The big day has come and your heart palpitates with stress and fear. The only thought that crosses your mind is “Will my candidates open their mouth and speak or will they just gasp without uttering a single word in front of the examiner?” Challenging by nature, the speaking test can become the nightmare of test takers and exam prep teachers. What can you...
One of the claims of language tests administered in Greece is that topical knowledge is not tested so that all candidates may stand the same chance of performing well. However, topical knowledge, especially in the form of intercultural knowledge, is one of the constructs that should be tested according to the CEFR by which all language tests are supposed...
Greece has a strong testing culture since teaching foreign languages is linked with language exams. Students learn foreign languages mainly to get a foreign language certification. The Greek market offers a large number of English Language exams and certifying bodies. All these exams consist of various sections – some evaluate all language skills...
What does “test preparation” mean for you? All too often, I suspect, it means working through endless past papers and practice tests. Of course your students need to be familiar with the test format and ready on the day for the kinds of tasks that they will be confronted with, and working through some practice tests under exam conditions is the right way...
Although anxiety is considered to be a natural process so that humans are able to function effectively, it can become detrimental when it becomes excessive and uncontrollable leading to distress and interfering with everyday activities such as learning, studying or evaluation situations as in the case of our learners.
Anxiety is the anticipation of a...
Fear of listening
Listening appears to be the most feared component of language exams: learners invariably complain that “the listening was difficult,” teachers seem to worry about the listening subtest more than anything else, examination bodies are often asked to explain themselves and justify the format and level of their listening tests...
There is a wide range of official free and paid for Cambridge English support materials from Cambridge English Language Assessment and Cambridge University Press, including the coursebook and practice tests and other types of materials in both print and digital formats, such as the teacher handbook and the speaking test preparation pack.
Checklist to...
The content of the Reading component is different for the Academic and General Training testing options but the total amount of time for the completion of this component in both is 60 minutes. Candidates are presented with three passages pertaining to a wide array of subjects of general interest, drawing from work and academic contexts. In this article...
I am often asked by teachers given the proximity of exam day what the right balance between exam practice and general language and skills development work should be. What I suspect lies behind this question is that teachers know that learners will keenly set about anything in this period given an exam practice label – keen as they are to see how close...
How often have we been cornered by an irate parent wanting to know why his child failed the writing part of the exam even though they did very well during the year in the compositions they wrote? The student in question may have passed the exam overall, but the dreaded word ‘fail’ will be the focus of the parent’s concern.
So, how do the examiners...
