Ege in English tests. Tasks included in the "Speaking" section

Many future school graduates are faced with the need to pass a unified state exam in a foreign language. And the most popular language chosen for the exam is undoubtedly English. If you are also faced with a similar need, it is important to find out the answers to many questions regarding the features of the USE in English, the structure of the test itself and, of course, the technology for preparing for the successful passing of such an exam. In this article, we will try to answer many of the questions related to this area.

Who needs to take the exam in a foreign language?

At the moment, a foreign language is an elective subject for passing the unified state exam at the end of grade 11. Accordingly, few graduates choose it, most often they are confident in their command of a foreign language and have the intention to connect their future education (for example, in a linguistic university) and career with it. It is no coincidence that only a few pass this subject of choice, because the USE test in a foreign language is rightly considered one of the most difficult for school graduates, and the percentage of successful passing the exam is quite low.

However, the situation may change in the coming years. More recently, there has been active talk about the introduction of a mandatory USE in a foreign language from 2020, which was officially announced back in July 2013 by former Minister of Education and Science Dmitry Livanov. But already in September 2016, the head The Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science, Sergei Kravtsov, in his brief interview, mentioned “the introduction of a mandatory foreign language exam after the ninth grade from 2020 and a mandatory USE in a foreign language from 2022.” We'll see how the situation develops in the future. Of course, one can complain here about the inconsistency of Russian education, the low level of teaching a foreign language in schools, etc., but one can see in this situation an excellent opportunity for oneself to motivately “pull up” one’s level of English, which will undoubtedly be useful not only to pass the exam.

What is the exam in a foreign language?

2 days are allotted for passing the exam in a foreign language, on the first of which the examinee passes a written test, and on the second - an oral one. The written part of the exam is mandatory, and the corresponding written test consists of four sections:

• listening, that is, the perception of foreign speech by ear and the performance of tasks for understanding what was heard;
• reading, represented by three tasks aimed at controlling different levels of reading comprehension;
• grammar and vocabulary- a section aimed at monitoring the skills of proficiency in language material;
• letter, which requires the graduate to write a letter of a personal nature and an essay discussing various views on a specified problem.

In general, the written part of the unified state exam includes 40 tasks in 2017, and the subject is given 3 hours (180 minutes) to complete them.

Passing the oral stage of the exam is held on a different day and is voluntary. That is, the examinee may refuse to participate in the oral exam, simply by not visiting it. But in this case, he risks losing possible additional points that he could earn by showing his speaking skills. The oral stage of the exam is represented by four tasks, and in general, 15 minutes are allotted for the answer of one examinee, including preparation time.

It should be noted that a maximum of 80 points is given for completing the tasks of the written stage. At the same time, the maximum primary score is now equal to the final score, expressed as a percentage. Therefore, in order to increase your final score, it is still worth attending the oral stage of the exam, which can bring the graduate a maximum of 20 points.

Features of passing the exam in English in 2017 remain unchanged compared to the previous year. The minimum score to pass the exam is for a graduate to achieve a threshold value of 22 points.

What is the structure of the USE test in a foreign language?

Chapter	Time	Job number	Response format	What checks	Points
listening				listening comprehension with the search for information, the ability to compare heard texts with statements
				selective listening comprehension, the ability to determine the correspondence of a written statement to the heard text according to the True, False, Not Stated scheme
				listening comprehension with full understanding of the text, the ability to choose an answer to a question from three given data in accordance with the text heard
Reading				reading with the search for the necessary information, the ability to compare the read texts with given short statements
				reading with selective understanding, the ability to select the missing fragments of sentences among those given based on the meaning of the text and the grammatical structure of sentences
				reading with a detailed understanding of the text, the ability to choose the most accurate answer to a question on the text from the four presented
Grammar and vocabulary			capital letters without spaces	shaping skills, that is, changing the grammatical form of a word according to the proposed context and the rules of English grammar
				word-formation skills, that is, obtaining from given words their single-root derivatives, often representing other parts of speech (for example, obtaining a noun from a verb, etc.) required by a given context
				language competence in relation to vocabulary and grammar in general, the ability to choose the most appropriate option from a lexical and grammatical point of view to fill in the gaps in the text
Letter			in words in the answer sheet No. 2	the ability to write a personal letter under given conditions
				the ability to write an essay expressing one's own opinion and different views on the given problem
speaking (held on a separate day)			verbally, the answer is audio-recorded	phonetic side of speech, correct English pronunciation skills based on a short popular science text read aloud
				the ability to formulate questions on the proposed announcement, the skills of competently compiling interrogative sentences in oral speech
				the ability to build a monologue statement to describe a photo from a “personal” archive based on one of three data for choosing photos (a description plan is attached)
				the ability to build a monologue statement aimed at comparing two images according to the proposed plan with a brief final expression of one's own opinion-reasoning on the topic covered in the images

What are the strategies for successful preparation for the exam in general?

First of all, it costs the most consciously and responsibly get ready for the exam. Don't assume that your "A" in English at school reflects your actual readiness for the exam. Very often, this is only a reflection of your diligence, your level against the background of other students in the class and your knowledge of the textbook material, which, unfortunately, is often not enough even to get threshold scores for the exam. Important start preparing as early as possible, preferably not less than 1.5-2 years. But even if there are only a few months left before the exam, you still have a chance to prepare for its successful delivery, subject to very intensive daily training and a competent approach to preparation.

get ready regularly, better daily. Excellent assistance in preparing for the exam in English, as well as other subjects, is provided by the center of pre-university education "Unicum". You can familiarize yourself with the USE preparation program and sign up for training on the website. If you are preparing for the exam under the guidance of a teacher / tutor, do not rely only on him. The teacher most often only guides you, controls and helps you in your preparation. You must add the main load to yourself and on your own, it is you who can make your preparation for the exam as versatile, rich and effective as possible.

Be sure to get to know USE structure, rules its implementation, the criteria for evaluating tasks (the very boring codifiers and specifiers of the Unified State Examination, which few graduates look at), guidelines for performing certain types of tasks and train, train, train.

You also need to train smart. It makes no sense to prepare for tasks that do not correspond to the format of tests in the exam - they can be arbitrarily useful for other cases, but here they will come to your aid, first of all, demo versions USE test materials in English, which you can find in abundance on the Internet. Particularly relevant are those posted on the FIPI website (Federal Institute for Pedagogical Measurements). It’s worth starting preparation with demos, because they are provided with answers, which will help you navigate how much you know the material on a particular topic. The mistakes made should be considered as a reason to repeat or re-learn the material to which they correspond. Unfamiliar words and phrases, especially those that interfere with perception or will be useful for completing tasks in the Writing and Speaking sections, should be memorized. You, like many high school students, have little time for vocabulary expansion? Carry a small notebook with you, get in the habit of writing out unfamiliar lexical units there, take it out every time you ride in transport, wait in line and memorize words and phrases. Such a notebook may well replace modern gadgets. Do you love movies and music? Watch your favorite films and series in English, listen to songs by British artists, etc. Preference should be given to British English, since it is used in the preparation of the KIM USE.

Any work on a training task should be divided into two stages - first solve the task in conditions as close as possible to those that await you on the exam- observe the time frame, do not use dictionaries and reference books. Then check the answers received with the original answers to the task, sort out the mistakes, find out the controversial points, repeat the rules for which the mistakes were made, perform several training exercises on them (here the collections of grammatical and lexical exercises will be very useful).

When you are already confident enough to solve the tasks of the demo options, making a minimum of mistakes in them, it's time to move on to the tasks. Open job bank USE. This is part of the real tasks that you may actually meet on the exam, posted on the FIPI website (see link above). The advantage of these tasks is their value as real USE tasks, the minus is the lack of answers to them. But if you are preparing for an exam under the guidance of a knowledgeable teacher, you can always discuss controversial issues with him or ask him to check your answer.

Be sure to practice responding to copies answer forms in order to develop the automaticity of filling out forms of this kind, to avoid confusion and loss of time on the exam. On the Internet you will find many images of such forms, sometimes their samples are also presented in various manuals for preparing for the exam.

How to prepare for each section of the exam?

listening

Listen to English speech as often as possible. Not only audio recordings of training and demonstration versions of the exam, but also watching TV shows, feature films and documentaries, TV shows in English, listening to audio books read by native speakers can serve to hone your listening skills. At the same time, it is important to pay attention to quality, not quantity. Limit listening to 10-15 minutes at a time, but try to focus on perception as much as possible and extract the maximum information from the listened text. Choose to listen to audio recordings with the British pronunciation, since it is it that is used in audio recordings for the USE test materials.

When training on demonstration options or tasks close to the USE tasks, carefully study the proposed answers. Don't let yourself be confused. You should not be guided only by individual words that you heard fragmentarily in the text and coinciding with the words in one or another version of the answer. Often this is a trap for an inattentive listener. Only content understanding can give you clues to the correct answers.

Each text is presented for listening twice. Do not rely only on your memory, make brief notes. Take advantage of the pause before replaying the text to carefully check the result obtained after the first listening. Even if you understood everything after the first listening, do not relax your attention during the second presentation of the text - you may not have noticed something important. Anyway, re-listening- a great opportunity to test yourself and eliminate possible mistakes.

Reading

Expand your vocabulary with any accessible ways and be sure to read in English. It is important to choose the right material for reading. In addition to the texts of demos and study guides for preparing for the exam, pay your attention to popular science articles and short texts of different styles (journalism, fiction, popular science,

pragmatic), which, according to the USE 2017 codifier, can meet you in the exam. When you meet unfamiliar words, especially those that hinder perception, write them out and memorize them. Read carefully, often rushing and relying only on individual thematic words in the text, and not on its content, can lead you down the wrong path.

Grammar and vocabulary

The result that you get when solving the tasks in this section is an indicator of your grammatical and lexical competence in the field of English, and therefore an indicator of how seriously you took grammar, expanding your vocabulary and getting to know English word formation in the course of learning the language. If enough effort, time, and attention has been put into all this, then this section will seem to you almost the easiest of all. If the work on grammar, vocabulary and word formation was insufficient, regardless of what was the reason - whether your inattention to these aspects of the language or the peculiarities of its teaching at school - you will have to do a lot of work to restore the gaps in the knowledge of language material. To do this, use the diagram above - when solving trial versions of the tasks in the "Grammar and Vocabulary" section, pay special attention to the mistakes you make. These are indicators of your gaps in knowledge - repeat the material on these topics in as much detail as possible, complete training exercises on each of the topics. If mistakes on a particular topic are repeated, follow the same pattern until you bring the skill of proficiency in one or another language phenomenon to automatism.

Correctly fill out the answer form - do not forget that the word form, consisting of several parts, is written in tasks 19-31 capital letters without spaces.

Letter

Study in English too. Be sure to follow the structure suggested in the assignment. And write letters and essays as often as possible and on a variety of topics. Memorize the phrases and clichés that are characteristic of these written works. Analyze your own mistakes in written texts and try to avoid them in the future. Observe the specified word length and carefully check what is written.

speaking

It is important to develop language skills and abilities. It is not enough to be fluent in the language material - this will not help you overcome the barrier in oral communication if there is no practice in it. Try to communicate in English as often as possible - while traveling, with online interlocutors from English-speaking countries and, of course, with a qualified teacher. It is important that your speech is not just listened to and the communication turned out to be successful, but that you can be corrected in case of a mistake.

Hone your pronunciation, do not neglect the “hard-to-pronounce” English sounds, try to pronounce them correctly and in no case “roll down” to replace them with somewhat similar Russian sounds (for example, [θ] to [s]). Pay attention to intonation - remember that it is different in different types of sentences. Listen to English speech and say individual phrases aloud - this way you can also hone your listening skills.

And of course, as often as possible, train on the tasks offered in the exam in the "Speaking" section - read aloud, ask questions, compare and describe photos. At the same time, keep track of the time, try to gradually reduce the time for oral response and preparation for it. All this will render you an invaluable service in the exam.

What manuals will help in preparing for the exam in English?

Of course, you should not limit yourself to just demo versions when preparing for the exam. Moreover, quite a lot of excellent study guides have now been developed that will help you gradually and comprehensively prepare for the exam in English. Here are some of them:

Macmillan Exam Skills	One of the most modern and complete textbooks, consisting of 15 tests of the USE format, compiled according to the latest changes in the exam and necessarily including the oral part. Important advantages of the textbook are its relevance, compliance with the real USE format, authenticity and an excellent team of authors who worked on it, including British developers and the chairman of the subject commission for foreign languages ​​of the unified state exam M.V. Verbitskaya. In addition, the publisherMacmillan has released a number of study guides to prepare for individual sections of the exam, and on the websiteMacmillan.ru additional materials for preparing for the OGE and the Unified State Examination for graduates and teachers are presented.
A.I. Nemykina, A.V. Pochepaev - USE. oral part	This is a real speaking simulator, containing a detailed description of the oral part of the exam as a whole, as well as 20 tests with detailed explanations and a strategy for developing an oral answer.
English language. Preparation for the exam-2015. Fomenko E.A., Bodoni M.A. and etc.	Comprehensive guide for effective exam preparation, consisting of two books, complementary to each other, and audio applications on disk.
Afanas'eva O ., Evans V ., Kopylova V . - Practice Exam Papers for the Russian National Exam	A detailed study guide with an audio application contains variable tasks for various types of speech activity for optimal preparation for tests in the USE format, relevant and authentic. The manual is another example of effective interaction between Russian and British authors.
Verbitskaya M.V. - USE. English language. Standard exam options.	This manual is included in the group "USE.FIPI - to school", is published under the authorship of the chairman of the subject commission on foreign languages ​​of the USE M.V. Verbitskaya, which undoubtedly indicates the high value of this manual, as the closest to the real tests of the USE. Available in two versions containing 10 and 30 practice tests.
Muzlanova E.S. - English language. USE textbook	The manual is represented by 16 thematic blocks that correspond to the topics prescribed in the USE codifier. Each block consists of 5 sections corresponding to the five sections of the USE test and containing test tasks similar to those of the USE, as well as useful explanations for their solution.

Is it possible to prepare independently, as well as express preparation for the exam in English?

In conclusion, I would like to answer the question that worries many graduates - how much should you trust the possibilities of self-preparation for the exam, and is a tutor really needed to pass the exam effectively? This question can only be answered based on your level of language proficiency, as well as your diligence, determination and perseverance. When choosing a foreign language as a subject for passing the unified state exam, you must be aware of what result should be achieved and how much work you have to do. A qualified teacher will be able, like an experienced conductor, to direct your preparation in the right direction, gradually complicate the level of tasks and control YOUR painstaking work in preparing for the exam. If you are not particularly confident in your level of language proficiency, organizational skills (after all, you will have to independently organize and direct your own activities) and motivation, it is better to use the services of a qualified and knowledgeable teacher in preparing for the exam. If you think that your level of English proficiency meets the requirements of the Unified State Examination, and your own motivation and willpower will not let you relax when preparing for the exam, you should outline your own strategy and start independent work on preparing for the Unified State Examination in English. But remember: regardless of your level of language proficiency, in any case, you have hard and painstaking work ahead of you. But it's worth it - a high score on the exam and, more importantly, a high level of English proficiency will serve you well more than once.

And what about those who "come to their senses" shortly before the exam? Is there an optimal "express preparation" for the exam in English. Unfortunately, the answer will be rather negative, because a foreign language is a set of practical skills and abilities that are acquired in the course of long and regular language practice. This set of skills and abilities cannot be acquired overnight or even in a week. Therefore, do not be fooled by all sorts of "intensive USE preparation courses 24 hours before the exam." If there are six months left before your exam, get involved in active preparation with a vengeance - this will be a kind of “express training” for you, which, with a responsible approach, will certainly bring you a positive result.

We hope that our tips will help you on your way to achieving the best results in passing the exam in English. Good luck to you!

Are you ready for the exam in English? Test yourself!

1. Online test for sections of the exam in English "Reading" and "Grammar and vocabulary".

The test consists of two tasks for reading and two assignments grammar and vocabulary. In total, there are 20 multiple-choice or gap questions in the test, in which you need to enter a word. Some of the test questions are worth 1 point, and some are worth 2 points. The maximum number of points is 30. At the end of the test, you will be able to see the number of points scored. Proceed to the test.

2. Online test on the section of the exam in English "Listening" (with mp3 file)

To pass the test, you will need to download an mp3 file (28.3 MB). To listen to the file, it is preferable to use speakers rather than headphones (so that everything is almost J like in the exam). Do not listen to the file before testing, because. this may affect the final result of the test.

The format and complexity of this online test is as close as possible to the real exam task: the test lasts 30 minutes and consists of 3 types of listening tasks. There are a total of 20 questions in the test to be answered. Each question is worth one point. For the correct completion of all tasks, you can get a maximum of 20 points. At the end of the test, you will see the number of points you have scored.

The video course "Get an A" includes all the topics necessary for the successful passing of the exam in mathematics by 60-65 points. Completely all tasks 1-13 of the Profile USE in mathematics. Also suitable for passing the Basic USE in mathematics. If you want to pass the exam with 90-100 points, you need to solve part 1 in 30 minutes and without mistakes!

Preparation course for the exam for grades 10-11, as well as for teachers. Everything you need to solve part 1 of the exam in mathematics (the first 12 problems) and problem 13 (trigonometry). And this is more than 70 points on the Unified State Examination, and neither a hundred-point student nor a humanist can do without them.

All the necessary theory. Quick solutions, traps and secrets of the exam. All relevant tasks of part 1 from the Bank of FIPI tasks have been analyzed. The course fully complies with the requirements of the USE-2018.

The course contains 5 large topics, 2.5 hours each. Each topic is given from scratch, simply and clearly.

Hundreds of exam tasks. Text problems and probability theory. Simple and easy to remember problem solving algorithms. Geometry. Theory, reference material, analysis of all types of USE tasks. Stereometry. Cunning tricks for solving, useful cheat sheets, development of spatial imagination. Trigonometry from scratch - to task 13. Understanding instead of cramming. Visual explanation of complex concepts. Algebra. Roots, powers and logarithms, function and derivative. Base for solving complex problems of the 2nd part of the exam.

Are you taking the exam in English? So, you need to master such a difficult section as speaking, or the oral part. These are tasks C3, C4, C5 and C6 in the USE version. Most of the mistakes graduates make in these tasks.

We have prepared for you two real USE tests in English and samples of these tests. Each of them has 4 tasks. On this page - Test 1

Task C3 - reading.

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Task 1. Imagine that you are preparing a project with your friend. You have found some interesting material for the presentation and you want to read this text to your friend. You have 1.5 minutes to read the text silently, then be ready to read it out aloud. You will not have more than 1.5 minutes to read it.

Many lands that had once been swamps were drained or filled in. There are different reasons why people drained swamplands. Some were drained to fight diseases caused by insects that lived in them. Because swamps were considered unpleasant places in which to live and harmful to health, many people thought that unless they were drained the land was worthless.

Other swamps were drained to make new land. As the population grew and more land was needed, people drained swamps or filled them to make room for more farms and factories, more roads and airports.

Few people thought that it might be harmful to get rid of swamps. As swamps disappeared, other things happened. There were both more floods and more droughts than before. There were also more fires, for swamps had acted as firebreaks. Hunters noticed that there was less wild game. Wild life that once lived in the swamps was dying out, because it had no place to live.

Task C4 - make up questions.

Task 2. Study the advertisement.
You are going to visit Japan this summer and you’d like to have more information about the flights to Japan. In 1.5 minutes you are to ask five questions to find out the following:

1) departure dates
2) travel time
3) return ticket price
4) discounts for students
5) buying the ticket online
You have 20 seconds to ask each question.

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Task execution example:
1. What are the days of departures? (What are departure dates?)
2. How long will it take to travel?
3. How much does the return ticket cost? (What is the price of the return ticket?,
How much is the return ticket?
4. Do you offer any discounts for students? (Are there any discounts for students available?)
5. Is it possible to book the ticket online?

Task C5 - description of one picture.

Task 3. Imagine that you are showing pictures of your pets to your friend. Choose one photo to present to your friend. You will have to start speaking in 1.5 minutes and will speak for not more than 2 minutes. You have to talk continuously. In your talk remember to speak about:
when you took the photo
what/who is in the photo
what is happening
Why did you take the photo
Why did you decide to show the picture to your friend
Don’t forget to start with “I have chosen photo number….”

An example of a completed task C5:

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I have chosen photo number 1.
To begin with, people keep pets for different reasons. They make our lives more exciting and become the members of our family. They can also be our closest friends forever.

I took this photo last summer in our country house. We have got several pets and this dog is among them. All our pets are friendly and cute creatures.
Let me tell you a few words about this photo. In the background you can see a wonderful Russian landscape. In the foreground there is a wonderful lawn framed with lovely birches and bushes. In the center you can see my elder sister Sveta and our dog Snowflake. We called him so because he is as white and fluffy as snow.
The weather is fine, sunny and warm. Snowflake likes to go for a walk very much. In the photo Sveta is telling him something to keep him calm. You can't see me as I am taking the photo.
Taking this photo I wanted to start a collection of our pets' pictures and to display it on the wall in our living room. Besides, the photos will always remind us of our pets.
I decided to show this picture to you because you told me a lot about your dog. Now it's my turn to give you the first impression of my pet. Isn't he friendly and cute?
I believe when you come to our place , Snowflake will accept you as his best friend.
That is all I wanted to tell you about this photo.

Task C6 - comparison and comparison of two photographs.

Task 4. Study the two photographs. In 1.5 minutes be ready to compare and contrast the photographs:
give a brief description (action, location)
say what the pictures have in common
say in what way the pictures are different
say which kind of life you'd prefer
explain why

You will speak for no more than 2 minutes. You have to talk continuously.

Example of completed task C6:

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In our modern world some jobs are very important for our society.
Here are two pictures to compare and contrast on the topic. This is a photo of a man doing his job outside and that is a photo of a policeman standing on the side of the road.
These two pictures show jobs and this is the first similarity. The people in both pictures are wearing uniforms , and that is also what these pictures have in common. The weather is rather warm.
However, pictures are somehow different. The main difference is that in picture one we can see a worker , while in picture two there is a traffic policeman. Also, their actions are different: the worker is paving a sidewalk and the policeman is on duty watching the traffic on the road.
As far as I am concerned, the job of a traffic policeman (cop) is more important for the society because people of this profession are responsible for our safety and order on the roads. Besides, they control all drivers to keep and obey traffic rules. It is very important for all drivers and passengers' lives.
I've come to the end of my speaking. Thank you for listening.

• How many lessons are in the course?
  The course has 32 lessons for 25 hours, plus 6 author's workbooks and all textbooks, as well as a chat with a teacher for the whole year.
• When can I watch lessons?
  You can watch lessons at any time convenient for you and from any device.
• Will I be able to review the lesson notes after the course ends?
  Yes, the recordings of all lessons remain with you for a whole year.
• Will there be homework? How often?
  After each lesson you get homework. We recommend that you proceed to the next lesson only after completing your homework and fully understanding the material, since the course is built on the principle of gradualness and increasing complexity. If you do not understand something, you can always ask the teacher a question in a special chat.
• Why is it a one time payment?
  For your convenience and freedom in learning, you get access to all materials immediately after payment, so it must be done at a time.
• Which is better: lessons with a teacher or a course?
  It is best to combine the lessons in the course with the lessons with the teacher. In the course, you will receive a clearly planned plan for preparing for the exam, all materials and an explanation of all concepts from Elena, an experienced VIP teacher, MBA graduate, native English speaker. This will allow you to save money on classes in person with Elena. However, the practice of all the concepts described in the video course is very important to improve your skills, especially writing and speaking. Therefore, we have specially selected the best Engforme teachers to work with students on the USE course. Combining both methods, you will get the highest result thanks to a verified program, a unique presentation of the material and all the necessary materials, additional training and motivation from the teacher.
• At what level can I start the course?
  The course can be taken independently from the pre-intermediate level. If your level of English is lower, then you can start studying the course on your own, but connect the teacher as soon as something is not clear. The teacher will make sure that you understand everything exactly.
• How to make a payment?
  You can pay in several ways. On the page, by Western Union transfer or through the PayPal service.
• How long will it take to pass 95-97 points?
  The course is designed for 3 months, taking into account the initial level of pre-intermediate and daily work on the course for 1-1.5 hours. This calculation is based on our experience in preparing students, however this is an average. Your result strongly depends on your lifestyle, intellectual abilities and regularity of classes.