Are you looking for a creative way to prepare your students for the Cambridge English exams? Using popular songs, you can turn challenging exam preparation into an engaging and memorable learning experience. I’ve found that these song-based activities not only make learning more enjoyable but also effectively build the specific skills needed to succeed in the B2 First (FCE) and C1 Advanced (CAE) exams.
This guide provides a curated list of lesson plans from my own teaching practice, categorized by each part of the Cambridge exams. You’ll find resources to help your students master everything from writing essays and emails to acing all four parts of the speaking test. Let’s dive in and discover how music can be a powerful tool in your exam prep toolkit.
Master the Cambridge Writing Paper with Music
The writing paper requires students to produce clear, well-structured texts. Songs can provide excellent models and inspiration for various writing tasks.
Writing an Essay (Part 1)
Essays in the Cambridge exams test your students’ ability to develop an argument and express their opinions. I use songs with strong themes to spark discussion and generate ideas.
- B2 First/C1 Advanced: Use “Popular” by The Weeknd & Madonna to explore themes of fame and societal pressure, providing a great foundation for an opinion essay.
- C1 Advanced: The song “Verse Chorus” can be used to analyze structure and lyrical meaning, helping students structure their own arguments logically.
Writing an Email (Part 2)
Informal and formal emails are common in the B2 and C1 exams. I’ve found that song-based role-playing can make this practice much more dynamic.
- B1/B2 Level: The “Song Lottery” activity is a fun way to practice writing emails with a clear purpose.
- B1/B2 Level: Use the optimistic theme of “Beautiful Life” by Now United to inspire positive and engaging email content.
Writing a Story (B2 First for Schools, Part 2)
Story writing requires creativity and narrative structure. Music videos and song lyrics are a fantastic source of inspiration for creating compelling stories.
- B2 First: “Sing It With Me” by JP Cooper helps practice all four language skills, with a focus on narrative.
- B2 First: OneRepublic’s “Didn’t I” can be used to teach storytelling through dialogue and past events, perfect for online lessons.
- B2 First: The “Musical Photo Story” activity with Sia’s “Together” encourages students to build a narrative from visuals and music.
- B2 First: With “Musical Video Match,” students connect different videos and songs to spark creative story ideas.
- B2 First: The “Musical Neighborhood” lesson plan uses music to help students describe settings and build atmosphere in their stories.
- B2 First: Use the narrative in Papa Roach’s music to have students write a story from three different perspectives.
- B2 First: Mix songs and settings with Coldplay’s “Humankind” to get students thinking creatively about their story’s environment.
- B2 First: This lesson plan is specifically designed to prepare students for the B2 First exam by focusing on story writing with lyrics.
- B2 First: Funny music videos from artists like Billie Eilish and BTS are great for inspiring humorous and engaging stories.
- B2 First: Continue the fun with clips from Panic! At The Disco and Paramore to practice creative writing.
Boost Your Students’ Confidence for the Speaking Paper
The speaking paper can be the most nerve-wracking part of the exam. Using songs helps students relax, speak more spontaneously, and practice specific parts of the test in a low-pressure environment.
Speaking Part 1 (Interview)
Part 1 requires students to answer questions about themselves. I use songs with personal themes to get students talking.
- C1 Advanced: The song “Traveler” is perfect for discussing experiences and personal journeys, common topics in Part 1.
Speaking Part 2 (Comparing Photographs)
In this part, students compare two photographs. I use song-related images and music videos to practice the language of comparison and speculation.
- B2/C1 Level: Use images related to Lewis Capaldi’s music to practice comparing and contrasting.
- B2/C1 Level: This lesson uses a VR theme to make the photo comparison task modern and exciting.
- B2 First: The theme of “Modern Loneliness” can be explored through comparing photos that represent connection and isolation.
Speaking Part 3 (Collaborative Task)
Part 3 involves a discussion with a partner. I use song themes as the basis for these collaborative tasks, encouraging students to express and justify their opinions.
- B2 First: This lesson plan uses song lyrics to create a discussion prompt similar to the Part 3 task.
Speaking Part 4 (Discussion)
Part 4 extends the themes from Part 3 into a broader discussion.
- B2 First: “Last Christmas” can spark discussions about past experiences and traditions.
- B1 Preliminary: R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion” is great for B1 students to practice expressing opinions on abstract topics.
Sharpen Skills for the Reading and Use of English Paper
This paper tests grammar and vocabulary knowledge. Song lyrics are authentic texts filled with collocations, idioms, and varied grammatical structures.
Use of English Part 1 (Multiple-Choice Cloze)
- B2 First: This activity uses song lyrics for a classic multiple-choice cloze exercise.
- B2 First: Lauv’s “Modern Loneliness” provides context-rich sentences for practicing vocabulary.
Use of English Part 2 (Open Cloze)
- B2 First: Use Marina’s “To Be Human” to practice with prepositions, articles, and pronouns.
- B2 First: Bebe Rexha’s “You Can’t Stop The Girl” is amotivational song for an open cloze activity.
- B2 First: Practice with “Musical Quotes” with Alec Benjamin.
- B2 First/C1 Advanced: These lesson plans offer more practice for the open cloze task using engaging songs.
Use of English Part 3 (Word Formation)
- B2 First: James Blunt’s “The Greatest” offers opportunities to practice word formation.
- B2 First: This lesson specifically targets word formation exercises using popular songs.
Reading & Use of English Part 7 (Gapped Text)
- B2 First: The “Zoom Song Battle” with two songs titled “Six Feet Apart” is a unique way to practice the gapped text format.
- B2 First: Miley Cyrus’s “Used To Be Young” provides a perfect narrative for a text-matching activity.
Additional Information
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How can songs help with Cambridge exam preparation?
Songs make exam prep more engaging and help students remember vocabulary and grammar naturally. The rhythm and repetition in music are powerful memory aids that I’ve seen improve both student motivation and scores.
Are these activities suitable for both B2 First and C1 Advanced levels?
Yes. Many activities can be adapted for both. I’ve noted the primary target level for each, but you can easily adjust the difficulty by extending the tasks or providing more support for your students.
My students find the speaking test difficult. How can songs help?
Songs are a great way to build speaking confidence. Discussing a song’s meaning feels more natural and less intimidating than a dry exam topic, helping students relax and speak more fluently.
How much class time do these activities take?
Most of these song-based activities are designed to be flexible. They can be used as a 15-20 minute warm-up or expanded into a full 45-60 minute lesson, depending on how many of the extension tasks you choose to use.
Want to bring Flow into your Classroom?
Know more HERE!
Author Bio:
About the Author:Márcia Bonfim is an ESL/EFL teacher and creator of the Song Activity Factory. She helps educators create engaging lessons using her signature BEAT+ Method, which features the MUSIC+ Framework. You can discover her complete methodology summary here.
Song Activity Factory 
6 comments