Dear B2: First (FCE) student,

We certainly are going through exceptional times! The current crisis has meant that many students preparing for Cambridge B2: First (FCE) are unable to attend classes. This is obviously a concern and I'm sure like us, you're looking forward to things returning to normal as soon as possible. But in the meantime, there's no need to let the progress you have made with your English and your FCE studies slip. We've listed materials you can use (mostly ours but some from elsewhere) on a daily or weekly basis as part of a stuctured programme of self-study. Remember that you need to do more than just do practice tests. Reading and listening to English as widely as possible is the best way to get that top grade you're after.

This is just an example of a weekly study programme. The important thing is to be systematic. Your teachers will have been following a syllabus and timetable to deliver your classes. This is your chance to design your own! If you're already getting help from your teachers, try to incorporate the ideas below as well.

1. Start the week by preparing to answer a writing question, using our weekly FCE Writing task (published every Monday). If you haven't downloaded the Cambridge B2: First Handbook yet, do this first. The writing section has lots of really useful resources, including the Writing assessment criteria and sample students' answers with examiners' comments. Make a note of the points they make and remember to think about that assessment criteria when attempting the writing task.
   Don't forget to pay Flo-Joe's FCE Writing Makeover page a visit to see if there are any answers to the same task. The Makeover section contains a list of students' answers to questions with a teacher's feedback. You can learn so much from other students' work!
   
2. While you're on the Flo-Joe site, spend a few minutes trying Flo-Joe's daily FCE Word Bank exercises (published Monday to Friday). Try using any new phrasal verbs, collocations or word formations during the day!

1. Focus on Use of English today and on one particular Part. For example, we publish an exercise on our FCE Facebook page every Tuesday to practise Key Word Transformation (Part 4). If you don't use Facebook, no problem. The exercises are taken from the Spotlight Paper 1 section of our website. Keeping with the idea of doing Key Word Transformation practice, check out the exercises for this in Spotlight Paper 1 here. Try not to rush through the exercises. Any you get wrong, try to work out why and what you may need to learn.
   Next week on Day 2, focus on a different section of Use of English, such as Word Formation or the Multiple Choice Cloze.
2. Once again, do our Word Bank quizzes for today - perfect practise for Use of English!

1. Use today to practise your listening skills. Free listening practice tests are hard to come by on the Internet but there are still plenty of opportunities to practise. There's a free listening test on the Cambridge English website. They also offer general listening exercises as well. A simple search of "FCE practice tests" throws up a long list of links - though we can't promise the quality will always be good! And finally, don't forget that listening to English doesn't always need to carried out doing practice tests. Listen to your favourite English Youtube channels or watch a film in English.
2. Once again, do our Word Bank quizzes for today.

1. Let's try Reading today. We always tell students one of the best ways to develop your English is to read, and to read as widely as possible. Now is a great time to start reading a novel in English! Don't worry about trying to understand every word. Aim to get a general understanding of a paragraph at a time. If you come across one that's hard to follow, focus on individual sentences. If there's one you can't understand and it's holding you back from having a general understanding of the paragraph, time to get the dictionary out!
2. Try doing one Part of a Reading practice test today. For example, you might choose to focus on the Part 1 Multiple Choice Cloze. There are four on our website and plenty of others on the Internet. If you've downloaded the B2: First Handbook from the Cambridge English website, look through the advice they offer in tackling this Part. Next week, try focussing on another Part of Paper 1.
3. Once again, do our Word Bank quizzes for today.

1. Try spending Day 5 doing some speaking practice. Who are you going to speak to if you're unable to leave your home? Try talking to yourself! Keep a daily spoken diary. Record yourself speaking for about a minute or two. If you do it in the morning, talk about what your plans are for the day - a great opportunity to practise future tenses. If you do it in the evening, talk about what the day has been like - your chance to practise talking about the past. It's important to decide what the aim of the exercise is. If you want to practise fluency, don't worry about making mistakes but concentrate on avoiding long pauses in your speech. If the focus is on accuracy, listen back to the recording and try to identify the kind of mistakes you tend to make.
2. It's always a good idea to reflect on your progress and what might be your strengths and weaknesses. Try to self-assess your English Speaking skills using this exercise on Splendid Speaking.
3. Of course, if you have access to friends on Skype, you can get a lot more opportunities to practise. Try keep your meetings focussed, perhaps trying a Speaking practice test together, such as this one on our Splendid Speaking website.
4. Once again, do our Word Bank quizzes for today.