SEMESTER TEST ON SPEAKING

Objectives: to check the level of students’ speaking comprehension

Procedure

1. Test
I. Choose one of the following topics. Speak of it briefly.

I. INVENTIONS AND LIFESTYLE

1. Do you think major of modern devices are essential for people? Do you agree you can do
a lot of useful things with gadgets? Which exactly?
2. What do you mainly use a computer for? Do you use the Internet for your studies? Has
the Internet made your studies easier?
3. What kind of technological developments have made the biggest influence on our lives?
Do you use your phone on a daily basis? Which device do you prefer to use for browsing the
Internet?
4. If the Internet has influence on all aspects of our lives? Do you agree that some people
use technology for communication too much?
5. Whether all inventions are useful? What useless inventions do you know? Why were they
invented?

II. NATURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

6. What comes to your mind when you hear the term “man-made disasters”? What man-
made disasters can you name? Have you ever experienced a natural disaster? Do you think
natural disasters are happening more frequently in the world today? Why?
7. What are the reasons of natural disasters? Do you think governments do enough to
protect and save environment in different countries?
8. What solutions for which problems could you offer to save nature? What can you
personally do to protect environment? What do you know about activity of your local
community?
9. What do you know about Natural Parks and Reserves in our country? Can you name
them? Tell about one of them.
10. What way the healthy lifestyle is connected to the environmental protection and nature
care? Explain and give your examples.

III. SPEAKING ABOUT ART

11. What kinds of art can you name? Are you interested in particular art? What artist or
painter has influenced you? Is traditional art disappearing in modern society?
12. Tell about a strong impression a particular picture once made on you. Describe the
picture briefly. Does it change the way you think or feel? Is painting still vital, or is it a dead
language?
13. What place does the cinema and theatre art occupy in the modern life? What do you
think about contemporary visual art?
14. Tell briefly about a theatre performance you’ve recently seen. Express your thoughts.
15. Your pen-friend wants to know about traditions of art in your country. Tell about them
briefly.

IV. YOUTH IN MIND

16. What does it mean being a good citizen? Determine the value of responsibility and
independent thinking for you.
17. What is volunteering? Are you a member of any voluntary team? What are you doing
while volunteering?
18. It is generally believed that teenagers tend to become more rebellious, aggressive,
cynical or violent than before. Do you agree with this mind? What can you say about
yourself?
19. What do you think about youth problems at school? Home? Can you give solutions how
to solve or prevent some of them?
20. What do you think about human emotions? Which saying is closer to you: “Emotions
create problems, so we have to hide them” or “Only human has emotions, so we have to
show our emotions”? If none of them, tell about your variant.

V. PEOPLE AND SOCIETY

21. What comes to your mind when you hear the word “politics”? Is politics important to
you? Do you think young people can help to solve the problems that our country faces? If
yes, in what way? lf no, why?
22. What do you know about the Council of Europe work? Tell about its goals and structure
briefly.
23. Tell about the United of Kingdom choice. Why the Brexit referendum results are
important for Britain people?
24. What do you know about the European choice of Ukraine? What are advantages and
disadvantages for EU and our country do you see in this way?
25. Tell about modern Ukrainian society. Comment on the relationship of Ukraine with the
EU member states. Is it a good or a bad idea to be socially and politically active? Explain
your opinion.

2. Choose one of the situations and role-play it with your partner.

Role-play 1

S1. You’d like to buy a new digital camera. But your friend assures you to buy a new smart
phone instead. But you want a camera as your favourite footballer / actress has. Moreover,
you have had a mobile phone yet. Speak about the emotions you experience. Protect your
point of view.
S2. Your friend wants to buy a digital camera. But you friend won’t be a professional
photographer. He / she aren’t interested in taking pictures. He / she likes doing selfie from
time to time. Convince your friend not to buy a camera, find reasonable arguments.
Role-play 2

S1 (British). You are in Kyiv now. Your friend and you are going to the National Art museum.
Ask him / her about the collections, the painters, the oldest items; the working hours of the
museum and the price of the ticket.
S2 ( Ukrainian). Your English friend wants to know about the National Art museum in Kyiv.
Answer his / her questions and give general information about frescoes and icon-painting
traditions of Ukrainian art; the tendencies of modern painting; the rules of behaviour in the
museum.

Role-play 3

S1. You are a student from the UK. You think that Brexit is worth doing. Find reasonable
arguments to prove your point of view to your peer.
S2. You are a student from the UK, too. But you do not support Brexit. Explain, why you
think Brexit may be harmful for such a complex country as the UK.
 SEMESTER TEST ON WRITING

Objectives: to check the level of students’ writing comprehension

Procedure

1. Test

 Choose one of the following situations and write about it. Read the situation below
and write an informal letter.

1. It’s not a secret that the Internet is not good or bad for people. It depends on your
attitude to the way that you use it. What dangers can you face in the Internet? How can you
protect yourself from them? Give your advice to your pen-pal who spends a lot of time in
social networks.
2. Imagine you are in the youth summer camp now. Your camp is situated on the lake
shore. Local nature is exciting; the lake is beautiful, too. The problem is the litter that
tourists leave on the beach, under the bushes — in a word, everywhere. Your teams
regularly work as volunteers to clean the neighbourhood. Write a letter to your parents:
describe the camp and the countryside briefly and tell how you save the environment from
the over use of plastic and other trash.
3. Your pen-friend lives in a quiet small village, too far from big cities, highways and noisy
resorts. She / he would like to be a volunteer, but thinks it’s impossible. You are not an
official volunteer, too and you aren’t involved in any local campaigns, but you believe that
there are lots of other ways to change other people’s lives for the better. Everyday small
affairs make you and people around you different. Even saying hello is a good affair as well.
Advice to your friend how she / he can do him / her good deeds.
4. Your pen-pal wrote a letter asking about art in your country. He / she needs information
for his / her school report. Answer him / her about museums in your country; tell about
different kinds of folk and applied art we have in Ukraine. Mention cinema and theatre art,
dance art. Share your thoughts on the question: does watching art matter? What kinds of
art do you most enjoy looking at? Do you feel that art has changed you in any way? Try to
explain your point of view to the role of art in your life.
5. Imagine, you’ve just received the letter from your friend who lives in a small town. Your
friend has never been to an Art Museum; now he / she needs to write a school composition
about one of the artists. He / she asks you to tell him / her about your favourite artist and
one of his / her pictures. You’ve visited the Art museum recently. Tell about your favourite
painter and his / her works (describe one of them). Write how you enjoy the experience.
Share your impressions.
6. Imagine you are a Canadian. You have received a letter from a Ukrainian who lives in
your granny’s native town. Write your former compatriot about Canada and its people.
Mention that there are more than 1.8 mln native Ukrainians in Canada. The countries you
live in are rather different but at the same time they are partly similar. Describe differences
and similarities in nature, area, population; write about Canadian Ukrainians, your customs
and traditions; how you’ve kept the traditions of your native land.
7. Yesterday you received the letter from your Canadian peer relative that asks you about
Ukraine. He / she plans to visit Ukraine and wants to get the latest information about
country from a Ukrainian citizen, not from media. He / she left the country when he / she
was a child and know a bit about Ukraine. Write him / her about main cities, nature,
resorts, and sightseeing. Give some facts about Ukrainian society, people rights and duties,
current political events. Share your opinion about the role of youth in the life of a society.
8. Last week you saw the film that impressed you a lot. You want to share your impressions
with your boy- / girl-friend who lives in another city. Write about the name of the film, its
genre and plot. Name the stars and the movie cast; mention whom the film is directed by.
Describe the most bright scenes and special effects. Share the emotions you felt while
watching a movie.
9. You have received the letter from your close friend. He / she writes you that he / she has
a quite personal problem with his / her boy- / girl-friend. They quarrel constantly because
your friend can’t control his / her emotions. Think of the issue and write to your friend how
it is important to control own emotions and be sensitive towards those of other people.
Share your thoughts and offer your friend some acceptable solutions for the problem.

APPENDIX
TO GO OR NOT TO GO: WHY ONLINE EDUCATION?

When a family decides to use online education as opposed to the traditional one, it has
variety reasons.
Online education has completely transformed the way in which learning is imparted to
students. This method is best suited for everyone.
Unlike traditional chalk and board method, eLearning makes learning simpler, easier, and
more effective. Learning becomes individual; kids get to work at a pace that comfortable to
them. “We choose online education because our district school is poorly equipped to
handle special needs kids. My son can access the content an unlimited number of times.
This is especially required for exams.
The online programme has been a blessing for our family. My kid loves the oneon- one
attention he gets from teachers. David now love learning thanks to online schooling”, says
Daniel Price, whose son lost his leg in childhood as a result of an accident.
Being a musician, writer, actor or athlete may seem like too much for a school kid to
accomplish in a traditional school. Talented and targeted high school students or advanced
learners get the possibility to get full knowledge or leave the school earlier with eLearning.
15-years-old Heather Norris learned the material so quickly that she was bored in class and
even managed to do her homework. She used the online school programme. “I finished my
high school in October instead of the next June and I started college the same semester I
graduated!” — She says. Due to the wide set of benefits it gives to students eLearning has
become quite popular and appreciated among students all over the world.