PET For schoolsPET For schools

J:Wilson J:Wilson Madrid 2014Madrid 2014

We Are Learning :• To understand what the PET for schools oral exam entails.

• To identify some good strategies to help pass the exam.

• To ensure all your students get excellent marks.

..

PET for schools

10-12 minutes

Two examiners

Short questionsone minute

Two candidates

grades/markslevels

Collaborative task

25% of overall mark Short

exchanges

Follow up discussion

One minute long turn

The PET for schools Cambridge exam is:

• Level B1 on the European framework for language learning –

• It consists of four parts• Part 1 -2/3 minutes of short

questions• What’s your name?• Spell your surname.• Where do you live?• Do you study English?• Who’s your favourite teacher?(that

would be me)!

Part 1 longer questions:Tell us about a website you use?What time of year do you like best?What do you usually do on your birthday?How often do you travel by car?What do you do for your birthday?Where do you usually go shopping?What type of T:V programmes do you like?Where did you go last summer holidays?

Assessment Reform Group, 2002

In Part 1 Talk to the examiner, not your partner.Make sure you can spell your name.Try to give more than one-word answers. 

Part 2 “In the next part of the exam you are going to

talk to each other” 2/3 minutes • Students are given a sheet and must Discuss the different options provided.The interlocutor(examiner) repeats this twice.”/·

• He/she says” I’m going to describe a He/she says” I’m going to describe a situation to you”. Examplesituation to you”. Example

• ““Four cousins are spending the day Four cousins are spending the day together but they can’t go out because the together but they can’t go out because the weather is bad. Talk together about weather is bad. Talk together about things they can do indoors and decide things they can do indoors and decide which is most fun”.which is most fun”.

• ““All right? Talk together:All right? Talk together:

Students must discuss the different options:

They should be able to give their opinions and agree and disagree using

a wide range of grammatical structures.

•It is important that your It is important that your students knowstudents know what is expected of them.

.

Some friends are going to the city to spend the day. Decide together which is the best way to get there.

A friend is going to London to visit.

Decide together what would be the best thing to take with

her.

In Parts 2 & 4 Talk to your partner, not the examiner.Ask your partner questions.Listen to your partner's answers and look at them to show you are interested in what they are saying.Give your partner a chance to speak too.

Part 3 2/3 minutes(mobile phones)

The interlocutor says”Now I’d like you to talk on your

own about something. I’m going to give each of you a photo of people using mobile phones.

Here is your photo, please show it to your partner but I’d like

you to talk about it. You, just listen.Now tell us what you can see in the photo.

In Part 3 Talk about everything you can see in the photograph, e.g. colours, clothes, time of day, weather.Use prepositions.

Try to explain what you mean in other words, if you don’t know a word.

Don't worry too much about making grammatical mistakes.Don't worry too much if you don't know a word.

Don't worry if your partner is a stronger or weaker speaker than you. The examiners assess you individually.

Don't sit in silence in the test, even if you are nervous. Examiners can't give you marks if you don't speak. 

More Tips 

Part 4: 3 minutesInterlocutor says to

both candidates

“your photograph showed people using mobile phones. Now I’d like you to talk together about when you use mobile phones and say what you use them for”.

So colorin colorado…

That’s the four parts of the speaking test…

Students need to have wide range of vocabulary and certain fluency.

Of course they can make mistakes but they have to demontrate a reasonable level of understanding and be able to interact with the examiner and their partner.

How to prepare the students

With 11/12 year olds in year 6 Spain the problem is the interaction between themselves. They find it difficult to imitate a real conversation.

They need lots of role playing with the teacher’s help.

They need to speak in a reasonably loud voice. No whispering!!!

Start early in the year

This year I started to prepare my students after christmas.

It wasn’t long enough!!!

They will all pass (ofcourse)!! But it was a bit stressful.

We love to talk

??

Lots of talking games

See my Blog:jenny-learningshouldbefun.blogspot.com

Some useful websites

https://www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org

http://www.examenglish.com/

http://www.eslgamesplus.com/

http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/grammar-vocabulary/

http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/preliminaryenglish/

Well all I can say is:Happy Petting!!!

Whoops that doesn’t sound politically correct.