Homework & Readings (FCE Set book 2009)

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• Unit 21: page 136, act. 2 & page 137, act. 6.
• Unit 20: page 131, act. 4 (further practice on gerunds vs infinitives).

Concerning the set book. In Question 5 of Paper 2 (Writing), there is a choice of 2 tasks, at least one of which will be an essay. The other task might be an article, report, letter o review. Please avoid lengthy descriptions about the plot, that’s seen as irrelevant, stick to the question instead. Read it carefully, decide exactly what is required and then make your choice: the essay vs the other option. Draft your answer if possible.

From December 2008, when the updated FCE exam is introduced, there will be two set texts with one text specific question on each.

December 2008 — December 2009 READINGS:

• Charles Dickens, Great Expectations.
• Gaston Leroux, The Phantom of the Opera.

My0.2 cts: You can buy the books or get them online for free (you know I always opt for *legal* web-based options).

Charles Dickens, Great Expectations:

• Download the ebook from Project Gutenberg (legal download) at http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1400
• From Literature.org at http://www.literature.org/authors/dickens-charles/great-expectations/
• From Scribd (the download won’t be available unless you sign up) at http://www.scribd.com/doc/193773/Charles-Dickens-Great-Expectations-

Gaston Lerous, The Phantom of the Opera:

• From DailyLit at http://www.dailylit.com/books/phantom-of-the-opera If you want to know more about DailyLit, read this post I wrote 2 years ago at the EFL2.0 blog.
• From Literature Project at http://www.literatureproject.com/phantom-opera/index.htm
• From Bibliomania at http://www.bibliomania.com/0/0/34/72/frameset.html
• From Project Gutenberg at http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/175

Yep, you owe me a beer or two…

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Write right

(FCE Writing: 1 hour & 30′)

Letters always appear in Part 1. It is a transactional letter in response to or initiate a course of action. The letter may be formal or informal, the instructions will tell you which style is expected. In Part 2, you will be able to choose from a range of writing tasks including a composition, an article, a report, a short story, an informal letter or a letter of application (depending on the type of letter which has appeared in Part 1). Here, I show you a list of writing tasks with their links to writing tips and a FCE sample (which you can email me)

• Short Story: Tips & FCE Sample.
• Review: Tips.
• Transactional Letter: Tips & FCE Sample.
• Informal Letter: Tips.
• Article: Tips & FCE Sample.
• Report: Tips & FCE Sample.
• Discursive Composition: Tips.

Online sites for further practice on writing skills:

1. Parapal Online: cloze letter exercises.
2. ParagraphPunch: this site takes you through the steps of writing paragraphs on a given topic.

For the lucky (i.e. with a lot of free time) and curious: a list on links on Writing Skills.