at the best of times It’s difficult to sell to the Japanese at the best of times, but now, with the dollar at an all-time high against the yen, I think it would be quite impossible. against the clock Their oil reserves may last only another 20 years. Consequently, they must work against the clock […]
put sb in the picture The first thing I want you to do is to put me in the picture about what’s been happening while I’ve been away. let the cat out of the bag Only a very limited number of people must know about this plan. It will spoil everything if someone lets the
In these matters the only certainty is that there is nothing certain. Pliny the Elder 1. Ways of saying that you are certain about something certain adjective if you are certain about something, you are absolutely sure that it is true. If a fact is certain, it is definitely true, or it will definitely happen:
I know that I know nothing Read More »
READING 1 Before you read the passage, read the statements and think about what you’re going to read. Underline key words and ideas in each statement. 2 Remember that the questions follow the order of information in the passage. When you read the passage, you may see some words or ideas from the statements. These
IELTS Tips & Tactics Read More »
1. Ways of saying what the aim or purpose of something is aim to do something to try to achieve something: • This paper aims to show how science and technology have influenced the work of artists. • The research aims to answer two questions. First, what causes the disease? Second, is it possible to
The end creates the means Read More »
WRITING – Part 1 You must answer this question. Write your answer in 220-260 words in an appropriate style. 1. You have listened to a radio discussion programme about which facilities are needed most in your area. You have made the notes below: Which facilities are needed most in your area? • car park •
Your class has listened to a panel discussion about how schools can best prepare young people for their future working lives. You have made the notes below: Strategies aimed at preparing young people for their future working lives • teaching practical skills • providing information about jobs • establishing links with local community Some opinions
CAE Writing Part 1 Read More »
Speaking (15 minutes) Part 1 2 minutes (3 minutes for groups of three) The interlocutor will ask you some questions about yourself, your home, work or studies and familiar topics. Good morning/afternoon/evening. My name is and this is my colleague . And your names are? Can I have your mark sheets, please? Thank you. First
A website has asked readers for reviews of new software applications. Write a review of an application that you have used. Your review should comment on what is special about the software. It should also explain who might find the software most useful or appealing and why. Your review should also suggest one way in
CAE Writing Review Read More »
1. To decrease 2. To make something decrease 3. A decrease 4. When something stops decreasing 1. To decrease decrease verb [intransitive] to become less in number or amount: • The average rainfall has decreased by around 30 percent. • The total number of people who are unemployed has decreased slightly. • After radiotherapy, the
Expressing downward trends Read More »
1. To increase 2. To make something increase 3. An increase 4. When something does not increase, or stops increasing 1. To increase increase verb [intransitive] to become larger in number, amount, price, or value: • Last year, the number of burglaries increased by 15 percent. • The percentage of households with a computer increased
Strategy 1: Using synonyms The word synonym is frequently misunderstood. Synonym does not mean ‘having exactly the same meaning’ but ‘having a similar meaning’. This difference is extremely important. You cannot simply delete one word from your text and insert another and think they have an identical meaning. Although words may have the same denotation
Increase your range of language Read More »
Academic writing • is more objective • is more complex • has a more formal structure Academic writing is more objective Phrases such as I think, I believe and In my opinion should not be used in academic writing. Examiners are not looking for what you think or believe – they want to see what
Key characteristics of academic writing Read More »
Idioms are usually defined as groups of words whose meaning is different from the individual words. So, ‘under the weather’ has nothing to do with the literal meaning of ‘the weather’; it means ‘feeling ill’. If you ‘sweep something under the carpet’, you try to keep something secret; and if you put someone in the
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush Read More »
Speaking 15 minutes. You do the Speaking test with one other candidate. There are two examiners, but one of them does not take part in the conversation.
You both hear and see the instructions for each task, and you hear all four parts twice.
You have to do Part 1 plus one of the Part 2 tasks. In Part 2 you can choose one of questions 2–4.
Reading and Use of English 1 hour 30 minutes Parts 1 and 3 mainly test your vocabulary; Part 2 mainly tests grammar. Part 4 often tests both vocabulary and grammar. Parts 5–8 test reading comprehension.
CAE Reading and Use of English Read More »
[scribd id=289494755 key=key-65bRC7G0qA8d2YxHu4Yb mode=scroll]
FCE 2015 Writing Paper Sample 3 Read More »
[scribd id=289362249 key=key-OLeSpt66J5wTvQdEsz2t mode=scroll]
FCE 2015 Writing Paper Sample 2 Read More »
