July 9th marks Fashion Day, making it the perfect opportunity to explore a topic that almost everyone has an opinion about. Whether your students enjoy keeping up with the latest trends or prefer a more practical wardrobe, fashion naturally sparks discussion and debate. That's exactly what makes it such a suitable theme for this fashion-themed… Continue reading Cambridge FCE Writing Part 1 (essay): The Effects of Fashion on People’s Lives
Category: B2 FCE
B2 Listening Part 3 – The meaning of happiness
Happiness is one of the feelings that we all understand a bit differently. Listen to five speakers talking about happiness, and discuss what it means to you. Is it being with your family, making everyone else around you happy, or being by yourself? Occasionally, I like to look at Cambridge sample papers and oftentimes find… Continue reading B2 Listening Part 3 – The meaning of happiness
B2/C1 – Buccal fat removal (guided reading)
I don't know about you, but I spend a little too much time on social media. Luckily, I don't own a TikTok account, but other platforms with similar features rob you of your free time. I saw a video on buccal fat removal during one of those YouTube scrolling sessions. Whether it was the clickbait… Continue reading B2/C1 – Buccal fat removal (guided reading)
Christmas-themed B2 speaking
It has become somewhat of a tradition on this blog that for every bigger holiday you can count on a Cambridge-style themed speaking. Last year I prepared a speaking class for the B1 level. This time it's time to focus on FCE students and let them enjoy Christmas while practising English. If you have used… Continue reading Christmas-themed B2 speaking
B2 – The bizarre world of perfume ads
Christmas time is already here, and what goes with it - the many perfume ads on TV. They stand out and have a different feeling from your typical Christmasy ads. They are often shot in the style of professional movies and more often than not, leave us questioning the meaning behind them. During one of… Continue reading B2 – The bizarre world of perfume ads
Heatwave-themed – B2 Speaking
Summer classes and intensive courses can be improved by switching up the coursebook content and presenting students with some themed speaking tasks. As we are pushing through another week of unbearably high temperatures, I can't think of anything more topical than the heatwave and climate change. Intensive courses and exam preparation classes tend to be… Continue reading Heatwave-themed – B2 Speaking
What makes you nostalgic? – B2 Listening Part 3
The other day, I posted a lesson plan based on a short scientific podcast The Healing Power of Nostalgia. I felt immediate motivation when I saw short extracts of speakers talking about what makes them nostalgic. It made me think of a typical FCE Listening Part 3 exam task, in which students listen to five… Continue reading What makes you nostalgic? – B2 Listening Part 3
B2 – Let’s get nostalgic (podcast)
The older you get, the more you realise the emotional sadness and sense of longing for the past. You start appreciating all the summers you spent in your grandparents' countryside, running around carefree, worrying only about making it on time to watch your favourite TV show. This podcast-based class should make your B2 adult student… Continue reading B2 – Let’s get nostalgic (podcast)
B2 – Separating the art from the artist (guided reading)
Recently the whole world united, as we all witnessed twists and turns in the biggest trial of the 21st century between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. Even though there was one clear (public) winner of this case, I can't help but feel rather disappointed that such a great actor had so many skeletons in his closet. It… Continue reading B2 – Separating the art from the artist (guided reading)
B1/B2 – Job interview – Soft skills
During my time teaching online, one of the most commonly asked things was to have a pre-job interview class. This happens frequently, especially on online platforms, such as Preply. The demand for these lessons made me sign up for a Preply webinar, "Preparing students for job interviews", which served as an inspiration for this lesson… Continue reading B1/B2 – Job interview – Soft skills
