Preparing students for MET Go!
MET Go! is aimed at beginning to intermediate level students at the A1 to B1 CEFR levels. Therefore, any integrated English skills course geared toward these levels for teens or pre-teens will help prepare students for the test. Below are some general teaching suggestions for each part of the test.
MET Go! Test Preparation Guidelines for Teachers
Our free resources include a growing library of suggested classroom activities with teacher notes to help you prepare your students. The practice activities provided here will help prepare students for the different types of tasks on the test, the range of language structures, vocabulary, and topics included, and the overall language skills emphasized on MET Go!.
Adapting materials for multiple proficiency levels
The first steps of the activities are most suitable for lower-level students (pre-A1/A1). For intermediate students, the beginning steps can serve as a quick review or warm-up; for advanced students (A2+/B1), teachers may want to move quickly into the later steps if vocabulary and basic sentence structure reviews are not necessary.
Vocabulary practice
Students at lower proficiency levels (A1 or below) need extensive practice with vocabulary. Strategies and preparation activities for all four skills of the test are designed to help students expand, review, and reinforce their vocabulary, regardless of the specific task.
Teaching sequence
The teaching sequence may be adapted to suit the teacher’s preference or existing curriculum. Timelines or suggested lesson plans are not included, as this will depend on the particular needs of each class and the existing curriculum materials. The preparation materials could serve as a brief review in preparation for the test, or could be integrated into the existing curriculum as supplementary classroom materials.
Preparation Resources for MET Go!
MET Go! Sample Test 1001 – A full sample test including the listening, reading, writing and speaking sections of MET Go!. The teacher will have all the downloadable materials to administer this sample test in class, including instructions on using the materials, the test booklet, an answer sheet, and audio files. To score the test, an answer key is provided for the reading and listening sections; for the speaking and writing sections, sample responses with commentary are provided.
MET Go! Digital Sample Test 1 – Your learners can become familiar with the digital format of MET Go! and complete the test on the same platform and with the same timing as they will experience on the live examination. This test is not scored.
MET Go! Scope and Sequence Chart
The MET Go! Scope and Sequence Chart is a useful curricular guide to help teachers identify how to introduce MET Go! preparation in their English course. This chart shows the tasks under each of the sections of MET Go!, with sample items for each of them, and a list of can-do statements from CEFR descriptors to identify what test takers are expected to do for each item type at the A1, A2, and B1 levels.
Topic Categories used in MET Go! (Note: these are at the bottom of the scope & sequence chart)
This is a list of topic categories that illustrate contexts for MET Go! items. Teachers can find it useful to determine what content of the regular English class relates to possible topics covered by MET Go!.
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MET Go!: Practical Tips for Language Development, Test Preparation, and Curriculum Integration
Recorded webinar on MET Go! curricular and teaching tips offered by Alberto Costa, Senior Assessment Manager Americas at Cambridge Assessment English, and Dr. Fernando Fleurquin, Director of Marketing, Communications, and Stakeholder Relations at Michigan Language Assessment
Listening
The listening section of MET Go! has five parts:
| Listen to | Task | # of questions | |
| Part 1 | Descriptions of people | Identify the picture of the person described | 4 |
| Part 2 | Short questions | Choose the right answer to the question | 4 |
| Part 3 | Short conversations | Choose a picture to answer questions | 4 |
| Part 4 | Longer conversations | Answer multiple-choice questions | 9 (3 sets of 3 questions) |
| Part 5 | Announcements | Answer multiple-choice questions | 9 (3 sets of 3 questions) |
The whole listening section has 30 questions to be answered in 30 minutes. In each of these listening task types, students must recognize important words, understand the main idea, and identify important details.
To help your students develop and practice these listening skills, give them opportunities to:
- hear a variety of different voices, male and female and varying ages
- hear speakers of North American English
- hear two people talking with each other
- hear a single speaker presenting information about a topic
- take notes about what they listen to
- write or tell someone the main idea of what they have heard
- answer “who” “where” “when” “what” “why” questions about what they have heard
What’s available in the free resources library?
| MET Go! Study and Practice, Listening L3a | Listen to sentences or short dialogues and select a picture |
| MET Go! Study and Practice, Listening L3b | Listen to sentences or short dialogues and select a picture |
| MET Go! Study and Practice, Listening L5a | Listen to an announcement and complete comprehension activities |
Reading
The reading test assesses’ students ability to read and understand both informational and narrative texts (stories). In these tasks, they must understand and identify the main ideas and important details of the passage. The reading section also assesses students’ grammar and vocabulary knowledge in the context of thematically linked single sentences. There is no separate grammar section.
To help your students develop and practice these reading skills, give them opportunities to:
- check their grammar and vocabulary knowledge using gap-fill exercises
- read authentic informational texts, such as flyers, menus, announcements, advertisements, news stories, websites, email or text messages
- identify key words and details in what they read
- read short narrative stories appropriate to their age and interests
- answer comprehension questions about main ideas
- share what they have read with a classmate, teacher, or in writing
What’s available in the free resource library?
| MET Go! Study and Practice, Reading R2a | Read an informational flyer and find specific details |
| MET Go! Study and Practice, Reading R2b | Read an informational passage for details and main idea |
Writing
The writing test assesses students’ ability to convey simple, connected ideas in writing, based on an illustration, personal experience, or opinion.
To help your students develop and practice these writing skills, give them opportunities to:
- write short sentences describing pictures
- write short sentences using high-frequency vocabulary words
- write short, connected stories based on personal experience
- write short, connected stories based on pictures
- write about opinions, likes, and dislikes
- write and respond to informational messages relevant to their lives, including requests, invitations, and letters, emails, or other personal correspondence
- practice and get feedback on correct spelling, punctuation, and capitalization
What’s available in the free resources library?
| MET Go! Study and Practice, Writing W1a | Write a short narrative based on a set of three pictures |
Speaking
The optional speaking test assesses students’ ability to describe pictures of familiar objects and scenes, compare similar pictures, narrate a sequence of events, talk about a personal experience, and state a preference with explanatory detail.
Note: pronunciation is not specifically rated, but responses must be intelligible.
To help your students develop and practice these speaking skills, give them opportunities to:
- answer basic personal information questions
- practice pronouncing high-frequency vocabulary words in context
- answer questions about likes and dislikes
- express opinions
- describe common objects, places, people, and activities based on pictures
- talk about personal experiences
- tell a simple story based on pictures
- compare similar pictures (spot the differences)
What’s available in the free resources library?
| MET Go! Study and Practice, Teacher’s Notes, Speaking S2a-c | Notes to accompany the classroom activities for practicing the skills needed to successfully complete the picture comparison task on the MET Go! Speaking test. |
| MET Go! Study and Practice, Speaking S2a | Picture comparison, version a: waiting room |
| MET Go! Study and Practice, Speaking S2b | Picture comparison, version b: street scene |
| MET Go! Study and Practice, Speaking S2c | Picture comparison, version c: bedroom |