15 minutes.
Once they’ve completed the task, have them compare their answers in pairs. Make sure they refer back to the clue hunt and explain how each of the clues connect the paragraphs to the text.
Use the final few slides to reveal the answers and annotations.
Set them another part 6 task for homework and share the PowerPoint with them to refer to at home.