Skills for Life Entry 3 Reading: Overview Teacher’s Notes

Description
This activity familiarises students with the different text types that they will have to read in the Entry 3
Reading exam. Students also look through two past exams and answer questions about the general structure
and question types.

Teacher’s Notes

Aims of the lesson • to familiarise students with the text types included in the
Entry 3 Reading exam
• to familiarise students with the overall format of the Entry 3
Reading exam

Time needed 45 minutes

Materials required • Collect authentic text types (though authentic, they

shouldn’t be too long, and ideally, each should have a fairly
clear purpose) – message/note, letter, email, advert (e.g.
from local newspaper), notice (e.g. from college
noticeboard), sign (e.g. direction sign), label, leaflet,
timetable, form (filled in), instructions, diagram (e.g. a
simple map), article (a short one from a local newspaper or
the college newsletter), index (from a book or catalogue),
personal profile (e.g. a personal statement for an
application form written by a student from a higher level),
short report (work-related, if possible) – one set for the
whole class
• Student’s Worksheet 1 – one copy for each student
• Student’s Worksheet 2 – one copy for each student
Entry 3 2015 sample paper (available from
www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-and-qualifications/skills-
for-life/how-to-prepare) – one copy of one sample paper
between two students for half of the class and one copy of
the second sample paper between two students for the
other half. (e.g. four copies of sample paper A and four
copies of sample paper B if you have 16 students in the
class)

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Procedure
1. Spread the different text types at random around the classroom – on the walls or on tables. They
should not be in the same order as on Student’s Worksheet 1.
2. Hand out Student’s Worksheet 1 to all students. Check that they all understand the word purpose
(answer: the reason why it was written). Ask students, working in pairs, to identify the main purpose of
each one of the texts spread around the room and to write it in a few words on the worksheet. It may
help to demonstrate what they have to do. Monitor students as they carry out the task.
3. Check answers with the whole group. (See Key to step 3.) You may only need to focus on the texts
that have caused most difficulty. If relevant to a text, it may be helpful to ask other questions such as:
• Where might you see a text like this?
• Who do you think wrote it?
• Who reads a text like this?
• Why do people read this text?
Accept any appropriate answers.
4. Tell students they are going to look at examples of a Reading exam. Explain that you want them to
answer some questions about the exam, but not to do the tasks in the exam. Hand out a copy of
Student’s Worksheet 2 to each student. If you have weak students, make sure they understand the
questions.
5. Ask the students to work in pairs and give one copy of one sample paper between two students for
half of the class and one copy of the second sample paper between two students for the other half.
Monitor the activity. (You may want to make sure that they don’t start writing answers to the questions
on the exam papers.)
6. When they have completed the worksheet, ask pairs from different halves of the class to compare
their answers. OR just ask them to exchange exams and work through the questions again.
7. Check answers with the whole group if you think it’s necessary. (See Key to Student’s Worksheet
2.)
8. When you have finished, you may wish to collect the copies of the sample papers so that they can be
used again.

Additional information
Students may ask about the marks on the exam paper. The number of marks for each question is 1. The total
number of marks varies from one paper to another.
Tell students not to write in the columns on the right of the paper marked For examiners’ use only. It may be
worth stressing that when the student comes to a blank page, this does not necessarily mean they have
finished the exam – they should always check if there are further questions to do. Also, stress that in the
exam they should try to answer all the questions – they don’t lose marks for incorrect answers.

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Suggested follow-up activities/questions (and answers)
1. Ask students to try answering part, or all, of the exam if you think they are ready to do so. The
markschemes for these exams are at: http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-and-
qualifications/skills-for-life/how-to-prepare/
2. Make the point to students that the exam papers include many different text types, as in real life, and
it will help them to try to read anything they see around them – newspaper articles, leaflets that come
through the door, notices, letters from their children’s schools, labels of food containers, etc.

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Information is correct as of January 2015
Skills for Life Entry 3 Reading: Overview Answer Keys

Key to Procedure step 3

The purposes of these texts will obviously depend on the texts you have collected. Students should write a
few words only, e.g. message – to ask for help; advert – to advertise a job.

Key to Student’s Worksheet 2

1. How many pages does the exam have? 13 (including two blank)
2. How much time do you have for the whole exam? 1 hour 15 minutes
3. Can you use a dictionary in the exam? no
4. Can you write in pencil? no, it must be in pen
5. How many parts are there? three
6. How many minutes does it suggest for each part? Part 1 is 20 minutes; Part 2 is 25 minutes; Part 3 is
30 minutes. These are suggested times.
7. How many texts are there? eight
8. What kinds of texts are there? Write the texts you can see (for example, a message).
a letter, two adverts, two internet postings, three examples of student writing
9. How many questions are there? 33
10. Write down the different types of questions you can find.
Tick (√) True or False
Multiple choice Tick (√) one box
Multiple choice Tick (√) two boxes
Tick (√) YES or NO
Write (an answer)

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Skills for Life Entry 3 Reading: Overview Student’s Worksheet 1

What is the main purpose of each text?

1. a message to ……

2. a letter

3. an email

4. an advert

5. a notice

6. a sign

7. a label

8. a leaflet

9. a timetable

10. a form

11. instructions

12. a diagram

13. an article

14. an index

15. a personal profile

16. a report

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Skills for Life Entry 3 Reading: Overview Student’s Worksheet 2

Look at the exam and answer the questions.

1 How many pages does the exam have? ……………..

2 How much time do you have for the whole exam? ……………..

3 Can you use a dictionary in the exam? ……………..

4 Can you write in pencil? ……………..

5 How many parts are there? ……………..

6 How many minutes does it suggest for each part? ……………..

7 How many texts are there? ……………..

8 What kinds of texts are there? Write the texts you can see (for example, a message).
………………………………………………………………………………………..…

………………………………………………………………………………………….

9 How many questions are there? ……………..

10 Write down the different types of questions you can find (e.g. Tick (√) one box).

………..…………………………………………………………………………………………

……..……………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………

..…………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………...…………………………………………………………………………………………………

© UCLES 2014. © UCLES 2014. For further information see our Terms and Conditions.
Information is correct as of January 2015