english for military exams slp 2222 · 2019. 7. 10. · slp 2222 military exams by stella 8 mason...

By Stella mason

ENGLISH

FOR

MILITARY

EXAMS

SLP 2222

Contents

2

Objectives of the SLP Exams

Format of the SLP Exams

About the Listening Exams

About the Speaking Exams

About the Reading Exams

About the Writing Exams

Writing Exams Practice

Reading Exams practice

Speaking Exams practice

Listening speaking exams practice

SLP2222 MILITARY EXAMS BY STELLA

MASON – STEM ENGLISH

3

Objectives of the SLP 2 exams

The objective of the SLP 2 level exams is to assess the communicative

abilities and skills of the Candidates in a variety of situations using

English and the target language. Successful Candidates at this level are

expected to operate effectively in the following ways:

Listening:Can follow conversations and talks about everyday topics,

including personal news, well-known current events and routine job-

related topics and topics in his/her professional field.

Speaking: Can communicate in everyday

social and routine workplace situations.

Reading: Can read simple, straightforward,

factual texts on familiar topics.

Writing: Can write with some precision

simple personal correspondence and routine workplace correspondence

and related documents, including brief reports.

Chapter

Listening Speaking Reading Writing

1. Civilian

1. Civilian and Military

Conversation

1. Civilian Article

2. Military Article

1. CIVILIAN

2. Military Letter

SLP2222 MILITARY EXAMS BY STELLA


4

The SLP Level 2 exams is made up of four components:

As defined in NATO STANAG 6001. Candidates must achieve Level 2 in all four components to

be awarded a Certificate.

Reading, Listening and Writing are usually taken by all Candidates in consecutive group

sessions, while Speaking is taken by all Candidates in individual sessions with an Oral Board

comprising an educated native speaker of the target language and a British Service Colleague.

However, it is possible for individual components to be taken separately.

When you take a test, your language proficiency is recorded with a profile of 4 digits, which

indicate your specific language skills in the following order: Listening, Speaking, Reading,

Writing

For example, a person with the level SLP 1221 has level 1 in Listening, level 2 in Speaking,

level 2 in Reading and level 1 in Writing. This number is preceded by the code letters SLP to

show that this is the Standardized Language Profile.

The SLP exams are very to similar to other Common European Exams, and covers the same

curriculum such as grammar, vocabulary etc. however from experience and what is required in

terms of fluency, knowledge etc and in comparison to Cambridge exams we could rate them in

similiarities as listed below.

• Level 0 Beginner – similar to A0/A1 on the Common European Framework of

Reference (CEFR) – Cambridge KET

• Level 1 Elementary – similar to A2/B1 on the CEFR (PET Cambridge)

• Level 2 Limited Working – similar to B1 plus to B2 lower (First Certificate

Cambridge)

• Level 3 Minimum Professional – similar to B2 upper C1 lower (Cambridge

Advance)

• Level 4 Full Professional – similar to C1 upper (Advanced Cambridge)

• Level 5 Native/Bilingual – similar to C2 (Cambridge proficiency)

The fluency and requirements of the STANAG 6001 is deemed to be of a higher level than what

is stated in the CEFR. Hence the reason why students need to be better prepared months

ahead and practice consistently to enable them to succeed in their exams.

FORMAT OF THE EXAMINATION

Listening

2000

Speaking

0200

Reading

0020

Writing

0002

75 minutes 15 minutes 70 minutes 90 minutes

SLP 2222 MILITARY EXAMS BY STELLA


5

Understanding the “gist” or the context of what is being spoken is fundamental.

Begin practicing today

The Listening exams is focused on understanding the gist of the text. Gist is the

general meaning of something. Therefore, you do not have to understand every

word . . . (it may be impossible to understand all the word so try to avoid putting

pressure on yourself), but you do have to understand the overall meaning of the

speaker’s monologue. Ask yourself, “What was his/her point?”

Identify keywords that indicate change

Listen for keywords that will help you better understand the speaker. For example,

conjunctions, linking phrases, connectors (such as “therefore,” “that’s why,” “for that

reason,” “however”) will help you understand what the speaker is saying.

Many students make the mistake in answering the questions incorrectly because

they only listen to the first part of the sentence without realising that sometime a

connector, linking phrase or a conjunction changes the opinion of the speaker. Pay

special attention to that!!

It is important to understand/ identify the subject which the speakers are talking

about and watch out for DIFFERERENT ACCENTS!

Practice everyday with the news and authentic materials to improve your listening

and improve your vocabulary.

Some useful sights for listenings are

BBC News

Ted Talks

Esl Bits

Randall listening lab

Last but not least, make a note of new words and vocabulary that you encounter

when you do listening practice. Identify and write key words when listening.

BEFORE YOU LISTEN



6

Total listening time:

What is required from the student?

At level 2 — Functional, the students are required to

• Have sufficient comprehension to understand conversations on everyday social and routine job-related

topics.

• Can reliably understand face-to-face speech in a standard dialect, delivered at a normal rate with some

repetition and rewording, by a native speaker not used to speaking with non-natives.

• Candidates should understand a wide variety of concrete topics, such as personal and family news,

public matters of personal and general interest, and routine work matters presented through

descriptions of persons, places, and things; and narration about current, past, and future events.

• Shows and demonstrate the ability to follow essential points of discussion or speech on topics in his/her

special professional field.

• Although May not recognise different stylistic levels, but recognises cohesive devices and organising

signals for more complex speech.

• Can follow discourse at the paragraph level even when there is considerable factual detail.

• Only occasionally understands words and phrases of statements made in unfavorable conditions (for

example, through loudspeakers outdoors or in a highly emotional situation).

• Can usually only comprehend the general meaning of spoken language from the media or among native

speakers in situations requiring understanding of specialised or sophisticated language.

• Understands factual content.

• Able to understand facts but not subtleties of language surrounding the facts.

EXAMINATION TASKS

LISTENING

Overall Grading

Candidates must score SLP 2 in all tasks to be awarded an overall grading of SLP 2.

1 point is given to each question. Level 2 is expected to score 16-23 points



7

SLP 2

LISTENING



8SLP 2222 MILITARY EXAMS BY STELLA


SLP2 Listening

(approx. 45 mins total)

The listening test consists of six tasks, two per each level, getting progressively more difficult in

the course of the test. Each task consists of five items and each item is scored 1 point. Maximum

score that can be obtained is 30 points.

Duration : Recordings last up to three minutes per task. Total duration of the Listening test is 30-

45min.

Topical Content

Home and family, food, shopping, free time activities, sport, holidays, traveling, daily routines,

people, places, job procedure, military matters, current events, education, politics, economics,

business, culture, science and technology.The content of the listening items comes from sources

intended for the general listener in English-speaking countries. There are topics related to

everyday life and work situations, as well as higher level texts on such subjects as military and

security issues, economics, science,culture, etc. There are also texts relevant to NATO

operations.

Text Types

Texts may include monologues, dialogues, debates, and interviews. Monologue, dialogue and

multi-participant in both catered and authentic English. These may be lectures, briefings,

interviews, discussions, radio broadcasts, TV broadcasts, etc. Texts are selected from a variety of

authentic sources intended for the general listener of international English used in the NATO

countries and the NATO environment, such as:

• texts related to concrete, factual situations requiring listening skills to understand detailed

instructions, detailed descriptions, and narratives. Some texts may be work-related;

Types of tasks

Short-answer questions, table completion, sentence completion, gap-filling, diagrams, maps,

pictures, listing, multiple-choice, matching, sequencing, true/false/not-given questions, and a

combination of the above.

9SLP 2222 MILITARY EXAMS BY

STELLA MASON – STEM ENGLISH

Test instructions will be presented on the computer in English.

No aids (such as reference materials, dictionaries, and electronic sources) may be brought

into the testing facility.

The timing of the test is controlled by the examinee. Examinees can read the item on the

screen before listening to the audio. At Levels 1 and 2, they can control the length of the

pause before listening a second time.

The maximum time needed for the entire listening test is approximately 90 minutes. Many

examinees may finish sooner.

There will be a mandatory break between the Level 2 and Level 3 portions of the listening

test.

SLP2 Listening

10Title of the book

Topic Links /pdf Tick box whencompleted

Score

SLP 2 LISTENING PRACTICE

11

SLP Speaking

Exams0200

DURATION (approx. 15

Minutes)



12Title of the book

SLP 2 Speaking Exams

Requirements0300

13

SLP2 SPEAKING



The objective of the SLP speaking exams to measure the ability of the candidate to

communicate verbally in a variety of situations. The candidate is expected to demonstrate

effective communicative use of the target language through various discourse patterns and

strategies, appropriate grammatical structures and vocabulary, register and style.

At Level 2 the candidate should be able to achieve all the requirements as detailed

below:-

• Able to communicate in everyday social and routine workplace situations.

• In these situations the speaker can describe people, places, and things;

• narrate current, past, and future activities in complete, but simple paragraphs;

• state facts; compare and contrast; give straightforward instructions and directions; ask and

answer predictable questions.

• Can confidently handle most normal, casual conversations on concrete topics such as job

procedures, family, personal background and interests, travel, current events.

• Can often elaborate in common daily communicative situations, such as personal and

accommodation-related interactions; for example, can give complicated, detailed, and

extensive directions and make non-routine changes in travel and other arrangements.

• Can interact with native speakers not used to speaking with non-natives, although natives

may have to adjust to some limitations.

• Can combine and link sentences into paragraph-length discourse.

• Simple structures and basic grammatical relations are typically controlled, while more

complex structures are used inaccurately or avoided.

• Vocabulary use is appropriate for high-frequency utterances but unusual or imprecise at

other times.

• Errors in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar may sometimes distort meaning. However,

the individual generally speaks in a way that is appropriate to the situation, although

command of the spoken language is not always firm.

Marking Criteria: STANAG 6001 standards and considering the following criteria: communicative

skills, control of vocabulary and grammatical structures, register, style, pronunciation, and fluency.

14

Speaking Exams Format

and stages



The Speaking Section consists of three main stages, the INTRODUCTION, THE MAIN

STAGE OR INTERVIEW STAGE AND COOL DOWN STAGE

INTRODUCTION (2 mins approx) - An interlocutor introduces himself/herself and asks the

student to do the same. The candidate is asked short direct introductory questions to make

them feel at ease and get accustomed to the examiner´s voice.

THE MAIN STAGE (12 mins approx.) will involved the areas as described below. After

the introduction which is the first stage the following stages will occur.

Stage Two: Structured interview (3 minutes)

The candidate responds to a few questions, each requiring an increasing complexity of response,

on general topics. Candidates are prompted to extend their answers.

Stage Three: Long Turn (3 minutes)

The candidate is given a task by the examiner relating to a general topic, which occasionally has

a military flavour and asked to read the information for one minute before he/she responds. The

candidate is requested to speak for two or three minutes.

Stage Four: Discussion (6 minutes)

The candidate is asked to develop issues related to the task in the long turn. There are two parts:

A and B. Part A consists of three areas, each with three questions, related to the topic in the long

turn. These questions are of increasing complexity and should enable examiners to distinguish

between good Level 2 candidates and potential Level 3 candidates.

Part B is designed to confirm the capability of candidates reaching STANAG Level 3

Stage Five: Cool -down (up to one minute)

The interlocutor indicates that the test is ended and may ask a simple courteous question.

15

PRACTICING THE SLP

SPEAKING EXAMS



Students are required to practice all the main stages, subjects and areas below so they are not

caught unawares.

• General conversation - The examiner may choose from a number of topics such as:–

general topics like place of birth, family, traveling, free time and leisure activities, sports,

environment;

– military and professional topics like military education and career, work place and

work responsibilities, participation in operations, NATO, PfP and UN missions and

exercises, EU issues.

• Description - The candidate is asked to describe people, objects, places, etc.

• Narration - The candidate is asked to narrate past, present or future events or personal

experience.

• Comparison and contrast - The candidate is asked to compare and contrast people,

places, events, facts and give arguments for or against (for level 3).

• Giving directions and instructions - The candidate is asked to give direction for

reaching a place or instructions how something should be done.

• Asking questions - The candidate chooses a flash card and is expected to ask relevant

questions about it.

• Information gathering task – the examiners speaks to on a given topic and then

candidate retells it to demonstrate understanding.

• Role play - A dialogue with one of the examiners. The candidate is asked to choose a

situation card and is expected to adopt a role in a routine or non-routine /for Level 3/

situation.

• Hypothesizing - The candidate is introduced into an imaginary situation and asked to

hypothesize about it.

• Expressing opinion and giving comments - The candidate is asked to state his/her

personal opinion or official policy, supporting it with appropriate facts and examples.

• Interpreting quotations - The candidate is asked to give his/her interpretation and

comment on a quotation by a famous person.

16

PRACTICING THE SLP

SPEAKING EXAMS



INTRODUCTION - The first section of the SLP speaking exam lasts about 1 minute and gives

the examiner the chance to find out a little about you through some 'getting-to-know-you'

questions. These will be simple questions to help 'break the ice', for example questions about

your family, your studies, where you come from or what your interests are.

Your teacher (examiner) will ask you the questions below. Please ensure you listen attentively

to the question he / she asks and ensure you respond appropriately and in the right tense.

Should you have difficulties in using the English Tenses correctly please sign up to our

“Grammar Snacks” course.

QUESTIONS (PART 1 – WARM UP)

• Where are you from?

• What do you do?

• How long have you been studying English?

• What do you think that English is important for your current role?

• What have you enjoyed most about studying English?

• What have you disliked most about studying English?

• How would you feel about going to live and work abroad permanently?

• What important events have happened in your life recently?

17

PRACTICING THE SLP

SPEAKING EXAMS



HINT:

RESPOND APPROPRIATELY – please pay special attention to your tenses, support your

opinions, use arguments to support your responses.

QUESTIONS

What country have you been too which made an impact on you. Speak about

your experience.

Describe a typical day at the base.

PART Two: Structured interview (3 minutes)

The candidate responds to a few questions,

each requiring an increasing complexity of

response, on general topics. Candidates are

prompted to extend their answers.

18

PRACTICING THE SLP SPEAKING

EXAMS PART 3 - LONG TURN



Your teacher has just asked you to describe your language learning program to a military

visitor.

Provide a clear summary that includes the purpose of the program, the amount of time

students spend, and the skills they develop.

Answer any questions the visitor may have. The interviewer will play the role of the visitor.

PART Three: Long Turn (3 minutes)

The candidate is given a task by the examiner

relating to a general topic, which occasionally has a

military flavour and asked to read the information for

one minute before he/she responds. The candidate is

requested to speak for two or three minutes.

19

PRACTICING THE SLP SPEAKING

EXAMS PART 4 - DISCUSSION



Stage Four: Discussion (6 minutes)

The candidate is asked to develop issues related to the task in the

long turn. There are two parts: A and B. Part A consists of three

areas, each with three questions, related to the topic in the long turn.

These questions are of increasing complexity and should enable

examiners to distinguish between good Level 2 candidates and

potential Level 3 candidates

QUESTIONS

PART AIN YOUR OPINION WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE

LANGUAGE LEARNING PROGRAMS FOR MILITARY

STAFF?

DO YOU THINK THAT ENGLISH IS NECESSARY? OR CAN

YOU GET BY WITHOUT IT?

IN YOUR OPINION WHAT COULD BE DONE TO IMPROVE

THE MILITARY LEVELS OF ENGLISH?

PART BSPEAK ABOUT A SITUATION WHICH INVOLVED YOU

NEEDING ENGLISH.

THE WAY WE LEARN NOW HOW DOES THAT COMPARES

WITH LEARNING IN THE PAST.

HOW DO YOU THINK OUR CHILDREN SHOULD BE TAUGHT

WHEN LEARNING ENGLISH.

20

SPEAKING EXAMS ORAL

STRUCTURE DRILL



Step 1: Brainstorming

3 main ideas or keywords.

Play with the pros and cons, opposite ideas, contrast.

Speculation: I suppose, I could do, I consider … to be

“Let me see.... that’s an interesting question”

Use these phrases when you come across hesitation

What I'm trying to say is

What I mean is

to rephrase

Step 2: Language function

In my opinion

From my point of view

Step 3: Introduction- Answer Question Directly.

Short Fact based statement (General)

Step 4: Main body:

Keep talking and link sentences with more connectors

Use indicators of time to sequence the structure

Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly

Comparative structure: “on one hand, on the other hand.”

Step 5: Conclusion: Finally, To Sum Up/ Summing Up, In Conclusion

- Be general,



In the exams you maybe required to support an opinion and give reasons for your

answers. Think about your response carefully and make sure you pay attention to tenses,

grammar, modals and conditionals when responding.

TASK TYPE: SUPPORT AN OPINION

What does it require?

This doesn´t mean just giving an opinion but developing reasoned arguments to support a

point of view.

A level 2 candidate can give reasons, describe and explain their arguments and reason for

their answers.

The Examiners will usually introduce the topic for discussion with a prelude, here is an

example below:-

Many analysts believe the US should take on some kind of responsibility and intervene in

Syria to stop the bloodshed and the leak of refugees to neighboring countries.

HOW WOULD YOU RESPOND TO THIS QUESTION? WRITE YOUR THOUGHTS

BELOW AND SHARE WITH THE CLASS

Do you agree?

What is your view on this?

What are your thoughts on this?

Examiners often play devil´s advocate and put forward an opposing point of view to the

candidates, so developing a counter-argument is a useful skill.

Note: a counter argument is a way of defending yourself with arguments that support your

beliefs.

Example: You said Syrians should deal with their own internal problems but if the

intervention in Libya was justified as an effort to protect civilians from their own

government, how can it be justified that the world isnt rallying for a similar action

to protect Syrians?

WRITE YOUR COUNTER-ARGUMENT;REPONDING, JUSTIFYING AND DEFENDING

YOUR RESPONSES.

PRACTICING THE SKILL TO SUPPORT AN

OPINION

22

SLP 2222 MILITARY EXAMS BY


Question: To what extent do you think American society today is too insular and what

consequences might this have in a globalised world?

Write your response and then relay it in class.

It is useful to learn and practice expressions for

A) Stating an opinion

B) Asking for an opinion

C) Expressing agreement

D) Expressing disagreement

E) Interruptions

F) Avoid giving a direct answer

G) Explaining what you like about something

H) Explaining what you don’t like about something

Stating an opinion

• In my opinion

• The way I see it

• In my humble opinion

• As far as I´m concerned

Asking for an opinion (normally asked by the examiner)

• What´s your idea?

• What are your thoughts on all of this?

• What do you think?

• Do you have anything to say about that?

Expressing an agreement

• I couldn’t agree more…

• I quite agree with you…

• That’s true

• I partly agree

Expressing disagreement

Disagreeing

• I (strongly) disagree with…

• I am (totally) opposed to / against..

Interruptions

• I’m sorry to interrupt, but

• Could I just say something…

• If I could just say something…

• I see what you mean, but…

23Title of the book

Avoiding giving a direct answer:

• I’ll have to get back to you / about that

• I can’t give you an answer right now.

• I’d rather not say.

• I can’t say for certain

• I’m not in a position to answer that.

• I’ll have to think about it.

• It’ out of my hands.

• I’m a bit busy at the moment.

• I’ll let you know.

• I’ll see what can I do.

Explaining what you like about something:

• What I like most is…

• I really like the way…

Explaining what you don’t like about something.

• What bothers/ annoys me the most is…

• What gets to me is…

24

ENGLISH ORAL

STRUCTURE DRILL



- Paraphrase previously used vocabulary with phrases or synonymous

word replacements.

- Be subjective and descriptive--As many adjectives as possible.

Connector/transition

- In addition

- Furthermore

- Moreover

- Besides

- Due to the fact

- For Instance

- In fact

- Essentially

- Another thing

- To be honest

- As well as

25

SLP READING

Exams0020


Minutes)



26

SLP READING EXAMSDuration of the Reading test: 70 minutes approx



The main objective of the SLP reading exams is to measure the ability of the candidate to recognize and

understand different communicative functions in reading materials. The candidate has to demonstrate

ability for overall understanding of the text, for finding specific information, for identifying the main idea and

the supporting details, for making inferences and conclusions, as well as for identifying the cohesive

devices in a text for a limited period of time.

The Reading Section tests language sub-skills such as:

• understanding the main idea;

• scanning for specific information;

• understanding explicit meaning;

• understanding implicit meaning;

• understanding cohesion and coherence within the text;

• understanding and making inferences;

• identifying stages of an argument or discussion;

• recognizing emotional overtones;

• understanding hypotheses;

• identifying the author’s viewpoint and attitude;

• understanding most common cultural references;

• recognizing different stylistic nuances.

Discuss the different types of reading skills with your teacher and

your understanding of it.

Level 2 – texts related to concrete, factual situations requiring reading skills to understand

detailed instructions, detailed descriptions, and narratives. Some texts may be work-related;

According to STANAG Level 2 (functional) The candidate understands authentic or edited

texts covering familiar topics. Can comprehend straightforward, factual texts describing

people, places and objects in details; as well as narrations about current, past, and future

events. Understands factual details, identifies the main ideas and can make simple inferences

and conclusions. Can recognize the basic cohesive devices in a text. Sometimes can guess

the meaning of unknown words in a straightforward context and point out the main idea of a

complicated text. Demonstrates good comprehension of high-frequency, job-related language

in the context of everyday military environment.

It consists of 10 short texts, each with a question, and 10 long texts (more or less

longer than the previous double), with 2 questions each. Candidates should aim to do

the first 10 questions in less than 25 minutes to ensure enough time.

27

SLP 2 READING EXAMS

Typical Topics and Tasks



The Reading Section consists of texts of different length and graded

complexity. All texts are taken from authentic sources and edited if

necessary. Texts can be drawn from: signboards and signs, leaflets and

guidebooks, newspapers and magazines, reports, accounts, manuals,

documents, analyses, lectures, military briefings, and could be from the

sphere of politics, economics, culture, science, and technology.

Type of tasks

Short-answer questions, table completion, sentence completion, gap-filling,

diagrams, maps, pictures, listing, multiple-choice, matching, sequencing,

true/false/not-given questions, and a combination of the above.

Marking Scheme

Candidates are awarded one point for each correct

answer. A level is sustained if 70% of the questions are

answered correctly. Level (+) is awarded if there are 50-

69% correct answers from the next level.

28

SLP 2 READING EXAMS

Tips for students



Read the instructions, title and sub-title of each reading text carefully. This is meant to give you

an idea of what to expect from the text; it will tell you where the pieces come from and/or what

the text is about. If there is a visual, it is usually included to help with a reference in the text that

you may not be familiar with.

Develop an efficient personal system for recording the new vocabulary you learn. You should

record as much detail as possible, including information about complementation and

collocations of the words learned.

When studying vocabulary in preparation for the exams, please pay attention to collocations,

the different shades of meaning within sets of similar words, and complementation (e.g.

whether words are followed by a certain preposition, or by a gerund or an infinitive, etc.).

Consider all the options carefully before deciding on an answer. Some of the options may be

very tempting, but only one will be semantically and grammatically correct in that particular

context.

Plan your time carefully and do not spend too long on any one part of the test.

Make sure you leave a few minutes to check your answers at the end.

Consider all options carefully before deciding on an answer.

Familiarise yourself with a wide range of sources, registers, topics and lexical fields.

Preparation should include practice in reading a text quickly for a first overall impression,

followed by close reading of the text in order to prevent any misunderstanding.

Read each question and underline the part of the text which answers the question. After look at

the options and decide which one is the closest in answering the question.

Practice skimming and scanning texts in order to prepare for the multiple-matching task.

Practise scanning texts for the particular information however try not to read every word in the

text.

Try to underline key words in the questions as this helps when trying to find the information in

the text which provides the answers.

Read articles and reviews where different people discuss work, books, hobbies, etc

Practice recognising a wide range of linguistic devices which mark the logical and cohesive

development of a text, e.g. words and phrases indicating time, cause and effect, contrasting

arguments, paraphrasing of vocabulary, use of pronouns, repetition and the use of verb tenses



1. Reading Passage ( Level 2)

(From an article on military tradition)

The origin of the salute goes back to the long-established custom of removing headgear in the presence of

superiors. As late as the American Revolution, the British Army soldier saluted by taking off his hat. With the

wearing of larger, more cumbersome headgear, removing one's hat completely degenerated into the easy act

of just touching the hat's visor. This act then evolved into the conventional hand salute.

One factor that influenced the tradition of saluting was

A. simple convenience.

B. military security.

C. personal expenses.

D. health concerns.

2. Reading Passage (Level 2)

(From an article in a local newspaper)

In Texas, U.S. Customs agents seized more than $5.6 million in suspected drug money hidden in the false

ceiling of a truck's trailer. The money was found Wednesday when agents searched the truck, which was

headed for the US-Mexico border. Authorities were trying to determine the money's source.

A customs agent said he suspects it is related to drugs, considering the amount and the effort taken to hide it.

The truck driver, who was not identified, was not retained.

Possession of cash - even in large amounts - is not a crime. U.S. law requires border crossers to declare if

they are taking more than $10,000 out of the country, but authorities usually cannot detain people if they

unknowingly moved cash.

The officials are trying to learn

A. where the money was hidden.

B. where the money came from.

C. who was operating the truck.

D. who was detaining the driver.

SLP 2 READING EXAMSTEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

SHORT TEXT

HOW DID YOU DO?



Reprinted from Cambridge KET

3. Reading Passage (Level 2)

Read the article about a British Airways manager and then answer the questions.

For questions 12 – 18, mark A, B or C on the Answer Sheet.

Working for an Airline

Nicola Peet left school at eighteen, went to college and then worked at a local airport. After

nine months, she went to work for Saudi Arabian Airlines and then she joined British Airways

as an air-hostess. Four years later, she got her present job as a manager.

This is what she told us about her job:

“My office is as Heathrow Airport, but I spend 60% of my time in the air. I teach air-

hostesses and help them with any problems. I also go to lots of meetings.

My hours are usually from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., but sometimes I work from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. At

work, the first thing I do is check plane times on my computer and then I speak with some of

the air-hostesses.

Sometimes I go on long flights to check how the air-hostesses are doing. That’s my favourite

part of the job, but I like office work too. Traveling can be hard work. When I get back from a

long journey, all I can do is eat something and then go to bed! I don’t earn much money, but

I’m happy with British Airways and want to stay here and continue to travel.”

SLP 2 READING EXAMSTEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

LONGER TEXT



12. When Nicola first started working for

British Airways, she was

A. a manager.

B. an air-hostess.

C. a pilot.

13. Nicola does most of her work A. in the office.

B. in aeroplanes.

C. in meetings.

14. Most days, Nicola starts work at A. 8 a.m.

B. 1 p.m.

C. 4 p.m.

15. At the beginning of each day, Nicola A. goes to a meeting.

B. talks to air-hostesses.

C. works with her computer.

16. What does Nicola like best?

A. flying.

B. working in the office.

C. helping people.

17. The first thing Nicola does after a long

journey is

A. go to bed.

B. have a meal.

C. go to the office.

18. Nicola would like to A. stay in the same job.

B. stop travelling.

C. earn more money.

Questions 12-18

NOW ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BELOW

32

SLP WRITING

Exams0002


Minutes)



33

SLP WRITING EXAMS

“Practice makes perfect”

90 minutes



•WRITING SECTION

The Writing component of the exams aims at assessing the communicative ability to

write fluently and effectively on everyday and professional topics. The candidate is

expected to produce coherent and meaningful texts using the appropriate format,

register, style, grammatical structures and vocabulary.

•The Writing Section tests language sub-skills such as:

• expressing thanks and apology;

• making and responding to requests;

• asking for and giving advice, information, and instructions;

• describing and comparing people, objects, places, events and their

consequences;

• describing activities and processes;

• describing changes over a period of time;

• narrating a sequence of events;

• explaining cause and effect processes;

• presenting an opinion using arguments, evidence and examples;

• analyzing a situation and hypothesizing about it;

• elaborating on abstract ideas and concepts.

At Level 2 function the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following:-

• write personal (formal and informal) and routine workplace correspondence and

related documents, such as memos and brief reports/accounts.

• Can state facts; give instructions; describe people, places and objects; can

narrate past, current, and future activities in complete paragraphs.

• Can use basic coherence to link sentences and paragraphs into connected

prose.

• Demonstrates control of simple grammatical structures but inaccurately uses or

avoids more complex ones.

• Vocabulary use is specific and appropriate for everyday topics and limited

professional needs.

• Errors in spelling, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation may sometimes distort

meaning.

34

Tasks and Accuracy

The Level 2 writer’s output can be understood by native readers not used to

reading material

written by non-natives;

NOTE

According to the BAT Examinee Guidebook at Level 2, the examinee needs to

demonstrate the ability to write texts that state facts; give instructions;

describe people, places and things; narrate current, past, and future events in

complete but simple paragraphs. These texts may include simple personal

and routine workplace correspondence, as well as memoranda and brief

reports



35

TASK 1.

Assume that you have just returned from a trip and are writing a letter to a close friend.

Describe a particularly memorable experience that occurred while you were travelling.

This will be one paragraph in a longer letter to your friend. This paragraph should be

about 100 words in length.

NOTE: You will be judged on the style and organization of this paragraph as well as

vocabulary and grammar. Remember, the intended reader is a close friend.

TASK 2.

2. As a military officer, you were recently reassigned to another command at a different

location. To welcome you, one of your new colleagues, an Army captain, invited you to have

dinner at his home with his wife, daughter and son. You accepted the invitation and met the

captain’s family on Saturday. During dinner, you discovered his wife was an old friend of

your cousin who now lives in the United States. Write a letter to your cousin telling about this

event and the family.

This letter should not be longer than 150 words.

NOTE: You will be judged on the style and organization of this letter as well as vocabulary

and grammar.

Reprinted from NATO Benchmark Advisory Test (BAT)

EXAMINEE GUIDE

SLP 2 WRITING EXAMSTEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

LONGER TEXT



36SLP 2222 MILITARY EXAMS BY


Formal and Informal Letters

TEST YOUR SKILLS

Here are some more expressions which you can use when you are writing a letter. Decide whether

they are suitable for use in a formal or an informal letter and mark them F or I.

Initial greetings

It was great to hear from you. __

I am writing with reference to your letter of 25 May. __

Thanks for writing to me. __

Congratulations

Well done! __

I would like to offer congratulations on your recent promotion. __

Please allow me to congratulate you on your recent success. __

Advice / suggestion

Why not try __

What about going __

It is recommended that you contact __

You could visit __

I urge you to consider the points I have made. __

If I were you I’d __

Linkers

Moreover, __

Then again, __

Furthermore, __

Better still, __

What’s more, __

Additionally, __

Endings

Do drop me a line if you have time. __

I look forward to hearing from you without delay. __

Hope to hear from you soon. __

Keep in touch. __

I hope to hear from you at your earliest convenience. __

37



WRITING LETTERS OF COMPLAINT

Now look at this example of a Part 1 task.

You have just returned from a trip to Florida. You flew there and back with “Ocean Air”. You decide to

write to the airline to complain about your flight and ask for some money back.

Read the advertisement and the notes you made and then, using the information, write a letter to

the airline. You may add other relevant points of your own.

FLY OCEAN AIR TO FLORIDA

We offer:

• 4 flights a day late boarding

• wide, comfortable seats

• friendly, well-trained staff quite rude

• a good choice of food

(no problems with special diets) no vegetarian for me!

• the latest in in-flight entertainment movie already been on TV!

Write your letter in 120-180 words. Do not include any postal addresses.

NOTE

Students are required to practice their writing skills using supplementary

materials with exercises such as the Brays PET and FCE Writing book. Your

online teacher will provide you with guided practice.

38

REVISION

TO MAKE PERFECT



39

IDIOMS PHRASAL VERBS

Idioms:

o (I) didn’t catch (what you said)

o A fish out of water

o Be in a jam

o Be keen on

o Be up to your eyes (in work)

o Better late than never

o Can/can’t tell (understand/recognise)

o Can’t stand

o Dead-end job

o Drive one mad/crazy

o Drop (someone at a place)

o Feel under the weather

o Foot the bill

o For a change

o Get to the point

o Go mad

o Go round in circles

o Go round the bend

o Have time off

o Hit the roof / lose your temper

o It’s (my) turn

o Know like the back of your hand

o Let your hair down

o Look on the bright side

o Make head or tail of

o Make up your mind

o Mind your own business

o On the dot

o Shake hands

o Talk shop

Phrasal verbs: (Revision of all phrasal verbs

taught at previous levels is essential):

o Be about to

o Be back

o Be fed up with

o Break down (stop working)

o Break in / into (enter a building to steal

something)

o Bring up (look after and educate)

o Bump into

o Call back

o Call for

o Carry on

o Carry out (an order)

o Catch up (with)

o Close down

o Come back

o Depend on

o Fall out

o Fall through

o Find out

o Get away

o Get back (receive back)

o Get on with

o Get over

o Get rid of

o Give back

o Go through

o Knock down

o Let down

o Make up (invent)

o Make up for (compensate for)

o Pick up (tickets, children, a language)

o Pull down

o Pull out / in / over / up (car)

o Put off (a meeting)

o Put out (a fire / cigarette)

o Run out of

o See off

o Set up

o Send off for

o Slow down

o Take over

o Take on (hire, work, responsibility)

o Turn down



CEFR REVISION GUIDELINES

40

General (This is just an idea of the kind of vocabulary students of this level are expected to use. It is impossible to cover all lexical fields here. This

section should be further developed according to students’ needs, ability and interests)

o Describing people: in his/her early / mid / late twenties etc.; well-built; affectionate; cooperative;

aggressive; charming; moody; ambitious; insecure; (un)selfish; (un)sociable;

jealous; bossy; fussy; (dis)organized; (un)tidy; talkative; trendy; scruffy; rude; tactful /

tactless; (ir)responsible; (in)efficient; shy; proud; lively; adventurous; (un)fashionable;

bad/good-tempered; tough; brave / cowardly; caring / uncaring; hostile; cheerful;

confident; clumsy; dull; boring; decisive; easy-going; mean; dim / bright; sensible; sensitive

o Pollution and the environment: harmful effects; the ozone layer; global warming; acid rain;smog; exhaust fumes; dumping; sprays; cutting

down rainforests; throw away; waste;natural resources; recycling; waste collection; rubbish dump; garbage; trash; bottle bank;carbon monoxide;

cigarette butts; dog mess; poop-scoop; drop litter; endangered species;

exhaust fumes; greenhouse effect; natural habitat; preserve wildlife; unleaded petrol

o Travel: bumpy flight; touristy; Take photographs; check-in desk; excess baggage; boardingcard; passport control; departure lounge; board;

hand luggage; overhead locker; cruise;cabin crew; Take off / Land; runway; terminal building; baggage reclaim; customs; hire /Rent a car;

(bicycle) lane; parking ticket; fine; rush hour; pavement; speed limit; public transport; traffic jam; motorway / highway; dead-end street; road

sign; Break down; Crash

into; fill up (with petrol); a puncture; Overtake; Reverse; Brake

o Towns: commercial centre; shopping centre / precinct; shopping mall; town centre /downtown; multi-storey (car park); town hall;

underground/subway/tube; factory; in the suburbs; on the outskirts; pollution; night-life; noisy; dirty; polluted; stressful; crowded;dangerous;

exciting; wide range of (shops); sidewalk / pavement; policeman, traffic warden;

hardware store; ironmonger’s; fishmonger’s; stationer’s; beauty-parlour; DIY;delicatessen; outlet; factory store; retailer; wholesaler;

greengrocer’s; department store;chain store; taxi rank; shuttle bus; apartment block / building; skyscraper; building site;housing estate; industrial

estate; industrial area / site; office block; lift / elevator; escalator;pedestrian precinct/ area; bustling; dull; picturesque; prosperous; quaint;

rundown;derelicto Country: wood; field; tractor; hedge; footpath; gate; farms; quiet; peaceful; clean; relaxing;open space; safe; boringo

Health - injuries; cut; Bleed (blood); Twist an ankle; Burn; Bruise; painful; swollen; plaster;(Put a plaster on a cut, Have one’s leg in plaster);

bandage; sling; crutches; Be on antibiotics; hay fever; Get / Have diarrhoea; Get / Have a hangover; sneeze; achingmuscles; runny nose; sore

eyes; ache, hurt; chest pain; constipation; vomit; sick; poorly;

unwell; Have a temperature; sprain (ankles); Cure, Treat; Operate on; sweat; painkiller;

prescription / drugs

o Everyday problems: something wrong with …; not to be working; out of order; drop; spill;smash; crash; stain; flat / run out (battery); trip

over; leak; Run out of; Forget; Leave o News vocabulary: e.g. accident; a drink-drive charge; steal; rob; rescue-team; rescuers;report; survey;

politician; compulsory; the government; spokesman; union; the educational

system; incident; investigate; debate; criticism; claim; survey; research, etc.

o Adjectives: smelly; (im)practical; (un)suitable; enjoyable; (im)possible; (in)appropriate;(un)reliable; awful; upset; (il)legible; (im)moral;

(un)fair; (in)visible; (ir)rational; (il)legal;mass-produced

o Verbs forming –ing / -ed adjectives: amaze; amuse; annoy; astonish; confuse; disappoint;embarrass; frustrate

o Verbs: overtake; overcharge; oversleep; breathe; yawn; bend; kneel; nod /shake (the head);

blow (nose); fold; wave; lean; feed; waste; quit; be worth; warn: threaten; advise

o Describing things; shallow / deep; wide (width); high (height); long (length); size; weigh (weight); rectangular; square; conical; circular;

pointed; egg-shaped; heart-shaped;diamond-shaped; striped; checked; floral; pale (colour); oval; semi-circle

o Collocations: e.g. Pay attention; Make decisions; Follow advice / instructions / somebody’sexample / lead; common knowledge; Go crazy / mad

/ wild / white / red / abroad / missing /dark / overseas; Save money / time / somebody’s life / oneself trouble / electricity / one’sstrength; Find a

partner / happiness / the money / a solution / space / a way / a replacement

/ a cure; Come first / last / right / close / prepared / late / direct; Get ready / married /started / drunk / old / angry / lost; feel tense / comfortable /

happy / free / happy / hurt /disappointed; get a surprise / the message / a job / a chance / the sack / the point / home /nowhere; Make a mess / an

appointment; progress / an effort / money / a mistake / trouble /peace / a change; Do a favour / homework / business (with)/ nothing / the cooking;

Take a break / an exam / a seat / a taxi / somebody’s temperature / a chance / notes / a rest /somebody’s place; Miss the point / a chance / someone

/ an opportunity / an appointment; Have a headache / a haircut / a relationship / a look / time / a rest / a problem; Break a leg /the law /

somebody’s heart / a promise / the rules / a habit / the ice / the news to someone; Catch a cold / a bus / somebody’s attention / fire / somebody’s

eye; pay attention / the bill /the price / somebody a visit / somebody a compliment; Keep a pet / control / a promise /

calm / an appointment / quiet / a secret / the change

o Prepositional phrases and prepositions to be used with nouns, verbs and adjectives: by the way; to be good for /to be bad for (somebody); to

be happy with; to be disappointed with; to be satisfied with

o Human sounds: whisper, shout, snore, etc.

o The body and what it does: Bend your knees, Bite your nails, Blow your nose; Crack your

knuckles etc.

o Sports: equipment; places: stadium, pitch, track, ring, slopes, court; people; referee, team,

manager, coach; win, lose, draw, beat, defeat, match, game, score, nil



CEFR GENERAL REVISION GUIDELINES



READING LIST AND HANDOUTS

BRAYS PET

BRAYS FCE WRITING

PHRASAL VERBS LIST FOR FCE

FANTASTIC GRAMMAR BOOK

READING LIST AND HANDOUT FOR

SLP2222

WEB PAGES FOR PRACTICE

ELLO LISTENING

http://www.elllo.org/

RANDALL LAB ESL

https://www.esl-lab.com/

ESL BITS

http://esl-bits.net/

USEFUL WEBPAGES

http://www.elllo.org/

https://www.esl-lab.com/

http://esl-bits.net/



GENERAL WEBSITES FOR SLP 2 ENGLISH EXAMS – BASED ON

THE CAMBRIDGE EXAMS GUIDELINES

www.flo-joe.com/fce/

Great website, full of tips, especially for Reading, Use of English and Writing. I’d definitely recommend students

look at the word bank (http://www.flo-joe.com/fce/students/wordbank/index.htm) every day. There is also a bank

of writing showcasing all of the different text types, including teacher feedback.

http://www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/fce/index.html

The official Cambridge FCE website, with information about the length of the papers and the task types, as well

as some free materials to download.

http://www.fceexam.com/

http://firstcertificate.wordpress.com/

Two blogs aimed at students. Both include information, tips and exercises covering all parts of the exam.

http://tefltastic.wordpress.com/worksheets/exams/cambridge-exams/fce/

Alex Case’s excellent collection of FCE worksheets.

FCE Result (the OUP coursebook, has online exercises for each unit of the book. (via Anna Yermolenko)

https://elt.oup.com/student/fceresult/fce/?cc=global&selLanguage=en

VOCABULARY

http://quizlet.com/group/114523/

http://quizlet.com/subject/fce/

GRAMMAR

Oxford Practice Grammar Intermediate and Advanced (affiliate links) have a test you can use to assess your

level, along with practice exercises online. (via Anna Yermolenko)

WRITING

General guidelines for the whole exam and for each part of the writing, including useful language

Flo-joe writing class, including a task every week, writing makeovers, and exercises on proofreading

http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/fce/students/writing/index.htm

Review

http://languagesint.blogspot.com/2010/05/fce-advice-how-to-write-review.html

Article

http://languagesint.blogspot.com/2010/05/fce-tips-how-to-write-article.html

Report

http://languagesint.blogspot.com/2010/05/written-by-languages-international.html

Story

http://languagesint.blogspot.com/2010/05/12-top-fce-story-tips.html

Essay

Tips on how to write essays of opinion or argumentative essays, including useful language

http://mannysfceblog.blogspot.com.es/2011/02/writing-part-2-essay.html

A sheet based on an opinion essay about sport

http://timjulian.wordpress.com/2012/05/07/writing-an-opinion-essay-for-fce/

An exercise to practise the structure of an essay by putting missing phrases into an essay about computers

Essay writing checklist

http://sandymillin.wordpress.com/2011/10/23/essay-writing-checklist/

Two fun interactive tools for planning essays, via British Council Las Rozas

http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/essaymap/

english for military exams slp 2222 · 2019. 7. 10. · slp 2222 military exams by stella 8 mason...

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