UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
SECONDARY EDUCATION CERTIFICATE
SEC
SPANISH
May 2008
EXAMINERS’ REPORT
MATRICULTION AND SECONDARY EDUCATION CERTIFICATE EXAMINATIONS
BOARD
SEC Examiners’ Report – May 2008
SEC SPANISH
MAY 2008 SESSION
EXAMINERS’ REPORT
1.0 Summary of Results
The tables below show a summary of the distribution of grades for Paper IIA and Paper IIB for the
May 2008 Session.
Table 1 Distribution of Grades Paper IIA May 2008
Grade
Total IIA
% of Total
1
25
11.0
2
27
11.8
3
47
20.6
4
59
25.9
5
28
12.3
U
28
12.3
Abs
14
6.1
Total
228
100
Table 2 Distribution of Grades Paper IIB May 2008
Grade
Total IIB
% of Total
4
11
10.8
5
28
27.5
6
16
15.7
7
15
14.7
U
18
17.6
Abs
14
13.7
Total
102
100
2.0 General Comments
A look at the results obtained by 228 candidates who sat for the 2008 Spanish SEC Paper IIA shows
that 81.1% were awarded grades between 1 and 5. There were 102 candidates who sat for IIB where
38.3% achieved grades 4 to 5
2.1. 14 (6.1 %) out of 228 paper IIA candidates were absent for all the components of this
examination. This in marked contrast with 14 (13.7%) of the 102 IIB candidates who stayed away.
2.2. The examiners tried to present examination papers which were student-centred and studentfriendly. In fact, this was the guiding principle during the whole process from start to finish, that is,
from the setting and marking of the papers and then finally the awarding of grades. Moreover, well
detailed marking schemes were prepared with the setting of the examination papers.
3. 0. Report on Candidates’ Performance
3.1. Paper 1, Part 1 – Listening Comprehension.
3 different passages were set for 3 different sessions. The format was similar to that of the last years
where each question was allotted 1 mark. There were 5 multiple choice questions and another 5 True/
False questions. In general, the level obtained by the candidates was very good, showing that the
candidates understood the passage. It could be that some candidates found the passage Un gaucho
argentino da la vuelta al mundo a caballo slightly difficult.
This was a sample listening
comprehension extracted from the DELE (Diploma del Español Lengua Extranjera) beginners level
examination of the Instituto Cervantes.
3.2. Paper 1, Part 2 – Multiple Choice Grammar
Overall in this exercise, candidates fared better than in the last two years.
3.3. Paper 1, Part 2 - Cloze Test
The text chosen was not that difficult and its content was about Botín-El Restaurante más antiguo del
mundo. Candidates had to fill in using prepositions, adjectives, nouns and some verbs in the present
indicative and the past tense. There were 10 blanks to fill in and each answer carried 1 mark.
Although most of the vocabulary used was well within their reach, some candidates found the second
blank a bit difficult. Its answer should have been abrió sus puertas.
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SEC Examiners’ Report – May 2008
3.4. Paper 1, Part 2 – Cultural Component
Most candidates fared very good in this multiple choice exercise. There were 10 questions, 5 related
to the culture of Spain and another 5 to that of Latin America. These objective type questions assure
reliability and validity. The idea is to help candidates reason out the answers with the least recourse
to memorized matter. Hopefully this will have a positive washback effect on both teachers and
students. The highest mark in this exercise was 10 while the lowest mark was 2.
3.5. Paper IIA / Paper IIB – Exercise A. Reading Comprehension
On the whole, candidates were prepared for the reading comprehension though some need more
training to answer questions which require them to express themselves in reasonably correct
Spanish. Candidates should be prepared to avoid copying answers directly from the text. They
should be encouraged to answer using their own words. Full answers should be given whenever
possible. Most candidates of Paper IIA managed to find the word diario which also means periódico.
With regards to the reading comprehension of Paper IIB, some candidates thought that Los trenes
son para el verano was one of the names of the three trains asked for in question 3, because the
other three trains were also written in italics (Tren de la Cultura, Tren de Cervantes, Tren de la
Diversión). Taking in consideration question 6, some candidates did not realize that los más
pequeños in the text was referring to los niños pequeños and therefore did not answer the question
correctly because they chose one of the other trains instead of el tren de la diversión.
3.6. Paper IIA & IIB - Exercise B. Composition
The most popular composition for Paper IIA and Paper IIB was Hoy es su primer día de trabajo
como guía turístico/a … Escriba un informe/reportaje sobre Malta. Some candidates who opted for
the letter (Paper IIA) did not address the problems to the mayor in a coherent way. The same can be
argued for the e-mail to the manager of the agency (Paper IIB). Others did not adhere to the
conventions of letter writing layout (formal) and e-mail writing. Some creative and original ideas
prevailed in the composition Un día en la vida de un gato/pájaro. Very few candidates chose this title.
3.6.1 General comments
In general, candidates showed that they are well versed in the skills required to produce the
composition.
Limited vocabulary was noted throughout in both Paper A and B candidates. In fact this is one of the
main reasons for the unsatisfactory development of the tasks.
Nevertheless, as usual, some candidates memorized some descriptions for compositions. This was
evident because some sentences were identical within a series of candidates showing lack of
imagination and creativity.
Other candidates did not plan their language essay before presenting the final version. Therefore,
some paragraphs had mixture of ideas and even sentences in isolation.
Other candidates still find it difficult to conjugate simple verbs even in the present tense of the
indicative. Some of those who opted for compositions which required the use of the past tense
showed that they do not distinguish the different uses of the Pretérito Perfecto, Pretérito Imperfecto
and Pretérito Indefinido. The latter should be addressed seriously. Other aspects which have to be
dealt with are the rules of accentuation, correct use of prepositions, adjectival endings and differences
between ser, estar and haber.
An important cause of errors in foreign language learning is interference from another language that
the learner is already familiar with. Within this context, there are various languages which interfere
with the production of written Spanish. The predominant language of interference is Italian. Its
influence is evident in lexical, syntactic, morphological and orthographical aspects
3.7. Paper II A/ Paper IIB Exercise C – Guided Conversation
It is important that students get familiar to such daily life situations in the classroom to learn the basic
communicative skills. Moreover, it is advisable that candidates read the whole dialogue before trying
to fill in the blanks so as to be able to get a general idea of the situation. Some Paper IIA students
found the guided dialogue above their reach, they did not decipher the meaning of congelada and
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SEC Examiners’ Report – May 2008
sosa. With regards to Paper IIB the text was easier and shorter. The candidates could work out the
guided dialogues (Paper IIA & B) without the use of the past tense.
3.8 Conclusion
Students have limited opportunities of listening or exposure to the target language. As a result of their
limited experience of the target language, they make mistakes. It is evident that students of Spanish
read very little, resulting in vocabulary deficiency. There seems to be a good command of listening,
reading and speaking skills but results would certainly be better if writing skills were improved.
Chairperson
Board of Examiners
September 2008
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