[Tannoy]

Last year I taught a 2 Semester class using the "CAE RESULT!" Course book. I start teaching again in October, but for this year the school has changed the length of an exam course from 3 Semesters to 4. (1 semester is about 4 months, with 2x90 minute classes per week)

Which means I now have to teach the same class for 2 more semesters. The problems I face are that;

a. The exam format has now been changed for 2008/2009
b. The school wants to use the "new" CAE RESULT! book
c. The new book has about 10-20% new material (mainly restructuring of previous material)
d. The school will not allow me to use another book as they have a 'deal' with the publisher of CAE RESULT!

I am unsure how I can use the same book, with the same class for another two semesters!

I don't have the time, resources nor experience to develop fresh exam suitable material for each lesson.

Of course I supplemented the course with additional 'authentic' material taken from news sites and literary texts as well as my own material to supplement teaching. The main problem I had with the book was that it was quite thin in terms of material any way. It had nice texts but everything else I felt was lacking substance.

What would you do? What could you propose or recommend?

I would really appreciate some advice as I only have a few weeks before the start of the new semester.

Regards

[susan53]

Exam Practice

1)There's material on the Cambridge ESOL site which you can download and use : Cambridge ESOL: Certificate in Advanced English (CAE)

2)There are also practice activities here and here and I'm sure you'll find more if you do a Google search.

3)I always tell my students that it's useful to redo exercises anyway. You won't want just to plough through the book again, but occasionally try giving them a photocopy of an exercise they've done before, getting them to do it and then check their answers against the corrected version of the activity that they already have in their books.

Other material

Remember that not every lesson has to be exam practice, and there's loads of stuff on the web that's suitable for the level.

1. Try the BBC's Words in the News for instance or the Watch and listen recordings which I find I can turn into a lesson in about 20 minutes using the framework :
A . Discussion/Prediction - I give the students the topic and ask them to discuss what they know about it and/or what they think the text is going to say.
B. Gist Listening - Listen to the text (you can play the recording or read it yourself if you've not got internet in the room) - does the text confirm what you said, contradict it or give different information.
C. Detailed Listening - Ss listen again and answer 5 or 6 detailed questions on the text
D. Language work - Give out the transcript turned into an exercise similar to one they might have to do in the use of English part of the exam.
E. I then go to the site's quiznet section, and find a quiz which consolidates or extends the students' knowledge of a grammar or vocabulary area which came out of the text - again this can be printed out.

Because the framework is always the same, the only parts that need preparing are C + D, and because you already know what exercise type you want to use, even D is very quick.

I have a lot on file and will gladly send you some examples if you PM me.

You may find other stuff on the site which you can use - those are just the ones I use most at that level.

2. And don't forget some of the sites advertised here - Heads Up English for example has material which is great for the level, with ready made lesson plans.

[Tannoy]

A big thank you Susan

You gave me an idea that I should maybe develop some bog standard way of 'converting' some authentic material into certain exams tasks. I suppose this will be the only way to tackle the situation.

The only downer is the increased paper printing and extra photocopying. The school has a hang up about it but I suppose if they won't stretch it's the only way

Thanks again, and other suggestions welcomed