Some food for thought

Step 1: Watch this informative video. You can also activate the English subtitles. Notice the vocabulary which is used. 

Coronavirus: How did it really start and how do we stop it from happening again? 

Step 2: Read these articles and/or other related ones on the web, concerning the recently imposed lockdown and quarantine due to the Covid-19 outbreak. The causes and effects of our current situation could easily be topics of discussion in all the official oral exams in June.

Suggested reading:

Social Distancing? You Might Be Fighting Climate Change, Too

Social distancing accidentally did the hard part for the climate crisis – now it’s up to us to keep going

How to Keep Mentally Healthy During a Quarantine (with a quiz for learners of English at the end)

How to Deal with Coronavirus (Mis)Information Overload 

Additional Measures to Stop Virus Weigh on Economy

A look at cities under lockdown due to the spread of coronavirus

New Reality of Working From Home

Pros and Cons of Teaching Online

I'm a teacher in Italian quarantine, and e-learning is no substitute for the real thing

Reflect on this quote, too.

Step 3: Now answer at least two of the following questions in the comment section below or in your own post on this blog. Click on the image to read the questions.

Typo in question number 5: Have your eating habits...?

        Hi my name is Evridiki, I'm 14 years old I am from Heraklion Grecce.In my family there are the 4 of us: my parents and my sister I am the youngest one and we have a 4-year age difference.The past few years I have taken up lots of hobbies, like volleyball, dancing and so on. In my spare time, I love to hang out with my friends, so we go shopping, go to the cinema and talk about other things.My favourite subjects at school are maths and Ancient Greek,when I grow up I would like to be a psychologist.What really gets on my nerves is when people are rude and don't respect people around them.

Speaking about me!!!

            Hi!!! My name is Manolis Stratakis and I am fifteen years old. I live in Heraklion. My family is considered by my parents, my little brother amd my self. My hobbies are basketball, drawing and learning English. My previous hobbies were  cycling, canoeing and athletics. In my spare time I watch movies with my parents and my brother and I often read books. In the future, I want to become a car designer because in the very old days, when I was two years old, my grandpa  brought me some car magazines. He was reading them to me. As a result, I knew all the car companies of the earth at the age of two!!! Also, I want to become a basketball player and after this, a basketball trainer.

Speaking about me

    Hi, my name is Maria and I come from a usual family. I have a youngest sister whose name is Sevi. Sometimes I do not get on well with her because we are really jealous of each other and she hates me helping her ,but  when we hang out with friends, we are like angels.

Introducing myself

Hi everyone, my name is Jim and today I am goimg to introduce MYSELF.I am 14 years old and... as a teenager many people think that I need to be on a football  team or something, but... for the reason that I have taken up many hobbies I finally decided that swimming is the best for ME. Of course I am not just a passionate athlete. I am also in Markaki's school in order to devote myself to studying my English language and so on.Finally, I have been playing the guitar since the age of 10.That is all about myself. I hope to see you again and tell you about my family.

More ECCE speaking practice

Sample topics:
http://www.hau.gr/resources/orfeas/ecce/hau-ecce-speaking-practice-tests.pdf

Advice on all parts:
http://markaki-b2.blogspot.com/2017/10/ecce-speaking.html

ANSWERING PERSONAL QUESTIONS

• What's your favourite place in town?

My favourite place in town is located at the centre of Heraklion. It's called Lion's Square and it is very popular, especially with teenagers. There are many cafes and shops here so you can sit, relax and go shopping. This place is mostly known because of the big and beautiful fountain which is the reason for the square's name.

• What's your favourite singer?

My favourite singer is Selena Gomez, who is very popular with young girls. I love listening to her songs, because their lyrics want to send a message and the music suits them perfectly. The messages that are sent have to do mostly with love and that's why her songs become popular with teenagers.

• What's your favourite hobby?

In my free time I like doing many things. One of them is going out with my friends. We like chilling out at the centre of the town and shopping or just going for a walk. We prefer meeting and having a great time instead of chatting online. 

• What's your favourite type of music?

I enjoy listening to music in my spare time, especially when I listen to my favourite type called pop music. In this type of music most of the songs become popular easily and refer to love and emotions. My favourite pop singers are Shawn Mendes and Selena Gomez. 

• What's your favourite sport?

My favourite sport is volleyball. I like it very much because it's a team sport, so all the players cooperate together to win and they get to know each other easily. Also, it is a good way to keep fit and it is not as exhausting as other sports.

• What's your favourite teacher?

I like many of my teachers at school and one of them is my Language teacher. She is very knowledgeable and she actually impress some of my classmates because of her amazing vocabulary. I like the way she teaches as most of the students understand well and pay attention. She also gives us some exercises which make us think of something unusual and different.

Answering personal questions

What's your favorite hobby?
       My favorite hobby is dancing.I love it, because while I am dancing I can express my feelings and also get fit and have a good figure.Actually, I don't really enjoy ballet.I prefer modern dance,because you are free and you can improvise.

What's your favorite teacher?

  My favorite teacher is my Chemistry teacher.She is a very good teacher and very kind with th students.She always smiles and helps us when with have a problem.She also tries to do all the excercises at school in order not to give us a lot of homework at school.That's why she is my favorite teacher!

FCE speaking tips

Decide on all your favourites before entering the examination room.

Do not create a “shopping list” while speaking!

ECCE SPEAKING

Official complete speaking: https://youtu.be/cN2FoaeEwIc

Tips for Part 1: https://youtu.be/23ISOxFzmG4

Tips for Part 2: https://youtu.be/VjEi8wCep-s

Tips for Part 3: https://youtu.be/R2fgaxDIDco

Tips for Part 4: https://youtu.be/vHmVFv7gXgI

Examples:

Part 2: https://youtu.be/gDRJ8HZMc_Q

Part 3: https://youtu.be/yAK0WhfC07o

Family Presentation

I live with my mum and my little sibling who is called Paul.We stay in a cozy house in Heraklion centre. My father has been in Poland since 2013, so there are the three of us in my family.

My house is spacious. It has three bedrooms two bathrooms and a big living room. The one thing that I don't like in my home is the view. I would prefer to wake up and see the sea as a view. I like the area where I live but when I grow up, I would like to live in Thessaloniki because it has better colleges than Heraklion.

In conlusion, I like all my every day life with all the advantages and disadvantages!

My Family!

I really get along with my family.I live with my parents and my little sibling who is 10 years old.There are four of us in my family.We spend quality time together playing many games like basketball,board games and video games.I sometimes feel homesick when I am away from home and I can't stay one week away from my home.

ECCE SPEAKING AND WRITING

The actual evaluation of the speaking section

Writing criteria

SPEAKING

• sample of a test taker prompt
• sample of an examiner prompt 
• speaking sample score and commentary 

(From http://cambridgemichigan.org/test-takers/prepare-study/)

Giving advice

3: I have been in a similar situation before 2 years ago and I think that the best thing to do is to try to  explain to him that he is too young to buy a cellphone. (FULL STOP) He can wait for one or two years to buy it. You can suggest him  that he can use sometimes your cellphone if he wants to contact with his friends.

2: A similar thing once happened to my friend. (FULL STOP)  Try to explain to him that spending a lot of hours on the Internet is unhealthy. He can try to do some sports or find a hobby which appeals to him.

4: As a teenager, I believe that the best thing to do is to persuade your friend that yesteday you were very busy and had a lot of stress. I can understand how your friend must feel but I think she absolve will forgive you.

5: I can understand how you must feel about your son. (FULL STOP) As a teenager I believe that the best thing to do is to explain to him how important it is to exercise, the benefits of being healthy and having a healthy body. Moreover, try to explain to him how important it is to be a good student for his future studies in university and moreover in his job.

How ECCE speaking is evaluated

 

 

ECCE SPEAKING: EVALUATION

 

This is how you get a mark when sitting the ECCE oral exams.

Talking about Yourself

                                                            Speaking Guide
Talking about where you live:

-I live in a village/area called
-It's...miles from...
-It's build up/quite area.
-You can get around easily on foot.
-It's a quiet place.
-It's on the coast.
-My friend live nearby.
-It has nicr neighborhood
-The beaches are great
-The town is picturesque.

Talking about vacations:

-When I'm on vacation,I enjoiy being outdors.
-My ideal vacation would include...
-I usualy spend my time lying on the beach.
-I enjoy going to the islands.

Talking about plsns:

-I'm hoping to...
-This summer I'm going to...
-I haven't decided where to go yet,but...
-I am planning to go on vacation in (August).
-I ll be staying in...

Do you ever argue about money with your parents or your friends?

The answer is no, I have never argued with my parents or my friends, because I am a responsible and punctual (OR: consistent) child. For example if I want to buy something I thing think it out very well before buying it. Moreover, when I buy something, I buy it with my pocket money. (FULL STOP) If it costs more than I afford, I am waiting always wait to collect the required money.

Students should work to earn money if they wish to travel. Do you agree? Why/ Why not?

I agree with this statement because if students don't work to earn money, and their parents give them money (OR: an allowance) in all their life they will wait for everything to come happen from their parents. One reason is students should work to earn money for their education or to travel around the world. To sum up, students should work to earn money for their life.

Speaking: Expressing opinion

Lend her money or sell necklace

On the one hand, (comma here) your sister will sell your's grandmother's necklace. (full stop) On the other hand, you will lend her money but she may not paid it back. If I were you, I'd lend her money because it is better to lose your money rather than sells the necklace. The Necklace has sentimental value for you and your family because your grandmother wore it. To sum up I think the best thing to do is to lend money to your sister to travel, because it is a pity to sells the necklace.