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Module 3 · Word Power · Review Lab

Review Lab 3 — Essay Workshop

Review Lessons 09–12

Lab scenario

A collaborative essay studio: learners co-plan a CPE essay prompt, write to time, swap for peer critique using a CPE-style band guide and discuss revisions aloud in a Speaking P3 frame.

Skills you'll practise

Stance writingPeer critiqueLexical rangeSpeaking about ideas

Stations

Practice rotation

Five stations · ~12 min each. 1:1 online: teacher rotates through with the learner.

60 min total

Station 1 · 12 min

R&UoE Part 3 · Word Formation

Build the right family member: noun, abstract noun, adjective, adverb or negated form.

Recent studies suggest the policy has been largely ____ in changing behaviour. (EFFECT)

The report calls for greater ____ from major technology firms. (ACCOUNT)

His argument is, on close inspection, surprisingly ____ . (PERSUADE)

She handled the interview with admirable ____ . (COMPOSE)

The two studies reach almost ____ opposite conclusions. (DIAMETER)

There is no ____ between the two data sets. (CONSIST)

Station 2 · 12 min

Reading Part 5 · Stance & Inference (MCQ)

Distinguish the author's view from views being reported.

Passage extract: 'Predictably, the latest study has been seized on by lobbyists as definitive proof. It is, of course, nothing of the sort — though one would not guess it from the headlines.' The writer's attitude towards the lobbyists' use of the study is best described as ____.

Passage extract: 'It would be unfair to suggest that the minister has not tried. The problem lies less in her efforts than in the system she inherited.' The writer's main purpose here is to ____.

Passage extract: 'For all its flaws — and they are real — the new framework represents a meaningful step forward.' The phrase 'For all its flaws — and they are real' is used to ____.

Passage extract: 'One can hardly blame parents for being confused. Each new study, it seems, contradicts the last.' The writer's tone is best described as ____.

Passage extract: 'The author's central claim — that no policy will succeed without parental buy-in — is by now familiar. What is less familiar, and considerably more interesting, is her proposed mechanism for achieving it.' The reviewer's main point is that the book's ____.

Station 3 · 12 min

Listening Part 1 · Stance Extracts

Read the speaker's stance from word choice, not just content.

Extract 1

Extract 1 — A teacher being interviewed about a new screen-time policy.

Extract 1

Tap play to listen. Scrub the bar or use ± 5 s to jump.

What is the teacher's main objection?

Extract 2

Extract 2 — A parent on a phone-in radio show.

Extract 2

Tap play to listen. Scrub the bar or use ± 5 s to jump.

How does the parent feel about the ban now?

Extract 3

Extract 3 — A school principal in a podcast interview.

Extract 3

Tap play to listen. Scrub the bar or use ± 5 s to jump.

The principal's main frustration is that the debate ____.

Station 4 · 12 min

Essay Paragraph · 140 words

Concede + counter, with at least three discourse markers and one word-formation upgrade.

Scenario

Essay prompt (from Lesson 12): 'Schools should restrict the use of smartphones during the school day.' You've already planned the essay; this station drafts ONE body paragraph: the counter-argument paragraph.

Task · 140 words (±10)

Write 140 words (±10) presenting the strongest case AGAINST a restriction, then concede and pivot to your own view. Use at least three discourse markers (e.g. admittedly, that said, on closer inspection) and at least one nominalisation built from a verb (e.g. enforce → enforcement).

Self-check

  • Counter-view is presented at full strength before being qualified.
  • Three or more discourse markers, doing real work (not decorative).
  • At least one nominalisation that earns its place.
  • Pivot is clear: the reader knows when the writer's own view begins.

Station 5 · 12 min

Argument Reflection

Lock in one stance move, one cohesion move, one word-formation upgrade.

Discuss

  • 1. Where in Reading P5 did your first instinct disagree with the answer? What signal did you miss?
  • 2. In your essay paragraph, where exactly did you pivot from concession to your view? Did the reader see it?
  • 3. Which word family in Station 1 is now genuinely 'yours' — meaning you can reach for the noun, adjective AND adverb?
  • 4. Which discourse marker do you over-use? Which would you like to retire?

Self-audit · tick what was true

  • Stance — I name a position, defend it, and concede without collapsing.
  • Cohesion — discourse markers signal moves the reader can follow.
  • Word formation — I built the right family member, not the first that came to mind.
  • Listening — I caught attitude, not just topic.

Ready for a full paper?

Sit a complete CPE simulation — Mock 1, Mock 2 or the Official Exit Test — in real timing.

Mock Exams & Exit Test

Review Lab complete

Talk through your work with your teacher or study partner, then move on.

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