Using past papers of the Cambridge FCE, this presentation demonstrates ways to take tasks in exam format and use them creatively to produce interesting and motivating lessons. The lessons are useful both as specific ideas that can be adopted for re-use, and as general examples of an approach. For reading, we firstly look at a series of activities designed to help the student engage with the topic of the exam task while pre-teaching some essential vocabulary. We then suggest ideas for promoting both top-down and bottom-up approaches to reading comprehension. For writing tasks, we firstly demonstrate a topic-based approach, where the teacher begins with a discussion of the topic and introduces relevant vocabulary before linking this to the writing task. The other approach which we illustrate begins with an examination of the features of some of the genres which FCE candidates are required to produce, before drafting an outline for a text in one of these genres. In a sample lesson preparing for the Use of English paper, the approach to the activity starts out by treating it as a reading lesson, although this is eventually an exercise in lexico-grammar. Finally, we demonstrate an approach to listening tasks which includes pre-listening activities to make the topic more accessible, and video in place of audio recordings to make the task more realistic.

1. Bringing exam tasks to life:
Things we’ve tried that work
Peter Beech
peter@peterbeech.com

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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…”

5. Kim’s Game

6. Kim’s Game

7. Kim’s Game

8. Kim’s Game

9. Kim’s Game

10. Kim’s Game

11. Kim’s Game

12. Kim’s Game

13. Kim’s Game

14. Kim’s Game

15. Kim’s Game

23. Paper 1 – Reading

24. Top-down Approach to Reading

25. Top-down Approach to Reading
Which paragraphs
refer to:
 Her youth?
 Her marriage /
middle age?
 Her old age?
Put the paragraphs
in chronological
order.

26. 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.

27. Time to Practice!
How did you find the correct answers?

28. 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.

29. 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.

30. 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.

31. 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.

32. 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.

33. Topic Based Approach to Writing

34. 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”?

35. Paper 2 – Writing – Part 1

36. Genre Approach to Writing

37. 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.

38. Genre Approach to Writing
Article
 T: What is an article?
 S: It’s some information
which are given in a
newspaper.

39. Genre Approach to Writing
Report
Choice of topic from
Paper 2 Part 2.
Exam Task Report
 Discussing rubric
 Brainstorming ideas
 Drafting outline

40. Paper 2 – Writing – Part 2

41. Genre Approach to Writing

42. Paper 3 – Use of English
Although this is eventually an exercise
in lexico-grammar, the approach to
the activity starts out by treating it as
a reading lesson:
 Warm-up
What sports do you play?
Have you ever been mountain
climbing?
 Gist reading activity
What skills would a mountain
climber need?
What are some of the dangers of this
sport?
 Gap-fill activity
The 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

43. Paper 4 - Listening
 Warm-up
Ask student if he ever uses travel guides
 Introduce topic
Give 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 vocab
Student describes pictures corresponding to
the selected vocab & teacher elicits /
introduces the words
 Listening task

44. Paper 4 - Listening

45. Paper 4 - Listening

46. Paper 4 - Listening

47. References
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/intera
ctives/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