CAE Text-types Review

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Dear students,

One of the basic aspects that you need to develop so as to master the CAE writing paper is your knowledge on the structural and language conventions of different text-types. Go through the following list. Highlight important ideas and details that you might forget in the future. How can you make sure you remember them?

CAE TEXT TYPES

CAE: Writing Paper

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INTERNAL WRITING ASSESSMENT: 5 – 8 September (Fri – Mon)

What is the CAE Writing test like?
The test has two sections and takes 90 minutes:

  1. Part 1 – Write an article, report or letter
    Some material to read (up to 150 words) which may include material taken from advertisements, extracts from letters, emails, postcards, diaries, short articles, etc. Using this information, you may have to write an article, a report, a proposal or a letter.
    180–220 words.
  2. Part 2 – Situationally based writing task
    Choose one of four questions. You have to read some input material of no more than 80 words which describes a situation, and write one of the following: an article, a competition entry, a contribution to a longer piece, an essay, an information sheet, a letter, a proposal, a report or a review.
    220–260 words.

Set Texts

Instead of answering part 2 above, you can choose to write about one of the set texts. The set text titles for 2014 are:

William Golding: Lord of the Flies 
Teachers may choose to prepare candidates for questions on this set text by studying a film version as well as, or instead of, the novel.

P D James: The Lighthouse
There is currently no film version of this book.

The set texts will be discontinued from 2015.

Scoring
The CAE Writing Test makes up 20% of the entire exam.

Your writing is assessed using four criteria:

  • Content – have you answered the question?
  • Communicative Achievement – have you completed the task in the right sort of language
  • Organisation – have you structured your writing with paragraphs?
  • Language – have you used a good range of grammar and vocabulary

How to prepare for the CAE Writing test

  • Choose a question that you are interested in. You will write better if you know the subject.
  • Read the instructions carefully before you start. Make notes. You must include all the points in the instructions.
  • Make a plan before you start writing. Decide what information to put in each paragraph.
  • Think about who you are writing to and use an appropriate style of language.
  • Try to use a range of complex language.
  • Leave enough time to check what you have written.

SAMPLE TASK PART 1

Write your answer in 180-220 words in an appropriate style.

You are organising a weekend away with a group of friends. You receive an email from a friend, Louisa, asking whether her sister and niece can come too.
Read the extract from Louisa’s email and read the other information. Write a reply to Louisa, answering her questions and giving reasons.

You said you have places left for the weekend away, and I was wondering, can my sister come too? I think you met her when you stayed with us. The thing is, she has a three-year-old daughter, Maddy, and my sister wants to bring her as well.  Do you think it’s possible?
Louisa

Plan for the weekend: Saturday
Morning:   Theme Park – Looking forward to going on some wild rides!
Afternoon: Check in at our holiday cottage. Beautiful Lake! Bring a torch and boots – it will be muddy!
Evening: Great curry restaurant, followed by dancing at a night club!

SAMPLE TASK PART 2

Write your answer in 220-260 words in an appropriate style.

You see this advertisement in an international student magazine.

Volunteers needed
We are looking for volunteers to help out at a famous, international sporting event. We’re looking for friendly, respectful people with good language skills, good team skills and a ‘can-do’ attitude. We need people to welcome delegates, provide customer service and solve problems.
If you think you have what it takes, apply now.

Write an application to become a volunteer. Mention:

  • your language skills
  • your personal qualities
  • examples of times when you have demonstrated team skills
  • any relevant work experience

CAMBRIDGE EXAMS: Enrollment Process at the British Institute

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Dear all,

The deadline to enroll for the CAE/FCE exam is getting near (10 September). Remember that you need to go to the British Institute (3 Norte 824, Viña del Mar) and pay the corresponding fee. For CAE: (up front) $99.000 / for FCE: (up front) $93.000.

Click HERE to access the official British Institute website for more detailed information.

Click HERE to read everything about the exams, pricing, dates, and other important information.

Answer Key: Reading and Use of English Practice

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Dear students,

Please check your answers to today’s practice so you prepare for this Thurday’s test:

READING

PART 2

7. D     8. A     9. G     10. E     11. B     12. C

USE OF ENGLISH

PART 3

28. pleasure     29. disadvantages     30. preferably     31. pursuit     32. Fortunately     33. deficiency/ies     34. requirement

35. reasonable     36. hazardous     37. uninterrupted

PART 4

38. hit     39. low     40. power

Tips for the CAE Reading Paper

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Here are some tips and answers to questions often received on the Reading paper of the Cambridge English: Advanced exam.

Tips:

DO
  • Skim through the text for general understanding.
  • Read the instructions very carefully – they set the scene and give you initial orientation.
  • Highlight or underline important words in the questions.
  • Decide what type of question you are answering and then employ the correct reading skill *, especially in the multiple-choice part.

Reading Skills?

  • Link the questions to areas or sections in the text before reading closely.
  • Remember that questions come in the same order as the answers in the text in the multiple-choice part of the paper.
  • Experiment with the order of the parts and the questions within the parts. Come back to them later, if necessary.
  • Select your answer based on meaning and then check that it fits with the language in the text. Use the coherence and cohesion in the text to help you with this.
  • Use a wide context in the text to help you find answers. Do not read narrowly or just a few lines before and after the point where you find your answer.
  • Use paraphrasing of ideas rather than individual words in the questions to help you identify the answer in the text.
  • Check that your selected answer fully answers the question and not only in part.
  • Answer all the questions – no marks are deducted for incorrect answers.
  • Decide why the three ‘distractors’ are wrong in each multiple-choice question and make sure the extra paragraph does not fit. (Part 2)
  • Reread the whole text when you have placed all the paragraphs. (Part 2)
DON’T
  • Don’t use your world knowledge or personal opinions to answer the questions.
  • Don’t select an answer after reading only one section in the multiple-matching parts of the paper.
  • Don’t spend too much time on any one part of the paper.
  • Don’t forget to transfer all your answers to the answer sheet.
  • Don’t be put off by or get stuck on difficult vocabulary – it may become clear by reading on or by later rereading.
  • Don’t reread every section for every question. (Parts 1 and 4)
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

How many marks is the Reading paper worth?
Each of the five papers in the exam is worth 40 marks, or 20% of the total.

What kinds of texts are included?
The four texts are taken from newspapers, magazines, journals, non-literary books, leaflets, brochures, etc. They are generally authentic but some editing may take place for clarification. They may be informational, descriptive, narrative or discursive. Each text is 550–850 words long with a total of about 3,000 words across the whole paper.

What reading skills are involved?
The tasks test your ability to skim and scan the text in order to:

  • build up a general understanding
  • identify the main points
  • locate specific information
  • deduce meaning
  • recognise the writer’s attitude or opinion
  • understand text organisation.

What kinds of tasks are there?
There are two multiple-choice tasks, one gapped text and one multiple-matching task.

Are Parts 1 and 4 the same?
Both parts involve the same task type, multiple matching, but the text is usually longer in Part 4.

Which is the most difficult part?
The combination of text, tasks and reading skills in each of the parts is different so there is no simple answer to this question.

Past results show that any one of the four parts can be better answered in a session. You need to be aware of your strengths and weaknesses, and prepare accordingly.

How long should I spend on each part of the test?
There are no recommended timings for parts of the test. But you must transfer all your answers to the answer sheet during the 1 hour and 15 minutes of the test.

The tasks do not have to be dealt with in the same order as they appear on the paper. You may feel more confident with certain text or task types and may want to do these first and faster.

CAE Reading Paper Format

Extracted from <http://cambridgeesolsoutheasteurope.wordpress.com/2013/05/05/tips-and-faqs-for-the-reading-paper-of-the-cambridge-english-advanced-exam/&gt;

The Do’s and Don’ts in the CAE Use of English

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Here are some tips and answers to questions we often receive on the Use of English paper of the Cambridge English: Advanced exam.

Tips:

DO
  • Read extensively to build up a wide range of vocabulary in different contexts.
  • Check your spelling in all parts of the test.
  • Make sure you transfer your answers to your answer sheet as you finish each part.
  • Read the surrounding context before giving an answer.
  • Read the instructions, the information about the texts, the titles and the texts before starting to answer.
  • Read the texts again to check your answers make sense.
  • Check that the answer has the right meaning and that it fits in with both the local grammatical context and with the text as a whole. (Parts 1, 2 and 3)
DON’T
  • Don’t leave any questions unanswered.
  • Don’t give alternative answers for any questions.
  • Don’t wait until the end to copy all your answers on to your answer sheet.
  • Don’t copy the words on to your answer sheet. Only one letter (A, B, C or D) is necessary. (Part 1)
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

How many marks is the Use of English paper worth?
The Use of English paper makes up 40 marks or 20% of the total marks of the examination.

Are marks deducted for incorrect answers?
No, marks are deducted if candidates give an incorrect answer. A candidate is either awarded the mark for the correct answer or gets no mark if the answer is incorrect. You are advised not to leave any question unanswered.

How do candidates record their answers?
Candidates write their answers on the answer sheets provided by shading a lozenge or by writing words (3–6 words allowed for answers in Part 5). The answer sheet is marked according to a mark scheme and then scanned by computer. You must transfer your answers to the answer sheet within the time given for the paper (1 hour).

How important is spelling in the Use of English paper?
All spelling must be correct in this paper. Candidates will not get a mark for answers which are not spelled correctly. American spelling will not be penalised if used consistently.

What happens if a candidate gives two or more answers to a question?
If a candidate offers two or more answers and one of these is incorrect, no mark is awarded. If all answers given are correct, candidates are awarded the mark for that question. Candidates should write only one answer for each question.

In the open cloze test (Part 2), are words like ‘doesn’t’ and ‘isn’t’ counted as one or two words?
Two words. To count the number of words, you should take the full form into account, e.g. ‘didn’t’ = ‘did not’ = two words.

Extracted from <http://cambridgeesolsoutheasteurope.wordpress.com/2013/05/09/tips-and-faqs-for-the-use-of-english-paper-of-the-cambridge-english-advanced-exam/&gt;