FCE Part 2

Thursday, 30 April 2026

8.4. Impersonal and Personal Passive

What is the latest Iphone?

Talk about a useful invention for you saying its name, why is useful, and how you use it.

Collaborative Reading of the Article: The History of Microwave

The History of Microwave

It is thought that the history of microwave dates back to World War II, where radar technology played a pivotal role. However, it will be shown another version in this article.

It is believed that Percy Spencer, an engineer at Raytheon, stumbled upon the concept of microwave heating by chance. While working on radar equipment, it is often said that he noticed a candy bar in his pocket had melted due to microwaves emitted by the radar equipment. This serendipitous discovery led to the development of the first microwave oven, the Radarange, in 1945.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, efforts were made to refine microwave technology for domestic use. It was hoped that these advancements would bring about a revolution in home cooking.

In 1967, Amana Corporation introduced the first countertop microwave oven, which quickly gained popularity for its speed and convenience. Since then, microwaves have become an indispensable appliance in households worldwide, making meal preparation faster and more efficient.

Text quiz of The History of Microwave:

https://www.topworksheets.com/t/OkM-0Pxf_fd

The Impersonal Passive

The impersonal passive is used with reporting verbs such as allege, believe, claim, consider, estimate, expect, report, say, think, understand, etc. It reports what an unspecified group of people say or believe.

Some introductory phrases for impersonal passive statements

It is thought that...

It is often said that...

It is believed that...

It was hoped that...

It will be shown...

It + be + past participle + (that) + subject + verb + Complement.

It is estimated that millions of people visit the site every year.
It is believed that the walls date from the third century BCE.
It is reported that mosquitoes transmit the disease.

Individual Online Exercise

https://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-119333.php

Individual Online Exercise about the Impersonal Passive

https://www.liveworksheets.com/es/w/en/english-second-language-esl/2124991

Design an infographic in teams of an assigned household appliance saying where and when it was invented, how is used, and how you think its job will be done in the future using the impersonal passive. You will also have to include four references in format APA at the bottom of the infographic.

Oral Practice of Impersonal Passive on Wordwall

https://wordwall.net/resource/112487404

Personal Passive

Pre-listening Exercise on Wordwall about Matching Companies or Innovations to their Inventors:

https://wordwall.net/resource/112482391

Listening Introductory Exercise Worksheet for Personal Passive from the video Innovators who changed the World:

https://www.topworksheets.com/t/AgfQnz_gA5i

Video Innovators who changed the World for the Listening Introductory Exercise for Personal Passive:

Personal Passive

What is said about Bill Gates?

Bill Gates is said to have a big fortune.

Bill Gates is said to...

Subject + be + Reporting Verbs in Past Participle + to + Verb + Complement.

...is said to...

...is known to...

...is believed to...

Individual Exercise about the Personal Passive

https://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-120780.php

Online Exercise about Personal Passive vs Impersonal Passive

https://www.liveworksheets.com/worksheet/en/english-second-language-esl/85304

Collaborative Exercise 3 on page 67

Individual Book Exercise 4 on page 67

Oral Practice of Book Exercise 5 on page 67

Collaborative Exercise 6 on page 67

8.5. Speaking Part 4 on page 86

Speaking Test Part 4

Collaborative Reading of the Book Exercise 6 on page 68 about the Speaking Practice for the Speaking Test Part 4

Book Exercises 4 and 5 on page 68

Speaking Test FCE Part 4

Video quiz: https://app.kwizie.ai/en/qp/358685

Collaborative Reading: FCE Speaking Test – Part 4 (Discussion)

Examiner: Now, I’d like you to talk about science and education. First of all, how well is science taught at school in your country?

Student A: I think it’s taught quite well in general because there are good science teachers, and also the curriculum is quite detailed. However, in some schools there is not enough practical work, and students spend too much time memorising facts and figures.

Student B: I totally agree with you. In my experience, science can be harder than some other subjects, especially if the school has poorly equipped laboratories. Worse still, sometimes some lessons can be boring if teachers don’t include interesting experiments.

Examiner: Why do you think some students are good at science, and others aren’t?

Student B: Personally speaking, I think it depends on teaching methods. Students who enjoy learning practical skills usually do better, and then there’s the fact that some students are more interested in developing thinking skills.

Student A: I feel the same, and what’s more, motivation plays a big role. If students see that science can lead to a good job, they may try harder. And not only that, having support from teachers makes a big difference.

Examiner: Which science subjects did you enjoy most at school, and which least? Why?

Student A: I really liked biology because of the interesting experiments, as well as that, I enjoyed learning about the human body. I liked chemistry too—even better, we sometimes did lab work. But I didn’t enjoy physics much because it felt like just memorising facts and figures.

Student B: For me, physics was my favourite because it involved problem-solving. Apart from that, I also liked chemistry. However, I didn’t like biology as much because, in my opinion, some lessons can be boring.

Examiner: Which other branches of science would you like to study? Why?

Student B: I’d like to study environmental science because it’s relevant to real-world problems, and there’s another thing, it combines different subjects like biology and chemistry.

Student A: In my case, I’d choose astronomy. It’s fascinating, and also it helps us understand the universe. Just as importantly, it encourages curiosity and imagination.

Examiner: What kinds of jobs in science sound interesting to you? Why?

Student A: I think being a medical researcher would be interesting because it can lead to a good job, and what’s more, you can help people.

Student B: I couldn't agree with you more, and not only that, jobs in technology or engineering are exciting because they involve innovation, and then there’s the opportunity to solve real-life problems.

Examiner: What do you think is the most important scientific discovery of the last 20 years? Why?

Student B: In my opinion, I would say advances in medical science, like vaccines, because they save lives. As well as that, they improve global health.

Student A: I think developments in artificial intelligence are very important, and also they are changing many industries. Just as importantly, they affect everyday life.

Examiner: What breakthroughs would you like to see scientists make in the future?

Student A: I’d like to see new sources of clean energy because they would help the environment, and what’s more, reduce pollution.

Student B: I'm on the same page, and there’s another thing, finding cures for serious diseases would be amazing. Even better, if treatments became more affordable for everyone.

Examiner: Finally, how are scientists often shown in films and TV programmes? Do you think this is fair?

Student B: Scientists are often shown as very intelligent but socially awkward, and also sometimes as strange people.

Student A: I don’t think it’s completely fair. In reality, many scientists are normal people. Apart from that, films don’t always show how important teamwork is, and what’s more, they ignore the role of developing thinking skills in real science.

Examiner: Thank you.

Individual Exercise of Identifying the Communicative Functions in the previous Conversation:

https://wordwall.net/resource/112463673

Teamwork Activity: Record a voice note in teams of three or four students of the book exercise 6 on page 68 about the speaking practice for the speaking test part 4

Closing Speaking Activity: The teams will present an assigned answer to the whole class from the speaking practice for the speaking test part 4 on page 68.