thanks tuk.

<P>so, in summary, might it be fair to say that pre-intermediate is to intermediate, what pre-elementary is to elementary?<P>and that, as with pre-elem/elem, one CAN skip the 'pre' stage and just jump up to the following exam, if one is really able to?<P>for the average candidate who might for example manage 'only' a pass at elementary level.....i imagine your advice, then, would be to put the time into a year's work on pre-inter, before being so bold as to attempt intermediate? would that be a fair guess? (given that neither of us can SEE any candidate over the internet!)<P>i get the impression this student is an older teen, and keen to get on with things in a hurry....<P>also, is there the option to take any of these major exams as a teacher, as there used to be....since i think this particular student has that goal (rather than performance)? <P>it used to be that one could take a major exam as a (prospective) teacher, if one was older, without having to do exercises full-out and without having to do pointe, for example - but one had to be able to demonstrate and explain well the full syllabus....