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Recognising a familiar word is only the first step. In a listening or reading task, the learner also needs to establish who is speaking, when something happened and whether a statement is negative.

Consider this constructed practice sentence:

“Normalmente voy al colegio en autobús, pero ayer fui a pie.”

It means: “I normally go to school by bus, but yesterday I went on foot.” If the question asks how the speaker travelled yesterday, choosing en autobús (“by bus”) misses the change. Normalmente (“normally”) describes the usual journey; ayer (“yesterday”) and fui (“I went”) introduce the journey being asked about. The answer is a pie — on foot.

A useful next task is to hear the sentence without seeing it, identify both journeys, then explain which words determine the answer. For reading, underline that evidence before choosing an option or writing the short answer required by the course. This checks comprehension beyond spotting transport vocabulary.

A learner may be able to state an opinion but struggle when the next question changes the time frame. This constructed exchange shows the difference between adding detail and responding to a new question:

• Starting answer: “Me gusta el fútbol” — “I like football.”
• Add a reason: “Me gusta el fútbol porque es divertido” — “I like football because it is fun.”
• Follow-up: “¿Cuándo jugaste por última vez?” — “When did you last play?”
• Relevant reply: “Jugué el sábado con mis amigos” — “I played on Saturday with my friends.”

Repeating the opinion would not answer cuándo (“when”). The reply now gives a past event, a time and a companion. In practice, change the follow-up question and remove the written answer so the learner has to listen and respond. If they say the wrong day, they can correct it: “Jugué el viernes… perdón, el sábado” — “I played on Friday… sorry, on Saturday.”

For Cambridge, practise the requested role-play response as well as developing topic conversations. For Pearson 4SP1 picture practice, use a different picture on the same topic: its specification prohibits teachers and examiners from rehearsing Task A with the learner’s selected exam picture. These examples are practice exercises, not official model answers.

Here is a constructed draft about a completed trip:

“Ayer voy al cine con mis amigos. La película fue divertido.”

The intended meaning is: “Yesterday I went to the cinema with my friends. The film was entertaining.” A corrected version is:

“Ayer fui al cine con mis amigos. La película fue divertida.”

Two choices need attention. Voy means “I go”; fui means “I went” and expresses the completed journey intended here. Película (“film”) is feminine singular, so the adjective must agree: divertida. Getting the message across and checking the verb and adjective are distinct parts of the task.

For a follow-up, change “mis amigos” (“my friends”) to “mi familia” (“my family”), put the model aside and write the corrected account again. Explain why the first verb is still fui and why divertida still describes the film. Then apply the same checks to a fresh writing prompt. In a full IGCSE response, also check that every requested point has been answered; two corrected sentences do not replace the whole task.

If a mock result is disappointing, bring the marked work rather than starting with a whole new revision book. One low score can conceal different problems: missing vocabulary, misunderstood time references, inaccurate verbs or an unanswered part of the task.

The following is a suggested way to organise support. Agree the lesson frequency around the gaps, next assessment, budget and practice the learner can manage.

Use Latimer’s free introductory meeting to discuss the learner’s goals and the tutor’s approach. Send the course code, exam year and a recent piece of work beforehand if possible. A useful conversation should leave you with a clearer idea of what needs teaching and how the learner will practise it.