Practising Preliminary Speaking Part 4

UCLES 2012. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further
information see our Terms of Use at https://www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org/ts/terms

Practising Preliminary Speaking Part 4 www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org
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Contents


A. TEACHERS NOTES ...........................................................................................................2
A1. Lesson Plan...............................................................................................................2
A2. Answer Keys..............................................................................................................5
A3. Classroom Handout 1................................................................................................6
A4. Classroom Handout 2................................................................................................7
A5. Classroom Handout 3................................................................................................8
A6 Suggested homework/self-study activities.................................................................9
B1. GUIDANCE FOR FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES..............................................................10

Practising Preliminary Speaking Part 4
UCLES 2012. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further
information see our Terms of Use at https://www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org/ts/terms

Practising Preliminary Speaking Part 4 www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org
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A. TEACHERS NOTES

Description
Time required: 5560 minutes
Materials
required:
tennis ball
Classroom Handout 1 (to display on OHP or IWB)
Classroom Handout 2 (one copy per pair)
Classroom Handout 3 (one copy per pair)
Aims: To practise talking together for three minutes, as in Preliminary
Speaking Part 4.
To help learners with techniques such as eliciting, turn taking and
referring back to information.

Note: This can be used as a stand-alone lesson, but the pictures used and the activities
follow on from the activity Practising Preliminary Speaking Part 3, so it would be advisable to
use the Part 3 lesson plan first if you are planning to use both activities.

A1. Lesson Plan
1. Get learners to stand up and form a circle. You may need to move the desks back so
there is enough space for this. Ask the question:
What do you like doing in your free time?
and throw the tennis ball to one of the learners. If the learners doesnt answer, explain
that they need to answer your question. When they have answered, explain that they
need to say:
How about you, X? or What about you, X?
before throwing the tennis ball to another learner in the class. Learners should use
their classmates first names instead of X. Continue this for a few more turns.
When the ball is returned to you, make reference to something that the previous
learner has said. For example:
Alex: I like playing basketball and I play it to relax. How about you, teacher?
Teacher: I dont play basketball like you Tom, but I like relaxing. I usually read a book
in my free time. I like detective stories.
Point out to learners that here you are referring to something the previous learner has
said. Explain that they should now try to refer to something the last person says.
Practising Preliminary Speaking Part 4
UCLES 2012. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further
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Continue to throw the ball, responding to the last speaker and passing on the
question, e.g.
Teacher: How about you, Sara, do you like reading stories?
Timing: 1015 minutes
2. Learners sit down. Elicit what they were doing (in L1 if necessary): having a
conversation, eliciting opinions from people, referring to what other people had said.
Explain that these are all skills that are used in Part 4 of the speaking test.
Draw two people on the board and arrows going back and forth between them.
Explain that this type of conversation is a bit like a tennis game. The examiner wants
to hear what both candidates say and wants to see that they can have a
conversation.
Timing: 5 minutes
3. Review with learners what happens in Part 4 of the Speaking test:
it follows on from Part 3, where they must talk about a photograph.
the photograph provides the topic area for Part 4
in Part 4, rather than talking about what other people are doing, they talk about
their own personal likes and dislikes, and they try to discover things about their
partner.
Show A3 Classroom Handout 1 on an OHP or IWB. Read out the start of the
instructions below the picture. Ask learners to suggest ways of completing the
instructions. (Answer: what you did at the weekend when you were younger and what
you do now.) Write the whole question on the board.
Timing: 6 minutes
4. Hide the picture on Classroom Handout 1. Give learners three minutes to discuss the
question in their pairs, keeping the game of tennis concept in mind. While learners
are doing this exercise, monitor and note down any good examples of eliciting and
referring to what a partner has said. In addition, note down any points where learners
become stuck and lose time because they are unable to think of anything to say.
Give some general feedback on the performances you have heard. Give an example
of something that you heard that was good and something that was not so good.
Discuss with learners what they find difficult about it.
Timing: 10 minutes
5. Reorganise the class so that learners have a new partner to work with.
Give out A4 Classroom Handout 2 and A5 Classroom Handout 3 to alternate pairs.
Ask learners to look at the picture and read and complete the instructions below it.
Feed back ideas from the learners. (Answers: See A2 Answer Key.)
Timing: 6 minutes
Practising Preliminary Speaking Part 4
UCLES 2012. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further
information see our Terms of Use at https://www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org/ts/terms

Practising Preliminary Speaking Part 4 www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org
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6. Put learners into groups of four, so there is one pair with Picture A and one pair with
Picture B.
The pair with picture A pair will be the examiners first. They show their picture to the
other pair then they ask the question and put the picture face down. The other pair
speak for 3 minutes about the question. The examiner pair notes down comments on
their performance, focusing on how well the learners elicit each others opinion and
respond to what their partner has said. They should give feedback at the end.
Repeat, swapping roles and using Picture B.
Timing: 10 minutes
7. As a round up at the end, ask learners for feedback about good things they heard
people say or do. Discuss any difficulties learners had with the activity.
Timing: 5 minutes
Practising Preliminary Speaking Part 4
UCLES 2012. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further
information see our Terms of Use at https://www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org/ts/terms

Practising Preliminary Speaking Part 4 www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org
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A2. Answer Keys
A2 Lesson Plan Step 5
Examples of good completed instructions for pictures A and B:
Picture A
Examiner: Your photograph showed a young person doing things at home. Now Id
like you to talk together about what you did to help around the house when you were
younger and what you do now.
Picture B
Examiner: Your photograph showed some young people travelling. Now Id like you to
talk together about your favourite ways of travelling long and short distances in your
country.

Practising Preliminary Speaking Part 4
UCLES 2012. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further
information see our Terms of Use at https://www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org/ts/terms

Practising Preliminary Speaking Part 4 www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org
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A3. Classroom Handout 1

Examiner: Your photograph showed people doing things at the weekend. Now Id like
you to talk together about .

Peter Facey; http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/509172; Creative Commons licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/2.0/deed.en
Practising Preliminary Speaking Part 4
UCLES 2012. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further
information see our Terms of Use at https://www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org/ts/terms

Practising Preliminary Speaking Part 4 www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org
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A4. Classroom Handout 2
Picture A

Examiner: Your photograph showed a young person doing things at home. Now Id
like you to talk together about

Jay Tabatabai; http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kourosh.JPG; Commons licence:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:GNU_Free_Documentation_License_1.2


Practising Preliminary Speaking Part 4
UCLES 2012. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further
information see our Terms of Use at https://www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org/ts/terms

Practising Preliminary Speaking Part 4 www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org
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A5. Classroom Handout 3
Picture B


Examiner: Your photograph showed some young people travelling. Now Id like you to
talk together about

Feliciano Guimares; http://www.flickr.com/photos/40145521@N00/2226374117/; Creative Commons licence:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en
Practising Preliminary Speaking Part 4
UCLES 2012. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further
information see our Terms of Use at https://www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org/ts/terms

Practising Preliminary Speaking Part 4 www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org
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A6 Suggested homework/self-study activities
1. Ask learners to look for other pictures that would be useful starting points for this part
of the exam. Spread the pictures around the room and encourage learners to think
about the topic question that could be asked. Ask learners to rehearse this part of the
exam in pairs.
2. If you have access to a language lab, use it to pair learners and record them then
they can listen back to themselves.
3. If you have access to a video camera, use it to film learners doing this part of the
exam and then play back the tape in class so that learners can see what they did and
discuss how learners can improve.


Practising Preliminary Speaking Part 4
UCLES 2012. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further
information see our Terms of Use at https://www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org/ts/terms

Practising Preliminary Speaking Part 4 www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org
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B1. GUIDANCE FOR FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES
1. In A2 Lesson Plan Step 1, learners take part in a controlled speaking activity which
encourages them to listen to each other, respond and elicit each others opinions.
This kind of activity:
allows learners some thinking time to prepare their answer
makes sure learners pay attention, as they dont know when their turn will come
allows you to practise specific functions, vocabulary or structures
encourages the correct formation of questions and negatives
can be used with many different starter questions, e.g., What did you do at the
weekend? Where would you like to go on holiday? etc
2. This lesson looks at a few topic areas that candidates may encounter in the
Preliminary Speaking exam. Other Preliminary topic areas that lend themselves to
this part of the exam are:
Hobbies and leisure
Work and jobs
Food and drink
Families
The natural world
Education
Shopping
For a full list of Preliminary topics, look in the Preliminary handbook, available on the
Teacher Support website
https://www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org/ts/exams/generalenglish/pet
3. The pictures used in this activity are taken from the internet. Other useful sources
include magazines and newspapers. Look for pictures which:
show people doing everyday activities (not just smiling at the camera!)
show a familiar situation which learners can relate to
are not of famous people
are culturally familiar to your learners
have a range of objects or things learners can describe in the
background/foreground.
4. The focus of this lesson was on developing good interaction skills. You can also
practise these by:
Practising Preliminary Speaking Part 4
UCLES 2012. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further
information see our Terms of Use at https://www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org/ts/terms

Practising Preliminary Speaking Part 4 www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org
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Setting up speaking activities in which learners have to report back what their
partner has said
Asking learners to respond specifically to each other, e.g. Maria, do you agree
with Cris?
Modelling good interaction skills by responding appropriately to learners
comments
Playing games in which learners have to respond to/remember what has been
said already.