Last year I decided to participate in the Cambridge English preparation course and at the end of the school year I took the exam. In the following I want to share my experience.

At first, I have to say it took a lot of conscious effort to sign up for the course and attend two extra lessons a week. But these lessons turned out to be part of the ones I enjoyed most. The lessons are themed around a book consisting of different units all containing similar questions as given in the actual exam. So, throughout the year you really get to know the types of tasks that make up the exam, as well as tips to solve the tasks more efficiently. In addition, I was often confronted with words I might not have heard or used before. This meant the lessons enabled me to broaden my vocabulary. Moreover, the lessons are structured in a way, you get a lot of time to discuss the answers to questions with your classmates, allowing you to practise your spoken English. I think Mr. Eisele who teaches the course, does a great job doing it and is very engaged. He consistently gave us the opportunity to hand in written work and get feedback on them. The atmosphere in the lessons was calm but as it is voluntary to participate there was still a certain will to make progression. In contrast to regular lessons, there’s no pressure, as there are no oral grades or homework.

All in all, the course not only made me feel well prepared for the Cambridge Exam, which I’m happy to say ended up being a success, but also generally improve my English. 

If you’re able to fit the lessons into your timetable and are keen on improving your English or just want to do the exam you should definitely sign up.    

(C.B.)