Task moves library

Students predict text content from title, subheadings and images before reading. Activates schema, builds anticipation, and trains top-down processing. Essential precursor to gist reading.

Students generate vocabulary around the text topic before encountering it. Reduces cognitive load during reading, surfaces gaps in topic vocabulary, and creates genuine motivation to verify predictions.

Teacher gives one or two gist questions before reading/listening. Trains students to read/listen with a purpose rather than trying to understand every word. Critical for exam stamina.

Students read exam questions before the text/audio and underline key question words (who, what, why, how). Trains the exam skill of using questions to focus attention. Essential for all MCQ tasks.

Students predict the register and genre of a text from minimal clues (source, title, layout). Develops the metalinguistic awareness needed to adjust reading strategy and recognise Communicative Achievement in writing.

Brief discussion of the topic before listening. Reduces the "cold start" problem where students miss the first 30 seconds of audio while acclimatising. Particularly important for abstract or unfamiliar topics.

Teacher provides 5–8 statements about the text content. Students predict true/false before reading. Creates purpose, builds anticipation, and generates lively post-reading discussion when predictions are wrong.

Students encounter underlined or highlighted words they may not know, and use surrounding context to infer meaning without a dictionary. Core B1→B2 reading skill. Directly trains Part 5 inference questions.

Students identify and categorise discourse markers in a text. Builds the explicit knowledge of text cohesion needed for Part 6 gapped text and for B2 writing Organisation subscale.

Students work with a gapped text, focusing specifically on the cohesion clues before and after each gap. Directly trains the Part 6 skill of checking both sides of a gap, not just the sentence before.

Students practise recognising that exam questions paraphrase what the text says rather than using the same words. Directly addresses the word-spotting trap in Part 7.

Students read for the writer's implicit attitude rather than explicit content. Trains the distinction between what is said and how the writer feels about it — essential for Part 5 attitude questions.

Students complete sentence gaps while listening, developing the simultaneous processing needed for Part 2. The "race" framing raises stakes and reveals who needs more practice before the exam.

Students attempt MCQ questions on first listen for gist, then use second listen to verify or correct. Explicitly teaches the two-pass strategy that the exam format requires.

Students are given the recording script with key phrases highlighted. They find the question option that paraphrases each highlighted phrase. Reverses the normal task to expose the paraphrase mechanism directly.

Students scan a text for examples of a specific grammatical structure, then analyse form and meaning in context. More effective than isolated exercises because students see structures in authentic use.

Students rewrite active sentences from a text in the passive, then discuss which version sounds more natural and why. Contextualises passive choice rather than treating it as an arbitrary rule.

Students encounter a word in context, then map its full word family. Builds the derivational knowledge needed for Part 3. More durable than suffix drills because the semantic core stays visible.

Students extract verb+noun, adjective+noun and adverb+adjective collocations from an authentic text. Building collocation awareness from real examples is far more effective than learning collocations in isolation.

Students use a structured framework to organise a 1-minute photo description, developing the discourse management and lexical range assessed in Speaking Part 2.

Students practise the B2 Part 2 task of comparing two photographs, developing the language of comparison and speculation simultaneously. The task structure mirrors the exam exactly.

Structured pair discussion task mirroring Speaking Part 3. Students must discuss all options before making a decision, developing the interactive communication skills assessed in Part 3.

Students plan a writing task using a structured grid before writing a single word. Develops the planning habit that separates organised B2 writing from unplanned B1 writing.

Students rewrite a formal text informally (or vice versa). Directly develops the register awareness tested in Writing Communicative Achievement subscale and the collocation knowledge in UoE Part 1.

Structured practice of the UoE Part 4 key word transformation task, using sentences derived from a text students have just read. The familiar content reduces cognitive load and lets students focus on the grammatical operation.

Students complete an open cloze text (one word per gap) derived from or related to a material they have read. The reading context provides semantic support that helps reveal grammatical rather than lexical choices.

Students record new vocabulary from the lesson in a structured format that captures collocations, register and example sentences — not just translations. Builds the vocabulary recording habit identified in the strategic strand.

Students discuss the text's ideas in pairs or small groups, using the content as a springboard for the type of abstract discussion assessed in Speaking Part 4.

Students identify and correct errors in a sample piece of writing (either anonymous student work or teacher-constructed examples). Develops metalinguistic awareness and proofreading skills for the Writing accuracy subscale.

Students evaluate their own (or a partner's) speaking performance against the four B2 Speaking criteria. Develops examiner-awareness and helps students understand what is being assessed.

Students reflect explicitly on the exam strategy they used during the task — what worked, what they would do differently. Builds metacognitive awareness that transfers across exam tasks.

Students generate arguments for AND against a position before writing, ensuring both sides are genuinely developed. Targets the most common weakness in Part 1 essays: one-sided argumentation.

Students annotate a model text to identify genre features: layout, register, structure, key phrases. Develops the genre knowledge needed for Part 2 task variety (articles, reports, reviews, emails).

Students read the tapescript after completing listening tasks to identify exactly where they went wrong. More effective than just checking answers because students can see the precise language that tripped them.

Students swap writing and give structured feedback using the four FCE subscales as a framework. Develops both writing accuracy and the examiner-awareness needed for self-correction.

Students complete a full FCE task under exam conditions (timed, individual, no dictionary). The simulation experience is itself a skill that must be practised. Used for all four papers.

Structured presentation of a grammar point from the Think 1 workbook unit, with immediate controlled practice. Uses the workbook as the vehicle but targets the B1→B2 schema skill explicitly.

Students read an extended text (graded reader, short story) at home and report back using a structured response format. Builds the wide reading habit essential for vocabulary growth and text-type familiarity.

Students practise sentence stress and intonation patterns from a spoken text or script. Targets the Pronunciation scale criteria: stress accurately placed, intonation appropriate.