Knowing exactly what is required in any given task coupled with thinking critically about one’s own performance and evaluating others can drastically increase potential for success. In this practical session, we will look at ways in which we can make assessment something that learners are actively involved in, rather than something which is done to them, by focusing on their own and their peers’ performance during speaking and writing practice. Together we will examine how assessment for learning techniques and activities designed to promote metacognition can be exploited to optimize student performance in B1 Preliminary and B2 First speaking and writing tasks.

Matthew Johnson has worked in the United Kingdom, Colombia and Spain as a teacher and teacher trainer since 1996. He has been a lecturer in English Language and English Language Teaching in Spain since 2002, first at the University of Alcalá and since 2009 at the Centro Universitario Cardenal Cisneros, where he is the Coordinator of the Bilingual Project. Matthew also teaches on the Master's in Teaching and Master’s in International Education programmes at the Franklin Institute and collaborates as a teacher trainer for the publishers such as Macmillan, Pearson and Edelvives, educational organisations such as BEDA, FERE and UCETAM, as well as local education authorities in Madrid, Castilla y León and Andalucía. His areas of interest are bilingual education, the CLIL approach, fostering communication in the classroom, learner training, formative assessment, blended learning and flipped learning.

Knowing exactly what is required in any given task coupled with thinking critically about one’s own performance and evaluating others can drastically increase potential for success. In this practical session, we will look at ways in which we can make assessment something that learners are actively involved in, rather than something which is done to them, by focusing on their own and their peers’ performance during speaking and writing practice. Together we will examine how assessment for learning techniques and activities designed to promote metacognition can be exploited to optimize student performance in B1 Preliminary and B2 First speaking and writing tasks.

Matthew Johnson has worked in the United Kingdom, Colombia and Spain as a teacher and teacher trainer since 1996. He has been a lecturer in English Language and English Language Teaching in Spain since 2002, first at the University of Alcalá and since 2009 at the Centro Universitario Cardenal Cisneros, where he is the Coordinator of the Bilingual Project. Matthew also teaches on the Master's in Teaching and Master’s in International Education programmes at the Franklin Institute and collaborates as a teacher trainer for the publishers such as Macmillan, Pearson and Edelvives, educational organisations such as BEDA, FERE and UCETAM, as well as local education authorities in Madrid, Castilla y León and Andalucía. His areas of interest are bilingual education, the CLIL approach, fostering communication in the classroom, learner training, formative assessment, blended learning and flipped learning.

Causing the greatest concern for both teachers and students the Writing part of the C1 Advanced & C2 Proficiency exam is often erroneously regarded as a subjectively assessed activity open to the corrector’s whims and wishes. In this seminar, together we will review the parts, task types format and timing of the exam as well as investigate the assessment criteria exploring the true objective manner of the assessment process – giving teachers more confidence to assess their own students’ writing. Further to this, we will examine motivating ideas to help develop the language skills required for the Writing paper, as well as practical ideas of how best to prepare students.

Graham Ward BA MA has been working as a Cambridge Assessment English teacher in Barcelona since 1997. He is the Head of English at the Fundació Collserola school group and as such is responsible for preparing candidates for all Cambridge Assessment English exams from Young Learners to Proficiency. Graham has worked as a Cambridge Speaking Examiner since 2000, has been a Cambridge Team Leader since 2008.

It always seems to be exam season for English Teachers. This workshop is aimed at educators from primary levels, preparing their classes for the YLEs, Starters, Movers and Flyers. Together, we will discuss how to prepare our young learners for those exams while sustaining their interest and developing their learning autonomy. During the session, attendees will plan an activity for the specific levels they teach, using the principles of autonomous learning. After attending the workshop, participants will take home practical and adaptable activities to better prepare their students for D-day.

Anne has been a teacher educator since 2001. She teaches general English to adults and young learners and train teachers in various fields such as pronunciation, integrated content learning, and lesson planning. She has worked in various contexts (primary and secondary schools; Montessori, mainstream, preparatory schools; language academies) and different countries (England, Australia, France, the Czech Republic, Spain, Iraq, and Romania to name a few). She created her own teacher training company two years ago, ELT Services Spain and since then she has been training teachers from both the public and private sector a variety of courses at all levels and in most subjects..

Checklist for success at external exams: 1) Understanding the demands of the exam, check. 2) Strategies to approach different question types, check. 3) Plenty of exam practice, check. Are we missing anything? We don’t want our classes to turn into a slog or a chore: we need lively and enjoyable lessons to keep our students engaged and learning. This talk will look at activities that help equip pupils with the skills they need to succeed at A2 and B1 level, while all the while adding sparkle and fun to your exam preparation classroom.

Michael Brand is a Teacher Trainer for Pearson. A passionate linguist, he studied French and German at Durham University, followed by a PGCE in Modern Languages. Having taught in England and Spain, he has experience in the public, private and state-assisted sectors and has taught young learners, teens and adults. He now spends his time training teachers on all things ELT and has a particular interest in cooperative learning and the creative use of video. Venue: TBC (to be confirmed).

In this seminar we will look at how to engage learners in the assessment of writing skills at both B2 and C1 levels so they are able to maximise their learning experience and improve exam outcomes. In addition, we will look at how to improve learner motivation to write, consider the role of feedback, and work through some sample activities.

Kat is a teacher trainer living in Barcelona, where she also teaches Business English and Cambridge exam preparation courses. Her main field of interest is educational technology, so she teaches and trains on line, as well as face-to-face. She is also an IELTS and EAP teacher trainer, and during the summer she works at The University of Manchester teaching EAP. She is constantly exploring new ways to incorporate technology into her teaching practice and shares her ideas at conferences and on her blog.

Intensive and short summer courses leading towards Cambridge Assessment English exam sessions are becoming more and more popular.  But what are the specific characteristics of such courses? And how can teachers ensure that they cover all that is necessary to prepare their students to take the exam at the end of the course?  Graham will focus on these questions in this interactive workshop using the B2 First Certificate Exam (and therefore applicable to the C1 Advanced Exam) as the base for this timely workshop.

Graham Ward BA MA has been working as a Cambridge Assessment English teacher in Barcelona since 1997. He is the Head of English at the Fundació Collserola school group and as such is responsible for preparing candidates for all Cambridge Assessment English exams from Young Learners to Proficiency. Graham has worked as a Cambridge Speaking Examiner since 2000, has been a Cambridge Team Leader since 2008.