The CPE or Cambridge Proficiency in English exam, the most advanced test from Cambridge ESOL is changing from March 2013 so, if you are preparing for the test, be careful when choosing study materials or preparation courses. While the difficulty level of the exam remains the same as before (i.e. level C2 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Language), the structure of the exam is quite different, particularly with regard to the Reading and Use of English Papers, which are now to be combined.

In this post, we will detail the changes which take effect from this year, and explain what you can now expect when taking the exam.

CPE Changes 2013

The CPE exam has always been a test of mental stamina as much as a test of English. The old format of the exam, which survived unaltered for the best part of 14 years, was 6 hours long. 5 hours of that was spent in complete silence completing the Reading, Writing and Use of English papers with durations of 90, 120 and 90 minutes respectively. This always favoured certain type of student with a particularly academic approach to working. The new exam, combining the Reading and Use of English papers into one, 90 minute paper, as well as reducing the duration of the writing paper to 90 minutes from its previous 180, has cut the entire exam duration to a little under 4 hours. The speaking exam has also been cut by 3 minutes making the actual exam duration 3 hours and 56 minutes.

Reading and Use of English Changes

All parts of the old Reading Paper have survived the changes to some extent, although some parts now contain fewer texts and questions. For example, the old part one, which consisted of 3 short texts and 18 questions, now consists of just one text with 10 questions.

The Use of English test, in being combined with the Reading paper has lost the old parts 3 and 5, while the number of questions in the other parts has increased slightly. The new test features are as follows:

Timing: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Number of Questions: 53
Length of Texts: 2,900 – 3,400 in total

CPE Writing Changes

The main changes to the Writing Paper come in Part 1, which remains compulsory, where candidates are now required to read two approximately 100-word texts and then write an essay summarising and evaluating the key ideas of the texts. The focus of the task is discursive and the word count required is 240-280, compared with 300-350 in the old CPE Writing paper Part 1.

In Part 2, the only changes are the omission of the possibility of a “Proposal” being one of the optional tasks, and a reduction of the word count to 280-320 (from a previous 300-350). The test features are as follows:

Timing: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Number of Questions: Candidates complete 2 questions, part 1 being compulsory while choosing one from a choice of 5 in Part 2.
Total Word Count: 520-600

CPE Listening Changes

The listening exam remains 40 minutes long but now contains 2 extra questions with the total number of questions now being 30.

Part 1 is slightly reduced with only 3 short extracts with 2 comprehension questions each, rather than the old 4 extracts. Therefore, part 1 is now 6 questions long as opposed to 8 as before.

Parts 2 and 3 of the CPE listening remain the same as before but part 4 has changed completely. Part 4 now consists of a multiple matching task with a structure precisely the same as the final part of the CAE listening exam. There are 5 short monologues and 10 querstions. This is the task where candidates must do two things simultaneously For example, they may have to deduce the profession of each speaker based on what they say while at the same time identifying which option, from a list, best reflects one of the points expressed in the given monologue. As mentioned, the task is precisely the same format as the final task in the Cambridge Advanced Exam so take a look at an advanced paper to understand what exactly is required here.

Timing: 40 minutes
Number of Questions: 30

Speaking Paper Changes

The speaking paper remains fundamentally the same. Part 1 is now slightly shorter with the introductory conversation reducing in length to 2 minutes meaning that candidates will likely be asked one fewer question.

Part 3 (the individual long turn and joint discussion) is also shorter, having been reduced to 10 minutes from the previous 12. Partly responsible for this reduction in duration is the omission of the open question previously addressed to each candidate in response to the other student’s answer. Previously, after candidate 1 had finished their long turn, candidate 2 was asked “What do you think?”

Now, candidate 2 will be asked to answer a question related to the topic that candidate 1 has been giving their opinion about but the question will be less vague. For example, if candidate 1 has been giving their opinion about the usefulness of certain scientific discoveries, candidate 2 may be asked to opine about which discovery has most affected the way we now live. This brings the CPE exam slightly more in line with the other Cambridge exams such as FCE and CPE, although the CPE continues to use photographic stimuli for the collaborative task rather than the long turn.

Timing: 16 minutes
Task types: Introductory conversation, collaborative picture task and Individual long turn followed by discussion.

Conclusion

The CPE exam remains as complex as ever and the level of English required to be successful has not changed. However, the significant reduction in length makes ther exam more accessible and less demanding in terms of the mental stamina required.

Remember, Desktop English are specialists in Cambridge Exam preparation. Our record of helping students to pass FCE, CAE and CPE is second to none. If you need advice on any matter relating to Cambridge exams, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

Skype English lessons are convenient, economical, and can be extremely effective. The effectiveness of the classes is, of course, dependent upon the quality of your teacher, the professionalism of the school and the structure of the course.

Choosing a teacher for your Skype English lessons

Skype English lessons are no different to lessons at your local academy in terms of what you should expect from your teacher. Firstly, you should check your teacher’s qualifications. There are basically two internationally recognised qualifications for Teachers of English as a Foreign Language and your English teacher should have one of them. They are:

• Cambridge CELTA – A certificate awarded by Cambridge University, the same organisation that administers the FCE, CAE and CPE exams.
• Trinity Tesol – A certificate offered by Trinity College London, the same organisation that administers the Trinity GESE exams for English learners.

It is unusual for a teacher to have both the above qualifications as they are similar.

Besides qualifications, you should find out about your teacher’s experience. Many teachers of English leave the profession after a couple of years because they see it purely as a way to travel. Teaching English is a way for young people from English speaking countries to live abroad and get experience of working in other countries before they begin their long-term career. However, students of English can pay a lot of money for native-speaker teachers so you should demand that the teacher giving your Skype English lessons is an expert in English. Career teachers usually have at least 5 years of experience. It’s wrong to think that any native speaker can teach English. Teaching is a true skill that improves with experience. Make sure that your teacher has it!

Next, make sure that your teacher has experience of Skype English lessons. Teaching online is different to teaching in a classroom. Your teacher needs special skills to ensure your Skype English lessons are effective. These skills come with experience and training so don’t be afraid to ask how much experience your teacher has of delivering quality classes by Skype.

Choosing a school for your Skype English lessons

As I’m sure you have found, there are many online schools offering Skype English lessons. You should definitely shop around. Quality schools will only employ qualified, experienced teachers and will always offer structured Skype English lessons with clear objectives.

Read the school’s blog. Many schools maintain blogs, where their teachers contribute articles on English grammar, vocabulary, resources or other things relevant to English students. Reading the blog is a great way to get get to know the types of people who work for the school, their areas of expertise and a little bit about their personalities. Also, the quality of the information in the blog posts is a good indication of the quality of the teachers delivering the schools’ Skype English lessons.

Avoid schools offering only “conversation classes”. A “conversation” is not a “class”. Research shows that conversation is only useful to language learning when accompanied by guided study. Professional teachers do not do “conversation classes”. They teach!

Make your choice on value, not price. The hourly rate of the class is not the only factor to consider when choosing a school. Good Skype English lessons are designed and structured to maximise the time spent in class. $20 per hour of class may be 20 % cheaper than $25 but, if the school charging $25 is 25% more effective at helping you learn English, it’s better value.

Skype English Lessons with Desktop English

We at Desktop English have a 95% pass rate in all Cambridge and IELTS exams. All our teachers are native speakers with recognised qualifications and a minimum of 5 years of experience teaching English and at least 2 years experience of delivering Skype English lessons.

Our Skype English lessons are specially designed by our team of teachers and include a student book with classwork and homework. Our Skype English lessons are all fully prepared with clear objectives and regular progress checks. Our teachers work outside of class time making detailed corrections of your homework and preparing personalised worksheets for you.

Click here to view our Cambridge FCE course

Click here to view our Cambridge CAE course

Click here to view our Cambridge CPE course

Click here to view our IELTS courses

Click here to view our General English courses

In the FCE reading part 1, you must read a text and answer 8 multiple choice questions. For each question, there are 4 options to choose from. Each question is worth 2 marks towards your final score. This part is testing you on a number of skills including reading for detail, tone, opinion and gist. In this post, we will examine the best way to approach FCE reading part 1.

1. Read the title. Think what the text is going to be about. Doing this will help you immediately engage with the text
2. Read the first paragraph. This will give you an overview of what the text is actually about.
3. Now read only the opening and concluding sentences of the other paragraphs. Almost always, you can determine what the paragraph is about by doing this. This is a key part of skim reading, which is a useful skill for both Cambridge and IELTS exams.
4. Give each paragraph a title. You can write these titles on the exam paper. This will help you remember the information that each paragraph contains when you come to answer the questions.
5. Now read the question and think carefully about exactly what it is asking.
6. Finally, using your paragraph titles to help you, locate the part of the text which answers the question and and underline the information. Compare the underlined text to the four options and decide on the correct one. You may need to use a process of elimination to help you do this.

Remember that in FCE reading part 1, never leave a question unanswered. If you’re not sure it’s still better to have a guess!

Desktop English offer a First Certificate Course with personal tuition.

If you want to pass the FCE exam, our online preparation course is the perfect way to study. Our professional Cambridge Celta qualified teachers have years of experience in preparing students for Cambridge exams. See what we can offer you here!

Knowing when to use gerunds in English can be difficult. In this blog, we will explore the occasions when it is necessary to use the gerund form.

When a verb ends in “-ing”, it may be a gerund or a present participle. It is important to understand that they are not the same.

When we use a verb in the “-ing” form more like a noun, it is usually a gerund:

Example: Fishing is fun.

When we use a verb in -ing form more like a verb or an adjective, it is usually a present participle:

Examples:

Let’s take a look at when we use the gerund.

Gerunds as subjects of clauses or sentences

A gerund can be used in the same way as a noun, i.e as the subject or object of a clause or a sentence

Example: Walking is good for your health.

In the example, walking is a gerund. It is used as the subject of the sentence.

Gerunds following specific verbs

Gerunds are used as the objects of certain verbs. In this case, you cannot use the infinitive form.

Example: Paula enjoys watching foreign films.

Here are some common verbs that are followed by a gerund:

• quit - She quit smoking last week.
• finish - Have you finished doing your homework?
• stop** – I must stop eating so much choolate.
• avoid - You shoud avoid working to hard.
• keep - I have to keep saving money If I want to go on holiday.
• suggest - He suggested going to the cinema this evening.
• consider - Have you considered going back to school?

** Stop can be followed by the infinitive when being used to speak about purpose.

Example: I saw an old lady fall in the street yesterday so I stopped to help her.

As the objects of prepositional phrases

A gerund is often used as the object of prepositional phrases. Verb + preposition + gerund

Examples:

• We talked about going to the park this weekend.
• I’m interested in doing an Italian course.
• I’m used to driving on the left hand side of the road.**
• I’m looking forward to meeting you.**

** In the final two examples, the “to” is part of a verb + prepostion combination, not part of an infinitive form, so a gerund follows.

Some common preposition combinations which need a gerund include:

• To think about + gerund – I’m thinking about going on a trip next week.
• To succeed in + gerund – She succeeded in starting a new business.
• To be capable of + gerund – He’s definitely capable of doing a good job.
• To thank someone for + gerund – I thanked him for coming to my party.

Go + gerund

Go can be followed by a gerund in some idiomatic expressions. This mainly occurs when talking about recreational activities

Example: Tomorrow I’m going swimming at the pool.

Some of the recreational activities that take the gerund after “go” are:

• Go fishing
• Go camping
• Go shopping
• Go sightseeing
• Go skiing
• Go sailing

We hope that the problem of when to use gerunds in English is clearer for you now. As always, we’d love you hear your questions or comments so feel free to write them below.

View details about Dekstop English’s Cambridge CAE course

]]> http://www.desktopenglish.net/blog/when-to-use-gerunds-in-english/feed 0 http://www.desktopenglish.net/blog/portmanteau-bollywood http://www.desktopenglish.net/blog/portmanteau-bollywood#comments Mon, 23 Jul 2012 10:44:12 +0000 Steve http://www.desktopenglish.net/?p=2700 Continue reading →]]>

The name Bollywood is a portmanteau that comes from Bombay (the former name for Mumbai) and Hollywood, the centre of the American film industry. Unlike Hollywood, Bollywood does not exist as a physical place.

Many people within Hindi Cinema dislike the name. They feel that the name Bollywood makes the industry look like a poor cousin to Hollywood. In 2005, Bollywood was entered in the English Oxford Dictionnary.

Bombay + Hollywood = Bollywood

Why not invent your own portmanteau in English or tell us about your favourite one? We’d love to hear your ideas!

]]> http://www.desktopenglish.net/blog/portmanteau-bollywood/feed 0 http://www.desktopenglish.net/blog/common-phrasal-verbs-to-take-up http://www.desktopenglish.net/blog/common-phrasal-verbs-to-take-up#comments Fri, 06 Jul 2012 14:52:55 +0000 Steve http://www.desktopenglish.net/?p=2667 Continue reading →]]>

To take up something (usually a hobby, sport or activity)

see also: to start doing…

This phrasal verb is usually separated by its object only when the object is a pronoun – not a noun. Both parts of the verb remain together.

This phrasal verb follows the structure : to take up + object.

Definition

“to take up something” means to begin or start doing something (usually a hobby, sport or activity) regularly. Take a look at the following examples:


Example 1

“Since retiring, I’ve taken up golf to pass the time.”
This means that the speaker has started playing golf regularly.

Example 2

“My mum has taken up painting as a form of relaxation”.
This means that the speakers mother has begun painting regularly to help herself relax.

Usage

The phrasal verb “to take up” is almost always used to describe beginning a hobby, sport or activity and automatically implies that the new activity is regular.

Try an English course with our expert teachers

]]> http://www.desktopenglish.net/blog/common-phrasal-verbs-to-take-up/feed 0 http://www.desktopenglish.net/blog/common-phrasal-verbs-to-bring-about http://www.desktopenglish.net/blog/common-phrasal-verbs-to-bring-about#comments Tue, 03 Jul 2012 15:20:18 +0000 Steve http://www.desktopenglish.net/?p=2624 Continue reading →]]>

To bring about something

see also: to cause, to make happen, to provoke

This phrasal verb is not usually separated by an object. Both parts of the verb must remain together.

This phrasal verb follows the structure : to bring about + object.

Definition

“to bring about something” means to make something happen or to to cause something to happen. Take a look at the following examples:

Example 1

“The current economic crisis has brought about a change in people’s spending habits.”
This means that the economic crisis has caused a change in people’s spending habits.

Example 2

“The riots in Paris brought about the downfall of the French government”.
This means that the riots provoked the downfall of the French government.

The phrasal verb “to bring about” is often collocated with “change”. Other common collocations include: “downfall”, “rise”,”increase”, “decrease”

Try an English course with our expert teachers

]]> http://www.desktopenglish.net/blog/common-phrasal-verbs-to-bring-about/feed 0 http://www.desktopenglish.net/blog/cambridge-speaking-paper-practice http://www.desktopenglish.net/blog/cambridge-speaking-paper-practice#comments Mon, 02 Jul 2012 16:18:06 +0000 Steve http://www.desktopenglish.net/?p=2582 Continue reading →]]>

Describe a photograph competition

Desktop English has launched a monthly photo competition open to anyone and everyone with the prize being a £20 discount on any of our exam courses.

We want you to send us one of your favourite photos (that you, a friend, or a member of your family has taken) with a description of the photo and what it means to you.

Each month will have a theme which will be announced on our Facebook page on the first Friday of each month

The rules are as follows:

• Find this month’s theme on our Facebook page
• Post your photo on our timeline including a full description of the photo. Don’t forget to say why the photo is special to you.
• Make sure your entry is in by the 28th of the month for it to be considered by our judges

Describing photos for Cambridge exams

Remember, Part 2 of the Cambridge FCE and CAE speaking paper is called the “Long Turn”. Candidates are required to speak uninterrupted for a minute about a pair of photographs. You have to describe the photos, compare them, and answer a question about them so the descriptive systems, i.e. grammar and vocabulary, you need to describe your competition photo are the same as the skills you need to succeed in the Cambridge speaking exam. Entering the photo competition is a great opportunity for you to practice for an exam and have your contribution evaluated by trained Cambridge exam specialists.

All winners will be announced on this page and on our Facebook page.

Winners so far….

Month 1 – June 2012

June’s winner was Greg, from Greece. Greg is currently studying for his IELTS exam with Steve. He is a proud Greek and he sends this photo to illustrate the beauty of his country. Next time it could be you winning a special Desktop English prize!

.



I live in Greece which is a wonderful country, with many beautiful places. For the funs of swimming there are a lot of places with crystal clear water. Especially, chalkidiki has the most beautiful beaches. Also there are many mountains with a significant biodiversity and amazing picturesque sceneries. My favourite place is mountain Olympos, because it is a really virgin place with the biggest variety of plants in my country and also you can breath fresh air and relax far away of the everyday’s problems. Also, It’s a really fantastic place for walking. It’s a so wooded area and it’s got an amazing atmosphere. Here is a photo of that area

---

Month 2 – July 2012

This month’s theme is “Around the home”. Your photo can be anything associated with your home, family or daily life. Don’t forget, the closing date for this months competition is the 28th July so get your entries in now,

---

If you want to see all the other competition entries, visit our Facebook page. Don’t forget to keep a look out for the next competition, especially if you want to practise for your Cambridge Speaking paper.

Try an English course with our expert teachers

]]> http://www.desktopenglish.net/blog/cambridge-speaking-paper-practice/feed 0 http://www.desktopenglish.net/blog/cpe-speaking-test-preparation http://www.desktopenglish.net/blog/cpe-speaking-test-preparation#comments Fri, 18 May 2012 15:55:41 +0000 Steve http://www.desktopenglish.net/?p=2500 Continue reading →]]>

The CPE speaking test is divided into 3 parts, each testing your speaking ability in distinctive contexts. The speaking test is best viewed as an opportunity to demonstrate the breadth of vocabulary and the range of grammatical structures that someone with a C2 level of English is expected to possess.

Preparation for the CPE speaking test

Firstly, consider taking a preparatory course such as the one offered by Desktop English. Cambridge estimate that 80% of CPE candidates complete a preparation course before taking the exam. This should be the first consideration if you are interested in the Proficiency exam. An experienced Cambridge exam teacher will be able to manage your preparation regime and identify weak areas where you need to concentrate your energy during your study. Once you have chosen a course, your teacher will help you to:

• Practise the speaking test with other students preparing for the exam and you get feedback about your performance
• Familiarise yourself with the format of each part of the test, including the interaction patterns (i.e. when you are required to speak alone, with the other candidate, with the examiner, or both).
• Become familiar with the timings of each part of the exam and practise speaking for fully 2 minutes in preparation for the long turn in part 3.
• Practise using an expansive vocabulary and a variety of complex structures that enable you to speculate, talk about perception, discuss abstract concepts and to paraphrase where necessary
• Learn how to listen to the questions in the exam to identify what kind of language is required in your answer
• Recognise opportunities in each part to produce the kind of structures and vocabulary required to prove your level

We at Desktop English offer an online preparation course for the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE). Take a look at how we can help you pass.

Desktop English CPE Preparation Course

]]> http://www.desktopenglish.net/blog/cpe-speaking-test-preparation/feed 0 http://www.desktopenglish.net/blog/up-phrasal-verbs-and-preposition http://www.desktopenglish.net/blog/up-phrasal-verbs-and-preposition#comments Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:22:54 +0000 Steve http://www.desktopenglish.net/?p=2457 Continue reading →]]>

In the second in our series of posts about the true meaning of prepositions in English, we examine the word up and look at how native speakers perceive the word both in isolation or as a particle in a phrasal verb.

Up – It’s real meaning

In this blog, I will demonstrate that the meaning of up is literally a direction (i.e. the opposite of down). Additionally, after hundreds of years of linguistic evolution, it has come to form part of a variety of what are known as phrasal verbs, frequently with a meaning that falls into one of the following categories:

• completion
• termination
• fulfilment
• increase
• emergence
• construction
• reconciliation/achieving parity

In exploring the use of the preposition with these meanings, we will find that up has a broader meaning than any of these words so can simultaneously evoke two or more of these meanings at the same time. What’s more, native speakers implicitly understand what up adds to a verb because they have a sense of the meanings described above.

Directional preposition

The most basic use of the word up is as a directional preposition as in the following examples:

• Go up the hill and turn left.
• I climbed up the ladder to clean the windows
• The swimmer came up for air after completing a length of the pool

Whilst this usage of up needs little elaboration, it is important to note that the metaphorical uses of up derive from its use as a directional preposition.

Completion

Close in meaning to termination and fulfilment, up’s use to signify completion is common and can be observed in the following examples:

• We have used up all our food.
• Have you chopped up the vegetables?
• Drink up your coffee! We have to go.
• I had to mop up the mess at the end of the party.
• It’s my turn to wash up the dishes after dinner.

In all of the examples above, up suggests that a task is completed in its entirety. It is added for emphasis and to indicate that the verb preceding it was completed or fulfilled.

Termination

Rather obviously, up’s use to denote termination has significant crossover with the previous meaning, completion. However, there are some extra examples that tend to imply termination or finishing without so explicitly suggesting completion of a task. Here is one:

• I ended up going to the party after the film (This suggests that you went to the party after the termination of the film)

Fulfilment

Again, significant crossover with completion/termination is expected for a word so close in meaning as fulfilment. This illustrates how up has a broader meaning than any of the categories I am using to define it. Take a look at the examples below:

• Hollywood action films very rarely live up to my expectations.
• My brother’s football team didn’t have enough players last Saturday so he asked me to make up the numbers.

Increase

Up when used to imply increase is closely linked to visualising its meaning as a directional preposition, as in the examples below:

• Prices have gone up recently.
• Turn up the volume!
• We need to pump up the ball before we start the game
• Please speak up. I can’t hear you.
• My mobile phone company recently put up their prices

Emergence

The emergent use is also closely linked to the visual meaning of the directional preposition if you imagine that for something to emerge or appear, it often has to rise (as in “the swimmer came up to the surface). Take a look at some examples:

• I can’t come tonight. Something’s come up.
• A message just popped up on my screen.
• I’m going to flag up the issue in the next meeting.
• What’s up with Mark? He’s acting very strangely.

Construction/Composition

Again a visual metaphor, considering that construction is usually something that effectively moves in an upward direction (i.e. a building grows in height as it is constructed), up forms part of a variety of phrasal verbs that describe construction or composition. See the examples below:

• We’ve built up a very good relationship with our clients.
• Water is made up of two parts hydrogen and one part water
• The police are putting up a roadblock to prevent the robbers from leaving town

Reconciliation/Achieving parity

This is perhaps the most difficult of the uses to explain (hence why I left it until last). There are a variety of uses of up which have something to do with reconciliation, in the sense of restoring harmony (in a relationship or in accounting) , or achieving parity in much the same sense as restoring harmony. The examples below elaborate this idea:

• I fight a lot with my sister but we always make up in the end.
• My brother’s football team didn’t have enough players last Saturday so he asked me to make up the numbers (notice the crossover in meaning with the same example under the heading, “Fulfillment”).
• I need to catch up on my work as I’ve been so busy lately.
• Manchester United were in second place for much of the season but they eventually caught up with Manchester City

Conclusion

Metaphor, as explained beautifully by Guy Deutscher in his book “The Unfolding of Language” is key to the creation of language. Phrasal verbs in English give us great insight into this process. Of course, some metaphors are so old that their meaning is lost such as in the example “to pull up” meaning to stop a vehicle. This refers to the direction in which a horse’s reins are pulled in order to stop it. Of course, this holds little obvious meaning in modern society but the meaning is retained, even when we stop a car. Such examples often make the meaning of phrasal verbs difficult to understand unless one is familiar with the expression.

However, I find that generally, for whatever reason, by whatever metaphorical process, the use of up in verb phrases can be defined by the meanings detailed here:

completion, termination, fulfilment, increase, emergence, construction, reconciliation/achieving parity

Try an English course with our expert teachers

Why not take a look at our proofreading or essay correction services.

]]> http://www.desktopenglish.net/blog/up-phrasal-verbs-and-preposition/feed 2