miércoles, 20 de octubre de 2010

Something to say about: The FCE exam



The season for Cambridge international exams is at our doorstep. As you know, there are several authorized centres for Cambridge exams: The ACPB, SENATI, some schools that examine their own students, and the Universidad de Piura, both in Piura and in Lima. This post will concentrate on FCE and some tips for the teachers who are preparing students for this exam.
FCE stands for First Certificate in English and is part of a complete suite of exams designed to test and certify the candidates´ competence in this language. Below is a table indicating the correlation of each exam with the Common European Framework of Reference, the levels they represent and the numbers of study hours needed to attain each level.

Common European
Framework/ UCLES - Guided Learning Hours

A2/ KET: Elementary - approximately 180–200
B1/ PET: Intermediate - approximately 350–400
B2/ FCE: Upper Intermediate - approximately 500–600
C1/ CAE: Advanced - approximately 700–800
C2/ CPE: Near Native - approximately 1,000–1,200

But what can successful FCE candidates do in English?

At B2 level, typical users can be expected to:

•understand the main ideas of complex pieces of writing
•keep up a conversation on a fairly wide range of topics, expressing opinions and presenting arguments
•produce clear, detailed writing, expressing opinions and explaining the advantages and disadvantages of different points of view.

The link below will take you to a webinar titled: Questions and Answers on the FCE Exam. It is given by Roy Norris, an ELT author for Macmillan.
I am sure it will very helpful, not only for FCE teachers but for all of us.

1 comentario:

Lali López dijo...

Cesar,
Thanks again. Do you have anything to say about the CAE exam? My daughter got a B2 in the FCE that she took last year, but she doesn't want to take the CAE this year because she does not feel prepared and she wants an A grade.
Any suggestion? Thanks!