First, the Cambridge English certificate is a way to prove your proficiency of the English language. Moreover, you can include it in a letter of application to impress any future employer. Thus, it’s beneficial to your future career by allowing you to strongly stand out from other candidates. Additionally, it is recognized by over 25.000 educational institutions, employers, and governments around the world. Consequently, opening doors to higher education and improving employment opportunities.
But what about the Cambridge AG?
To our surprise, it didn't take long for us to turn our scepticism into enthusiasm. These afternoon sessions turned out to be quite enjoyable, and the atmosphere was far from the typical school environment. It felt relaxed and it was quite humorous at times, which made the whole experience much more enjoyable.
During the lessons we would practice our English skills by taking Cambridge exams from past years. Those exams consist of 5 categories: reading, writing, listening, use of English, and speaking. Usually, we spent about an hour each completing one of the four written parts of the exams, to then compare them afterwards.
Our lessons took place every other Thursday and we would complete one part at a time, slowly making our way through the exams. During our journey all of us were able to see rapid improvement, going from 60 % or 70 % to an average of 85 % or more. Hence it is safe to say that the time we have spent practicing our English with Mr. Weisenburger has undoubtedly benefited our proficiency in the language. Additionally, we had great discussions about a plethora of interesting topics while practicing our speaking skills.
How do the exams work?
After you feel that you have practiced enough and are ready to take on the exams, Mr. Weisenburger will look for a suitable examination day soon. The exam is then taken on two separate days, one for speaking and the other for the other 4 parts of the exams: reading, use of English, listening and writing. We took our speaking exam first and were pleasantly surprised by the way it was organized and how nice everyone, but especially the examiner herself, treated us. Thanks to the encouraging words of Mr. Weisenburger and the comforting atmosphere at the examination venue, the speaking exam felt nothing like taking a test in school at all.
A few days later we took the rest of the exam, however, this time we were stressed out quite a bit. Compared to the difficulty of the written exam, the speaking exam was nothing but vague foreshadowing of what was about to come. The written parts were difficult to say the least. However, they were of similar difficulty as the ones we had taken previously while practicing. Without preparation we most likely would have done poorly. Luckily, we did practice and were able to complete the exam to our satisfaction.
As of right now we are still waiting for our results, which are set to arrive on July 17th. Nonetheless we feel confident about them thanks to the time we spent thoroughly practicing similar exams with Mr. Weisenburger.
In conclusion, I wholeheartedly recommend participating in the Cambridge AG if you possess advanced English language skills or if you wish to acquire them. Not only was it an enjoyable experience, but it also proved to be an educational and memorable journey. Especially thanks to our teacher, the Sir himself, Mr. Weisenburger.
