Review &Experience Lab
Review Lab · interviews & life-story speaking
CEFR Pathway · You are here
Review Lab
A checkpoint, not a test.
Fluency warm-up · Section 1
5 minGet talking — no pressure
Tell your partner your life in 60 seconds. Use at least 3 Present Perfects and 3 Past Simples.
Name the FIRST time, the LAST time and the BEST time you did something. Switch tenses naturally.
Each of you writes 3 'Have you ever…?' questions on paper. Swap and answer in full sentences with detail.
Grammar recap · Section 2
8–10 minUnit 4 in one breath: experience → detail → reaction
The full Present-Perfect toolkit: 1) 'Have you ever…?' for experiences.
→ Have you ever lived abroad? — Yes, I've lived in two countries. I moved to Canada in 2019 for a year.
→ Guess what — I've just got a new job! — No way! How did you find it?
→ I haven't been on holiday yet this year, but I've already booked Greece for August.
→ I've been to Italy three times — last time was for my cousin's wedding in Rome.
More detail
2) 'I've already / just / haven't yet…' for recent actions. 3) Switch to Past Simple the moment a specific time appears. 4) Use reactions ('No way!', 'How come?') to keep the conversation alive. A strong speaker fires all four in one short exchange.
Challenge 1.I ____ ____ that film three times — and I ____ ____ it again last night.
Challenge 2.She ____ ____ from Berlin — she landed an hour ago.
Challenge 3.Have you sent the email ____?
Challenge 4.I ____ ____ him at a conference in 2021.
Challenge 5.____ you ever ____ a marathon? — No, I ____.
Build the sentence → spot the natural chunks → say it aloud → reply like a real conversation.
1.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
2.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
3.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
Vocabulary recap · Section 3
5–7 minRecycle your toolkit
Don't just read these — say one out loud, then use it about your life.
to walk in someone's shoes
to imagine being in their situation
"Try walking in their shoes before judging."
Whose shoes would you find hardest to walk in?
a turning point
a moment that changed everything
"That conversation was a turning point."
Name a turning point in the last 5 years of your life.
to come full circle
to return to where you started
"I'm teaching at my old school — life has come full circle."
Has anything in your life come full circle?
the best decision I've ever made
phrase to highlight a great choice
"Moving abroad was the best decision I've ever made."
Finish: 'The best decision I've ever made was…'
I'd never have guessed
expression of surprise about news
"You're a chef now? I'd never have guessed."
Use 'I'd never have guessed' to react to news from your partner.
out of curiosity
to soften a personal question
"Out of curiosity — how did you two meet?"
Ask your partner a real question starting with 'Out of curiosity'.
long story short
to summarise quickly
"Long story short, we ended up flatmates."
Tell a long story in 2 sentences.
to look back on
to reflect on a past event
"I look back on that year with no regrets."
Finish: 'I look back on … with…'
Discuss with a partner
- →Share a turning point and how things look in hindsight.
- →Ask your partner 3 'out of curiosity' questions.
Finish the sentence about you
- The best decision I've ever made was …
- Looking back on …
- Out of curiosity, …
60-second write
Write a 60-word reflection on one turning point using ≥3 phrases.
Tap an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.
Pronunciation polish · Section 4
3–4 minIntonation in 'Have you ever…?' questions
- • Have you ever been to JaPAN? ↗
- • Have you ever felt that NERvous? ↗
- • Have you ever met anyone FAmous? ↗
- • And how did THAT go? ↗
How to say it
Yes/no questions in English RISE at the end. 'Have you ever lived abroad?' should curve up on 'abroad'. Many learners use a flat tone — it sounds tired and unfriendly. A clear rise signals curiosity and pulls the listener in.
Reading challenge · Section 5
8–10 minInterview: a chef's journey
Interviewer: 'Chef Anaya, you've cooked for presidents and celebrities. What's been the biggest turning point?' Anaya: 'Long story short — I quit law to train in a tiny restaurant in Lyon in 2010. My parents thought I'd gone mad. Looking back, it was the best decision I've ever made.' Interviewer: 'Have you ever wanted to give up?' Anaya: 'Of course. I've cried in walk-in fridges, I've burned entire menus. But I've never seriously thought about quitting. Out of curiosity, why do you ask?' Interviewer: 'Because anyone who's loved their job has had that day.'
Challenge 1.What did Anaya do before cooking?
Challenge 2.When did she start training?
Challenge 3.What does she call her career switch?
Q1.Anaya has cried at work.
Q2.She has seriously thought about quitting.
Q3.Her parents supported her decision immediately.
Listening challenge · Section 6
8–10 minPodcast: First Time / Last Time
Listening audio
Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.
Show transcript
Host:Welcome to First Time / Last Time. Today's guest — actor Kai Morgan. Kai, first question: have you ever been star-struck?
Kai:Oh, hugely. I met Meryl Streep at an event in 2019 and I literally forgot my own name. I've worked with big actors since, but that one — wow.
Host:And the last time you felt nervous on stage?
Kai:Last week, actually. I've been acting for twenty years, but opening nights still get me. I've never not been nervous.
Host:Out of curiosity — what's the best decision you've ever made?
Kai:Saying yes to a tiny indie film in 2014 when everyone said no. Long story short, it changed my career.
Challenge 1.Who did Kai meet?
Challenge 2.When was he last nervous?
Challenge 3.What was his best decision?
Skills challenge · Section 7
5 minCambridge PET — Speaking Parts 1 + 2 combined
Task
Answer personal experience questions AND turn them back into a 1-minute mini-interview with your partner.
Strategy
Examiners reward CIRCULATION — bouncing the question back keeps the conversation alive. After every answer, ask 'What about you?' or 'Have you ever…?' Show RANGE: PP for experience, PS for one specific story, one adverb (just/already/yet), one idiom. Five tools in 60 seconds.
Example
'I've travelled quite a bit — I've been to about 15 countries. My favourite was Vietnam; I went there in 2022 and it was a real turning point. What about you — have you ever travelled solo?'
Fluency builder · Section 8
8–10 minQuick-fire practice
Challenge 1.It was a real ____ point in my life.
Challenge 2.____ of curiosity, how did you find this job?
Challenge 3.I ____ ____ such a passionate speaker before.
Challenge 4.She ____ ____ from the conference an hour ago.
Challenge 5.Long ____ short, I changed my mind.
Q1.Make it an interview question (Present Perfect): 'You / ever / feel / really proud?'
Q2.Soften a nosy question: 'How much do you earn?' →
Q3.Compress: 'It's a really long explanation but in the end…' →
Writing challenge · Section 9
5 minShow what you can do
Your task
Write a 120-word magazine 'Q&A' profile of yourself. Include 4 questions and 4 answers. Each answer must mix Present Perfect (experience) with Past Simple (one specific detail).
Show model answer
Q: Have you ever lived abroad? A: Yes, I have. I spent a year in Canada in 2018 and it was the best decision I've ever made. Q: What's been your turning point? A: Quitting my office job in 2021. Long story short, I started freelancing and I've never looked back. Q: Out of curiosity, what's the bravest thing you've ever done? A: I went skydiving for my 30th birthday. I haven't done it again — once was enough! Q: Have you finished your novel yet? A: Almost! I've just written chapter ten and I'm aiming for fifteen.
Communication lab · Section 10
10–15 minTalk it out
EXPERIENCE LAB · Three rotating stations, 5 minutes each. STATION 1 (Mini-interview): A is journalist, B is celebrity guest — 4 'Have you ever…?' questions + Past Simple follow-ups. STATION 2 (Two truths and a Present Perfect lie): students invent 3 experience statements; partner asks Past Simple questions to spot the lie. STATION 3 (Bucket-list swap): pairs share top 3 places + recommend one each. Rotate. Teacher monitors for tense switching and reactions.
Useful phrases
- • Have you ever…?
- • Yes, I have / No, I haven't — actually, I…
- • Out of curiosity…
- • Long story short…
- • It was a real turning point.
- • You should totally…
- ASo, out of curiosity — what's the best decision you've ever made?
- B_______________
- AWow — I'd never have guessed. And have you ever regretted it?
- B_______________
Optional · Teacher-led
Teacher Activities
Pure fluency consolidation. Keep teacher talk under 20% — students should be speaking almost non-stop. ~32 min total
Keep it going · Section 11
Take-homeExtend it at home
Record a 3-minute mock interview with yourself — ask and answer 5 Present Perfect questions aloud.
Write a 120-word Q&A bio using all 5 Unit-4 tools (PP, PS switch, already/yet/just, idiom).
Watch a 5-min English celebrity interview; note every PP / PS switch you hear.
Checkpoint reflection · Section 12
2–3 minWhat you've reviewed
- Present Perfect = experience or unfinished time.
- Past Simple = specific, finished time.
- Use already / just / yet to add precision.
- Interview English = question + react + bounce back ('What about you?').
- Range beats perfection — aim for 4–5 tools in every minute of speech.