PEIC A1 flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Listening: question words

Words that tell you what kind of answer to expect: what (thing), who (person), where (place), when (time), how many (number), how much (price).

-teen vs -ty numbers

Thirteen to nineteen stress the second syllable (thirTEEN); twenty, thirty, forty, fifty stress the first (THIRty). This stress difference is how listeners tell 13 from 30.

Spelling aloud

Letters are said one at a time so a name or address can be written. Write each letter as you hear it rather than waiting for the full word.

Correction markers

Words like no, sorry, actually, and I mean signal that the speaker is changing a detail. The corrected version, not the first one, is the answer.

Listening: prices and times

Money is said as pounds/dollars/euros plus numbers, and times use o'clock, half past, and quarter to. These are frequent scored details in A1 tasks.

Multiple-choice picture tasks

You hear a short exchange and choose one of several pictures. Read the pictures before listening and note the one detail that separates them, such as a time or number.

Listening: familiar topics

A1 recordings cover greetings, family, shopping, travel, work, and daily routines, spoken slowly and clearly with short pauses between phrases.

Alphabet sound pairs

Easily confused letters: A/J, B/V, G/J, I/Y, and M/N. Knowing these sound pairs prevents spelling errors when a name is dictated.

Reading: skimming

Reading quickly for the main idea. At A1, read the title and first sentence, which usually state the topic of a short text.

Reading: scanning

Looking only for one specific fact, such as a time or price. Find the key word, then read the sentence around it and nothing else.

True, False, Not given

True means the text states it; False means the text states the opposite; Not given means the text does not mention it at all.

Notice formulas

Fixed expressions on signs: No entry (do not go in), Out of order (not working), Closed (not open), Free (no cost), Push/Pull (how to open a door).

Matching with synonyms

Headings and sentences match texts by meaning, not by identical words. For example, cheap matches not expensive, and big matches large.

12-hour and 24-hour time

Timetables may use either system. Add 12 to afternoon hours for 24-hour time: 3 p.m. is 15:00, and 8 p.m. is 20:00.

Ordinal dates

Dates use ordinal numbers: 1st (first), 2nd (second), 3rd (third), then -th (4th, 5th). They appear in invitations, timetables, and forms.

Personal information texts

Short texts giving name, age, job, town, and family. Read the question first, then find the single matching fact in the text.

Reading: short emails

A1 emails are two to four lines with a greeting, one piece of news, and a closing. The question usually asks who wrote it or what it is about.

Menu and price reading

Menus list items with prices. Questions ask for the cheapest item, the price of one dish, or what is not available that day.

Speaking: answer plus detail

Give a short answer, then add one extra fact. 'Do you like tea?' becomes 'Yes, I do. I drink it every morning.' This shows communication.

Present simple -s

With he, she, or it, the verb adds -s: he works, she lives, it costs. With I, you, we, and they, there is no -s.

Asking for repetition

Say 'Sorry, can you repeat that?' or 'Can you say it again, please?' Asking again is allowed and does not reduce your speaking score.

Speaking: verb be

Present forms: I am, you are, he/she/it is, we are, they are. Questions invert: Are you a student? Is she from Spain?

Yes/no questions with do

Use Do with I, you, we, they and Does with he, she, it: Do you work? Does she live here? The main verb stays in base form.

Word stress basics

Every English word of two or more syllables has one strong syllable: TEAcher, HOtel, beGIN. Stressing it correctly makes speech easier to understand.

Speaking: saying numbers

Phone numbers are said in single digits, often with oh for zero. Years and prices are said as normal numbers, and dates use ordinals.

Speaking: fillers

Short phrases that keep your turn while you think: Well..., Let me see..., Um. They buy time without stopping the conversation.

Writing: subject plus verb

Every English sentence needs a subject and a verb: I am a student, She works in a shop. Do not drop the subject as some languages allow.

Writing: capital letters

Use capitals at the start of a sentence, for names, countries, days, months, and the pronoun I, which is always written as a capital letter.

Writing: a and an

Use a before a consonant sound (a book, a university) and an before a vowel sound (an apple, an hour). Both mean one, non-specific thing.

Writing: message structure

A short message has a greeting (Dear Sam,), a reason (I am writing to...), one or two details, and a closing (See you soon, Best wishes).

Writing: punctuation marks

A full stop ends a statement, a question mark ends a question, and commas follow greetings and closings and separate items in a list.

Writing: age and agreement

Age uses be, not have: I am 20 years old, not I have 20 years. And agree is a verb, so write I agree, not I am agree.