TEH_12. Going Native talk with Graham Ward

TEH_12.  Going Native talk with Graham Ward

 TODAY at our listening test with The English Hour, Neil Stokes interviews  Graham Ward the Head of English at the Fundació Collserola School. 

http://www.elpuntavui.tv/video/241205054.html (6/11/2017 - 23:38 min)

(6/11/2017 - 23:38 min) Correspondent: Mª Lluïsa Caparrós

For our first part, listen up to the first 10 minutes, taking NOTES on these 15 questions: 

Q1: How many schools are in the foundation? How many students are in total?
Q2: Where are the schools located? 

Q3: What is the origin of the school? When were they settled?Q4: What grades does the school offer? 

Q5: What was Graham´s first work position there? 

Q6: What job opportunity did the school offer him in 2013? 

Q7: What has the school done to improve the English program? 

Q8:  In what way  do the learners have to focus on exams in a built-in the school curricula? 

Q9: How does the school prepare children for Cambridge Assessment English exams (CAE)? 

Q10: What does the school offer to parents to make it easier to register online for exams? 

Q11: Why have the CAE exams have become so popular? How long does it take to prepare them? 

Q12:   Can you delve into the whole process? 

Q13: How many people have already taken these exams? 

Q14: Is it useful to hold a CAE certification? 

Q15: What are the benefits then? 

3 EXTRA questions: (10:00-12:25 minutes)
Q13: What do the children think of them? Are they enthusiastic about taking them?

Q14: What is a Cambridge presenter and that is its function? 

Q15: What position did he hold before that?

TEH_12.  Going Native talk with Graham Ward   ____  KEY

 Q1: How many schools are in the foundation? How many students are in total?
There are a group of 4 schools. Full schools,  in each of them the averages rounds up a thousand.  (0:56--->)
 Q2: Where are these schools located? [One]in Sarria and Tibidabo, and then one in Bellaterra and one in Sant Cugat, just outsise of Sant Cugat. (1:44--->)  

Q3: What is the origin of the school? When were they settled?Fifty years ago, the original one  was set up the Tibidabo school, and became a foundation with the Sarria Tecnical area. It took after the founder:  Frederic Mistral Tecnical Area. They joined to form the two schools. (2:08--->)  

Q4: What grades does the school offer?Tididabo, the primary school and that fits into Sarria, the secondary school. The other schools came along later: Avenç in Sant Cugat, and Ramon Fuster in Bellaterra, and they are a primary and a secondary school… (2:24--->)Also they actually start all the way down from P3 and they go up to 4º of ESO and from there they come to Sarria: the exclusive site for baccalaureate. It’s concertada schools -excellent schools. (2:43--->)  

Q5: What was Graham´s first work position there?He began as an extra school teacher maybe about 17-18 years ago. As an extra school teacher who had to organize the extra school program. And the Cambridge Assessment English exams, the Young Learners exams in primary (as they start to move as Flyers), First Certificate and Advanced in secondary schools during the extra school program. In fact, in the extra school program as extra curricula. (3:10--->)  

Q6: What job opportunity did the school offer him in 2013?In 2013, the main school needed to develop the program in a way it was built up on the one that they had- Someone to introduce the Cambridge Assessment English exams into the main curricula system because we were having considerable success in the extra school program. (3:42--->)  

Q7: What has the school done to improve the English program?The updated the offer to both,  parents and theoir children: opportunity to do the Cambridge Assessment English exams within the main curricula school day (4:12--->) 

Q8:  In what way  do the learners have to focus on exams in a built-in the school curricula?
Although the school don´t focus on the exams, the exams are offered (oral and written). They organize all the registration process and the exam day itself (4:34--->)  

Q9: How does the school prepare children for Cambridge Assessment English exams (CAE) ?They pre-test months before the exam. Second Bacchalaureate in November -learners are put through a full exam, (FCE, CAE or Proficiency -including the speaking part with  extra school Cambridge exams teachers (5:06--->)   

Q10: What does the school offer to parents to make it easier to register online for exams?Those results help to recommend -via internet system- to learn about dates, prices and timetables. With four clicks away, parents can matriculate their children for CAE! (5:35--->)  

Q11: Why have the Cambridge Assessment English exams become so popular? How long does it take to prepare them?
Indeed, the most recognized English exam in the world because of the validity of the exam. (6:41--->) To reach an exam takes two years to be prepared. (6:51--->)  

Q12:   Can you delve into the whole process?It’s a throughout process to take it from a question from a reading comprehension that may be planned in Cambridge: sent out around the world where its put through pre-testing. Results are analyzed and statistically checked. Exams are placed at the correct level... they are sent out again for farther checking. Cambridge Assessment English exam is  administered almost daily these days! An extremely complex throughout process. (6:57--->)  

Q13: How many people have already taken these exams?Five million people taking a CAE annually. In fact,  he has been to the warehouse in the UK where the Cambridge exams are kept: staggering! (7:45--->) 

 Q14: Is it useful to hold a CAE certification? What are the benefits?In order to graduate from University, B1 recognition is needed (= PET level). But, with the First Certificate exam if you score between 45-59 %, you have an official certificate of B1 level even though you’re taking a level B2 exam.  B2 certification is needed to graduate from university. (8:25--->)  

Q15: What are the benefits then?So first and foremost, it’s a big help as you get a certificate.  Later on employers and/or Erasmus, Government organization, agencies for migration want English qualifications and the Cambridge Assessment English certifications are the most recognized. (9:02-->) Besides your level of English but you also need to be able to prove it. Do the interview process and they are going to find out whether you have the level of English that you say you have. But in order to get through the door in your curriculum you need the qualification. (9:23--->) 

3 EXTRA questions: 

Q01: What do the children think of them? Are they enthusiastic about taking them?Ready for that Saturday in May, enthusiastic as their students recognize how important it is.  Cambridge Assessment exams are useful and serve a very genuine purpose. So, motivation is good from children…(10:05--->)  

Q02: What is a Cambridge presenter and explain its function to us?A Cambridge presenter, one of a team of just under 20 experienced people, it changes yearly. His team comprises Iberia and they travel around Spain and Portugal speaking at conferences or seminars putting out the word of CAE and teacher training: helping teachers to teach their students CAE but also general teaching of English. (10:55--->)           

Q03: What position did he hold before that?Before that he was a team leader for Cambridge Assessment exams which is monitoring and training examiners speaking. You can do computer based exams but the oral part remains face-to-face, so the examiners need training… they also need monitoring, high rigorous standards of CAE are enforced and the procedure is followed. A team leader for 10-12 years. Recently,  he become a presenter because they cannot do both roles. (11:48--->)

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