English Together · A2 Key · Exam Track (Extension)

20 Weeks to the A2 Key Exam

A separate exam-preparation track for learners who finished the 10-unit Postcards from Britain course and are entering Cambridge A2 Key. One part of the real exam at a time, a mini-mock every fourth week, and a full-mock block at the end.

Uma trilha separada de preparação para o exame: uma parte da prova por vez, um simulado pequeno a cada 4 semanas e simulados completos no fim.

How the exam works

Como funciona a prova — três papéis, cerca de 1h40 no total.
PaperTimeWeightParts
Reading & Writing1 hour50% P1 signs & notices · P2 matching · P3 longer text · P4 vocabulary cloze · P5 open (grammar) cloze · P6 email of 25+ words · P7 picture story of 35+ words
Listening30 min (incl. 6 min transfer)25% P1 pictures · P2 note gaps (numbers, names, times) · P3 dialogue detail · P4 gist · P5 matching
Speaking8–10 min per pair25% P1 interview with the examiner · P2 discussion with a partner
ResultScale scoreCertifies at
Grade A140–150CEFR B1 — the stretch target
Grade B133–139CEFR A2
Grade C120–132CEFR A2 (pass)
Below pass100–119CEFR A1 certificate
The golden rule of this track: the language was taught in the course; this track teaches the paper. Every week takes ONE part of the real exam, learns exactly how it is scored, and practises it with real timing. Technique never replaces language — it unlocks the language you already have. A regra de ouro: o curso ensinou a língua; esta trilha ensina a prova — uma parte por semana, com a pontuação e o tempo reais.

The 20-week map

O mapa das 20 semanas — marque cada semana concluída.
Reading Writing Listening Speaking Mini-mock Full-mock block

Phase 1 · Part mastery — weeks 1–16

1Reading · Part 1

Signs & notices

Six short real-world texts for the main message — the signs from Unit 1 return here. 6 questions.

2Reading · Part 2

Matching

Seven questions matched to three texts on one topic — scanning, not reading every word. 7 questions.

3Reading · Part 3

The longer text

One longer text, read for detail AND overall meaning. 5 multiple-choice questions.

4Mini-mock 1

Reading P1–3, timed

Real timing, real answer sheet. Score it together; the wrong answers pick next month's drills.

5Reading · Part 4

Vocabulary cloze

Six gaps, three options each — this part tests the course wordlist. Revise with the SRS word cards first.

6Reading · Part 5

Open cloze

Six gaps, no options: articles, prepositions, do/does — the small words. Pure grammar in context.

7Writing · Part 6

The 25-word email

Fixed procedure: underline the three content points → one sentence each → write → check each point. 15 marks.

8Mini-mock 2

Reading + Writing P6

A full Paper 1 first half under time. Content points checked line by line.

9Writing · Part 7

The picture story

Three pictures → three-sentence frame, past continuous for the scene. 35 words is a minimum, not a target. 15 marks.

10Listening · P1 + P2

Pictures & note gaps

Numbers, names, spelled words and times carry the marks — five-minute daily bursts, like the numbers catch in Unit 1.

11Listening · P3 + P4

Detail & gist

One long dialogue for detail; five short recordings for the main idea. Podcast ears, exam questions.

12Mini-mock 3

Full Listening paper

All five parts with the real recording flow — every text plays twice, and the pencil never stops.

13Listening · P5 + transfer

Matching & the 6 minutes

Sustained attention across a long exchange — then rehearse the 6 minutes of transfer time: what to copy, in what order.

14Speaking · Part 1

The interview

Factual and personal questions from the examiner, 3–4 minutes. The Talking Point recordings from every unit were training for this.

15Speaking · Part 2

Talking WITH a partner

Likes, dislikes, reasons — assessed on interaction. Learn the language of responding: agreeing, disagreeing, asking back.

16Mini-mock 4

Speaking, examined

Full 8–10 minute paired test with a second teacher as assessor — rotating partners, exam-room manners.

Phase 2 · The full-mock block — weeks 17–20

17Full mock 1

The whole exam

All three papers across the week, real timing. Result reported as a component profile plus a predicted grade.

18Repair week

Fix the weakest part

Mock 1 chooses the plan: each learner drills only their two weakest parts, with the matching unit's material.

19Full mock 2

Exam conditions

One sitting per paper, answer sheets, transfer time, no dictionaries — the dress rehearsal.

20Exam week

Tune-up & logistics

Light review only — word cards, one listening, one speaking warm-up. Documents, times, and a good night's sleep.

🎲Every mini-mock week, warm up with The Grammar Run: twenty timed squares covering the whole A2 scheme of work, mock gates at 5/10/15/20, and a playful Cambridge Scale estimate at the end.Em toda semana de simulado, aqueça com o jogo: vinte casas cronometradas de gramática.Play the run →
For teachers: no learner should enter this track below ~110 on a baseline paper — check placement first (a learner above 130 may be better served entering B1 Preliminary, or targeting grade A here). A short paired speaking task belongs in every single week, not only weeks 14–16. Para professores: confirme o nivelamento antes de inscrever o aluno na prova — e fale em dupla toda semana, não só nas semanas de speaking.