ABOUT SET BOOKS

Whether or not you decide to study one of the optional set books is up to your individual interest. However, there can be little doubt that reading extensively, for pleasure, in English, and discussing what has been read, promotes language development.

Remember that learning set pieces off by heart will not help. Eventually, you may be asked to frame your writing about the set book in the form of a composition, an article, a letter or a report.

The set books are not any longer a compulsory part of the CAE exam. But if you would like to read, you can get some set books from previous CAE sessions for free at Lesson 8, Page 1.. Each set book is likely to be a simplified reader, but it may also be unsimplified. It may be a novel, a biography, a collection of short stories or a play.

POINTS TO STUDY

You do not have to show a literary appreciation of the book you have read, but you should be able to:

PLOT

tell the whole story

describe the main events in the story and say why they are important

indicate significant objects and say what part they play in the story

say how you react to the ending of the story

CHARACTERS

describe the characters

describe the relationship between them

describe the position of the narrator of the story, if there is one

BACKGROUND

describe the background and say what you learn about life in that country or region, among those kinds of people, at that time

IDEAS

explain the significance of the title

discuss some of the book's main ideas

discuss whether the book has any 'message'

discuss the significance of any words or phrases which are repeated throughout the book

say, if the story was written a long time ago, what relevance it has for a modern reader

discuss the suitability of the book's cover and any illustrations it has

PERSONAL REACTION

explain your reaction to the book

describe how any aspect of the book relates to your own life and experiences

For a collection of short stories you should be able to do all of the above for each story, and:

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pick out some common themes in the stories

say which stories you like most and why

TIPS ON WRITING PRACTICE

We suggest that you do some of these exercises. Base your answers on a set book, or any book that you have read recently, either in English or in your own language.

Describe two or three significant events in the book, and say why they are important to the outcome of the story.

Write about a sensational event in the book as if you were writing a news story for a popular newspaper the day after it happened.

Compare and contrast two characters in the book.

Choose two characters from the book and explain why you would or would not like to go on holiday with them.

You have just arrived in the town or village where some events of the book take place. Write a description of your surroundings as part of a letter to your family.