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Common exam content:
Reading: two short texts, 4 items (a,b,c,d) 4 points
One long text, 6 items (a,b,c,d) 14 points

Use of language, accuracy, style and vocabulary:
Gap fill- short text, 5 items, 5 points

Gap fill- short text, 5 items ( a,b,c,d), 5 points

Gapped sentences- one word fits in 3 sentences, 6 points

Word formation- short text- 5 items, 5 points

Sentence transformation- 3 items, 6 points

Writing: article, essay, letter or book review, chose one of two, 15 points

Writing skills with max. 15 points: content (appropriate) 3, range / accuracy 5, target reader 2, register 2, format / organisation & cohesion 3.

How to write a report:

1. Who is the report for and which kind of information are important? Tense-> Report might be mostly in Past Tense

2. Structure your information:
Introduction
Background information
Probably some benefits and drawbacks
Conclusion and recommendation -> mention future prospects perhaps

3. Read your report again: too much information? Right tense? What about linking words and expressions?

If not any idea comes up you should try a brain-stroming such as a mind map or something else.

Often used tasks in the exam:
-Report an ein englisches Studentenmagazin zum Thema "Benefits of Studying in a multi-cultural enrivonment"
-„contribution to a book“ verfassen, in dem es über erneuerbare Energien ging.
-'My ideal home :`You decide to write an article in which you describe the structure and furnishings of your ideal home.


How to write an article:
General: Who is going to read your article? Are lots of factual information required or is it just entertainment? How formal or informal has your article to be?
1. Look at the extraxt and decide whether you agree or disagree with its content
2. Think of examples which support your own perspective
3. Plan the main topic areas you want to discuss: write a title, introduce the subject, outline opposing views, discount opposing views, give your opinion and supply supporting information, conclude
4. Use a wide range of vocabulary and use e.g. idioms
5. Read your article again and ask yourself whether you made your opinion clear and check the grammar.

How to write an essay:

-Who is going to read your essay?
-What is the reader expecting to see?
1. Write down your ideas to the topic and decide whether they can be linked to it
2. Make more detailed notes of what to include in each paragraph:
Introduction- aim
3 Paragraphs
Conclusion
3. Write your essay and think about its title
4. Read again and decide whether your views come across clearly and have you put forward opposing views?

How to write a letter:

1. Who is going to read your letter and do you need to write the address? (Check instructions) -> "Dear Editor,..."
2. Think of advantages and disadvantages to the certain topic and start with the instruction, finish with the conclusion.
3. Write your letter and decide how much your letter suits to the article or instructions.

Kind of exercises:

1.) Reading texts and multiple-choice answers:

-Read the text and make sure that you understand the content and not every word.
-Try to answer the questions before you start reading the given answers (multiple-choices).
-Look into the text and mark some keywords which are necessary for answering the questions.
-Choose the most appropriate answer and re-read the whole question with the answers given.
-Probably you ought to make a clear decision why the other answers offered might not be right.

2.) Matching missing parts of a text to one whole text:

-Read the whole text and understand the content.
-Read the beginnings and the ends of each paragraph.
-Check the content (What is each paragraph about?) of each paragraph and mark certain key words which could be repeated in the texts, which have to be put into the gaps.
-Mark also the places and people mentioned.
-Highlight the tenses, thus the time development of the text might become clear.
-Filling in the gaps with the missing parts of the text.
-Re-read the whole text and check, whether this chronology makes sense or has to be revised.

3.) Rewriting sentences:

-Reading sentences.
-All information in the first sentence has to appear in the second sentence.
-Keywords are not to be changed.
-Sometimes, word have to be changed into another form or tense (verb->noun; active-> passive).
-Synonyms can be used for having the same information in the second sentence as in the first one.
-To the second sentence not more than 8 and not less than 2 words should be added.
-In the end, the spelling has to be checked.

4.) Gap texts without examples (one word has to fit in three sentences):

-Reading all sentences of one exercise.
-One word has to fit in three sentences without changing the form or tense.
-The meaning of the missed word could probably have slightly another meaning but the spelling has to be the same.
-Have a look on the words before and after the missing word such as prepositions etc.
-Fill in the gap the missing word.
-Re-read the sentences and your answers.

5.) Gap texts with given examples:

-Read the text carefully.
-Try to find a solution before reading the words given (Often 4 offers).
-Exclude the words which cannot fit due to wrong prepositions or meaning in the context.
-Fill in the gap.
-Re-read the text and ask yourself, whether this solution makes sense or has to be changed.
-In the end, re-read the whole text with all its solutions chosen by you.

6.) Writing:

General questions:
-What are you gonna write? (Essay, article...)
-Who are you target readers?
-Which writing style should I choose? (informal, formal, semi-formal)
-How long should it be?
-Which content should I right or what is the topic or the question?
-Which part of the 3-type-part should be in focus? (introduction, body, conclusion)

Specific questions:
-Essay ("Try")= Pointing out main points (topic), organising and structuring paragraphs, more formal style, 3-type-parts (introduction, body, conclusion), body includes the main arguments, in the end a summary of the results is necessary and probably the personal opinion.

-Article= should refer to your own experience or of others, main arguments should be underlined with good examples, different instruments can be used such as narration or description.

-Review= has a semi-formal style, a very short introduction, tells the reader about other´s impressions of something, points of special events, own point of view can be included.

-Report= formal style, has a good structure with a focus on the introduction, includes a selections of the main points in each paragraph, personal experiences can be mentioned, various instruments can be used such as analysis, speculation or conclusion.

-Proposal: has a formal style, each proposal or argument has one paragraph and is well-argumented, recommendation depends on the target reader.

-Letter: has an impersonal opening or direct to the target reader, it is more often written in an impartial tone, needs a goods closing in the same way like the salutation.

The accuracy of the written English language is the most important issue.

I recommend as a preparation: ISBN 978 0230 03540 9