Exam Preparation
School Exams
There are a range of exams for language learning each with different specifications and reasons for studying.
If you are preparing exams for schools or colleges usually there will be information from the school available on their website, if not the students or parents should inform you.
Schools may have frequent exams or one large one, may follow a certain book or just from the teacher, so it is important to set out guidelines and targets with the students/parents for school exams initially.
General exam prep guide:
Give your students a mock test and when marking it look at the errors they make mistakes.
Common errors:
Not answering the question - check understanding and make the students repeat you and the instructions before doing an activity
Multiple choice mistakes - teach them how to eliminate incorrect answers, always ask 'why' they think it's an incorrect or correct answer so they become used to finding evidence.
Tricks - many exams contain false friends and tricks, often saying incorrect answers just slightly differently to confuse students. Go through and look for the tricks, if it's a listening pause after each trick.
Listening difficulties - read the question and understand the question and their answers, or potential answers prior to listening.
Basic grammar - Often students will have misunderstood or not have had it explained properly. Look at grammar fundamentals, Modal verbs, word types, common prefixes and suffixes etc.
General Exam Resources British Council
IELTS (Cambridge).
Cambridge:
Schools
Higher Ed
- Key
- First
- Advanced
Business
- Split into Preliminary, Vantage and Higher
TOEFL
Magoosh - A blog with tonnes of information and resources
TOEIC
Listening and Reading
Speaking and Writing
