http://dictionaries.sourceforge.net/index.php/fce
Useful adjectives for FCE ● ●
long list of adjectives http://www3.sympatico.ca/canvasit/canvasit/words.pdf NEW! adjectives practice
Grammar practice activities for FCE ●
http://www.tinyteflteacher.co.uk/learning-english/fce.html
useful expressions for fce speaking PART 1 – INTRODUCING YOURSELF
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I'm speaking English for my own satisfaction / my job / in order to improve my employment prospects.
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If you want to go ahead these days, you need to have a good command of English. I’ve always loved (the sea). I'd love to visit places untouched by man. However, there's no place like home. That's a big question! I'm keen on on ... I'm an avid (traveler, swimmer) ... I haven't given it much thought until now.
PART 2 – DESCRIBING PHOTOS Describing the photographs
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The first photograph shows a woman reading a book In the background we can see a family sitting around a table outside a café What strikes me about the first picture is the fact that... This picture reminds me of... Judging from the photograph, the children... The man appears to be... From what we can see here, he must... When you give it a closer look it reveals... Comparing the photographs
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Both pictures are about being a parent I think the common theme here is communication There are many similarities... Both pictures depict...
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Both pictures are quite similar in that they show... Contrasting
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In contrast, the people in the second image look worried On the other hand, the scene looks much more modern Unlike the first photo, this looks like a happy occasion The first picture ... whereas the other picture ... Another important difference is... Picture ... doesn't show ... as clearly as ... Picture ... attempts to ... but I think picture ... does this more effectively... All pictures are interesting, but ... gives a stronger idea of... Speculating
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Perhaps they are celebrating something Maybe the reason they look so serious is because ... She might be a busy working mother They must be working very hard It's difficult to tell from a photograph but this picture could have been taken in ... I might be wrong, but I'd say that this picture ... I would imagine/guess that this picture comes from ... Personal feelings
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I wouldn't like to be in their shoes The first photo reminds me of my own childhood Personally, I'd love to visit a place like that The following phrases are for helping you while you speak. I'm surprised there is no picture showing... A picture of ... would get the message across more effectively. The cover would be so much better if we had a picture of ... So let's look at the alternatives ... Picture ... is by far the best to show because ... To me, the picture here ... is essential for this kind of publication. Rephrasing
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What I really mean is that ... I take that back What I am trying to say is that ... Hesitators (gaining time)
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Well, ... Hmmm... let me see What else (can I say?)… Is there anything I can add to that? I’m not quite sure, but I think… I haven’t thought about it before, but perhaps… I don’t really know, but I imagine… If you’ve forgotten the word for something
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The name for this escapes me at present, but it's for/it's like ...
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The name for it is on the tip of my tongue ...
PART 3 – COMMUNICATION TASK ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Up to the problem in question ... The main problem centres around ... It's my belief ... For my part ... As I see it ... As I was saying ... I forgot to mention ... I'm of the opinion that ... To my mind ... To my way of thinking ... I am convinced that ... I am inclined to believe that ... Don't get me wrong but shouldn't we ... ? Judging by ... they must be ... ... is a separate issue. Moving on to ... Taking everything into account ... I couldn't agree more. I agree up to a point. I think I see what you mean, but ... I'm in two minds about it. / I'm ambivalent about ... I don't see eye to eye with you here ... That's true in a way, I suppose, but ... I don't feel convinced ... That's one way of looking at it. On the other hand ... Can you take a clear stand on that matter? It brings to the question / idea / problem of ... Perhaps we should put ... first? What do you think? A strong point in favour of ... is that ... What do you think should go next? Are you happy with this order then? Do you go along with that?
PART 4 – DISCUSSION ● ● ● ● ●
Just following from what X was saying, I also feel ... While generally agreeing with X, I must say that ... Adding to what X has just said, I think ... I can sympathise with what X said but ... One thing X didn't mention is ...
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Surprising, as it may seem, I don't support X's view on ... Perhaps it should be also emphasized that ... / it should be pointed out that ...
fce - practice tests Dear students, It seems like a good time to put your English skills to the test and see how good you are at an real, authentic FCE test. Below you will find all the files you need to complete a full FCE practice test. You will find .pdf files (print those, they are approximately 20 pages and they include the answer sheets, onto which I would like you to write your answers) and the .mp3 files (download those and play them on your favourite media player) and, of course, the .pdf files with the answers (download those, but there's no real need to print them. Once you've done all that, the next big step is finding some time. I strongly recommend you doing all the parts at once, one after another, like in a real FCE test. Please time yourself carefully - this is very important. This will give you an idea of how the real exam will feel - it is quite long: reading (1 hour), writing (1 hour 20 minutes), use of English (45 minutes) and listening (40 minutes). That's almost 4 hours. I know it's a lot, but please find the time, you will need the practice. Do this at least once - to see how well you do under time pressure. When you complete a full test, please bring all the completed answer sheets to class - I will check your writing and have a look at how well you did. Good luck! (and remember: practice makes perfect)
Useful expressions for the speaking exam Home Town / Family / Home I’ve lived here in Granada since .................................................................... for......................................................................... I’m from ....................................... but I’ve been living here since................. What I like most about about living here is................................................. is.............................. .............................. ........... I come from quite a ............................ family, there are .......... of us. I have ..... brothers and .... sisters and we ............................................ well. People say I ........................................ my Mother as we’re both tall. I think I ....................................... my Father as we’re both open- minded.
I live in a really nice .......................... in .................................. If I could change anything about my home, I’d probably ........................... ......................... .. I don’t do much around the house but I usually help with .......................... I hate housework so I try to ........................................ it! But I always ........... my bed. Studies / Work / School days I started learning English at school in ............... / when I was .................. I wish I had started when I was younger...I think a good age to start is .... I’ve been studying English since ............................... I ............................... English classes again recently. I don’t remember much about my school days, but ..................................... ........................... .......... I think my school days were the best days of my life! I was very good at .................................. but I hated ............................
My favourite / worst teacher was a person called ................................... I prefer working alone because ....................................... I like having the radio on in the background. I use a computer every day at work. The computer is an essential part of my work. I use a computer at home, to look for things on the Internet, or to chat with my friends.
Holidays / Travelling I usually go............................................................ in the summer. I love going to the coast because ................................... For me the most important thing about a hoiliday is................................ .. If I visit a new place, I always like going sightseeing. I had a wonderful time when I went to ........................ ......... years ago. What I enjoyed most was was ....................................... .................... ....................................... ........................................ .................... I went to ................. .............. ... a few years ago and I’d love to go back. The worst part of the holiday was.................................................................. If I could afford it I’d really like to go to ...................................... because... ................................... I’m too busy to have a holiday!! I usually work in the summer so I don’t really have a holiday. I don’t have any plans yet for summer but I’ll hopefully go somewhere nice. Hobbies / Sports In my free time I enjoy ...................................... I started .................... years ago / when I was ...................... I’m really keen on ................................. and I play ................. a week I try to ............................... regularly. I’m not very keen on sports, I prefer..................................... I took up ........................... 2 years ago and I’m really enjoying it. I love ....................... ............... ........ but I wish I had more time to do more. I’m really interested in cinema and films, I usually go to the cinema about ............. a month.
I like ....................... .............. ......... to the theatre but I don’t go very often as I can’t ..................... it. I love going to the cinema, it doesn’t .......................... .................... ...... what film is on, I try to go once a week! Nusic / Going out I like all .................. of music but probably my favourite is..................... I can’t stand the typical commercial pop music that is around nowadays. I prefer .......................... The last concert I went to was to see .............................. in .......................... Granada isn’t as good as places like Madrid or Barcelona for concerts. I like listening to music but I don’t buy much music. At weekends I usually usually get together with with my friends. We go out for a drink and we have a good time. I don’t usually spend much money when I go out but I always have fun with my friends. Granada isn’t as expensive as other cities. There are a lot of things for young people to do here. We usually get together together on Friday night, buy some some drinks and hang around around in the streets!(Botellón!!) Special occasions My favourite month is .................. because.......................... On my birthday I usually go out for a meal with my family and throw a party with my friends! One thing I like doing is going out somewhere special. The last special event I went to was .............................. The next thing I’m going to celebrate is ............................
Part Three – collaborative task
FCE Word Formation 1 Total Questions : 10 Cambridge First Certificate Word Formation exercises. Time Remaining 09 min 26 secs 26 secs
Q.1) The mood in the class ____________ when the teacher said that the class was over
BRIGHT
Q.2) We are in the _____________ of the worst recession since the 1930s, but people are generally still quite optimistic.
DEEP
Q.3) Some people say that schools in Spain have ________________ in the last few years.
WORSE
Q.4) I had eaten too much so I ________________ my trousers and breathed out.
LOOSE
Q.5) Be careful when you are _________________ the knife. You could cut yourself.
SHARP
Q.6) The skin over my wound has ________________ to form a scar.
TOUGH
Q.7) If we had more computers in the school, we’d be able to do more project work, but we’d have to ________________ the class times.
LONG
Q.8) Charlotte suffers from a skin condition and her face had ______________ because of this.
RED
Q.9) The police are _________________ up on drug use because too many young people are becoming addicted
TIGHT
Q.10) Beethoven suffered from _________________, but he managed to write the most amazing music!.
DEAF
Cambridge First Certificate Word Formation exercises. Time Remaining 09 min 44 secs
Q.1) Parents should think ________________ before they send their children abroad.
CARE
Q.2) Some ________________ offer to help schools with their exchange trips
ORGANISE
Q.3) The ____________________ of young people find it difficult to find work at the moment.
MAJOR
Q.4) When you go to live in another country, it can be difficult to overcome some ________________ differences.
CULTURE
Q.5) A basic _________________________ of computers is required for most jobs these days.
KNOW
Q.6) The most _______________ way to learn a language is to live in a country where it is spoken.
EFFECT
Q.7) The purpose of email is to exchange ___________________________ between different people.
CORRESPOND
Q.8) You should not feel any ___________________ to work on Sunday, but the job is really urgent!
OBLIGE
Q.9) Youtube provides an excellent source of _____________________ for everyone .
ENTERTAIN
Q.10) Learning a new language can _________________ the mind.
I had eate n too muc h so I ___ ___
___ ___ ___ _ my trou sers and brea thed out. LO OS E
Possible correct answers: ●
loos loosen ened ed
Unanswered
Q. Some people say that schools in Spain have 2) ________________ in the last few years. WORSE
Possible correct answers:
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wors worsen ened ed
Unanswered
Q. If we had more computers in the school, we’d 3) be able to do more project work, but we’d hav to ________________ the class times. LONG
Possible correct answers: ●
leng length then en
Unanswered
Q. Beethoven suffered from ________________ 4) but he managed to write the most amazing music!. DEAF
Possible correct answers:
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deaf deafne nes ss
Unanswered
Q. Charlotte suffers from a skin condition and her 5) face had ______________ because of this. RED
Possible correct answers: ●
redd redden ened ed
Unanswered
Q. We are in the _____________ of the worst 6) recession since the 1930s, but people are generally still still quite optimistic. DEEP
Possible correct answers:
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depth pths
Unanswered
Q. Be careful when you are _________________ 7) the knife. You could cut yourself. SHARP
Possible correct answers: ●
shar sharpe peni ning ng
