FCE & CAE Task 3.8: The End is Nigh!

A final set of links to pages with helpful material.

Exam specific:

• Go here for Flo-Joe's CAE makeovers.
  
• And here for their FCE makeovers.
  

Non-exam writing

• Go here for some other practice materials for various formal and informal styles.
• Go here for the BBC's extensive Skillswise site. We've featured some of their material here in the past

CAE Task 3.6: Reviews

Some practical material this week. Take a look at Dark Horizons. You'll find lots of film review material which you might find useful.

Be on the look out for adjectives, comments and, as always at CAE, the special vocabulary that makes an impact on the reader. Here are (just) five that we noticed in the Angels and Demons review:

• follow-up
• polished
• pad out
• uses of Had and Yet

CAE Task 3.6a Review some formal letters

As a partner to this week's FCE task, here's something similar for Advanced level. Take a look at these letters, decide what you think, then take a look at the comments and see if you agree with them!

Obviously we're happy to answer questions here if you have them.

CAE Task 3.5 Application letter to review

From Flo-Joe here's a link to an application letter to try correcting. As usual we're happy to answer any questions you might have.

Look back to previous examples using the labels in the right-hand column >>>> to help your analysis.

CAE task 3.4 Complaints

Go here to find a letter of complaint you can study.

Task 3.3 Reviewing More Complex Writing

Some tasks on paragraphs and organisation this week.

Go here for one on narrative organisation (useful for stories, review and writing about trips, travel etc, and here for another.

Go here for another on sentence transformation to develop more complex sentences.

Finally, go here for some complex sentence writing. COndense your ideas into fewer words to make a real impression.

FCE and CAE Task 3.2 Reviewing Planning

Most of our tasks this term will relate to reviewing your skills and analysing examples of writing. This week we are going to link to the BBC Skillwise website. Go here for 15 (yes, 15!) Fact Sheets, 8 worksheets and even a game to play.

The materials here are for all kinds of writing. Exam students should choose carefully for the kind of writing you will find more useful (notice all the work on letters!).

Concentrate on the topics you find most challenging.

FCE & CAE Weekly Task 2.5 Study a Review

If you go to our download page here, you'll find a link to a Word document of a review called "CAE Question 0."

This is around CAE level and length, but is an FCE-style question.

On page 1 you'll find some work to do and the question. On page 2, our answer. One thing we want you to do is check it for basic spelling and grammar errors. How many can you find in 5 minutes? (There are a lot, maybe more than we intended!)

FInd a highlighted version and answers on page 3.

FCE and CAE Weekly Writing Task 3.1

Reviewing Formal vs. Informal Language

Reports, proposals, letters and Emails - all of them need some level of formal English at times. Try the exercises in this page of the Flo Joe website for some practice of vocabulary and structures.

Come back to us with doubts and questions.

CAE Weekly Writing Activity 1.3

Formal Language Patterns

Formal English is needed for writing homework on reports, proposals and some emails or letters. To do this effectively you'll need to be able to produce formal English patterns.

Here you'll find a short interactive exercise to try out on formal grammar - see how you get on!

Come back and post examples in the comments section.

CAE Task 2.6 Essay Advice

Some keywords when writing essays. Can you predict the advice they come from?

Outline what at the start?

Start with an interesting what?

Main paragraphs start with topic what?

In main paragraphs, give detailed what?

After your main paragraphs, you may have a summery or a summary one?

You might finish with...what?

Go here for one method you might like to adapt to CAE length.

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!