Chapter 21

Making the Grade:

Handling Exam Classes

In This Chapter

▶ Examining the range of exams

▶ Helping students with exam skills

▶ Composing an exam course

S

ome students have very fixed goals for their English which often involve

passing exams. Exam classes take a bit of getting used to so in this

chapter you find out about the most popular exams. I include a section on

how to teach the necessary skills; you can consult the chapters in Part III for

more tips.

Exploring University Entrance Exams

For a large number of students higher education is the motivation for

learning English. They want to take degree courses in an economically strong

English-speaking country because this adds prestige to the qualification and

opens up more opportunities for their future careers. However, in order to

enrol on such courses, students have to prove to universities that they

have sufficient language skills and this is why entrance exams in English are

necessary.