Friday 1 May 2009

Pre-Intermediate Questions - How Good is Your Basic English?

The following are examples of the type of question I expect my pre-intermediate students to be able to answer in the end-of-course oral examination:

A typical day
What time do you wake up?
What time do you get up?
When do you have your shower?
What do you have for breakfast?
What time do you leave the house?
How do you get to work?
What time do you start lessons?
How many hours of lessons do you usually have?
Where do you have lunch?
Which lessons do you enjoy most?
Which lessons do you enjoy least?
What time do you usually get home?
How long do you study for each evening?
Do you eat a big dinner?
Do you read before you go to sleep?

Habitual activities
How often do you lie in?
How often do you go to church?
How often do you tell lies?
How often do you read a serious newspaper?
How often do you buy books or CDs?

Your life at the moment
What are you reading at the moment?
How often are you going to the cinema?
What are you working on at the moment?
Where are you having dinner this evening?
What time are you going home today?
Who are you spending the weekend with?
What are you doing this summer?
What are you doing this evening?
Why are you studying English?

Various questions about the present
Who do you most admire?
What’s your town like?
What team do you support?
How do you spend your spare time?
How much are you spending on leisure activities at the moment?
How often do you go out?
When are you happiest?
How many books do you read in a month?

Your last holiday
Where did you go last summer?
How did you get there?
How long did it take to get there?
Who did you go with?
How long did you stay there?
Which places did you go to?
How did you spend your time?
What did you eat and drink?
What did you like most?
What did you like least?
What was the weather like?
What did you bring back from your holiday?
How much did you spend in all?

Comparing
What is easier: speaking English or listening to English? Why?
What makes you happier: love or money? Why?
Which is more relaxing: travelling by train or travelling by car? Why?
Which is better: English music or Italian music? Why?
What are you going to have for dinner this evening?

Future intentions
What time are you going to go to bed?
How are you going to spend the weekend?
Who are you going to spend the weekend with?
Where are you going to go for your next holiday?
How long are you going to go for?
What are you going to do when you finish university?
Are you going to carry on studying English when this course finishes?
Are you ever going to get married?

Obligations and requirements
What time do you usually have to get up?
What time do you have to be at work?
What do you usually have to do in the course of a day’s work?
Do you have to dress in a particular way for work?
How many exams do you have to do in order to graduate?
To become a teacher what do you have to do?

Giving advice to a visitor to your town
What should I do to find accommodation?
How much should I expect to pay for a room or a flat?
Where should I go in the evening if I want to meet people?
How long should I wait if someone is late for an appointment?
Where should I go for lunch round here?
Which local specialities should I try?
Is there anything in particular I should know about the people here?
What should I say to a girl/guy I am interested in?

6 comments:

Roberta said...

Ma smettila di giocare a fare il professore!

Paul said...

What would your career advice be, then, Roberta?

Anonymous said...

Paul,perchè ti senti fuori posto?
sei l'inglese più barese che si possa immaginare: usi il termine "priscio" in maniera straordinariamente appropriata.
Scometto che anche tu festeggerai la promozione del bari con peroni e sgagliozzi.
Lucid dream

manuela said...

"Sgagliozza" is a feminine noun, please. Tsk.

Lucid dream said...

Sorry, ma la ricetta riporta il nome al maschile!

Paul said...

Hai ragione, Lucid Dream. In realtà non mi sento affatto fuori posto, anche se di solito preferisco festeggiare con le cozze e il vino bianco.