How to pass the CET-4 and CET-6 with a weak foundation

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　The listening section is the part of the CET-4 and CET-6 exams where it’s easiest to score well. Out of a total score of 20 points, it’s no problem to score 16–18 points if one has a good listening ability. As for having a good level, I think being able to understand VOA Standard English is sufficient to handle the CET-6. Personally, I haven’t systematically studied the questions from past CET-4 and CET-6 exams, but when estimating my scores, I get 16–18 points for the listening section. 　　At first, it was even difficult for me to listen to VOA Special English. My method is: for each SP, I listen to it 4-5 times to fully understand the pronunciation and meaning of any English words I don’t know, and then I spend 2 hours every day on listening practice to work hard on those SPs. If there’s no problem, use an MP3 player to listen to English, so as to gradually get used to the English language environment. Two months later, I listened to a tape for the CET-4 exam and found that what I had previously found impossible to understand had become simpler. 　　Now, you already have a certain foundation in listening. Next, some special dictations can be done to try listening to standard English. This stage is really a time that shakes your confidence^^: There are many spelling mistakes in the dictation, and the word \"stand\" sounds like something incomprehensible; then you think, \"My level is still not good enough, 5555~~~\" But it’s okay – in fact, you are making progress, you just haven’t realized it yet. Keep going, and you will gradually find that your accuracy in dictation improves, and you will also become more familiar with ‘stand’. When dictating \"special\" seems easy, you can then try dictating the shorter word \"stand\". If you keep up with the training, in about half a year you will have met the requirements for level 6 foreign language listening skills. Because the listening requirements for Level 6 aren’t particularly high; if you can understand what’s said, you’ll really find that the speech in Level 6 is quite slow. 　　I’d like to mention that listening to past CET-4 and CET-6 listening tests before the exam can help you understand the types of questions and get familiar with the exam format, so it’s definitely worth doing. I was quite confident in my listening skills, so I didn’t practice much, and as a result I could never score full marks on the listening tests. It’s a well-worn topic; as we all know, words are the foundation of English. Without words, it’s like trying to build a building without bricks – one can only imagine castles in the air. But memorizing words is still considered by everyone to be the most difficult and boring task. Friends with a solid foundation can learn words by reading, but it doesn’t work at all for those with a weak foundation. I can’t even understand the whole article, so how can I talk about learning words? Since our current level is not good enough, we need to put in more effort than others. After passing the CET-6, my draft papers for memorizing words have filled up a whole big box. 　　Surely everyone has had this experience: words that were memorized not long ago are quickly forgotten. So what should be done? At that time, I would memorize 30 to 40 words every day, review the words from the previous day on the following day, spend an hour on Sundays reviewing the words learned during that week, and then spend a few hours each month reviewing all the words learned that month. 　　If this continues, a substantial vocabulary can be built up in half a year. Before the exam, review the words one more time. Since it is for an exam, it is possible to find high-frequency words related to the CET-4 and CET-6 exams, which should be memorized carefully (there are many relevant resources available online). 　　For the vocabulary covered in the exam, one has to rely on doing practice questions. When I took the CET-6 exam, I used a vocabulary book for preparing for that exam published in Beijing. Spend a week figuring out all the questions inside, and write down any words you don’t understand. Because past experience with the CET-6 shows that many questions are repeated. In my view, reading means increasing the amount read, improving reading speed, and mastering certain reading skills. 　　At first, because the foundation is weak, articles that are too difficult are certainly not suitable for those with a weak foundation. You can start by reading some adapted novels of the \"Bookworm\" (high school level) series to get a feel for it. Once a sufficient vocabulary has been built up, one can officially start improving reading skills. The first step is to work on past exam papers, starting from Level 4 up to Level 6; strive to understand all the sentences and words in these papers, and analyze the more complex sentences, especially their grammatical structures. Here’s a problem: at first, your accuracy rate when doing exercises will be quite low. Don’t lose heart; keep going and learn from each reading passage. Soon you’ll find that reading isn’t that scary after all. Secondly, for the CET-6, one can read news magazines such as China Daily on a regular basis, which not only boosts interest but also improves reading skills. Now I like to read 1-2 issues of English newspapers every night; it has become a habit for me. Essay writing has always been my weakest subject. Although I was among the top three in the class in Chinese throughout high school, I sadly never touched a Chinese textbook in college and lost all that knowledge. If you study according to these three aspects*, your essays certainly won’t be that bad. After all, improving one’s English is a comprehensive process; if your listening, reading, and vocabulary skills are good, it’s impossible for your essay writing to be terrible. 　　But that doesn’t mean one shouldn’t make an effort. I remember a sentence said by an English teacher in a CET-6 improvement class: Read ten thousand books, and writing will flow like magic. The word for composition: memorize! If you memorize a lot of model essays, your essay score will be no less than 6. But I suggest that while memorizing, you can use a small notebook to jot down some excellent sentences, look at them frequently, and draw conclusions from them. What different effects can the same sentence have when used in different contexts? Experience it for yourself. And it is these excellent sentences that make them stand out, and they are also the reason why the teacher gives you a high score. 　　Having written up to this point, I have essentially shared all my experience. I hope it will be helpful to everyone, especially those with a weaker foundation. Actually, the CET-4 and CET-6 aren’t that difficult; what’s hard is whether you have the determination! Someone with a weak foundation like mine was able to pass the CET-6, so you definitely can do it too.