Top tips for passing the CAE (Cambridge Advanced English)

READING

ü  One of the most important things to bear in mind when tackling any of the tasks in the reading paper (as well as the listening paper) is that the texts will contain distractors. These are words or phrases that are similar to or even synonymous with words or phrases in the question (or in the wrong answers) which might lead you to choose the wrong answer. They are there to ensure you are paying attention to the whole text and not just looking for words that match between the questions and the text.

ü  Before answering the questions, skim-read the text to get a general understanding of its content.

ü  Make sure you read both the questions and the options and underline key words and phrases.

ü  Where possible, try to work out the meaning of unfamiliar words from the context, but don’t waste time. You should only spend about 12 minutes on each of the CAE reading tasks.

 Use of English

ü  Remember, correct spelling is important in this part of the exam.

ü  For the Multiple Choice Cloze and the Open Cloze, make sure you read the text first, ignoring the gaps, in order to have a general understanding of the content. It’s important to look at the words both before and after the gaps in order to work out the correct answers.  Work out which part of speech you need in the gap (e.g., auxiliary, modal, adjective, adverb, preposition etc.) and always re-read when you’ve finished to check that the text makes sense.

ü  For the Word Formation task, keep in mind that you may have to make more than one change. 

I was __________________ with the city so I quickly got lost. FAMILY > unfamiliar

ü  The Key Word Transformation exercise can often be the trickiest, but remember that you get two points of each answer. Don’t change the key word, only use between 3 and 6 words (contractions count as two words), no more and no less, and make sure you keep the meaning the same. 

WRITING

For both tasks:

ü  Take a few minutes to brainstorm some ideas and make a very simple plan before starting to write. This will help you to organise your ideas.

ü  Make sure you include all the points in the instructions.

ü  Don’t repeat the input language. Use your own words!

ü  Obey the word limit! Cambridge are very strict about this, so practice writing beforehand so that you are able to estimate your own word count reasonably well without having to waste time counting every few minutes.

ü  Sample answers are available online to give you an idea of what’s required, but remember the best writers are also the ones who read the most.

LISTENING

ü  Use the time before each recording starts to skim-read the questions and the options, underlining key words and phrases in both. This will help you to pinpoint the section of the recording that contains the answer. However, distractors  are as important to be aware of in the Listening tasks as they are in the Reading paper. Avoid listening simply for words or phrases that match between the questions and the answers. This will often lead you to choosing the wrong answer.

ü  In the Sentence Completion task, try to predict what kind of information you will be listening for, e.g. a place, a number, an amount of time, a type of activity, and adjective etc.

SPEAKING

ü  Part 1 (Interview) – Here you answer straightforward questions about your work or your studies, your likes and dislikes, your hobbies and so on. Make sure you extend your answers.

ü  Part 2 (long turn) – Here you are given three pictures and asked to talk about two of them for 1 minute. Don’t merely describe them! Make sure you answer the question that is put to you about them. Your partner will be asked a follow-up question to which they should give a brief answer.

ü  Part 3 (collaborative task) – Here both candidates are given a task (for example, choosing which project to fund to attract more people to your town) and some written prompts (e.g. a festival, a new visitors centre etc.). The examiner will ask you first to discuss the prompts and then to make the decision.  Don’t simply take turns with your partner – interact! Make sure you work together to complete the task using language to express opinions, exchange ideas, respond to suggestions, show agreement and disagreement and so on.

ü  Part 4 (Discussion) – Here you will have the chance to demonstrate that you can elaborate on the topics and ideas from Part 3 in more depth. Make sure you give full, extensive answers to the examiner’s questions and organise your ideas using linkers.

Read more at http://eltlearningjourneys.com/2016/01/12/top-tips-for-passing-the-cae-cambridge-advanced-english-exam/

 Marina Dedić, English teacher