SECOND EDITION SECOND EDITION First TRAINER SECOND EDITION First TRAINER SIX PRACTICE TESTS WITH ANSWERS First SIX PRACTICE TESTS WITH ANSWERS First Trainer is the perfect exam preparation companion for the revised Cambridge English: First (FCE), also known as First Certificate in English. It combines exam practice with easy-to-follow expert guidance, and exam tips designed to guarantee exam success. TRAINER The first two tests are fully guided, with tips and advice on how to tackle each paper Additional grammar, vocabulary and writing practice activities help students avoid typical mistakes made by real exam candidates in Cambridge English: First Answer key includes clear explanations and model answers for the Writing paper SIX PRACTICE TESTS WITH ANSWERS Audio for the listening and speaking test activities is available online for download ‘Without answers’ version also available, plus Audio CDs with the listening and speaking test activities for both versions CEFR level: Cambridge English exam: 978-X-XXX-XXXXX-X • Author • Title C M Y K Pantoene XXX C2 Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) C1 Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) Cambridge English: First (FCE) May B2 Cambridge English: First (FCE) for Schools Cambridge English: Preliminary (PET) B1 Cambridge English: Preliminary (PET) for Schools Cambridge English: Key (KET) A2 Cambridge English: Key (KET) for Schools A Peter May SECOND EDITION First TRAINER SIX PRACTICE TESTS WITH ANSWERS Peter May Cambridge University Press www.org/elt Cambridge English Language Assessment www.org Information on this title: www.org/firsttrainer First edition © Cambridge University Press 2012 Second edition © Cambridge University Press and UCLES 2015 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 2012 Second edition 2015 Printed in Italy by Rotolito Lombardo S.A A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library ISBN 978-1-107-47018-7 Six Practice Tests with answers with Audio ISBN 978-1-107-47017-0 Six Practice Tests without answers with Audio ISBN 978-1-107-47021-7 Audio CDs (3) Additional resources for this publication at www.org/firsttrainer The publishers have no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and do not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. Information regarding prices, travel timetables, and other factual information given in this work is correct at the time of first printing but the publishers do not guarantee the accuracy of such information thereafter. Contents Introduction 4 Training and Exam practice Test 1 Reading and Use of English 10 Writing 34 Listening 50 Speaking 59 Test 2 Reading and Use of English 68 Writing 82 Listening 94 Speaking 99 Practice Tests Test 3 Reading and Use of English 107 Writing 118 Listening 120 Speaking 124 Test 4 Reading and Use of English 126 Writing 137 Listening 139 Speaking 143 Test 5 Reading and Use of English 145 Writing 156 Listening 158 Speaking 162 Test 6 Reading and Use of English 164 Writing 175 Listening 177 Speaking 181 Answer key and transcripts 183 Answer sheets 217 Acknowledgements 221 Speaking appendix (colour section pages C1-C20) Contents 3 Introduction Second edition Who is First Trainer for? This book is suitable for anyone who is preparing to take the Cambridge English: First (FCE). You can use First Trainer in class with your teacher, or – in the case of the with- answers edition of the book – on your own at home.
What is First Trainer? First Trainer contains six practice tests for Cambridge English: First, each covering the Reading and Use of English, Writing, Listening and Speaking papers. Guided Tests 1 and 2 consist of both training and practice for the exam, while Tests 3–6 are entirely practice. All six tests are at exam level and are of First standard. Test 1 contains information about each part of each paper, plus step-by-step guidance to take you through each kind of First task type, with examples and tips clearly linked to the questions.
In the Reading and Use of English, Writing and Speaking papers, it also presents and practises grammar, vocabulary and functional language directly relevant to particular task types. This is supported by work on correcting common grammar mistakes made by First candidates in the exam as shown by the Cambridge Learner Corpus. For more information on the Cambridge Learner Corpus see page 6. In Writing, you work with extracts from actual candidate scripts from the Corpus, and in Speaking you listen to sample recordings of each part of the paper.
The Explanatory answer key tells you which answers are correct and why, and explains why other possible answers are wrong. Test 2 also contains training for the exam, in addition to revision from Test 1. Here too there is language input, as well as some step-by-step guidance to task types with further examples, advice and tips. In Writing, there is a full focus on the task types not covered in Test 1.
Tests 3–6 contain a wide range of topics, text types and exam items, enabling you to practise the skills you have developed and the language you have learnt in Tests 1 and 2. How to use First Trainer Test 1 Training • For each part of each paper you should begin by studying Task information, which tells you the facts you need to know, such as what the task type tests and the kinds of questions it uses. • Throughout Test 1, you will see information marked Tip! These tips give you practical advice on how to tackle each task type. • In all papers, training exercises help you develop the skills you need, e.
reading for gist, by working through example items of a particular task type. • For parts 1-4 of Reading and Use of English, both parts of Writing and all parts of Speaking, Useful language presents and practises grammatical structures, vocabulary or functional expressions that are often tested by particular task types. • Many exercises involve focusing on and correcting common language mistakes made by actual First candidates, as shown by the Cambridge Learner Corpus (see page 6). 4 Introduction • In Listening, you are prompted to use one of the numbered CDs, e.
If you are working on your own using the with-answers edition of First Trainer, you will need a CD player (or a computer if you are using the downloadable MP3 files). Note that the numbers on these files are the same as the CD. • In Writing, Test 1 covers Part 1 (essay), as well as the email, article and report tasks in Part 2. You study sample answers from the Cambridge Learner Corpus written by actual First candidates in the exam, as well as model answers to help you perfect your skills.
The Explanatory answer key contains answers to the exercises, plus more model texts. You finish each part by writing your own text, bringing in what you have learnt in Useful language. • In Speaking, you are prompted to use one of the numbered Mp3 files or CDs, e. 1 10 , and do written tasks while you listen to examples of each part of the paper.
You can practise speaking on your own or with a partner, using what you have learnt in Useful language. • In all papers, Action plan gives you clear step-by-step guidance on how to approach each task type. • You then work through an exam-style task, often doing exercises based on the guidance in Action plan and then following the exam instructions. As you do so, Advice boxes suggest ways of dealing with particular exam items.
• Answers to all items are in the Explanatory answer key, which explains why the correct answers are right and others are wrong. For Listening, the parts of the transcripts which give the correct answers are underlined in the texts. Test 2 Training • Test 2 contains many of the same features as Test 1, including exercises that focus on exam instructions, texts and tasks, Tip! information, Advice boxes for many exam items, Useful language and an Explanatory answer key. • There is further work based on mistakes frequently made by First candidates as shown by the Cambridge Learner Corpus.
• There is also an emphasis on revision, with cross-references for each task type to the relevant Task information and Action plan in Test 1. You should refer back to these before you begin working through each part. • Test 2 Writing covers Part 1 (essay) plus the letter, review and article tasks in Part 2, also with sample answers and authentic candidates’ texts from the Cambridge Learner Corpus. • You should try to do the exam tasks under exam conditions where possible.
Tests 3–6 Exam practice • In Tests 3, 4, 5 and 6, you can apply the skills and language you have learnt in guided Tests 1 and 2. • You can do these tests and the four papers within them in any order, but you should always try to keep to the time recommended for each paper. For the Listening paper, you must listen to each recording twice only. • It will be easier to keep to the exam instructions if you can find somewhere quiet to work, and ensure there are no interruptions.
• For the Speaking paper it is better if you can work with a partner, but if not, you can follow the instructions and do all four parts on your own. • If you have the with-answers edition of the book, you can check your answers for yourself, and also study the Listening transcripts after you have completed the tasks. Introduction 5 The Cambridge Learner Corpus (CLC) The Cambridge Learner Corpus (CLC) is a large collection of exam scripts written by candidates taking Cambridge ESOL English exams around the world. It currently contains over 90,000 scripts and is growing all the time.
It forms part of the Cambridge International Corpus (CIC) and it has been built up by Cambridge University Press and Cambridge ESOL. The CLC currently contains scripts from over: • 90,000 students • 100 different first languages • 180 different countries Exercises and extracts from candidates’ answers from Writing in First Trainer which are based on the CLC are indicated by this icon: Find out about the Cambridge Learner Corpus at www. Other features of First Trainer • Full-colour visual material for the Speaking paper of all six tests in the Speaking appendix. • For Tests 1 and 2, the Explanatory answer key in the with-answers edition on pages 183–234 tells you which answers are correct, and why.
In some cases, such as multiple-choice questions, it also explains why the other options are wrong. • In the with-answers edition, you can check your answers to Tests 3–6 in the key at the back. In the case of Listening, the parts of the transcript that give the correct answers are underlined. • Photocopiable answer sheets for the Reading and Use of English and Listening papers are at the back of the book.
Before you take the exam, you should study these so that you know how to mark or write your answers correctly. In Writing, the question paper has plenty of lined space for you to write your answers. • Three audio CDs also available as downloadable MP3 files containing recordings for the Listening papers of the six First tests plus recordings of different parts of the Speaking test to serve as samples. The listening material is indicated by a different icon in First Trainer for each of the CDs: 1 01 2 01 3 01 The Cambridge English: First examination Level of the Cambridge English: First examination First is at level B2 on the Common European Framework (CEF).
When you reach this level, these are some of the things you should be able to do: • You can scan written texts for the information you need, and understand detailed instructions or advice.