Lesson plans for exam preparation

ISE I Interview: Lesson Plan 1

ISE I (B1) Interview: choosing a Topic

Level:

Time:

ISE I (CEFR B1)

3 x 45 minutes

Aims:

To understand what suitable topics for ISE I are

To choose individual topics
To develop topics through mind maps
To write individual topic forms

Resources and preparation:

Pictures of famous people/place/object/sport/activity to be used to
stimulate ideas at the beginning of the class
Handout 1 (H/O1): a simple mind map (1 per group OR shown on the white
or blackboard)
Handout 2 (H/O2): functions and language of ISE I (1 per group)

Procedure:
1. Generating topic ideas (45 minutes)
i) Warm-up activity (10 minutes): Show on screen or hold up some large pictures of a favourite
person/place/object/activity.
Tell the class that they are going to think individually for 2 minutes of questions they would
like to ask you about the pictures. They should write their questions down. The questions can
be either FACTUAL (e.g. When was she born?) or PERSONAL (e.g. When did you last see her in
a film or on television?)
After 2 minutes, use a strong student first to demonstrate a couple of questions. Then put the
students in groups of 3 to compare questions and discuss grammatical accuracy. Give them
another 2 minutes to discuss their questions.
Then invite the class to ask you questions about the pictures for 4 minutes.
ii) Brainstorming activity (15 minutes): Ask the class how doing an interview can be more
comfortable for us > the answer: choose something to talk about that youre interested in.
- Put the students in mixed-ability groups of 3.
- Each group must write down at least 5 topics that they are interested in and they would like
to be interviewed about for 4 minutes.
- The subjects should be personal, not factual, and they must not be too difficult for the
students level of English.

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ISE I Interview - Lesson plan 1: choosing a Topic

To start the brainstorming, write a few ideas on the board. (Please note: the ideas below are
only examples. They are not suggestions from Trinity.) For example::
my football team

my favourite sport

my favourite player

my favourite actor

my favourite film

different film genres

my favourite book/writer my school

my favourite musician

my dance club

the instrument I play

my favourite city

my judo club

my favourite country

The students continue in their groups.

iii) Choosing the best 3 possible Topics (20 minutes): 1 student from each group comes up to the
board to write all their ideas on the board.
When they have finished writing, look at the suggestions and congratulate the students on
suggesting so many ideas. Now, tell the students that some ideas are better than others. Tell the
students (diplomatically!) that we need to cross out (e.g. crosses out) some of the ideas on the
board that are not appropriate or useful, giving a reason (e.g. the Topic is too complex; or the
students have to learn too much new vocabulary; or the Topic is exactly the same as the Levels
Subjects for Conversation. Trinity also strongly recommends that students do not choose my
family, my best friend or my pet as their Topic. In Trinitys experience, these are rarely
communicative or productive Topics and the students only use the present simple tense.)
Next, tell the students that they must choose 3 possible Topics which they think are interesting
and which they could do in the exam. They can be suggestions on the list of class ideas on the
board, or they can think of other ideas. Give the students 3 minutes to discuss what theyre
interested in with a friend. After 3 minutes, tell them to write down their 3 possible Topics.
Check around the class to make sure that each student has 3 possible Topics.
2. Working with mind maps to choose Topics (45 minutes)
i) Demonstrating a mind map and brainstorming (25 minutes): Show a very simple mind map on
the board (see H/O1 for an example shape). Ask the class to suggest one Topic to use on the
mind map. Then do a class brainstorm in English of possible ideas to add to the mind map.
Collect 10-12 suggestions from the students and write them on the mind map. After about 2
minutes, stop the activity.
Tell the students that it is now their turn to complete a mind map for their own 3 possible
Topics. Tell them that they have 5 minutes to brainstorm in English a mind map for each
Topic. 15 minutes in total.
Either give every student photocopies of H/O1 or tell them to draw the mind map in their own
exercise books. Tell the students to think about Topic 1. They have 5 minutes to think of lots of
ideas in English! After 5 minutes, tell the class that they must change to a new piece of paper
and a new mind map. Now they must brainstorm Topic 2. After 5 more minutes, repeat the same
instructions and start Topic 3. After 15 minutes, stop the activity.

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ISE I Interview - Lesson plan 1: choosing a Topic

ii) From 3 possible Topics to 2 possible Topics (20 minutes): This activity is important because it
teaches students that the first idea (e.g. football) is not always the best idea. Put the students in
pairs (x2). Tell the students they have 5 minutes each to tell each other about their 3 ideas in
English. Allow 1 student in each pair to start, and after 5 minutes, tell them its the other
students turn to describe their 3 possible Topics in English.
After 10 minutes, stop the class and ask them to think about these questions:
- Which of their 3 possible Topics is the most difficult to talk about in English because
they dont know the vocabulary or grammar?
- Which of the Topics do they find least interesting to talk about?
It is important in the exam not to have to learn and memorise lots of new words, because when
we feel nervous, we forget and we dont want to forget the vocabulary and grammar in the
exam. Also, its very difficult to talk about something boring in an exam and answer questions
from the examiner. If youre not interested, you wont know what to say!
Tell the class to reject 1 of their Topics the most technical one with lots of new vocabulary, or
the least interesting one. They now only have 2 possible Topics.
3. Choosing the best Topic: which Topic generates the language of ISE I? (45 minutes)
i) Looking at the language of ISE I (10 minutes): Explain to the class what H/O2 is: it is an
example list of language that the students will have to understand and use in the exam. This is
the language that the examiner will use in his/her questions, and it is the language the students
must use when they are discussing their Topics. Explain that this language MUST be
demonstrated in their Topic. Give each group a photocopy of H/O2, the FUNCTIONS and
LANGUAGE of ISE I.
Put the students in pairs (x2). Tell them to look at H/O2 and check if there is anything they dont
understand. Explain to the class any examples that they are not sure about.
ii) ISE I language and the example mind map (10 minutes): Now return to the example mind map
on the board from part 2. Ask the students to think of things that they can say about the
example Topic, using the language on H/O2. Try to get from the students multiple examples of
the language of ISE I for each point. Very quickly, it will become clear that some points are
better than others, and some points dont attract many examples of the language. After you
have examples of the language of ISE I for most points, stop the demonstration activity. Tell
students that its normal for some Topic ideas to be better than others.
iii) Students use ISE I language on their own mind maps (20 minutes): Tell the students that now
its their turn. Tell the students to take their 2 remaining mind maps from the exercises above, in
Activity 2-ii. Tell them they have 5 minutes for each mind map to think of as many ways as
possible to use the language of ISE I. (Remind them every 5 minutes to change mind map.) Tell
the students to use as much variety in their language as they can.
iv) Choosing the best Topic (5 minutes): Tell the students that now they must choose only 1 of
the mind maps to use as their exam Topic and reject the other. Tell them that they have to
choose the mind map which generates most of the language of ISE I. Let the students tell each
other which mind map they have chosen to be their exam Topic and why.

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ISE I Interview - Lesson plan 1: choosing a Topic

Handout 1: a mind map

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ISE I Interv
view - Lessonn plan 1: choosing a Topicc

Handoutt 2: ISE I language (Please

e see the ISE Sylla
abus p.32
2 for full details.)
d

Here are some e

H
example
es of
th
he langu
uage of ISE I...

ISE

Example language::
The past

The past

u
using
the present perfe
ect:

ng the past continuouss:

usin

Have you had a drink?

Yes, I have. Ive had 2 glassses of waterr
How many ice crreams havee you had to
oday?
Ive had
h 3!
Have you ever been to Londdon?
Yes, I have.
How many times
s have you bbeen there?
Whatt were you doing
d
last nnight?
I was watching tv.
Whatt was happe
ening in thiss photo?
My frriend was sw
wimming wiith a dolphin!

How long?
?
For and ssince:

How long were you

y there foor?
For 3 weeks.
How long have you
y lived heere?
Since
e I was 10.

Preference
es:

Whatt type of mu
usic do you prefer?
I like rock, but I prefer
p
pop.

Giving reassons:

Why do
d you like rock musicc?
Becau
use its very
y energeticc.

How much
h/how many
y:

How many toys have you goot?

Ive got
g lots of to
oys!
How big is your cat?
Its ve
ery small.
My ho
omework was
w really eaasy!

Intention:

ctise footba
all to stay fiit.
I prac
I do my
m homewo
ork to earn ppocket mon
ney!

Obligations/lack of ob
bligation
Prohibition
n/necessity
y:

Whatt do you hav

ve to study at school?
We ha
ave to study English annd maths.
I need
d to learn English
E
to geet a good jo
ob.
I dont need to do
d any homeework tonig
ght!
You mustnt
m
smo
oke!

0/1st condittionals and when:

Whatt will you do

o if you win the competition?
If I ca
an, Ill come to your birrthday party.
Whatt do you do when you ssee a spiderr?
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ISE I Interview - Lesson plan 1: choosing a Topic

Common phrasal verbs:

What are you looking for?

I need to sit down!

The future

Do you think youll come to my party?

What do you think youll do tonight?
I wont be able to come.
Do you think life will be different in future?

The future

using will:

using the present continuous: Where are you going on holiday?

Were going to London.
What are you doing next week?
Im visiting my cousins.

Future possibility:

What do you think you might do tonight?

I might go to the cinema.

Future expressions:

What are you doing in 3 days time?

What are you doing the day after tomorrow?

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