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Success in C1 Advanced: ReadingPreparation tips and strategies
Webinar for Estonian teachers
Summer / Autumn 2019
Simona Petrescu
Assessment Services
Cambridge Assessment English
C1 AdvancedKey facts
4 papers:•Reading (+ Use of English)•Writing•Listening•Speaking
Overall length: about 4 hoursCambridge English Scores: 180-199
Extended certification
Scores: 180-210 – results + C1 Advanced certificate
•200-210 (grade A) – C1 Advanced certificate with CEFR C2 level certified
Scores: 160-179 – results + B2 (not B2 First!) certificate Scores: 142-159 – results, no certificate
Typical challenges
Reading & Listening
Retrieving meaning
Paraphrasing
Collocations, chunks
Writing
Organisation
Language
Speaking
Managing discourse
Interacting effectively
90 minutes8 parts, 56 questionsA range of texts (magazines, newspapers, fiction): opinions, attitudes, tone, implication, organisation features, text structure, cohesion & coherence, global meaningUse of English integrated with reading skills
Reading and Use of English
Overview of Reading task formatsPart Task type Format? What does it test?5 Multiple choice Text + 6 4-option
MCQsdetail, opinion, tone, purpose, main idea, implication, text organisation
6 Cross-text multiple matching
4 short texts, 4 MMQs
opinion, attitude
7 Gapped text (paragraphs)
Text, 6 paragraphs removed and jumbled
cohesion, coherence, text structure, global meaning
8 Multiple matching Text(s) preceded by 10 MMQs
detail, opinion, attitude, specific information
Reading competencesUnderstand meaning within contextCapture gist, detail
Distinguish fact vs opinion; identify writer purpose / point, whole text meaning
Recognize similarities and differences in meaning (alternative wording)
Search for specific information (and dismiss irrelevant text)
Understand text and sentence structure and integrate with meaning
Deal with unknown vocabularyInterpret meaning but check textual evidenceUse different reading strategies for different tasksTime management
To be successful in Reading, students will need to be able to…
Choose answers based on text evidenceIdentify distractors Recognize paraphraseRecognize coherence of a text, and cohesive signposts, e.g. this / that / it / howeverApply different reading strategies, e.g. skimming and scanning, both quickly and accurately
Find evidence in the text •Language (collocations, reference words)•Critical thinking skills
•Train differentiated reading strategies for time management (skim, scan etc)
•Combine detailed with holistic interpretation•Matching is never word-spotting
ReadingStrategies and tactics for preparation
• Skim the whole text• For each question read the corresponding section and
underline relevant parts. Select the answer, then check that the other options are wrong.
• If question stem incomplete, search in the text for the complete idea (stem + one of options A-D).
How to approach Part 5?
Cover choices A-D, open questionDelete 2 distractors, only leave 2 options instead of 4Identify text evidence for the correct answer, and against each of the 3 distractorsOnly provide open questions (no options) and have students discuss each question in pairs / groupsStudents re-write relevant text section so as to fit one of the distractorsStudents draw idea maps of the text
How to develop reading skills for Part 5?Classroom ideas
Open a street map of any city and you see a diagram of all the possible routes one could take in traversing or exploring it. Superimpose on the street map the actual traffic flows that are observed and you see quite a different city: one of flows. The flows show how people actually travel in the city, as distinct from how they could. This helps in thinking about the internet and digital technology generally. In itself the technology has vast possibilities, as several recent books emphasise, but what we actually wind up doing with it is, at any point in time, largely unknown.
The reviewer starts with the metaphor of a city map in order to illustrate…?
Open a street map of any city and you see a diagram of all the possible routes one could take in traversing or exploring it. Superimpose on the street map the actual traffic flows that are observed and you see quite a different city: one of flows. The flows show how people actually travel in the city, as distinct from how they could. This helps in thinking about the internet and digital technology generally. In itself the technology has vast possibilities, as several recent books emphasise, but what we actually wind up doing with it is, at any point in time, largely unknown.
A the difficulty in understanding the complexity of the internetB the degree to which the internet changes as time passesC the difference between potential and real internet useD the importance of the internet in people‘s lives today.C the difference between potential and real internet use
The reviewer starts with the metaphor of a city map in order to illustrate:
Open a street map of any city and you see a diagram of all the possible routes one could take in traversing or exploring it. Superimpose on the street map the actual traffic flows that are observed and you see quite a different city: one of flows. The flows show how people actually travel in the city, as distinct from how they could. This helps in thinking about the internet and digital technology generally. In itself the technology has vast possibilities, as several recent books emphasise, but what we actually wind up doing with it is, at any point in time, largely unknown.
A the difficulty in understanding the complexity of the internetB the degree to which the internet changes as time passesC the difference between potential and real internet useD the importance of the internet in people‘s lives today.
Open a street map of any city and you see a diagram of all the possible routes one could take in traversing or exploring it. Superimpose on the street map the actual traffic flows that are observed and you see quite a different city: one of flows. There are so many different ways of representing a city. This helps in thinking about the internet and digital technology generally. In itself the technology has vast possibilites, as several recent books emphasise, but it‘s essential that we understand what we want to use it for, which may not be such an easy task.
The reviewer starts with the metaphor of a city map in order to illustrate:
• Skim the texts, identify general attitude of each writer• Underline any relevant parts reflecting attitude or opinion.• For each question underline the key words. Search for
information in the relevant text(s).
How to approach Part 6?
Encourage discussion (compare / contrast) of viewpoints in texts before attempting task (hide questions)Draw idea maps or fill in tablesProvide one text at a time (in groups), discuss attitudes expressed – students agree / disagree
How to develop reading skills for Part 6?Classroom ideas
Why are arts significant to society?Is the taste for arts in the humans‘ DNA? What aspects of our lives do arts contribute to?What is a wrong approach to evaluating the importance of the arts?
Agree? Disagree?
Underline the parts of the texts which could most appropriately be replaced by:
I know many people will strongly disagree with me, but I believe ...I’m still not convinced that …I agree with this, by the way …It’s obvious that ...Although nobody can argue with this ...In spite of the validity of this argument, I’m not convinced it’s entirely relevantI’m absolutely convinced that …I can’t find any grounds for disagreement ...
Lana Esslett
Seth North Heather Charlton
Mike Konecki
The effect of the arts on behaviour towards others
√
The value of studying the arts compared to other academic subjects
√
The human species has a genetic predisposition towards the arts
The arts relate to demands to conform
√
• Skim text ignoring the gaps• Skim the jumbled paragraphs• Read text, examine and underline clues before and after
each gap• For each gap select the missing paragraph• Read the whole text again at the end• Check why the extra paragraph does not fit anywhere
How to approach Part 7?
Provide isolated paragraphs and ask: what do you think was said before / what do you think will be said next?For each gap provide 2 paragraph options, students select the right oneRaise awareness of, and practise, various reference and cohesive devicesAsk students to provide headings for each paragraph in the text, draw idea maps
How to develop reading skills for Part 7?Classroom ideas
Most people find change unsettling and difficult to adapt to.
Many societies have experienced such rapid change in the early years of the 21st century, that life can feel very daunting at times.
Various commentators have put forward suggestions for coping with change on a personal level.
One suggestion involves thinking of three solutions to a problem, rather than two.
Apparently, many people faced with change respond by considering two possible courses of action, but invariably tend to reject both of these.
However, thinking instead of three potential solutions is a strategy which, according to research, provides a reliable way of finding a solution to the initial problem.
Most people find change unsettling and difficult to adapt to. Many societies have experienced such rapid change in the early years of the 21st century, that life can feel very daunting at times. Various commentators have put forward suggestions for coping with change on a personal level.
One suggestion involves thinking of three solutions to a problem, rather than two. Apparently, many people faced with change respond by considering two possible courses of action, but invariably tend to reject both of these. However, thinking instead of three potential solutions is a strategy which, according to research, provides a reliable way of finding a solution to the initial problem.
Another strategy advocates learning to avoid set patterns of routine behaviour. Something simple, like taking another route to work at least once a week, is seen as encouraging confidence in the face of uncertainty. Despite the simplicity of these ideas, they nevertheless help prepare people mentally to manage major change if necessary.
• Underline key words in the questions.• Skim the text.• Scan the text searching for equivalent of the key words in
each question. Once the answer seems to be found, read the section in detail.
• Check at the end (similar info may be provided in two different sections).
How to approach Part 8?
Raise awareness of, and practise, skimming and scanning, e.g. as a lead-in to any other reading taskDo timed skimming / scanning exercises Practise paraphrase and synonymsIntegrate sentence transformations („say it in other words“)
How to develop reading skills for Part 8?Classroom ideas
Predict
Tell students the topic of the text. What might they read about?
Timed scan
All instances of the word “job”All time expressionsWhat do the expressions refer to?
Skim
Provide heading to each section
Do task
Hand out questions, students answer task
Preparation: resources
Free materialswww.cambridgeenglish.org2 free sample tests (Handbook for Teachers)
https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/teaching-english/resources-for-teachers/
• Download audio files
• Search for lesson plans by skill
• Guide on assessment (Writing, Speaking)
YouTube channel Cambridge English TV:
• Speaking tests
• Webinar recordings
Free materialswww.cambridgeenglish.org2 free sample tests (Handbook for Teachers)
https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/teaching-english/resources-for-teachers/
• Download audio files
• Search for lesson plans by skill
• Guide on assessment (Writing, Speaking)
YouTube channel Cambridge English TV:
• Speaking tests
• Webinar recordings
Cambridge University Press
What are the next steps?After CEPT results
Mock Test
• C1 Advanced (Handbook)• If possible, all papers; average 65%
Diagnosis
• Identify weak areas• Decide on which exam session
Work
• Next session: practice tests• Spring session: practice tests with language
revision / remedial work
