CAE. How to prepare for the Cambridge Exam

I´m square-eyed. I watch lots of British telly and I really do think it helped me when I was preparing to sit the CAE exam. I am pro television, not only is it good listening practice but seeing a wide variety of shows enables you to learn different types of vocabulary + collocations, idioms and so on.

Question: How expensive is it to prepare for the CAE exam? Because I´ve seen some books in the bookshop and the prices are high.

Answer: Taking the Certificate in Advanced English exam doesn´t necessarily mean spending lots of money on course books and cds or cd-roms. The good news is there is plenty of free material available on the web. Click here to see list.

In addition to this there are many forums and Facebook groups you can join to interact with other students around the world and have some speaking practice, for example.

Question: How can I improve my reading?

Answer: When it comes to reading, which by the way helps you to improve your grammar and vocabulary as well, I suggest selecting a wide variety of sources, let´s say academic books, novels, magazines and blogs. This way you will get familiar with different styles: formal and informal; and you will learn different types of vocabulary.

Question, a third one: Are you saying that in order to pass the exam all we need to do is watch TV and read books and magazines?

Answer: No. Travelling, interacting with native speakers, watching tv in English, listening to music, reading books...all these things will help you to improve your English skills but there is something missing... You need to do Past Papers.

Doing past papers is an excellent way to practise. If you are at school/ university you will probably find some ESOL past papers in your library but if not, you can always try the Cambridge University Web page for some free samples.

CAE Mind your spelling !

In the CAE exam, as in any other Cambridge ESOL examination, it is extremely important to be careful with your spelling. You don´t want to lose points in the Use of English or Writing Papers for not being able to write words correctly. So, which are the words that you usually misspell in English? Is there a particular word that always gives you trouble?

According to Oxford Dictionaries, the 5 most common misspelled words are:
accommodation, achieve, across, aggressive and apparently.  

But what about you? In your opinion, what are the words in English with the most difficul spelling? We asked some CAEs and CPEs (people who have successfully passed these exams) and these are their answers:

1: "Mine is customer. I´m never sure if it´s with u or o, and have to look it up in the dictionary."

2: "Possession. I find double letters confusing."

3: "Disappointed. Disappointing how I always make a mistake with this one."

4: "Embarrassing. Double r and double s."

5: "The one I never know how to spell is cigarette."



Are you going to take the CAE exam soon? Check some other related posts:

CAE writing to impress the examiner
CAE How to write an article for an international exam

Film review "Vertigo" by Jacob Henderson (CPE level)

Vertigo - 1958 - James Stewart, Kim Novak.

Hitchcock's most personal film.

Vertigo, adapted from the French novel D'entre Les Morts, is, according to Hitchcock himself, the directors´ most personal film; one centred around obsession and deceit. Scottie Ferguson (Stewart) retires from his position as a private investigator after an incident which reveals his fear of heights; vertigo. After retiring Scottie is lured into another case by an old friend, Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore), who asks Scottie to tail his wife who he suspects of being possessed by the spirit of a woman from the past. Elster's wife, Madeleine (Novak), is stunningly beautiful and after tracking her movements for some time Scottie begins to fall in love with her. As the film progresses, twists and turns in the plot reveal more and more about each character resulting in a whirlwind thriller that is widely considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time.

Where to begin with such an iconic film and director. I've wanted to review a Hitchcock film for a while but struggled to pick which film to start with. I eventually landed on Vertigo due to its depth, controversy and sheer brilliance. Vertigo had an extensive production time due to problems concerning casting (Hitch wanted to cast Vera Miles, but the role went to Novak after Miles got pregnant.) and prolonged illness to the director. This unpredictable and unwanted start to production on the film pushed Hitch and made Vertigo a very personal project.

When I first watched this film, which was some years ago, the first thing that struck me was the soundtrack. The powerful and compelling music provided by Bernard Herrmann adds an extra tone to the picture which compliments the trials and tribulations on screen perfectly; creating another dimension that without which would not have resulted in the film that it is.

With Vertigo, Hitchcock has masterfully created a technically brilliant film that plays on a confrontation of colours with the reds of Scottie and the greens of Madeleine forming a visual dimension that is missing from many modern day thrillers. Directors of late don't tend to go into the depth that the likes of Hitchcock went into which in my opinion is a real shame. If more directors went into more depth and added elements to their film-making, I believe the thriller genre would get back to a higher level of appreciation. In recent years I feel the genre has been viewed simply in terms of entertainment and the art has been lost.

In terms of Hitchcock's oeuvre Vertigo is not his most entertaining film, feeling quite slow at times, however, the film is technically brilliant with a plot that takes the viewer on a thrilling ride that investigates the nature of human obsession and deceit. Vertigo is a classic that should be watched by all.

9/10.

J.Henderson.

http://filmaot.blogspot.com/2014/03/vertigo-1958-james-stewart-kim-novak.html

"The Perfect Storm" film review by guest blogger SR from France (FCE exam)

‘The perfect storm’ is a disaster film based on a true story. It is an adaptation of Sebastien Junger’s book by the same name, published in 1997.

The story takes place in October 1991 in Gloucester, Massachusset. After several deceiving fishing seasons, Captain Bobby, portrayed by George Clooney, convinces his crew to head out far in the cold Atlantic Ocean on board of a ship called the Andrea Gail. They go on a mission to find fish and be able to make some money to support their families.

Ignoring the warnings of the imminent arrival of a hurricane, they decide to break into a dangerous area in the North Atlantic, the Flemish Cap.  There they have to face terrible weather and get suddenly trapped in gigantic waves.

This is where the special effects start. The digital images are so outstanding and realistic that they carry us into this disaster, swamp us with fear, and root us to the spot. We can hardly know what is real or not. It is as if you are facing those big waves with the actors.

The film is at time slow moving but the acting and special effects are so great that they make the film exciting. The choice of the music is in perfect concordance with the subject. It gives the film suspense and makes it really worth-watching.

CAE/ CPE tips. How to write a film review

I recently received a letter from a CPE candidate asking for some tips on how to write a film review and what information to include and not to include in it. I hope you find this post useful.

Let's start from the basics. Whatever you do, don't tell us the end of the story! If there´s something film review readers hate is spoilers. When writing about the plot it is better to keep it brief and simple.

Regarding what information to include. I´d say the title and the main actors´names is a must. Then of course a little bit of the plot and something very important is to give your opinion. We want to know if you enjoyed the film and if you recommend it. Saying something about the director, the special effects and the soundtrack is something that would give your text a plus.

Another aspect to take into consideration especially when writing a review for an international exam is the level of the vocabulary you use in it. Obviously you want to show off and demonstrate the wide variety of words that you know, so avoid using any more than once and try to avoid too simple adjectives such as "good" or "interesting". I´ll give you an example of this:

Instead of saying "the film was interesting", say something like "the film was riveting".

And instead of saying "the acting was good",  say  something like "the actors´performance was outstanding"!

Need more tips?

See: Writing to impress the examiner (CAE/CPE)

CPE film review Practical Magic

F.A.Q: What´s the difference between an article and an essay?

We asked 6 CPEs (people who have successfully passed the Cambridge Proficiency in English exam) and this is what they said to us:

CPE1: "An article is a piece of writing where a topic, either serious or light-hearted, is tackled from a personal point of view, including personal experience or arguments. Its purpose is generally to both inform and entertain. On the other hand, an essay is a piece of writing tending towards the academic: the topic in discussion is of a more serious nature and the writer is expected to provide an idea plus the arguments that discuss it. In doing so, they will have to refer to specific points about the issue in question and will generally have to use more precise language."

CPE2: "Article, informative, based on facts. Essay, develops an argument, involves opinions (so does a for an against article, oops!)."

CPE3: "As far as I´m concerned essays are more academic, you need to analyse both sides of the topic, and provide arguments to back you up, whereas articles are somehow more flexible and can have a more neutral tone."

CPE4: "I think an essay develops arguments and has always your opinion. An article gives information, although sometimes you can write your opinion."

CPE5: "As far as I know, an article is a piece of writing in which the writer chooses a topic and develops it giving his/her own opinion throughout the text. The language used can be fun and eye-catching as usually an article is meant to get as many readers as possible. An essay, on the other hand, is a rather formal piece of writing with a usually 4-5 paragraph structure, where usually the last paragraph carries the writer´s opinion."

CPE6: "Well, I think an essay is normally more academic and analytical, when the writer supports his views usually has to make reference to factual information and other people's or authors' views and findings. An article is basically aimed to inform or entertain the reader, it can be formal or informal depending on the topic and publication it appears whereas an essay is rarely informal. An article is published mainly in magazines or newspapers, for example a school´s newspaper, while an essay is normally a university assignment. Some essays might be of more than three pages, but for international exams we have to keep them short. The tone of an essay is generally serious, compared to the one of an article which might sound more relaxed and include some humour. I hope I have contributed with something."