A necessary part of exam preparation, testing needn’t mean hours of slaving away to produce the definitive paper, or using pre-written models which often don’t really explore problematic areas. Instead, testing can become part of the learning process, rather than merely a 30 minute window on your students’ progress. It’s easy!

Imagine you have ten B2 (or above) level students. Find ten suitable newspaper articles, appropriate in content and reach, based ideally on ten different topics which you wish to explore during the course. Photocopy the articles and give a different copy to each student. Allow students in class reading time and go through content, problematic vocabulary and contextual issues that may arise.

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