Skip to main content
Cambridge
  • Products and Services

    Products and Services

    • Products and Services

      Our innovative products and services for learners, authors and customers are based on world-class research and are relevant, exciting and inspiring.

    • Academic Research
    • English Language Learning
    • English Language Assessment
    • Educational resources for schools
    • Bibles
    • Educational Research & Network
    • Assessment Research
    • Cambridge Assessment International Education
    • OCR
    • Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing
    • Cambridge Assessment Network
    • Cambridge CEM
    • Cambridge Partnership for Education
    • Cambridge Dictionary
    • The Cambridge Mathematics Project
    • CogBooks
    • Bookshop
  • About Us

    About Us

    • About Us

      We unlock the potential of millions of people worldwide. Our assessments, publications and research spread knowledge, spark enquiry and aid understanding around the world.

    • What we do
    • Our story
    • People and planet
    • Governance
    • News and insights
    • Legal
    • Accessibility
    • Rights and permissions
    • Annual Report
    • Contact us
  • Careers

    Careers

    • Careers

      No matter who you are, what you do, or where you come from, you’ll feel proud to work here.

    • Careers
    • Jobs
    • Benefits
Change Language

Cambridge English Language Assessment

Main navigation

  • Products and Services

    Products and Services

    • Products and Services

      Our innovative products and services for learners, authors and customers are based on world-class research and are relevant, exciting and inspiring.

    • Academic Research
    • English Language Learning
    • English Language Assessment
    • Educational resources for schools
    • Bibles
    • Educational Research & Network
    • Assessment Research
    • Cambridge Assessment International Education
    • OCR
    • Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing
    • Cambridge Assessment Network
    • Cambridge CEM
    • Cambridge Partnership for Education
    • Cambridge Dictionary
    • The Cambridge Mathematics Project
    • CogBooks
    • Bookshop
  • About Us

    About Us

    • About Us

      We unlock the potential of millions of people worldwide. Our assessments, publications and research spread knowledge, spark enquiry and aid understanding around the world.

    • What we do
    • Our story
    • People and planet
    • Governance
    • News and insights
    • Legal
    • Accessibility
    • Rights and permissions
    • Annual Report
    • Contact us
  • Careers

    Careers

    • Careers

      No matter who you are, what you do, or where you come from, you’ll feel proud to work here.

    • Careers
    • Jobs
    • Benefits
Change Language
English Language Assessment
  • Home
  • Why choose us?

    Why choose us?

    • Learners

    • Who accepts our exams?
    • Visas and immigration
    • Study abroad
    • Cambridge English journeys
    • Organisations

    • English for higher education institutions
    • Our exams and tests
    • Verify results online
    • Setting your requirements
    • Exam security and quality
    • Employers
    • Research and Consultancy

    • English Research Group
    • English language consultancy
    • Impact monitoring and evaluation
  • Exams and tests

    Exams and tests

    • Cambridge English Qualifications Cambridge English Qualifications
    • Schools
    • General and higher education
    • Business
    • Pre A1 Starters (YLE Starters)
    • A1 Movers (YLE Movers)
    • A2 Flyers (YLE Flyers)
    • A2 Key for Schools (KET)
    • B1 Preliminary for Schools (PET)
    • B2 First for Schools (FCE)
    • A2 Key (KET)
    • B1 Preliminary (PET)
    • B2 First (FCE)
    • C1 Advanced (CAE)
    • C2 Proficiency (CPE)
    • B1 Business Preliminary (BEC Preliminary)
    • B2 Business Vantage (BEC Vantage)
    • C1 Business Higher (BEC Higher)
    • Linguaskill Linguaskill
    • IELTS IELTS
    • OET OET
    • Useful links

    • Test your English
    • Cambridge English Placement Test
    • How to register
    • Find an exam centre
    • What to expect on exam day
    • Study English in the UK
    • See exam results online
    • Cambridge English Scale
    • International language standards explained
    • Information for preparation centres
  • Learning English

    Learning English

    • Free activities
    • Exam preparation
    • Test your English
    • Parents and children
    • Games and social media
    • More resources
  • Teaching English

    Teaching English

    • Teaching qualifications
    • CELTA
    • DELTA
    • TKT (Teaching Knowledge Test)
    • Professional development
    • Cambridge English Teaching Framework
    • Cambridge English Trainer Framework
    • Become a Cambridge English Assessment Specialist
    • Resources for teachers
    • Webinars for teachers
    • Information for preparation centres
  • Blog
  • News
  • Events
  • Help

    Help

    • Lost certificates
    • Enquiries and appeals
    • Special requirements
    • Special considerations
    • Malpractice
    • Complaints
    • Corporate social responsibility
  • Test your English
  • Find an exam centre
  • Who accepts our exams?
English Language Assessment
Back to Blog page

You are here:

  1. Cambridge English
  2. Blog
  3. Five exam preparation tips to help build student confidence

Five exam preparation tips to help build student confidence

Share

Categories

  • Assessment
  • Cambridge English Qualifications
  • Teaching
  • Technology
  • Young learners

View all categories

Five exam preparation tips to help build student confidence

by Cambridge English, 21/01/2021
Teaching , Schools , Assessment
young learners in class

English language exams are stepping stones to bigger and better things. Exams give students something to aim for and help them develop the skills they need in their lives, education and the workplace.

Teachers everywhere want to see their students do well. So how can you motivate them to get started and support them as they approach exam day?

In this article, we’ll guide you through five exam preparation tips to help your students build their confidence and ensure they feel fully prepared.

1. Give your students manageable goals

SMART goals help students make progress by being specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. They help students imagine what they want to achieve and – by breaking down objectives into steps – help them understand how they are progressing. Cambridge English Qualifications are designed with this in mind, and the regular goals motivate students to improve their skills step by step.

In addition, these goals are useful when thinking about short, medium and long-term objectives – and can be used throughout individual classes, each term and the academic year.

Here are some questions to answer when planning your curriculum and preparing your classes:

  • What are my students’ learning needs? (Relevant)
  • What do I want my students to achieve this year/term/class? (Specific and Time-bound)
  • Is this level-appropriate and what support do I need to give them? (Achievable)
  • How will I/they know they are making progress? (Measurable)

Example SMART goals

Short term: By the end of the lesson, I will be able to ask and answer basic questions about what I like doing.

Medium term: By the end of the term, I will have improved my test scores in the Reading and Writing sections of A2 Key for Schools.

Long term: By the end of the year, I will have passed A2 Key for Schools and started preparing for B1 Preliminary for Schools.

2. Use checklists to help support your students

Following on from SMART goals, it’s important to help your students take ownership of their learning and give them the tools they need to track their own progress.

Goals checklist

For young learners, a goals checklist can be an effective way to help them focus on their goals, remember what they have done and reflect on their progress. In the example below, students simply need to tick off what they’ve achieved.

For lower levels, it might be helpful to write the goals and instructions in the students’ first language.

Download a learning goal checklist

Learning plan

For teens or older students, you can use a more advanced learning plan to help them track their progress. The example below includes space for students to write their goals and encourages them to take responsibility for their progress.

Download a learning plan template

Get more exam preparation ideas and tips in this video by our Exam Support Manager, Miranda Hamilton: How exam preparation helps with goal setting and motivating learners

3. Use Cambridge English exam preparation resources

Students need to have a good understanding of the content, the exam format, the timing for each section and even how they will be assessed.

Make sure you help students practise in a number of ways – incorporating exam-style activities in the classroom, setting practice tests for homework and running a mock exam. You should also consider testing students on their knowledge of the structure and timings of the exams too.

Practising exam tasks in class gives them a chance to show what they know, what they can do, and they can practise the exam strategies you have taught them.

We have a range of free exam preparation materials to help get you started, including:

  • handbooks
  • lesson plans
  • classroom posters and activities
  • self-study materials.

Explore these and many more exam preparation resources.

4. Check in with students regularly

It’s always a good idea to find out how well your students are getting on with the activities you are doing in class. There are a number of simple resources you can use to help students feel supported and confident.

Traffic light cards

Traffic light cards give students of all ages an opportunity to show you how they feel about their progress in any given lesson. Provide students with green, amber and red cards.

  • Green = Okay, I understand!
  • Amber = I might need a little help.
  • Red = Stop! I need some help.

You can either ask students to hold them up during the lesson at specific times – this allows you to assess how well they are doing – or you can have them hold up their cards whenever they need help. You can also ask learners to display them on their tables during group work – this will help you see who needs the most help while you are monitoring.

Exit tickets

For older or more advanced students try exit tickets. Near the end of the lesson, hand out the tickets and give the students a few minutes to reflect on the lesson. These will help you measure individual and whole-class progress. You’ll know what students are confident with and what they need to work on, which can help you with your planning. It’s also a good chance for shyer students to ask for support without drawing attention to themselves.

Download an exit ticket template

5. Join our teaching community

The final thing we recommend to help you prepare your students for their Cambridge English Qualification is to join our vibrant community of teachers.

Webinars for teachers

Attend our free webinars for teachers or watch the recordings – they’re full of great teaching tips, resources and ideas for your exam classes.

Cambridge English Teaching page

Connect with the friendly and supportive teachers on the Cambridge English Teaching Facebook page. There you’ll get daily tips and advice and you’ll be able to ask questions directly to other English language teaching professionals.

We also have a Cambridge English Instagram account and a learner Facebook page, which is full of engaging content to keep your students motivated as they progress towards their exams.

Cambridge English TV

Finally, we’d like to invite you to subscribe to our Cambridge English channel on YouTube, where you’ll find free resources, ideas and lots of exam teaching tips.

Also explore our Cambridge Live Experience playlist, which has more than 50 expert videos, on topics as diverse as using tasks in language teaching, sensitivity, empowerment and compassion in the classroom.

Related Articles

Linguaskill: the flexible option for language testing

by Cambridge English, 30/03/2023
Three

Linguaskill’s modular testing offers a flexible option to test takers. If they need to improve their score in a particular skill, then they can take that part of the test again. Their other scores are unaffected and they won’t have to retake the other three sections. Linguaskill’s flexibility benefits institutions and employers, too. Let’s take a look.

Admissions , Assessment , Higher education , Technology

Read more

Mediation skills in the English language classroom

by Cambridge English, 29/09/2022
Students

Taking information, summarising it, and passing it on is an example of what linguists call mediation, and it is a key skill for language learners at all levels. It’s the subject of the latest Cambridge Paper in ELT which looks at some of the best strategies teachers can use to teach and assess mediation skills.

Classroom , Teaching , Research

Read more

Discover our improved Results Service

by Cambridge English, 13/06/2022
Laptop

Millions of learners and global Recognising Organisations are using our online Results Services.

Cambridge English Qualifications , Technology

Read more

What’s next for admissions in the North America higher education sector?

by Cambridge English, 30/03/2022
Student

Cambridge English has set up a new expert Admissions Council with the higher education sector in the US and Canada. Our aim is simple: to listen, learn, and develop our support for institutions in the sector.

Research , Admissions , Higher education

Read more

On this site

  • Home
  • Why Cambridge English?
  • Exams and tests
  • Learning English
  • Teaching English
  • News
  • Events
  • Help
  • About us
  • Who accepts our exams?
  • Agents
  • Consultancy
  • Research
  • Contact us
  • ALTE logo
  • English Profile logo
  • Cambridge University Press & Assessment
  • BSI Logo

View Related Sites

  • Cambridge English main site
  • Cambridge English helpdesk
  • Cambridge English Schools
  • Cambridge English Online
  • Cambridge English for Centres
  • Preparation Centres Online
  • Results Verification Service
  • Occupational English Test
  • ALTE
  • English Profile
  • Cambridge University Press & Assessment
  • Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing
  • Michigan Language Assessment
  • Cambridge Assessment Japan Foundation


© Cambridge University Press & Assessment

  • Terms & conditions
  • Data protection
  • Accessibility statement
  • Statement on modern slavery
  • Safeguarding policy
  • Sitemap
Back to top
We use cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving your consent for us to set cookies Dismiss