This time I want to speculate on my experience of the mock CPE exam which I took last weekend in Yekaterinburg.
I must say it was rather challenging and really difficult for me. I felt like my brain was going to explode at times.
Well,for those who don't know what it looks like the exam is divided into listening, reading and use of English and writing.
Listening included three pieces among which there were some conversations between students and a presentation where we had multiple choice questions and the last piece was 6 speakers speculating on a definite topic and the task was to answer two sets of questions simultaneously.(that task almost killed me). My general impression was that the speech was unnaturally fast as if it was speeded up a bit. To add to this it was painfully difficult: we listened to it twice and it still sounded like humming!

Reading and use of English included such tasks as word or sentence formation, choosing a word and writing your own words, reading and inserting the missing paragraphs, scanning for certain ideas in the texts. I started to feel more confident here, nevertheless, it was rather mind-boggling.

The last but not the least was writing, only one part: we had to read and speculate on the ideas in two texts. Although the topic was clear I felt ideas evaporating, leaving my mind as blank as a white sheet.

That would have been a terrible exam if it was real, but as you can see in the photo we are happy to have taken it as it was a unique experience that made us think more carefully about this exam.

I believe the idea of mock tests is incredibly useful as a person will have an opportunity to estimate their ability to pass it more objectively.

That was my last weekend, and what did you do?

Here I am! Reviving my blog, dragging it out of nowhere.
Despite it being conservated for God only knows how many years, I believe it can be a great educational tool as well as extra practice for my and my students' writing.
I'm saying my big "hello" to it and getting eager to already start blogging, though, what should I blog about? The weather? My weekend? No, perhaps, I'll start with classics: English language!

Well, today, I'd like to talk about the importance of cliches and functional language in our life: Imagine, you have a problem with your new smartphone or you want to buy a bottle of water, or you need to congratulate a person with their birthday.
What will you do: think about the tenses and articles? Or, perhaps, you will revise some kind of vocabulary? No, absolutely not. You will take ready-made phrases from your head.
Let's see how it looks like:

Shop assistant: Hello, how can I help you?
Marie: Hello, I'd like to buy a sweater for me, please.
Shop assistant: What size are you wearing?
Marie: A small, I suppose.
Shop assistant: Well, I can offer you a sweater in different colors. How do you like this black one?
Marie: Well, it's not my style. Do you have it in blue?
Shop assistant: Certainly. Would you like to try it on?
Marie: No, thanks, I'm sure it'll be ok. How much is it?
Shop assistant: $...
Marie: Can I pay by card?
Shop assistant: Of course, we accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express
Marie: Here is my card.
Shop assistant: Here is your purchase and your receipt. Have a nice day.
Marie: Good-bye.

Look at the blue and purple phrases - they're chunks of the language that exist in our brains in the way they are here and, actually, they're expected to be heard.
And here comes the obvious question: Where should I get them?
The answer is as clear as daylight: watch films and read newspapers and magazines. There is one more thing you can do: translate such phrases from your mother tongue.

In conclusion, I must say that nobody's perfect, even native speakers, but it's never too late to perfect your language and broaden your knowledge.😃