Exam Facts
Tenses
Christmas
Structures
Exam Skills
Vocabulary
100
How long is the Core exam and the Extended exam for reading and writing respectively?
Core= 1.5 hours
Extended= 2 hours
100
Fill in the correct form of words:
I ____ (try) to get in touch with you all day yesterday. Where were you?
was trying
100
What meat is the most popular Christmas food?
Turkey
100
Complete the sentence with a relative:
The doctor treated the wounded man at the hotel ________ he had been shot.
where
100
How to deal with the final question in reading Exercise 1?
underline and exclude clauses or sentences which include answers to other questions first, then seek answers to the last question in the rest of the text.
100
What does ‘reluctant’ mean? Explain in English and give one example.
unwilling to do sth;
200
What is the word limit for Exercise 4 on the Reading and Writing Extended paper?
about 100 and no more than 120 (100-120)
200
Fill in the correct form of words:
By the time we ___ (meet) him, he _____ (dance) his way through national competitions and television shows.
met; had already danced
or
meet; will have danced
200
Sing a Christmas song with clear lyrics for at least 10 seconds.
e.g. We wish you a merry christmas;
Jingle bell rock;
Last Christmas;
All I Want For Christmas Is You
200
Combine the following sentences into one:
Vincent Van Gogh was a marvelous painter. His use of colours was extraordinary.
1. Vincent Van Gogh was a marvelous painter whose use of colours was extraordinary.
2. Vincent Van Gogh, whose use of colours was extraordinary, was a marvelous painter .
200
While preparing for listening Question 5- gap-filling, apart from identifying key words and their synonyms, it’s also important to ______________.
predict/ note down the word form of each answer.
200
Tell a synonym of ‘inevitable’.
certain;
unavoidable
300
What type of task is Question 8 (the final question) on the Listening Extended paper?
gap-filling
300
Use past tenses and the given words to make a sentence about the picture.(see PPT)
e.g. He was thinking of buying a bike because he had failed his driving test three times.
300
After red and green, what are the two most popular Christmas colors?
silver and gold
300
Make a complex sentence with the conjunction ‘as’.
conjunctions 'as' = when or because
300
What does ‘CREDITS’ stand for?
comparison, reasons & results, examples, description, in my opinion, tell a story, senses/speculation
300
Turn the word ‘inhabit’ into a noun to refer to a person or an animal.
inhabitant
400
What types of essays may be requested by CIE in Exercise 6? Name all the three possibilities.
article, review, report
400
Fill in the correct form of words:
According to the schedule, the conference only _______ (last) three days next week.
lasts
400
What traditional Christmas decoration is actually a parasitic plant?
mistletoe
400
Combine the sentences below into one using a reduced relative clause:
A bomb caused a lot of damage. It went off this morning.
A bomb going off this morning caused a lot of damage.
400
How to show ‘sense of audience’ when writing for Exercise 5? Name three ways.
shared experiences;
shared knowledge about sb or sth.;
future plans that involve both of you
400
What idiom can we use to wish someone good luck,
especially before a performance?
Break a leg!
500
Name one common trap in listening Question 7.
Three options or key words in them are all mentioned by the speaker.
500
Fill in the correct form of words:
When Janet ____ (graduate) from high school, she and Ashok ______(become) friends for 4 years.
graduates; will have been
500
According to custom, what may you give or get if you meet someone under the mistletoe at Christmas?
a kiss
500
Rewrite the following sentence in passive voice:
A famous director has adapted many of Jane Austen's novels into films.
Many of Jane Austen’s novels have been adapted into films by a famous director.
500
How to paraphrase? Name three different ways in general.
change vocabulary;
change word forms;
change sentence structures.
500
What do the following animals have in common?
- hedgehogs, turtles, toads, bears?
Say a word that begins with 'h'.
They all hibernate.
600
Where do the following statements come from? Be specific (what, what test, what task, what band).
- Uses a good range of simple structures appropriately, and attempts to use some more complex structures.
- Uses a good range of common vocabulary appropriately, and uses some less common vocabulary.
- Content is developed at appropriate length.
- Uses a good range of linking words and other cohesive device appropriately.
marking criteria for Reading & Writing Test, Exercise 5 and Exercise 6, band 5-6 for content and language
600
Speak about:
- how you celebrated Christmas last year
You must use four different narrative tenses correctly.
was doing, did, had done, had been doing
600
Which country was the first to use the tradition of Christmas trees? (hint: in Europe)
Germany
600
Paraphrase the sentence below, using at least two techniques:
The Wildfowl Trust set up a project to save spoon-billed sandpipers from extinction.
e.g. A project to save spoon-billed sandpipers from dying out was set up by the Wildfowl Trust.
600
Give two examples of necessary details that you should usually include in your answers to R & W Exercise 1, 3 and 4 (short-answer, notetaking, summary).
defining relative clause;
important adjectives before central noun;
prepositional phrases showing time, place, condition, etc.
600
What idiom may the mother use to reply to her son in this context? (see the picture on PPT)
When pigs fly!