BY51 SAMPLE TEST

Information for candidates

The BY51 exam is an oral exam. It tests the ability to communicate in English at B1 level; speaking

(fluency, interaction, pronunciation, the connection and development of ideas), listening and also reading, vocabulary and grammar.

You can prepare for the exam by doing the courses BYA5 and BYA6. They use the textbook New English File Intermediate and also Moodle.

Two students will normally be tested at the same time. There will be two examiners. One will interview you and the other will

write your marks on a form, which will be archived. You should SPEAK CLEARLY so the examiner can hear you. The exam normally takes about 25 minutes. You will not get your result during your test; it will be added to the

intranet at the end of the day after the exams have all finished. You need to get 50% in the test to pass. You must bring your identity card (občanský průkaz) or passport to the

exam so the examiners can check your identity. A student’s card is not enough. If you are from another faculty, be ready to show the examiners your official photograph on your faculty’s intranet. Make sure you have a photo there before the day of your test, or you may not be allowed to take the exam

You should also bring a pen with you for the short writing part.

THE EXAM

1. The interviewer will start the test by asking you some general questions. Here are some examples:

Do you enjoy films? Do you prefer Czech or foreign films?Where do you live? Do you like living there?What do you enjoy doing in your free time? Why do you like it?Have you ever been on a camping holiday? What happened?Do you have any pets? What do you think they are doing at the moment?Which do you like more, the summer or the winter? Why? What do you think about mountain climbing?People say men don’t like shopping. Is this always true?

2. The interviewer will ask you to solve a small problem with your colleague. You need to speak for 2 minutes, so you should discuss all the options together before making a final decision.

Here is an example task:

Examiner: “I’m going to describe a situation to you. Imagine you go to a badly-equipped school. Your teacher has asked you for ideas about how to improve it. Talk about what improvements would be most useful.”

3. In this section you will speak alone for one minute about one or more photographs. The interviewer and your colleague will be silent. You can

say what is present in the picture (describe it), what is happening and also what has happened or is going to happen. You can also give your own opinions on the content or quality of the picture and say how it connects with your life and experience.

Here is an example task. The pictures are on the next page. Normally they will be larger and in colour; this is just an example. Examiner: “Here are two pictures showing places where people can go shopping. You have one minute to talk about the pictures; you can say anything you want to.”

4. In this part of the test, if you are in a pair, one student will be tested on vocabulary and the other will be given 5 grammar questions to study. Then, the second student will be tested on vocabulary while the other will study a different set of grammar questions. If you are being tested without a partner then you will get the vocabulary questions first, and then the grammar questions will follow. Let’s look at the vocabulary parts first.

In the first vocabulary task the interviewer will ask you to name four things from a certain topic. This vocabulary can be found in the book New English File Intermediate. Example:

Examiner: “Now for some vocabulary. Can you name four types of transport”?

5. In the second vocabulary task you will hear four definitions and tell the interviewer what the answers are. Example question:

Examiner: “Let’s see if you know some more vocabulary. Sometimes men and women with long hair tie it behind their head so it hangs down the back. This style is named after part of an animal. What is it?” (ponytail)

6. Now, both students will be tested on grammar questions, which will be in the form of 5 sentences. You will need to say what is missing from the sentence, choose the correct answer from 4 possibilities or say the sentence in a different way. The sentences test the grammar covered in the courses BYA5 and BYA6, i.e. typical intermediate level English grammar. Here are some examples, with answers:

a. My mother _________ (work) in a bank. (works)b. How will she________ (celebrate) if she _____ (pass) the exam?

(celebrate, passes)c. The world record for the 100 metre sprint _________________ (break)

yesterday by an Ethiopian athlete. (was broken)d. Choose the correct answer from: a. Do b. Will c. Am d. Shall

You look hungry. ______ I make you a sandwich? (Shall)e. Can you transform this sentence into reported speech? The shop assistant

said: “I’m sorry but we have just sold the last one.” The shop assistant told me that he __________ but they _________________the last one. (was sorry, had just sold)

7. The final part focuses on reading. You will read 5 very short texts and answer one question on each.

Example:

THE SANDWICH CORNER

TASTY WHOLESOME FOOD AT GREAT PRICES

OPEN 7 AM - 6 PM WEEKDAYS, 9 AM – 5 PM AT WEEKENDS.

Question:What can you buy at this shop at 8 o’clock in the morning on Saturday?

Answer: Nothing – it’s closed.

After 5 reading questions for each student the test has finished.

FAST students will be given their test result via the intranet after the whole exam is complete. If you are from outside FAST then the examiner should inform you of your result by e-mail; the exact method by which your grade will be officially given to you is different for each faculty.