First Certificate of English Weblog

Practise this test which was taken from:
http://www.ukstudentlife.com/English/Exams/Oral.htm

Examiner: Now I'd like each of you to talk on your own for about a minute.
I'm going to give each of you two different photographs and I'd like you to talk about them.
Alex, here are your two photographs. They are pictures of ducks. Please let Yuko have a look at them.

Examiner: Yuko, I'll give you your photographs in a minute.
Alex, I'd like you to compare and contrast these photographs, saying which picture you like better and why.
Remember, you only have about a minute for this so don't worry if I interrupt you. Alright?
Alex:
(1 minute) OK. Let me see ... what do these photos show?
Well, both of these photos are pictures of ducks on roads.
The photo on the left shows four ducks crossing a road.
Two of them are white and two of them are brown.
They are walking in line.
A white car has stopped and is waiting for them to move. Maybe there is a long traffic jam.
The photo on the right shows a brown female duck with her baby ducklings. I think there are six ducklings.
They have found a puddle on the road and they look comfortable there.
I prefer the first picture. The picture reminds me of the cover of a Beatles album, showing the four members of the band crossing a road.
I feel a bit worried for the ducks, because they may be hit by a car.
Both pictures remind me how much humans have changed the environment.
We have built many roads which animals have to cross, and removed many lakes and trees.

Examiner: Thank you, Alex. Yuko, which of these pictures do you prefer?
Yuko:
(20 seconds) I like the right-hand picture better.
The ducklings look very sweet, and the mother duck looks proud to be looking after them.
Like Alex, I'm worried that they might be hit by a car.
I hope they can find a proper lake instead of a puddle on a road.
Maybe it is a hot summer and it is difficult to find water.
Examiner: Thank you.
(the examiner takes back the previous photographs)
Now, Yuko, here are your two photographs. They show two paths in the English countryside. Please let Alex have a look at them.
TO BE CONTINUED........

Interview (3 minutes-about 1.5 minutes for each candidate)
The examiner will ask you some short questions about yourself

TOPIC: Your home town / village

What is the name of your home town?(pronounce it in the English way)
Where is the town located?Is it near to the capital city or any major cities?
Is your town well-known for something (for example, a building or a type of food)?
What is the most interesting part of your town?Is it a large or small town?
What is the population?Do you live in a city centre, a suburb, a town, a village,
or in the countryside?
What are the main industries?What kinds of jobs do people do in your town?Is it clean or polluted?Is it quiet or noisy?Are there many parks and other green areas? Do you like living there? Are there many things to do?

Multiple choice exercise

Multiple choice exercise

Multiple choice

How long does the exam take?
The times for each paper are:
• Reading: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Writing: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Use of English: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Listening: 40 minutes (approximately)
• Speaking: 14 minutes (approximately)
• The total time is just under 6 hours

FCE is an intermediate level Cambridge ESOL exam, at level B2 of the Council of Europe's Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Choose FCE if your knowledge of English is adequate for many practical everyday purposes, including business and study.
To be successful, you will have a wide grasp of vocabulary, and be able to construct an argument and use appropriate communication styles for a variety of situations. You also need to show an awareness of register and of the conventions of politeness and degrees of formality as they are expressed through language.

Each component carries 20% of the total marks. There are three pass grades (A, B and C) and certificates are awarded to candidates who achieve these grades. Candidates who achieve a grade D or E are judged not to have reached the required standard for FCE.
Exam scripts are sent to Cambridge ESOL for marking and grading and the results are sent back to the centres. For reasons of confidentiality, Cambridge ESOL does not give results to individual students or publish them on the website. If you have any questions about your results, you should contact the centre where you took the exam.
Once awarded Cambridge ESOL FCE certificates are valid for life.

Why take FCE?
FCE is ideal if you want to work or study abroad or to develop a career which requires language skills (e.g. business, medicine, engineering). FCE indicates sufficient proficiency in English to be of practical use in clerical, secretarial and managerial jobs in many industries, in particular tourism, where contact with English speakers is required. Successful candidates have the ability to deal with routine letters and telephone enquiries, and to cope with some non-academic training courses and simple textbooks and articles.
FCE is also useful preparation if you are working towards higher level exams, such as CAE (Certificate in Advanced English) and CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English).
On passing the exam you will receive a certificate awarded by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, which is recognised by universities and employers throughout the world.
You will also receive a statement of results, showing how you performed in each of the five papers.

Practice multiple choice exercises.