Interviewing our very own celebrity!

Meet Ana Beatriz (Bia), Dec. 2010's Grade B CPE holder, and winner of The Angela Dias Trophy. Angela Dias herself kindly agreed to come to Madureira Branch and hand Bia this remarkable award!


Bia was also awarded a special prize both for her dedication to this Blog and her outstanding score on the CPE exam.




Diogo Kubrusly (current contributor to this Blog) also took part in the event and called for a photo op with Angela.

Learn a little more about Bia, who agreed to answer a couple of questions in an exclusive interview for this Blog.

Q1. How does it feel to be a grade B CPE holder?

First of all, there’s a sense of relief – a weight off my shoulders. I still find it hard to believe, though. I didn't expect such a high grade.

Q2. Could you mention the key factors which led you to make such an accomplishment?

Well, I told myself ‘not passing’ was not an option. I wasn’t willing to spend those $560.00 again. Besides that, past papers, past papers and past papers..... I believe they're essential. It's important to know well the test and you can also learn so much from them. Also, Flo-Joe and Splendid speaking website everyday. The writing tasks from Flo-Joe were extremely helpful. I used to write a composition every week and that’s probably why my best performance was in the Writing Paper. The challenges from the blog helped me learn a lot, especially idioms, and they were really motivating.

Q3. Let us know how busy you were while preparing for the CPE and how you managed to find time to work as a full time teacher, take a prep. course, and excell as a BLOG contributor.

I was extremely busy. Free time is something I don't usually have, so I decided that I had to take every little opportunity to study. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I had long breaks between classes, then a colleague and I would always do a past paper or some other type of exercise. I used to carry a book or some printed exercises all the time. So whenever I managed to have a little break, I would have something to study.

Q4. Any hints & tips to the CPE candidates who follow this BLOG as well as to its contributors?

Well, I believe there’s no miracle. You have to study hard. So, do lots of exercises, attend the prep course and try to answer the challenges on the blog, of course. Be careful not to neglect any part of the test when you’re studying. At first I used to skip the reading paper because I found it too boring and time-consuming. And it was the Paper I found it to be more difficult on the D-day (my lowest grade as well). Don’t forget the speaking paper. I used to get together with two other colleagues and we would practice as if it were a real test – saying all the script.

Q5. Anything else you'd like to say?

Pay attention to how much time you spend doing the papers. Although I don’t usually have this kind of problem, I know lots of people who do. I would also recommend using the Objective Proficiency Workbook.

Q6. Thank you very much for your time, Bia!

You’re welcome! And thank you for everything!