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Practising FCE Use of English Part 2

Contents

A. TEACHERS NOTES ...........................................................................................................2 A1. A2. A3. A4. A5. Lesson Plan..................................................................................................................2 Classroom Handout 1...................................................................................................6 Classroom Handout 2...................................................................................................7 Classroom Handout 3...................................................................................................8 Classroom Handout 4...................................................................................................9

B. GUIDANCE FOR FOLLOW UP ACTIVITIES.....................................................................11

UCLES 2011. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further information see our Terms of Use at http://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/terms

Practising FCE Use of English Part 2

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Practising FCE Use of English Part 2 A. TEACHERS NOTES


Description Time required: Materials required: 60 minutes Classroom Handout 1 Classroom Handout 2 Classroom Handout 3 Classroom Handout 4 Some large sheets of paper Aims: to help students prepare for FCE 3, Part 2 by becoming more confident about being able to complete gaps understanding what clues there are to the missing words and what kind of words are missed out practising working with complex sentences in texts

A1.

Lesson Plan
Ask the whole class the following quesitons What kinds of things does FCE Use of English Part 2 test? (Answer: vocabulary, e.g. phrasal verbs, linkers, words within fixed phrases and collocations as well as lexico-grammatical items, e.g. articles, auxiliaries, prepositions, pronouns, verb tenses and forms) Is there only one possible answer to all the questions? (Answer: More than one answer may be possible sometimes) How many answers must you write? (Answer: Candidates must only write one answer. They will not get a mark if they write two answers, even if they are both right.) Where can you find the clues to the answers? a. in the words before the gap b. in the words after the gap c. in the sentence(s) before the gap d. in the sentence(s) after the gap (Answer: clues to answers may be in any of these four places or in a combination of them. Students must learn to look in all these places.)

1. Warmer

Timing: 5 minutes.

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Practising FCE Use of English Part 2


2. Copy A2 Classroom Handout 1 and cut up the sentences. You will need one sentence for each student in the class. Students first complete their sentence individually, writing the answer on the back of their slip of paper. Check each students answer individually Students then move round the class, asking other students to complete their sentence. When everyone has heard and answered 5 or 6 sentences, give the complete A2 Classroom Handout 1 to everyone for group or pair completion, then check answers with the whole class. Alternatively, students do this activity in groups. Give 5 different sentences to each group. Each group completes their sentences. Change the groups so that one member of the previous groups is in each new group. The students share their answers to all 24 sentences.
Answers: 1. Id never met that girl who was sitting in the corner. 2. The computer had been switched off before she arrived. 3. People often dont pay attention to important things when theyre feeling tired. 4. My parents never allow me to stay out after midnight. 5. He asked me if/whether I understood what he meant. 6. Their house was opposite ours, in the middle of the street. 7. He found a really good job even though hes got no experience. 8. He needs a good holiday in my opinion. 9. Ill go and speak to the driver whose car is blocking the exit. 10. Ive found my phone at last. Id been looking for it for ages. 11. Tom loves ice cream and so does his brother. 12. Ill join you in a few minutes when Ive finished what Im doing. 13. He gave up going to the gym last month because he just couldnt find the time. 14. Could you pass me the book which/ that is on the table? 15. She was very pleased at/about finding a new job. 16. Im feeling really cold even though its hot outside. 17. I went abroad last year and so did all my friends. 18. They stopped going out in the evening as they were so short of money. 19. I may/might perhaps come and visit you later Im not sure 20. You have to fasten your seat belt before a plane takes off or lands. 21. I had my hair cut yesterday. It was getting much too long. 22. A serious injury prevented him from playing sport. 23. I like to go to work on foot it gives me a bit of exercise.

24. After finishing/ completing his university course last year he started applying for jobs
immediately.

Timing: 15 minutes
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Practising FCE Use of English Part 2


3. Write the word Fashion on the board. Tell the students that they are going to read an article about fashion. In pairs for one minute, the students brainstorm what the article might be about, and what vocabulary might appear in the article. With the whole class, feedback on their predictions. Explain to the students that predicting the content and vocabulary of a text before reading is a useful strategy as it will help them to read with more confidence. Timing: 5 minutes

4. Give out A4 Classroom Handout 2. Explain to students that this is a matching task which asks students to understand complex sentences, in the same way as Part 2 of the exam. However, it is easier than the exam tasks as the answers are supplied in jumbled order. Emphasise that this is not an example of the exam task. Point out that the activity will help them get used to complex sentences, as well as working with a text.

In pairs or individually the students complete the exercise. Remind the students that they should read the sentences before and after the gapped sentence, as well as the words round the gap. (Answers: 1 H, 2 L, 3 K, 4 I, 5 E, 6 B, 7 A, 8 F, 9 G, 10 J, 11 C, 12 D) Timing: 15 minutes

5. Divide the class into groups of 4. Give out A4 Classroom Handout 3. Give each group a big sheet of paper to write their answers on. They must write big enough for the whole class to see on the board and write the question numbers. Students work in their groups to complete the exercise. This is a team game, so they must keep their answers from the other groups. Set a time limit of 57 minutes. At the end of the 57 minutes, display the large sheets of paper on the board. Ask each team to look at all the answers on the board and reconsider their answers to each question. If they wish to change them, they should come up to and change them on their large sheet of paper. Go through the answers. Give two points if a team gave the right answer as their first answer, and one point if they changed their answer to the correct one. At the end, count up all the marks that each team has got. The team with the most marks is the winner!
UCLES 2011. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further information see our Terms of Use at http://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/terms

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Practising FCE Use of English Part 2


(Answers: 1 these, 2 spite, 3 there, 4 but, 5 that, 6 which, 7 to, 8 when, 9 be, 10 for/in, 11 example/ instance, 12 or/and) Timing: 20 minutes

6. Homework A4 Classroom Handout 5 Explain that this activity will help to make them aware of the kinds of things that are tested in Part 2, and therefore help them understand how to revise and prepare for the exam. Students should check any grammatical terms they are unsure about in a good grammar reference book. Answers: 1. relative pronoun 2. passive 3. expression 4. verb pattern 5. indirect question 6. collocation 7. linking word 8. collocation 9. relative pronoun 10. collocation 11. auxiliary verb 12. collocation 13. phrasal verb 14. relative pronoun 15. preposition in a collocation 16. linking word 17. way of expressing a similarity 18. preposition in a collocation 19. modal verb 20. phrasal verb 21. causative passive 22. gerund 23. preposition in a collocation 24. gerund after preposition

UCLES 2011. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further information see our Terms of Use at http://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/terms

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Practising FCE Use of English Part 2


A2. Classroom Handout 1

1. Id never met that girl ______ was sitting in the corner. 2. The computer had ______ switched off before she arrived. 3. People often dont pay ______ to important things when theyre feeling tired. 4. My parents never allow me ______ stay out after midnight. 5. He asked me ______ I understood what he meant. 6. Their house was opposite ours, in the middle ______ the street. 7. He found a really good job even ______ hes got no experience. 8. He needs a good holiday ______ my opinion. 9. Ill go and speak to the driver ______ car is blocking the exit. 10. Ive found my phone ______ last. Id been looking for it for ages. 11. Tom loves ice cream and so ______ his brother. 12. Ill join you ______ a few minutes when Ive finished what Im doing. 13. He ______ up going to the gym last month because he just couldnt find the time. 14. Could you pass me the book ______ is on the table? 15. She was very pleased ______ finding a new job. 16. Im feeling really cold even ______ its hot outside. 17. I went abroad last year and ______ did all my friends. 18. They stopped going out in the evening as they were so short ______ money. 19. I ______ perhaps come and visit you later Im not sure 20. You have to fasten your seat belt before a plane ______ off or lands. 21. I had my hair ______ yesterday. It was getting much too long. 22. A serious injury prevented him from ______ sport. 23. I like to go to work ______ foot it gives me a bit of exercise. 24. After ______ his university course last year he started applying for jobs immediately.

UCLES 2011. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further information see our Terms of Use at http://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/terms

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Practising FCE Use of English Part 2


A3. Classroom Handout 2

1. Write the words in the column on the right into the correct blanks in the text. Note: in the exam, you are not given any words to complete the gaps with.

FASHION Throughout history people have worn clothing of (0) _one_ description or another. Apart (1) _____ protection against the weather, clothes were also often used to show the wearers status and wealth. Over the years numerous fashions in clothing have come and gone. (2) ______ some of these have been popular for relatively short periods of time, others have lasted. A. times B. fact C. without D. deal Until the first half of the 20th century, the ability to follow fashion was limited to those (3) ______ had the money to (4) ______ so. But following fashion did not only demand money, it also required large amounts of leisure time. Wealthy people took fashion very seriously and close attention had to (5) ______ paid to detail. Wearing the correct clothes for different occasions was very important, despite the (6) ______ that this often meant changing clothes five or six (7) ______ a day. E. be F. which G. by H. from I. More recently, fashionable clothes have come within the reach of ordinary people. The traditional craft of dressmaking, (8) ______ usually involved sewing (9) ______ hand, was both costly and slow. But today, large-scale manufacturing has made it easier for people to keep (10) ______ with changes in fashion (11) ______ having to spend a great (12) ______ of money. J. do up

K. who L. while

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Practising FCE Use of English Part 2


A4. Classroom Handout 3
In groups of 3 or 4 students, decide on the best word to complete each blank in this text. DO NOT let other groups hear your answers.

The cognitive benefits of video games

Video games are a controversial topic (1) ______ days, as people question if popular games cater enough to a female audience or if there is such a thing as video game addiction. Yet, in (2) ______ of all of the negative perceptions and criticisms of video games, (3) ______ is a growing body of evidence suggesting their benefits as well. A study published this past September suggests that playing some games can make your brain more efficient. Some medical education programs are supplementing training with Second Life sessions. And, most recently, a review of previous research on video games found that regularly playing video games not only improves your skill at those particular games, (4) ______ may also improve your reaction time and accuracy on real-life tasks. The findings of the review contradict the belief (5) ______ while regular gamers can get faster at certain games, they lose accuracyor become "trigger happy"in the process. Not so, say some researchers. In tests in (6) ______ participants were instructed (7) ______ view a monitor and respond (8) ______ an object appeared in the target area, but ignore objects that appeared outside the target area, gamers proved to (9) ______ faster, but not more impulsive, than non-gamers. Researchers say that these findings indicate the benefits of certain video games (10) ______ improving cognitive processing and accuracy, and may indicate practical applications for video game play for (11) ______ , to close the gender gap sometimes seen in certain aspects of visual and spatial processing, (12) ______ to slow the cognitive aging process in older people. (Adapted from: http://healthland.time.com/2010/01/04/the-cognitive-benefits-of-videogames/)

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Practising FCE Use of English Part 2


A5. Classroom Handout 4
Look at all the sentences and underline the type of word on the right that is being tested. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Id never met that girl who was sitting in the corner. The computer had been switched off before she arrived. People often dont pay attention to important things when theyre feeling tired. My parents never allow me to stay out after midnight. He asked me if/whether I understood what he meant. Their house was opposite ours, in the middle of the street. He found a really good job even though hes got no experience. He needs a good holiday in my opinion. Ill go and speak to the driver whose car is blocking the exit. preposition/ relative pronoun gerund/ passive expression/ phrasal verb tense/ verb pattern indirect statement/ indirect question synonym/ collocation linking word/ adverb phrasal verb/ collocation personal pronoun/ relative pronoun synonym/ collocation auxiliary verb/ modal verb collocation/ adjective phrasal verb/ modal verb linking word/ relative pronoun preposition in a collocation/ preposition in an expression of time adjective/ linking word way of expressing a similarity/ way of expressing agreement preposition in a collocation/ preposition of place

10. Ive found my phone at last. Id been looking for it for ages. 11. Tom loves ice cream and so does his brother. 12. Ill join you in a few minutes when Ive finished what Im doing. 13. He gave up going to the gym last month because he just couldnt find the time. 14. Could you pass me the book which/ that is on the table?

15. She was very pleased at/about finding a new job. 16. Im feeling really cold even though its hot outside. 17. I went abroad last year and so did all my friends.

18. They stopped going out in the evening as they were so short of money.

UCLES 2011. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further information see our Terms of Use at http://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/terms

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Practising FCE Use of English Part 2


19. I may/might perhaps come and visit you later Im not sure 20. You have to fasten your seat belt before a plane takes off or lands. 21. I had my hair cut yesterday. It was getting much too long. 22. A serious injury prevented him from playing sport. 23. I like to go to work on foot it gives me a bit of exercise. 24. After finishing/ completing his university course last year he started applying for jobs immediately. modal verb/ passive phrasal verb/ gerund causative passive/ infinitive infinitive/ gerund preposition in a collocation/ adverb past participle/ gerund after preposition

UCLES 2011. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further information see our Terms of Use at http://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/terms

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Practising FCE Use of English Part 2 B. GUIDANCE FOR FOLLOW UP ACTIVITIES


1. In A2 Classroom Handout 1, students worked at sentence level to build up their confidence in dealing with this part of the test. You can reproduce the activity on by finding suitable sentences in grammar practice books or workbooks. Focus the gaps in sentences on grammatical items (e.g. phrasal verbs, linkers, words within fixed phrases and collocations) or lexico-grammatical (e.g. articles, auxiliaries, prepositions, pronouns, verb tenses and forms). Make sure the sentences contain NO ambiguity that might affect the answer.

2. To make activities similar to the one on A4 Classroom Handout 3 you can make your own cloze test using one of the cloze maker programmes available on the internet. Search for cloze maker/ cloze generator programmes. You will also need to select a suitable text. Make sure to use texts at the right level and on topics and in a style of general interest, and without too much complex grammar or sophisticated vocabulary. Good sources of texts include graded readers, reading skills books, articles from magazines and the internet and FCE course books. When selecting a text, it is useful to think about the following: keep the text quite short so that students don't get 'frightened' by it include visuals if possible to make the text look more attractive make sure that your blanks are regularly spaced out don't have long stretches of text with no blanks, unless they give meaning needed as a clue make sure you only blank out words which have enough clues in the text to allow students to work out their meaning and part of speech you can adapt the text by substituting a high level word with an easier synonym.

UCLES 2011. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further information see our Terms of Use at http://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/terms

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