B2 First

B2 First (FCE)

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Listening

Speaking

Reading and Use of English

Writing

Speaking

Sample tests

Picture comparison

Speaking on your own

Discussion

Part 1 & 4

Part 2

Part 3

Speaking on your own

TOPICS FAMILY HOLIDAYS CITY FUTURE PLANS HOBBIES SPORTS TV SERIES FILMS MUSIC BOOKS ENGLISH

CONNECTORS Although For instance However

EXPRESSIONS Not my cup of tea I'm keen on ... I'm into ...

PICTURE COMPARISON

Similarities

• In both pictures I can see ...
• What the pictures have in common is that they both feature people ... -ing
• Likewise, in the other picture...
• The same is true of the other picture.

Differences

• I can't say the same for the other picture.
• However, ...
• Whereas on the second picture
• Moving on to the second picture,

When you don't know what to pick because the pics are very similar

• It's hard to decide. They are all much of a muchness

Speculating

• I assume/reckon that ...
• I reckon ...
• It's likely that ...
• I'm pretty sure that ...
• It seems to me that ...

When you're not sure

• It's hard to say.
• I'm not an expert on ..., but

• Who knows? Maybe ...

PICTURE COMPARISON

PICTURE COMPARISON

DISCUSSION

Starting

• So, why don't we get going with ...?
• So, a good place to start would be...
• I'll kick off with...

Emphasising your view

• I think we need to stick to this point.

Referring to partner's views

• So you're essentially saying that...
• It's like what you were saying before about...
• So, just to check that I understand...

Disagreeing

• I'm not so sure about that, but let's not split hairs.
• I don't entirely agree though, but point taken!

Agreeing

• Same here

• Nor would I / Nor am I.
• You're dead right there.
• You can say that again.
• That makes two of us.

Changing topics

• So, moving on to...
• Can I weigh in here?

SAMPLE TESTS

Examiner marks

Examiner marks

Reading

The best thing you can do to improve your C1 reading skills is read articles on different genres or books you like thoroughly.

Start here

Use of English

Key word transformation

Here you have some games to practice:

Listening

The best thing you can do to improve your C1 listening skills is watch Youtube videos on different genres (vloggs, interviews, working out, cooking recipes, DIY...) and watch shows in English with English subtitles.

Start here

WRITING

DISCLAIMER

Antes que nada, haz un borrador (draft) para aclarar y definir tus ideas, incluyendo todos los contenidos necesarios

AL HACER UN DRAFT INICIAL NO ESTÁS PERDIENDO TIEMPO

QUITE THE OPPOSITE! You'll prevent your text from being clumsy

Writing 1

One compulsory question

Essay

ESSAY

You need connectors

1)Introduction Nowadays, it is believed that... 2)Body of essay

• PARAGRAPH 1: Firstly, ...
• PARAGRAPH 2: Secondly, ...
• PARAGRAPH 3: Finally, ...

3) Conclusion In a nutshell, I personally believe that ...

You need B2 vocabulary and expressions

No repetition of words

ESSAY

ESSAY

The popularity of video games and the number of users who play them has been increasing for years. Nevertheless, the discussion whether video games are beneficial or not for teenagers arises plenty of opinions. On the one hand, video games are usually praised for allowing the users to learn some important skills such as decision making or problem solving. Moreover, some games can help young people to learn about different periods in history or parts of the world in a fun way. On the other hand, some users are so hooked on video games that they forget about the real world, and they also need to go out and be active to avoid health problems for not moving or exercising in a proper way. Finally, some video games such as shooters or fighting games are claimed to be too violent and cruel, and people fear that they might have a direct influence on teenager’s behaviour, making them become more aggressive. To sum up, I consider that video games are a good tool for having fun and learning. However, I think that users should not spend too much time playing so as to be mentally and physically healthy.

Writing 2

One task to be selected from a choice of three (you need to know how to write three of them)

Article

Review

Report

Letter

Email

Story

Article

Article

A perfect place to relax Last year I spent two weeks in the south of Spain with my family, and it was the best, most relaxing holiday ever! It was just after my exams, and I had been working very hard, so I was feeling exhausted. As soon as we arrived at our hotel, I knew it was going to be perfect. The hotel was right by the beach, and all I could see in front of me was sand and sea. We put our bags in our rooms and went down to the beach immediately. The sea was lovely and warm, and before long I started to forget all about studying and exams. We didn’t just go to the beach every day. We visited some local towns too, and went walking in the mountains one day. We also went on a boat trip and saw dolphins – can you imagine that? But the best thing of all was that there was no internet connection there, so for two weeks I couldn’t contact my friends or talk about the exams! It really was the perfect place to forget about the world and just relax!

Review

Review

Fashion4U.uk I’m a big fan of online shopping, and I visit a lot of online clothes shops. My absolute favourite is Fashion4U.uk, where you’ll find a huge range of really fashionable clothes. There’s everything from jeans and T-shirts to formal dresses and suits. The site is incredibly easy to use, and you can search for clothes according to the size, colour or style you’re looking for. The prices are brilliant, too. I bought a pair of trousers there last month, then saw exactly the same pair in a local department store for twice the price! Once you’ve placed your order, they are usually very quick to deliver. You can even choose same-day delivery if you need the clothes quickly, although you have to pay extra for this. Unlike many other online stores, you can also phone and talk to someone if you have any problems. I’ve done this a few times, and I’ve always found them very helpful. This is a fantastic website, and I’d thoroughly recommend it to anyone who loves clothes and loves a bargain!

Report

Report

Introduction This report looks at the leisure facilities available in this town and makes recommendations for improvements to these facilities and new facilities that could be provided. The information comes from an interview with students at Central Language School. Current facilities There are two sports centres in the town, and both can be reached easily by public transport. However, neither sports centre has a swimming pool. The only cinema is outside the town and can only be reached by car. This makes it difficult for people who rely on public transport. There is a small park near the town centre, but this is often very crowded during good weather in summer. Recommendations I would recommend building a swimming pool at one of the sports centres. Both have plenty of land to make this possible. I would also suggest introducing a new bus route to the cinema to allow young people to reach the cinema easily. Finally, it would be beneficial to young people to make the park bigger, as this would give them more space to meet their friends in good weather.

Letter

Letter

Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to apply for a job in one of your summer camps this summer. I believe I would be suitable for this job because I am very friendly, outgoing and sociable, and I have a good sense of humour. I get on well with people of all ages, and especially with children. I often organise birthday parties for my nephews and nieces. I arrange a variety of games and activities for them, and also do magic tricks to entertain them, which are always very popular. I am also very keen on sport. I play football and tennis regularly, and enjoy cycling and swimming too. As well as playing football, I also help coach young children at my football club and have a Level 1 qualification in sports coaching. Because of my experience and qualifications, I think I would be a perfect candidate for this job, and hope you will consider my application. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, Hannah Tomkins

Email

Email

Hi Rob, Great to hear from you! My favourite festival takes place in Ivrea, a town in the north of Italy. It happens every year in February as part of the carnival celebrations. It’s called the Battle of the Oranges, and basically it’s a big food fight in the street! There are nine teams of people, and they throw oranges at each other. No one really understands the origin of this festival, but it’s very old. It can be pretty dangerous, so young kids aren’t allowed to join in, but last year my dad and I took part for the first time, and it was amazing fun! I love this festival because it’s so crazy, and because thewhole town joins in – nearly a thousand people take part, and loads more watch, although you need to be careful when you’re watching that you keep a safe distance away, so you don’t get hit! I also love it because it makes everyone laugh, so everyone’s really happy. And at the end of the day everyone goesto restaurants with their friends or families to have aspecial meal and celebrate. Good luck with your project! Claudio

¡Has estado muy cerca! Vuélvelo a intentar.

En esta redacción es muy importante seguir la estructura estipulada para la carta formal. ¿Qué significa esto? Esto quiere decir que debéis comenzar siempre mencionando a la persona/institución que va dirigida, por ejemplo: Dear Mrs. Thompson, … Por el contrario, si no sabéis a quien va dirigida, también debéis hacer referencia al lector de esta forma: Dear Sir or Madam, // To whom it may concern, …

¡Has estado muy cerca! Vuélvelo a intentar.

Exam Tips 1) El significado de la frase que crees tiene que ser exactamente el mismo que el de la primera frase: Tommy said he was ready for his driving test and would take it in July. Tommy said he was ready for his driving test and could take it in July. Aquí solamente hemos cambiado una letra (de "would" a "could"), pero el significado ha cambiado completamente so watch out! 2) La gramática que más sale en Key Word Transformations es:

• Modal verbs and semi-modal verbs
• Verb patterns such as verb/infinitive, verb/gerund/ verb + preposition + gerund, etc
• Active voice to the passive voice
• Direct speech to reported speech
• Phrasal verbs and multi-word verbs
• Common idioms
• Third conditional
• Look like and seem / do and make / regret and wish