For the
first time, our school opened a new PET course during the afterschool program.
The class meets once a week for two hours and focuses on preparing our 5th
and 6th graders for the Cambridge Preliminary Test. This tests shows
that the students have mastered the basics of English and now have practical
language skills for everyday use.
The test
itself last for 2 hours and 20 minutes and is divided into several sections:
Reading and Writing (1 hour 30 minutes) which shows that
the student can read and understand the main points from signs, newspapers and
magazines, and can use vocabulary and structure correctly.
·
Reading
is divided into 5 parts and a total of 35 questions.
·
Writing
is divided into 3 parts and a total of 7 questions.
Listening (45 minutes) which shows that the
students can follow and understand a range of spoken materials including
announcements and discusses about everyday life.
Speaking (12 minutes) which shows how good
student’s spoken English is as he or she takes part in conversation by asking /
answering questions and asking, for example, about their likes and dislikes.
The test is conducted face to face with one or two other candidates and two
examiners. This makes the test more realistic and more reliable.
During our
lessons we focus specifically on one test every 2 weeks as well as all the vocabulary
needed for this level. So far, the course has a great start. A total of 10
students enrolled in the class and they are very diligently working each week
on a test.
