Summer Holidays!!!

December's here and relaxing time too! 

We're proud of you for having sat for the Advanced Exam. Now it's your turn to chill out ;)

Happy holidays!!! 

The Open Window by Saki

Hector Hugh Munro (18 December 1870 – 14 November 1916), better known by the pen name Saki, and also frequently as H. H. Munro, was a British writer whose witty, mischievous and sometimes macabre stories satirize Edwardian society and culture. He is considered a master of the short story, and often compared to O. Henry and Dorothy Parker. 

Hector Hugh Munro was born in British Burma, which was then still part of the British Raj, and was governed from Calcutta under the authority of the Viceroy of India. 

At the start of the First World War Munro was 43 and officially over-age to enlist, but he refused a commission and joined the 2nd King Edward's Horse as an ordinary trooper. He later transferred to the 22nd Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers, in which he rose to the rank of lance sergeant. In November 1916 he was sheltering in a shell crater near Beaumont-Hamel, France, when he was killed by a German sniper. 

Munro has no known grave. After his death his sister Ethel destroyed most of his papers and wrote her own account of their childhood.

Munro was homosexual, but in Britain at that time this was a crime. It meant "that side of [Munro's] life had to be secret". Munro was a Tory and somewhat reactionary in his views.

Work on the following questions. Add your answers as a comment. Don´t forget to include your name. 

1. Vera cunningly makes sure that Framton Nuttel will have no reason to suspect her story is fiction. What three pieces of information does she extract from Framton before she begins her dramatic tale?

2. If Framton had stayed in the room when the three returned, he would have soon realized that the men were not ghosts, and that Vera had been pulling his leg all along. What do you think he would have said or done? How would Vera have handled the situation?

3. The story is told from Framton´s point of view, but what did Vera think of him? Why did she play such a trick on him?Write a short entry for her diary that day, describing Framton through her eyes and the success of her trick. You could begin:

Such a BORING little man came to visit today. Luckily, my aunt was upstairs when he arrived....

Revision Parts 2 & 3

Source: http://www.globalelt.co.uk/images/CAE-TEST-1-2015/CAE-2015-SAMPLE-TEST.html#p=5

Paper 4 Speaking - Part 3

Tips Galore!

1. Be prepared to ask your partner for his or her opinion rather than simply stating your own. For example:

'What do you think?'

'How about you?'

'Do you think ...?'

2. Listen carefully' to what your partner says and respond to comments he or she makes to help the discussion flow. For example:

'Do/Have/Are you?'

'Don't/Haven't/Aren't you?'

'Do you think so?

'Really?'

3. If you disagree try expressing this politely. For example:

'I see what you mean but ...'

'I can see your point but ...'

'But don't you think ...'

4. Use expressions to allow yourself time to think. For example:

'That's a good question.'

'Well, let me think ...'

'It's difficult to say ...'

5. You'll possibly find you don't understand something your partner has said. If this happens, take control with simple questions like those below to help you deal positively with the situation. 

A) If you didn't quite understand a word or phrase just say something like:

"Sorry but could you explain what you mean by ........" or

"I haven't come across that word/expression before. Could you explain what you mean?"

B) If you didn't hear or didn't understand something your partner has said, ask them to repeat it:

"Sorry, I didn't catch that. Could you say that again?"

"Excuse me. Could you repeat that?"

C) Alternatively, you might want to confirm what you think your partner said so you could say something like:

"Do you mean ........"

"When you say ........, are you asking/do you mean ........?"

Paper 4: Speaking. Part 2

http://issuu.com/iccic/docs/caeissuu/6

Paper 4: Speaking - Part 2

Part 2 (Long turn)

What's in Part 2?	The interlocutor gives you three pictures and asks you to talk about two of them. You have to speak for 1 minute without interruption and the interlocutor then asks the other candidate to comment on what you have said for about 30 seconds. The other candidate receives a different set of photographs and you have to listen and comment when they have finished speaking. The questions you have to answer about your photographs are written at the top of the page to remind you what you should talk about.
What do I have to practise?	Focus on organising a larger unit of discourse. Talking on your own about something: comparing, describing, expressing opinions, speculating.
How long do we have to speak?	1 minute "long turn" per candidate, plus a 30-second response from the second candidate. Total time for Part 2 is 4 minutes.

Example Task

At this stage of the interview the examiner will say something on the lines of:

Q: In this part of the exam I'm going to give each of you three photographs and I'd like you to talk about two of them on your own for about a minute and also to answer a question briefly about your partner's photographs.

Q: Here are your pictures (Candidate A). They show people in different educational settings. 

I'd like you to compare two of these photos and say how the students may be feeling in each one.

Q: All right?

Useful Language
PART 2
What strikes me about the first picture is the fact that...
This picture reminds me of...
Judging from the photograph, the children...
The man appears to be...
From what we can see here, he must...
There are many similarities...
Both pictures depict...
Both pictures are quite similar in that they show...
When you give it a closer look it reveals...

The first picture ... whereas the other picture ...
Another important difference is...
Picture ... doesn't show ... as clearly as ...
Picture ... attempts to ... but I think picture ... does this more effectively...
All pictures are interesting, but ... gives a stronger idea of...

It's difficult to tell from a photograph but this picture could have been taken in ...
I might be wrong, but I'd say that this picture ...
I would imagine/guess that this picture comes from ...

Picture ... is by far the best to show because ...
To me, picture ... is essential for this kind of publication.

I'm surprised there is no picture showing...
A picture of ... would get the message across more effectively.
The cover would be so much better if we had a picture of ...
So let's look at the alternatives ...

The name for this escapes me at present, but it's for/it's like ...
The name for it is on the tip of my tongue ...

Source: http://sciaga.pl/tekst/75447-76-useful_phrases_for_speaking_paper_fce_cae_cpe

Do's & Don'ts

1. The picture set will have a general theme, try to find two that are either very similar or very different in some way. This will give you a basis on which to compare and/or contrast the two pictures. 
2. Think about opportunities for hypothesizing when choosing your pictures.
3. Signpost the end of your talk by adding a personal reaction to the pictures. For example: 
   'The two people in picture three look like they're enjoying themselves but personally, I think I'd prefer to spend my study time in a lecture theatre where I'd be more able to concentrate on learning
4. Many people preparing for the CAE oral exam worry about not having enough to say in the time available or not having enough time to express their ideas. The best way to get the timing right is to practise making short talks on various topics on your own. 
5. It is important to answer the questions the examiner asks you. They are printed on the same page.
6. Please do NOT simply describe the pictures! No part of the instructions asks you to say what you see in the picture. This is the biggest and most common mistake that candidates make on this part of the speaking paper.
7. The key part of the instructions is the word “compare”. You want to be speaking about both of the pictures when you are answering the questions at the top of the page.

Source: http://www.flo-joe.com/cae/students/speaking/cae_speaking_part_two.htm

http://benteachesenglish.com/simple-strategies-for-english-exams/cae-tips/cambridge-english-advanced-cae-part-4-speaking/

Paper 4: Speaking. Part 2

More Tips:

• Comparing photos can include mentioning similarities as well as differences.

• You must deal with both questions asked by the examiner and printed with the photos.

• You should compare the activities in the photos in a general way, without trying to describe all the details of each photo

Useful Language

What strikes me about the first picture is the fact that...

This picture reminds me of...

Judging from the photograph, the children...

The man appears to be...

From what we can see here, he must...

There are many similarities...

Both pictures depict...

Both pictures are quite similar in that they show...

When you give it a closer look it reveals...

The first picture ... whereas the other picture ...

Another important difference is...

Picture ... doesn't show ... as clearly as ...

Picture ... attempts to ... but I think picture ... does this more effectively...

All pictures are interesting, but ... gives a stronger idea of...

It's difficult to tell from a photograph but this picture could have been taken in ...

I might be wrong, but I'd say that this picture ...

I would imagine/guess that this picture comes from ...

Picture ... is by far the best to show because ...

To me, picture ... is essential for this kind of publication.

I'm surprised there is no picture showing...

A picture of ... would get the message across more effectively.

The cover would be so much better if we had a picture of ...

So let's look at the alternatives ...

The name for this escapes me at present, but it's for/it's like ...

The name for it is on the tip of my tongue ...

Source: http://sciaga.pl/tekst/75447-76-useful_phrases_for_speaking_paper_fce_cae_cpe

Happy Holidays!

Lots & Lots of practice!!

Exam time is getting so close!!!

You´ll find lots of extra practice in the following links.

CAE Reading & Use of English

CAE Listening

CAE Writing

CAE Reading 1

CAE Reading and Use of English.

Use of English: Multiple Choice Cloze

Use of English: Word Formation

Key Word Transformations

CAE: Writing Test

Linking words and expressions in formal letters.

Bonus track:   CAE EXAM TIPS