x

Tips on preparing fo r

C1 Advanced and C2

Proficiency.

Webinar by Claire Barnes

Reading
The main reading skills at the C1 level are the following:

skimming — reading a text to decide whether it’s

interesting and relevan

scanning — reading a text to understand it in detail,

for example, for information to support researc

quickly locating information in a longer tex

following instructions.

The C2 level demands even higher expertise. Learners need

to show precise and wide vocabulary, the ability to recognise

an opinion, attitude, and tone.

At this level, they should understand:

the gist, function, and message of a tex

the line of argumen

the lexical meanin

the organisation of a tex

specific informatio

an underlying meaning.

The reading part is considered easier than others, but it has

some pitfalls.

Part 5. Multiple choice

If your students get scared of long texts, show the options

for each question one by one in an animated presentation or

on the blackboard. Explain that questions follow the order of

the text. One paragraph contains one answer.

In big classes, divide students into groups of four and give

each of them one statement (option) to find the proof in the

text.

Useful tips for Part 5

Read the text quickly to get a general idea

Read the questions and check your understanding,

’
but don t choose the options yet, not until you read

the text again. Can you find the answers

Remember that the answers follow the order of the

questions and are usually spread throughout the text.

Part 6. Cross-text multiple

matching

This task consists of four short extracts from academic texts

on the same subject and four questions which come after

the texts. Each correct answer gives two marks.

This task tests the ability to identify similarities, differences,

and connectors between options and attitudes.

Useful tips for Part 6

Read the four texts and make sure you understand

what they are about

Pay particular attention to any opinions and attitudes

expressed

Identify any similarities or differences of opinion

which are immediately obvious

Read the questions one at a time and identify the

aspect of the topic they are focused on

To answer the questions, you will need to keep this

topic in mind and then scan the texts as often as

necessary looking for similarities or differences of

opinion.

You will always have to compare all the texts with

each other to find the correct answer

Look through the question prompts and underline the

keywords

Read the texts quickly to identify the parts which

directly refer to the opinions and points of view of

each writer

Study these sections again very carefully to make

sure you fully understand them

Read all the texts again to find where the other

writers talk about the same issues. Which of the other

three sections is the question referring to ? This will
require careful reading as the opinions will be

expressed in different ways

Some questions may ask you to identify the writer

whose opinion is different from the other three. To do

this, go through the te хts and underline the sections

where the issue is discussed. Then read the texts

again to see who has a different opinion

Mark your answers and read one more time to check.

Part 8. Multiple matching

This part is present both in C1 and C2 exams. Start from Part 8

as it is easier to get more points for it. It involves one or two

sets of questions — ten in total. A single page of text may be

continuous or divided into sections. The emphasis in the task

is on locating specific information: a detail, opinion, and an

attitude. Questions are printed before the text. Each correct

answer will bring you one mark.

Useful tips for Part 8

Read the questions first and underline the main ideas

Read the first text section

Identify which question it answers

Deal with each section in the same way.

Part 7. Gapped text

Students will get an extract from an article with six

paragraphs removed from it. The task is to choose the

paragraphs which fit the gaps. There is one extra paragraph

which they do not need to use.

To practise Part 7 with a class, you can cut a text and ask

students to put the parts in the right order.

Useful tips for Part 7

Read the title

Skim the text to understand the general idea

Underline any reference words or phrases in the text

which refer to the previous or the following missing

paragraph

Read the missing paragraphs and look for the subject

matter and language links

Match any gaps and missing paragraphs that seem

relevant.

Look for words and phrases in the text indicating:

tim

cause and effec

contrasting argument

paraphrasing of vocabular

use of pronouns and proper noun

repetition of words and idea

use of verb tenses.

Learning training

Guide learners towards textual clues:

Devices Examples from the text

names and pronouns

London, it

contrast word s

however, although

direct speech and quotation

marks

sequencing words

(chronology markers )

first, then, finally

verb tenses

Past Simple, Past Perfect

repetition of ideas

cause and effec t

as a result

Listening

At both the C1 and C2 levels, candidates have to show they

can:

engage with a range of recorded texts of different

length

understand a variety of contexts (for example,

interviews, lectures, talks, radio broadcasts,

conversations).

To successfully pass this part of the exam, students need to

be able to:

deal with a variety of accents, speeds, styles of

deliver

recognise paraphrase and its function

distinguish main information from detail or subsidiary

point and follow the line of argumen

follow connections between ideas and spot answers

even if the evidence comes late

stay calm and do the second listening for missed

answer

use silent times to predict and prepare for the task,

check and confirm the answer

spell correctly.

Preparation tips: Listening

Tips Details

Use the script Integrate reading skills to work on

paraphrase and clues

Use real-life listening A variety of programmes, reports,

(the internet) speaker

YouTube interviews
BBC World Service Outlook

podcast

BBC 6-minute Englis

Classroom discussion activities

Encourage students Multiple choice, gapped texts, using

to create listening the script

tasks

Practise in a variety Free response, lead-in to discussion

of tasks, not just

exam-related

Establish prediction Create a habit of getting in focus

as a routine and activating cognitive resources

Ask students to This helps linguistically

summarise what the (paraphrases) and cognitively

speaker has said (alertness)

People from different countries have different accents and

speech peculiarities, so let your students listen to non-native

speakers.

A useful website to practise listening is Elllo.com. The website

offers:

audio and script

vocabulary developmen

post-listening qui zze

speakers from around the world.

Part 2. Sentence completion

The task is to listen to a short monologue and complete the

sentences with a word or short phrase.

Useful tips for Part 2

Read the text for detail

Look at the grammar on the left and right of each gap

Try to figure out what type of words could work, e.g. a

verb, noun, preposition, or an adverb

Make predictions
Listen and check your understanding

Check if the answers make sense, mind the meaning

and grammar.

Part 4. Multiple matching

This part is quite hard as it has two parallel tasks, for

example: listen to five speakers and define the reasons for

their decisions (1) and emotions (2). Be prepared: the answer

to a Task 2 question can come before the answer to a Task 1

question. For young learners, it can be hard to predict the

answers as they have less life experience and do not know

about some attitudes and opinions.

Useful tips for Part 4

Listen to the instructions and check your

understanding

Think about the topic, the speaker, and the context as

you read the questions

Use the pause to read the questions and try to

predict the answers

Remember that in Parts 1 –3 the order of information

on the recording corresponds to the order of

information or questions on the page, but this is not

always the case in Part 4.

Tips for teachers

Brainstorm adjectives you might expect to see in Part 4

Compare your adjectives with the questions

Discuss with a partner the differences in meaning of

the adjectives

What follow-up activities could be done to build on the

language ?
Remind learners that the monologues have a thematic

link

Encourage learners to think about the theme of the

texts and the kinds of attitudes and opinions they

expect to hear on the topic

As in Part 3, a sound knowledge of the type of words

used to report attitudes and feelings (in the questions)

will help learners

Learners need practice in completing their answers: it

is very easy to put answers in the wrong box, as they

need to catch and record ten answers.