UNIVERSIDAD TECNICA DEL NORTE

Centro Académico de Idiomas

Ingles 5: paralelo 95Q

Name. Oscar Chacua

Tips for Approving Speaking
If you have to take your English exam soon, we have some recommendations that we
have selected from the English Live portal that will be very useful for you to pass the
speaking test.

Speaking: although it sounds redundant, that is the best way to learn to speak English is
by speaking. Therefore, you should speak English as often as possible. The more you
practice, the better your pronunciation will be.
Watch movies: to learn about pronunciation, style and also vocabulary, watching
movies in English will help you assimilate the language. If you want to make this
experience even more enriching, watch movies in English with subtitles in the same
language.
Read aloud: reading texts, diaries, books or your favourite websites aloud will help you
detect your pronunciation errors and make your speech more fluent.
Prepare an outline: in speaking tests you should normally perform a monologue about
some experience, event or hobby. In order to prepare correctly for the exam, it is best
to make an outline with a structure containing introduction, development and
conclusions and practice it at home.
Learn the vocabulary you will use: there are some key terms that will help you develop
your monologue in speaking. Learn the different possible formats and the words that
will help you make connections, subordinate and build the structure of what you are
going to say.
Tips for Passing Writing

If you're learning English and need to take an exam soon, here are a few tips
Read as much as you can in English: in the same way that the more you hear English,
the better you will speak it, the more you read in English, the better your writing will be.
Make reading in English a habit and subscribe to blogs and media where topics of your
interest in the language are published.
Brainstorming: when you are faced with a blank sheet of paper in which you must
express yourself in English in a written form, start with a brainstorming to find out what
topics you can write about. Then select the most convenient ones and make a short
diagram describing what their format might look like.
Study the different structures: depending on the test you are about to take, you will be
asked to write a letter, an essay or a story written in English. To be prepared, study the
classical structures of each type of genre, its format, style, and expression formulas.
Practice each of them to assimilate them well.
 UNIVERSIDAD TECNICA DEL NORTE
Centro Académico de Idiomas
Ingles 5: paralelo 95Q

Apply connectors: in written expression, connectors are essential because they give
meaning to writing and demonstrate knowledge of the language. When writing in
English, use them to link paragraphs, explain concepts and close ideas. There are a
variety of connectors, but to begin with you can learn the most common ones like
because, before, however, on the contrary, as well as, therefore, etc.
Tips for Approving Listening

Listening is one of the most important parts of English exams because it is where your
understanding of the language and your ability to understand English speakers is
defined.
Pre-read the text: it is possible that Listening is part of a test in which you must complete
a text, so it is important that you do a pre-reading, as this will give you a general
overview on the subject and help you predict the missing words or phrases.

Take notes: in some tests, especially the more advanced ones, you are not allowed to
see the text until after listening to the audio. If the test you are facing is of this type, the
best thing you can do is listen carefully to the audio and write down the key words or
make an outline of what is spoken. It's not an easy task, so it's best to practice it first in
your native language, and then in English.

Watch out for signal words: Listening participants are trained speakers for specific
exercises. In the audios there are so-called "signalizers" that are very marked words and
serve as a route map to the listener. In order to successfully pass Listening, you must
pay attention to pronunciation and tones.

Train your ear: to train for the test, it is best to read an audio transcript and then listen
to it, becoming familiar with the different accents of the speakers. As an exercise, it is
also very useful to listen to radio broadcasts in English.

the most recommended strategies to improve your Reading.

Use skimming

Skimming is a reading technique that is used to look for a general idea of the text. It is a
type of superficial reading that looks for key words and the most prominent information
to understand what the text is about. You need to use this technique once you face any
 UNIVERSIDAD TECNICA DEL NORTE
Centro Académico de Idiomas
Ingles 5: paralelo 95Q

text because it will help you understand what it is about. Then, if necessary, you do a
deeper and more detailed reading to understand the details.

Read information in English

To practice reading in English the digital media are an excellent tool. They will help you
not only to inform yourself about current affairs and topics of your interest, but also to
understand the language from day to day communication and to learn common terms.

Learning from context

Learning to read in English is also about learning a new communicative competence,

which is why context is an essential tool for you to understand the true meaning
of things. When faced with a text that you do not fully understand, try to guide
you by your intuition by supporting the context to which it refers.

Look up words you don't understand in a dictionary

If context does not help you as a reference to understand the meaning of some terms,
it is best to rely on a Spanish-English dictionary. In this way the reading will be much
easier and you will learn the meaning of the different terms, which will allow you to
expand your vocabulary in the language.

Read books of your interest

For starters, choose short books that are not very complex language. Reading books is
recommended by many teachers and specialists to improve reading comprehension,
speed and comprehension skills. It is recommended to choose a book according to the
tastes and interests to make reading more enjoyable.