bringing exam tasks to life

Bringing exam tasks to life: Things we’ve tried that work

Peter Beech

peter@peterbeech.com

The Context

In our certificate training courses, we feel it’s useful to give trainee teachers experience of working with exam preparation classes, especially as this is such a significant part of teaching in Greece.

This presentation focuses in particular on a series of lessons based on past papers of the Cambridge FCE.

The Context

The challenge is to take tasks in exam format from past papers and make them into a lesson that will still demand creativity on the part of the teacher.

Of course, one effect of presenting the exam tasks in this type of lesson context is that they’re made considerably easier. This approach wouldn’t be suitable for candidates who are just about to take the exam, but it does provide an accessible way for candidates at the beginning of their exam preparation to work with authentic exam materials.

The Context

In addition to teaching practice with groups, our trainees have a project teaching an individual student. The lessons presented here are with such a student.

As one trainee noted in the project report,

“The lesson was planned with the specific intention of helping the student reach the point at which he would be able to complete the task without too much assistance…”

Kim’s Game

Kim’s Game

Kim’s Game

Kim’s Game

Kim’s Game

Kim’s Game

Kim’s Game

Kim’s Game

Kim’s Game

Kim’s Game

Kim’s Game

Paper 1 – Reading

Top-down Approach to Reading

Top-down Approach to Reading

Which paragraphs refer to:

Her youth? Her marriage /

middle age? Her old age?

Put the paragraphs in chronological order.

Time to Practice!

Look at the article “Stress in ELT”.

Match the headings A – G given at the end of the article with the gaps 1 – 7.

Time to Practice!

How did you find the correct answers?

Bottom-up Approach to Reading

1. How can I entertain my students today?

Ask yourself, do your students want to be entertained? You’re a teacher, not an entertainer. If it’s clear that your students do want an entertaining lesson, ask them precisely what they want and encourage them, if they are keen, to prepare their own materials and activities.

Bottom-up Approach to Reading

2. Will my equipment work?

If you’re using a tape, play it before-hand to ensure sound quality is fine. If you are new to a particular machine, check you know how to use the controls! Check counters are at zero for easy return to the start. If you are using an overhead projector, make sure the text is legible from the back of the class.

Bottom-up Approach to Reading

3. Will all my students be happy all the time during my lesson?

Probably not, but this may have little to do with you! Don’t forget: students may be preoccupied with any number of things over and above what goes on in class. Don’t get paranoid, aggressive or defensive if one of your students looks unhappy. You might make someone’s bad mood worse - and yourself look stupid into the bargain. Don’t assume responsibility for the total happiness of your students - this isn’t realistic and it isn’t your job either.

Bottom-up Approach to Reading

4. Will my students like me?

It’s human nature to want to be liked and to be accepted by other people. But whatever you do, it’s unlikely that you’ll always be popular with all your students. However, if you do try to tune into the individual needs, likes, interests and learning styles, you’ll find that most students will respond positively.

Bottom-up Approach to Reading

Note that cohesion is mainly lexical – fluent writers make little use of “discourse markers”, which are massively over-taught in FCE writing lessons.

Topic Based Approach to Writing

Topic Based Approach to Writing

What sort of music do you listen to? … Who’s your favourite band? … Have you been to any of their concerts? … (Study exam task) … Why are you writing? … What information? … What do you think they mean about “appropriate style”?

Paper 2 – Writing – Part 1

Genre Approach to Writing

Genre Approach to Writing

Story

T: Why is this one a story?

S: Because it’s talking about something that happened in the past and it’s not true.

Genre Approach to Writing

Article

T: What is an article? S: It’s some information

which are given in a newspaper.

Genre Approach to Writing

Report

Choice of topic from

Paper 2 Part 2.

Exam Task Report Discussing rubric Brainstorming ideas Drafting outline

Paper 2 – Writing – Part 2

Genre Approach to Writing

Paper 3 – Use of EnglishAlthough this is eventually an exercise

in lexico-grammar, the approach to the activity starts out by treating it as a reading lesson:

Warm-upWhat sports do you play?Have you ever been mountain climbing?

Gist reading activityWhat skills would a mountain climber need?

What are some of the dangers of this sport?

Gap-fill activityThe actual exam task is completed without help, as in the exam.

The same principle also applies to the texts in Paper 3 parts 2, 4 and 5

Paper 4 - Listening

Warm-upAsk student if he ever uses travel guides

Introduce topicGive student a travel guide and ask what

kinds of information it contains

Ask him to find some specific information

Ask why each type of information is important for tourists

Ask if the selected guide is a good one or if he would make any changes

Pre-teach vocabStudent describes pictures corresponding to

the selected vocab & teacher elicits / introduces the words

Listening task

Paper 4 - Listening

Paper 4 - Listening

Paper 4 - Listening

References

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/interactives/intelligenceandmemory/memorytest/

Bress P. How to combat stress in ELT (EL Gazette, November 1998)

Cambridge FCE Examination Papers,

volumes 1, 6 & 7

Duckworth & Gude (1999) Countdown to First Certificate. Oxford: OUP