Exam Preparation Journey

Pack 6: Demonstrating progress

A2 Key for Schools posters and classroom activities (see Teacher essentials)

B1 Preliminary for Schools posters and classroom activities (see Teacher essentials)

B2 First for Schools posters and classroom activities (see Teacher essentials)

Teaching vocabulary effectively is so important as it forms the foundation for language learning. The Cambridge Dictionary has about 140,000 words and phrases in it, so it can be difficult to know where to begin. Here, we include tips and strategies to help you teach vocabulary successfully.

Top 5 tips for teaching vocabulary: where to start?

1. Provide a context

Vocabulary presented in a context helps learners to understand the meaning, for example:
through a story, pictures, real objects, listening to or reading a text, or a video. Contexts that are relevant to learners’ lives and interests provide the best hooks and are the most meaningful. You can use mime, gestures, facial expressions, the tone of your voice and your own examples to provide important information about meaning and use.

2. Find out what they know

Discover and elicit what learners already know in English before ‘teaching’ something new. For example, use visuals and ask questions like What’s this in English? What can you see? What is she saying? Find a word in the text that means … If they don’t know, tell them. But give them the opportunity to try and show you what they know first! You could challenge them to write all the words they know on a certain topic to see what they already know. Once you can see what your students know, you can build on their existing knowledge.

3. Provide information about new vocabulary

Provide example sentences so that learners can see how to use new vocabulary in a sentence – you could take these from a text or create your own sentences to describe visuals. Ask questions to highlight important information, for example Is it a verb, noun or adjective? Is it countable or uncountable? [for nouns] Is it regular or irregular? [for verbs] How do you know? Encourage learners to use reliable sources such as the Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary to discover and check the meaning of vocabulary by themselves.

4. Check understanding

Ask questions to evaluate what your learners have understood, such as Is this a …? What’s this? Show me … What’s the opposite of …? What’s another word for …? How do you say … in your language? Ask learners for their own examples, using the new vocabulary, for example; Think of three ways we can protect the environment. Tell me what you can do if your car breaks down. Set tasks like matching vocabulary to pictures, selecting flashcards, defining words and choosing the right word from a pool to go in a sentence. Notice how students respond to the tasks, and review meaning, form and pronunciation as needed.

5. Help learners to use the language

Provide multiple opportunities for learners to use the new language in games, conversations, discussions, problem-solving and role plays. Make sure students have opportunities to use language to talk and write about themselves, their lives and their opinions about things that matter to them. The more they use language in a personalised and meaningful way, the better they will remember it.

Vocabulary lists

Vocabulary lists are great classroom tools for activity ideas and a point of reference for specific levels. For A2 and B1 levels, Cambridge has wordlists to support teachers and learners, and provide focus on vocabulary suited to the right level. Vocabulary is listed both alphabetically and thematically, making it easier to look up words and plan lessons around specific topics.

Vocabulary booklet

The B1 Preliminary for Schools vocabulary booklet contains motivating and communicative classroom activities to encourage learners to practise the vocabulary they will need to succeed in the B1 Preliminary for Schools exams. Use this booklet if you’re preparing students for exams or if you’re teaching an B1 general English class and are looking for new ideas.

Each activity is designed to practise a specific vocabulary set from the B1 Preliminary for Schools vocabulary list, but many are generic and can be used with other vocabulary topics – see the ‘Adapt it’ section for suggestions. Crucially, all activities include the tips and strategies mentioned above for teaching vocabulary effectively in your classroom.

The booklet provides detailed information on how to set up and proceed with each activity in class. There are also ideas for adapting activities for other topics and mixed classes through the ‘Extra support’ and ‘Extra challenge’ sections.

Lots of links and great ideas for tackling this sometimes-problematic area

Pack 6: Demonstrating progress and the Speaking mock test...

Halfway through the journey: expanding and refining language

Practical activities for expanding vocabulary and refining grammar skills

By Allen Davenport and Sarah Ellis

Key resources

B2 First for Schools class lesson plans (Entertainment)

Keeping students motivated and informed

As we reach the midpoint of the exam journey, it’s the perfect time to assess our progress and chart a clear path for the road ahead. Let’s explore effective ways to expand vocabulary and refine grammar skills, complete with practical activities that you can use in your classroom as we journey into the second half of our expedition.

Targeting exam training

Whether you’ve done the mock test with your students, or you are about to, begin by optimising use of the Cambridge Trainers. These help to reinforce language and provide further training for the exam experience. Focusing on one part of the exam per week is an excellent way to expand real exam practice in a manageable way.

Try to link the part of the exam you choose to topics already explored in class to provide seamless links between classroom activities and exam practice. For example, if you’ve discussed films and entertainment, choose a test section related to this theme. This connection helps bridge what students have learned with what lies ahead.

Whether the unit was towards the beginning of the course or more recent, reminding students that they have experience related to the topic can help them feel more confident with the task at hand. After all, we are only at the midpoint of the course, and students may still be finding some parts of the exam a challenge. It is important to remind them that there is still time to improve, and that they are not expected to get all the answers correct.

Refining grammar and language

At this point in the course, we need to expand on and improve students’ understanding of the vocabulary and grammar they will encounter in the exam. Here are some activities you might like to try in class with your students.

Vocabulary activities

Weighty Words – Examine the texts or audio scripts to find the words that hold the most meaning in the context of the topic. For example, students could find the 10 most important words in the text that are related to the topic. Challenge students to explain why these words are significant and how they contribute to understanding the text.
Collocation Challenge – Investigate word combinations (e.g. adjective + noun) to identify common collocations within the text. Discuss the impact of these word pairings on the overall meaning. Encourage students to create their own sentences using these collocations. This can lead to understanding of how words relate to each other in discourse, which is often overlooked in vocabulary teaching.
Synthesising and Personalising – Incorporating personalised vocabulary learning is also important, especially to support students in the productive skills of reading and writing. Teachers can look back at different themes that were explored previously and see if there is a way to combine those themes into a new speaking or writing task. For instance, if the students previously had one unit on travel and a separate unit on staying healthy, we could give them a prompt (for either speaking or writing) such as ‘When you travel somewhere, do you tend to eat more healthily or less healthily than when you are at home?’ This allows them to use vocabulary from multiple areas and enhances their ability to communicate effectively.

A grammar treasure hunt

Select a grammar point: Choose a specific grammar point or concept that you’ve covered in your course and that is likely to appear in the Cambridge exam. For example, if you’ve been teaching the use of the second conditional, focus on that.
Text analysis: Provide students with the text from the reading or listening section they’ve just completed. Instruct them to search for sentences or phrases in the text that exemplify this grammar point. Encourage them to underline or highlight these instances.
Identify and discuss: Ask students to share the sentences or phrases they found and explain how the grammar point was used in each case. Encourage them to discuss the meaning and context of the sentences.
Create new examples: Challenge students to create new sentences using the second conditional or to make questions for other students to answer. For example, if you could visit one country in the world, where would you go? If you had a special power, what would you be able to do? This activity helps them practise applying the grammar concept in various situations.
Peer review: Encourage peer review by having students exchange their created sentences or questions with a partner. Partners can evaluate each other’s sentences for correctness and effectiveness in conveying the intended meaning, before answering the questions in a class or group discussion.
Class consolidation: Discuss common challenges and clarify any doubts related to the grammar point. This collaborative approach reinforces understanding and allows students to learn from one another.

Now you’re halfway through the exam journey, the focus is on reflecting on past lessons and choosing activities to correct any lingering language issues, keeping everyone on track for the road ahead.

Practical activities for expanding vocabulary and refining grammar skills

Ideas for using the ‘Information for candidates’ booklets in class

By Sangeeta Sathe

Key resources

Information for candidates B1 Preliminary for Schools

What to expect on exam day (video)

By this mid-point on the exam journey students will have covered all areas of the exam, might have done the mock exam and will have an idea about what will happen on exam day. This is a good moment to review what they know and check if they still have questions. You can do this using the Information for candidates booklet: an essential guide for students where they can find information about the exam, tips on preparation and what happens on exam day and beyond. It’s a good idea to show your learners the booklet and help them become familiar with it in class.

A booklet race

Start with a ‘get to know the booklet race’. Give students access to a digital or printed copy of the booklet and ask questions such as:

Where can you find information about the Writing paper?
What can you see on page 20?
What kind of information is in the star boxes?
Where does it tell you what to bring on exam day?

All about the exam

Help students feel confident about what they need to do in each part of the exam with an exam skills quiz.

Divide the class into pairs or groups. Each one takes a section of the exam: Reading and Use of English, Writing, Speaking or Listening.
Each group writes five questions based on information in the booklet.
When they finish writing questions, they pass their quiz on to the next group who has to find the answers in the booklet.
Continue until groups have done a quiz on each section of the exam. If time is short, groups can just answer one set of questions. This will familiarise them with the information in the booklet so they feel confident about finding answers to their own questions.

An activity like this can be a great confidence booster as it reminds students of how much they know about the exam format while providing them with a source of information for any queries they have.

What happens on the day?

Students also need to be clear about what will happen on the day of the exam. You could put students into pairs to discuss questions like:

What should you do before the exam day?
What happens on the day of the exam?
What do you need to bring?
What shouldn’t you bring?

Use these questions as the starting point for a class discussion. Answer any queries and concerns that come up together in open class or direct students to the relevant section of the Information for candidates booklet.

An information hunt

Alternatively, you could create an ‘information hunt’ about exam day.

Present information from ‘Taking the exam’ on the board but with key information blanked out.
In pairs students discuss the missing info.
Give students the booklet so they can find the answers.

At the end of the activity, let students ask questions and resolve any worries they have about exam day. If necessary, do this in L1. If students are clear about the procedures on the day, they will feel more comfortable and can focus on the exam itself.

Study tips ideas share

To boost motivation, give students a chance to share what they have learnt about the exam along with study tips and techniques. At this stage it can be useful to share good practice and provide students with ideas and inspiration for the rest of their journey.

Give students three prompts such as:

A study idea that I find really useful
A piece of advice I would give to another student
A tip I’d like to try from the Information for candidates booklet
Something I’m worried about
A website or app that I’ve found really useful

You could do this as a ‘think, pair, share’: students think individually, they talk to their partner about their ideas, they share their ideas with the group. They could share by creating a poster, posting in a shared online document or in a class discussion.

Ideas for using the ‘Information for candidates’ booklets in class

Looking back, moving forward

Classroom activities for reflection and evaluating progress

By Miranda Hamilton

Key resources

Activity: 3-2-1 Starting the countdown to success

Activity: Let’s talk about grammar

Activity: Let’s talk about speaking

You are already halfway through the learning programme and your sights are set on completing the syllabus, refining core language skills and building exam task strategies. But how are your learners doing and how can you support their individual needs as they prepare for exam day?

In this article we examine the midpoint in the exam preparation journey. This is the point to reflect, look back and plan forward. Here are some ideas to help:

Stop and take a snapshot of your learners’ progress.
Look back at the skills and language covered in the syllabus.
Look beyond the midpoint and plan forward.

*See also Pack 2 for ideas on learner journals, setting SMART objectives and study plans.

Identifying strengths and weaknesses

The midcourse test (or mock) is a familiar tool that measures and provides you with learner performance data. What we can’t learn from the test scores is what learners identify as their strengths and which tasks and aspects of language learning they find challenging.

So, why not open the conversation and find out from your learners how they feel about their learning journey and where they need more help?

Don’t try and complete your midpoint reflection in a single lesson – instead build different reflection activities into your timetable over a couple of weeks. This helps to select and focus on a different skill and aspect of language learning on different days. It also gives learners the chance to really think about their strengths and where they feel they need more support, which in turn will help them to build an action plan that is personal to them.

Here are a few ideas you can try with your class to support learner reflection.

Activity 1: 3-2-1 Starting the countdown to success

Open up with a whole-class brainstorm to the board and discussion activity before students take a moment to reflect on their personal highlights of the course, from skills development to new grammar and vocabulary. Encourage your class to feel that they are building on success as they start the countdown and work towards exam day. Find details of the activity in the key resources above.

Activity 2: Let’s talk about… The midpoint reflection and discussion activity

The goal in the Let’s talk about discussion activity is to create space in the lesson for learners to stop, reflect and discuss in small groups how they feel about the grammar and vocabulary, language skills and exam tasks they have been learning. Discussion cards are used to scaffold learners’ reflections. Find a link to example discussion cards in the key resources above. Why not get creative and make your own Let’s talk about cards?

The best approach is to hold Let’s talk about discussions after you have practised the skill you want learners to reflect on, or, after they have completed a series of units and covered different grammar points and exam tasks. Their experience will be fresh in their minds, so they will have more to talk about.

Midpoint reflection and discussions will help you gauge your learners’ confidence levels and perceptions about their progress. Monitor carefully and take whole-class feedback so that you can collect the information you need to help them as they build their own action plans.

Activity 3: Snowballs – reflection on speaking

The goal in this activity is to take ‘hot feedback’ directly after a speaking activity, however, it can be adapted for other language skills. The teacher writes a single question on the board, inviting learners to reflect on the activity. Here are some ideas of questions you could ask, or you can create your own question:

Example questions to build a positive mindset

What did you do well in this speaking activity?
What did you notice your partner did well in this activity?

Example questions about development and progress

What top tip would you recommend that would help someone who wants to improve their speaking?
What do you want to improve with your speaking?

Distribute a sheet of blank A4 paper to each learner. Ask them to write their answers as clearly as possible on their piece of paper, in response to the question on the board. They screw up their piece of paper into a ‘snowball’. Now they are ready to throw their snowballs around the class. After 20 seconds shout ‘Stop!’

Tell them to pick up the snowball nearest to them and read it. Go around the room asking learners to read their ‘snowball’ to the class. Invite a class discussion around the ideas generated. Here are some points you could explore:

1. Similar or different?

How similar or different are your ideas from one another?

2. Class strengths

What does our class feel they did well in the speaking activity? Write a list of class strengths on the board.

3. Development points

What aspects of speaking does the class want to work on and improve? Write a list of development points on the board.

4. Class tips

Write a list of class tips to improve speaking on the board. Invite learners to vote on their top three class tips they are going to try out.

Top tip!

Why not save on paper and use A4 sheets from the recyling?

After the snowball activity, follow up with Let’s talk about speaking tips discussion cards to help build an action plan around speaking. Find this in the key resources above.

Classroom activities for reflection and evaluating progress

Conducting your mock test (dos and don’ts for the Speaking paper)

Speaking sample tests and marking criteria

By Alberto Costa and Andrea Tolve

Key resources

Speaking test videos (within mock test toolkit)

6 ways to use Cambridge English speaking test videos with teens (blog)

Speaking sample papers (choose your exam and go to ‘Exam essentials’)

Handbook for teachers (choose your exam and go to ‘Teacher essentials’)

Developing speaking skills: a focus on Interactive Communication (blog)

Whether your learners are sitting the digital or the paper-based exam, the Speaking paper will be the same. Again, phones and other electronic devices are not allowed in the exam room and stationery is not necessary, except for the examiners.

What’s the Speaking paper like?

In the Cambridge Speaking exam there are two examiners and, typically, two candidates.
However, it is possible to test three learners at the same time, which is useful when you have a large class or an odd number of students. It’s a good idea to practise in groups of three in case this happens on exam day.
The Speaking exam may be held before or after the other papers and may be on a different day.

Should the mock test be the same as the live Speaking exam?

In the mock test, for practical reasons, it is alright to have one examiner. But do reinforce that there will be two examiners in the live exam session. Before you do the Speaking test with your learners, show them what the exam is like by using these Speaking test videos and the accompanying examiner comments. Here you will find 6 ways to use Cambridge English speaking videos with teens, but the ideas also apply to older learners.

Are there Speaking mock tests available?

Yes. The Speaking mock tests are available on our website. Just click on the exam of your choice and go to the 'Exam essentials' section to access the sample test. Please note: During the Speaking paper the examiner reads from a script – this is provided for you in the sample paper. Use the same script as the examiner to help familiarise your learners with the phrasing of the instructions for each of the tasks. But first…

1. Familiarise yourself with the exam criteria

Use the Handbooks for teachers which are available on our website. Just click on the exam of your choice and go to the ‘teacher essentials’ section to access the sample tests.

2. Let your learners know what the examiner is marking them on

As we mentioned in Pack 4, go to the Speaking marking criteria which are available in the Handbook for teachers. Again, just click on the exam of your choice and go to the ‘teacher essentials’ section to access the handbooks. You can print and cut up the tables with the criteria to show to your learners or project a screenshot. One subscale in the marking criteria is Interactive Communication i.e., the collection of sub-skills that are used to successfully interact with another person. In the article Developing speaking skills: a focus on Interactive Communication you will learn more about the importance of interactive communication and find some ideas to use with your learners.

Keep your students busy and focused while you do the Speaking test

Avoid noise and distraction during the mock test, especially if you have a large class. Here are some ideas for the rest of the class while you conduct the Speaking tests:

Where possible, find a quiet space to conduct the test such as a spare classroom or quiet corridor.
Hand back the Listening and Reading and Use of English papers with a copy of the audio scripts and answer keys so learners can review their work. Some possible tasks can include:
- Checking any new words in a dictionary and noting them in their vocabulary book / creating vocabulary review cards with a definition and example sentence. Lower level learners could draw pictures with their example sentences.
- Thinking about what they did well and noting down any ideas about how they could improve further.
- Thinking about why they got an answer wrong. Making a list of areas to work on and dos and don’ts for the exam.
Higher level learners can start working on their study plan.
Learners can work in groups to design a board game (instructions below) with questions based on the exam format and any useful vocabulary or grammar they have covered in class, etc.

Board game:

Play this game with a board that has a grid of squares (see example), each numbered from 1 to 20.
Each player rolls a die to determine who goes first. The player who rolls the highest number gets to take the first turn.
To take your turn, roll the die again and move your game piece forward that number of spaces.
Answer the question about the exam and, if your answer is correct, you can stay where you are. If your answer is wrong, then you need to go back to your previous square.
If you land on a square that shows the bottom of a ladder, you may move your game piece all the way up to the square at the top of the ladder. But you can only stay in this square if you answer the question correctly.
The game continues in a circle going left. The first player to reach the final square wins the game.

Speaking sample tests and marking criteria

Pack 7: Feedback moments

Pack 7: Feedback moments and talking to parents...

Setting off on their own paths: encouraging strategies for Cambridge English Qualifications

Helping students develop and practise their exam strategies

By Allen Davenport and Sarah Ellis

Key resources

Information about Test & Train (webpage)

The path to success in a Cambridge English Qualification involves more than just understanding the language; it requires students to identify and use strategies that enhance their performance.

Now is the time for students to experiment with different strategies, ensuring they are not only prepared for the exam but also equipped with the most effective tools for their personal exam journey. Exam Trainers, authentic practice tests and Test & Train are all tools that can allow students to try out the strategies.

Building exam strategies: time for practice and reflection

At this point in the preparation process, teachers should concentrate on exam strategies. Below are some common strategies used in Cambridge exams. The goal is for students to try these strategies in one part of a practice exam, reflecting on their effectiveness. This practice is crucial because it’s not enough to teach strategies; students need to actively choose and apply them in a simulated exam environment. This approach ensures time to reflect on and modify their personal exam strategies before the actual exam day.

The following are ideas to help explain what we mean by exam strategies, but remember these are choices for students to try out, not methods that must be strictly followed in the exam.

Here are some tried and tested strategies to try out in class:

Listening strategies
- A common strategy is underlining key words in the question that might be mentioned in the audio.
- However, some students may find this distracting. For them, simply focusing on the audio and answers might be more effective. It’s essential to provide alternatives, like noting down keywords spoken in the audio too.
Reading strategies
- Techniques like skimming (quickly reading to get the gist) and scanning (searching for specific information) are often taught.
- However, some students might prefer a different approach, such as reading the first and last sentence of each paragraph to see if they can get a sense of the text outline.
Writing strategies
- Creating outlines is a popular strategy for structuring responses.
- Yet, some students might find brainstorming ideas or even just writing down words that they want to use that relate to the question more helpful to kickstart their writing process.
Speaking strategies
- Practising turn-taking and organising thoughts quickly is vital.
- Another effective strategy is for students to record themselves performing speaking tasks. This helps them to work on their pronunciation and self-assess their fluency and coherence.

Practical application with Cambridge Test & Train

Cambridge Test & Train, for class-based practice tests, becomes an invaluable tool at this stage of the exam journey. These practice tests provide a realistic platform for students to apply and assess the strategies they have learned, and the online format is especially useful for those preparing for Cambridge English Qualifications Digital. Now is the time to assign the tests and ask students to pay attention to which strategies help under timed conditions. It is one thing to do an activity in class together; it is another to be doing it alone with a countdown clock. Students can get a feel not only for which strategies help them answer the questions, but also which ones help them make the best use of their time.

Test & Train Class-based is available with Cambridge coursebooks and can be accessed in Cambridge One.

The journey continues

In this crucial phase of the exam preparation journey, it’s vital for students to discover and refine strategies that work best for them. The resources that we bring now continue to shift their purpose. As the test date gets closer, the focus turns to enabling students to practise and perfect their approach to the test. As they journey towards exam success, it’s the combination of language skills and personalised exam-taking strategies that will ultimately lead to their best performance.

Helping students develop and practise their exam strategies

My students want to take the digital exam – now what?

Teaching tips and resources for students for the digital exam

By Zara Hutchinson-Goncalves

Key resources

Cambridge English Qualifications Digital web page

Teaching tips for Cambridge English Qualifications Digital

Frequently Asked Questions booklet

Cambridge English Qualifications video tutorials

How can you prepare your students to take the digital Cambridge English Qualifications? Where can you find the resources and activities that you need to support your students?

The digital exams website

The first place to find information is the Cambridge English Qualifications Digital web page which has videos, brochures and links to material and activities to help you and your students prepare to go digital.

The Teaching tips booklet for Cambridge Digital

One of the resources on this site is the Teaching tips for Cambridge English Qualifications Digital booklet.

This is full of practical ideas and activities to help your students prepare for the digital exams. There are worksheets on topics such as: computer vocabulary, how to use the digital platform, and how to prepare for the Listening exam. These are ready for you to print out and use in the classroom, and all of them come with teacher’s notes on how to use them in the classroom. You can use the worksheets as part of an exam preparation class, or even fit them into a skills lesson. The quizzes are fun to do in groups and you can also have competitions.

The digital video tutorials

There are video tutorials for every level, showing step by step (or screen by screen) how to complete the digital exam. Here are some ideas on how to use these videos in class:

Jigsaw watching activity

Prepare two different clips of the video on two different screens. Students are split into two groups, and each group watches a different clip of the video. Then students form pairs (one from each group) and ask each other questions about the part of the video that they watched. When they have answered the questions, both groups watch both clips to see how much of the information they remembered correctly.

The video tutorial quiz

Use the activity and worksheet from pages 10 and 17 of the Teaching tips booklet. This can be used for a class quiz, or students can work on the questions individually before comparing answers with their partner or group.

What did you see?

Divide students into pairs and each watches one part of the video. While they are watching, they write some questions about the video. Then, students make pairs and give their questions to their partner. The students then watch the part of the video that their partner watched, and answer the questions written by their partner. Students then compare answers.

The Frequently Asked Questions booklet

This Frequently Asked Questions booklet focuses on the digital exam. Here you can find answers to all types of questions you and your students may have about the digital exams.

You can use this booklet in many ways in the classroom. Here are a few ideas:

The booklet can be used in a similar way to the videos for jigsaw activities (see activities in the digital tutorials section above).
Ask a question from the booklet and see which student, or pair of students can find the answer the fastest.
There is a worksheet about the FAQs booklet on page 18 of the Teaching tips booklet. This can be used as an individual activity, or in pairs or groups, or as a competition.
Make copies of some of the questions and answers from the booklet, then cut them up so that the questions are separate from the answers. In pairs or groups, students then match the questions to the answers. Check as a whole class.

Digital sample tests

There are digital sample tests available for each level on the exam preparation pages. A section in the Teaching tips booklet (page 12) gives some practical ideas on how to use the digital sample tests in class. These can also be given as homework or used as mock tests in the lead-up to the digital exam.

Teaching tips and resources for students for the digital exam

Mock test marking and feedback on Reading and Use of English and Listening

Classroom activities focusing on reflection and reinforcement

By Andrea Tolve and Alberto Costa

Note: if you want to read about feedback, reflection and next steps on the Speaking and Writing papers, you can go straight to Pack 8 (coming soon!)

Key resources

Guide to converting practice test scores to Cambridge English Scale scores

Giving feedback to language learners (Cambridge Papers in ELT)

Listening reflection task

Sample tests (choose your exam and go to Exam essentials)

Time for feedback, reflection, and next steps

Once learners have taken the mock test, it's time to mark the papers and help learners to plan the rest of their journey. You can find help on marking and grading the mock exams in The Cambridge English Scale explained.

Feedback and planning next steps

Providing feedback to our learners is a crucial and transformative stage in the journey. It is essential in helping learners understand their progress, where they need to improve and the next steps they need to take to stay on track towards their final destination. But what is effective feedback? Effective feedback needs to be clear, focused and constructive. You can read more about the importance of feedback and different approaches in our White Paper Giving feedback to language learners And if your learners need guidance, you can find a Study Plan example and template in Pack 2.

Classroom activities focusing on reflection and reinforcement

Once our learners have their Study Plan, how can we help them focus on those areas which need more work? Here are two activities which focus on reinforcing and helping them improve for the Listening and Reading and Use of English papers.

Listening reflection task

Helping our learners to reflect on the Listening paper can be divided into three main steps:

Reflection on the marked paper: ask learners to read the listening script and find the correct answers to questions they got wrong.
Group discussion: this can involve students working in pairs or groups discussing reasons for answering questions incorrectly, e.g. pronunciation and unknown words.
Audio review and analysis: learners listen to the audio again while following the script and discuss the questions they got wrong, the different problems they had and possible solutions.

These steps are just an outline, and you can find more detail in the Listening reflection task

Reading circles[1]

Select a text and give each learner one of the following roles:

Chair: manages the discussion, ensures everyone can speak and encourages everyone to take part.

Summariser: summarises overall meaning.

Word wizard: makes sure they have looked up many of the unknown words.

Connector: must connect the text to other texts, real life, or any other connection they can find.

Put students into groups of four and allocate the roles. If necessary, some roles could be shared, for example each group could have two student word wizards.
Students read the text and prepare their roles – either in class or as a homework task with just the group discussion taking place in class time.
Ask groups to reflect on how they found the experience, e.g. two things they liked, one difficulty they had.

Assigning roles to learners allows them to focus on key reading skills, and sharing information helps scaffold the understanding of the group.

After the Reading / Reading and Use of English paper

Reading is fundamental in language acquisition and helps our learners develop vocabulary, grammar, comprehension and critical thinking skills. To prepare our learners for this part of the exam we need to actively develop their reading skills, and introduce and practise reading strategies which are valid for every task in the Reading and Use of English paper.

Let’s take a look at a collaborative reading task which can easily be adapted to different levels and helps learners improve reading skills, particularly in understanding the structure and following the development of a text.

Feedback is vital for highlighting areas for improvement and reflection, and helps learners develop a deeper understanding of learning processes and personal growth. By embracing feedback and engaging in reflective practices, teenagers can optimise their study strategies and achieve the grade they are aiming for.

[1] Teaching and Developing Reading Skills, Cambridge University Press 2020

Classroom activities focusing on reflection and reinforcement

Understanding and communicating students’ readiness for exams

Explaining exam readiness and how parents can support at home

By Jane Boylan

Key resources

Exam preparation resources

Support for talking to parents (web page)

Helping teachers talk to parents: A2 Key, B1 Preliminary and B2 First for Schools exams(webinar recording)

How do we, as teachers, decide if students are ready to take a Cambridge exam? And what factors should we consider when discussing a student’s readiness with their parents and caregivers? This article aims to provide some useful tips, strategies and pointers to help teachers navigate this crucial part of the exam process.

How to decide if students are exam ready

Assess learners’ strengths and weaknesses by considering objectively their course work to date, participation in class in communicative activities and the results of the recent mock exam.
Evaluate their class performance against exam criteria.

See the Handbook for teachers article in Pack 1 as a reminder.

How to discuss students’ readiness for exams with parents and caregivers

The support of parents and caregivers is vital to students as they get ready to take a Cambridge exam, whatever their age and level. Clear and thorough communication from teachers to parents, at strategic points in a student’s exam journey, can go a long way to securing their all-important help and encouragement.

Explaining exam readiness

Parents will need to be informed whether their child is or is not ready to take a particular exam. Whatever the situation, clear communication helps to ensure they are on board with your decision and will help to smooth out any disagreement.

Explain the exam in detail

Talk parents through how the exam works, so that they are very clear about what is involved at this stage for their child.
Mention the language areas covered and the weighting of exam components in terms of marks. You can find this on the exam format pages of our website.
Be clear and concise and avoid terminology that may be unfamiliar or confusing to a non-teacher.
If time and facilities allow, show exam practice materials, sample tests and videos of assessments.

Explain the student’s strengths and areas to work on

Give a clear, concise, overall assessment of a student’s language capabilities.
Always start by emphasising positive points about a learner’s performance.
As well as language and exam-related areas, consider more general attributes such as class participation, creativity, positive attitude, co-operation and kindness to others.
Frame areas of weakness as ‘areas to work on’: going forward, this will make improvement feel more achievable for both students and parents, building rather than knocking their confidence, and encourage more positive attitudes from parents (who may be inclined to focus on ‘weaknesses’).

Explain how parents can support at home

Parents are often surprised to know that there are some very accessible ways that language learning can be continued at home, even if family members have little or no knowledge of English themselves. Below are some ideas:

Exam-specific

Encourage parents to explore the wealth of exam-related resources on the Cambridge website with their child, maybe focusing on one specific language area at a time.

Free online exam practice materials, including sample tests, exam tip videos and vocabulary lists are available on the Exam preparation web pages.Related online learning materials can be found on the Learning English web pages:these include wordlists, vocabulary-building activities, pronunciation practice and games.

Ongoing language learning

Depending on facilities available, parents can support ongoing language learning at home by encouraging their child to:

watch appropriate films and cartoons in the original version
stream appropriate TV shows in their favourite genres (e.g. comedies or documentaries)
watch appropriate YouTube videos
listen to audio books in English
read comics, magazines and books in English
listen to music and songs with lyrics in English
play appropriate English-language video games.

All these resources provide exposure to authentic, context-specific use of English which students will naturally absorb while doing something entertaining and enjoyable (that does not feel like studying!).

Emotional health of learners

A conversation about support at home could be a good time to mention safeguarding a child’s emotional health during exam times. For example, ensuring they:

have a safe and supportive environment to work in
are eating properly
are drinking plenty of water
are getting enough sleep.

Expectations of the child should be kept realistic and conversations around the exam kept positive (i.e. refrain from projecting own experiences with exam-taking in the past, which may be quite negative).

Further guidance on addressing parents’ concerns

If you would like guidance on the wider issue of parental support for exams, especially if you are encountering negativity, resistance or any other unsupportive attitudes, take a look at this webinar:

Helping teachers talk to parents: A2 Key, B1 Preliminary and B2 First for Schools exams

This webinar outlines common concerns and assumptions made by parents about exams and contains valuable advice about how to manage these and bring parents on board.

Explaining exam readiness and how parents can support at home

Pack 8: Building confidence

Pack 8: Building confidence and preparing for exam day...

The essential step of full-length practice tests in the exam preparation journey

Strategies for the effective use of practice tests

By Allen Davenport and Sarah Ellis

Key resources

Sample tests (choose the relevant exam then go to ‘Exam essentials’)

Authentic practice tests

Trainers

As we guide students on their journey towards the exam, we can use full-length practice tests in the final month of the course. This step is not just about reinforcing learning but about immersing students in the real conditions they will face during the actual exam. It’s a vital part of their preparation journey, ensuring they are not only knowledgeable but also adept at managing the demands of the exam environment.

The value of authentic exam conditions

Replicating authentic exam conditions in the classroom is crucial. Ask students to recall their experience of the mock test. How did it help them to understand the endurance and concentration needed for the actual test day? Did they draw any other conclusions from this experience? Ask them to consider aspects of timing and other areas of difficulty which might have arisen. While it might seem time-consuming, the experience gained from replicating authentic exam conditions in class is invaluable. Even if the students will be taking a digital version of the exam, sitting a paper-based practice test still holds significant value. The key is to accustom students to the pressure and pacing of the full-length exam.

Reinforcing learning and gauging progress

Full-length practice tests serve as a powerful tool for reinforcing the learning that has taken place throughout the course. They provide a comprehensive review of all the skills and knowledge areas covered. Additionally, these tests are instrumental in gauging students’ progress, highlighting both their strengths and areas that require further improvement.

Navigating the pressure of the exam

One of the less discussed yet critical aspects of full-length practice tests is getting students used to the pressure of the exam environment. The experience of working through a complete test within a set time frame helps build mental stamina and teaches students how to manage stress and fatigue. This aspect of the exam journey is as important as mastering the content.

Strategies for effective practice tests

To maximise the benefits of practice tests, teachers should:

Simulate real exam conditions: Conduct the practice tests under conditions as close to the actual exam as possible. This includes adhering to the exact time limits and creating a quiet, exam-like atmosphere.
Debrief and reflect: After the test, a thorough debriefing session is essential. Discuss what went well, what challenges were faced, and how they can be addressed in future preparations.
Encourage self-assessment: Encourage students to reflect on their own performance, fostering a deeper understanding of their learning process. Self-assessment can be powerful, but it often requires some support from teachers in order to be beneficial.

Here are some areas and specific questions you might want to have your students respond to after they have received their scores. This is a comprehensive list, so remember to be selective, and vary it based on what you think would be most helpful for your students in maintaining their confidence and improving their performance:

Surprise performance: ‘Were there any questions you were surprised you got correct or wrong? What might have led to this surprise?’
Struggle points: ‘Which questions did you find most challenging? Why do you think they were difficult for you?’
Time allocation and effectiveness: ‘Where did you spend the most time during the test and do you feel that this time allocation was effective in terms of your score? How did the areas where you invested more time impact your overall performance?’
Performance analysis: ‘Looking at your scores, which areas do you think you performed well in, and which areas need improvement?’
Expectation vs. reality: ‘Before receiving your scores, how did you think you had performed? How does this compare to your actual scores?’ (Please note if you would like to get the most out of this question, it would be best to ask students to reflect on the test before they receive their practice test scores, and then compare this to the results they receive, for a more grounded reflection.)
Learning insights: ‘Based on this test, what have you learned about your test-taking strategies and areas of strength or weakness? Did the test-taking strategies you employed work as expected? Are there any strategies you need to modify or practise more?’
Future focus: ‘Based on this practice test, what will be your focus areas in your next phase of preparation?’

For further ideas on self-assessment, see the article ‘Mock test marking and feedback on speaking and writing’ in this pack.

Incorporating full-length practice tests into the exam preparation journey is a crucial step. It’s not just a reinforcement of learning but an essential experience that prepares students for the realities of the exam environment. As teachers, our role is to ensure that our students are not only academically prepared but also mentally and emotionally ready for the challenge. This comprehensive approach is what makes the journey towards Cambridge English Qualifications a truly holistic and effective one.

Strategies for the effective use of practice tests

Mock test marking and feedback on speaking and writing

Self-assessment activities for speaking and writing

By Andrea Tolve and Alberto Costa

Key resources

Handbooks for teachers (choose your exam then go to ‘Teacher essentials’)

The Cambridge English Scale explained

Giving feedback on speaking (Cambridge Papers in ELT)

Teacher guides to assessing writing (choose your exam then go to ‘Teacher essentials’)

Activity: Snowball self-assessment of a writing task

Speaking paper self-evaluation form

(Note: if you want to read about marking and feedback on the Listening and Reading and Use of English papers, you can go back to Pack 7 .)

Now your learners have taken the written and Speaking papers, use the marking criteria in the Handbook for Teachersand The Cambridge English Scale explained to help provide guidance as you mark and grade your learners’ exams.

You can read more about giving feedback on speaking, whether immediate or delayed, in our white paper on giving feedback on speaking.

Give your learners time to reflect on their performance, to assess where they excelled and where they need to focus their efforts as they move forward. Helping learners better understand the assessment criteria for both the Speaking and Writing papers, and training them how to recognise these will make them more aware of how their own speaking and writing can be improved. Let’s take a look at how we can do this.

Writing self-assessment activity

Give learners a sample writing task answer and the assessment criteria from the teacher guide for assessing writing (see ‘Key resources’).
In pairs, learners decide on a grade for each of the assessment criteria before you show the examiner’s feedback.
Give learners time to discuss any differences and note down good examples of language.
Now, hand back the learners’ mock test writing tasks and ask them to assess their own writing. To round off the activity, ask learners to note down something they did well and something they would do differently if they did the task again.

For more detail on this activity you can read: Snowball Self-assessment of a writing task

Speaking self-assessment activity

We can also give our learners the opportunity to self-assess and reflect on their Speaking paper after completing the test. This Speaking paper self-evaluation form provides a structure to help guide learners to self-assess. For more in-depth follow-up activities, you could ask learners to create a list of all the good words used or a list of common mistakes to avoid.

These self-assessment activities, in addition to their study plans (see Pack 2), will better prepare learners for these parts of the exam.

During learners’ final preparation for the exam day, why not try some of these strategies to help them reflect on and evaluate their progress?

Further reading:

Blog post: The Speaking Corner: Giving feedback on speaking

Blog post: On Speaking: Creating a safe speaking environment

White paper: Creating a safe speaking environment

Self-assessment activities for speaking and writing

Last-minute preparation and building confidence for the exam

Classroom activities to resolve problem areas and build confidence

By Olha Madylus

Key resources:

Handbook for teachers (choose the exam then go to ‘Teacher essentials’)

Activities for learners web page

Test & Train

English Grammar in Use eBook

A2 Key and A2 Key for Schools vocabulary list

B1 Preliminary and B1 Preliminary for Schools vocabulary list

A2 Key for Schools posters and classroom activities (see ‘Teacher essentials’)

B1 Preliminary for Schools posters and classroom activities (see ‘Teacher essentials’)

B2 First for Schools posters and classroom activities (see ‘Teacher essentials’)

During the exam preparation course, you’ll have worked through the coursebook with your students, examined each paper together, broken down the different language skills needed, practised questions and given them lots of support and feedback. But now they have to be ready to take the exam on their own.

So, let’s look at some last-minute preparation tasks to help resolve problem areas and to build confidence for the big day!

Review papers and language areas that students find challenging

Find out which areas are causing most problems by:

Looking over the notes you have made on students and during lessons over the course of the academic year.
Going over full-length practice test results with your students. Ask your students to work in groups and identify three or four specific areas they would like explained again and / or to receive further practice on.

Top tips for each paper:

Divide students into five groups and assign each a paper from the exam.
Hand out copies of what is in each paper. This can be found at the front of each coursebook and in the Handbooks for teachers (see link at top of article).

Here’s an example from the B1 Preliminary for Schools Writing paper.

Here is an example of a B1 Preliminary for Schools Writing task.

Students work in groups reviewing what they need to do for each question, noting down what is expected and things to avoid.
Reflect on what questions they (a) have the most problems with, and (b) feel they have not had enough practice doing under timed exam conditions.
Make notes on priority areas to address before the exam.
Groups compile a Top Tips list for the paper they have been assigned.
Regroup students so they can share their insights and advice for each paper.
Encourage students to take notes on points which are relevant for them at this stage.

Top tip!

Once students have identified areas that need more work, they can use Test & Train for focused, on-the-go practice. If you are using a Cambridge coursebook you may already have access to Test & Train in Cambridge One.

Grammar queries

This is also a good time to review points of grammar to help clarify misunderstandings and consolidate learning. Here are some suggestions for classroom and independent grammar practice.

Activity: Grammar tic-tac-toe (noughts and crosses)

Divide the students into groups of four. Each draws a tic-tac-toe board. Students label each square with a grammar area they have studied in class, e.g. past simple, present continuous or perhaps a phrasal verb of their choice.
For each area of grammar, students write a sentence or question. Ask students to write some which are correct and others with a common error. Monitor and help groups as they engage in the task.
Draw a tic-tac-toe table on the board and start the game.
Students take turns to select a grammar area of choice from another group. A volunteer from the other group either reads out the sentence or writes it on the board for their opponents to decide whether the sentence is correct or not.
Groups win a point for each correct answer, and the first to get three in a row wins the game.
Make time at the end to go over common grammatical errors to help consolidate learning.

English Grammar in Use

If a student is still unsure about particular areas of grammar, they can use the English Grammar in Use interactive eBook . This eBook serves as a self-study reference and practice for intermediate-level learners (B1–B2). It is easy to follow with clear examples and auto-marked exercises. Extras include integrated audio to help with listening and pronunciation practice, and answer keys for all the activities.

Activities for learners

The Cambridge activities for learners webpage also provides a range of activities to help with grammar. Visit the page and filter by skill to find activities for grammar (or for other skills).

Confidence-building activities

Building student confidence is essential to help students feel well-prepared for their exam. Here are some ways to do this:

Spend time talking to each student on their own to gauge their mood and find out if they have any worries. Suggest useful tasks they can do, thinking about how your words can help them feel more confident and focusing on their strengths.
Practise lots of speaking and communication activities.
Use vocabulary lists and posters to create vocabulary games like defining games and Pictionary. You can find links in the ‘Key resources’ area at the top of the page.
Go over the most likely topics covered in the exam, especially those that were covered in the beginning of the coursebook.
Review grammar and vocabulary with reading exercises, videos, games and quizzes.

You can read more about mindfulness and well-being in Pack 9.

Classroom activities to resolve problem areas and build confidence

Understanding what happens on exam day

Exam day video and ‘Information for candidates’ booklets

Key resources

What to expect on exam day (video)

Information for candidates B1 Preliminary for Schools

The final stretch of the journey: effective review and feedback

Even after lots of preparation, many learners still feel nervous on exam day. That’s why it’s important to make sure your learners feel ready and know what to expect.

In the run-up to exam day, you can watch the ‘What to expect on exam day’ video, which shows a learner’s experience of taking an exam.

You should also make sure that each student has the Information for candidates booklet for their exam and has read the pages on taking the exam.

Here are some of the top tips for learners taken from the Information for candidates booklet.

Before exam day

✔ Register for the exam. If you are preparing for the exam as part of a course at a school, your school will register you. If you are studying independently, you can look online to find a centre that offers the exam and register directly with them. They will give you advice about preparation and tell you how much your exam will cost.

✔ Sign up for our free online results service. The fastest way to get your results is to register with our Results Service for Candidates. When you register for the exam, you’ll be given your Candidate ID Number and your Secret Number. You’ll need these details to register to receive your results online.

✔ Check the date, time and address of your exam. Your centre will send you this information.

✔ Check that you know where the exam is happening and how to get there, because you must arrive before the exam starts.

Top tips for exam day

✔ In the Reading and Use of English and Writing papers, you can do the tasks in any order, so you might want to start with the questions which you find easier. Just make sure that you write your answers in the correct order on the answer sheet!

✔ It’s important to have enough energy when you’re taking an exam! Before exam day, check with your exam centre if it’s possible to buy food and drink there. If not, you might want to bring something to eat. You can’t bring food to your desk, but you can eat it during breaks.

✔ Check you know what you can and can’t do in the exam room. For example, you can’t bring food to your desk with you, but you can bring a clear plastic bottle of water. All of this information is in the Summary Regulations, which you can read online before exam day. Your exam centre will also provide a copy of these rules.

✔ There will be a clock or timer in the exam room (or on your screen if you’re taking the digital test). Remember to use the time well. Try not to panic by looking at the clock every few minutes!

✔ Follow all instructions carefully. In the digital exam, the instructions will be on your screen. In the paper-based exam, they will be on the exam paper. If you have any questions, if you need help or if you want to leave the room, raise your hand to ask the invigilator (the person who helps manage the exams).

✔ Your exam centre will take your photo. They might also make a note of your passport or ID number. These steps are very important if you want to use your exam result in future for immigration or higher education.

✔ Finally … try to sleep well the night before your exam!

Please download the Information for candidates booklets (links in ‘Key resources’) to find further tips and details about the exam day, and share these with your learners.

Exam day video and ‘Information for candidates’ booklets

Pack 9: Exam day ready

Pack 9: Exam day ready with positive reinforcement...

Focusing on difficulty areas and providing effective feedback

By Allen Davenport and Sarah Ellis

As students approach the final stage of their preparation, the final classes before the exam play a pivotal role in students’ success. This phase is not just about relentless practice; it’s about thoughtful review, insightful feedback and strategic final preparations. For teachers, this stage is about guiding students through targeted review sessions and providing specific and actionable feedback. We need to ensure learners are ready for the exam, both academically and emotionally.

Focus on difficulty areas

Our emphasis should now shift to identifying and focusing on areas students find challenging. Teachers should use this time to revisit these topics, clarifying any doubts or misunderstandings. It’s not about covering new material; rather, it’s about ensuring that students have a firm grasp of the content.

If classes are finding one section or language point especially difficult, one activity that can be used is a concept circle for clarification of the difficult point. Here are the instructions for the activity:

Identify challenging topics: Start by identifying the topics or areas your students find challenging. These might be specific grammar points, vocabulary, speaking strategies, or aspects of listening comprehension.
Create concept circles: Draw large circles on the board or on sheets of paper and divide them into segments. Each segment represents a different aspect of the challenging topic. For example, if the topic is ‘past tenses’, segments could include ‘regular verbs’, ‘irregular verbs’, ‘time expressions’ and ‘sentence construction’.
Group collaboration: Divide the class into small groups and assign each group a segment of the circle. Students collaborate to fill their segment with as much relevant information and as many examples, explanations and test strategies as they can.
Class discussion and clarification: After a set time, each group presents their segment to the class. Encourage students to ask questions, provide additional examples and correct any misconceptions.
Reinforcement through practice: Follow up with practice test sections that specifically target the reviewed areas. Taking our previous example of past tenses, this could include a writing task that requires writing sentences using the past tenses, listening exercises with a focus on identifying past tense usage, or speaking activities that require the use of past tenses in context.

Benefits of the concept circle

Collaborative learning: Students work together, sharing their knowledge, which often leads to better understanding.
Peer teaching: Students often learn effectively from their peers. Explaining concepts to each other can improve their own understanding and give others a chance to try out strategies that work practically for other students.
Teacher’s role: As a facilitator, the teacher can guide discussions, correct errors and give additional insights where necessary, giving more focused support and attention than may be possible at the whole-class level.

Effective feedback: specific, direct and exam-focused

Feedback at this stage needs to be more specific and focused on the exam’s assessment criteria. For productive tasks like writing and speaking, teachers should provide feedback on each area of the assessment criteria. Encourage students to repeat these tasks, using the feedback to improve each time. The goal is for students to develop their own model answers, which can serve as a powerful review tool just before the test. These personalised models often have a greater impact than reviewing generic ones.

Avoiding overload: the power of rewriting and repeating

A common misstep at this stage is to overload students with practice tests, especially in writing. However, as just mentioned, the focus should be on rewriting or respeaking tasks until students achieve a level of satisfaction. Repeating tasks, even listening and reading tests, can be beneficial. Teachers may worry about students memorising answers, but the real value lies in students reviewing and applying strategies and becoming familiar with question types. Revisiting these tests after a week can still offer valuable learning opportunities.

Final preparations: practice tests and mental readiness

Run full-length practice tests under exam conditions. These should mimic the actual test environment as closely as possible, helping students to get familiar with the pressure and timings of the exam. It’s also essential to ensure that students are mentally and emotionally prepared. (See the Are your students exam room ready? article and the Mindfulness and well-being article in this pack for more ideas on how you can support your learners in this area.) Discuss last-minute tips, focusing on areas such as:

Managing test anxiety: Offer strategies for staying calm and focused.
Time management: Reinforce the importance of pacing throughout the exam.
Checking work: Encourage students to allocate time to review their answers.

As teachers, our role in this final phase is to solidify the learning journey, turning knowledge into confident application. This stage is about refining, not just reviewing; it’s about transforming students into exam-ready individuals who are as mentally and emotionally prepared as they are academically. Through targeted review, specific feedback and thoughtful final preparations, we can help our students approach their Cambridge English Qualifications with confidence and competence. This journey, culminating in the exam, is not just a test of language proficiency; it’s a testament to the resilience, dedication and hard work of both students and teachers alike.

Focusing on difficulty areas and providing effective feedback

Are your students exam room ready?

Checking that students understand what happens during the exam

By Andrea Tolve and Alberto Costa

Key resources

Information for candidates B1 Preliminary for Schools

Mindfulness and well-being to help prepare your learners for Cambridge exams

As exam day draws near, learners may start to feel nervous about the big day. Be mindful of your learners’ well-being as exam day approaches and help them to prepare a structured study plan. This can help them to feel confident and well-prepared.

More information on helping students feel at ease and in control on exam day can be found in the mindfulness article in this pack.

Streamline the process: two activities for class

These activities will help ensure our learners are both well prepared and equipped with the confidence needed to excel on the day.

1. Exam preparation poster

This is a great collaborative activity to help students prepare for the exam day.

Ask students to individually think and note down what they believe is important to do before the exam and during the exam. Below are some examples:

Before the exam	During the exam
Eat well, rest, exercise, follow the study plan, pay attention in class.	Read the instructions carefully, don’t rush, plan your time, check your work, move on if you get stuck.

Ask for a volunteer to share all the ideas.
Divide the class into groups of three or four and create a poster to display on the classroom wall.
Learners generate their own ideas about preparing for the exam day through meaningful spoken communication, which encourages use of functional language and helps build learner confidence.

2. Last-minute questions quiz

Even though our learners have taken a mock test, they are still likely to have questions about the exam and individual papers. To avoid any unnecessary anxiety, try this ‘Last-minute questions’ quiz to ensure all their questions are answered.

Using the Information for candidates booklets (links in key resources above):

Create a worksheet with questions from the booklet e.g. What if my partner in the Speaking test is better than me at speaking skills? What happens if I need more paper?
In pairs learners discuss the possible answers to the questions.
Pairs share their answers with the whole class.
Hand out the Q&A sections from the booklet for learners to read.
Learners find the answers and discuss.

This quiz not only answers any unanswered questions learners may have but it also encourages them to ask further questions about their exam at the same time, giving them the opportunity to practise language skills. This quiz could also be carried out as a Kahoot.

You can find more countdown to exam day teaching ideas in these webinar recordings:

More information:

Checking that students understand what happens during the exam

How to help learners with exam day nerves

By Andrea Tolve

Key resources

Mindfulness and well-being to help prepare your learners for Cambridge English exams (webinar recording)

Language knowledge and exam strategies are not the only things we need to teach our students. If we want students to succeed in exams, we also need to help them develop ways to manage their own emotions and be comfortable, healthy and happy. Helping our learners do well in the Cambridge exams is helping them to feel at ease and in control on exam day.

What is mindfulness?

According to the Cambridge Online Dictionary, mindfulness is ‘the practice of being aware of your body, mind, and feeling in the present moment, thought to create a feeling of calm’. It’s about paying attention, noticing the now, your thoughts, feelings, behaviours and the effects you have on others around you, and being present in whatever you are doing, including taking an exam.

How can we help our learners become more aware of their own and other people’s emotions, and help them get into the right frame of mind for exam day?

Below are some activities which can work towards helping learners deal with exam day nerves and which can be easily implemented in the classroom in the final weeks leading up to the exam.

Emotional traffic light

We can use clear signals which allow us to keep track of how our class is feeling and help our learners become more aware of how they are feeling about exam day. We can stop and ask our students to show us a green, yellow, or red card. Are they feeling positive or negative? Then we can ask them to be more precise: Are they happy? Proud? Excited? Thrilled? Then ask them why they feel that way. This activity helps our students become more aware of their feelings and their emotions. Remember the definition of mindfulness is noticing the world around you, and that includes the effects we have on others.

Proud or disappointed?

An even more focused activity could be using the two adjectives ’proud’ and ‘disappointed’. The activity follows this sequence:

Put two signs on opposite walls of the classroom.
After doing an exam task ask your learners: ‘Do you feel proud of what you’ve just done, or do you feel disappointed about what you’ve just done?’
Then ask them to stand up and walk towards one of the signs.
Finally, get them to explain how they’re feeling and give them feedback.

The key here is to carry out this activity before you check the answers. We want our learners to focus on their performance rather than purely on the outcome. This simple but effective technique promotes emotional self-awareness, self-efficacy and self-motivation.

Exploiting visuals – recognising and describing emotions

This photo shows candidates sitting an exam. Visuals are a great resource which can be exploited in the classroom. We can use them to bring in activities to understand our students’ emotions before exam day.

Show your students the photo and ask them the following questions:

What do you see?
What does it make you think of?
How does it make you feel?
Then ask your students:
- Do any of the words you used describe how you feel about the exam you are getting ready to take?

By asking this question we are helping our students to recognise and describe their emotions. They might surprise you with their answers.

Empathy map

Here is a page from our exam preparation course Complete First for Schools. The focus is on preparing for Reading and Use of English Part 7 where students must match different questions to different texts or sections. Students read about four different holiday experiences.

Here is an activity card with an explanation of an empathy map:

Using an empathy map is another great way to help teens think about other perspectives and other people’s emotions. This activity card[1] could be adapted for this reading text in the following way:

Divide your class into groups of four, A, B, C and D.
Put all the As, Bs, Cs and Ds together in separate groups.
Ask each group to focus on one paragraph and to complete the empathy map. What did the person say about the holiday? What did they do? How did they feel?
Once the activity is completed you then form new groups with one A, B, C and D, and they share the information.

Building a positive learning environment: three good things

Our teenagers are bombarded by modern-day life including public scrutiny, constant comparison via social media, and pressure from school and parents at a stage of their life when they are more likely to feel particularly unsure and vulnerable. Leading up to the exam day, this simple idea can help learners reflect and focus on the positive.

three good things that helped me be exam ready

Ask learners to write down three good things that happened over the year which helped them get ready for exam day and focus on the reasons why. It is fundamental that they also write down the why as this requires more genuine thought than merely writing down a list of events. This simple activity can help boost students’ confidence and positivity, and give them a sense of achievement.

Incorporating mindfulness into exam preparation empowers teenagers with essential coping skills and cultivates a positive mindset that extends beyond the exam room.

[1] Cambridge Life Competencies Emotional Development Activity Cards

How to help learners with exam day nerves

Are we ready for lift-off? The last lesson(s) before the exam

Classroom activities to review knowledge, boost confidence and celebrate learning

By Olha Madylus

What are the most useful things you can do in the final lesson(s) before the exam?

It’s important to focus on:

helping students feel confident by focusing on what they know and can do
reviewing specific exam skills like following the rubric and timing
allowing students to speak English together
activating what they know or have learnt in the exam preparation course
celebrating how hard they have worked during the course.

Here are some suggestions of things you can do. What you choose to do will depend on how much time you want to dedicate to a final review, but do spend at least one lesson on this.

Before the round-up class(es), ask students to do the following tasks:

Review their coursebook and notes.
Make a list of things they have learnt, do well or do better since the beginning of the course. They can share these with the rest of the class at the start of the final lesson, where you can encourage the whole class to applaud each student. Make this a positive affirmation!
Look at writing tasks they have done and read the teacher’s comments. Encourage students to talk about improvements they have made and typical mistakes they need to avoid on exam day.

Class tasks

1. Top Tips posters

Ask students to work in small groups.
Hand out large sheets of paper and coloured markers.
Tell them to produce a Top Tips for the Exam poster (they can look through their coursebooks and notes while they do this to help remind them of important points).
You can nominate different groups to focus on the specific papers e.g. Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking, and Use of English.
Set a time limit (30 minutes should be enough).
Display the posters around the room and ask students to walk around reading them all.
Students can photograph them or take notes of the tips they will find most useful.

2. ‘TikTok’ posts

Organise students into pairs or small groups.
Ask them to produce a ‘video’ (similar to those on social media, which are snappy, fun and positive) of Top Tips for the exam.
They can use their phones to record them (if this is allowed in school) or do this live.
Suggest that they can role play e.g. pretend to be an examiner or teacher talking to the camera.

3. Teacher-led quizzes

Prepare a quiz about the exam content (the Kahoot! online quiz is always popular with students), but it could be an old-fashioned quiz with you asking the questions.
Make questions funny as this will help students pay attention and remember the information.
Questions can be based on exam skills:
- e.g. How many essays will you write?
  (a) one (b) two (c) as many as possible (d) you can skip this part
- What does the examiner in the Speaking test want to hear you say?
  (a) perfect grammar (b) only true answers (c) a good selection of vocabulary and nice ideas (d) as little as possible
- Or language skills:
  e.g. Which tenses will you use if you write a story?

4. Student-led quizzes

This approach means students get double revision by reviewing the coursebook and creating questions, as well as answering them. You could ask them to do some of the preparation for homework before the class. If they know they will be involved in a quiz, they will pay closer attention than if you just say, ‘revise the book’.

Ask students to work in small groups.
Allocate units of the coursebook to different groups.
Tell students to create quiz questions on the target language (vocabulary, grammar, function etc.) in those units, e.g. Give three ways of giving advice.
Groups take turns to ask the rest of the class their questions.

5. Celebrate the learning process

Put every student’s name on slips of paper and put into a hat.
Students pick a name (not theirs!).
Ask students to create a Certificate of Excellence for the student they have chosen. Encourage them to think about a memorable moment or a comment about how they feel this student has contributed to and helped the class as a whole.
- e.g. This is to congratulate Sam on writing his funny story about our teacher, which made us all laugh and remember the words ‘clumsy’ and ‘disaster’. A big thank you to Mary for helping me in pair work.
Students present these certificates to each other. This is a lovely way to highlight learning moments and focus on success.

Classroom activities to review knowledge, boost confidence and celebrate learning

Pack 10: Results and celebrations

Pack 10: Results and celebrations…

Receiving, understanding and sharing results

Online results service and understanding the Statement of Results

Key resources

Results Service for Candidates

How to view your result online

How to send your exam result to an organisation (guide for candidates)

After sitting a Cambridge English exam, getting results is an exciting time!

In this article, we explain what the results mean so that you, your students and their parents can understand them better.

Getting the results

After they’ve taken an exam, all students should register with the Results Service for Candidates so that they can access their results online. Students will need the ID Number and Secret Number provided on their Confirmation of Entry in order to register.

If your students have taken a digital test, results are ready in 1–2 weeks, or, 4–6 weeks after a paper-based exam. If they are successful in their exam, they also receive a certificate. The certificate will include the same information as the Statement of Results and is sent a few weeks after the results are available online.

What is a Statement of Results?

Let’s look in more detail at a sample Statement of Results. There is a separate score for each of the four skills – Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking – giving you and your students a clear understanding of their performance. ‘Use of English’ is an additional score which appears in B2 First up to C2 Proficiency exams.

Let’s look in more detail at an example of a Statement of Results

Now let’s look at another example. This candidate also took B2 First for Schools but as they received an overall score of 181, this is an A grade and actually shows that they have demonstrated ability at the CEFR level above, which is C1. Their certificate will also show that they achieved this.

Sharing results

Cambridge English Qualifications are trusted by thousands of organisations worldwide. So, whether learners are planning to live, work or study at home or abroad, our qualifications open doors to exciting opportunities.

Next steps for your students after getting their result:

Find out where our exams are accepted around the world via our global online recognition database.
Share their results with their chosen institutions via the Results Service for Candidates website. This secure service allows organisations to quickly verify that the result is genuine. Find out more.
Don’t forget that they’ll need to find out about specific visa requirements for different destinations.

Check out our study abroad pages and global highlights brochure for more inspiration!

Frequently asked questions

1. How are Cambridge English Qualifications scored?

All our qualifications are aligned to the Cambridge English Scale. The Cambridge English Scale is used to report results for our qualifications and tests. The scores provide a detailed understanding of the candidate’s level and help learners understand how they are progressing from one level to the next.

2. Do candidates need to pass all the papers?

No, it’s possible to pass the exam if students do well in some papers but not in every paper. For example, if they do very well in Reading (and Use of English), Writing and Listening, but don’t do very well in Speaking, it’s still possible to pass the exam.

3. Does the certificate ever go out of date?

If students have achieved the level they needed in the exams, employers, universities or other organisations can check the results online.

The Cambridge certificate never expires, but employers or universities can choose how long to accept results for, so tell your students to always make sure they check different organisations’ requirements.

For more information

You can find out more by going to the ‘Results’ page of the level of exam you teach.

There is more information about the Common European Framework of Reference and the Cambridge English Scale on our website.

Online results service and understanding the Statement of Results

Certificate ceremony toolkit

Downloadable resources for your celebration day

What better way to recognise, celebrate and share the progress, hard work and success of your students than by holding a certificate ceremony?

The Certificate ceremony toolkit provides you with ideas and resources for creating a tailor-made event for your setting, from handing out certificates in front of the whole school to arranging a special one-off evening event. It’s guaranteed to help your students feel special, rewarded and proud of their achievements!

guide-to-celebrating-your-schools-success

Certificate ceremony – Guide to celebrating your success

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Certificate ceremony – Banner

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Certificate ceremony – Folder

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Certificate ceremony – Postcard for parents

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Certificate ceremony – Poster

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Certificate ceremony – Invitation for parents

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Certificate ceremony – Thank you letter for teachers

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Virtual certificate ceremony toolkit

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Downloadable resources for your celebration day

Recognising achievements in the Cambridge exam preparation journey

Classroom activities to celebrate and reflect on learning

By Allen Davenport and Sarah Ellis

As we reach the end of our exam preparation journey, it is time to celebrate the accomplishments and growth of our students. Even before students receive their results, we can start to celebrate finishing the journey and reflect on the process itself. Here are some activities that you could do with your classes:

Writing letters to future students: Encourage students to write letters to next year’s exam class. In these letters, they can share their insights, tips and encouragement, offering a personal perspective to learners. This not only serves as a reflection of their own journey but also gives useful advice to future students. At higher levels this can be done in English, but at lower levels, these can be written in the students’ own languages.
Highlight the transfer of skills: Hold a class discussion where students explore how they can apply the skills learned during their Cambridge exam preparation to other areas of their academic and personal lives. This conversation helps them recognise the broader impact of their learning and how it equips them for future challenges.
My personal compass activity: In this activity students reflect on what kept them motivated, the challenges they overcame and the distractions they managed during their exam preparation journey. Here is how to do it:

Begin by explaining the purpose of the activity. Let students know that they will be creating a personal compass that reflects their journey through the exam preparation course.
Materials needed: Provide each student with a large sheet of paper and coloured pens or markers. If available, compass-shaped templates can be used to help students get started.
Drawing the compass: Instruct students to draw a large compass in the centre of their paper. The compass should have four main directions: north, south, east and west.
Assigning meanings to directions:
a) North (motivation): Ask students to write or draw what kept them motivated during the course in the direction where the compass arrow points (north). This could include personal goals, support from family or teachers, or the desire to achieve a particular score.
b) South (challenges overcome): In the opposite direction (south), students should note the challenges or obstacles they had to overcome. These might include language barriers, time management issues, or specific areas of the exam they found difficult.
c) East and west (distractions managed): On the east and west points, students can list distractions they had to manage or ignore, such as social media, procrastination, or other commitments.
Sharing and discussion: Once everyone has completed their compass, encourage students to share their drawings with the class. This can be done in small groups or as a whole-class discussion. Encourage students to talk about their experiences and how they navigated their challenges.
Reflecting on the future: Guide students to reflect on how the skills and strategies they used can be applied to future challenges, both in academic settings and in life. Consider creating a display of the compasses in the classroom. This serves as a visual reminder of the journey each student has made and the collective experience of the class.
Closing the activity: Conclude by emphasising the importance of recognising personal growth and resilience. Highlight how the journey they have been through is not just about passing an exam but also about developing life skills that will serve them well in the future.

Celebrating everyone’s achievements

Here are some suggestions for celebrating both individual and collective achievement in your class.

Hold a group acknowledgement session. A class high-five or celebration circle, where students collectively celebrate each other’s efforts and progress, not only boosts morale but also promotes a sense of community within the class.

Present your students with personalised notes or certificates of achievement, highlighting their individual strengths and improvements. Providing specific and positive feedback to each student can significantly boost their confidence. This recognition serves as a testament to their hard work and dedication throughout the course.
Create a session for students to share their favourite moments, activities, or interesting things they have learned from the course. This activity not only lightens the mood but also allows students to recall and appreciate the enjoyable and memorable aspects of their learning journey.

Top tip!

It is important to celebrate attributes like perseverance, effort and improvement, rather than focusing solely on academic performance. When students receive results, all levels of achievement should be celebrated, making sure to acknowledge the effort and progress of each student.

Future-oriented reflections

This time does not just have to be about reflecting on the past. Teachers can organise time where students can discuss how their improved English skills can be applied in real-life scenarios, such as travel, helping family members, or future career opportunities. These discussions help students see the practical, real-world value of their learning and the skills they have developed.

Remind students that their journey of learning English does not end with the exam. Encourage them to view the exam as just one milestone in their ongoing language development journey. Motivate them to continue learning and growing, emphasising that the skills they have developed will serve them well in all their future endeavours.

The end of the road

As we wrap up our exam preparation course, let us ensure that our celebrations are inclusive, reflective and forward-looking. These celebrations are not just about recognising academic success; they are also about acknowledging the entire journey – the challenges overcome, the skills acquired, and the personal growth experienced. By doing so, we not only honour our students’ achievements but also instil a sense of pride and accomplishment that goes beyond the classroom.

Classroom activities to celebrate and reflect on learning

Using your students’ results to improve teaching and learning

Analysing individual and group performance to decide next steps

by Pablo Toledo

Key resources

Online Results Service for Preparation Centres

Performance reports user guide

So, how can you use the full power of your students’ exam results? First, you need to remember how and when to access the group performance reports in the Online Results Service for Preparation Centres. Then, you can think of concrete strategies to use the results as a springboard for reflection with your learners:

When the exam results arrive, you need to analyse the results – first on your own, looking at the results of each learner, the average of the class, and then on a more detailed level looking at the skills that show strengths and weaknesses in the group and for each learner.

Then, you need to discuss the results with each of your learners, celebrating strengths and identifying areas for improvement. Which component results were better than expected? Why do students feel they did well, and what can help them do better next time? Where do you need to focus your efforts next year?

That conversation needs to end by deciding the next steps – what are your priorities and learning goals going to be for the next stage of learning, based on the information on the assessment? What new challenges can we set to take learners’ English to the next level? This brings us back to the first step and lets the next cycle of learning begin!

The bigger picture

The steps described above will make students better learners, but taking our analysis of our students’ exam results to the next level can make us better teachers. How? We have just looked at the results with a microscope to focus on the performance of each learner. Now, we need to take an eagle eye view and look at the average performance of the whole class.

You can compare it to the results of all the classes you teach and all the times you have taught the same level over the years. Do you see any patterns? Are some levels consistently better than others? Students change, but are there any areas where you see most of your students doing especially well? What do you think you are doing right, and how can you adapt the way you teach other skills so they match your best performance? This will help you reflect on the best professional development options for you.

If you can compare with other colleagues, you can even share your recipes for success and look at ways in which you can set up a community of practice to explore common challenges, plan institutional projects, maybe even set up exploratory action research projects.

Learn more:

Analysing individual and group performance to decide next steps

What next on the Exam Preparation Journey?

Talking to next year’s candidates and choosing learning materials

By Rob Bexon

Key resources

Presentation for parents

Official Cambridge exam preparation materials

After the exams are over and the results are in it’s time for reflection, a little mindfulness maybe, and thoughts of turning attention to the next group or groups of students you are taking through the cycle towards their Cambridge English Qualification. Some of the techniques you’ve shared with your students will come in handy at this point:

What went well?
What didn’t go so well?
What can I do differently next time?

Talking to parents / prospective exam takers

Depending on your situation you may or may not be responsible for nurturing the new cohort of students, or even maybe their parents. We have a comprehensive presentation available with introductory information on our exams, and video testimonials directly from candidates who have taken our qualifications. Anything you need to support conversations with potential students is only a click away.

We provide the tools for you to do the teaching

We provide all the support you need to achieve the best possible results with your students. Throughout this Exam Preparation Journey we have provided links and materials from across our learning portfolio and our accompanying resources. We dedicate ourselves to keeping our materials fresh and as modern as possible. We offer end-to-end solutions across the suite of Cambridge English Qualifications, from courses dedicated purely to exam preparation, to blending with a more general English approach, to having our starting point as general English with an option to scale up to exam preparation. There’s no one-size-fits-all scenario – every classroom needs a different ‘recipe’. We provide the tools for you to do the teaching.

Official exam preparation materials

•   A2 Key for Schools – C1 Advanced
•    6 levels
•    Best-selling exam preparation course
•    Covers everything
•    3rd Edition

•    A2 Key for Schools – C1 Advanced
•    5 levels
•    Fast, focused exam preparation (50/60 hours)
•    Exam tips
•    Grammar tips and reference
•    Projects and digital pack
•    2nd Edition

•    A2 Key – C1 Advanced
•    4 levels
•    General English with exam focus in exam folders
•    Exam stretch goes beyond the level
•    Prepares for unexpected situations

•    A2 Key for Schools – C1 Advanced
•    9 levels – 2 levels per exam
•    Teen appeal
•    Integrates general English with strong exam focus
•    Ideal for mixed exam and non-exam classes
•    2nd Edition

•    A1+–B1+
•    4 levels
•    Builds learner autonomy
•    Communication and collaboration at its core
•    Documentary-style video brings global issues to life
•    General English with embedded exam tasks

•    Pre A1 Starters – C1 Advanced
•    6 levels
•    Cognitive development
•    2nd Edition includes 30+ new videos from documentaries to vlogs and grammar raps
•    General English with embedded exam tasks

•    A2 Key for Schools – C2 Proficiency
•    Authentic practice tests
•    Direct from the exam writing process
•    4 full tests per book
•    With or without answers

•    A2 Key for Schools – C1 Advanced
•    From exam writers and checked by experts
•    6 full tests per book
•    First 2 tests with hints, tips and advice

Talking to next year’s candidates and choosing learning materials

Let us know what you think!

The Exam Preparation Journey provides you with teaching tips, resources and advice to help make sure your students are exam day ready come the big day. Please help us improve this resource by giving us your feedback. We have just a few short questions for you.

Start the survey

Key resources

Here are the links to all the key resources used in the Exam Preparation Journey and more.

Preparation resources for each qualification

Find all the key resources for each qualification on the Exam Preparation pages of our website.

A2 Key

A2 Key for Schools

B1 Preliminary

B1 Preliminary for Schools

Preparation resources for all exams

Exam Essentials

Official Cambridge English preparation materials

You can find a wide range of materials in both print and digital formats. The preparation materials referenced in Exam Preparation Journey include:

Test & Train

On-the-go, intuitive Exam Practice provides perfect preparation for the exam backed-up with a Time Practice Test (in the classroom-based version) to consolidate training needs ahead of the big day.

Learn more about Test & Train

Trainers

The Trainer books contain six full practice tests, expert guidance, and exam tips. The first two tests are fully guided, with step-by-step advice on tackling each paper.

Learn more about Trainers

Cambridge English Exam Boosters

Focus on essential exam practice with the Exam Boosters. Maximise learners’ potential with dedicated exam task practice for class or home study.

Download samples of the Boosters:

A2 Key and Key for Schools Exam Booster sample

B1 Preliminary and B1 Preliminary for Schools Exam Booster sample

B2 First and B2 First for Schools Exam Booster sample

C1 Advanced Exam Booster sample

Learn more about Cambridge English Exam Boosters

Authentic Practice Tests

These are the only Official Authentic Practice materials available anywhere. They go through the same writing process as the exams, so you can be sure they’ll help your students achieve the best possible result.

Learn more about Authentic Practice Tests

Vocabulary lists

A2 Key and A2 Key for Schools vocabulary list

B1 Preliminary and B1 Preliminary for Schools vocabulary list

Sample tests (paper-based, digital and computer-based)

Free digital and paper-based sample tests:

A2 Key for Schools sample tests (under Exam Essentials) 

A2 Key sample tests (under Exam Essentials) 

B1 Preliminary for Schools sample tests (under Exam Essentials) 

B1 Preliminary sample tests (under Exam Essentials) 

B2 First for Schools sample tests (under Exam Essentials) 

B2 First sample tests (under Exam Essentials) 

C1 Advanced sample tests (under Exam Essentials) 

C2 Proficiency sample tests (under Exam Essentials)

How to convert practice test scores

Converting practice test scores to Cambridge English Scale scores

What to expect on exam day

Taking a Cambridge English Qualification: what to expect on exam day (video)

What to expect on exam day (webpage)

Speaking test video with examiners' commentary

A2 Key for Schools Speaking test video (under Exam Essentials)

A2 Key Speaking test video (under Exam Essentials)   

B1 Preliminary for Schools Speaking test video (under Exam Essentials) 

B1 Preliminary Speaking test video (under Exam Essentials) 

B2 First for Schools Speaking test video (under Exam Essentials) 

B2 First Speaking test video (under Exam Essentials) 

C1 Advanced Speaking test video (under Exam Essentials) 

C2 Proficiency Speaking test video (under Exam Essentials) 

Information on Cambridge English Qualifications Digital

Cambridge English Qualifications Digital webpage

Cambridge English Qualifications Digital benefits (video)

Cambridge English Qualifications Digital video tutorial

Cambridge English Qualifications Digital Frequently Asked Question

Teacher Essentials

Handbook for teachers

A2 Key for Schools Handbook (go to Teacher essentials)

A2 Key Handbook (go to Teacher essentials)

B1 Preliminary for Schools Handbook (go to Teacher essentials)

B1 Preliminary Handbook (go to Teacher essentials)

B2 First for Schools Handbook (go to Teacher essentials)

B2 First Handbook (go to Teacher essentials)

C1 Advanced Handbook (go to Teacher essentials)

C2 Proficiency Handbook (go to Teacher essentials)

Lesson plans

Our lesson plans include everything you need to deliver a 45-minute lesson in the classroom or online, including activity sheets, homework, and more.

A2 Key for Schools lesson plans (zip file)

A2 Key lesson plans (zip file)

B1 Preliminary for Schools lesson plans (zip file)

B1 Preliminary lesson plans (zip file)

B2 First for Schools lesson plans (zip file)

B2 First lesson plans (zip file)

C1 Advanced lesson plans (zip file)

C2 Proficiency lesson plans (zip file)

A teacher’s guide to developing listening skills for Cambridge English Qualifications

Developing listening skills for A2 Key for Schools exams

Developing listening skills for B1 Preliminary for Schools exams

Developing listening skills for B2 First for Schools exams

Developing listening skills for C1 Advanced exams

Developing listening skills for C2 Proficiency exam

A teacher’s guide to developing reading skills for Cambridge English Qualifications

Developing reading skills for A2 Key for Schools

Developing reading skills for B1 Preliminary for Schools

Developing reading skills for B2 First for Schools

Developing reading skills for C1 Advanced

Developing reading skills for C2 Proficiency

A teacher’s guide to assessing Writing for Cambridge English Qualifications

Assessing writing for A2 Key for Schools

Assessing writing for B1 Preliminary for Schools

Assessing writing for B2 First for Schools

Assessing writing for C1 Advance

Assessing writing for C2 Proficiency

Writing checklists

A2 Key and A2 Key for Schools writing checklist

B1 Preliminary and B1 Preliminary for Schools writing checklist

B2 First and B2 First for Schools writing checklist

C1 Advanced writing checklist

C2 Proficiency writing checklist

Teaching tips

B2 First and B2 First for Schools teaching tips

C1 Advanced teaching tips

Teaching tips for Cambridge English Qualifications Digital

Mock test toolkit

Mock test toolkit for A2 Key for Schools – C2 Proficiency

Posters and classroom activities

A2 Key for Schools classroom posters

A2 Key for Schools classroom activities (for use with posters)  

B1 Preliminary for Schools classroom posters

B1 Preliminary for Schools classroom activities (for use with posters) 

B2 First for Schools environment classroom poster

B2 First for Schools environment poster lesson plan and activities

B2 First for Schools technology classroom poster

B2 First for Schools technology poster lesson plan and activities

B2 First for Schools entertainment classroom poster

B2 First for Schools entertainment poster lesson plan and activities

Vocabulary booklet

Classroom warmers booklet

Classroom warmers activity booklet

Supporting learners with dyslexia

Supporting learners with dyslexia: A guide for teachers

Teacher webinars

Cambridge English webinars are a great way for teachers to stay up to date with the latest developments and to interact with our experts.

Our webinars provide you with invaluable information about our exams, and cover a wide spectrum of subjects, including effective teaching methods, tips to improve student engagement and online professional development to help you develop your career.

Learn more about our webinars for teachers

Teaching English with Cambridge Facebook page

You can connect with a lively community of teachers on our Teaching English with Cambridge Facebook page. We regularly post teaching tips, answer your questions, and host regular Live events to give you a chance to engage with the community.

Teacher support pack

Learner Essentials

Free online learning activities

We have hundreds of free learning activities to help students practise their English and prepare for their Cambridge English Qualifications.

Find out more

Exam information for candidates

Download our guides with advice on preparing for the exam, tips for exam day, and useful links.

Information for candidates B1 Preliminary for Schools