Starting a New School Year 2020-2021!

 Welcome to the new school year 2020-2021. Here are we to go on improving our English. This year there will be some changes due to the pandemia but we'll be able to solve the problems we could face, you'll see we'll be able to manage.

The level I teach is Nivel Intermedio (B2.2) so most of the activities will be oriented to this level. Nevertheless, I'll include other levels if necessary.

To start with, let's see what this level implies according to the CEFR:

• The reference is B2, but this will be the level you'll have when you finish in May.

It may help you to know your real starting point by checking your own level so you should try to do these tests (as many as you like):

• This is a test to know your level by Cambridge
• Another test: click here
• Or this one
• In this link you'll see other links for a placement test and for the different levels you can have

Remember all these placement tests are only based on grammar and vocabulary, but they don't include productive parts such as oral and writing skills. 

Before starting with our virtual class, let's use the blog as a guide for your homework. For next week, I'd like you to do these exercises:

• Write a composition (150-180 words) about your experience of learning English and why you're studying it now. Remember to use a general structures of introduction - main idea - secondary ideas or examples - conclusion. Check what you've written before handing in your work.
• Listen to the monologue you recorded with your own movile in class and try to improve it so that you can do it again taking into account what you checked  (gaps, fluency, repetitions, vocabulary, entonation, etc.)
• Reviewing the 2nd conditional by practising orally. If you need any help for this you could use part of a previous entry in this blog to help you: 

 The types of conditionals are these but we insist on using the name rather than the number of conditional:

• zero or general conditional: if you have a problem you call an expert
• first or probable/possible conditional: if you have a problem, will you call me?
• second or improbable/hypothetical conditional: if you had a problem, you could call me
• third or impossible conditional (a regret or complaint about past events): if you had had a problem, you should have called me so you didn't have it.

Focusing on hypothetical conditional, you can visit this blog for a good summury: click here. And this is the link of Perfect English I saw you in class: click here for the explanations and thses are the exercises: exercise 1 and then you could go on with exercise 2.

To finish with, this is the link for the previous entry in this blog that has already been used in this very entry just in case you want or need more practice: click here.

If you want to here a good example of conditional, listen to the song If I were a boy by Beyoncé, but be careful with the spelling.

See you in class!

Exercises to Prepare B1 (B1.2-That's English!)

As you can see from the previous posts, I've found Idiomium, which has a lot of information about exams. But what I like most is that it's well organised in skills so it's easier to use it. You can choose exercises and practise according to your necessities and your available time. The only problem is that they take PET exams as models and in EEOOII the exams are different.
Have a look and use this link to practise: B1 / PET exams
In the same site you can find exercises to prepare it in skills:

• reading
• listening
• writing and this other one about "tipos de writing"
• speaking
• PET exams

So most of the samples are taken from previous exams and maybe you've already seen them so it's just a good way of having the possible practice organised by skills to get to what you need faster.

Hope this is useful.

Exercises to Prepare B2

I've found by chance this blog to prepare exams of B2. Although it's suppose to be a higher level I think it might be useful to work with; if you find it too difficult, look for the posts of B1. The purpose of this post is to give you exercises to practise English using the format of exam in order to get familiar with it, as it's just practice.
On the other hand, if you feel challenging to have a try with C1, go ahead; but remember there are many differences among CCAA in Spain and also in other institutions which provide exams. As an example, notice that B2 is considered "inglés avanzado" while in Comunidad de Madrid it's the end of intermediate leve.
The examples shown here are taken from previous exams so you might have already done them but the way they are presented is very useful, that is, by skills, although mediation is not included.
The link I´m talking about is this: B2
in Idiomium they also have other links for more practice also by skills:

• listening B2
• reading B2
• writing B2 but also it's useful this entry "tipos de writing"
• speaking B2
• B2 / FCE exams

As usual, let me tell you you should use this practice in chunks, that is, in little portions and paying attention to your weaknesses.

Exercises to prepare C1 at EEOOII

This is a very interesting link to practise with the parts of the exam. I haven't checked all the models suggested but what it is  helpful is the fact that it's a summary of your level and it's divided in skills so you have several different samples of each skill.
This is the link: C1 exams
Maybe it's a repetition of what you already have but it's shorter, more clearly organised and faster to find or yo work with.
In the same site of Idiomium you have these links as well:

• Writing C1 and as a revision you could use this entry "tipos de writing"
• Listening C1 
• Reading C1
• Speaking C1 and also this link with advice for the oral exam
• CAE exam

Hope you'll find it helpful!

B2.1 - B1.2 (That's English!)

While correcting your compositions, I've realised you've got plenty of problems with prepositions. This post is a summary of the one you've got in Google Classroom but just in case you've got problems to see it there, I'll give you this summary.
I know it's really difficult to use prepositions properly but the best way to get familiar with them is by doing exercises and practising. But once you've done it writing, make the exercise "personal"; let me give you an example: if you go to this link, you'll see how to use IN, ON and AT for place and time. Once you've seen it, think of sentences you can say about yourself such as:

• I was born IN Madrid
• My birthday is ON the 23rd of August
• My husband's birthday is IN May
• I always have dinner AT home ON Christmas Day
• I didn't go away AT Christmas

So you should practise with these exercises and then revise them ORALLY and try to say sentences as the ones given above. But instead of giving you just isolated exercises, I think it's better if you go to these links and you'll find a variety of examples of preposition exercises, that is, after verbs, after adjectives, before gerunds, etc.

• Perfect English
• Hilfen

Hope it'll be useful!

C1 - Inversion

This grammar point is shown in our Google Classroom but I'l give you this post just in case you can't see it there.

We’ve already seen inversions in English, especially when making questions and with short comments such as so do I / neither do I. But we also use them for these main purposes:

• To emphasize what we’re saying or writing: Nowhere did I find such a thing
• For using a very formal style, especially for writing: Towards the enemy went the soldiers
• For dramatic/aesthetic reasons: In Xanadu did Kubla Khan,...

The most common inversions are these:

• After starting a sentence with negative adverbs or negative adverbial phrase:
• Never had I been so embarrassed in my life (emphatic) but I’d never been so embarrassed (neutral)
• No sooner had she finished cooking than the first guest rang the bell (notice that sooner is a comparative form so we use than)
• Not only does she paint well but she also sings beautifully
• To replace “IF” conditionals: “SHOULD” for the 1st conditional, “WERE” for the 2nd conditional and “HAD” for the 3rd one:
• Should he be more polite, he’ll be invited to the party
• Were Trump to be re-elected, we’d get shocked (notice the use of infinitive)
• Had I known you were going to be so upset, I would have said nothing
• After adverbial expressions of place, especially after HERE and THERE:
• Here comes the bus!
• In front of the altar was the groom, waiting for the bride
• After SO + adjective ... + THAT … like in this sentence:
• So lovely was the afternoon that they went for a walk (very formal)

If you want a summary of this grammar point you can use these videos or links that may help you with inversions:

• BBC English Masterclass: focused on grammar issues
• Inversions 1
• Inversions 2
• Inversions in ordinary spoken English: watch this video
• Inversions in conditional sentences: go to this link or this simpler one with an exercise

Once you’ve seen the grammar point, let's practise with some exercises:

• exercises 1     exercise 2     exercise 3     exercise 4     

Practising with Exams (3)

This is the "last chapter" although there are still some more but I think you've got more than enough with these:

• Extremadura: click here and choose your level; be careful with mediation because it's very fifferent from the one in Madrid
• Comunidad Valenciana: click here
• Galicia: this is the link to look for the level you need
• Comunidad de Castilla-León: go to this link

There are plenty of links with samples of exams as you can see in this padlet  or in this entry of this blog (very exhaustive but not updated) but don't try to do all of them as you'll feel overwhelmed; just take it as a recurrent exercise to practise for the exam and focus on your weaknesses to feel more and more confident.