Jim Moore has been helping students to prepare for their Cambridge exams at LSC/ EC Vancouver since 2006. “In my experience, students sometimes enter exam preparation classes simply for the personal challenge involved, with the general goal of improving their English skills. Such students say that they find motivation simply in the possibility of passing or failing an internationally recognized exam. This is sometimes true. However, our students more often have already identified a specific need for a Cambridge certificate. For example, I’ve met primary school teachers who need the Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) in order to teach English to pupils in Switzerland. Others need to earn the First Certificate in English (FCE) or CAE as part of their application to a particular academic institution or to improve their employment prospects. Very strong students who require proof of an even higher level of proficiency prepare for the Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE). When preparing for FCE, CAE or CPE, it is critical to make a commitment to improving your speaking, writing and listening skills, but, above all, your reading skills. This final skill is essential not only to Cambridge Reading exams but also to Writing, Use of English, and Listening exams, which require strong reading comprehension if you wish to achieve your highest potential score. Although your teacher can help you to avoid common pitfalls experienced by Cambridge exam takers, it is important to realize that there are no ways to bluff through these exams. Thinking in English is necessary in order to process the information quickly enough to pass or, even better, excel. For this reason, it is imperative to read as much and as widely as possible outside of class so that you can take full advantage of the exam skills that you will develop in your preparation classes.”
