In the modern world, knowledge of foreign languages is a must for educated people. But this is an outlet not only for a cultural and enlightened society, but also for broadening the horizons of people, the disappearance of the borders of states for interethnic business and informal communication, the exchange of experience and heritage of their ancestors. This makes people primarily indifferent to the life, traditions and problems of other nationalities.
Foreign languages are recognized as necessary in the school education of new generations of people. In modern schools, from the first day of instruction, children are taught to speak, colloquial phrases and folklore of other languages. English has a leading position in this.
And, of course, after a certain period of time, children in schools pass the test of acquired knowledge in various ways. It depends on the age of the child and the level of learning English.
What is KET? This is the same test of knowledge. A test that allows the teacher to see how much is learned.
What kind of exam is this?
What is KET? This is an exam in the form of a test. The abbreviation stands for Key English Test. This is a test of knowledge of the English language, which is needed in ordinary life, that is, the spoken language of everyday need and practical orientation:
- at work;
- visiting friends;
- on a walk;
- when going out;
- on learning.
Essentially speaking, this is an exam in English, which is conducted on the basis of four types:
- oral speech;
- fluent reading and writing;
- listening.
This test is called Cambridge, because they created and developed it in this institute for students and people who speak other languages (that is, not in English).
It happened in the nineties of the last century. But recently they recalled this exam and improved it a bit, significantly changing the structure of the test itself and its content. Now, the Cambridge KET exam is a type of knowledge test, aimed mainly at schoolchildren.
But they pass this testing not only in schools. Every year, thousands of people thus confirm their level of English proficiency. What for?
- This is necessary to understand what level you have.
- Learn specific gaps in language skills and deepen learning in these areas.
- A KET certificate can be a great help to your portfolio when looking for a decent job.
KET in schools
KET for schools is a variation of the famous Cambridge test, designed to test the initial levels of English in teenagers from 11 to 14 years old. Schoolchildren pass the adapted version of the test, which allows us to understand in the future how to prepare for final exams, as well as reduce the psychological burden on the child's psyche. It seems that such an exam has already passed, for example, without any problems, why be afraid of the next exam in English? The question of what KET is is no longer standing. The schoolboy ceases to be afraid of him, because he is familiar with him.
The structure and content of the test
An exam lasts an average of 1 hour 50 minutes. During this time, the student passes three stages of the test:
- reading and writing - reading and writing is the longest and most important part in which you need to read a passage in English (an unadapted text most often in English literature) and answer questions in writing;
- listening is listening to dialogues and written answers (in the form of a test) on them;
- conversational part - conducting a dialogue of four people on a given topic or specially highlighted material, two examiners and two examiners participate in it.
After summing up the testing results, all answers receive passing points for the specified sample. Those who pass the Key English Test receive a certificate attesting to this.
Important!
The exam is conducted only at Cambridge Universities accredited for this type of test, schools and universities. There are a little more than two thousand of these in our country.
It passes the test six times a year, mainly in the summer months.
After testing, a corresponding certificate with unlimited validity is issued.
Repeated confirmation of knowledge of the English language is not required.
How to prepare for it?
Requires KET (Key English Test) training at a very serious and enhanced pace.
You must have a good knowledge of the rules of the English language, syntax and spelling.
We need a vocabulary covering diverse topics. Including words and phrases of colloquial type and slang.
A good help for the preparation will be to familiarize yourself with Objective KET and KET Practice Tests Plus.
Also, all the answers to your questions regarding this test can be found on the official Cambridge English website.
Exam example
1) The first part of the test - exercises of the type "question - answer". It consists of approximately 60 such exercises, including texts. Approximate types of questions:
- insert the missing word in the English sentence;
- put the words in the affirmative or interrogative sentence in their places;
- answer the question (in short or full form).
Examples of tasks:
- Put the words in the questions in the correct order:
- who go to? can the disco.
- how the race is long.
- does it how much cost.
- is what prize the first.
- are the runners old how.
- My mother ... book at the moment. (reads, read, reading)
- Do you want ... a film tonight? (to see, seeing, to seeing)
- There are three ... on the wall. (photos, photoes, photo)
- This is ... film I have even seen. (best, the best, the most best)
- They ... to Russia last summer. (go, went, going)
2) The second part - listening to some established text, and then the answers to questions on this text.
3) The third part is dialogue. Absolutely different topics may be affected here. For instance:
- personal, including biography and family, favorite activity, hobbies and more;
- business, but not in-depth topics in a particular profession;
- domestic situations (at home, away, with friends);
- food, products, names of various dishes;
- natural landscapes, animals, birds and marine life;
- travels, excursions and trips;
- healthy lifestyle and sports.
Tip for the first part
Translation of sentences in which words are already in the correct order:
- Who can go to the disco?
- How long is this flight?
- How much is it?
- What is the first price?
- How old are runners?
Translation of sentences with inserted words:
- My mother is reading a book at this moment.
- Do you want to watch a movie today?
- Three photos are posted on the wall.
- This is the best movie I've ever seen.
- They traveled to Russia last summer.
Necessary Rules
To successfully pass the test, you need to understand the following topics in the English language:
- rules for constructing sentences (affirmative, interrogative and negative);
- a noun and the use of a definite, indefinite and zero article with it;
- adjective name (usage and degree of comparison);
- pronouns (personal, possessive, indicative, interrogative, negative and indefinite, as well as reflexive and relative);
- quantitative and ordinal numbers;
- the use of verbs, including in the coordination of tenses and passive voice);
- verbs in different tenses - present, past and future (simple forms, long, perfect (perfect), perfect-long);
- infinitive of the verb, gerund and communion;
- modal verbs.
Vocabulary
Words can be learned immediately on the topics of the third part of the test. However, the list of familiar words and vocabulary constructions should be at least 2,500 thousand, including prepositions, participles, and numerals.
This figure may seem very large and unattainable. But should you read an adapted book of 100 pages at a level of knowledge of the English language below the average, you will understand that you already know one and a half thousand words perfectly.
How to increase your vocabulary more efficiently and faster?
- Daily training (reading, working with a dictionary, listening to audio materials (including radio stations), watching films and television programs in English).
- Learning a few words or phrase sentences every day. It is better to have several meanings for one word or construction.
- Memorization of poems, idioms, proverbs, lyrics in English.
- Permanent contact with the dictionary.
In one day, you can not try to try all the workouts at once, but you need to devote half an hour to your free time.
Other types of similar tests
What is KET, have already figured out. This is the very first and easiest language proficiency test at the upper intermediate level. However, there are more complex tests:
- Preliminary English Test (PET) - corresponds to the average level of knowledge of the language. Often is mandatory for office workers and secretaries serving in leading positions in companies and organizations. But basically, the test is not much different from Key English Test.
- First Certificate in English (FCE) - tests the knowledge of English at a level above the average. This understanding of fast English speech of native speakers, television programs and radio programs, the ability to freely express their thoughts and opinions.
- Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) - Advanced. The topics in it are noticeably complicated, the ability to read and understand specialized business texts and colloquial speech is necessarily checked.
- Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) - professional level. The complexity of the test corresponds to a high degree. Requires knowledge of English at the native level.