PEIC B1 flashcards

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

Speaking Part 1 warm-up

An introductory interview where the examiner asks about familiar topics such as home, work, studies, free time, and holidays. Answers should be two or three sentences, not single words, with one reason or example added.

Picture description order

Describe a picture in three moves: a general statement about the scene, then specific details of people, place and action, then a short guess or personal reaction. This gives a complete, organised turn.

Function in role-play

The communicative purpose the prompt assigns, such as requesting, suggesting, apologising, or asking for information. Answer with that function plus a follow-up question so the dialogue continues naturally.

Present perfect for experience

Use have or has plus the past participle to ask and answer about life experience, as in 'Have you ever been abroad?' answered with 'Yes, I have been to Italy twice.' No finished time is mentioned.

Fluency fillers

Short expressions that keep speech flowing while you think, such as 'Well, let me think' or 'What I mean is'. They are preferable to long silences, which lower the fluency score.

Asking for repetition

A repair phrase used when you miss a question, for example 'Sorry, could you say that again, please?' It is scored better than silence or an answer to a question you did not hear.

Listening heard twice

In PEIC Listening each recording is played two times. Use the first listening to answer, and the second to check spelling, numbers, and any item you marked uncertainly.

Answer order in listening

Questions follow the order of the recording, so a missed item should be abandoned quickly and the next question tracked. Returning to an earlier item causes you to miss later answers.

Self-correction distractor

A number, time, or price stated and then changed in the audio, often signalled by 'sorry' or 'make that'. The corrected value is the answer; the first value is a trap.

-teen and -ty stress

Numbers ending in -teen are stressed on the second syllable, while -ty numbers are stressed on the first. This distinction separates thirteen from thirty and fifteen from fifty in listening items.

Contrast signal in audio

The word 'but' usually marks a correction to what was just said, so the answer often follows it. Words like 'so' and 'because' introduce results and reasons respectively.

Exact words in short answers

Short-answer listening items require the words actually heard, spelled correctly and with the right singular or plural form. Paraphrasing or guessing the spelling loses the mark.

Skimming versus scanning

Skimming is a fast read for the topic and text type; scanning is a targeted search for a specific word or number. PEIC Reading uses skimming first, then scanning per question.

Evidence-based true/false

True and false items are decided only by what the passage states, not by general knowledge. The supporting phrase must be locatable in the text before you choose an answer.

Paraphrase in questions

Question wording rarely repeats the passage; it uses a synonym such as 'costly' for 'expensive'. Identical wording is often a distractor rather than the correct option.

Topic sentence position

The sentence that states a paragraph's main idea, usually the first or second. Matching-heading tasks are solved by reading it rather than the whole paragraph in detail.

Pronoun reference in gapped text

Inserted sentences are matched by what pronouns and linkers point to. A sentence beginning 'This is why' must follow a cause, and 'However' must follow a contrasting idea.

Inference question rule

Inference items ask what the text implies rather than states. The answer must be supportable from the passage alone, without adding outside knowledge or personal opinion.

Informal email frame

Greeting with a first name, an opening thanks or reference, body paragraphs, a closing line such as 'Write back soon', and a first-name sign-off. Contractions and direct questions suit this register.

Formal email frame

'Dear Mr Smith' with a surname, an opening purpose statement 'I am writing to...', a polite closing 'I look forward to hearing from you', and 'Yours sincerely' when the name is known.

Writing assessment criteria

PEIC Writing is marked on content coverage, organisation through paragraphs and linkers, grammatical range and accuracy, and vocabulary range with correct spelling. All four carry weight.

Narrative tense pattern

Stories use past simple for main events, past continuous for background action, and past perfect for events before the main timeline, as in 'I was walking home when I realised I had lost my keys.'

B1 linking words

Connectors that raise writing above A2 level, including 'although', 'however', 'in addition', 'so that', 'whereas', and 'on the other hand'. Each should join full clauses or sentences correctly.

Word count tolerance

PEIC writing tasks state a required length, and answers should stay within about ten percent of it. Under-length answers lose content marks even when the grammar is accurate.

Past simple time markers

Finished-time expressions such as 'yesterday', 'last week', 'in 2019', and 'two days ago' require the past simple, never the present perfect, in gap-fill and open cloze items.

Second conditional form

If plus past simple in the condition clause, and would plus bare infinitive in the result, as in 'If I had more time, I would learn the guitar.' It describes unreal present situations.

Third conditional form

If plus past perfect in the condition, and would have plus past participle in the result, as in 'If she had studied, she would have passed.' It describes unreal past situations.

Reported speech backshift

When the reporting verb is past, present tenses shift to past, 'will' to 'would', and 'can' to 'could'. Time words also shift, so 'tomorrow' becomes 'the next day'.

Word formation suffixes

Suffixes change word class: -tion, -ment, -ness form nouns; -ful, -less, -able form adjectives; -ly forms adverbs. Identify the class the gap needs before choosing the suffix.

Gerund after certain verbs

Verbs such as 'enjoy', 'mind', 'suggest', and the phrase 'look forward to' are followed by the -ing form, not the infinitive. This pattern appears frequently in multiple-choice gaps.

Preposition collocations

Fixed verb and adjective plus preposition pairs tested in cloze items, including 'depend on', 'interested in', 'good at', 'afraid of', 'arrive at', and 'listen to'. They are learned as whole units.

Countable quantifiers

'Many' and 'a few' modify countable nouns, 'much' and 'a little' modify uncountable nouns, and 'a lot of' works with both. Choosing correctly depends on identifying the noun type.