General advice

• Organize your notebook. Use coloured pens and highlighters to mark important information.
• Read your notes again after the class. Revise, review, remember! Write examples of new words in context. This will help you to remember them better. Also, learn groups of words which are related e.g. bus, bus-stop, ticket, driver, passengers, to get on/off.
• Be dedicated and systematic about homework.
• Use all of the free resources at school to your advantage. The library is full of original and simplified books, as well as videos and story cassettes to listen to.
• The more effort that you put in now, the more you will be rewarded in the future as your English improves.

FCE practical tips

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  You don't need to understand every word in the text. Scan for information, underline key words in the questions, look for expressions or words which are paraphrased in the text.
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  Write betwen 120-180 words. No more!!Write neatly and clearly.Think about the style of what your are writing (story, article, report, letter etc.) and who will be reading it. Should it be formal or informal? Use a variety of linking expressions to avoid repetition. Be careful with articles.
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  Read the whole sentence before you fill the gap. What part of speech is missing? Verb, noun , adjective or adverb? Look for key words that can help you e.g. prepositions, articles. Read completed answers, do they make sense?
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  Underline key words in the questions and think about what ideas and vocabulary you may hear. Make good use of the second listening to check your answers and make changes.
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  Know your role in each part of the exam and know what each part consists of. Don't have speech or monologue prepared! Try to be spontaneous and interactive. Get used to the timing. You only have 14 minutes to prove that you can speak English well.

Writing exam tips for CAE and CPE levels

• So many candidates lose points becouse they don't answer question properly. Read the instructions carefully and ensure that you answer all the points of the question. It helps to underline the key points to be included.
• Also don't copy the input material from the question paper. Use your own words.
• Planning also helps you to organize your ideas and get on idea of the layout of your answer. It may take a few minutes, but you'll find you save time in the end.
• Also - there's no point in writing more than the suggested number of 250 words. You won't score any more points for doing so, but you will still be penalized for any mistake you might make (once again, making a plan helps to avoid this). Instead, spend more time cocncentrating on the language you are using. The 'productive' skills (writing and speaking) are a chance to 'show off' your knowledge of grammar and vocabulary. Try making complex grammatical structures (for example inversions, ellipsis, cohesive devices), using linking expressions to join phrases and sentences together, and synonyms to avoid repetitions.
• Finally, leave some time to check your work when you're finished.