How to organise your time

 First thing's first: what does the exam look like? You should get familiar with the B2 level, which corresponds to FCE exam so let's have a look at the parts.

What is the Cambridge First test like? (adapted from https://www.examenglish.com/FCE/ )

The test has four sections:

1. Reading & Use of English - reading skills and grammar, 75 minutes
   
2. Writing - 2 tasks, an essay and another one (an email, a letter, a review, etc.), 80 minutes
3. Listening - 40 minutes
   
4. Speaking - interview, with another candidate, 14 minutes

Paper-based or computer-based exams
You can do the B2 First (FCE) exam on a computer or on paper.

Score: A, B, C (pass), D, E or U (fail)

• 180–190 = Grade A = C1
• 173–179 = Grade B = B2
• 160–172 = Grade C = B2
• 140–159 = Level B1 = B1
  

Level: B2 / Upper intermediate. Click here to see a comparison of FCE scores with other exams.

Where do I take the test?
Arrange with your closest test centre.

When can I take the test?
The B2 First (FCE) test can be taken in March, April, May, June, August, October, November and December.

How much does it cost to take B2 First (FCE)?
Fees are set by test centres. Expect to pay around €200 euros.

Welcome to the new course: PREPARING B2

Hi everybody!

We're going to start with our challenge to pass B2 exams so this blog is focused on how to get B2 level and we'd like to help you to pass the exams for thil level (FCE and EEOOII B2 exam)

But before starting we should know your starting level so why don't you take these placement tests to get a general idea of your real level of English? These are some examples:

• This is a test to know your level by Cambridge
• Another test: click here
• Have a try with this one as well
• Within this link you'll see some other links for a placement test and for the different levels you can have. The more tests you sit, the better idea of your real level is.

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. 

Preparing Final Exams for B2

 In May you'll have the exam at school to get your degree (B2) so let's see if these links help you to practise. The first you should check is the sample and all the instructuins given by Comunidad de Madrid, so go to this link.

Besides, I've just chosen the ones taken in 2020 in other Comunidades Autónomas:

For B2 specific level, go to...

• Asturias: go to this link
• Baleares: this is the link

For all the levels (and then you choose yours), go to...

• Andalucía: you need to choose your level; click here
• Canarias: look for your level; click here
• Castilla-La Mancha: this is the link
• Cataluña: this is the page
• Murcia: go to the middle of this page to see the samples, but there is a video about mediation at the end.
• Navarra: you'll find all the levels here but you also have some examples of mediation (in Spanish, for all the languages)
• Euskadi: this is the link for all the languages and levels so choose the one you need.
• La Rioja: go to this link to choose your level.
• Valencia: this is the page

The rest of CCAA don't have the most recent exams so I haven't taken them but if you want to see more samples from other school years, use this page (EOI Coslada) where you can find all the previous links and some others.

B2 - Verbs followed by gerund or infinitive

This topic is quite important in English grammar but it's also very difficult for Spanish speakers. Let's work a little on this.

This is a good link with exercises to work on the topic and this one has explanations to start with, but pay attention to the level you need and/or want. Although you are in the intermediate level, I'd rather you use the basic level in the beginning to check you don't have any doubt, but, as you can see, you have many exercises to work with. Another good link is this one with different levels as well.

This is the video  from British Council to show you how the pattern verb works and this link is quite simple but it's a start to refresh the principal verbs followed by infinitive or gerund.

As a summary, you may use this diagramme:

• VERBS followed by:

• -ing form (gerund): verbs related to likes and dislikes, followed by preposition and with reference to past or previous actions; e.g.  I enjoy listening to music,   My father gave up smoking last year   or   She denied being guilty (compare it with the verb "to refuse")

• infinitive : related to future actions
• with TO:   I'd like/want to go with you   or   She refused to go there     
• without TO (bare infinitive):   She made me laugh a lot  or  Let me tell you something

• both (infinitive or gerund)
• with a change in meaning:   
• I always remember to buy some bread for my mother  (I never forget to buy some bread for my mother)
• I remember buying some bread with my mother as a child (it's a memory)
• without changing the meaning:   I began reading - I began to read

If you want to have a good review about this topic, go to Test English and then start with the exercises.

If you need more practice, try with these ones: exercise 1     exercise 2       exercise 3

This last exercise is a listening comprehension about your spare time; remember that most of the verbs related to likes and dislikes are followed by -ing: click here

Keep in mind the importance of the verb pattern when you use introductory verbs in Reported Speech:

• Reporting verbs + -ing: go to this link
• Reporting verbs + infinitive: go here

Usually, Used to, Be/Get Used to

 Let's try to see the main differences among these three forms, according to the tense and the meaning, and to the following form. 

The first difference is the TENSE they are used and it's meaning:

• USUALLY is for any tense but it's very likely to see it with present simple or habitual present and it's related to how frequent you do an action:
• She usually goes to work on foot
• USED TO is only past and it has the meaning of having done something in the past but you don't do it anymore, that is, habits or actions you stopped doing them.
• She used to go to work on foot but now she goes by car
• BE/GET USED TO: it's used for any tense as the form "used" is taken as an adjective, not a verb, so the tense is shown in the verbs "be" or "get".
• She's not used to going to work on foot anymore as she goes by car

The other remarkable difference is the form following the expression, especially between "used to" and "be/get used to":

• USUALLY+ present simple or other tenses: I usually had fish during my last holidays (pay attention it doesn't mean I don't do it now, just it was something habitual in that time)
• USED TO + infinitive:  I didn't use to have fish when I was a child (this fact happened in the past but not now)
• BE/GET USED TO+-ing form: I got used to having fish when I was in my twenties (notice that TO is a preposition here and not part of the infinitive, so it's followed by -ing form)

There is a little difference between using BE or GET in this last form: "to be used to" means you're familiar with that action while "to get used to" means you're in the process; if you want to practise with this, do this exercise

Just to finish with this difficult point, there is a blog with an entry in Spanish which works with more differences among these forms. If you feel confident enough to fgo a bit further with this matter, visit this link.

You should practise with written exercises but first have a look to this explanation in Test English and then do these exercises:    exercise 1  (there are 2 more exercises)    exercise 2    exercise 3

Once you've understood this, practise with these questions but do it as oral practice:

• What did you use to do as a child in your free time?
• What do you usually do to relax?
• What won't you get used to doing as an elderly person?

Revision of Tenses: Present Simple for Habits

I found this video by chance and I think it's a good example to practise with present simple. We usally think it's something we've already learnt but if you listen to these two people (by the way, British and American accent) you'll see there are many ways to improve your English, as when you're using such easy tenses as present simple. It's a bit long but I think it's worth a visit.

Once you've seen it, try to practise on your own by recording yourself while describing your daily routines. Remember to look up all the necessary vocabulary lke your profession or hobbies.

Just keep in mind this is a very usual topic: to speak about yourself, your hobbies, what you usually do... and it gives you clues onwhat to ask to the other people.

See you!

Learning English with Songs

 Everybody loves music and when you sing you feel better, don't you? But the fact is that when you're singing a song in another language this can help you in many ways: improving your vocabulary, fixing grammar structures and having better pronunciation.

But not everybody likes the same kind of music and maybe the songs you love are not the best for starting learning English. That's the reason why I've taken a selection based on the simplicity rather than kind of music. If you want to practise with a song, first try to find it with LYRICS (la letra) on the internet; then, try to choose ballads or slow music to be able to follow it as a karaoke, and finally try to sing it without looking at the lyrics. When you've done this, you'll see you've learnt new words, some structures and you'll be able to pronounce those words better. 

So let's start with these simple ones and little by little you can add as many songs as you fancy.

Old classic ones

• Love Me Tender by Elvis Presley : very slow and good for starting with pronunciation
• Father and Son by Cat Stevens : imperative and some typical expressions ("take it easy")
• What a Wonderful World by Louis Amstrong :  use of adjectives
• My Heart by Celine Dion : just Titanic!

 Modern singers

• What about Us? by Pink : present tense 
• Wake Me Up by Aviici : a bit more rhythm
• 7 Years Old by Lukas Graham : past and future tenses, comparatives 
• Someone like You by Adele : beautiful song, isn't it?
• The Lazy Song by Bruno Mars : with typical forms such as "wanna" (want to) or gonna (going to)
• Roar by Katty Perry : past tenses
• Perfect by Ed Sheeran : different tenses (past, present and future)

If you practise listening skills with songs you can go to these links: 

• Learn English with Songs : filling the gaps exercises
• This blog has a lot of exercises: click here
• ESL Video : with different videos and exercises