It concerns your broader preparation for the exam and not just doing past papers. Indeed, how boring and fruitless it would be answering multiple choice questions all the time! No real joy at discovering something new yourself, no personal fulfilment in using the language productively, no inner satisfaction from being able to express yourself a little better than before.
You need to learn to love what you’re doing, develop a love for the language, a passion for new words and expressions! You need to learn to listen and read critically with a keen eye for quality language that you can apply to your own speaking and writing!
By Maria Termetzoglou, LRN Oral Examiner/TEFL/ESL
Let’s talk with specific examples. Imagine that you come across the following text while you’re reading an article in a book or on the Internet:
Now, stop and ask yourself:
What ideas for my own writing does this paragraph give me?
1 The structure “In the task of ….-ing…………x play(s) a key role.”
Idea For A Possible Sentence In A Composition:
In the task of educating the young generation to develop a more responsible attitude towards the environment, education plays a key role.
2 Adjectives describing societies: equitable, sustainable, inclusive (check these meanings)
equitable = fair and reasonable; treating everyone in the same way
sustainable = causing little or no damage to the environment and therefore able to continue for a long time
inclusive = describes a group or organization which tries to include many different types of people and treat them all fairly and equally
Idea For A Possible Sentence In A Composition:
The principal aim of any government that calls itself democratic and visionary should be to create societies that are equitable, sustainable and inclusive.
3 The expression “at the heart of any vision of”'
Idea For A Possible Sentence In A Composition:
In my country, Greece, creating more green traffic-free areas in all city centres is at the heart of any vision of developing a more humane environment for its inhabitants.
Got the idea? “A keen eye for quality language” in everything you read. Personal initiative at discovering new language yourself and then use of an English-English dictionary to check new meanings and get ideas on how to use it.•
