Improving English Language Skills

Customized Training Services has started a series of short summer courses for all those who are interested in improving their language skills. We have developed Listening, Writing and Speaking courses to help participants improve their communication abilities since besides all the Methodology we can learn, it is also important that our language level allows us-teachers-to better communicate with our students on the one hand and to provide a language model on the other. 

Public policy of English teaching in Peru expects students to end their school training with a B1 level of proficiency and that teachers of English demonstrate a B2 level, at least. How can we make this possible? One way is for teachers to train to obtain the B2:First (formerly known as FCE) Certificate from Cambridge Assessment.

Towards this end, Customized Training Services has designed a blended course to help our colleagues obtain this Certification with the quality, support and care of all the courses we have launched along these years.

We know how to help you improve your teaching career. Contact us at the numbers and mail addresses provided below, we will be very pleased to hear from you.

Pre-FCE Online Course

Official international Certificates are a very useful tool to study abroad or to demonstrate a specific Language level when applying for a job. In the job field some of the most commonly required Certificates are the ones issued by Cambridge Assessment English, particularly B2: First (previously known as FCE).

Over five million people in the world sit for Cambridge exams which measure basic skills when using a language: reading, listening, speaking and writing. First thing to do before becoming familiar with the exam structure is to reach the required level of proficiency in the language. That is why we have designed this Pre-FCE course where we will present and practice some of the most important language structures that are being assessed in the B2: First exam. Therefore, taking this course will allow participants to kill two birds with one stone: improve their Grammar proficiency and advance in their exam preparation. We can help you, contact us.

XVI ACADEMIC FACEBOOK EVENT

Cambridge Exams are really important not only for our students but for us teachers of English as well since we cannot teach what we do not know. 

This is why we have chosen the topic of Communication Skills for Cambridge Exams emphasising the Communicative aims of some of the papers and not focusing in just one exam but on the different aims that B1 Preliminary and B2 First in particular have.

Today I attended a very interesting event organized by Cambridge English Language Assessment from Cambridge University Press. It was interesting for several reasons: the first one was because, as a Cambridge Speaking examiner, I must be well acquainted with any news about the administration of the exam. 

The second one because the information provided not only help you learn more about this important skill but also reassured us, CTS tutors, on the activities we use when preparing our students to sit for these exams. 

Regarding this latter, in Customized Training Services we organize skills marathon for the two exams we run courses for: Cambridge English First and Cambridge English Advanced. How satisfactory it was to hear that to prepare for these exams we need to expose our students to functional language using real life situations and encouraging meaningful communication!!. This is something we always ask our tutors and participants to look for.

Another important impact of assessing speaking- according to the lecturer, Graeme Harrison, is to propitiate interaction and to practice using tasks that reflect the different levels of proficiency our students have. "Since language is learned in chunks, it should be taught in chunks too and the overall focus of speaking assessment should be intelligibility and not native-like pronunciation". 

We have also been using this principle when running our Pronunciation course in the past three years. Graeme suggested displaying a phonemic chart in the classroom so as to take every opportunity to improve pronunciation of individual sounds and that is exactly what we have in our classrooms. We use the Pronunciation chart created by Adrian Underhill, having been his student I feel he is one of the best teachers of Pronunciation ever and I have ever since tried to promote the use of his chart and articulation techniques in the classroom.

All of the information we received today made us fell really proud of our exam preparation and pronunciation and conversation courses. We are also more motivated to keep learning so as to continue offering the best.

AT CTS we just finished our pre-FCE course and I am really proud of the participants. They were punctual, committed and did an excellent job. Many of them will take the Cambridge First preparation course in August.  See you then!!!

We hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas. We would like to remind you of our Third Summer Course for Top English Language Teachers 2016 which will take place from January 18th to 30th from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 pm.

This year we also have guest tutors and since you know every year we develop different modules based on your requirements,  we are sure you will be happy with the modules we are offering for 2016. These are: 

• Creativity and Innovation in the Language Classroom
• Pronunciation and Grammar development from Pre-Intermediate to Advanced
• Teaching CLIL and Teaching Young Learners
• Using TICS and Socializing (Leadership and Team work) in the Classroom
• Improving the Four Skills using learning strategies

 Certification is for 200 hours and vacancies are limited.

 

View the previous Summer Courses.
 

 



FCE Speaking exams

If you are preparing for taking the FCE 2014, you may find these guidelines and advice useful.