First: Formal Letters

Reviewing Formal Letters

We'd like to recommend this page on the Flo-Joe website. have a go at some of the twenty two(!) exercises before your next homework.

Obviously, we're happy to answer questions or doubts you have here!

FCE Weekly Task 5

Reviewing Formal Letters

We'd like to recommend this page on the Flo-Joe website. have a go at some of the twenty two(!) exercises before your next homework.

Obviously, we're happy to answer questions or doubts you have here!

First and Advanced: Collocations

Collocations

Some vocabulary work this week. Visit this page and take alook through the many collocations on offer. Between now and next Tuesday have a think about where and when you could use some of them in writing.

For example, honestly believe could easily be used in a formal letter or an article giving your opinion.

We'll have more examples next Tuesday.

FCE Weekly Task 4

Collocations

Some vocabulary work this week. Visit this page and take alook through the many collocations on offer. Between now and next Tuesday have a think about where and when you could use some of them in writing.

For example, honestly believe could easily be used in a formal letter or an article giving your opinion.

We'll have more examples next Tuesday.

CAE Seminar in Madrid

Another weekend, so, fortified with two cups of coffee I made the long journey (about 10 minutes, actually) to another session for teachers at the British Council's main building on Paseo Martinez Campos. Here it is at 1015 on Saturday morning!

This morning there was some more useful information direct from the horse's mouth about the updated writing exam.

Marking your work

There was an excellent summary of how your marks are decided. To summarise for you:

2 points - unsatisfactory because it's not easy to understand in parts and/or you've not answered the question in some way

3 points - satisfactory because your errors don't affect communication

4 points - your writing makes a postive effect on the reader

5 points - you manage a very positve effect because you've been ambitious in your language

Preparing to write

The presenter (who is hiding behind the lady in the black coat in the next picture!) suggested you always ask yourself 4 questions about any task:

1. What type of text do they want?
   
2. Who's going to read it?
   
3. What's it about?
   
4. What must it say?

Common Problems

Finally, she gave us a list of examples of reasons why candidates give poor answers.

• People do the wrong task (see number 1 above)
• people fail to include everything the quiestion asks for (see number 4 above!)
• not enough suitable vocabulary for the topic of the question
• too much language copied directly from the question in the set question

Miles & I will have a copy of some materials from this session soon which we'll be able to pass on to you during the course.

CAE Writing Seminar in Madrid