Contents

1. Purpose of the LTE Teacher’s Guide ………………………………………………………………………………………… 3

2. About LanguageCert ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3

3. About the LTE qualification ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3

4. The LTE structure ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 8

The Listening component …………………………………………………………………………………………… 8

The Reading component ..………………………………………………………………………………………… 11

5. LTE task types and sample practice questions ………………………………………………………………………… 13

Listening task types and practice ………………………….…………………………………………………… 13

Reading task types and practice ………….……………….…………………………………………………… 24

6. Additional practice tasks ……………………….……………….………………………………………………………………… 33

Listening practice tasks ……………..……………….………………………………………………………………… 33

Reading practice tasks ……………..……………….………………………………………………………………… 36

7. General tips and strategies …..……………….……………….………………………………………………………………… 39

8. Supplementary resources and support ……….………….………………………………………………………………… 40

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 1. Purpose of the LTE Teacher’s Guide

This guide has been produced for teachers preparing their students for the LanguageCert Test of
English (LTE). It provides information and guidance on all of its aspects (components, parts, number
of items, task focus, task types etc.) and guidelines on how to use the related tasks. It also presents
additional practice tasks that can be used for various levels, suggested titles for students to improve
their grammar and vocabulary, as well as a few recommended websites for further development of
their English language skills.

2. About LanguageCert

LanguageCert is a business name of PeopleCert Qualifications Ltd, UK company number 0962026,

subsidiary of PeopleCert Group (PeopleCert).

LanguageCert is an awarding organisation regulated by Ofqual and offers language qualifications that
are globally recognised and aligned to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) at levels
A1 to C2. LanguageCert delivers language qualifications through a network of approved test centres
worldwide.
LanguageCert combines language qualification heritage with unparalleled exam administration
systems and processes, and excellent customer service. For the dissemination and delivery of high-
quality language qualifications, LanguageCert relies on the capabilities and systems developed and
deployed by its sister companies within PeopleCert.

3. About the LanguageCert Test of English qualification

What exactly is the LanguageCert Test of English (LTE)?

The LTE qualification is designed to assess a test taker’s language proficiency across six levels (A1-C2)
that are aligned to the descriptions and levels of language proficiency as set out in the Common
European Framework of Reference (CEFR). The LTE qualification comprises a suite of examinations
testing ability in English for general purposes (suitable for adults and younger students) and for specific
purposes (e.g. ‘for work’) intended for adult students. The tests are suitable for those students who
intend to apply for higher or further education, or professional employment and training programmes.

Who is the LTE qualification intended for?

The LTE qualification is intended for:

 non-native speakers of English who wish to

o acquire an internationally recognised certification of their English language
competence,
o provide current or potential employers with information as to their English language
level,
o master the English language and monitor their own progress,
o undertake a course of study at an English-speaking university or college and require
evidence of their English proficiency,

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  employers who wish to
o identify the English language level of their applicants,
o benchmark the English language level required for different positions within their
workforce,
o have a requirement of an internationally recognised certification as part of their hiring
process,
 Universities and Colleges that
o need to establish the English language level of students to evaluate their ability to follow
their chosen course of study,
o wish to offer students a test which will provide them with an internationally recognised
certification of their English language competence.

Which skills are tested?

The LTE qualification consists of reliable test content that uses a variety of authentic tasks to assess a
test taker’s listening and reading skills along with their knowledge of vocabulary and awareness of
lexico-grammatical structures.

What does the Listening component assess?

The test taker is required to listen to a range of spoken material, including spoken utterances,
dialogues, longer conversations, interviews or talks. The listening component assesses the test taker’s
ability to listen for a wide variety of real-life or work-related purposes. In the listening comprehension
tasks, the test taker might be asked to listen for the gist of a whole extract, for a specific detail or for
the speaker’s opinion.

What does the Reading component assess?

The test taker is required to read short and long authentic texts on general or work-related topics. The
reading component assesses the test taker’s ability to understand the main idea of a text or look for
specific information or line of argument. The test taker’s language is also assessed with various items
testing vocabulary and lexico-grammatical awareness. Both test components contribute to a profile
which defines the test taker’s overall language ability.

Is the LTE qualification developed according to the CEFR descriptors and for which levels?

The LTE qualification has been developed according to the CEFR descriptors of language competency
for each CEFR level (A1-C2). For more detail, please refer to the LanguageCert Test of English
Qualification Handbook.

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 How are the LTE exams assessed?

The LTE exams are stringently assessed against the criteria as detailed in the syllabus (see section 10
of the LanguageCert Test of English Qualification Handbook). The candidate’s overall result is
calculated by measuring their ability across the Listening and Reading components. The candidate also
receives a score per skill (Listening and Reading).

With the completion of either a paper-based or a computer-based version of the LTE test, the test
taker receives a score within a scale from 0 - 100 that also comes with an indication of how this score
translates into an English language level. This LTE test scale (0-100) is aligned to the six levels (A1 - C2)
of foreign language mastery as set out in the scale of the Common European Framework of Reference
for Languages (CEFR). All candidates receive a ‘Statement of Results’ stating an overall score and the
CEFR level they have achieved. The candidate also receives a score for performance in the two
components – the Listening test and the Reading test.

Overview of scoring:

The LTE Scaled Score

Scaled Score CEFR Level

0–9 Below A1
10 – 19 A1
20 – 39 A2
40 – 59 B1
60 – 74 B2
75 – 89 C1
90 – 100 C2

Are there any entry requirements?

There are no entry requirements for any candidate prior to taking their LTE qualification. However, it
is important that test centres provide information and advise test takers about the most suitable LTE
qualification according to their individual needs.

Is Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) applicable to the LTE qualification?

Recognition of Prior Learning is not applicable to the LTE qualification.

How many Guided Learning Hours (GLH) do candidates need prior to taking their LTE qualification?

Much will depend on the level of certification they are aiming at. For more information refer to the
LanguageCert Test of English Qualification Handbook.

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 How many tests does the LTE qualification comprise and in how many formats is it available?

The LTE qualification comprises three different tests and is available in two formats: the LTE A1-B1
paper-based test, the LTE A1-C2 paper-based test, and the LTE A1-C2 computer-adaptive test.

What exactly is the LTE A1-C2 computer-adaptive test and how is the test taker assessed?

The LTE A1-C2 computer-adaptive test is test of approximately 60 minutes developed to assess
accurately a test taker’s English language proficiency. The content of each individual test is responsive
to the language proficiency the test taker demonstrates as the test progresses. More specifically, the
test adjusts in real time both the order and degree of difficulty of test items based on the test taker’s
responses to previous questions. This ensures the accurate measurement of the test taker’s language
competence whatever their proficiency level. Each test is individualized to the ability of the particular
candidate taking the test.

With the completion of the test, the test-taker receives a score within a scale from 0 - 100 that also
comes with an indication of how this score translates into an English language level. This LTE test scale
(0-100) is aligned to the six levels (A1-C2) of foreign language mastery as set out in the scale of the
Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The test can benefit any learner of
English regardless of their level of English or how they are currently learning English.

Which format should candidates choose?

As both formats lead to the same certificate, candidates should choose the format that best suits
them.
Who are the LTE paper-based tests for?

The LTE A1-B1 paper-based test is suitable for test takers who need proof of a lower level competency
in English, or absolute beginners who need to monitor their progress as they go, while the LTE A1-C2
paper-based test is most suitable for test takers who aim for B2 level and above. Both LTE paper-based
tests assess test takers’ listening and reading skills and report an overall result and performance in the
two skills.

What about the LTE A1-C2 computer-adaptive test?

The LTE A1-C2 computer-adaptive test is a fully digital test that is identical in terms of content (i.e.
domains, task types, language functions, topics etc.) to the paper-based tests. The LTE A1-C2
computer-adaptive test is designed to adjust the level of language difficulty depending on the test
takers’ responses ensuring that it provides test items at an appropriate difficulty level for the individual
candidate and thereby accurately measures their proficiency level in English.

What is the duration of the test?

The duration of the LTE A1-B1 paper-based test is approx. 70 minutes (Listening: approx. 30 minutes,
Reading: 40 minutes).
The duration of the LTE A1-C2 paper-based test is approx. 120 minutes (Listening: approx. 50 minutes,
Reading: 70 minutes).
The maximum duration of the LTE A1-C2 computer-adaptive test is 90 minutes, but the test ordinarily
takes approximately 60 minutes. For lower level students, the test may take slightly less time.

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 What score do candidates need to ‘pass’?

There is no definite score to be attained in order to pass. All candidates receive a ‘Statement of Results’
and a LanguageCert Certificate which state the overall level achieved (e.g. ‘Level 1/CEFR B2’ or ‘Level
3/CEFR C2’) and a statement of results which also contains score in each skill (Listening and Reading)
which can be translated via the scaled scores table to an approximate CEFR level.
What are the benefits for candidates?

 The LTE tests are available both in paper-based (PB) and computer-based (CB) format to suit
candidates’ needs and schedule.
 All tests are mapped to the CEFR.
 They assess real life (communicative) skills in English.
 They assess the candidates’ Listening and Reading skills as well as their awareness of lexico-
grammatical structures.
 They are available all year round at approved LanguageCert Test Centres.
 Results are ultra-fast: within 2 business days (paper-based, computer-based and online exam).
 Certificates are issued within 5 business days.

Where can I find more information about the LanguageCert Test of English (LTE)?

For more information about the LanguageCert Test of English (LTE) (syllabus, topics/sub-topics,
language functions, main grammar points etc.), please refer to the LanguageCert Test of English
Qualification Handbook.

4. The LTE test structure

The following section - also found in the LanguageCert Test of English Qualification Handbook -
provides an overview of all LTE exams.

The chart below shows the structure of the LTE qualification and the duration of each associated exam.
All exams assess Listening and Reading (including Language Use).

The LTE paper-based tests

Tests
Components Duration Structure

The LTE Listening approx. 30 mins 4 parts / 32 items

A1-B1
Reading 40 mins 4 parts / 40 items
paper-based
test Total approx. 70 mins 8 parts / 72 items

The LTE Listening approx. 50 mins 4 parts / 50 items

A1-C2
Reading 70 mins 4 parts / 60 items
paper-based
test Total approx. 120 mins 8 parts / 110 items

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 The LTE A1-C2 computer-adaptive test

Components Duration Total number of items

Listening 26-28
Approx. 60 mins
Reading 30

The Listening component

LanguageCert Test of English (LTE) is an international English test and therefore there are a mix of
accents (i.e. North American, ‘standard’ or regional British, Australasian, etc.) in test materials.

The Listening component of the LTE qualification consists of four task types.

Description of listening task types

Task type 1: Discrete multiple-choice items with visuals

Task focus This task assesses the ability to understand key information in short spoken
utterances.

Task type The test taker listens twice to short spoken utterances and is required to identify
the correct word or image that matches what is heard. Each utterance may appear
and format
in the form of a statement, explanation, description, instruction or question and is
followed by three possible answers - A, B or C.

No. of questions  Eight short spoken utterances in both LTE A1-B1 and LTE A1-C2 paper-based
tests, with one mark for each correct response.
 In the LTE A1-C2 computer-adaptive test the number of questions depend
on the test taker’s performance.

Language focus
 N/A
per level
 Task
 LTE A1-B1 paper-based test
appears in
 LTE A1-C2 paper-based test
 LTE A1-C2 computer-based adaptive test

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 Task type 2a: Discrete multiple-choice ‘best reply’ to a single utterance

Task focus  This task assesses the ability to understand the functional use of a single
utterance that forms part of a natural exchange taking place in daily life or
work-related contexts.

Task type and  The test taker listens twice to short spoken utterances and is required to
identify the most appropriate functional response. Each utterance may
format
appear in the form of a statement, explanation, description, instruction or
question and is followed by three possible answers - A, B or C.
No. of questions and  Six short utterances in LTE A1-B1 paper-based test, with one mark for each
scores correct response.
 Five short utterances in LTE A1-C2 paper-based test, with one mark for each
correct response.
 In the LTE A1-C2 computer-based adaptive test the number of questions
depend on the test taker’s performance. One mark is awarded for each
correct response.

Language focus  A1-B1 levels: functional language such as ‘giving and finding out
per level information’, ‘getting things done’, ‘socialising’, etc.
 B2-C2 levels: a range of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms and short
pieces of language that are increasingly complex as items progress up the
CEFR levels, in terms of nuance, colloquialisms and idiomatic use.

Task appears in  LTE A1-B1 paper-based test

 LTE A1-C2 paper-based test
 LTE A1-C2 computer-based adaptive test

Task type 2b: Discrete multiple-choice ‘best reply’ to end/continue a dialogue

Task focus  This task assesses the ability to recognise context, meaning and functional
relationships (i.e. cause and effect, etc.) in short dialogues.
Task type and  The test taker listens twice to short dialogues encountered in real-world
format situations and is required to identify the most appropriate response to
continue or finish the conversation. Each dialogue is followed by three
possible answers - A, B or C.
No. of questions and  Ten incomplete dialogues in A1-C2 LTE paper-based test, with one mark for
scores each correct response.
 In the LTE A1-C2 computer-based adaptive test the number of questions
depends on the test taker’s performance. One mark is awarded for each
correct response.

Language focus  B1-C2 levels: understanding of concrete or abstract topics discussed in a

per level dialogue as well as understanding of idiomatic and colloquial English.

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 Task appears in  LTE A1-C2 paper-based test
 LTE A1-C2 computer-based adaptive test

Task type 3: Short conversations with two multiple-choice items

Task focus  This task assesses the ability to recognise specific aspects (i.e. opinion or
attitude of speakers, etc.) or functional relationships (i.e. cause and result,
etc.) in short conversations on every day or work-related topics.

Task type and  The test taker listens twice to a short conversation between two people
format and identifies the correct answer. Each conversation is followed by two
three-option multiple choice items with possible answers - A, B or C.
No. of questions and  Four conversations (i.e. 8 items) in LTE A1-B1 paper-based test, with one
scores mark for each correct response.
 Six conversations (ie 12 items) in LTE A1-C2 paper-based test, with one
mark for each correct response.
 In the LTE A1-C2 computer-based adaptive test the number of questions
depend on the test taker’s performance. One mark is awarded for each
correct response.

Language focus  B1-C2 levels: understanding of context, gist-main ideas, attitude, topic,
per level speaker purpose, feelings and opinions, cause and result, agreement and
disagreement, comparisons, course of action etc.
 B1 level only: understanding of relationship between speakers and/or their
roles.
 B2-C2 level only: understanding of predictions and probability.

Task appears in  LTE A1-B1 paper-based test

 LTE A1-C2 paper-based test
 LTE A1-C2 computer-based adaptive test

Task type 4: Longer listening with five multiple-choice items

Task focus  This task assesses the ability to listen for specific information in a longer
listening test and identify certain aspects, such as attitudes and purpose,
agreement and disagreement or distinguishing fact from opinion.
Task type and  The test taker listens twice to a longer monologue or dialogue and identifies
format the correct answer. Each monologue or dialogue is followed by five three-
option multiple choice items with possible answers - A, B or C.
No. of questions and  Two monologues or dialogues in LTE A1-B1 paper-based test, with one
scores mark for each correct response.
 Three monologues or dialogues in LTE A1-C2 paper-based test, with one
mark for each correct response.

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  In the LTE A1-C2 computer-based adaptive test the number of questions
depend on the test taker’s performance. One mark is awarded for each
correct response.

Language focus per  A2 level: simple factual information is tested.

level
 B1-C2 level: detail, speaker purpose, opinion, agreement and
disagreement.
 C1/C2 level only: understanding line of argument, distinguishing between
fact and opinion, synthesizing and summarising information.

Task appears in  LTE A1-B1 paper-based test

 LTE A1-C2 paper-based test
 LTE A1-C2 computer-based adaptive test

The Reading component

LanguageCert Test of English (LTE) is an international English test and it is intended that there will be
a mix of provenance of input texts in test materials (i.e. North American, British English, etc.)

The Reading component of the LTE qualification consists of four task types.

Description of reading task types

Task type 1 – Discrete multiple-choice with signs/notices/short messages testing (a) meaning and
(b) grammar and lexico-grammatical awareness (only for computer-based adaptive test)

Task focus  This task assesses the ability to understand the main idea of very
short texts. Items may also assess the test takers’ awareness of
grammar and lexico-grammatical structures (only for computer-
based adaptive test).
Task type and  The test taker reads short texts (e.g. signs, notices, messages) and
format chooses the option that best describes each situation or best fills
the gap. Each short text is followed by three-option multiple choice
items with possible answers - A, B or C.
No. of questions and  Eight short texts in LTE A1-B1 paper-based test, with one mark for
scores each correct response.
 Seven short texts LTE A1-C2 paper-based test, with one mark for
each correct response.
 In the LTE A1-C2 computer-based adaptive test the number of
questions depend on the test taker’s performance. One mark is
awarded for each correct response.
Language focus
 N/A
per level

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 Task appears in  LTE A1-B1 paper-based test
 LTE A1-C2 paper-based test
 LTE A1-C2 computer-based adaptive test

Task type 2: Multiple-choice cloze

Task focus  This task assesses the test taker’s awareness of vocabulary, collocations
and lexico-grammatical structures.
Task type and  The test taker reads short texts or extracts and chooses the correct option
format that best fills the gap. Each short text is followed by five three-option
multiple choice items with possible answers - A, B or C.
No. of questions and  Three gapped texts in both LTE A1-B1 and LTE A1-C2 paper-based tests.
scores  In the LTE A1-C2 computer-based adaptive test the number of questions
depend on the test taker’s performance. One mark is awarded for each
correct response.

Language focus  A1-C2 level: tested items are verbs, phrasal verbs, prepositions, nouns,
per level adverbs, adjectives, linkers etc.
 B2-C2 level: items may also test idioms.
Task appears in  LTE A1-B1 paper-based test
 LTE A1-C2 paper-based test
 LTE A1-C2 computer-based adaptive test

Task type 3: Discrete sentence level lexical and lexico-grammatical multiple-choice items

Task focus  This task assesses the test taker’s awareness of vocabulary, collocations
and lexico-grammatical structures.
Task type and  The test taker reads single sentences and chooses the correct option that
format best fills the gap. Each sentence is followed by three-option multiple choice
items with possible answers - A, B or C.
No. of questions and  Seven gapped sentences in LTE A1-B1 paper-based test, with one mark for
scores each correct response.
 Twenty-three gapped sentences in LTE A1-C2 paper-based test, with one
mark for each correct response.
 In the LTE A1-C2 computer-based adaptive test the number of questions
depend on the test taker’s performance. One mark is awarded for each
correct response.

Language focus
 N/A
per level

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 Task appears  LTE A1-B1 paper-based test
in  LTE A1-C2 paper-based test
 LTE A1-C2 computer-based adaptive test

Task type 4: Longer reading texts with five 3-option multiple-choice items

Task focus  This task assesses the detailed understanding of information, opinions and
writer purpose.
Task type and  The test taker reads longer texts and chooses the correct response from
format multiple-choice options. Each text is followed by five three-option multiple
choice items with possible answers - A, B or C.
No. of questions and  Two long texts (i.e. 10 items) in LTE A1-B1 paper-based test, with one mark
scores for each correct response.
 Three long texts (i.e. 15 items) LTE A1-C2 paper-based test, with one mark
for each correct response.
 In the LTE A1-C2 computer-based adaptive test the number of questions
depend on the test taker’s performance.

Language focus per  A2 level: items test understanding of information and item focus is
level straightforward and related to main details.
 B1 level: items also test understanding of opinions, writer purpose, and
reading for the detail/gist, opinion vs fact, attitudes.
 B2-C2 levels: items also test understanding of stance, argument, cohesion,
comparison and contrast, cause and effect, levels of agreement/
disagreement, summarising/synthesising etc.

Task appears in  LTE A1-B1 paper-based test

 LTE A1-C2 paper-based test
 LTE A1-C2 computer-based adaptive test

5. LTE task types & sample practice questions

Listening

You will find below examples of all task types in the Listening component of the LTE tests and
suggested practice procedure for the items selected. Of course, you may wish to design your own
supplementary tasks and follow a different approach. The examples have been taken from the A1-C2
LTE Official Practice Paper 1 (downloadable from our website).

Listening Part 1

Main task focus/skill: - Recognising simple key information in short statements

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 Extra practice: - Predicting topic and vocabulary based on visuals/reactivating
background
language
- Practising question formation

Step 1: Ask students to briefly look at the items below. Τhen, follow the next steps.

Step 2: Have students predict the topic of what they are about to hear based on the above visuals.
Then, ask them to also predict the vocabulary they are likely to hear.

Step 3: Ask students to listen to the recording twice, choose the best response and also confirm their
initial guesses.

Step 4: Elicit answers from students and ask them to justify their answers (correct answers: 1b, 2c, 3a).
You may refer to the transcript below if necessary.

Transcript:
Number one. Tickets for the dance evening are twenty-one euros each. Number two. Sophie likes
playing tennis at the weekend. Number three. Lisa is going on holiday in March.

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13
 Step 5: Inform students that they will now review question formation. Get them to form an appropriate
question to each of the statements below (taken from the transcript). There may be more than one
correct answer each time.
E.g.: Tickets for the dance evening are twenty-one euros each > How much are the tickets for the dance
evening?

- Tickets for the dance evening are twenty-one euros each.

- Sophie likes playing tennis at the weekend.
- Lisa is going on holiday in March.

Note: These items are at the lowest CEFR level (A1) with the candidate solely having to identify a
simple piece of information.

Listening Part 1 (further practice)

Main task focus/skill: - Recognising simple key information in short statements

Extra practice: - Predicting topic and vocabulary based on visuals/reactivating

background
language
- Reviewing prepositions of place & vocabulary related to food/drink

Step 1: Ask students to briefly look at the items below. Τhen, follow the next steps.

Step 2: Get students to predict the topic of what they are about to hear based on the above visuals.
Then, ask them to also predict the vocabulary they are likely to hear.

Step 3: Ask students to listen to the recording twice, choose the best response and also confirm their
initial guesses.

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14
 Step 4: Elicit answers from students and ask them to justify their answers (correct answers: 7.b, 8.a).
You may refer to the transcript below if necessary.

Transcript:
Number seven. My car is the one parked next to a motorbike and under a big sign.
Number eight. I chose the fish, with boiled potatoes and peas, not the rice or carrots.

Step 5: Tell students that they will now review prepositions of place and share with them a picture
similar to the one below. Then ask them to use some of the prepositions below in a sentence to describe
where the following objects/people are.

Choose from these prepositions of place:

at, on, in, by, between, above, near, opposite, outside, inside, next to, over, under, behind, in front of,
out of.

Step 6: Inform students that they are now going to review vocabulary related to food/drink. Ask them
to work in pairs and fill in the following boxes with at least 4 items in each column. When ready, ask
them to share their answers with the class (sample answers provided below in brackets).

Types of meat Vegetables Dessert Soft drinks

/alcoholic drinks
(beef) (carrot) (ice cream) (orange juice)
(pork) (potato) (apple pie) (lemonade/lemon juice)
(chicken) (tomato) (apple/orange/pear/etc.) (coke)
(turkey) (beans) (strawberries) (beer)
(lamb) (lettuce/cabbage/etc.) (fruit salad) (wine)

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 Now elicit the students’ preferences and carry out a survey in class to see which is their favourite or
the most popular type of meat, vegetable, dessert and soft drink/drink.

Listening Part 2a

Main task focus/skill: - Listening to short utterances and select appropriate functional response

Extra practice: - Reviewing language functions

Step 1: Ask students to carefully read the items below.

Step 2: Then, have students listen to the recording twice and choose the best reply.

Step 3: Elicit answers from the students and ask them to justify their answers (correct answers: 1c, 2a,
3a, 4b, 5a). You may refer to the transcript if necessary.

Transcript:
Number one. What do you think of Pete? Number two. Excuse me, is this the sales office? Number
three. Is it too late if I tell you tomorrow? Number four. I’ve asked Dawn to help me with my report.
Number five. Can I have my pen back when you’ve finished with it?

Step 4: Have students look at the items above and ask them to find which answer choice/ answer
choices express(es): an opinion (item 1b, 4a, 4b, 4c), likes (item 1a), agreement (item 2a), obligation
(item 2b), offering to do something (item 5a), not being able to do something (item 2c). You may wish

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 to ask students to identify more functions. Note that there may be more than one answer in some
cases.

Listening Part 2b

Main task focus/skill: - Listening to short exchanges and selecting appropriate response

Extra practice: - Reading transcript to determine the central theme

- Role playing to review language related to each conversation

Step 1: Ask students to look at the items below and answer the questions:

Step 2: Elicit answers from students and ask them to justify their answers (correct answers: 1a, 2b,
3b, 4c, 5a). You may refer to the transcript below if necessary.

Transcript:
Number One
M: Jeff seemed happy at the meeting this morning!
F: Well he’s moving to the sales department next week.
M: Really? He’s been with us for seven years!
Number Two
M: I’m not sure what to do with the old paper files.
F: Can’t you just put them in the recycling bin?
M: But won’t they still be needed?

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 Number Three
M: Did you contact IT about that software issue?
F: Yes, they gave me instructions on how to fix it.
M: So can you tell me what they said?
Number Four
M: My contract for the work with PRP has arrived.
F: Are you going to show it to your lawyer friend?
M: I’m not sure I need to – what do you think?
Number Five
F: There are some seats left on the seventeen twenty flight to Dublin.
M: Hmmm, I’d prefer a later one if possible.
F: I’ll have another check but I don’t think there was anything.

Step 3: Inform students that they will now be asked to read the transcript and determine the central
theme of each dialogue. (For example, item 1 is most probably related to Jeff’s promotion). Ask
students to be ready to justify their answers.

Step 4: Get a pair of students to read aloud one of the dialogues of the transcript and ask them to
continue the dialogue (imagining and providing relevant details). They should produce at least 2
exchanges. Repeat the task with more pairs of students and different dialogues from the transcript.

Note: You may wish to design similar tasks for the remaining items of this part.

Listening Part 3

Main task focus/skill: - Predicting content based on rubric and wording of items
- Identifying specific aspects of short-spoken dialogues

Extra practice: - Predicting key words about to be heard/reactivating background

knowledge
- Discussing a topic related to an issue previously raised/eliciting
students’ opinion

Step 1: Ask students to briefly look at the listening task below and answer these questions:

- Can you predict what you are going to hear based on the content-setting rubric and the wording
of items?
- What do you think Geraldo may have chatted about with the sports team/hotel guests/local
businesspeople? (although we do not know who he chatted with yet!).

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 Step 2: Have students listen to the recording twice, choose the best response and also confirm their
guesses.

Step 3: Elicit answers from the students and ask them to justify their answers (correct answers: 1b,
2c). You may refer to the transcript if necessary.

Transcript:
F: I hope the Imperial Hotel’s OK for you, Geraldo.
M: Yes, it’s fine now but until I changed my room, I just couldn’t sleep.
F: Oh, dear!
M: Yes, I needed the air-conditioning on at night as it was just so hot without it. And you can’t open
the windows in the bedrooms. But when I had it on, it was just so loud!
F: Oh, I’m sorry. The Imperial isn’t normally our first choice of hotel, but there’s this big international
sports event in town and…
M: Ah, yes, the hockey festival. I was having dinner last night at a restaurant and there were lots of
fit-looking people in tracksuits walking past, so I asked this group on another table – they were from a
nearby company – and they told me all about it! In fact, I think there might be a group of players
staying in the Imperial.

Step 4: Focusing on the topic raised in item 1 (‘having problems sleeping in a hotel’), ask students if
they have ever experienced similar problems. Have them provide as many details as they can.
Note: You may wish to design similar tasks for the remaining items of this part.

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 Listening Part 4

Main task focus/skill: - Predicting content based on rubric and wording of items
- Listening for specific information and identifying attitudes and
opinions

Extra practice: - Encouraging students’ autonomy by asking them to check their

own
comprehension
- Discussing a topic related to an issue previously raised/eliciting
students’ opinion
Step 1: Ask students to look at the listening task below and guess its content based on the rubric
and wording of items.

Step 2: Have students listen to the recording twice, choose the best response and confirm their
guesses.

Step 3: Show or provide students with a copy of the transcript and ask them to underline what led
them to the correct answer each time (do not reveal the correct answers until they have all completed
the task and justified them). Correct answers: 1a, 2a, 3b, 4c, 5b.

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 Transcript:
INT: So Simon, tell us a bit about your small business.
M: OK, what I do is cook and sell pizzas to people in different outdoor locations. Our posters describe
it as Italian Street Food. I have a pizza van which I drive around and in it is a wood-fired oven. I have
an assistant called Matthew and a number of other people who do little bits of work. On a busy night
we might need three people.
INT: Do you have fees to pay?
M: I need a special licence from local government, and then I might also have to pay a fee to use
certain locations. For example, I go to one village every Monday evening and park on land owned by
the village shop. So I pay them 5% of my total sales for the evening. With other locations I might have
to pay a single fee, or no fee at all – it all depends.
INT: So how does it feel in the van?
M: When we’re busy it can get quite stressful… you can easily get confused about what people have
ordered. And of course we can’t hide anywhere, like you can in the kitchen of a restaurant, so we’re
like a public performance all the time.
INT: With all these delicious pizzas around you must get very hungry!
M: Yes, sometimes I do have one… if I have to wait until very late at night to get home, for example.
It’s nice and tasty but not particularly healthy for you to eat pizza all the time. Also when you’re
surrounded by pizza all the time, it’s not quite as exciting!
INT: So what makes a good pizza?
M: Well, our most popular pizza is the cheapest one, the margherita, but maybe that’s because ours
is very high quality. Three ingredients – say, tomato, cheese and olives – is the magic number; any
more than that and the pizza starts looking too crowded. And there’ll probably be too many different
flavours.
INT: Simon, thank you.

Step 4: Class discussion. Ask students how they think Simon feels about his job and get them to
support their answer with evidence from the transcript.

Note: You may wish to design similar tasks for the remaining items of this part.

Listening part 4 (further practice)

Main task focus/skill: - Predicting content based on rubric and wording of items
- Listening for specific information and identifying attitudes and
opinions

Extra practice: - Encouraging students’ autonomy by asking them to check

their own comprehension
- Discussing a topic related to an issue previously raised/eliciting
students’ opinion

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 Step 1: Ask students to look at the listening task below and guess its content based on the rubric and
wording of items.

Step 2: Have students listen to the recording twice, choose the best response and confirm their
guesses.

Step 3: Show or provide students with a copy of the transcript and ask them to underline what led
them to the correct answer each time (do not reveal the correct answers until they have all completed
the task and justified them). Correct answers: 11.b, 12.b, 13.a, 14.c, 15.b.

Transcript:
(You will hear part of a talk by Patsy Cooper, who founded a business supplying contact lenses.)

Hi, I’m Patsy, owner of a company called Banners. Our product is contact lenses, which are small
medical devices worn directly on the eye as an alternative to glasses. Basically, we deliver high quality
contact lenses quickly and affordably… direct to the consumer via an innovative digital platform. When
researching our product and market at the outset, I looked at the whole procedure of a consumer

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 buying contact lenses and tried to simplify everything. Before we came along, getting hold of contact
lenses through your optician or medical provider had been long-winded and expensive, and the large
pharmaceutical companies in control had no reason to change.

The main challenges to begin with were hiring the team and making those early decisions that
ultimately define what kind of culture I wanted to build. It’s not easy because there’s nothing to base
it on except a concept, an intuition. But those decisions are important, in terms of brand partnerships,
distributors and technology platforms. Early on, I decided to headhunt the right people who were going
to feel passionate about pushing the company to succeed. This was particularly hard but an extremely
important part of the growth process.

I think there’s a common mistake you see entrepreneurs make, which I tried hard not to fall into… and
that’s assuming their market without doing extensive research. But this just can’t be cut out, regardless
of how certain you are about the demand. Having said that, another mistake is actually missing
opportunities by failing to act or being indecisive in the early days, maybe through lack of conviction
or confidence. Chances are it’s only a matter of time before somebody else thinks of a similar or
identical service as yours.

At Banners, we wanted to create a brand people could feel emotionally engaged with, so that vision
becomes something personal and exciting. When I got talking to customers, I was confronted with
descriptions of buying contact lenses as clinical, stressful, even humiliating, which is unbelievable
really. There’s so much to talk about when it comes to vision and people’s perspectives, so we
fundamentally believe that, in a few years’ time, it should become a more exciting category.

Given our successful start, it’s perhaps not surprising that the big firms like Vision Plus are giving us
close attention. Obviously, they’re going to try and muscle in on the digital side too. The thing with us
is we’re a brand and service in itself rather than a company selling miscellaneous goods, so we’re out
on a limb – competitors are much further away from the product and customer than we are. I think
the digital arena is already getting more cluttered, so it’s super-important for brands to find their voice
in that space.

Step 4: Class discussion. Ask students how successful they think Patsy will be in the near future and
why. (They will need to refer to how ‘innovative’ Patsy’s business approach is. If necessary, share the
transcript with your students.

Note: You may wish to design similar tasks for the remaining items of this part.

Reading task types and practice

You will find below examples of all task types in the Reading component of the LTE tests and ideas for
practice while training your students. Remember you may design your own supplementary tasks and
follow a different approach. The examples have been taken from the LTE A1-C2 Practice Paper 1
(downloadable from our website: www.languagecert.org).

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 Reading Part 1

Main task focus/skill: - Showing understanding of the meaning of short texts

Extra practice: - Role playing

- Reviewing vocabulary and sentence structure by rephrasing a text /drafting
an informal speech (for B2+ students only)

Step 1: Ask students to briefly look at the texts below.

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 Step 2: Τhen, ask them to answer the following questions:

- Where could you see the first 2 texts?

- What are they about?
- What is the relationship between Andrew/Sharon (first text) and Sam/Lynn (second text)?
- What is the sign about (third text)? Who is it probably for (item 3)?

Step 3: Ask students to read the 3 texts above and choose the best response.

Step 4: Elicit answers from the students and ask them to justify their answers (correct answers: 1c, 2b,
3a).

Step 5: Role playing. Ask pairs of students to role play the first situation where Sharron congratulates
Andrew over the phone. Have them produce at least 2 or 3 exchanges each.

OR: Ask students to imagine Sam (second text) is making a call to thank Lynn for her invitation. Role
play the telephone conversation. Have them to produce at least 2-3 exchanges each.

Step 6: Rephrasing a text. Ask students to imagine they are with a friend who cannot understand the
3 texts above. Ask them to rephrase the content of the texts in such a way that their friend would
make sense of them (students may have to provide more details on the context, the aim of each text
etc.)

For B2+ students: Ask students to imagine they are Sharon and want to congratulate Andrew on
getting that new customer. Ask them to draft a short informal speech delivered to the other members
of the team in their manager’s office. Length approx. 80 words. You may wish to guide your students
and tell them to refer to:

- how long Andrew has been in the company and what his post involves
- why it is important Andrew successfully dealt with the new customer
- why it is Andrew’s character that really helped get the new customer
- how everyone feels about Andrew

Reading Part 2

Main task focus/skill: - Showing awareness of vocabulary, collocations and lexico-grammatical

structures

Extra practice: - Predicting content based on the title of a text

- Understanding purpose of a text
- Discussing topic related to an issue previously raised/eliciting students’
opinion

Step 1: Inform students that they are going to read a short text whose title is ‘Prius Shoes’. Have them
predict its content. Do not reveal what it is about yet.

Step 2: Ask students to read it, choose the best response and also confirm their predictions. Remind
them to be ready to justify their answers (correct answers: 1c, 2a, 3b, 4a, 5c).

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 Step 3: After students have answered the questions above, ask them to also find out what the text is
trying to achieve (e.g. inform, warn, advertise, persuade, invite, entertain?) and be ready to justify
their answers. Get them to comment on each other’s answer and be ready to justify it.

Step 4: Class discussion. Ask students to share with their class how they feel about companies like
Prius which hire (very) ‘young assistants’ and ‘play loud music in their shops’. Encourage whole class
discussion.
Note: You may wish to design similar tasks for the remaining items of this part.

Reading Part 3

Main task focus/skill: - Showing awareness of vocabulary, collocations and lexico-grammatical

structures

Extra practice: - Eliminating wrong answers and justifying why they are wrong
- Reviewing phrases of an item (finding synonyms of given
phrases)/reactivating background knowledge
- Sensitising students to parts of speech

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 Step 1: Ask students to read the items below and find the correct answer.

Step 2: Elicit the correct answers from students and ask them which options they readily eliminated
in each case and why. Correct answers: 1c, 2c, 3c, 4b, 5c.

Step 3: Ask students to demonstrate - by means of examples - the difference between these phrases
(taken from item 5): ‘out of work’, ‘out of date’, ‘out of order’. Then, ask them to also find their
synonyms. E.g.:
out of work > unemployed, out of a job, jobless, without employment etc.
out of date > old-fashioned, out of fashion, unfashionable etc.
out of order > broken-down, out of service, faulty etc.)

Step 4: Language practice. Inform students that they are now going to review ‘parts of speech’
(adjective, adverb, noun, verb etc.) and have them identify the following: really (item 1), making (item
2), reply (item 3), identification (item 4), work (item 5). Feel free to add more parts of speech.

Note: You may wish to design similar tasks for the remaining items of this part.

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Reading part 3 (further practice)

Main task focus/skill: - Showing awareness of vocabulary, collocations and lexico-grammatical

structures

Extra practice: - Eliminating wrong answers and justifying why they are wrong
- Reviewing phrasal verbs with ‘pull’, ‘turn’ and ‘put’
- Reviewing vocabulary /derivatives

Step 1: Ask students to read the items below and find the correct answer.

Step 2: Elicit the correct answers from students and ask them which options they readily eliminated
in each case and why (correct answers: 16.b, 17.a, 18.c, 19.b, 20.c).

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 Step 3: Review phrasal verbs with ‘turn’, pull’ and ‘put’. Ask students to get into pairs, copy and match
the following phrasal verbs to their definition. Then, ask them to share their answers with the class.

Phrasal verbs with ‘pull’

1. pull down a. barely survive
2. pull in b. demolish, destroy
3. pull through c. park (a vehicle)
4. pull in d. depart
5. pull out e. earn
6. pull down f. officially submit a request

Correct answers: 1.e, 2.c, 3.a, 4.f, 5.d, 6.b.

Phrasal verbs with ‘turn’

1. turn in a. produce
2. turn out b. arrive
3. turn down c. (inf.) go to bed
4. turn up d. give something lost to authorities
5. turn over e. refuse an offer, reject an application
6. turn out f. end up being

Correct answers: 1.c, 2.f, 3.e, 4.b, 5.d, 6.a.

Phrasal verbs with ‘put’

1. put on a. spend a large sum of money
2. put out b. communicate an idea clearly
3. put up with c. insult, say something bad about
4. put across d. gain in weight
5. put down e. postpone
6. put off f. tolerate (someone/something)

Correct answers: 1.d, 2.a, 3.f, 4.b, 5.c, 6.e.

Extension task: Rather than simply using these phrasal verbs out of context, you may want to create
gapped sentences and ask students to fill in the gaps with them.

Step 4: Divide the class in groups of 4. Ask students to look at the following lexical items taken from
the task above and challenge them to remember as many derivatives as they can. Set a time limit. The
group with the greatest number of derivatives wins! (sample answers provided in brackets).
Consideration > (considerate, considerable, considerably)
Recognition > (recognise, recognisable, recognisably)
Reflection > (reflect, reflective, reflectively, reflector)
Construction > (construct, constructive, constructively)
Creation > (create, creativity, creative, creatively)
Count > (countless, counter, accountant)
Measure > (measurement, measurable, measurably)
Facilitate > (facilitation, facilitator, facile)
Note: You may wish to design similar tasks for the remaining items of this part.

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 Reading Part 4

Main task focus/skill: - Showing detailed understanding of information and opinions and writer
purpose
Extra practice: - Predicting content based on the title of a text
- Exposing students to inference questions & identifying the purpose of a
text
- Discussing ideas of a text/ eliciting students’ opinion
- Sensitising students to strategies likely to help them find the meaning of
unknown words in a text.

Step 1: Inform students that they are going to read a text whose title is ‘Distraction at work: a
psychological view’. Ask them to predict its content. Do not reveal what it is about yet.

Step 2: Ask students to read the text, confirm their predictions and choose the best response to the
questions below. They will also have to underline the part of the sentence in the text that supports
their answers (correct answers: 1.c, 2.b, 3.b, 4.a, 5.c).

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 Step 4: After you have discussed the answers, ask students the following questions:
- Where might this text be taken from? Why?
- Who might be the author of this text?
- What might he/she be trying to achieve? (e.g. entertain, warn, instruct, advertise, persuade,
explain, describe?)

Step 5: Ask students to find 2 or 3 words in the text previously unknown to them (or the meaning of
which they could not initially remember). Then ask what helped them work out the meaning of those
words.

Now, carry out a survey in class to see which of the strategies below they resorted to.

- Using clues from the adjacent words/phrases/sentences (immediate context)

- Using clues from the adjacent paragraphs (wider context)
- Examining the root of the unknown word
- Examining the prefix or the suffix of the unknown word
- Trying to find out whether the unknown word has positive or negative connotations
- Analyzing what part of speech the unknown word is (e.g. noun, verb, adjective, adverb)
- Considering the grammatical features of the unknown word (at word level)
Finally, conclude the task by reminding students of the importance of being aware of and applying
such strategies on their exam day.

Note: You may wish to design similar tasks for the remaining items of the Reading part.

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6. Additional practice tasks

Here are a few tasks that should help with better and more effective LTE preparation. They can be
easily incorporated into your daily teaching and can be spread out over the whole test preparation
period. You will find below the skill practiced/ focus of the task as well as the procedure you may wish
to follow. Feel free to adapt the tasks for your students’ needs. Note that a number of tasks can be
used for different levels and also for both parts of the test (Listening and Reading).

Listening practice tasks

Task 1

Skill/focus: Better understanding the context

At regular intervals, while carrying out your planned listening tasks in class, add a few extra ‘context-
focused questions’ to sensitise students to the importance of context and the extent to which it may
help them find the right answer more easily. However, ask students to be ready to justify their
answers. Example of context-focused questions easily applicable:

 Who are the speakers?

 Where are they?
 What is their profession? (What is their relationship?)
 What are they talking about?
 What has just happened?
 What will probably happen next?
If necessary, refer students to the transcript.

Task 2

Skill/focus: Eliminating wrong answers and justifying why they are wrong

Ask students to listen to an excerpt you will have pre-selected. Then, ask them to eliminate all wrong
answers to the MC questions about it and justify in detail why those answers are wrong.

Task 3

Skill/focus: Predicting vocabulary/reactivating background knowledge

Select a recording and inform students that they are about to hear someone (e.g. a senior manager)
talking to someone else (e.g. his secretary) about a certain issue (e.g. an upcoming training week). Ask
them to predict the vocabulary they are about to hear (nouns, verbs, adjectives etc.). Then, play the
recording and all together see how successful their predictions were.

Task 4

Skill/focus: Reviewing question types

Find an appropriate recording and inform students that they are going to hear a series of questions
(e.g. in a company during a job interview, in the street about a new product etc.). Share with the class
only a few facts about the interview. Ask them to predict the questions the interviewee is about to be
asked. Then listen to the recording to confirm the students’ predictions.

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 Task 5

Skill/focus: Focusing on speaker’s tone of voice

Ask students to listen to a few very short recordings with different speakers in different contexts and
‘label’ the speakers’ tone of voice (e.g. tone of voice: demanding, insistent, tough, rude, cheerful,
authoritative, friendly, enthusiastic, motherly). Then, ask students to justify their answers.

Task 6

Skill/focus: Predicting content based on key words

Select a few key words from a transcript (e.g. 7 key words), write them on the board and ask students
to predict the content of the recording. Then, ask students to listen to the recording and confirm their
guesses.

Task 7

Skill/focus: Reviewing tenses

Ask students to listen to an excerpt you have pre-selected and ask students to identify the most
frequent tenses used. Elicit the reason why the speaker may be using those tenses (e.g. the excerpt
may be related to a general fact and the speaker may have repeatedly used the present simple,
present continuous and present perfect).

Task 8

Skill/focus: Discussing useful listening strategies

Present students with a list of listening strategies that can prove helpful when they take their Listening
test (see below). Ask them to decide on the most useful one. Allow brief discussion (e.g. in pairs)
before revealing that there is no correct answer really and that all of them can prove useful. Then, ask
students if they can come up with more and share them with the class.

Example of listening strategies:

- Reading the test questions before listening to the actual recording

- Underlining key words in the test questions
- Eliminating wrong answers asap
- Knowing the test format (i.e. what exactly is on the test)
- Predicting content based on the title/headline/visual(s) provided
- Not being put off by unknown words and guessing their meaning from the context
- Paying attention to the speaker’s stress/intonation and trying to interpret it
- Remembering you may sometimes have to ‘listen between the lines’ (i.e. not always expect
to hear an explicit answer to some questions)
- In the case of multiple choice questions, following a process of elimination if not able to decide
on the right choice

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 Task 9

Skill/focus: Reviewing or identifying language functions

Provide students with a list of key language functions (e.g. agreeing, disagreeing, complaining, asking
for advice, denying a fact), ask them to listen to an excerpt you will have pre-selected and identify the
main language functions used by the speaker(s). Students should be ready to support their answer in
each case.

Task 10

Skill/focus: Reviewing questions

Select the recording and the transcript of a job interview (or any other kind of recording and transcript
involving questions and answers). Play the recording but turn down the volume every single time a
question is asked to the interviewee so that students do not hear the question asked. Ask students to
guess and jot down all questions asked. Then, play the whole recording again so that students can
hear the actual questions and confirm their guesses.

Task 11

Skill/focus: Underlining key words/focusing on content words

Present students with a usual listening task followed by its related MC questions and ask them to
underline the key word(s) in each question. When ready, ask them which words they have underlined
and why etc. (You may wish to emphasise the importance of ‘content words’ such as nouns, verbs,
adverbs, adjectives which contain ‘information’ as opposed to ‘function words’ which are mainly
related to ‘grammar’).

Task 12

Skill/focus: Reviewing key grammar points/vocabulary by exploiting the transcript

Delete a few content words from the transcript of a recording and ask students to find the missing
words from the worksheet previously prepared. Then, ask students to listen to the actual recording
and check how successful they have been. (You may wish to delete conjunctions, cohesive devices,
prepositions etc. depending on the language point you are aiming to review with your students).

Task 13

Skill/focus: Looking for paraphrases

Present students with a list of MC questions from a listening task and with its transcript. Ask them to
spot examples of words in the transcript which led them to the correct answer(s) but which have been
paraphrased in the questions. (You may want to remind students that answers to questions do not
always ‘lift’ words from the text and that they may often have to look for paraphrases).

Task 14

Skill/focus: Predicting content based on questions asked

Present students with the list of questions related to a specific listening task but do not reveal anything
else about the content of what they are about to hear. Ask students to read the questions very

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 carefully and predict the content of the excerpt they are about to hear. Play the recording and ask
them to confirm their guesses.

Text 15

Skill/focus: Analyzing purpose

Ask students to carefully listen to a recorded excerpt you will have pre-selected and ask them to
analyse its purpose (e.g.: What is the speaker trying to achieve: explain, describe, inform, entertain,
instruct, warn?). You may wish to ask students to work in pairs before they are asked to report to
class.

Task 16

Skill/focus: Predicting content based on task rubric and task items

Pre-select a listening task and share it with your students. Ask them to carefully read the rubric and
all related items and predict what they are going to hear (they will not have to predict the answers
yet!). Then, ask them to listen to the recording and confirm their guesses.

Reading practice tasks

Task 1

Skill/focus: Sensitising students to parts of speech

Present students with a short gapped text and make sure they do not see the answers provided next
to it yet. Ask them to try to guess the ‘nature’ of the part of speech missing (i.e. ask students if they
think it is a noun, verb, adjective or adverb in each case) and justify their answer. Encourage discussion
among students before revealing the correct answers. You may even wish to challenge students even
more by asking them to guess the actual missing words.

Task 2

Skill/focus: Reinforcing knowledge of grammar

Drawing on your course book or exam preparation material, select language points your students
often confuse. Form pairs such as: such/so, although/despite, in order to/so that etc.). Then ask
students to explain the difference between those two grammar points and elicit examples to make
sure they remember how to use them. You may have to intervene for clarifications.

Task 3

Skill/focus: Underlining key words or ideas leading to the correct answer

Select a ‘challenging’ reading passage with its accompanying MC questions (e.g. from your course book
or exam practice material) and ask students to read and answer the questions about it. Then ask them
to underline the words/lines that led them to the correct answer. Be ready to initially guide weaker
students if needed.

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 Task 4

Skill/focus: Locating synonyms

Present students with a text and its accompanying MC questions. Ask them to find the answer to the
questions. However, make sure you previously select a text with answers which do not simply ‘lift’ the
actual word from the text but use its synonym instead. (Remind students that answers to questions
on reading passages do not always ‘lift’ words from the text and that they may often have to look for
synonyms – and paraphrases, too!)

Task 5

Skill/focus: Guessing unknown words from context

Select a text which contains a few words most probably unknown to the majority of students. Ask
them to work in pairs and try to guess the meaning of those words. Remind students to always analyse
adjacent sentences/words etc. Then, ask them to share their guesses and also decide whether it is
always necessary to know the meaning of unknown words to answer such questions.

Task 6

Skill/focus: Predicting text content by examining its title/headline

Write the title/headline of a text you have pre-selected on the board and ask students to predict its
content. Then ask them to read the text and confirm their predictions.

Task 7

Skill/focus: Familiarising students with the format of the exam

Provide students with a handout summarizing the most important features of their upcoming exam.
However, delete some numbers/key terms and replace them with inaccurate ones (e.g. wrong
duration of the test, wrong number of parts of the test etc.) and ask students to spot them within a
time limit you will set. When time is up, elicit the inaccuracies students have spotted and ask them to
provide the correct answers.

Task 8

Skill/focus: Reviewing sequence words or cohesive devices

Select a text and previously delete its sequence words or cohesive devices (or any other language
points you would like students to review). Depending on your students’ level, provide the answers in
mixed order next to the text or do not provide them at all. Ask students to fill in the gaps and then
report to class.

Task 9

Skill/focus: Reviewing main grammar points

Select a reading passage and delete (e.g.) 10 verbs. Insert a number (e.g. 1-10) in their place and ask
students to guess which verb goes where (all verbs provided next to the text). However, ask students
to provide the right form of those verbs (e.g. simple or continuous, active or passive). You may wish
to use this kind of task to also practice relatives, conditionals etc.

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 Task 10

Skill/focus: Determining the topic

Present students with a text but previously delete its title. Ask them to read it and suggest an
appropriate one. Remind them to be ready to justify their suggestion. Finally, you may also ask them
to vote for the best title suggested.

Task 11

Skill/focus: Exposing students to inference questions

Find a text which does not contain ‘inference questions’ and add to the existing ones some of the
questions below:

 Why do you think the author wrote this text?

 How do you think the author is feeling?
 Where do you think these lines are taken from?
 Do you think the author is male or female?
 What is the author implying? Etc.

Elicit what led students to their answer.

Task 12

Skill/focus: Sensitising students to the author’s style or tone

Choose a reading passage and ask students to identify the author’s style or tone (i.e. how is the
author’s attitude towards the topic, e.g. forceful, aggressive, apologetic, sympathetic, friendly?). Then
ask students to locate evidence in the text.

Task 13

Skill/focus: Reviewing transition words/phrases

Select a text and before you share it with your students, delete its transition words/phrases. You may
wish to delete words/phrases related to:

 Expressing cause and effect (e.g. consequently, because, as a result)

 Adding evidence (e.g. for instance, in fact)
 Expressing contrast or opposition (e.g. however, yet, nevertheless, on the other hand)
 Concluding (e.g. all in all, to sum up)
 Further referring to an argument (e.g. similarly, furthermore, in addition)

You may provide the deleted words or phrases next to the text or simply ask students to guess them.
Then, elicit answers from students.

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 Task 14

Skill/focus: Reading answer choices to obtain clues and determine the central theme

Show or provide students with the answer choices that follow a reading text but do not hand out the
text yet. Ask students to guess the theme. Then, ask them to read the text and confirm their guesses.

Task 15

Skill/focus: Scanning questions/reading closely and focusing on detail

Provide students with a text and ask them to identify a specific fact or piece(s) of information in it. For
instance: ‘Find 3 adjectives that support that the author is … (e.g. disappointed/angry)’ or ‘Find 2
reasons why the author ... (e.g. loves his company/is worried).’ These are the type of ‘scanning
questions’ you could regularly add to the existing questions under a typical text taught during the year.

Task 16

Skill/focus: Inferring meaning/identifying unstated opinion

For the highest level students (C1, C2) select a text stating an opinion, but not directly. Get students
to identify the opinion expressed and elicit how they inferred it from the various sections of the text.
7. General tips and strategies

Here is a list of valuable tips and strategies which you can share with your students while preparing
them for their LTE test.

 Set a clear, achievable, concrete goal. Evaluate your level first and be reasonably but not
overly ambitious.
 Give yourself enough time to prepare for the test!
 Invest in extra resources. Make sure you make good use of them (e.g. study material available
on site, use related test preparation material).
 Plan a personalised study programme. Remember we do not all study or learn the same way.
 Try to enjoy your training as much as possible. Challenge your previous scores.
 Divide your exam preparation time appropriately: devote the same amount of time to both
Listening and Reading.
 Know the format of the test and what to expect (e.g. topics, language functions to be
expected).
 Research the ‘test regulations’ before your test so as not to worry about them on your Test
Day.
 Don’t skip any question. Remember, in the adaptive test you must answer each question to
get to the next one.

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  Be familiar with the platform of the CB adaptive test. Get to know it in good time, practice
with it, be aware of how it can support you if needed.
 Don’t worry about the adaptive function of the adaptive CB test (e.g. whether the questions
are getting easier or not). Focus on the test items.
 Don’t panic if you can’t find the answer. Look for context clues which are always there or
look for wrong answers instead of correct ones.
 Aim to answer as many questions as possible and guess as a last resort. Always answer every
question.
 Keep an eye on the time.
 Try to manage your stress on Test Day. That will help you perform better on your Test Day.
 If you have decided on the adaptive CB test, carefully read the ‘LTOE Guide for Candidates’
and be well informed about all the steps from logging in to completing it.
 Contact your test centre or teacher if you still have questions, e.g. about the digital platform
or the content or format of the test.
 Finally, till then, take advantage of mass media and websites which are great ways to improve
your English! Watch, listen and read real English on a regular basis!

8. Supplementary resources and support

Apart from a wide range of practice materials and resources available on our website
(www.languagecert.org), you may wish to refer your students to the following resources for extra
practice and further exposure to English:

Grammar & Vocabulary

 Edwards, L. & Redman, S. (2017) English Vocabulary in Use - Pre-Intermediate and Intermediate.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
 Emmerson, P. (2009) Business Vocabulary Builder. London: Macmillan.
 Emmerson, P. (2010) Business Grammar Builder (2nd edition). London: Macmillan.
 Mascull, B. (2017) Business Vocabulary in Use: Advanced (3rd edition). Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
 Mascull, B. (2017) Business Vocabulary in Use: Intermediate (3rd edition). Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
 McCarthy, M., McCarten, J., Clark, D., Clark, R. (2012) Grammar for Business. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
 McCarthy, M. & O’Dell, F. (2017) English Vocabulary in Use - Advanced. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
 Murphy, R. (2019) English Grammar in Use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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  Swan, M. & Walter, C. (2011) Oxford English Grammar Course - Basic. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
 Swan, M. & Walter, C. (2015) Oxford English Grammar Course - Intermediate. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
 Swan, M. & Walter, C. (2019) Oxford English Grammar Course - Advanced. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.

Websites

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english: a series of topical

discussions with BBC presenters

 https://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts : BBC podcasts on a variety of topics (travel, news, sports etc.)

 https://www.theguardian.com/podcasts : podcasts on a variety of topics (news, culture, lifestyle

etc.)

 https://www.buzzfeed.com : podcasts with a variety of topics (breaking news, quizzes, videos

etc.)

 www.ted.com : a website with various talks and videos

 www.cnn.com/videos: a website with videos (video clips, breaking news etc.)

 www.bbc.com/news/video_and_audio/international : a website with videos (news, business,

science etc.)

 www.openculture.com : a website with free audio /e-books, free movies etc.

 www.manythings.org : a website for ESL students, short natural conversations, transcripts, various
accents, listen-and-repeat exercises, listen-and-read along videos etc.

 www.talkenglish.com : a website with hundreds of dialogs followed by comprehension questions,

transcript, various levels, downloadable recordings.

 www.npr.org/programs/all-things-considered : a website with various recorded shows, programs,

stories, news, interviews, reviews etc.

 www.listenaminute.com : a website with hundreds of recordings with their transcripts, activities

etc.

 https://radio.garden/: a website with a link to hundreds of internet English-speaking/etc. radio

stations worldwide.

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 Webinars

Finally, remember that LanguageCert offers a series of free interactive webinars which have been
designed to help teachers prepare their students for their LTE exams. Please refer to our website
(www.languagecert.org) for more information.

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LanguageCert is a business name of PeopleCert Qualifications Ltd, UK company number 09620926 41