WRITING CHECKLIST

There are eight points that one must keep in mind when writing, to wit:

1. Content points have been covered.

2. The register is appropriate.

3. There is evidence of good vocabulary.

4. There is evidence of a good range of grammar.

5. The composition is divided into paragraphs.

6. There are linkers.

7. The format adopted is appropriate.

8. Would the reader understand your point of view?

SPEAKING EXAM SCHEDULE

SPEAKING EXAM: INTERMEDIATE 2, GROUP 8

TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2012.

ROOM 10

Time	Candidate A	Candidate B
18:40	María Soledad Losada Deus	Esther Ferreiro Nóvoa

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2012.

ROOM 9

Time	Candidate A	Candidate B
18:15	Enrique Matilla López	María Teresa Atanes Camiña
18:35	José Manuel Feijoo De La Fuente	María José Maneiro León

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2012.

ROOM 9

Time	Candidate A	Candidate B
17:30	Montserrat Álvarez Mateu	Diego Vázquez Boán
17:50	Xeila Rodríguez López	Pilar Sotelo González
18:10	Paula Rodríguez Álvarez	Eva Novoa Ansia
18:30	Emilio Martínez Núñez	Ramón Rodríguez Vázquez

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2012.

ROOM 10

Time	Candidate A	Candidate B
17:30	Lorena Barandela Prieto	Silvia Vilar Rodríguez
17:50	Sonia Fernández López	Ledicia Veloso Vicente
18:10	Eva Salgado Rodríguez	Beatriz Pérez Fernández
18:30	Mª Isabel Rodríguez Lameiro	Mª Dolores Arias Santos

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2012.

ROOM 9

Time	Candidate A	Candidate B
17:30	Mónica García Castro	Xeila Domínguez Valdés
17:50	Generosa Franco Martínez	Camila Fraga González
18:10	Diego Carrizo Álvarez	Javier Carrizo Álvarez
18:30

SPEAKING EXAM: INTERMEDIATE 2, GROUP 10

TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2012.

ROOM 9

Time	Candidate A	Candidate B
20:10	Mónica Carballo De Dios	Alexandre Nóvoa Rodríguez

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2012.

ROOM 9

Time	Candidate A	Candidate B
19:45
20:05

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2012.

ROOM 10

Time	Candidate A	Candidate B
19:00	Verónica Nogueiras Fernández	Rocío Prieto Pacheco
19:20	Paula Docampo González	Anaís Fernández Fernández
19:40	Alberto Naveira Bermejo	José Julio Vázquez Suárez
20:10	María Rosa López Justo	Ledicia Santos Fernández

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2012.

ROOM 9

Time	Candidate A	Candidate B
19:00
19:20
19:40
20:10

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012.

ROOM 9

Time	Candidate A	Candidate B
19:00	Isabel de Padua Bustamante	Enrique Álvarez Reza
19:20	Elena Mariño	Jorge Fernández González
19:40	Verónica Aguiar Castro	Laura Mateos Alonso
20:10	Luis Ledo Moure	Pablo Lorenzo Manzano

KEY SPEAKING PHRASES

To help you prepare for the speaking exam, I have made up a list of some important speaking phrases that will hopefully help you.

Agreeing

• I couldn't agree more.
• I (quite) agree.
• I think you're absolutely right.
• That's a very good point.
• You've made a very good point there.
• I fully support what you say.
• I totally agree.
• Exactly!
  

Asking for opinions

• What do you think about ...?
• What are you views on ...?
• What do you feel about ...?
• What's your opinion of ...?
• What are your feelings about ...?
• Have you got any comments on ...?
• Could I have your reaction to ...?
• Do you have any particular views on ...?
  

Asking for clarification/more information

• I didn't understand what you said about .
• I'm sorry, I didn't catch what you said about .
• I'm sorry, could you repeat what you said about?.
• Sorry, but I'm not quite clear on .
• I didn't understand the bit about the ...
  

• What does . . . mean?
• I'm not sure what you mean.
• I don't see what you mean.
  

• Could you explain that again, please?
  

Describing aims and objectives/intentions

• In my talk today, ..
• My topic today is ..
• Today, I'm going to talk about ..
• I'm going to talk to you about ..
• The subject of this talk is ..

Disagreeing

• But don't you think that .?
• I see what you mean, but ..
• But what about .?
• But surely .?
• I take your point, but ..
• Yes, but on the other hand ....
• But all the evidence suggests that ..
• I'm afraid I can't agree with you on this matter.
• I don't agree at all.
• I can't accept that.
  

Expressing doubt and reservation

• Well . maybe . possibly .
• I'm not so sure about that.
• You may be right.
• I don't think I'd say that.
• Yes, but don't you think .?
• I can see your point, but .
• I think that's debatable.
• Perhaps, but don't you think that .
• I see what you mean but .
• I agree to some extent, but ...
• It seems to me ...

Giving further information

• Furthermore, ....
• An additional point is ....
• Another point is ....
• A further point is ....
• A similar point is ....
• In addition, ....
• Moreover, ....
• Similarly, ....
• Apart from ..., ....
• Not only ., but ....
• As well as...,....
• Besides, ....
• ..., as well.
• ..., too.
• ..., also.
  

Giving opinions.

• I definitely think that....
• I'm sure that....
• I'm convinced that....
• I really do think that....
• I'm of the opinion that ...
• I think ....
• I consider ....
• I feel ....
• Personally, I believe ...
• In my opinion/view, ....
• It seems to me ....

Listing

Firstly Secondly Next Then Thirdly Lastly Finally
First of all In the first place For one thing To begin with In the second place For another thing
The	first second next last	point I'd like to make is

Describing a Picture

• at the top
• in the background (there is/are)
• on the left (side)
• in the middle (of the picture)
• on the right (side)
• in the foreground (there is/are)
• at the bottom

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN

A fantastic website that I'd like to recommend is DIFFERENCE BETWEEN. It's perfect for when you have doubts about the difference between two words or concepts. For example, now that we're going to study medicine a frequent question we have is about the difference between an illness and a disease. If you want to find out what the difference is, click here http://www.differencebetween.net/language/difference-between-illness-and-disease/

The homepage is here  DifferenceBetween

PRACTISE FOR THE SPEAKING EXAM

A great way to prepare the speaking exam is to use VOCAROO, which allows you to record yourself easily and to send it to anyone. I'm going to explain how to use it in class, but in case you can't come, go the link below and follow the instructions. Believe me you, it's a sinch.

Vocaroo

SPEAKING EXAM: MONOLOGUE TOPICS

You've probably started thinking about the speaking exam by now. Today I'm posting two monologue topics taken from the Generalitat Valenciana. I suggest you read them and prepare them. If you know how to use a program like Audacity, you could record yourselves and send me the recording.

HAMILTON, MY HOMETOWN

Hamilton, Ontario with a population of over 600,000 is my hometown. I was born and raised in this industrial city known popularly as Steeltown. Despite being very industrial, Hamilton is fortunate to have some of the most beautiful nature parks in the country. In this post I'm going to draw your attention to the Royal Botanical Gardens, which is Canada's largest botanical garden. On the homepage you'll find on the right-hand side three icon indicating photos, virtual tour and videos. Click on them and I think you'll be pleasantly be surprised by what you see.
http://www.rbg.ca/Page.aspx?pid=193