Aptis Advanced a Self-study Guide

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Aptis Advanced: A Self-Study Guide

P a g e |1 © The British Council, 2014 The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities. Version 1.0 October 2014


Contents Chapter:

Page:

Aptis Advanced Test Strategies……………...……….3 What to Expect: A guide to the Aptis Advanced Speaking Test……………………………………..…….10 What to Expect: A guide to the Aptis Advanced Writing Test……………………………………………...21 Aptis Advanced Format Quiz…………………..…….27 Aptis Advanced: Final Preparation:…………..…….31     

Grammar & Vocabulary…………………………..32 Reading……………………………………….……..41 Listening………..…………..…………………….…47 Writing……………………………………….………55 Speaking……………………………………….……61



Aptis Advanced Test Strategies



APTIS Advanced Test Strategies You are now nearly ready for the APTIS exit test. Congratulations on getting this far!  The aim of this material is to: 1) Refresh your memory about the procedures, style and presentation of the test. 2) Give you further practice at the speaking, grammar and writing component. 3) Provide you with strategies for the test to give you the best possible chance of moving up one or two levels on the Aptis framework and so completing the course successfully.

Available Marks and Timings for Each Component Component Core (Grammar & Vocabulary) Reading Listening Speaking Writing

Number of Items 50 25 25 4 Parts 4 Parts

Time 25 minutes 40 minutes 50 minutes 11 minutes 40 minutes

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Core (Grammar & Vocabulary)

What to Expect: This component begins with 25 grammar questions. They start off easy and get more difficult. For each question there are multi-choice answers A, B or C. Next is the vocabulary part. Again, 25 marks are available here. This might be matching synonyms for example.

Tips for the Core paper  

This is not too difficult; however there are some tips to help. A lot of the options are based on collocations (i.e. words that commonly go together) so don’t try to analyse the language (subject, verb...etc.). Sometimes analysis will not help you because all options are grammatically possible. Some good advice is: Trust your instincts. For example in this question: It's a _________ your wife can't come (a.harm, b.sorrow, c.shame, d.shock), I'd like you to just 'sound' the options (i.e. say them to yourself and listen for which is the most natural.) There will definitely be one which sounds more natural because you have heard/read 'It's a shame' before but you have never heard the other 3. So basically, when it comes to collocations, if it sounds correct it is.

Try the online demo for this test: 

http://www.britishcouncil.org/aptis-demo-tests/AptisGrammarVocabDemo/

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Reading What to Expect: There are four parts in the reading component: 1. Text Cohesion In this task you will see a series of seven sentences. They belong to a single story that has been jumbled up. There is only one way that the sentences go together to form the story and your task is to click on the sentences and drag them to the correct position in the story. This task tests your knowledge of the cohesion of a text. 2. Short text comprehension In this task you will need to read a short text and then complete it by selecting the appropriate words (from a list) to fill in the gaps. To complete all of the text you need to understand more than just a sentence. 3. Long text comprehension (1) This task consists of a long text with a series of headings. The task is to match the headings to paragraphs in the text and it is designed to test your ability to read and understand a long text. 4. Long text comprehension (2) For this task you use the same long text from Part 3. There are a series of short summaries of the main opinions in the text. The ideas that are expressed in the text must be put in the order they occur.

Grading System Descriptors – Reading Can understand and interpret critically virtually all forms of the written language. Can read with a large degree of independence, adapting style and speed of reading to different texts and purposes, and using appropriate reference sources selectively. Can read straightforward factual texts on subjects related to his/her field and interest with a satisfactory level of comprehension. Can understand short, simple texts on familiar matters of a concrete type which consist of high frequency every day or job-related language. Can understand very short, simple texts a single phrase at a time, picking up familiar names, words and basic phrases and rereading as required. Not enough language knowledge demonstrated to allow for any meaningful inferences about the candidate’s ability.

C B2 B1 A2 A1 A0

Tips for Reading  

As with the Core component, don't only focus on analysis (subject, verb...etc.). Reading is ultimately about understanding and so the first thing you need to look for is meaning. Once you understand what they are saying - you are 50% nearer to success. Pace yourself; think about how much time you have for each question and work steadily. If you rush you might miss important details.


http://www.britishcouncil.org/aptis-demo-tests/AptisReadingDemo/

_________________________________________________________________________________________ P a g e |5 © The British Council, 2014 The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities. Version 1.0 October 2014


Listening What to expect: There are 25 questions based on recordings that you will listen to with headphones. These might be answer phone messages or short conversations. They get progressively more difficult as the test proceeds.

Grading System Descriptors – Listening Has no difficulty in understanding any kind of spoken language, whether live or broadcast, delivered at the speed of a native speaker. Can understand the main ideas of propositionally and linguistically complex speech on both concrete and abstract topics delivered in a standard dialect, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation.

C B2

Can understand straightforward factual information about common every day or job related topics, identifying both general messages and specific details, provided speech is clearly articulated in a generally familiar accent. Can understand enough to be able to meet needs of a concrete type provided speech is clearly and slowly articulated. Can follow speech which is very slow and carefully articulated, with long pauses for him/her to assimilate meaning. Not enough language knowledge demonstrated to allow for any meaningful inferences about the candidate’s ability.

B1

A2 A1 A0

Listening Tips 

 



Try not to fall behind. For example, many students end up answering questions while listening to the next recording. You will lose a lot of marks this way. You don't have much time - but it's better to lose 1 question that you are not sure about than to lose all the questions because you fell behind. You need to be reading the question/answer options for the next question before that listening begins. Remember that you also have 5 minutes at the start to read the questions. Listen for important question words (e.g. when, where...etc.). Most of the answer options include the same content words and the only difference relates to the question word (e.g. where vs. why...etc.). If you hear the question word you are already half way. The questions follow a logical sequence and it is a listening comprehension task as opposed to 'scanning', so you are much better just listening to make sure you get the main ideas. Of course you should still read the questions but many students write and then rub out the first question and therefore losing the remaining 3. The last part is the most difficult and you will only hear the recording once. Don't try to understand everything. Read the 3 questions and pick out key words. Then as you listen just 'scan' or listening out for the information related to those words.


http://www.britishcouncil.org/aptis-demo-tests/AptisListeningDemo/

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Writing What to expect: The writing component will test your ability to write both formally and informally. There are four parts: 1. Word Level Writing You will start off with a familiar subject – entering personal information into a spread sheet or application form, for example. 2. Short Text Writing Next, you will write a short paragraph (about 30 words) on a more unfamiliar subject. For example – explain why people like taking photographs. 3. Three Written Responses to Written Input The third part is more flexible. There can be a variety of tasks. It usually tests your writing creativity. For example, write a short paragraph in a blog about why you like photography, or respond to written input on a social network-type website. 4. Formal and Informal Text Writing Part four will test your ability to write formal and informal emails on the same subject. For example, a tourist company has cancelled your holiday but refuses to refund you the full amount. Write an email to a close friend explaining why you’re unhappy and next write an email to the tourist company explaining why you’re are not satisfied with their decision.

Grading System Descriptors – Writing Can write clear, smoothly flowing, complex texts in an appropriate and effective style and a logical structure which helps the reader to find significant points. Can write clear, detailed texts on a variety of subjects related to his/her field of interest and shows an ability to use different registers within written texts Can write straightforward connected texts on a range of familiar subjects within his field of interest, by linking a series of shorter discrete elements into a linear sequence. Can write a series of simple phrases and sentences linked with simple connectors like ‘and’, ‘but’ and ‘because’ Can write simple isolated phrases and sentences. Not enough language knowledge demonstrated to allow for any meaningful inferences about the candidate’s ability.

C B2 B1 A2 A1 A0

Tips for Writing 

You have written a lot on this course in the online component, on Facebook and in the classroom. So, your writing is actually very good but the hard part is going to be the genre (e.g. letter of complaint). You only need to focus on two genres and these are: Letters and Essays. Pay close attention to what the questions asks for and give them exactly what they want in terms of length, tone, format...etc. No matter how well you write, if you don't stick to the conventions of the genre you will not do as well as you could.

Try the online demo for this test: http://www.britishcouncil.org/aptis-demo-tests/AptisWritingDemo/



Speaking What to expect: In the speaking component, you will wear headphones and a microphone. You will listen to questions and then answer them for a set period of time. A time-counter will show you how long to talk for. Similarly to the writing component, topics will be more familiar to begin with (family, friends, work etc.) and become more unfamiliar by the end of the text. 1. Personal Information Part one is based on three familiar subjects e.g. “Tell me about your school”. You will have 30 seconds for each response. 2. Description of a Picture and Comparison with Own Situation In part two, you will describe a picture in as much details as you can. Next you will have two follow up questions about the picture to answer. You will have 45 seconds for each response. 3. Describe, compare and Speculate In part three you will see two more pictures. This time you will have to compare the pictures. For example, you might see a picture of a supermarket and a local/family shop. After comparing the pictures you will then have two follow up questions. For example, why do people sometimes go to supermarkets and other times to local shops? You will have 45 seconds for each response. 4. Discuss Personal Experience or Opinion in Relation to an Abstract Topic Part four is the extended speaking component. You will be asked three questions and given three minutes to answer them. For example, a. Tell me about a time when you got lost. b. How did you feel? c. What do people do when they get lost? You will have one minute preparation time and two minutes for your response.

Grading System Descriptors – Speaking C B2

B1 A2 A1 A0

Can produce clear, smoothly flowing well-structured speech with an effective logical structure which helps the recipient to notice and remember significant points. Can give clear, systematically developed descriptions and presentations on a wide range of subjects related to his/her field of interest, with appropriate highlighting of significant points, and relevant supporting detail. Can reasonably fluently sustain a straightforward description of one of a variety of subjects within his/her field of interest, presenting it as a linear sequence of points. Can give a simple description or presentation of people, living or working conditions, daily routines likes/dislikes, etc. as a short series of simple phrases and sentences linked into a list. Can produce simple descriptions on mainly personal topics. Not enough language knowledge demonstrated to allow for any meaningful inferences about the candidate’s ability.



Tips for Speaking



You need to answer the questions fully and talk more, as quite a lot say ‘I don’t know about it’ or ‘I have nothing to say’ or just answer ‘Yes/No’. Try to elaborate whenever you can.



Try not to repeat things you’ve said. Expand upon your answers and move the topic forward.



Practice describing pictures / comparing two pictures. Even if you feel you don’t have the right vocabulary, try to speak impromptu, and explain whatever ideas you have.



In part 4, don’t spend the preparation time on writing full sentences because this will only be enough for 20-30 seconds. Just write bullet points (single words) which will act as a prompt for you to talk about more freely. If you don’t fill 2 minutes you will not get the full score.



Answer the question accurately. For example, if the question says ‘Tell me about a musical festival in your country’ don’t talk about festivals generally – it should only be a music festival. Or, ‘Tell me about a close relative of yours’ the question is actually about ONE relative and not all of your family.



Overall, try not to feel nervous while speaking; tests can actually be an enjoyable experience. 



Finally, speak confidently and clearly. You will be fine!

Try the online demo for this test: http://www.britishcouncil.org/aptis-demo-tests/AptisSpeakingDemo/ _________________________________________________________________________________________

We wish you the best of luck for the test. You’ll do great!!!



What to Expect: A guide to the Aptis Advanced Speaking Test

P a g e | 10 © The British Council, 2014 The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities. Version 1.0 October 2014


What to expect in the APTIS Advanced Speaking Test Part One: Personal Information  

Three questions about your life. 30 second for each answer.

Examples of possible questions: •

Who do you spend your free time with? What kind of things do you do together?

•

How much time do you spend at home? What do you enjoy doing?

•

What sort of music do you listen to? Why do you enjoy it?

•

Does anyone you know have an interesting hobby? What does he/she do?

•

Have you got any plans for this weekend? What are you going to do?

•

Do you prefer to spend your free time on your own or with other people? Why?

•

Do you like cooking? What sort of things do you cook?

•

What’s your favourite food? Why do you like it?

•

Do you like going to parties? Tell me about a good party you’ve been to.

•

Tell me about a day you’ve really enjoyed recently.

•

Is there something new you’d really like to learn about? Why?

•

Are you happier doing mental or physical work? Why?

•

Do you prefer working on your own or with other people? Why?

•

What kind of work would you really like to do if you could choose?

•

Which area of your country would you like to get to know better? Why?

•

What’s the most interesting place you’ve visited near here? Tell me about it.

•

Have you ever used English on holiday? Where were you? What did you use it for?

•

Do you like to plan your holidays carefully or do you prefer to just go? Why?

•

Where would you really like to go on holiday in the future? Why?

•

How much TV do you watch in a week? Would you prefer to watch more or less? Why?

•

Tell me about a TV programme you’ve seen recently.

•

Do you have a favourite newspaper or magazine? Why do you like it?

•

Do you use the Internet? What sort of things do you look for in the Internet?



Example Responses (arranged according to topic): 1. Interests and Leisure Time I enjoy reading non-fiction in my free time. I’m interested in politics. I love listening to traditional Malay music. I thoroughly enjoy playing with my kids. When I can, I usually watch TV, in particular the news. When I have the chance I make my own skirts and dresses on my old sewing machine. One of my interests is traditional Indian dance. My preferred leisure activity is gardening. I love to watch my plants grow. My favourite pastime is shopping. I absolutely love it!

2. Family I have a large/small family. My family has seven members. This is my immediate family. My extended family consists of at least 40 relatives. . We are a close-knit family and meet each other for family gatherings at least five times a year. My family are quite close. I have been married for 14 years. I was raised in the city/country. I have five siblings. I get on well with all of them.

3. My Job I am a secondary school teacher. I teach English and science. My job is very demanding, but it’s rewarding too. I often work long hours. Apart from teaching, one of my responsibilities is to organize exams. In my work I deal with difficult teenagers. My work involves not only teaching, but running the English Club as well. This job needs a lot of experience, paper qualifications are no good. I commute one hour to work.



4. The Weather It’s incredibly hot today, but it may rain in the evening, as the weather has become quite unpredictable recently. It’s boiling hot today, but I hope it will cool down a bit in the evening. It’s very sunny and, as always, very humid. It’s a lovely day today, bright and sunny with only a few clouds in the sky.

5. Likes and Dislikes I enjoy visiting my in-laws. My mother-in-law always prepares my favourite food and my father-in-law loves playing with my kids. I adore playing with my nephew. He’s so funny. I am mad about fashion. I am crazy about handbags. I’ve got quite a collection now and I now I have my eyes on a fabulous new one. I don’t mind doing most household chores, but I absolutely hate ironing. I thoroughly dislike loud parties. I can’t stand traffic jams. I get so frustrated when I’m stuck in one, which is almost every day.

6. Learning I love learning new things. At the moment I’m learning computer skills and I’m getting better and better at it. When I was at school I used to hate maths, but now I am helping my youngest with his homework and surprisingly, I enjoy it very much I graduated from the English Department a couple of years ago, but I feel I need to upskill my knowledge all the time, so whenever I can, I attend conferences and seminars for teachers. I have never had a chance to learn how to swim, so I’ve asked my friend to teach me.

7. Holidays and Travel I have never been to Australia, but I want to go there one day. I have been to the Perhentian Islands a few times and I thoroughly enjoyed the place. I am planning to go to Japan next summer. I want to do some sightseeing. When I’m on holiday, I like to put my feet up and do nothing. I sometimes do some snorkelling and sunbathing, that’s it. I would like to go on a walking holiday one day.



8. Media I spend quite a lot of time watching TV. I mostly watch documentaries. I occasionally read newspapers, but I mostly read about the news on the internet. My favourite website is BBC News, as it’s so comprehensive and the information is quite accurate. I often use the internet to search for information, but I find that many websites are unreliable and the information there is either misleading or simply not true.

9. Future Plans My dream is to visit Australia. I have never been there and sister tells me it’s a really exciting place. My ultimate goal is to complete my studies and get a degree. I’m thinking about changing my job. I would like to work as a secondary school teacher, as I feel it’s more challenging than my present job. I’m going to start a family soon, so I won’t have much time for professional development.

10. Books I’m now reading a book called The Fault in Our Stars. It’s about teenagers suffering from cancer, but the book is not gloomy at all. In fact, it’s very funny at times. I am an avid reader of romantic comedies. I can’t help it! This book is a real page turner. The book has a strong plot with twists and turns, likeable characters and vivid descriptions of the jungle. It’s the best book I’ve read for a long time. The book is hilarious so I do recommend it to anyone who wants a good laugh.

11. Films I’ve recently seen a really good film. It’s called Gravity and it’s about two astronauts in the space. The special effects are amazing. I am addicted to soap operas. I need light entertainment to relax at the end of the day. The film is based on a true story. It’s a thriller starring Bruce Willis. It’s not suitable for children, as there is quite a lot of violence in it. I do recommend it. In fact, I’ve never seen such a good film.



12. Food At the moment I am on a diet, so I avoid deep fried food, but I make sure I have at least one nourishing meal a day. I never skip breakfast. My family often eat out and our favourite place is Rebung Chef. This restaurant is very popular, so you need to book a table in advance. I have a sweet tooth, so my favourite part of dinner is, of course, dessert. I particularly like chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream on top.

13. Health and Fitness I’m off colour today. I’m a bit under the weather today. I think I’ve got a cold coming on. I’m out of shape, so I’ve decided to do some yoga and aerobics in my local fitness club. It’s important to keep your body in good shape. Besides, exercising also uplifts your mood.



Part Two: Describing a Picture  

Three questions. 45 seconds for each question.

Question One: The focus of question one is to describe a picture. There are 3 ways to do this: Describe,

Speculate and React.

Describe the Picture: Who is there? Where are they? What are they doing? What do they look like? How do they feel? What’s in the background (if important). What’s the weather like (if important). A general impression is better than separate details. You won’t have time to go into them, anyway. This is a picture of a peaceful place in the country. There are three people in the picture. I think they are at a family gathering. The woman on the left is making a speech. We can see some skyscrapers in the background.

Speculate: This is a lively, bustling city. It must be Tokyo. She looks quite surprised. Perhaps she’s forgotten about her own birthday. I suppose it’s their anniversary. They all look very smart. The woman on the right is wearing quite formal clothes. They might be getting ready for some special occasion. The woman is wearing baggy trousers and an oversized T-shirt. She must be American The man behind her looks impatient. They are all wearing casual clothes. They might be getting ready for a picnic. The child in the middle seems to be exhausted. He must have had a really exciting day. She must be the child’s grandmother. She could be his wife. They seem to be enjoying themselves. She looks very happy. He looks worried. Perhaps he’s missed his train. I get the impression she is not happy about this situation. It's not clear whether it’s a marketplace or a jumble sale.



React: I like this photo. It reminds me of my childhood days. This photo makes me think of my own grandmother and the time we celebrated her birthday. I would love to try this. In fact, I’m going on a trip like that next month. I like this picture, though I’m scared of heights and I am not keen on trying out things like that.

Question Two and Three: Comparing with own situation. I would definitely choose picture 1, as I like being on my own. I guess my first choice would be picture 2. For me the most important thing is to work with friendly colleagues. I don’t think it really matters where you go as long as you have good company. Personally, I would prefer this place. Of course, the good thing about living in the city is an abundance of facilities and entertainment. On the other hand, life in the country is much less stressful. I wouldn’t mind being on a beautiful island like that, but on the other hand I think I would be bored to death after a couple of days there. If I had to choose one of these places, I would definitely go for the one in the picture at the top.



Part Three: Comparing Two Pictures  

Three questions. 45 seconds each.

Question One: describe (expressions from Part Two), compare and contrast. Question Two: react to one of these situations (expression from Part Two). Question Three: compare with your own situation (expressions from Part Two) The pictures are based on a clear contrast. For instance:         

Being with your family or friends vs. being alone Working in a team vs., working by yourself Active holiday vs. lying on the beach Watching a match on TV vs. watching it live in the stadium with a bunch of friends Peaceful, quiet countryside vs. bustling, noisy city Unspoilt nature vs. a polluted city Listening to the teacher vs. studying by yourself in the library Learner-centred vs. Teacher-centred Outdoors vs. indoors

Compare and Contrast Both pictures show a classroom. However, in the top picture the children are listening to the teacher, whereas in the bottom picture they are working on their own. Apart from that, the classrooms look quite different form each other. There are animals in both pictures. In the first one they are in a zoo, kept in cages, while in the other one they live in the wild., Although both pictures show a city, they must have been taken at different times of day, as there are so many differences between them. Both of these people look exhausted, but I imagine it’s for very different reasons. Both pictures show people doing sports, but there are a few important differences between them. The main difference seems to be that in the first picture it’s their job, whereas in the other picture they are doing it for fun.



Part Four: Long Turn   

In part four do not describe the picture. 1 minute preparation. Don’t write full sentences, just key words. Plan a logical development of your talk (from personal to general). A 2-minute talk, based on three questions. Here you’re on your own, but you may want to use one of the expressions listed before or one of the discourse markers and fillers below.

Discourse Markers:

First of all,

Then again,

All the same,

Still,

Instead,

Of course,

Well,

Despite that,

Even so,

Similarly

Obviously ,

Naturally,

For instance

The first thing I’d like to say is

At the same time,

Anyway,

What’s more,

On top of that,

Another thing is

In fact,

I mean,

What I mean is

In other words,

On the whole,

Actually,

What I'm trying to say is

Now, about the next question,

One of the reasons why

Because of this,

I forgot to mention that

As a result,

Let me think,

Let’s see,

such as

In contrast,

as well as

Besides,

In particular

My point is

Right,

that is

That is to say

I feel

I suppose

I’m afraid

I guess

I reckon

As a matter of fact,



Examples of possible topics:   

Tell me about a good book you read recently. What kind of books do you usually read? Do you think paper books will be replaced one day by e-books?

  

Tell me about a time when you were late. How did you feel? Are people in your country usually punctual?

  

Tell me about something that you have done recently to keep you fit. Will you continue doing that? What are the reasons people do sports activities?

  

Tell me about the time you received some good news by letter or email. Did you tell other people about the good news? What is the best way to communicate good news: by letter, email, telephone or in person?

  

Tell me about the time you enjoyed shopping. Did you buy the things you needed? Some people enjoy shopping a lot. Why do you think this is?

  

Tell me about a recent party you went to. Did you enjoy yourself? What makes a good party: food, people or the place?

  

Tell me about the time you visited an older relative. Did you enjoy the time with her/him? What did you do? How do people in your country look after older members of the family?

  

Tell me about a good film you saw recently. Do you usually watch films like that? Which films are popular in your country?

  

Tell me about a holiday you had recently. Did you enjoy it? What makes a good holiday?

  

Tell me about the time you met your whole family. Did you enjoy yourself? What did you do together? How important is it to keep good relationships with your relatives?



What to Expect: A guide to the Aptis Advance Writing Test



What to Expect: A guide to the APTIS Advanced Writing Test  

There are four parts to the test. The test is 40 minutes long.

Part One: Fill in the Form Basic personal information: 3 minutes Remember:

 Months are written with a CAPITAL LETTER: May, October  Languages are written with a CAPITAL Letter: Bahasa, Cantonese  Hobbies and interests should be somehow connected with the general topic of your writing. If you are enrolling at a sports club, gardening would not be a suitable interest, would it? So read what the form is about first and then write three nouns or gerunds.



Part Two: Answer the Questions   

Two short informal texts. 20-30 words each. 7 minutes total.

The questions are quite simple, but that doesn’t mean you have to give a simple answer. On the contrary, use complex sentences and interesting vocabulary, but stay within the word limit.  I decided to join because a friend of mine recommended it to me and I badly need to brush up on my computer skills.  I’ve only just joined but I already like it very much. I hope I can learn one or two useful things here.  I decided to join for a number of reasons. First of all, I need to slim down a bit. I also want to find activities which would help me unwind at the end of the day.  I’d like to take part in archery classes once or twice a week.  I’m looking forward to meeting like-minded people.



I’m looking forward to trying out this new thing everybody is talking about.



Part Three: Three Short Responses   

Social network. 30-40 words per answer. 10 minutes total.

Again, the questions are quite simple, but here you should attempt even more interesting grammar and a range of vocabulary. Please stay within the word limit. I’m afraid the language here is unpredictable, so go to a wonderful website created by Jason Anderson, the British Council trainer for further practice:

http://proelt.byethost7.com/



Part Four: Informal and Formal Emails Informal email    

About 50 words. 10 minutes. Short and simple, Informal, personal, emotional.

   

Hi Mike, Just to let you know that I read this letter from our book club. Have you heard about the price rise? Just a quickish note to tell you that I got a letter from the club, saying that the trip’s been cancelled.

    

What a rip-off! It’s ridiculous ! I was so infuriated when I read it. It’s a shame they didn’t talk to us first. What a nuisance!

    

Why can’t they change the date? Why don’t they hire a new instructor? I really don’t understand why they didn’t tell us about it earlier. How do they expect us to pay so much? They could have called off the trip and set a new date.

 On top of that, they will charge us for using the place.  And another thing is, they will close for two weeks in December.    

Really, I wouldn’t have joined this club, if I had know it was going to be like that. Actually, I’m thinking of finding a new place. Why don’t we write them a letter? Anyway, do you think we can go and talk to them?

 All the best,  Speak to you soon,  Cheers,  Alicja



Formal email    

120-150 words. Formal, impersonal, polite but assertive. One paragraph = one idea. Clear division of paragraphs.

Dear Sir/Madam, Paragraph one: The reason for writing and the background to the problem  I am writing to complain about a faulty printer i bought at your shop on …..  I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the service i received …..  I am writing inform you about the error in the bill …..  I am writing with reference to the invoice number …….  Paragraph two: Describe the problem in detail  information: incorrect, misleading, inaccurate, outdated, insufficient  food: a limited choice on offer, undercooked, served cold, inedible, tasteless, insipid, unappetizing,  behavior: aggressive, inappropriate, unreasonable, negative attitude of the staff  clothing: shrank in washing, the colour faded,  equipment: damaged, faulty, defective, stopped functioning, the battery does not charge,  situation: it didn’t meet the required standard, unacceptable, unreasonable, unsatisfactory, unpleasant,  Paragraph three (optional): Add more details if necessary  I must also point out that the information on your website is inaccurate.  I spent several wasted hours reading the manual.  furthermore, i was disappointed with the negative attitude of your staff. Paragraph four – What action should be taken?     

I would suggest updating the website. I suggest you look into this problem very seriously. I believe this attitude will deter potential customers from using your service I expect to be fully compensated ……. I would recommend that you retrain your staff …..

Closing  I hope that my suggestions are taken into consideration.  Do not hesitate to contact me again if you require any further information.  I look forward to receiving your response to my suggestions.  I look forward to your prompt reply.  Yours faithfully,



Aptis Advanced Format Quiz



Aptis Advanced Format Quiz A Quiz to Familiarise People with the Format of the Aptis Advanced Test This is an open book quiz. Use your copy of the Aptis Advanced Candidate Guide to find the right answers. Part 1: Core Paper 1. What are the two parts of the core paper? ____________________________________ 2. How many questions are there in each of the two sections? ____________________ 3. How much time do you have for the core paper? _______________________________ 4. The grammar section focusses on two different ‘basic question types’ what are they? _________________________________________________________________________ 5. What kind of questions does the core paper have (e.g. open questions, yes/no questions etc.)? ______________________________________________________________________ 6. The vocabulary section has 4 parts, each with a different focus, what are these different focusses? ___________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________

Part 2: Reading 1. How much time do you have to complete the reading paper? ________________________ 2. How many parts are there? _____________________________________________________ 3. What are the different parts? ____________________________________________________ 4. What do you have to do in task 1? _______________________________________________ 5. What do you have to do in task 2? _______________________________________________ 6. What do you have to do in task 3? _______________________________________________ 7. What do you have to do in task 4? _______________________________________________ Part 3: Listening 1. How many questions are there? _________________________________________________ 2. How many times can you listen to the text for each question? ________________________ 3. How many questions are there for each text? ______________________________________ 4. There are three ‘types of question’, what are they (i.e. what is the focus of these questions)? __________________________________________________________________ 5. What kind of question format is it? (Open question, yes/no question etc.) ______________ _____________________________________________________________________________



Part 4: Writing 1. How long do you have for the writing test? ________________________________________ 2. How many tasks are there? ____________________________________________________

3. What are these tasks? _________________________________________________________ 4. There are six common mistakes, what are they? ________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 5. What are the recommended times for each task? __________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 6. How many pieces of information are awarded points in task 1? ______________________ 7. What is the maximum number of points you can get for task 1? ______________________ 8. For the ‘interests’ part can you use capital letters or small letters? ___________________ 9. In task 2, how many questions will there be? ______________________________________

10. What is the maximum mark for task 2? ___________________________________________ 11. What is the word count for task 2? ______________________________________________

12. What are the 4 things you are told to do to get a high mark on task 2? _________________ 13. For task 3, do you see all the questions at once? ___________________________________

14. What type of text is it for task 3? (e.g. a letter, a story etc.) __________________________ 15. What is the word count for task 3 on each question? ______________________________

16. For task 4, how many questions are there? ______________________________________ 17. What is the difference in the writing between task 4, part 1 and task 4, part 2? __________ __________________________________________________________________________ 18. What are the word counts for each of the questions in task 4? _______________________ 19. What are the four things you are told to do to get a high mark in task 4? _______________ ____________________________________________________________________________



Part 5: Speaking 1. How many parts are there in the speaking test? ___________________________________ 2. What are they? ______________________________________________________________

3. What are the common issues people have with the speaking test? __________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 4. How long do you have to speak in task 1? _______________________________________ 5. How long do you have to speak in task 2? _______________________________________

6. How long do you have to speak in task 3? _______________________________________ 7. How long do you have to speak in task 4? _______________________________________

8. After you hear the question, do you need to click on anything before you speak or does it record you automatically? ______________________________________________________ 9. In task 4 do you need to describe the picture? _____________________________________ 10. On the ‘speaking scale’, what are the four areas that you are marked on? ______________ _____________________________________________________________________________



Aptis Advanced: Final Preparation



Aptis Grammar and Vocabulary Test – Final Preparation 1 – Refresh your memory What do you already know about the grammar and vocabulary test? Choose one word from the box to complete each gap in this summary text. Use each word only once. as

change

consists

each tests

even for pause whole

1)

The grammar and writing test __________ of 2 separate sections. The first is 25 multiple choice answers to test your grammar knowledge. It tests things like verb tenses, articles, prepositions, linkers, modal verbs and 2) 3) __________ spoken grammar. The second is 5 vocabulary exercises, __________ with 5 items for which 4) you have to select one choice from a drop-down list. It __________ mainly synonyms and collocations. There 5) 6) is one mark __________ each answer, making a total of 50 marks for the __________ test. You have 25 7) minutes to complete the test. During the test, you cannot __________ the clock, but you can go back or 8) 9) forward __________ you like, and you can review and __________ your answers at any point until you submit your test or your time runs out.

2 – Navigating within the Aptis website 1) Circle the following: a) time remaining b) percentage of test completed c) button to move to next question

2) How would you… a) go to question 7? b) leave a question for later? c) go straight to the vocab. section?

3 – Do the Aptis Website Practice Test Go to the following web address and do the online Grammar and Vocabulary Practice Test: http://www.britishcouncil.org/aptis-practice-tests/AptisGrammarVocabPractice/ Once you’ve finished, you’ll get a % mark. Make a note of it here: _________%



4 – Find your Strengths and Weaknesses In order to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses in grammar and vocabulary knowledge, it’s useful to know the name of the grammar or vocabulary that is being tested. That way, you can search for the same grammar / vocabulary area online and improve on your weak areas. Here are all the questions from the test. Read through them and decide whether you know the grammar or not. Put a tick or cross in the last column. Also answer any of the questions in the ‘What is it testing?’ column.

Grammar Question with correct answer in bold

What is it testing?

1. He is single. He never ________. married marries marrying

Tenses Past simple, present simple. It’s also testing use of the negative adverb ‘never’.

2. I ________ use to swim much, but now I have my own pool, I swim every day. don’t didn’t did

Used to An area of grammar used to talk about past habits & states. This question is testing the form.

3. In those days, my father ________ never eat dinner after 8 o’clock. used to will would

Would A modal verb that can also be used to talk about past habits. Why is ‘used to’ impossible?

4. I had a shower, ________ I went to bed. during then until

Linkers ‘during’ is a preposition, ‘then’ is an adverb and ‘until’ is either a preposition or a conjunction.

5. How much ________ the train to Santiago cost? is does do

Question Forms This question is testing whether you understand which auxiliary to use in questions.

6. He ________ in Cairo. living lives live

Tenses Present simple vs. present continuous. Only ‘lives’ is formally correct. How would it be in present continuous?

7. ________ you like to go out this evening? Will Would Can

Question Forms This question is testing whether you know how to form a question with ‘would like’

8. He ________ finished cooking when we arrived. has have had

Tenses Past perfect simple vs. present perfect simple. Why is present perfect impossible?

9. The film starts ________ half past four. at on in

Prepositions of Time We always use ‘at’ with clock times. Do you know when we use ‘on’ and ‘in’?

10. I wish it ________ the time of year when I could go on holiday. will be is were

Wish Notice how we need to use past tense after ‘wish’ (‘were’ is the subjunctive form). The same is true about ‘if only’.

Do I know this?  or 

11. I don’t think it’s right ________ children to play with toy Syntax guns. A difficult area to revise. It tests your P a g e | 33 © The British Council, 2014 The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities. Version 1.0 October 2014


for that to

understanding of how to link clauses in sentences. Note the structure: be + right / wrong for (+ noun) to (+ verb).

12. I ________ to work when I saw Steve. was going went going

Tenses Past continuous vs. past simple. These are part of an area of grammar sometimes called ‘narrative tenses’.

13. That man’s so unreliable – you can’t trust him. ________ I wouldn’t frankly work with him. I wouldn’t work frankly with him. Frankly, I wouldn’t work with him.

Adverb position in sentences There are specific rules as to where we can and can’t put adverbs in sentences. Do you know the rules?

14. Excuse me, I’m lost. ________ you help me? Could Shall Should

Polite Requests The example uses ‘could’. Do you know other ways of making polite requests?

15. William ________ in South America now. is living will live was living

Tenses Present continuous vs. ‘will’ future and past continuous.

16. We could cook dinner. ________, we could buy some take away food. Therefore On the other hand Although

Linkers ‘Therefore’ and ‘On the other hand’ are discourse markers, a type of adverb. Although is always a conjunction. Do you know the difference?

17. You ________ to do your homework by tomorrow. should must have

Expressing Obligation This is testing an area that includes both ‘true modal verbs’ and the ‘semi-modal’ ‘have to’. Why are the others wrong?

18. We ________ have caught the early train, as the football match was delayed. mustn’t didn’t needn’t

Needn’t have (+ past participle) Notice how some modals can be used in the past to express criticism or make deductions. Google ‘past modals of deduction’ for more information.

19. She reads every day ________ she isn’t serious. and because but

Conjunctions This is testing the meaning of the 3 conjunctions. How would you change the sentence to use ‘and’ or ‘because’?

20. A: I enjoy working on challenging projects at work. B: So ________ I! am do can

So do I / Neither do I This is a specific area of spoken grammar that is often tested in the test. How would you negate the answer?

21. Go to the end of the street and turn ________ right. (-) on to

Giving Directions This is testing collocation / dependent prepositions within the functional area of ‘giving directions’.

22. The children ________ playing football for two hours before it started raining. have been has been had been

Tenses Past perfect continuous, the right answer, is being contrasted with present perfect continuous. What is the other verb tense used in the sentence?

23. There were ________ than fifty people in the audience last night. fewer few lesser

Comparatives / Quantifiers Note that in Malaysia, ‘lesser’ is sometimes used in this context, but this is considered wrong in standard UK English.

24. I just heard they are ________ get married in June. going to

Be going to (+ verb) Often just called ‘going to’, it’s a very P a g e | 34

© The British Council, 2014 The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities. Version 1.0 October 2014


going go to

common future form in English.

25. If you were a better cook, you ________ need to eat out all the time. won’t wouldn’t hadn’t

nd

st

Conditionals (2 vs. 1 ) The correct answer is a second conditional. Why can’t it be ‘first conditional’?

Vocabulary For the vocabulary, write ‘strong’, ‘OK’ or ‘weak’ in the self evaluation column, depending on how you did in the test: Answers

Choices

What is it testing?

Vocabulary 1 study = read receive = get start = begin talk = speak pick = choose

go plan read choose end

begin listen run speak get

Verb Synonyms Testing knowledge of verb meaning. Notice that the first answer is a very ‘weak’ synonym, but it’s (probably) the best choice.

Vocabulary 2 cover – wrap improve / change – adjust state / make public – announce get somewhere – arrive put something together – assemble

attend approach admit arrange accept

assemble arrive announce adjust wrap

Verb Synonyms Testing knowledge of verb meaning. Notice how sometimes 2 verbs are given on the left to ensure only one match is possible from the choices.

Vocabulary 3 More and more people go abroad for their holidays these days. Drivers need to remain alert when in charge of a car. The city has many ancient and interesting buildings. She’s a highly articulate person who explains things clearly. He’s a very aggressive person – always getting into fights

awkward ancient ahead adequate articulate alert accurate abroad adult aggressive

Vocabulary 4 timetable = schedule reward = prize queue = line phase = stage error = mistake

line command mess schedule stage

joint prize fright dock mistake

Noun Synonyms Testing knowledge of noun meaning.

Vocabulary 5 aerobics + classes agriculture + minister aisle + seat apron + strings atom + bomb

bomb scissors classes salesman minister

audition rod strings seep seat

Collocation Testing knowledge of adjective – noun collocations, and also of general noun knowledge. If you know what an apron is, only one word goes with it logically!

Self-evaluation

Collocations Testing knowledge of adjectives and adverbs. Most of the correct answers are ‘right’ because they collocate with a verb before the adjective or a noun after it.

Note The exact choice of vocabulary exercises varies between tests. Some can also test adjective synonyms.



5 – My Learning Plan Between now and the test, you can improve your mark in the grammar and vocabulary paper significantly by improving on your current weaknesses. Complete the table below, choosing 10 areas of grammar or vocabulary you want to study most. Put the most important ones at the top of the table. Add the study completion date in th the last column to help you to plan your time effectively (e.g. by 20 Jan.): Number

What I want to study

Study Completion Date

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

6 – How to find what you need online Now that you know what you want to study and when, here are some tips for finding the right materials online. For each area of grammar, use Google to find what you need. Example searches are given below: 1) Grammar Learning Search for the name of the grammar (notice the use of inverted commas), and the words ‘grammar rules’.

This will bring up websites that explain the basic rules: 2) Grammar Practice Search for the name of the grammar (notice the use of ‘vs’) and the word ‘exercises’ or ‘activities’.

This will bring up websites that have practice exercises, such as gap fills, matching exercises, etc. Check the answers are available before you begin: 3) Vocabulary Building Search for the name of the vocabulary area you want to strengthen and the word ‘list’.

This will bring up useful lists that you can download or copy and print off. You can use these lists for learning, testing yourself or testing colleagues. You can stick them on the walls in your house (e.g. in the kitchen / bathroom / above your bed!) to help you learn, too! 4) Vocabulary Practice Search for the name of the vocabulary area you want to strengthen and the word ‘exercises’.

This will bring up websites that have practice exercises, such as gap fills, matching exercises, etc. Check the answers are available before you begin: Don’t forget about your Aptis practice materials booklet. This also contains lots of practice material for the grammar and vocabulary test! P a g e | 36 © The British Council, 2014 The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities. Version 1.0 October 2014


Answer Key Grammar 1. married 2. didn’t 3. would 4. then 5. does 6. lives 7. Would

8. had 9. at 10. were 11. for 12. was going 13. Frankly, I wouldn’t work with him.

14. Could 15. is living 16. On the other hand 17. have 18. needn’t 19. but 20. do

21. (-) 22. The children had been 23. fewer 24. going to 25. wouldn’t

Vocabulary 1

Vocabulary 2

study = read (poor question) receive = get start = begin talk = speak pick = choose

cover – wrap improve or change – adjust state / make public – announce get somewhere – arrive put something together – assemble

Vocabulary 3 More and more people go abroad for their holidays these days. Drivers need to remain alert when in charge of a car. The city has many ancient and interesting buildings. She’s a highly articulate person who explains things clearly. He’s a very aggressive person – always getting into fights Vocabulary 4

Vocabulary 5

timetable = schedule reward = prize queue = line phase = stage error = mistake

aerobics + classes agriculture + minister aisle + seat apron + strings atom + bomb



Aptis Practice Test – Online Test This is the online practice test (a past paper), copied from the Aptis website in Oct 2013.:

http://www.britishcouncil.org/aptis-practice-tests/AptisGrammarVocabPractice/ Grammar 1. He is single. He never ________. married marries marrying 2. I ________ use to swim much, but now I have my own pool, I swim every day. don’t didn’t did 3. In those days, my father ________ never eat dinner after 8 o’clock. used to will would 4. I had a shower, ________ I went to bed. during then until 5. How much ________ the train to Santiago cost? is does do 6. He ________ in Cairo. living lives live 7. ________ you like to go out this evening? Will Would Can 8. He ________ finished cooking when we arrived. has have had 9. The film starts ________ half past four. at on in 10. I wish it ________ the time of year when I could go on holiday. will be is were

11. I don’t think it’s right ________ children to play with toy guns. for that to 12. I ________ to work when I saw Steve. was going went going 13. That man’s so unreliable – you can’t trust him. _________ I wouldn’t frankly work with him. I wouldn’t work frankly with him. Frankly, I wouldn’t work with him. 14. Excuse me, I’m lost. ________ you help me? Could Shall Should 15. William ________ in South America now. is living will live was living 16. We could cook dinner. ________, we could buy some take away food. Therefore On the other hand Although 17. You ________ to do your homework by tomorrow. should must have 18. We ________ have caught the early train, as the football match was delayed. mustn’t didn’t needn’t 19. She reads every day ________ she isn’t serious. and because but 20. A: I enjoy working on challenging projects at work. B: So ________ I! am do can



21. Go to the end of the street and turn ________ right. (-) on to 22. The children ________ playing football for two hours before it started raining. have been has been had been 23. There were ________ than fifty people in the audience last night. fewer few lesser

24. I just heard they are ________ get married in June. going to going go to 25. If you were a better cook, you ________ need to eat out all the time. won’t wouldn’t hadn’t

Vocabulary 1 Select a word from the list that has the most similar meaning to the word on the left. Example: big = large study = ________ receive = ________ start = ________ talk = ________ pick = ________

Vocabulary 2 Complete each definition using a word from the drop down list. To cover with paper or material is to ________ To improve or change is to ________ To state or make public is to ________ To get somewhere is to ________ To put something together is to ________

Vocabulary 3 Complete each sentence using a word from the drop down list. More and more people go ________ for their holidays these days. Drivers need to remain ________ when in charge of a car. The city has many ________ and interesting buildings. She’s a highly ________ person who explains things clearly. He’s a very ________ person – always getting into fights.

Vocabulary 4 Select a word from the list that has the most similar meaning to the word on the left. Example: big = large timetable = ________ reward = ________ queue = ________ phase = ________ error = ________

go begin plan listen read run choose speak end get attend assemble approach arrive admit announce arrange adjust accept wrap

awkward ancient ahead adequate articulate alert accurate abroad adult aggressive

line joint command prize mess fright schedule dock stage mistake P a g e | 39



Vocabulary 5 Select a word from the list that is most often used with the word on the left. Example: big + house aerobics + ________ agriculture + ________ aisle + ________ apron + ________ atom + ________

bomb audition scissors rod classes strings salesman seep minister seat



Final Preparation – Aptis Reading Test 1 - Refresh your memory Read the passage quickly. Choose a heading for each numbered paragraph from the box and write it in the space above the paragraph. There is one more heading than you need: A) Getting things in order B) Choosing carefully from the box C) Skim and then read for detail D) Read at speed E) Organise your time F) A gentle start

The Aptis Reading Test 1) _________________________ The Aptis reading test consists of 4 parts. It must be completed within 40 minutes. No time guidance is given for each part of the test. For this reason time management is key to success. If you don’t allow enough time for the final parts, you could lose marks needlessly. The tasks get more difficult as the test progresses. 2) _________________________ Part 1 is usually fairly easy. Candidates have to order 6 lines of a text (there are 7 but the first is completed as an example). It tests understanding of text ‘cohesion’ through the use of pronouns and adverbs. You have to link words like ‘it’, ‘them’ and ‘there’ to words in previous paragraphs. You are required to drag the sentences with your mouse to reorder them. 3) _________________________ Part 2 is a little more challenging. You must choose words to fit gaps in a text. However, the text is longer, the vocabulary is more difficult and all the words you need are in a box below the text, along with several distracters that often cause candidates to make errors. It tests your knowledge of collocations, rare vocabulary meaning, grammar words and text cohesion. 4) _________________________ Part 3 is more challenging still. You have a long text (750 words) and several headings that you must match to the paragraphs. Being able to read quickly is a good skill to have, but you’ll also need to read in more detail when two paragraphs contain similar information. This part of the test assess text comprehension and also vocabulary knowledge. 5) __________________________ Part 4 is often the most challenging part. You have a long text with a series of short summaries of the main opinions in the text. The ideas that are expressed in the text must be put in the order they occur. This part of the test assesses text comprehension and also vocabulary knowledge.

The answers are at the end of this booklet.

2 - Do the Aptis Website Practice Reading Test Now go to the Aptis Reading test and do it individually. Once you press Start Component, you’ll have only 40 minutes left. Remember to manage your time well! Here’s the website address: http://www.britishcouncil.org/aptis-practice-tests/AptisReadingPractice/ When you’ve completed it, the website will give you a mark. Write it here: _____________%



3 – Analysis of Answers This is a copy of the test online at: http://www.britishcouncil.org/aptis-practice-tests/AptisReadingPractice/

Part 1 Write the order below. Use numbers to indicate your choice: A B

__1_ ____

C ____ D ____ E F G

____ ____ ____

Part 2



Part 3

Choose from these headings:



Part 4

4 - Time Management Now that you have done a complete test and learnt from your successes and mistakes, decide how much time you should spend on each part of the test and complete the following table. The total time should add up to 40 minutes: Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

5 - Our Test Strategy Tips Imagine that you have to give advice to a colleague who did not have this information. What advice would you give him on each part of the Aptis test? Make some notes here: Advice for Part 1 E.g. Do the easy ones first, then…

Advice for Part 2



Advice for Part 3

Advice for Part 4

Any other advice?

6 - Further Practice 1) Aptis Practice Materials Booklet There are two practice tests in the Aptis Practice Materials Booklet. 2) Online You can improve your ability to do the Aptis Reading test using materials for other reading tests online. Here are the some ideas: Parts 2 You can practice using Part 1 of the FCE test, which is similar but a little more difficult. Google the following:

Here are two examples:

http://www.examenglish.com/FCE/fce_use_of_english_part1.htm http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/fce/students/tests/mchtst3.htm Part 3 – Matching Headings to Paragraphs This is similar to one of the tasks used in the IELTS exam. So Google the following:

This website gives good advice:

http://www.ielts-exam.net/preparing/Reading_task_type_two_matching_headings_to_paragraphs/224/ There’s also a practice test to try here: http://www.ielts-exam.net/ielts_reading/701/ with the reading text here: http://www.ielts-exam.net/docs/Reading/IELTS_Reading_Academic_20_Passage_1.htm

Answers to Refresh your Memory Task 1) E 2) F 3) A 4) B 5) C (D – ‘Read at speed’ was the distracter)



Answer Key for the Reading Test Part 1 Sentences beginnings are in order – numbers change when you move the sentences: My first day… I arrived early… The office is… While walking… By the time… My new boss… I didn’t even…

Part 2 Answers are in order – there are no question numbers: lack, during, experiments, various, discoveries, serving, around Part 3 1 A long journey… 2 A successful outcome 3 Only an experiment 4 Imitating life… 5 The difficulties… 6 Is space the future… 7 A distant new world



Aptis Listening Test – Final Preparation 1 - Refresh your memory Aptis Listening Test Quiz Discuss whether the following statements are true or false: 1) There are 21 recordings and 25 questions in total. 2) There is one mark for each correct answer. 3) You can listen to the first 20 recordings twice. You can only listen to the last recording once. 4) You must complete all 25 questions in 50 minutes. 5) You cannot go back to an earlier question once you have moved on. 6) The ‘easy’ questions all come at the beginning and the ‘difficult’ ones at the end. The answers are at the end of this booklet.

2 - The Aptis Listening Test Website Here is a screenshot from the test you are about to do. Look at it carefully and answer the following questions: 1) Which question is this candidate on? 2) Which question has this candidate not answered yet? 3) How does the candidate listen to the recording? 4) How does the candidate move forward to the next recording? 5) How can the candidate move forward to recording 20? The answers are at the end of this booklet.

Notice also that some ‘questions’ are not questions! They are sentence completions.



3 - Practice Predicting the Answer Look at the following question. Do you think the man is going to state his mode of transport?

The answer is, no! This question is a typical B2/C1 question (the most difficult type). He will give you vocabulary clues to help you, but he won’t tell you the answer directly. You have to infer it! When you meet a question like this in the test, before you press play, take a few minutes to predict related vocabulary. This will help you to hear key words if they come up in the answer. Complete the 4 columns below with vocabulary related to the four modes of transport. Write 3 more vocabulary items in each column: by car motorway traffic jam

by plane flight pilot

by coach (coach) station driver

by train (train) station line

You will meet this question when you do the practice test.

4 - Do the Aptis Website Practice Listening Test Now go to the Aptis Listening test and try it. You’ll need headphones (or a quiet corner of the room). Remember it’ll take you about 60 minutes, but take your time – you have as much time as you want! Here’s the website address: http://www.britishcouncil.org/aptis-practice-tests/AptisListeningPractice/ When you’ve completed it, the website will give you a mark. Write it here: _____________%



5 - The Answers Here are all the questions with the correct answers, a comment on how easy the question was and selected notes on the answers. Read through them and circle the answer you chose. (Don’t worry if you can’t remember.): 1. Listen to the message. Where is Amanda’s bag? A On the table. B In the window. C Under the table. D Near the table. C (easy) 2. Listen to the message from Simon. Where should Ben get off the train? A Dandenong B the university C Huntingdale D North Road C (easy) 3. Listen to the message. What is Matilda’s room number? A 427 B 472 C 274 D 247 A (easy) 4. Listen to Sandy and Brad. What does Brad decide to do? Brad decides to A ride his bike. B go for a walk. C eat something. D do his homework. D (easy) 5. Listen to the arrangements for an office visit. What is the most important part of the visit? The most important part of the visit is A making a good impression. B the welcome dinner on Tuesday. C sight-seeing around the city. D the factory visit on Wednesday. D (easy) 6. Who or what is the woman describing? A Angelina Jolie B A film she saw C A great actress D A cinema B (tricky) It’s confusing as she does begin by describing Angelina Jolie as part of her description of the film. 7. Listen to the airport announcement. Which gate should you go to if you’re travelling to Odessa, Ukraine? A 11 B 17 C 12 D 9 C (fairly easy) Very long and she does mention two places called Odessa, one is Odessa Texas, not in Ukraine! 8. Listen to this message from a friend. Find out the best place to park your car. Your friend says the best place to park is A in the car park next to the cinema. B in the supermarket car park. C outside the restaurant. D at the underground station. A (tricky) There are several ‘red herrings’ here, but the answer is clear if you follow the clues: 9. Listen to part of the radio programme. What makes the man angry? A dropping litter B pollution from factories C not enough recycling D too many cars on the roads A (tricky) He mentions all as problems. The clue is when he says: “I suppose the thing that makes me really mad is when I see people dropping rubbish on the streets. It would be so easy for them to use litter bins instead.”

10. Two students are discussing their studies. What does the man think of their new teacher? A He doesn’t like her. B He’s generally unfavourable. C He likes her. D He’s generally favourable. D (very difficult) See ‘Analysis’ below. 11. Listen to the message. How many cups of water are needed? A 2 B 4 C 1 D 5 C (fairly easy) ”You’ll need two cups of milk and half that amount of water.” 12. Listen to the message. What time does Sally’s train get in? A 4.00pm B 4.13pm C 4.15pm D 4.30pm D (easy) 13. A guest is talking to a hotel worker. Where is the small coffee shop? A On the second floor. B Next to Business Centre One. C Opposite the shop. D Across the road from the hotel. B (tricky) This one is confusing because she’s explaining where the business centre is, but we need to understand the location of the coffee shop. The answer is given fairly clearly: “Keep going to a small coffee shop. On the right of it you should see a sign that says Business Centre One.” 14. Listen to the message. Why must the two friends meet one hour before the game starts? A They must find the ground. B There will be lots of people. C Peter was late the last time. D They must buy their tickets. B (tricky) “…I think we should meet one hour before the kick off so we can be sure to get to our seats in time. This is a big match and they’re expecting a crowd of at least 50,000. Try not to be late this time, we don’t want to miss the first goal again…” 15. Listen and find out what can you see in the Great Hall of a museum. (sic.) In the Great Hall you can see A the soldiers’ weapons. B the king’s crown. C the king’s uniform. D the princesses’ jewellery. D (tricky) See ‘Analysis’ below. 16. Listen to the announcement about the boat to Green Mountain. The Boat to Green Mountain A leaves at 7am. B leaves at 9am. C doesn’t sail today. D leaves in the evening. D (fairly easy) 17. You hear an architect talking about her latest project. Listen and decide what she is designing. The architect is designing A a retirement home. B a medical institution. C a holiday resort. D a military centre. B (difficult) See ‘Analysis’ below.



18. Listen to the message. When does Peter want to meet Janet? A Friday B Tuesday C Wednesday D Thursday C (easy) 19. Two colleagues are talking together. Who is Mary describing? A Their new boss B Kate Winslet C An actress D Jane A (fairly easy) 20. Listen to Jennifer talking about her plans for this weekend and decide what she’s going to do on Sunday. On Sunday Jennifer is A going for a long swim.B meeting Sally for lunch. C going dancing with Greg. D meeting Sara for a coffee. D (fairly easy) 21. Listen to a woman talking about running. How far does she usually run? A 7 miles B 5 miles C 3 miles D 4 miles B (easy) 22. Listen to two friends talking. What does Jane suggest doing? Jane suggests

A going for a swim. going to the library. D (fairly easy)

B walking around the park. C D going to see a film.

23. Listen to a man talking about a difficult journey. how was he travelling? A by car B by plane C by coach D by train D (tricky) The speaker doesn’t mention the answer. We have to guess from the vocabulary he uses, but there are several clear clues. 24. What are the friends discussing? The friends are discussing A what was in the news. B financial redundancies C employment opportunitiesD a new local project A (difficult) See ‘Analysis’ below. 25. Listen to Alan and Jodie talking about travel. What does Alan think of travelling? Alan thinks travelling is A luxurious. B a lot of fun. C very difficult. D better than staying at home. C (tricky) All the words in all 4 answers are mentioned, but there are several clues to the right answer.

6 - Analysis of 4 Difficult Answers Here are 4 of the more challenging questions and the tapescript of the listening. Read the tapescript carefully and underline any information that indicates the answer: Question 10 Two students are discussing their studies. What does the man think of their new teacher? A He doesn’t like her. B He’s generally unfavourable. C He likes her. D He’s generally favourable. The answer is D. This one is challenging even for native speakers, due to apparently conflicting information. But D is definitely the best answer: M: “She’s really good at explaining things but she sets so much homework after every class. There’s no way I’ll have time to do what she’s given us by Monday.” W: “Yeah, but you knew that this course would be difficult when you signed up for it.” M: “Of course but not this hard. I’m thinking of dropping it. Really it’s the subject matter that I object to.” W: “Why don’t you talk to her and see if she can offer any advice?” M: “It’s a good idea. She’s really easy to talk to even though I’m scared of how intelligent she is.”

Question 15 Listen and find out what can you see in the Great Hall of a museum. (sic.) In the Great Hall you can see A the soldiers’ weapons. B the king’s crown. C the king’s uniform.

D the princesses’ jewellery.

The answer is D. Although it’s clearly stated, notice how the answer is hidden at the end of a long sentence and a red herring is added afterwards: “…including the uniform he wore in the great war of 1430. You can also see some of the weapons his soldiers used. They are on display in the Oak Room, which is at the end of the Great Hall, where we have a display of some of the jewellery he gave to the princesses. His crown, which is usually on display in the Great Hall has been removed for cleaning…”



Question 17 You hear an architect talking about her latest project. Listen and decide what she is designing. The architect is designing A a retirement home. B a medical institution. C a holiday resort. D a military centre. The answer is B. She never gives the name of the place, but vocabulary clues infer the best answer: “Well my new project is quite a tricky one, not only because the building needs to be functional as well as visually pleasing, but also because a diverse range of people will be using it every day. And to add to the challenge I need to take unusual needs into consideration. For example: How will injured or disabled people move around the building? How do we stop the transmission of disease from one section to the other? But at the core of it all for me anyway is the main purpose of the place – rest and recovery. And for that I will be designing a building that offers tranquillity, comfort and healing to everyone who enters.”

Question 24 What are the friends discussing? The friends are discussing A what was in the news. B financial redundancies C employment opportunities

D a new local project

The answer is A. The friends mention D, C and B, meaning they can only be describing the news. Only an understanding of the full conversation content can reveal the right answer: M: “Did you watch television earlier on this evening?” F: “No. Why do you ask?” M: “In the news they said there’s some sort of new project down the road from here. It looks like thousands of jobs could be created.” F: “Are they opening a new factory or what?” M: “Well they haven’t announced the full details yet, but it seems as though a big foreign company is launching a joint venture with a local firm.” F: “Wow! That’s good news for people around here.” M: “That’s right. Another thing they reported was that the national unemployment rate has gone up by 5% compared to this time last year.” F: “Yeah, a lot of jobs have been lost this year in the financial services industry…”

7 - Further Self-study Ideas It can be difficult finding appropriate materials to practise for the Aptis Listening test. Here are two different test tasks that will help you to improve your listening skills before you take Aptis: 1) PET (Preliminary English Test) Listening Part 2 This is an easier test (about B1 level). Part 2 is a long conversation or announcement with 6 multiple choice questions. Here are two to try: http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_listening_part2.htm http://englishaula.com/en/pet-listening-part-2-exam-3-cambridge-preliminary-english-test-practice-tests-exercise.html

Alternatively, Google the following and you’ll find the websites above and many more!

2) FCE (First Certificate in English) Listening Part 1 This is a more challenging test (about B2 level). Part 1 has 8 multiple choice questions, each with its own question. This is the most similar task to Aptis listening available in other tests. Here are two to try: http://www.examenglish.com/FCE/fce_listening_part1.htm http://englishaula.com/en/listening-part-1-exercise-exam-1-fce-cambridge-first-certificate-english.html

Alternatively, Google the following and you’ll find the websites above and many more! Between now and the test, we recommend you do 3 online multiple choice tests. P a g e | 51 © The British Council, 2014 The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities. Version 1.0 October 2014


Answers to the Aptis Listening test Quiz True True You can listen to each recording only once. False. You can listen twice for parts 1 & 2 and only once for part 3. False. The total time for all the recordings is 25 minutes. If you You must complete all 25 questions in 50 listen twice (which you always should), this makes 50 minutes. But minutes. there is no clock timing you in the listening test, so you can take as long as you want to read the questions and think about your answers. You cannot go back to an earlier question once False. You can go back, but once you have pressed the listening button for a question twice, it will not work again. You can change you have moved on. your answers at any point until you submit your test. The ‘easy’ questions all come at the beginning False. While the test often begins with an easy question, and there are often more of the difficult questions towards the end, they are and the ‘difficult’ ones at the end. mixed up, so be ready for a difficult question at any point.

1) There are 25 recordings and questions in total. 2) There is one mark for each correct answer. 3)

4)

5) 6)

Answers to the Aptis Listening Test Website Questions 1) 2) 3) 4) 5)

Which question is this candidate on? Which question has this candidate not answered yet? How does the candidate listen to the recording? How does the candidate move forward to the next recording? How can the candidate move forward to recording 20?

Question 8 Question 6. That’s why it’s red. By pressing the red ‘Play’ button. By pressing the ‘Next’ button. By pressing on the red number ‘20’ button in the left hand column.



8- Complete Online Listening Test This is a copy of the test online at: http://www.britishcouncil.org/aptis-practice-tests/AptisListeningPractice/

Aptis Online Listening Practice Test 1. Listen to the message. Where is Amanda’s bag? A On the table. B In the window. C Under the table. D Near the table. 2. Listen to the message from Simon. Where should Ben get off the train? A Dandenong B the university C Huntingdale D North Road 3. Listen to the message. What is Matilda’s room number? A 427 B 472 C 274 D 247 4. Listen to Sandy and Brad. What does Brad decide to do? Brad decides to A ride his bike. B go for a walk. C eat something. D do his homework. 5. Listen to the arrangements for an office visit. What is the most important part of the visit? The most important part of the visit is A making a good impression. B the welcome dinner on Tuesday. C sight-seeing around the city. D the factory visit on Wednesday. 6. Who or what is the woman describing? A Angelina Jolie B A film she saw C A great actress D A cinema 7. Listen to the airport announcement. Which gate should you go to if you’re travelling to Odessa, Ukraine? A 11 B 17 C 12 D 9

8. Listen to this message from a friend. Find out the best place to park your car. Your friend says the best place to park is A in the car park next to the cinema. B in the supermarket car park. C outside the restaurant. D at the underground station. 9. Listen to part of the radio programme. What makes the man angry? A dropping litter B pollution from factories C not enough recycling D too many cars on the roads 10. Two students are discussing their studies. What does the man think of their new teacher? A He doesn’t like her. B He’s generally unfavourable. C He likes her. D He’s generally favourable. 11. Listen to the message. How many cups of water are needed? A 2 B 4 C 1 D 5 12. Listen to the message. What time does Sally’s train get in? A 4.00pm B 4.13pm C 4.15pm D 4.30pm 13. A guest is talking to a hotel worker. Where is the small coffee shop? A On the second floor. B Next to Business Centre One. C Opposite the shop. D Across the road from the hotel.



14. Listen to the message. Why must the two friends meet one hour before the game starts? A They must find the ground. B There will be lots of people. C Peter was late the last time. D They must buy their tickets. 15. Listen and find out what can you see in the Great Hall of a museum. In the Great Hall you can see A the soldiers’ weapons. B the king’s crown. C the king’s uniform. D the princesses’ jewellery. 16. Listen to the announcement about the boat to Green Mountain. The Boat to Green Mountain A leaves at 7am. B leaves at 9am. C doesn’t sail today. D leaves in the evening. 17. You hear an architect talking about her latest project. Listen and decide what she is designing. The architect is designing A a retirement home. B a medical institution. C a holiday resort. D a military centre. 18. Listen to the message. When does Peter want to meet Janet? A Friday B Tuesday C Wednesday D Thursday 19. Two colleagues are talking together. Who is Mary describing? A Their new boss B Kate Winslet C An actress D Jane

20. Listen to Jennifer talking about her plans for this weekend and decide what she’s going to do on Sunday. On Sunday Jennifer is A going for a long swim. B meeting Sally for lunch. C going dancing with Greg. D meeting Sara for a coffee. 21. Listen to a woman talking about running. How far does she usually run? A 7 miles B 5 miles C 3 miles D 4 miles 22. Listen to two friends talking. What does Jane suggest doing? Jane suggests A going for a swim. B walking around the park. C going to the library. D going to see a film. 23. Listen to a man talking about a difficult journey. how was he travelling? A by car B by plane C by coach D by train 24. What are the friends discussing? The friends are discussing A what was in the news. B financial redundancies C employment opportunities D a new local project 25. Listen to Alan and Jodie talking about travel. What does Alan think of travelling? Alan thinks travelling is A luxurious. B a lot of fun. C very difficult. D better than staying at home.



Aptis Writing Test – Final Preparation 1 – Refresh your memory You are going to try out a real Aptis test on the internet which will be very similar to your final test. Before you do, let’s prepare you for it so that you can get the most out of it. Quick quiz: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Check

How much time do you have for the whole test? Do you have to spend the recommended time on each task? Can you stop the clock after you’ve pressed ‘Start Component’? Can you go back to a previous part of the test if you want to? Will you lose marks if you go over the word limit? your answers on the last page of this booklet.

2 – Do the Aptis Website Practice Test The test website will not provide you with a mark, and will not allow you to see your answers after you complete the test. So do the following before you start: a) Open Microsoft Word b) Save the blank document to your computer with the title ‘Mock Aptis Writing (your name)’. c) Keep this document open, but minimise it (press on the ‘-‘ button in the top right of the window). d) Open your web browser and go to the following page:

http://www.britishcouncil.org/aptis-practice-tests/AptisWritingPractice/ Don’t press ‘Start Component’ yet. e) After completing each task on the website, copy your text (Ctrl + C) and paste it (Ctrl + V) into the Microsoft Word document. Remember that once you press ‘Start Component’, your 40 minutes will start ticking. Before you click finish, remember to copy your answers to Microsoft Word.

3 – Self-evaluate your Performance Now self-evaluate your performance. Answer the following questions: 1. Did you finish all the tasks in the allotted time? 2. Did you answer the question(s) correctly and clearly for each task? 3. Did you write the correct number of words for each task? 4. Did you find time to proofread your answers for errors? 5. Did you format and punctuate your answers correctly?

_________ _________ _________ _________ _________

If your answer to any of the questions is ‘no’, write some ‘self-recommendations’ below: (e.g. I will spend a maximum of 10 minutes on the informal email in task 4)

Tell a colleague how you self-evaluated and what recommendations you made to yourself.



4 – Error Correction Look at your answers and think about any possible errors. Can you correct them? Add any corrections you find to your Error Correction Log. This will help you to remember the corrections. You can also use an Error Correction Log in your classroom with your learners (see image)!

5 – Model Answers Here are model answers for all the test tasks you just completed. Underline any expressions, words that you think would be useful to learn. Add them to your vocabulary notebook.

Farhani Mohammad 19

October

Alor Setar

1975 I’m interested in travel because I find it fascinating visiting other countries and learning about the culture. I also enjoy taking photos of the amazing places I visit.

Malay Badminton Cooking Gardening

Hi Sam, I can remember, yes! I was about 21 and I had to travel from my home town to another town by bus. I was quite nervous, but it really enjoyed seeing the beautiful countryside that we passed.

Hi Miguel, I would recommend 2 places; the wonderful capital city, Kuala Lumpur, where the architecture is amazing and the island of Langkawi for its beautiful beaches and delicious Malaysian food. You should try it!

Hi Michelle, The most exciting journey I have ever been on is a boat journey to a small island. The boat was small and the sea was very rough, but I was great to visit such a beautiful holiday destination.



Hi Asmah, Have you seen the email from the travel club, yet? I’m really sad that Mr. Price won’t be there. I was so looking forward to meeting him. However, I’m definitely going to attend the meeting and buy the book. What about you, are you still coming? Love, Farhani

Dear Sir or Madam, Thank you for your recent email, informing us that Mr. Price will not be attending our next meeting. I must say that I am rather disappointed about this, as I was very much looking forward to receiving a signed copy of his new book. Nonetheless, I understand that such cancellations do happen in the schedule of famous writers, and I would like to confirm that I would still like to attend the meeting. I would also like to reserve a copy of Mr. Price’s book, Around the World in 80 Ways, which I will pay for at the meeting. I appreciate all your hard work for the club and look forward to seeing you at the meeting. Please could you confirm receipt of my email. Yours sincerely, Farhani Mohammad

Look at the model answers using the following questions: 1. In Part 2: What language does the writer use to describe her interests? 2. In Part 3: What verb tenses does the writer use in the 3 different answers? Why? 3. In Part 3: What modal verbs does she use to make recommendations? 4. In Part 4: How does the writer express her feelings in both the informal and formal emails? 5. In Part 4: What tense does the writer use to indicate her plans for the future to her friend? 6. In Part 4: How does the writer indicate her future intentions in the formal letter? 7. In Part 4: How does the writer start and finish the formal letter?



6 – Further Self-study Ideas Here are some ideas for how you can keep learning between now and the writing test. Try some of them out! 1) Do the practice tests on the Pro-ELT Aptis website and get a colleague to evaluate your answers and provide feedback. Here’s the address: http://proelt.byethost7.com/ 2) Do practice test questions from other writing tests. Here are some websites: http://www.ieltshelpnow.com/general_training_writing_test_1.html http://www.ielts-exam.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=7&id=16&Itemid=69 http://www.examenglish.com/PET/PET_writing_part2.htm http://www.examenglish.com/FCE/FCE_writing.htm

3) Search for online websites that help with formal and informal email or letter writing. Here are some links: http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/fce/students/writing/express/index.htm http://www.alternative.hu/formal_and_informal_letters http://mannysfceblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/writing-part-1-and-2-informal-and.html http://www.speakenglish.co.uk/phrases/writing_letters_and_emails

4) Improve your keyboard typing skills fast for free! http://play.typeracer.com/ http://www.typingweb.com/

7 – My Learning Plan Between now and the test, you can really improve your writing skills if you do a little every week. The following table will help you to plan. You can even plan to work together with a friend / colleague!

What I would like to practise / study

How often I plan to practise / study it

Where I will find the materials

How I will evaluate my work



Quick Quiz Answers 2.

1. How much time do you have for the whole test? Do you have to spend the recommended time on each task?

3. 4.

Can you stop the clock after you’ve pressed ‘Start Component’? Can you go back to a previous part of the test if you want to?

5.

Will you lose marks if you go over the word limit?

40 mins No. You can choose how you spend your 50 minutes. Here’s our recommendation. We recommend you spend a little less time on Part 2 and a little more on Part 3. No. Yes. You can edit answers to Part 1, 2 and 4. But you can’t change your Part 3 answers once you’ve pressed ‘Post’. No. But it is not a good test strategy. It’s better to keep to the word limits and write more accurately.



8 - Complete Online Writing Test This is a copy of the test online at: http://www.britishcouncil.org/aptis-practice-tests/AptisWritingPractice/

Part 1 You want to join a travel club. Fill in the form. You have 3 minutes.

Part 2 You are a new member of the travel club. Fill in the form. Write in sentences. Use 20-30 words. You have 7 minutes in total.

Part 3 You are a member of a travel club. You are talking to some other members in the travel club chat room. Talk to them using sentences. Use 30-40 words per answer. You have 10 minutes in total.



Part 4



Aptis Speaking Test – Final Preparation 1 – Refresh your memory You are going to try out a real Aptis test on the internet which will be very similar to your final test. Before you do, let’s prepare you for it so that you can get the most out of it. Quick quiz – in pairs 1) What is the total time for the Aptis speaking test? 2) How many sections are there? 3) How many questions in each section? 4) Can you pause the clock during the test if you need time to think? 5) What are the 4 areas on which your test performance will be evaluated?

The answers are at the end of this booklet.

2 – Most Common Reasons for Losing Marks In the Aptis test, there are several common reasons why people lose marks. Look at the list of 7 reasons in the table below and discuss in pairs: 1) Which of these are technical issues? 2) Which are likely to be caused by a lack of practice? 3) Which may be caused by nerves? 4) Which are probably caused by the candidate’s level of English? a) b) c) d) e) f) g)

not doing a proper sound check not speaking clearly not answering the questions giving under-length answers – not using the full amount of time to speak overusing words such as ‘and’ and ‘so’ speaking in simple sentence lists not using a variety of sentence structures

Complete the following sentence: Successful Aptis candidates…

Compare what you’ve written with colleagues. Remember this advice today and on the day of your test!



3 - The Sound Check Take time to do a proper sound check before you begin. Poor sound quality is one of the most common reasons for candidates losing marks. Note the following from the Aptis Candidate Guide: Make sure your test is taken in a quiet room. When you click to start the speaking test, screen A appears. This allows you to check the sound recording system on your computer. When you have recorded a sample of speech, screen B opens. Replay the sound. If you can hear it properly click on Yes (take me to the test), if not click on No (let me try recording again). During the microphone check, make sure you say a whole sentence and not just one or two words. Assessing the quality of the microphone needs more than a few words.

The recording bar should look like this:

If the line takes up all the space, then there is a loud noise (usually a technical issue) and we are not able to hear the recording. You should alert the invigilator if the recording bar looks like this:

If the recording is a flat line then the recording is not loud enough. The microphone may be too far from the mouth. A complete flat line means there is no recording, which is usually a technical issue. You should alert the invigilator if the recording looks like this:



4 - Do the Aptis Website Practice Speaking Test Get together with your colleagues. Work in groups of 3 or 4. Each member of your group will do a full Aptis speaking test, using real past tests on the internet, with the other two listening, performing specific roles and providing feedback afterwards. Here’s how you’ll do it:

1

Time from start of activity (time per stage in brackets) 0:00-0:15 (15 mins)

2

0:15-0:25 (10 mins)

Stage

Teacher A

Teacher B

Teacher C

Teacher D

Candidate

Invigilator

Evaluator

Evaluator

Receives feedback

Provide feedback

Provide feedback

Provide feedback

3

0:25-0:40 (15 mins)

Evaluator

Candidate

Invigilator

Invigilator

4

0:40-0:50 (10 mins)

Provide feedback

Receives feedback

Provide feedback

Provide feedback

5

0:50-1:05 (15 mins)

Invigilator

Evaluator

Candidate

Evaluator

6

1:05-1:15 (10 mins)

Provide feedback

Provide feedback

Receives feedback

Provide feedback

7

1:15-1:30 (15 mins)

Invigilator

Evaluator

Evaluator

Candidate

8

1:30-1:40 (10 mins)

Provide feedback

Provide feedback

Provide feedback

Receives feedback

The roles Candidate You are the one taking the test. Choose one of the following tests on the internet: 1) Aptis practice test from Aptis website - just like the real test. This test is automatically timed, so there’s no need to use a stopwatch: http://www.britishcouncil.org/aptis-practice-tests/AptisSpeakingPractice/ 2) Aptis simulation tests from the Pro ELT Aptis Practice website – the page layout is slightly different to the real test. Use these if you don’t want to repeat an test that one of you colleagues has done or if you want to use the Vocaroo voice recorder that is provided: http://proelt.byethost7.com/speaking_exam_1/part_1.htm http://proelt.byethost7.com/speaking_exam_2/part_1.htm

Invigilator You are in charge of the following: 1) Record the performance of the candidate. You could use a mobile phone, Sound Recorder on a PC or Vocaroo. You will need to share the recording with the teacher doing the test (either via email, memory stick or other means). 2) If the candidate is not doing the test from the Aptis website, it’s also your job to time the candidate for each question in the test. Make sure the candidate can see how much time they have left for each task! 3) While the candidate is doing the test, answer the following questions. If you tick ‘No’, note why you ticked ‘No’: 1) Did s/he speak for the full time allowed?

 Yes  No Notes: ______________________

2) Did s/he begin speaking straight after the time started?  Yes  No Notes: ______________________ 3) Did s/he answer each question appropriately?

 Yes  No Notes: ______________________



Evaluator You are in charge of the following: Evaluate the candidate’s performance in the following areas: 1) Range and accuracy – Does s/he use appropriate vocabulary and grammar and make few errors? Score Descriptor

5

4

3

Yes, all the time

Nearly all the time Most of the time

2

1

0

Some of the time

Rarely

Never

Notes/examples of good range/accuracy and poor range/accuracy:

2) Pronunciation – Does s/he speak loud and clear so that you can easily hear and understand him/her. Score Descriptor

5

4

Yes, all the time


3

2

1

0

Some of the time

Rarely

Never

Notes/examples of words that were difficult/easy to understand:

3) Fluency – Does s/he speak without too many long pauses or without speaking too slowly? Score Descriptor

5

4

Yes, all the time


3

2

1

0

Some of the time

Rarely

Never

Notes:

4) Structure – Do her/his answers have a clear beginning, middle and end as well as some useful cohesive devices (e.g. discourse markers, conjunctions, etc.) Score Descriptor

5

4

Yes, all the time


3

2

1

0

Some of the time

Rarely

Never

Notes/examples of good structure or poor structure:

At the end, invigilators should make sure the candidate they invigilated can listen to the recording they made. If necessary, email / transfer the recordings to your candidate’s computer.



5 – Listen back to your Performance Now listen back to your performance and self-evaluate it. Use the pause button whenever you want to make notes. If you are not sure about something (e.g. errors), ask your trainer for help: Part 1 What I liked: Any difficulties?: Any obvious errors?:

Part 2 What I liked: Any difficulties?: Any obvious errors?:



6 – My Self-recommendations Based on the feedback from your invigilator, evaluator and also your self-evaluation, write some ‘selfrecommendations’ below: (e.g. ‘I will practise using present continuous to describe photographs.’ / ‘I will practise making quick notes in 1 minute for part 4 of the test.’, etc.) 1) I will… 2) I will… 3) I will…

Tell a colleague how you self-evaluated and what recommendations you made to yourself.



7 – Further Self-study Ideas Here are some ideas for how you can keep learning between now and the speaking test. 1) Use the tests on the Pro-ELT Aptis Practice website: http://proelt.byethost7.com/ 2) Practice comparing and contrasting photographs using practice materials for the Cambridge FCE speaking exam. Google ‘FCE speaking exam part 2 practice’ and use the photos you find to help you prepare. 3) Improve your accuracy and range by writing your answers to the test questions. Here’s how you do it:  Find an Aptis practice test (you can use the Pro-ELT Aptis Practice website given above if you like)  Instead of speaking your answers, type them up in a Microsoft Word document. Write quickly giving yourself twice as much time for each task (e.g. if the time for the spoken task is 45 seconds, give yourself 90 seconds).  Don’t edit your text until you’ve finished.  When you’ve finished, read your text. Edit it by correcting errors (you can use Track Changes in the Review pane if you like) and also by looking up words in a dictionary that you didn’t know or couldn’t remember when you were typing your initial answer. 4) Meet together with each other to practise doing the test and provide feedback (see Our Speaking Practice Timetable below).

8 – Our Speaking Practice Timetable Why not meet up with your colleagues between now and the test to get further practice and provide each other with useful help. Check your diaries / timetables for the period between now and the test and choose at least 3 occasions when you will meet up to practice the test. If possible, the final occasion should be a day or two before the test: Meeting 1 - Date:

Time (allow 2 hours):

Location:

Meeting 1 - Date:


Location:

Meeting 1 - Date:


Location:

Quick Quiz Answers 1. What is the total time for the Aptis speaking test? 2. How many sections are there?

3. How many questions in each section? 4. Can you pause the clock during the test if you need time to think? 5. What are the 4 areas on which your test performance will be evaluated?

11 mins 4. 1 – Personal information-giving; 2 – Describe and compare (concrete topic); 3 – Describe, compare and speculate; 4 – Discuss an abstract topic. Part 1 – 3; Part 2 – 3; Part 3 – 3; Part 4 (1 task with 3 questions) No. If there is a technical problem you can inform the invigilator. But you can’t pause to think of ideas. 1) Grammatical and lexical range and accuracy 2) Clarity of pronunciation and intonation 3) Fluency 4) Structure of speech and use of cohesive devices

Most Common Reasons for Losing Marks - Answers 1) Which of these are technical issues? 2) Which are likely to be caused by a lack of practice? 3) Which may be caused by nerves? 4) Which are probably caused by the candidate’s level of English?

a a, b, c, d all of them, but especially e and f g (and possibly f) P a g e | 67



8 - Complete Online Speaking Test This is a copy of the test online at: http://www.britishcouncil.org/aptis-practice-tests/AptisSpeakingPractice/

Part 1 30 seconds per question.





Part 4 1 minute preparation, then 2 minutes to answer all 3 questions.


Aptis Advanced a Self-study Guide

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