Delta Module One
Understanding language, methodology and
resources for teaching
Examination Report
June 2013
Contents
1
Comments on Overall Performance ..................................................................................................... 4
2
Delta Module One Markscheme ........................................................................................................... 6
2.1
Distribution of marks ..................................................................................................................... 6
2.2
Markscheme for each task............................................................................................................ 6
2.3
Grading ......................................................................................................................................... 7
3
Paper 1 Task 1 ..................................................................................................................................... 9
4
Paper 1 Task 2 ..................................................................................................................................... 9
5
Paper 1 Task 3 ................................................................................................................................... 10
5.1
Guideline Answer........................................................................................................................ 10
5.2
Candidate performance .............................................................................................................. 10
5.3
Sample Answers ......................................................................................................................... 11
6
Paper 1 Task 4 ................................................................................................................................... 14
6.1
Guideline Answer ........................................................................................................................ 14
6.2
Candidate performance .............................................................................................................. 17
6.3
Sample Answers ......................................................................................................................... 19
7
Paper 1 Task 5 ................................................................................................................................... 27
7.1
Guideline Answer ........................................................................................................................ 27
7.2
Candidate performance .............................................................................................................. 28
7.3
Sample Answers ......................................................................................................................... 30
8
Paper 2 Task 1 ................................................................................................................................... 34
8.1
Guideline Answer ........................................................................................................................ 34
8.2
Candidate performance .............................................................................................................. 35
8.3
Sample Answers ......................................................................................................................... 36
9
Paper 2 Task 2 ................................................................................................................................... 40
9.1
Guideline Answer ........................................................................................................................ 40
9.2
Candidate performance .............................................................................................................. 42
9.3
Sample Answers ......................................................................................................................... 44
10
10.1
Paper 2 Task 3 ............................................................................................................................... 50
Guideline Answer ........................................................................................................................ 50
2
10.2
Candidate performance .............................................................................................................. 50
10.3
Sample Answers ......................................................................................................................... 51
11
Paper 2 Task 4 ............................................................................................................................... 54
11.1
Guideline Answer ........................................................................................................................ 54
11.2
Candidate performance .............................................................................................................. 56
11.3
Sample Answers ......................................................................................................................... 57
3
1
Comments on Overall Performance
The Delta Module One examination was taken by over 570 candidates from 69 centres in a wide range of
countries. As in previous sessions, mean scores were above half the marks available for the exam for the
candidature as a whole.
Percentages of candidates achieving both Merit and Distinction grades continued to rise and more than
70% of candidates achieved a Pass. Key reasons why candidates may not achieve pass standard are as
follows:
•
•
•
•
•
The most common reason is that they do not possess sufficient knowledge and experience to be
able to address the different tasks and are therefore unable to perform at Delta standard.
A large majority of candidates have a very poor knowledge of language systems, particularly
describing grammatical and lexical form/use and phonology which can result in a significant loss of
marks in Paper One, Tasks 4 and 5. Candidates and centres alike need to increase / improve their
level of language input.
Some candidates who enter the examination without having taken a preparation course may have
insufficient awareness of task requirements. Candidates should refer to the previous Module One
Examination reports. These give clear guidance as to what candidates have to do in order to
increase their chances of success in the examination.
Some candidates who follow a preparation course may have received inadequate or inaccurate
centre guidance. From Examiner comments this year, this seems to have been less of a problem
than in previous sessions although some lack of accurate guidance is still evident.
Some candidates do not manage their time effectively. As stated in the June 2012 exam report,
Task 4 in both Papers One and Two and Task 5 in Paper One carry a large number of marks and
candidates are strongly advised to allow adequate time for these tasks. Candidates are free to
attempt the tasks in the order of their choosing and those candidates who attempted the high
scoring tasks first were therefore able to complete them fully and maximise the number of marks
that they could gain for them. The majority of candidates attempted all the tasks but tended to omit
sections in Paper One, Task 4 although it is not clear whether this was because of lack of time or
lack of knowledge.
The mean scores for both papers were around 55%, with the overall mean score being entirely in line with
previous sessions. In Paper One, Task 1 candidate performance was reasonable, with the average number
of marks achieved being 4 (see page 6 below for marks allocation by task). Candidates performed less well
in Task Two than in previous sessions with the average number of marks achieved being 5. Task 3
performance was well in line with previous sessions with an average of 9 marks achieved. The mean score
for Task 4 continued to show improvement with the mean score being 28. Candidates also performed well in
Task 5 with an average score of 12 marks. Overall, candidates performed slightly less well on Paper One
than in June 2012 but in line with June 2011.
In Paper Two, Task 1 continued to generate a high number of marks with more than half the candidates
achieving at least 13 marks. The mean score for Task 2 continued to be 16, as it was in June 2012.
However, candidates generally performed better on part (a) than on part (b) which may be a sign that
candidates need more training in how to approach this part of the task and in identifying the kind of
principles that can inform the design of teaching material. Candidate performance in Task 3 was in line with
previous sessions with the average score being 5 marks. In contrast with June 2012, candidates performed
well on Task 4 with the mean score being 21 marks. Examiners noted that the majority of candidates
responded well to the focus on writing skills and were able to approach both parts of the task with
confidence. Overall, Paper Two scores were in line with previous sessions and it was very positive that
candidate performance was balanced over the two papers.
Please see each task for examiner comments on individual task performance.
4
General advice
Candidates are strongly advised to do the following in order to maximise their performance in the
examination:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
read the previous Examination Reports in detail to ensure that they understand how to approach
each task and how the marks are allocated
make use of the suggested times given on the question papers to complete each task - the times
relate to the number of marks available for the questions. Candidates are not penalised if they
outline more features than asked for in Paper One, Tasks 3 and 5, and in Paper Two, Tasks 1 and
2b, but they should note that this is a dangerous strategy as providing more features than asked
for takes away time from other tasks. Adding one more feature in these tasks may be a useful
safety net but doing more than this can jeopardise other tasks.
read question rubrics very carefully, underlining or highlighting key points they contain. It is
essential that candidates provide the information asked for and do not provide unrequested
information. While no marks are deducted for wrong or irrelevant information, candidate time is
wasted and no marks are gained by providing unrequested information.
plan the order in which they are going to answer the tasks and complete at least two full mock
examinations in timed conditions to get used to the exam format and time requirements
do not waste time making rough notes – there is no time available for this. Instead candidates
should do what is suggested in the above bullet point and do more tasks under timed conditions to
get used to the requirements and formats of the different tasks.
follow the layout as suggested in each task. Use bullet points to organise their answers and save
time
start each task on a new page and clearly label their answers, showing what task or part of a task
they are answering
lay their answers out with plenty of space – candidates might find it easier to write their answers on
every other line in the answer booklet. Many answers were very cramped and written in the
margins, making it very difficult for Examiners to mark the tasks. Candidates need to consider their
audience and by leaving extra space, they can include more points later in the exam if they realise
that they have something more to add.
5
2
Delta Module One Markscheme
2.1 Distribution of marks
In Delta Module One, candidates accumulate marks across questions and it is the total number of
marks obtained across the two papers that determine which grade a candidate is awarded. Candidates
do not therefore gain a grade for each task.
Answers are marked against a detailed markscheme containing guideline answers, with candidates
being awarded marks for each correct answer given. Relevant alternative wordings and examples are
accepted. The number of marks available for each task is as follows:
Paper 1
Task 1
6
Task 2
12
Task 3
15
Task 4
40
Task 5
27
Total
100
Paper 2
Task 1
20
Task 2
30
Task 3
10
Task 4
40
Total
100
Grand
Total
200
Points made twice within an answer are not credited twice and no marks are deducted for wrong
answers.
2.2 Markscheme for each task
Paper 1 Task 1
One mark is awarded for each correct answer.
Paper 1 Task 2
A total of three marks are available per answer:
one mark for the basic definition
one mark for a further point made
one mark for a correct example
Note: The further point is only awarded if the basic definition is correct; only one further point is allowed
per question; the example can be awarded a point, even if the definition is not correct.
6
Paper 1 Task 3
One mark is awarded for each language feature correctly identified.
A further two marks are awarded for each correct example / illustration. An example cannot be
awarded marks if the feature is not identified.
Paper 1 Task 4
One mark is awarded for each point correctly made up to a maximum of 40.
Note: in a, there is a maximum of five marks available and a mark is only awarded if a correct
example is given.
Paper 1 Task 5
a
One mark is awarded for each strength correctly identified up to a maximum of three
marks.
One mark is awarded for each example from the text illustrating the strength identified, up to a
maximum of three marks. Note: no mark can be given for an example if its accompanying
strength has not been correctly identified.
One mark is awarded for each weakness correctly identified up to a maximum of three marks.
One mark is awarded for each example from the text illustrating the weakness identified, up to
a maximum of three marks. Note: no mark can be given for an example if its accompanying
weakness has not been correctly identified.
Additional marks may be awarded for knowledge and insight into why and how the strengths and
weaknesses aid or negate the effectiveness of the text.
b
One mark is awarded for each justification given for the weakness prioritised, up to three marks.
One additional mark is awarded for each justification that is fully developed.
Paper 2 Task 1
One mark is awarded for each positive / negative feature identified. An additional mark is awarded
for each positive / negative feature identified if its application to the learner is also identified.
Up to two additional marks are awarded for accurate use of four testing terms throughout the
answer. However these additional marks cannot be awarded if more than two terms are used
inaccurately and the use of the terms must occur in valid points.
Paper 2 Task 2
Two marks are awarded for each purpose correctly identified.
One mark is awarded for each assumption listed.
Two additional marks are awarded for two reasons given for an assumption.
Paper 2 Task 3
One mark is awarded for each correct point made, up to a maximum of 10.
Paper 2 Task 4
Two marks are awarded for each correct point made, up to a maximum of 40.
2.3 Grading
Results are recorded as three passing grades (Pass with Distinction, Pass with Merit, Pass) and one
failing grade (Fail).
At the end of the marking process, there is a grading meeting to determine precisely how many
marks are required to obtain each of the passing grades. The grade boundaries are set in a way that
ensures that the level of knowledge required to obtain the three passing grades:
is consistent with the band descriptors on page 7 of the Delta Modules Handbook
is the same from one session to the next
does not vary as a result of slight variations in the difficulty of the papers.
7
The following information is used in the grading process:
statistics on the candidature
comparison with statistics from previous years’ examination performance and candidature
recommendations of examiners, based on the performance of candidates.
The marks required to obtain each grade are:
Pass
Pass with Merit
Pass with Distinction
approximately 50%
approximately 65%
approximately 75%
8
3
Paper 1 Task 1
For examples of Task 1 questions, detailed feedback on how to approach this task, and comments on
sample answers, see previous Examination Reports on the Cambridge English Teaching Support
website.
As in previous sessions, candidates are recommended to:
only write the required term, not giving an example or any extra information
not provide alternative answers
spell terms correctly; a very limited number of alternative spellings are accepted
provide an answer, even if they are not sure it is correct.
4
Paper 1 Task 2
For examples of Task 2 questions, detailed feedback on how to approach this task, and comments on
sample answers, see previous Examination Reports on the Cambridge English Teaching Support
website.
As in previous sessions, candidates are recommended to:
only write about four terms
give a basic definition, an example and one item of further information for each term
lay out their answers clearly using the sub-headings of Point, Further Point, Example.
9
5
Paper 1 Task 3
The extract for this task is a speaking activity for pre-intermediate (CEFR A2/B1) level learners.
Identify a total of five key language features learners at this level would need in order to complete the
activity successfully. Provide an example specific to this activity to support each choice.
Examples of lexis for possessions are provided in the task. Do not write about this lexis for possessions
in your answer.
5.1 Guideline Answer
Offering things for sale / polite requests
Example Would you like to buy my X? Would you like to look at it?
Asking for / giving reasons for selling the object
Example Why do you want to sell your jacket? It’s too small for me
Interrupting / time creating devices / asking for clarification / hedging / back-channelling
Example Can I just ask a question? What do you mean? I might want to see it, Let me think for a minute.
Asking for / saying prices/currency/numbers
Example How much is the pen? What do you want for the pen? It’s thirteen ninety nine. It’s only £2.
Agreeing a sale / rejecting a deal / agreeing & disagreeing
Example Done, it’s a deal, I’ll take it, No, I don’t want it
Bargaining, negotiating, (use of will) to make offers, counter offering, 1st conditional
Example It’s worth more than that… No I want £200, it’s a bargain, Will you take £5? If I pay in cash, I’ll
give you £40 for it
Vocabulary to express value / buying & selling / asking for a discount
Example It’s expensive/cheap, it’s worth £10, will you give me a discount?
Language of persuasion / (use of modals) for suggestions
Example Go on, it’s really good quality, it’s just what you need, you should buy it
Comparatives / superlatives
Example Can I have it any cheaper? It’s too expensive
Adjectives / adverbs to describe objects
Example It’s very beautiful / useful
5.2 Candidate performance
This task discriminated well between candidates who could identify the different types of functional
language which learners would need to complete the task successfully and those who had little
experience of teaching functional language. The average number of marks gained for this task was 9 with
most candidates being able to identify and give an appropriate example of 3 features.
The most common features identified were:
• adjectives / adverbs to describe objects
• ability to negotiate
• asking for / saying prices/numbers/currency
The least common features identified were:
• asking for / giving reasons for selling the object
• offering things for sale / polite requests
10
The inaccurate/imprecise features listed below were frequently identified:
• adjacency pairs (too vague with no reference to appropriate functions)
• asking and answering questions / question forms (too vague with no reference to appropriate
functions)
• opening/closing conversations (too general, applies to any conversation)
• turn taking (too general, applies to any conversation)
• present simple (too general and below the level of the learners)
• discourse markers (too general, not specific to this genre)
• modals for ability/possibility rather than for suggestions
Candidates are recommended to:
• read the rubric carefully
• only discuss what the rubric requires
• outline no more than six features (five as the task requires and a maximum of one extra one for
‘insurance’)
• research features of spoken and written discourse in depth in terms of what different text types
require
• make sure their answers cover a range of relevant subskills and discourse features
• avoid relying on pre-learnt answers from previous Guideline Answers
• make sure their answers, including examples, are specific to the activity described in the task
• always give examples and avoid repeating any one example
• provide one example for each feature
• provide full language examples, not just sentence stems
• remember the level of the learners (pre-intermediate in this case) and give examples which
learners at this level could realistically produce
• avoid repeating any of the wording of the extract in their answers
• avoid including any information on why the feature is included
• list the points they wish to make, avoiding any introduction, summary or conclusion
• use a bullet point or similar format when answering the task
• lay their answer out using the headings of Feature and Example to ensure that they include both
requirements.
5.3 Sample Answers
5.3.1 The following sample answer gained almost full marks
pre – int learners – 5 lang. features
•
initiating a conversation
e.g. Hello, I’ve got this lovely jacket for only 80 Euros.
•
using positive adjectives for the given items to highlight their good quality
e.g. This jacket is really fashionable.
•
turn-taking subskill / interruption
e.g. Sorry but I have to say it’s a bit shabby
•
agreeing / disagreeing
e.g. Well, I don’t think this jacket is fashionable. [or I can’t agree with you about the quality of
this pen.]
e.g. This jacket is only 80 Euros. or I can’t give 80 Euros for that, I’ve got only 50 Euros for
that jacket. or: I can pay 20 Euros less for that.
e.g. Alright, you can have it for 50 Euros. Thank you. Have a nice day.
•
back-chanelling to show your interest, surprise
e.g. How much did you say? It’s incredibly high! What? 80 Euros? Nooo!
11
•
use of CAN/CAN’T
e.g. Can you give me 80 Euros for this jacket?
Sorry, I can’t. I don’t have that much.
•
use of quantifiers such as much, too much, little etc.
e.g. It’s too much!
I can’t give you that much for it.
I need a little discount.
Examiner’s comments on sample answer
Out of the nine features that the candidate lists, four are accurate and are accompanied by an
appropriate and full example: the use of adjectives to describe objects; language to interrupt a
speaker/back-channel (stated twice); agreeing and disagreeing (stated twice); and saying
numbers/prices. The features of initiating a conversation is not specific to this text type and the last
point on the use of quantifiers is not clearly enough stated to be credited as vocabulary to express
value. The reference to can/can’t could not be credited because the candidate did not state that the text
required modals for suggestions or language for making polite requests. The examiners noted that
whilst it was positive that the candidate identified four features, she wasted time by outlining another
five and also by producing more than one example for each feature.
5.3.2 The following sample answer gained just under half the marks available for this task
1.
Learners would need to be able to use cardinal and ordinal numbers.
For instance:
2.
Learners would need to activate conversational strategies such as turn taking, conversation
repair, opening and closing language and back channeling
E.g.
3.
‘the first item I would like to sell is my book’.
‘You can buy my jacket for just €80’
A:
B:
A:
B:
I would like to start by selling my book.
Your notebook?
No, my coursebook.
OK, I see.
Learners would need to use interrogative structures including question forms using ‘wh’
questions at A2/B1 level.
For example:
‘How much is the pencil?’
‘What discount will you give?’
‘Which of my 3 items would you like to buy?’
4.
The learners would need to use negotiating language in order to get a discount on what their
partner is selling.
For example:
A: ‘Would you be able to reduce that slightly?’
B: ‘Well, I can give you perhaps ten percent off.’
5.
The learners would need to use adjectives in order to describe what they were selling. For
example: ‘My brown, leather jacket’, ‘a black and gold ink pen’, ‘a small, red notebook’. They
would also have to sequence adjectives in appropriate order at pre-intermediate level.
6.
Learners would have to summarising and concluding language at the end of the task and
perhaps at each stage when items are sold.
For example
‘So, finally you agree to buy the pen for £2’, ‘We are all done with today’s sale’.
12
Examiner’s comments on sample answer
This answer contains six features but only three of them could be credited: the use of back
channelling/conversational repair; negotiating language; and the use of adjectives to describe objects.
Of these three features, the second one did not gain any marks for the examples because they were
too linguistically complex for a pre-intermediate learner to produce. The example for conversational
repair was clearly stated and appropriate to the level but as with the first sample, there were too many
examples for the feature of positive adjectives. The remaining three features could not be credited
because there were either imprecise or too general/specific for the genre. The candidate needed to
write numbers to say prices for the first point to be credited; and the use of interrogative structures
and summarising/concluding language could apply to most spoken situations. A positive feature of this
answer is the layout which is neat with the examples clearly highlighted.
5.3.3 The following sample answer obtained just under half the marks available
•
Functional language of negotiation
e.g. I can’t take €50, can you offer €70?
•
Ability to use modals correctly
•
Lexis of numbers and money
•
Rejecting a proposal in polite fashion.
e.g.
e.g. “I will accept €30 but sdf I can’t accept €20”
e.g. “Will you accept thirty five, fifty?’ or
Examiner’s comments on sample answer
This answer gained the same number of marks as the previous sample but is much shorter, and
therefore more efficient in terms of its use of time. The candidate outlines four (instead of five)
features, of which three were credited: language of negotiation (with an appropriate example); lexis of
money (also with an appropriate example) and rejecting a deal (with no example provided). The
feature of modals could not be credited because the candidate needed to say which functional use this
would be, i.e. modals to make a suggestion, and the example would have to match this use. Again,
layout was reasonable.
13
6
Paper 1 Task 4
a
The text is a promotional leaflet. Identify five features of the text that are characteristic of its genre.
Give one example of each feature you identify. Do not include features of layout.
b
Comment on the form, use and features of connected speech of the phrase in bold below.
• What is ‘Give Us A Break’ (line 4)
c
Comment on the form and use of the verb forms in bold in the following extracts.
• Having identified that some youngsters (line 35)
• Once your application is approved (line 45)
• After you have returned home (line 56)
d
Comment on the form of to in the following four extracts from the text.
•
•
•
•
The Saturday Special Holiday gave the children an opportunity to get involved (lines 12-15)
YHA does not apportion any administration costs to the scheme (lines 29-30)
the group will be unable to afford the cost (line 36)
send it with photographs and comments to your local newspapers (lines 58-60)
6.1 Guideline Answer
a features of a promotional leaflet
Organisation
• Manageable chunks separated boxes/paragraphs/sections, e.g. lines 5-11
• Mission statement it starts with the organisation’s aim / mission statement
• Overall organisation e.g. starts with general description and continues to give more details, with
contact details at the end (candidates had to mention 2 points)
• Question + Answer format e.g. What is Give Us a Break, Where does the money come from?
Content
• Contact details for further information e.g. Email: giveusabreak@yha.org.uk or telephone number:
01629 592638 (contact details could only be credited once under organization or content)
• Quotes/testimonials from clients e.g. It was wonderful to see our inner city kids experiencing the
countryside, many of them for the first time
Style
• Semi formal / formal / neutral language / style e.g. the grant is for allocation by, no contractions
• Polite tone e.g. we are always delighted to receive, please use
Grammatical/Lexical
• Play on words/catchy name (to attract potential clients and donors) i.e. Give us a break
• You/second person singular/plural (to address reader directly) e.g. after you have returned home
14
• Present simple (to describe procedure) e.g. Give us a Break supports…
• Emotive / emphatic / positive lexis (to create interest / involve the reader), e.g. disadvantaged
children, it was wonderful to see our …
• Participles present and/or past participles (to convey information succinctly) e.g. youngsters
travelling, a letter confirming
b
form, use and features of connected speech of phrase in bold
What is ‘Give Us A Break’ (line 4)
Form
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Use of capitals
Inverted commas to indicate name / separate out from usual expression use
Imperative / bare infinitive
Transitive
Indirect/object / pronoun
First person plural
Indefinite article
Singular/countable / noun
Direct object (break)
Use
•
•
•
•
Title of organisation
Colloquial/informal
(Semi-) fixed expression/phrase/lexical chunk/idiom/formulaic language
Double meaning / literal meaning asking for a holiday & idiomatic meaning: give us an opportunity
Features of connected speech
• Weak form / schwa of us /\s/ and/or a /\/
• Consonant + vowel linking / catenation/ liaison giveH usH a / /gˆv\s\/
• Stress on give and/or break
c
form and use of verb forms
Having identified (line 35)
Form
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Present participle having / non-finite verb
Having is the auxiliary
Past participle identified
Regular verb identify
Participle clause
No subject
e is dropped in have
y  ie in identified
15
Use
•
•
•
•
Forefronts action/process (because puts verb in initial position) // sequencing (actions in the process)
The identification is a completed action
To make the process sound more formal/professional
Makes text more concise/shorter
is approved (line 45)
Form
• Auxiliary be
• Regular verb approve
• Past participle approved
• 3rd person singular
• Present simple
• Passive
• The agent is omitted / ellipted
Use
• Subject/your application is the recipient of the action
• Focus on the application / the customer is important/given priority/agent is assumed
• To make the process sound more formal/professional
• Refers to a completed action / one action in a sequence
have returned (line 56)
Form
• Auxiliary have
• Regular verb return
• Past participle returned
• 2nd person singular
• Present perfect simple
• Will /future form cannot be used following after
Use
• Sequencing actions/events
• Completed past action / used to describe a finished event in the future
d
form of to
The Saturday Special Holiday gave the children an opportunity to get involved (lines 12-15)
• Forms part of infinitive / is the infinitive marker
• Part of noun pattern/collocation an opportunity to do something / part of verb pattern gave an
opportunity to get involved
YHA does not apportion any administration costs to the scheme (lines 29-30)
• (Dependent) preposition
• Part of verb pattern/collocation to apportion something to something else
• Introduces prepositional phrase to the scheme
16
the group will be unable to afford the cost (line 36)
• Forms part of infinitive / is the infinitive marker
• Part of the adjective pattern/collocation (un)able to do something
send it with photographs and comments to your local newspaper (lines 58-60)
• (Dependent) preposition
• Part of the verb pattern/collocation to send something to somewhere/someone
• Introduces prepositional phrase to your local newspaper
6.2 Candidate performance
This task continues to discriminate well between candidates who have good language awareness and
provide detailed answers and therefore gain the maximum number of marks available and those who
are not close to Delta standard. Some candidates did not appear to realise the level of detail that they
have to provide. However, overall, it was very encouraging to see some very high scores and that more
than 35% of the cohort obtained more than 50% of the total marks. Candidates performed well on parts
b and c (analysing a lexical item and participle structures) but some struggled to recognise the
grammatical patterns in part (d).
a
features of the text characteristic of a promotional leaflet
The most common features identified were:
• question + answer format
• quotes/testimonials from clients
• contact details
The least common features identified were:
• polite tone
• play on words in the title
• use of participles
The inaccurate/imprecise features listed below were frequently identified:
• the use of grammatical features such as imperatives, passives and relative clauses (not specific to
a promotional leaflet)
• features of layout which were excluded in the rubric (e.g. visuals, title, columns)
• organisation of the leaflet (candidates described the content rather than saying how it was
organised)
• omission of examples, particularly for question + answer format and contact details (this meant
that a mark could not be awarded)
• informal style
b
form, use and features of connected speech of Give us a break
Most candidates performed well on this part of the task and were able to identify points from the three
sections. Examiners commented that candidates were more confident analysing form and there was also
improvement with phonology.
The most common points identified were:
• imperative / bare infinitive
• transitive
• pronoun
• indefinite article
• singular/countable noun
• colloquial/informal
• lexical chunk
17
•
•
•
double meaning
weak form
stress
The least common points identified were:
• use of capitals
• inverted commas to indicate the name of the organisation
• direct object break
The inaccurate/imprecise points listed below were frequently identified:
• first person plural was described as first person with no mention of plural
• bare infinitive was described as base form
• indefinite was mis-spelt as *indefinate
• consonant + vowel linking was mis-identified as being elision or assimilation
• Break was analysed as ending in a glottal stop
• Points could not be awarded for the phonology because there was no use of phonemic script for
the schwa; the phonemic script was not written accurately or between slashes; the linking was not
indicated clearly as in the GLAs
• A few candidates analysed the whole question, i.e. What is Give us a break? rather than just the
words in bold which was not what the rubric required
c
form and use of verb forms: having identified; is approved; have returned
There were a large number of marks available for this part of the task and those candidates who had
been trained to provide a high level of detail in terms of form and use performed well.
The most common points identified were:
• Past participles identified, approved, returned
• Regular verbs identify, approve, return
• Auxiliaries having, be, have
• Present simple
• Passive
• To focus on the application (is approved)
The least common points identified were:
• Having identified as a participle clause with no subject
• The use of having identified to forefront the action or that the identification is a completed action
• The agent is elipted in is approved
• The subject is the recipient of the action in is approved and it refers to a completed action
• The fact that will as a future form cannot be used following after
• That have returned is used to describe a completed action or a finished event in the future
The inaccurate/imprecise points listed below were frequently identified:
• Auxiliary was often abbreviated (aux) or mis-spelt (auxiiliary) and so received no mark
• Imprecision in naming verb forms, e.g. Present perfect rather than present perfect simple
• The past participles identified, approved, returned were described as being simple past forms
• Having was described as a gerund or the past continuous rather than as the present participle
d
form of to
This part of Task 4 proved to be the most challenging as candidates struggled to identify the grammatical
patterns. The key problems were:
• Many candidates did not explicitly state that to was part of the infinitive / the infinitive marker and
rather labelled it as being the infinitive rather than full infinitive
• Others confused which examples were part of the infinitive and which were prepositions
• Others stated that to in to the scheme and to your local newspaper were adverbs or adjectives
• Many candidates thought that unable was a verb
• Other candidates labelled the infinitives as infinitives of purpose
18
•
Very few candidates were able to state that to was either part of a noun, verb or adjective pattern,
an indication that centres need to do more training in terms of recognising a variety of grammatical
forms/patterns.
Candidates are recommended to:
in Part (a), only state five features and give one example for each as only a maximum of 5 marks
are available in this section
to avoid spending time saying why the features have been included as no marks are allocated
for this beyond what is stated in the Guideline Answer
in Parts (b)–(d), make as many points as possible, as indicated in the Guideline Answer
read the rubric carefully to see exactly what they are required to discuss
pay attention to the words given in bold and only comment on them in the way required,
not on accompanying or surrounding words
make sure they consistently provide the full information required, including giving examples when
asked for
make use of precise linguistic / technical terms rather than the more simplified terms they might
use with students, e.g. bare infinitive NOT base form; past participle NOT third form of the verb
spell these terms correctly: marks will not be awarded if terms are incorrectly spelt
use the phonemic script / phonological symbols where appropriate: candidates will not be awarded
marks if this is not used where required or used accurately
only comment on pronunciation/phonology in sections where it is specifically mentioned in the rubric
research the use of language items as well as the form
lay out their answers in list form, and make it clear what part of the answer they are writing about
use plenty of space/paper to write out their answers, writing on every other line to ensure that
they do not write in the margins or make it difficult for the Examiners to locate their answers
make as many points as possible in Task 4 (within the time available) as it carries almost half the
marks available in Paper One
allocate enough time for this task and attempt all parts of the task.
6.3 Sample Answers
6.3.1 The following sample answer gained a high number of the points available
4a)
• Feature: Content: Inclusion of
Example: L1-3 = ‘YHA’s Aim’
organisations ‘mission statement’
• Organisation: Use of sub-headings or titles for paragraphs so the reader can
easily navigate the text / find information they need.
L4: ‘What is ‘Give Us A Break’ ’ followed by L5-11 = explanation
Example:
• Language: Use of passive structures implies formal style
Example:
L45 ‘Once your application is approved’
• Content: Inclusion of feedback about organisation’s work.
Example: L50-54 = Quote from school.
• Language: Use of present simple to describe what organisation does /facts about
organisation
Example L23 ‘YHA members and supporters raise the money …’
4b
What is ‘Give Us A Break’
•
Form
Give
Us
= Imperative form, bare infinitive
= 1st person plural, personal object pronoun
19
A
= Indefinite article, determiner
Break = Noun, nominalisation of verb using bare infinitive
→ Capitalisation of first letter in each word to show it’s the title of a scheme
•
Use → Title of scheme
→ Informal expression
→ Use of question form without question mark
•
Connected Speech → Linking/Catenation of consonant – vowel in Give H us /gˆvʌs/
→ weak form of ‘A’ /a/ because it is unstressed
→ Main stress on ‘Break’, secondary stress on ‘Give’
→ /k/ sound in ‘Break’ is unexploded plosive
4c)
Having
identified L35
is approved
L45
FORM
• Having = present participle of
verb ‘have’
= non-finite verb (doesn’t
show tense, number or person)
= auxiliary verb
Spelling of present participle: verb
ends in -e so e + ing
• identified = past participle of
verb identify
Spelling rule: -y
= omit ‘y’ and + ed
USE
• Means that it is identified before
the leader applies for ‘Give Us A
Break’
• is = 3rd person singular form of
verb ‘be’
= auxiliary verb
• approved = past participle form
of approve
spelling = verb ending
in ‘e’ = +d
• Passive used to show subject
doesn’t perform action
• Present simple
• Passive
4c)
have
returned
4d)
•
• Forms part of a subordinate
clause
• Formal
• No agent needed because it is
obvious that the organisation is
the agent
• Formal
• Part of subordinate clause
FORM
USE
• Present Perfect simple
• have = 2nd person present
simple verb form
= auxiliary verb
• Part of subordinate clause
• returned = regular
past participle of verb return (+
ed)
opportunity to get involved
→ dependent preposition
→ dependent on/used with ‘opportunity’
opportunity + infinitive with ‘to’
20
• Present Perfect Simple used to
show action in past but specific
as to when
• Simple to show completed, not
ongoing or repeated, action
•
costs to the scheme
→ preposition → directional
→ dependent on verb ‘apportion’
apportion + noun/pronoun + to + someone/something
(v)
direct object
indirect object
•
be unable to afford
→ part of infinitive with to
be + unable + infinitive with to
• comments to your ……
→ preposition
→ directional (where to send things)
→ dependent on send
send + object + to + place/destination
Examiner’s comments on sample answer
Part a
The candidate gains maximum points for this section by identifying five features with an example for
each one. The features are the organisation’s mission statement; the use of a question/answer format;
the use of a formal style; quotes; and the present simple. It is particularly positive that the candidate
has outlined a feature of organisation, one of content, one of style and one of grammar, thereby
showing a good range of analysis. The layout of this part of the task is clear.
Part b
The candidate is very detailed and accurate in her answer and she makes 11 points out of a possible
16 in terms of form, use and pronunciation. She could be more precise in her analysis of break as a
noun by saying that it is countable or singular and that it is a direct object. She could also state that
the verb break is transitive. In terms of meaning, she does not recognise that Give us a Break is a
fixed expression which is being used with a double meaning. However, her phonological analysis is
very sound and she identifies all three points in this section with a good use of phonemic script and
symbols to indicate where linking takes place. The layout is neat.
Part c
Here the candidate gains 21 out of a possible 31 marks, an indication that she has been well trained to
analyse form and use in detail. She misses that having identified and is approved are both regular verbs
and that having identified is a participle clause which contains no subject. In terms of use, she does not
state that both the identification and the approval are completed actions and that the use of a participle
clause makes the text more concise. She also does not recognise is approved and have returned refer
to one action in a sequence. There is a lack of precision in her analysis of have returned when she
writes 2nd person rather than 2nd person singular although it is positive that she writes present perfect
simple rather than just present perfect for which she would not have received a mark. Candidates
should note that they must reproduce the precision indicated in the Guideline Answers in order to be
awarded the point.
Part d
The candidate’s response to this part of the task is strong and she gains seven out of a possible ten
points. She shows that she can recognise when to is acting as an infinitive marker or as a preposition
and what grammatical pattern this follows, e.g. a noun pattern in an opportunity to get involved although
she does not recognise that will be unable to is part of an adjective pattern. There is also no mention
that the prepositions introduce prepositional phrases. As in the other sections, there is no unnecessary
detail or repetition.
6.3.2 The following sample answer gained just over half the marks available for this task
4a
•
Organisation
the text is in small paragraphs eg Give us …….
•
(line 5 → (line 11)
Hostel trip)
Bullet points of information, eg under ‘How it works’. (line 8)
21
(line1)
•
Overall aim/purpose of leaflet at the top then explanation eg YHA’s aim …
Grammar/Lexis
•
Questions that someone reading the leaflet may ask eg: “What is ‘give us a break’
Where does the money come from? (line 22)
• Written in full form, not contracted , eg ‘it does not’ (line 8 )
• Use of more formal
language eg ‘photographs’ (line 58) not abreviations.
(line 4)
Content
• lots of information on the organisation. eg
• quotes given from proffesionals to uphold the information eg (line 13-21)
• email address and phone numbers given for further contact. eg give us a break @ yaha.org.uk
(line 72)
Style
•
informative style with questions and answers eg where does it the money come from?
(line22)
4
b
form
•
•
•
•
•
written with capitol letters as it is a tittle so proper nouns.
written inside speech marks to show it is a title of something.
Imperitive form of the verb used.
use of 1st person plural
(bare infinitive) + (object) + (noun phrase)
use
• used as a title for an organisation.
• used as the name of the sentence.
• use of a fixed phrase to play on words. Give us a break in the fixed phrase means to stop doing
something annoying, here it is used to mean a holiday.
Connected speech /gˆvʌz\ breɪk/
• liasion of /gˆv/ and /ʌz/ to /gˆvʌz/
• liason of /vz/ and /a/ to /vza/
• weak form of a /æ/ to schwa /ə/ as not stressed.
• vowel reduction of us as not stressed.
• stressed is on break in the sentence
Main stresses on ‘give’ and ‘break’
4c
• Having identified.
form
ing participle of have
past participle of identify
ellepises of the adverb upon / once
ellepsis of the aux ‘been’
short passive
use
Used to distance the fact that of who has done the identifying.
22
•
is approved
form
‘is’ is 3rd person single pronoun.
approved pastparticiple of approve
^
approved is adjective
use
past participle used as an adjective
4d
have returned
• form
have is auxilary verb return is the main verb.
• do get (12-15)
forms the infinitive with get
dependent preposition with opportunity
followed by done infinitive of get
• to the (29-30)
preposition followed by the noun it is showing direction to.
• unable to afford.
dependent preposition with unable.
• comments to your
preposition followed by the noun phrase it is showing direction to.
Examiner’s comments on sample answer
Part a
The candidate lists ten features, six of which are accurate and supported by an appropriate example.
However, only five of these could be accepted as this is the maximum number of marks which can be
awarded for Part a. The accurate features are that: the text is in manageable chunks; the aim of the
organisation is stated; the style is formal; there are quotes and contact details and the text follows a
question and answer format (stated accurately at the end of the answer). The other points made were
not credited as they were either not asked for, e.g. bullet points are part of layout which was excluded
in the rubric, or repetition (question and answer format and formal style/no use of contractions) or
vague lots of information on the organisation. The organisation and layout of the answer is clear and it
is succinctly expressed.
Part b
The candidate’s analysis is accurate but contains 10 points out of a possible 16. It is well organised in
that he uses headings which means that he ensures that he addresses all three parts of the rubric for
this section. However, his analysis is incomplete as he does not recognise that give is transitive, or
analyse the pronoun us and the article a. He is stronger on the use of Give us a Break and mentions
three of the possible points, omitting the style of the item, i.e. that it is informal. In terms of his
phonological analysis, he recognises the linking between give and us but could not be awarded the mark
because he mis-spells liaison and writes liason. There is also unnecessary repetition in this part of his
answer when he makes the point about linking (stated twice) and about the weak form of a and us.
Part c
The candidate’s response to this part of the task is minimal, suggesting that he may be struggling for
time or that his knowledge of verb forms is less secure than of lexical items. He only identifies 3 points
out of an available 31. They are that identified and approved are past participles and having identified is
used to make the process sound more formal. There were two more potentially accurate points but
these could not be credited because he wrote that is approved is third person single rather than third
person singular and he mis-spelt auxiliary when he wrote auxilary. He also mis-spelt ellipsis when he
wrote ellepises/ellepsis and used the abbreviation aux instead of auxiliary. He did not lose points as a
23
result of this mis-spelling/abbreviation because the points that he was making were inaccurate or minor
but candidates must remember that accurate spelling of full forms is vital in this task. He lost a potential
point when he wrote ing participle of have because he omitted to say that it was a present participle and
he was also inaccurate in his assertion that the two participles are used as adjectives. Overall, the
candidate’s response to this part of the task lacks precision and range.
Part d
The candidate only identifies 3 out of a possible 10 points. These are that to in the first example is part of
the infinitive (although he then hedges his bets by writing that it is also a preposition) and that they are
prepositions in the other two examples. His analysis of unable to afford is inaccurate as he states that to
is a preposition. He fails to recognise the grammatical patterns which these infinitives and prepositions
are part of, e.g. that send ... comments to your local newspaper is part of a verb pattern/collocation.
Instead, he focuses on what follows the preposition to (a noun) and does not recognise that to introduces
the prepositional phrase to your local newspaper. As indicated by this response, centres would be
advised to do more work on helping candidates to analyse grammatical patterns.
6.3.3 The following sample answer gained fewer than half the marks available for this task
Task Four
A-Organization
• 1 - Headings are written in bold
• 2 - Visual aids to make it attractive
• 3 - Asking questions to make easy to
4 - Find the required section and be more attractive
5 - Give the chance for help__
e.g. 1 What is “Give Us A Break”
e.g. 2 Different photos
e.g. 3 How it works
e.g. 45 Feedback
4|b
What is “Give Us A Break”
Form
• Present verb –
• Irregular
• Transitive
• Main verb –
• Followed by an object
• ‘Us’ object pronoun
• ‘Us’ refers to second person plural “we’
• “A” an article
• Comes before countable nouns
• Refers to singular noun
• “Break” a countable noun
• singular
Use:
Used to express feelings or desire that a break is needed.
Features of Connected Speech
Assimilation between give and us /givəs/
Shor Weak form of us /əs/
weak form of “A” /ə/
24
4|C|i
Having identified
• Gerund
• Verb + ing (base form + ing)
• Noun
• Subject
• ‘identified’ → main verb
• in the past participle
• Transitive
• the final ‘y’ is changed to ‘i’ before adding “ing”
• “Having identified” is a phrase –
• Gerund + Past participle
Use
• Used to express or talk about a reason cause
The original sentence is “Because they (we) “have identified”
• Another way of talking about a cause
is approved
Form
• present of “to be”
• refers to third person singular
• present simple passive
• “approved” past participle of “approve”
• Main verb
• regular
Use
• “is approved” means (refers) to a condition that will have a result
• Used in formal writing
• Used in advertisement
• means when it is accepted or it is has not faults or mistakes or match the requirements.
‘have returned’
Form
• Present Perfect tense
• ‘Have’ helping verb
• Part of ‘to have’
• It is not used with third person singular
• A ‘returned’ past participle
• regular verb
• Transitive or intransitive
• In this sentence it is intransitive
• “Have” used with “I, we, you and They”
Use
• Present perfect indicates an action which is not related to specific time
• Means at anytime
4|D
to get
• a particle followed by infinitive _
to the scheme
• a particle which means “of” the scheme or refers to the scheme (noun)
25
to afford the cost
to + lexical chunk / collocation
to your local ______
refers to an object –
Examiner’s comments on sample answer
Part a
The candidate gains one mark in this part of the task for recognising that the leaflet has a
question/answer format and giving an accurate example. The other points that she makes about the
use of headings in bold and visuals are not relevant as candidates are told not to write about features
of layout in the rubric and the comment about giving the chance for help is only specific to this leaflet
and not generic to the genre. The organisation of her answer is poor as she lists four features with
inconsistent numbering and then proceeds to list four examples which makes it more difficult for the
Examiners to decode. Candidates are advised to list the feature and example together and then to do
the same for the next feature.
Part b
The candidate only gains a quarter of the marks available which are that give is a transitive verb; us
is an object pronoun; break is a singular, countable noun (stated four times); and that us / a are
weak forms (stated twice). In addition, some of her analysis is incorrect or imprecise: give is not a
present or main verb but an imperative/bare infinitive; us is first (not second) person plural; a is an
indefinite article rather than just an article; it is unclear what the candidate means when she writes
that the fixed expression is used to express feeling or desire that a break is needed; and there is
linking rather than assimilation between give and us.
Part c
The candidate’s answer to this part is more confident and she gains a third of the available marks. In
terms of form, she recognises that identified is a past participle and states its spelling rule; is approved is
3rd person singular in the present simple passive and approved is a regular past participle; and that
returned is a regular past participle. However, there is also inaccuracy in her analysis of form, e.g.
having is a gerund, a subject and a phrase, and more significantly, imprecision in her use of terminology
to describe form, e.g. verb + ing / base form + ing rather than present participle; and have is a helping
verb (rather than an auxiliary). Some of the points she made were also too general and therefore
irrelevant, e.g. “Have” used with “I, We, You and They”. The candidate’s response to the second part of
the task, i.e. the use of the verb forms was weaker and she only made one accurate point which is that is
approved (i.e. the passive) is used in formal writing. The remainder of her comments about use were
either inaccurate (e.g. is approved is used in advertisements); too general (e.g. the present perfect
indicates an action which is not related to specific time); imprecise (e.g. have returned means at
anytime); or focused on meaning rather than use (e.g. is approved means when it is accepted as it has
no faults or mistakes or match the requirements / having identified is another way of talking about a
cause). This candidate is typical of those who are reasonably confident when discussing form but are
challenged when discussing language use. This suggests that centres need to ensure that they cover
both when training candidates for the Delta examination.
Part d
The candidate's response to this part of the task is minimal and she only gains one mark for the fact that
to in to get is part of the infinitive. There are no other marks that can be awarded because the candidate
does not address the task and state the form of to in the other three items.
26
7
Paper 1 Task 5
The text (191 words) for this task is reproduced on the opposite page. It was written by a learner in an
upper-intermediate (CEFR B2) level class in response to the following task:
You have decided to enter a short story competition in an English language magazine. The story
must begin with the following words:
Although Louise felt nervous, she realised this was the opportunity of a lifetime.
a
Identify three key strengths and three key weaknesses of the text. Provide an example of each
strength and each weakness.
Your answer should focus on some or all of the areas listed below.
•
•
•
•
Accuracy of lexis
Organisation and cohesion
Range and accuracy of grammar
Effect on the reader
Do not comment on the first sentence in your answer.
b
Which one of the weaknesses identified above would you choose to prioritise to help this learner?
Give three reasons for your choice.
7.1 Guideline Answer
Key strengths
Effect on reader
Reader is involved in the story and wants to find out what Louise decides in the end / involvement in
Louise’s life through nice interweaving of background personal information / sense of suspense achieved
by not telling reader full outcome of decision till very end
Example she lived in a little house in the countryside, she was alone in the house, leaving without her
family, it was such a difficult decession to make, before she left
Organisation and cohesion
Good use of linkers / conjunctions / time markers / cohesive devices / discourse markers
Example Although, when, So, so that, Even thought, at that moment
Organisation and cohesion
Logical sequence of ideas
Example description of her personal situation, description of the holiday, explanation of the dilemma, the
decision she made, the reasons for her decision, her husband’s reaction to the news, how she felt just
before she left. (NB: candidates had to mention a minimum of two points)
Range and accuracy of grammar
Accurate use of present participles / participle clauses / sub-ordinating clauses / multi-clause sentences /
complex sentences
Example telling her that she had won, including half-board, leaving her without her family
Range and accuracy of grammar
Good range / accurate use of modals
Example should be spend, had to answer, would loose, which should be spent, she could go
27
Range and accuracy of grammar
Good range/accurate use of present & past tenses (present simple, present continuous, past simple, past
perfect simple (NB: candidates had to name two verb forms) OR narrative tenses OR past perfect simple
Example she lived, she had won, I’m always so busy, I’m doing something different, arrived home, was
told, he felt. (NB: candidates had to give one example)
Key weaknesses
Accuracy of lexis
Mistakes in spelling of vocabulary
Example decession, recived, telephon, loose, ones, helpfull, even thought (rather than even though) , her
self (rather than herself)
Range and accuracy of grammar
Misuse of prepositions
Example in (at) that moment, different and relaxing to (for) myself, in (during) the three weeks trip
Accuracy of grammar
Misuse of possessives / possessive adjectives / pronouns
Example with his three years old triplet daughters and his Husband, when recived a telephone call, or
would loose everything, leaving her without her family
Effect on reader
Some confusion/distraction due to some unintegrated direct speech / overuse of exclamation marks
Example YES! Why not! I’m always so busy….
Organisation and cohesion
The learner needs to divide her writing into more paragraphs / there is a lack of paragraphing
Example the text could be divided into 3 paragraphs 1 description of the opportunity (lines 7); 2
consideration of the dilemma it posed & the decision she made (lines 7-10); 3 the existing paragraph
(lines 11-13) with how the story ended.
Which weakness to prioritise
Candidates could choose any of the key weaknesses listed in part a. They had to provide three reasons
for their choice from the list below:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
the learner’s level
the learner’s exams and future study needs
the learner’s job needs
fossilisation of error
transfer to other genres
transfer to other skills
specific to the learner’s context
specific to the communicative purpose / success of the text (i.e. she will win the competition)
the effect on the reader
easy to rectify, therefore motivating
7.2 Candidate performance
Candidates performed well in this task with the average mark achieved being 12 which is in line with the
June 2012 session. Very few candidates did not attempt this task or failed to complete it which suggests
that they understood the importance of allocating an appropriate amount of time to complete the task. A
large number of candidates answered the task first or second in the examination which may have been a
good strategy as it allowed them to maximise the number of marks they were able to gain, as long as
their language awareness was accurate. As noted in the last Examination Report, some candidates lost
marks because they did not include any comments regarding the effect of the strengths or weaknesses
on the overall effectiveness of the text in terms of the reader. There are marks available for two
comments over the whole answer. Some candidates included comments but unfortunately, marks for
these comments could not be given because they had not identified a minimum of five
28
strengths/weaknesses. However, on a more positive note, there were fewer instances of candidates who
included more than one example of each strength or weakness cited and there were almost no
candidates who evaluated the text in terms of criteria which were not listed in the rubric. Layout of
answers was also generally clear with the majority of candidates using the headings of strengths and
weaknesses to organise their answer and then the sub-headings of the criteria listed in the rubric, e.g.
Cohesion with another sub-heading of example to provide clear signposting for the reader.
The most common strengths and weaknesses identified were:
• Good use of linkers
• Logical sequence of ideas
• Narrative tenses (see below)
• Poor spelling
• Pronouns
The least common strengths and weaknesses identified were:
• Effect on the reader as a strength or weakness
• Accurate use of participle clauses / complex sentences
• Good use of modals
• Misuse of prepositions
The inaccurate/imprecise points listed below were frequently identified:
• Effect on the reader was approached as being the same as task achievement and so candidates
wrote that the task had been achieved because the learner had followed the rubric. Rather, they
needed to discuss the positive effect on the reader and how this was achieved as per the GLA
• Passives, accuracy of lexical phrases which were not key strengths
• Range of lexis (notably collocations) but this criterion was not included in the rubric
• A large number of candidates lost marks because they wrote past perfect rather than past perfect
simple
• Some candidates did not give an example of where a paragraph needed to be inserted and so lost
marks
• In part (b), some candidates did not clearly state which area of weakness they would work on,
particularly in terms of grammatical accuracy and so could not be awarded marks. Others
identified an inaccurate area to work on
• In part (b), the majority of candidates repeated the list of reasons that has been included in
previous reports without providing sufficient detail to maximise the number of marks available in
this part of the task
• Some candidates gave more than three reasons which was not a productive use of time as only
the first three reasons will be credited
Candidates are recommended to:
only give one example for each strength and each weakness
only discuss in part (a) the areas given in the rubric
give both strengths and weaknesses as required
only discuss three key strengths and three key weaknesses; marks are not given for more than
three of either. If candidates outline more than three strengths or weaknesses, they will not be
penalised but they should be aware that this will impact on timing over the whole paper
bear in mind the learner’s level when commenting in part a on the text’s strengths and weaknesses
include two comments in part (a) on the effect the particular strengths and weaknesses have on the
effectiveness of the text
use a bullet point layout for the strengths and weaknesses
organise their answer under the headings of strengths and weaknesses and then use subheadings of criterion and example to ensure that they address both parts of rubric. They can also
add an extra sub-heading of comment for two of their criteria to ensure that they provide
information on the effect that the strength or weakness has on the text
only discuss in part (b) a weakness mentioned in part (a)
only discuss one area of weakness in part (b)
be specific in part (b) on the exact weakness to be worked on, i.e. state the weakness rather than
the criterion as listed in the rubric
limit answers in part (b) to reasons for prioritising an area
make sure they allow themselves enough time to complete this task; 25 minutes is recommended.
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7.3 Sample Answers
7.3.1 The following sample answer gained most of the marks available for this task
5)
Weakness
Organisation and Cohesion
Weakness
Accuracy of Lexis
This short story would benefit from the
addition of another paragraph.
There are some misspelt words which at this level
should be accurately used
Example: Paragraph 1
Examples: ‘helpfull’ (L12) ‘recived’ (L3)
‘decession’ (L 2)
= Lines 1–6 = what the opportunity is
Paragraph 2 could be L6–10 = How she
felt / factors in the decision.
A Better organisation would make it
easier to read.
Strength
Range and accuracy of Grammar
Complex sentence structure including
‘reported speech’
Example: ‘She had to answer at that
moment or she would loose everything.’
Strength
Cohesion
Use of cohesive devices
Example: Linkers: ‘When’
(temporal) L11
A This will have a negative effect on the reader
as it looks like it hasn’t been checked or edited.
AAA Weakness
Grammar: Wrong gender in uses of possessive
pronouns
Example: L 3 ‘She lived … his husband’
Strength
Effect on the reader.
Good effect on the reader due to content / Logical
order of the story.
 Explanation about dilemma L1-6
 How character felt L6-10
 Resolution / happy ending 11-13
5b)
Prioritise: Accuracy of grammar: Gender in possessive pronouns
Because
• It’s easy to rectify and will therefore be motivating, the learner will be able to correct it easily
and see why it’s wrong.
• At upper-intermediate level, the learner should not be making such a basic mistake as which
effects intelligibility.
• Ba This basic grammar point will be important in productive skills in all genres, speaking
and writing. It will therefore transfer to other skills and genres.
Examiner’s comments on sample answer
The answer is focused on the criteria outlined in the rubric. It clearly cites three key strengths and
three key weaknesses of the text and gives clear examples for five of the points identified. As
strengths, the candidate identifies the logical order of the story with a clear example for this; good use
of cohesive devices with an example; and the use of complex sentences although the example could
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not be credited as it was not a complex sentence but rather exemplified the learner’s use of modal
verb forms. In terms of weaknesses, the candidate recognises the need for more paragraphs and
gives very clear examples of where these paragraphs should be; the problems with spelling although
it was only necessary to include one example of an error; and problems with pronouns, again with a
clear example. The answer also includes two comments as to how the features impact on the
effectiveness of the text, i.e. regarding the spelling errors, this will have a negative effect on the reader
as it looks like it hasn’t been checked or edited; and for the lack of paragraphing better organisation
would make it easier to read. The inclusion of two comments is a good exam technique as the four
extra marks will only be awarded for two comments and no more. The key weakness with part (a) of
the task is its poor organisation. Whilst it is laid out in two columns, these contain a mixture of strengths
and weaknesses which is unhelpful. It would have been better if the candidate had used more paper and
had written the strengths and examples on one side of paper and then the weaknesses and examples
on another side. However, it is positive that she underlines the criteria from the rubric and the heading
of example to help the examiner navigate their way through the answer. In terms of part (b), she
identifies an appropriate area of weakness to work on (pronouns) which is clearly stated. She provides
three justifications, of which the second one is fully developed and therefore she gained two marks for
this one. It is fully developed because she links her reference to the learner’s level to its result, i.e. that
if affects intelligibility.
7.3.2 The following sample answer gained over half the marks available for this task
5.
Strengths
1. Lexis
The learner uses some complex collocations and good descriptive adjectives.
e.g. Half – board (line 4) / triplet daughters (line 3)
2. Organisation and Cohesion
The story follows in an understandable way and is easy to follow for the reader. Gives a
positive effect on the reader.
e.g. Details about where she lives / receiving the phone call / Reaction / husband returning
home.
3. Grammar
The student makes a good attempt at mixing verb tenses – past simple, present simple,
and past perfect
e.g. she had won a fantastic trip (line 4).
personal pronouns are
Weaknesses
Grammar
1. A The learner’s use of pronouns is frequently confused
e.g. with his three years old triplet (line 3)
and at times omitted.
She was lucky to think by herself (line 8).
She had to answer at that moment or
would loose everything. (line 7)
2. Organisation and Cohesion
The learner does not use paragraphs to express new ideas and this has a negative effect
on the reader.
e.g. Information about the call and her reaction are lumped together in one big paragraph.
3. Lexis
The student makes very basic spelling mistakes which you would not expect at this level.
e.g. loose (line 8) helpfull (line12).
b). I would choose to prioritise the learner’s pronoun usage use as an area of
weakness, becausethis particularly
the liklihood of the learner’s omission of
personal pronouns. This is because the learner should have cemented this into her
knowledge by upper intermediate level. It is likely that this has because a fossilized error –
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one which could potentially be seen across all for skills. She would also need to rectify this
problem if she were to take an external exam such as the FCE.
Examiner’s comments on sample answer
The candidate identifies five strengths and weaknesses with accurate exemplification for four of them:
logical organisation of the story (example provided of how the story develops); good use of present
and past tenses - past simple and present simple but with no example of either of these. The example
contained the past perfect simple but mention of this verb form could not be credited because the
candidate had imprecisely named this as the past perfect and not the past perfect simple; inaccurate
use of pronouns (two examples provided but only one was necessary); lack of paragraphing (with
mention of two parts of the story which should be in separate paragraphs); and spelling errors (two
examples provided but only one was necessary). The third strength, the learners’ use of complex
collocations and adjectives, could not be credited because range of lexis was not included as a
criterion in the rubric and accuracy of lexis was a weakness because of poor spelling. In terms of part
(b), the candidate identified an appropriate key weakness to work on (pronouns) and gained four
marks in this section for two basic justifications (the learner’s level and exam needs) and a fully
developed one (the fact that this could be a fossilised error which could be seen in other skills).
7.3.3 The following sample answer gained fewer than half the marks available for this task
5a) Strengths
1. Range of grammar.
Past perfect
Line 4 …. telling her that she had won …
Line 11 … was told what had happened
would have a particularly positive effect on reader who would be able to understand when
events occurred in relation to one another.
2. Inclusion of reported speech (to add interest / excitement).
e.g. line 8 …YES! why not! ……
This would add excitement for the reader / make it feel as the story was happening now.
3. Organisation
The learner starts by explaining situation, introduces dilemma, provides
solution/decision and then says what happened in the end
Weaknesses
1. Accuracy of lexis
There are many spelling errors
e.g. Line 2 decession
Line 3 recived, telephon
This would have of a particularly negative effect on the reader who may be distracted by
errors.
2. Accuracy of grammar
Time/expressions
Duration
Line 3 his three years old triplet
Line 6 the three weeks trip
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3. Organisation
Paragraphing
Only two paragraphs are used. The first paragraph includes many ideas including the
introduction, story and resolution.
This makes the story a little difficult to follow for the reader.
5b
I would prioritise organisation : paragraphing
1. At upper-intermediate level the learner should be able to organise their ideas more
clearly as organisation is important in helping the reader understand the text.
2. This should be relatively easy to address if the learner is taught about having one main
idea/focus per paragraph.
5b
Reason 3
The learner Paragraphing is something that occurs in many genres of writing so this would
be able to be transferred to different written tasks.
Examiner’s comments on sample answer
The candidate does not gain any marks for the three strengths he mentions. This is because he does
not specify which form of the past perfect is used, i.e. he states the past perfect rather than the past
perfect simple. The second strength of reported speech is not a key strength and the third one under
the criterion of organisation, cannot be awarded any marks because the candidate simply describes
the organisation of the text, (thereby giving an example) rather than evaluating the effectiveness of its
organisation with an adjective such as clear or logical. In terms of weaknesses, he gains three marks
for identifying two weaknesses: two marks for inaccurate spelling with an example (again, only one
example, rather than three is required); and one for poor paragraphing because he does not say where
the paragraphs should be inserted. This candidate includes two comments, that the use of the past
perfect would have a particularly positive effect on reader who would be able to understand when
events occurred in relation to one another and that the spelling errors would have a particularly
negative effect on the reader who may be distracted by errors. However, no marks could be awarded
for either of these comments because the candidate had not identified a minimum number of five
strengths or weaknesses for these additional marks to be awarded. In terms of part (b), he identifies
the lack of paragraphs as an appropriate area to work on and gives three basic justifications: the
learner’s level, transfer to other written texts and the fact that it is an easy area to rectify. He therefore
gains three marks for this part of the task. In terms of layout, this is clear and he makes good use of
paper/space.
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8
Paper 2 Task 1
The text for this task is reproduced on the opposite page. It is the teacher’s instructions for a language school
end of term test. It is being used in the following situation:
The school offers language revision classes to help learners improve their language accuracy.
The teacher is using this test with his Upper Intermediate (CEFR B2) level revision class at the
end of term to check their progress in grammatical accuracy. They have studied the following
areas: past tenses, conditionals and articles.
Using your knowledge of relevant testing concepts, evaluate the effectiveness of the test for this class in this
situation.
Make a total of six points. You must include both positive and negative points.
8.1 Guideline Answer
Positive Points
• Language in use tests language in use rather than declarative knowledge in a grammar exercise / it’s an
indirect/integrative test of language / valid as formative/summative assessment
• Instructions the instructions are clear for the teacher
• Language the prompts will allow learners to use some of the language studied (conditionals and articles)
and so the test has content validity
• Topics there are familiar topics / prompts to provide ideas
• Fresh starts there are opportunities for fresh starts
• Task type/format is familiar/recognisable / it’s an engaging/unpressurised way to test grammar
• Level the level is appropriate for upper intermediate students
Positive Applications
• Learner reaction Students will believe that the test has face validity / will have faith in the test / will feel
motivated to do the test / will feel confident about doing the test / will engage with the test
• Content/topic Learners will have something to say / will be able to relate to the content / will be interested
in the topics / will want to discuss the topics
• Task type/format Learners should know how to approach the task
• Learner performance Students have a chance to demonstrate abilities / be able to perform to the best of
their abilities
• Data The teacher will get useful information about the learners’ progress/abilities / will be able to assess
the learners’ language accuracy
• Fresh starts Learners will not get stuck if they cannot respond to one of the topics
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Negative points
• Language avoidance The learners can avoid using the language that they have studied / it doesn’t
overtly test the language that they have been taught (e.g. past tenses, conditionals, articles)
• Task appearance It does not look like a serious/grammar test so it lacks face validity
• Assessment mode It will be difficult for the teacher to assess all the individuals / the test lacks
practicality / scorer reliability
• Learner output Some learners may not say much / their partners may be dominant
• Tests speaking / listening skills / other language systems The test is wider in focus than the course /
it doesn’t only test grammar / it’s an indirect / integrative test of grammar / it’s a direct test of
speaking skills
• Accuracy The type of interaction/a discussion does not lend itself to testing grammatical accuracy /
learners don’t need to be accurate in this type of discussion / it does not test written accuracy
Negative applications
• Test format The learners may be hindered by the format of the test / will not be able to participate
• Insufficient/inaccurate data The teacher may not get an accurate idea of their abilities/progress /
learners won’t get a sense of progress
• Learner performance The learners may not show their full abilities
• Learner reaction The learners may be demotivated because this is not how they expect grammar to
be tested / they may not take it seriously / they may not engage with the topic / they may lack ideas
/ they may feel uncomfortable in the group / learners don’t trust results of the test
• Assessment The results may not be reliable
• Feedback The teacher cannot give individual students feedback
8.2 Candidate performance
Candidates scored well on Task One with the average mark achieved being 13. The majority seemed
clearly confident in their understanding of what is required in this task and how best to approach it and
Examiners commented that there were fewer instances of candidates relying on pre-learnt answers
from previous Guideline Answers. Terminology was better integrated and candidates used a good
range of relevant terms, particularly fresh starts, indirect test, face validity, reliability and integrated test
when making their points. A few candidates laid their answers out as per the Guideline Answers, i.e.
they listed points and then listed applications separately which meant that they lost marks because the
points and applications have to be clearly linked. Some candidates identified the key points but then lost
marks because they did not include applications or repeated them – this is the main reason why
candidates lose marks. Other candidates focused more on negative points and in some instances did
not identify any positive points.
The most common strengths and weaknesses identified were:
• The prompts allow the learners to use some of the language studied
• There are opportunities for fresh starts
• The level of the test is appropriate for upper intermediate learners
• The lack of direct testing of the language learnt in the course / the learners could avoid using the
language that they had learnt
• The difficulty the teacher would have in monitoring successfully
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The least common strengths and weaknesses identified were:
• The test assesses the learners’ language in use rather than their declarative knowledge
• The discussion does not test (written) grammatical accuracy
The inaccurate/imprecise points listed below were frequently identified:
• The test will have positive backwash/the results will have good predictive validity (the course is
finished)
• The test will be a good diagnostic test (it is at the end of the course, rather than at the beginning)
• The instructions are clear for the students (but the instructions are for the teacher to give rather
than for the learners to read)
• The test will be subjectively marked with criteria because it is a speaking test but the key issue to
do with scorer marking is the fact that it is difficult for the teacher to monitor and accurately
assess the grammatical accuracy of 12 learners at the same time
Candidates are recommended to:
explicitly state what kind of test it is which will help them to use the correct terminology relevant
to that type of testing, i.e. in this examination, it is an achievement test
read the situation in the rubric carefully, seeing how each part of it can be relevant to the test
and to the specified learner
make sure their answers are specifically about the particular test and not repeated from previous
Guideline Answers
avoid approaching their evaluation through assessing the test against testing concepts, such as
validity, reliability, backwash as this means that their points may not be fully explained or
developed and so they lose marks
use terminology only when relevant and use it accurately
make sure they always show how the points they make about the test’s effectiveness apply to
the particular learner, i.e. always include a different application for each point they include
use a wide range of criteria with which to evaluate the test, e.g. type of test, language content,
skills content, assessment mode, test content/topics, task types, level, instructions
avoid making the same point, e.g. that the learners could avoid using the language they had
learnt on the course
avoid repeating the same application to the learner under different points, e.g. that the learners
would be motivated or demotivated by the test
use clear layout that shows which points are intended as positive and which as negative
discuss the positive points in one section and then the negative points in another one rather than
mixing them in the same section which can make it difficult for the Examiner to work out if the
point being made is a positive or negative one
make sure that they respect the rubric by mentioning at least one positive and one negative point
so that they can score the maximum number of points as only a maximum of either five strengths
or five weaknesses can be accredited
make sure they make six points, including both positive and negative ones
lay their answers out under the headings of Point and Application, so that they remember to
include both elements in their answer.
8.3 Sample Answers
8.3.1 The following sample answer gained all the marks available for this task
1. Positive points
1. This progress test contains topics that all students should be able to relate to. all students
should have an idea of what a good teacher is, for example. Learners would not have to spend
too long thinking about answers and should be able to think of a number of ideas, which makes
the test more reliable. It would be testing what the students produce rather than their
imagination.
2. There are fresh starts. There are three questions, so if the learner has difficulty with one, there
are also other questions. The st learner would not lose motivation of there are different
opportunities to show what they can produce
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3. Rul Clarity of task/familiarity with task type. The task should be clear for the students. Students
and discussion in a small group should be a familiar setting for students. The questions are brief
so learners should be able to comprehend them fairly quickly (especially at upper-intermediate
level). Again, this would have a positive effect on reliability.
Negative points.
1. The test tests speaking only (spoken grammatical accuracy). One part of grammatical accuracy
may be is written form which would not be tested, for example The spelling of past tense forms
(irregular in particular) or those where y changes to i e.g. Identity  identified. Students may
expect a written test of grammar, so the test may have low face validity.
2. The students may not use the language which the teacher intends to test. The questions do not
force students to use the target language/language to be tested and so it would be difficult to say
whether the students could use the language accurately or not. Construct validity and reliability
would be affected here. If a student avoided using a conditional, for example, it does not show
that they cannot use this language accurately.
3. Monitoring all students for the language to be tested would be very difficult. ‘Making notes of
their strengths and weaknesses’ is very subjective. The teacher may miss an accurate use of
language, for example. With four groups of three it would be difficult to listen to sufficient
language to assess learners reliably.
Examiner’s comments on sample answer
The candidate gains maximum marks for her answer because she identifies six points about the
relative effectiveness of the test with how these apply to the learners. The points and applications are
that the topics are familiar so the learners should have something to say on them; the test offers fresh
starts so that they will not get stuck if they cannot respond to one of the topics; the task type is familiar
and so the learners will know how to approach the test; the test does not focus on written grammatical
accuracy which is not what the learners may expect and so they will not have faith in it; they may not
use the language which has been covered on the course and so the test won’t generate an accurate
picture of their ability; and it will be difficult for the teacher to monitor and assess all the learners’
abilities and so the results may not be reliable. These points cover a good range of criteria, e.g.
language, task type, assessment mode, which allows her to gain the maximum number of points
available. Her use of testing terminology is accurate and well integrated into her answer. There is
some repetition of reliability as a term but she was not penalised for this. In addition, the answer has
the benefit of a clear layout with positive aspects of the test on one page and negatives on the next.
Layout could be further improved by using the sub-headings Point and Application.
8.3.2 The following sample answer gained just over half of the marks available for this task
T1
Negatives (-)
1) This is an indirect test. It uses a speaking task to assess learners grammar knowledge (past
tenses, conditionals and articles). This may cause demotivation among learners because they
may think that the test is not relevant to what it is supposed to test. Lack of face validity
2) Avoidance of using target language (conditionals, past tenses and articles) is possible in this
test. Learners can discuss the topic without using any of these target language. This may
cause problem for the teacher because she may not have enough evidence to evaluate their
achievement.
(learners!)
3) Lack of guidance or any kind of ‘rubric’ for the students. There are instructions for the teacher,
but there are not any instructions for the students. This make it difficult for the learners to
complete the task successfully. They may get confused and demotivated.
4) There aren’t any topic that allows learners to show their knowledge about ‘past tenses’
1st card - general truth, simple present
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2nd card - modals, conditionals
3rd card - general opinion, simple present
There is an uncertainty about the need of using past tenses.
T1/ They may or may not give some examples for the topic ‘privacy of celebrities’. This seems to me
lack of content validity since it doesn’t include a discussion cord which leads learners to use
‘past tenses’ without any indirect link.
This makes it difficult for the teacher to evaluate learners knowledge on ‘past tense’.
5) Monitoring and making notes of strengths & weaknesses while learners dis are discussing will
provide an overall idea of the learners as a class. If strong students lead the discussions and
weaker students listen, this test doesn’t allow the teacher to find learners real strengths or
weaknesses.
Positive Points (+)
1) This test has three fresh starts which help/give chances to learners to show their knowledge even if
they have got difficulty in one of them. One student may not talk about ‘protection of planet’ but may
have many things to say about ‘privacy of celebrities’.
This can be very motivating for the learners because they wouldn’t feel under pressure if they cannot
talk about one of the topics.
Examiner’s comments on sample answer
This answer contains one positive and three negative points with applications for three of them. The
positive point that the candidate identifies is the fact that the test has fresh starts which means that the
learners can move to another topic if they get stuck on one and so show their knowledge. The negative
points are that it is a speaking test which might demotivate the learners because they may not think
that this is a relevant way to test grammar; the learners may not use the language that they have been
taught on the course (this point was stated three times which was unnecessary) and so the teacher
may not get an accurate picture of their abilities; and more confident learners may dominate the
discussion. The application for this last point (that the teacher may not be able to assess their abilities)
could not be credited because the candidate had already used this one for the previous point. If the
candidate had laid out her answer under the main headings of Positive Points and Negative Points as
she does but then with the sub-headings of Point and Application, she might have ensured that she
included a different application for each point that she made. The answer contains an inaccurate point
that there are no instructions for the learners and so they may get confused (the instructions are clear
for the teacher who is presumably a competent classroom practitioner). This candidate’s use of
terminology is also good and she integrates four testing terms into her answer (indirect test, face
validity, content validity, fresh starts) and so gains the full two marks for this part of the task.
8.3.3 The following sample answer gained only a few of the marks available for this task
1
Positive Points
- The test does examine the students range andof accuracy of grammar.
- The test is a Productive way of seeing the students grammar in use.
- The test allows the Students to give full descriptive answers.
1
Positive Applications
- The learners are being tested on their accuracy in a productive way.
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- If a similar diagnostic test was done at the start of the course the teacher can easily check
the learner progress.
- Gives learner a chance to make a fresh start when given a new card.
1
Negative Points
- The test is limited in that it is only testing the Students Speaking.
- The questions don’t directly test Conditionals, past tense and articles which can lead to
learner avoidance.
- The teacher won’t be giving 100% attention to each group and may miss something
important.
- The students are not being tested individually and
some
students may dominate the conversations.
- The text is an ineffective way to check formal grammar knowledge with no specific grammar
questions.
1
Negative Applications
- No direct testing of Past tenses, Conditionals and articles which the
studied.
learners have
- It is difficult to check the Students Progress to see if their accuracy has improved.
- Learners may not get effective feedback on their performance.
Examiner’s comments on sample answer
The key problem with this answer is the way that the candidate has organised it as he has listed three
positive points under one heading and then three applications under another heading and then done
the same for the negative points and applications. By organising his answer in this way, he has not
integrated the two parts of the rubric (i.e. points and applications) which means that whilst he has
identified five positive and negative points accurately, he could not be awarded any marks for how
these points apply to the learners. The positive points that he has identified are that the task tests the
learners’ language in use and there are opportunities for fresh starts. However, the first two
applications listed on the next page of the candidate’s answer do not match these points and the third
application is, in fact, the point about the inclusion of fresh starts in the test. In terms of the negative
aspects of the test, the candidate identifies the points that the learners could avoid using the language
taught on the course; the teacher cannot monitor all the learners at the same time; and some learners
may dominate the conversations. Again, the applications are either a repetition of the points or are not
clearly related to them. This lack of clarity is also exacerbated by the fact that there are five points but
only three applications so it was impossible for the Examiners to match them up. Candidates in future
sessions should be aware that organising their answer to this task in this way is very poor exam
practice and should be avoided. In addition, the candidate’s answer is not specific enough. For
example, he writes The test does examine the students range and accuracy of grammar but in order
for this point to be credited, he has to link this point to the language studied on the course. He later
states that The test is an ineffective way to check formal grammar knowledge with no specific grammar
questions but needs to say how it is ineffective, e.g. it does not focus on accuracy. The Examiners also
noted that it was unclear what the candidate meant when he wrote that The test allows the students to
give full, descriptive answers. There was one instance of inaccuracy when the candidate wrote that
The test is limited in that it is only testing the students’ speaking as this is not the case because it is an
integrated test which also tests the learners’ use of language. This answer received no marks for the
use of testing terms because there was only one term used accurately in a valid point, i.e. fresh starts.
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9
Paper 2 Task 2
The purpose of the extract as a whole is to improve learners’ ability to give a business presentation.
a
Identify the purpose of the exercises listed in the box below in relation to the purpose of the
extract as a whole.
Exercises for Task Two
Key Language 1
Case Study exercise 1
Case Study exercise 2
b
Identify a total of six key assumptions about language learning and skills development that are
evident in the exercises listed in the box above. Explain why the authors might consider these
assumptions to be important for language learning and skills development. State which exercise
or exercises each assumption refers to.
9.1 Guideline Answer
Purpose of the exercises
Exercise
Key Language 1
Case Study 1
Case Study 2
Intended Purpose
• to focus on/introduce language/chunks/collocations
/fixed expressions/functional phrases students will need in giving their
presentation
• to check understanding of the language
• to highlight the importance of informal language use in spoken
presentations (contractions/questions to involve the audience)
• to provide a written record/examples of the language
• to focus on/introduce the organisation/stages of a presentation
• to provide a model of a presentation
• to focus on/introduce more language/collocations for presentations
(that they can use in their presentation)
• to contextualise the language
• to provide controlled/written practice of the language (of graphs)
• to check understanding of the TL
• to provide students with a template/model of how to present information
in a graph / a written record
• to help students understand/practise how to interpret graphs
• to give students a clear role for their presentation / to give students a
defined audience for the presentation / to simulate an authentic/real life
situation to deliver the presentation
• to help students generate ideas for their presentation (SWOT analysis)
/ to give students data for their presentation
• to help students organise/prepare the content of their presentation /
give them scaffolding/a possible framework for their presentation
(SWOT analysis)
• to give students the chance to give a business presentation (in a safe
environment)
• to practise the language/skills ( from KL 1/CS 1)
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Assumptions and reasons
• It is useful to give learners complete sentences/formulaic language/language in
chunks/collocations [Key Language 1, Case Study 1]
This gives learners confidence when speaking because they do not have to worry so much about
the grammar/ helps with fluency / it helps to make students more accurate / it increases confidence
in receptive skills
• Students need a focus on features above sentence level (e.g. organisation) are as important
as at sentence level [Key Language 1]
It may be different from in their cultures / successful language use requires attention to discourse –
level features / they can focus on staging of a presentation as well as language
• Students need to be sensitive to the style of a text. [Key Language 1]
The level of informality may be very different in their cultures / learners may think that presentations
have to be formal / part of the knowledge of genre
• It is useful for students to see a model before they do a task / learners need
scaffolding/support to prepare and give a presentation / learners need clear guidelines (time
limit, clear context, grid to complete, a clear role) before attempting a task [All exercises]
It gives them confidence / they can notice what native speakers really say / receptive before
productive / students will be on track and know what is expected of them / it will make the
presentation more effective
• Students need a written record of language [Key Language 1]
It helps them to review the lesson later / it encourages them to be independent
• Simulation/role play activities / real life tasks are useful [Case Study 1 / Case Study 2]
They reflect what learners may have to in their own lives / they are reassuring because they reflect
what learners are familiar with
• Learners need to focus on accuracy before fluency / learners need to move from controlled
to freer practice [Case Study 1, Case Study 2]
It will make them feel more motivated because the final outcome will be effective / it prevents errors
from becoming fossilised / gives learners a sense of progress
• It is useful to move from receptive to productive work / input to production [All exercises]
It mirrors how we learn our L1 / it allows learners to process input before they have to produce which
reduces the stress of speaking in the L2
• It is useful to use a TBL approach [All exercises]
It allows learners to use the existing language resources that they have with language provided
which is motivating / it encourages authentic language use
•
Students need to prepare before they are expected to speak / rehearsal time [Case Study 2]
They are likely to be more accurate / confident / focussed / fluent / the final product will be of a better
standard / they will be better able to deal with questions at the end of the presentation if they have
had time to think things through in more depth / it mirrors what happens in a real life situation
• It is a good idea for students to take on a role rather than having to speak as themselves
[Case Study 2]
Students find it less intimidating / they can say things they may not agree with and the other
students will know they are simply acting in a role / they don’t have to think of ideas
• It is a good idea for students to work collaboratively [Key Language 1, Case Study 2]
They can help each other with linguistic input / they will use the language as they do the task
• Students should produce the handouts / visuals / materials they intend to use in a
presentation / role play [Case Study 2]
41
It is what they would have to do in real life / it gives the students a chance to use the teacher as a
resource to answer any questions (re layout / genre / language) they may have about these / it helps
raise students’ awareness of what the key points are in the presentation and encourages them to
avoid redundant information
• Students benefit from cognitively challenging tasks [All exercises]
They will be more motivated to do the exercises / find the exercises engaging / feel that they are
being treated as adults
9.2 Candidate performance
As in June 2012, Examiners commented that the task differentiated well between stronger and weaker
candidates in terms of their knowledge of the principles which inform the design of teaching material.
Weaker candidates were challenged by the focus of the text on presentation skills and instead of
looking closely at the material, relied on pre-learnt purposes and assumptions which meant that they
performed less well on this task. However, overall performance in this task improved as compared to
June 2012, with the average number of points gained being 16. As in previous sessions, the
candidates scored higher on part (a) than on part (b) where some struggled to identify the
assumptions that lay behind the design of these particular exercises. It is therefore clear that centres
need to do more work on this area of the syllabus so that candidates improve their ability to recognise
the principles behind the design of any piece of published material, whether it be from studentgenerated material which has a systems focus or from material which has a skills focus.
Part (a)
Most candidates gave a minimum of four or five purposes over the three exercises. Candidates
should note that there are a maximum of 16 points to be gained in this section of the task (two points
are allocated for each purpose) so in this examination, they needed to write down at least eight
purposes over the three exercises. Some of the weaker candidates adopted a scattergun approach,
simply listing everything they could think of or interspersing assumptions with purposes or they
wasted time describing how the exercises combined with others, as in Task 3.
The most common strengths and weaknesses identified were:
• To introduce language (Key Language 1 and Case Study 1)
• To provide a written record/examples of the language (Key Language 1 and Case Study 1))
• To introduce the stages of a presentation (Key Language 1)
• To provide practice of the language (Case Study 1)
• To give learners the chance to give a business presentation (Case Study 2)
• To practise the language/skills (Case Study 2)
The least common strengths and weaknesses identified were:
• To highlight the importance of informal language use in spoken presentations (Key Language 1)
• To provide a model of a presentation (Key Language 1)
• To help learners practise how to interpret graphs (Case Study 1)
• To give students a clear role for their presentation (Case Study 2)
• To help students generate ideas for their presentation (Case Study 2)
• To help learners organise their presentation (Case Study 2)
The inaccurate/imprecise points listed below were frequently identified:
• To develop learners’ listening skills (this is not the focus of Key Language 1)
• To contextualise the target language in Key Language 1(this was done in the previous exercise)
• To teach phrases from the listening (with no mention of how the phrases were relevant to the
overall focus of the extract)
• To teach language rather than to help learners to give a presentation (i.e. candidates did not
recognise the aim of the material)
• To practise opinion language in Case Study 2 (candidates saw the aim of this exercise as being
to practise/produce the language from Key Language 1)
42
Part (b)
As in previous sessions, many candidates struggled to identify six accurate assumptions and as can
be seen from the list below, the most common assumptions cited were the more generic ones. Many
candidates were unable to recognise assumptions related to the focus on presentation skills or the type
of methodological approach used. Those candidates who identified four or five assumptions often lost
marks because they did not address the second part of the rubric in sufficient detail, i.e. explain why
the authors might consider these assumptions to be important for language learning. The rationale that
they provided was often very limited and restricted to reasons such as it is motivating / relevant to real
life needs / good for learner autonomy etc. The Guideline Answers in this report and previous ones
provide a good range of reasons which candidates could usefully consider. Another reason that
candidates lost marks in this section was that they either repeated reasons for the assumptions or did
not give two reasons for each assumption.
Candidates should note that a maximum of 18 marks is available in part (b) with three for each
assumption: one for the assumption and exercise, and two for two different reasons for the
assumption. A reason can only be credited once. The final reason that candidates lost marks in part (b)
was that they sometimes forgot to refer to an exercise where the assumption is evident which meant
that they were unable to get a mark for the assumption or the reasons for its inclusion.
The most common assumptions identified were:
• The value of teaching language in chunks
• The use of scaffolding/models
• The usefulness of a written record
• Moving learners from receptive to productive work
• The value of collaboration
• The use of cognitive challenging tasks
The least common assumptions identified were:
• The need for a focus on features above sentence level
• The importance of learners being sensitive to the style of a text
• The usefulness of using TBL as an approach
• The usefulness of learners having preparation time before they are expected to speak
• The value of learners taking on a role
• The usefulness of learners producing their own materials for a presentation
• The value of real life tasks
Inaccurate assumptions frequently identified were:
• The value of integrated skills
• The need for language to be presented in context
• The need to appeal to visual learners/a variety of learning styles
• The importance of developing listening skills
• The usefulness of PPP
Candidates are recommended to:
read the rubric carefully to ensure that they discuss only those exercises specified in the task
rubric
write several relevant purposes for each exercise in part (a) and produce a minimum of eight
purposes in total
avoid repeating pre-learnt purposes from previous Guideline Answers and generic purposes, e.g.
that the exercises prepare the students for the next one, which could apply to most exercises in a
sequence of material
ensure that all the purposes cited refer to the stated focus of the material, i.e. giving
presentations
note that in part (a) they should discuss the purpose of the exercises in relation to the purpose of
the extract as a whole, i.e. in this case to give a presentation
look at the language included in a text (written or spoken) and within the different exercises cited
in the rubric in relation to the focus of the extract
look at the skills, in this case presentation sub-skills, necessary to achieve the focus of the
extract, i.e. to give a presentation
look at the purposes of the exercise rather than describe what the learners have to do in them
43
research in more detail the principles behind the design of material
give two different reasons for each assumption to maximise their chances of gaining three marks
for each assumption and rationale as outlined in the Guideline Answer, i.e. a maximum of 12
different reasons
group their answers together as indicated by the task rubric sections i.e. discuss only purposes
in part (a), and only assumptions and reasons for them in part (b)
use headings to organise their answers, e.g. assumption, reasons, exercise which means
that they ensure that they provide all the information required in the rubric
avoid using exercises as headings because this can result in the repetition of assumptions if
they are evident in more than one exercise
lay out their answers using plenty of space/paper so that the Examiners can read their
answers.
9.3 Sample Answers
9.3.1 The following sample answer gained a large number of marks for this task
2
a) Key Language 1
Purpose
-
an organisational reading exercise to test comprehension
giving studen learners the written form of expressions used in the listening.
giving a second chance to understand, review the listening.
providing learners with language they will need to give a business presentation and
in the tasks that follow.
case study exercise 1
-
gap fill to help students to describe the chart.
allows teacher to check students know the meaning of words
to describe graphs and trends
^
that
they will need for the business presentation in case study 2.
provides a believable context for the next exercise and also provides content for the
presentation.
gives a lot of useful vocab
provides a reading activity - balancing skills, after the listening
case study exercise 2
2a)
task. using the scaffolding
key language 1 and case study 1
-
2b)
gives students a chance to carry out a presentation
provided by
Having been given the vocab students now get given a chance to move from
receptive to productive and have the opportunity to carry out the main purpose of
the extract and use the vocab and expressions learnt.
Listening opportunities provided by group work
Assumptions
•
It is useful to teach chunks of lexis (key language 1) because it is motivating for
students to learn expressions and chunks that they can recall easily, instead of
^
having to retrieve word by word. It aids automacity and fluency.
•
It is beneficial to provide scaffolding for the learner (key language 1 and case study
1) so that they can move from a receptive mode to a productive one. because it
eases the transition from a receptive task to a productive one and it provides
reassurance for the learner. Having something to refer to gives them confidence to
embark on freer production.
44
2b)
It is sometimes useful to give learners time to prepare a task (case study 2)
^
because in the real world, particularly in the area of public speaking, people do get
This will allow learners to produce a more accurate and
time to prepare.
in order
communicative outcome.
•
• working in small groups benefits learners
because they learn from each other. Also they may be more confident in a small
group, rather than from being on their own. Also preparing the task is a speaking
activity in itself, which they would not have if they prepared on their own.
•
working with authentic looking materials motivates learners (case study 1)
because it provides interesting content. Also they are related to ‘real-world’
activities and the learners can transfer the knowledge &skills they learn from using
^
them to activities in the world outside the classroom.
•
Providing a written record of useful vocabulary benefits students (key
Language 1) because it makes them feel secure. It helps them achei produce
similar TL. Visual learners learn vocab by seeing it written, as well as hearing it.
Examiner’s comments on sample answer
The candidate identifies 12 purposes over the three exercises, of which eight are valid: to focus on
language and provide a written record of the language in Key Language 1; to provide practice of the
language of graphs, to introduce more language of graphs, to check understanding of it, and to
contextualise the language in Case Study 1; to give learners the chance to carry out a presentation and
practise the language that they have been introduced to in Case Study 2. The other points relating to
receptive skills were inaccurate, i.e. to test reading comprehension and to review the listening
comprehension in Key Language 1; to provide a reading activity in Case Study 1; and to provide
listening opportunities in Case Study 2. In part (b), the candidate identifies six accurate assumptions
which lie behind the design of the material. These are the usefulness of teaching chunks of language;
the benefit of providing scaffolding to tasks; the value of giving learners time to prepare a task; the
usefulness of groupwork; the value of learners doing real-life tasks; and the fact that learners need a
written record of language. The candidate provides fully developed rationale for all of the assumptions
which means that she gains full marks for this part of the task, i.e. 18 marks. In terms of the
organisation of the answer, it has the benefit of a clear layout and use of headings for both parts
although in part (b), she could use R1 / R2 to guide the Examiners through her rationale for the
assumptions.
9.3.2 The following sample answer gained just under half the marks available for this task
T2
Key language 1
∗
(a)
to draw learners’ attention to signposting language in the
presentation ‘I will then’ ‘I’m here to’
∗ to set a task to encourage learners to listen the record
notice language expressions in the
purposefully to
business presentation.
Case study Ex 1
provide examples of a variety of fixed expressions
give
while giving a presentation in business.
∗
to
∗
to present and check the relevant vocabulary about global
flight trends/business
∗
to check the understanding of learners, whether they
can
understand
read
the graph (or not) about business.
45
T2
Case Study 2
∗
(of presentations in business) that
v
they have learned in Key language 1 in a freer exercise
business related
∗
to practice the vocabulary that
Case Study 1 in a freer exercise
∗
to give learners a chance to personalise
what they
learned so far (expressions/vocabulary) by preparing a
business presentation
(a)
T2
to practice the expressions
Assumptions
are presented in
Reasons
(b) 1) It is important that learners
need a task to notice target
structure/language.
Key Lang. 1
∗
∗
2) It is important to contextualize
target language.
Key Lang 1.
3) It is important to set a task for
learners while they are
listening.
∗
∗
∗
learning takes place after noticing the gaps
so learners become more aware of their
focus/need
to aid retention
to help learners to understand use and
meaning of target language.
aids retention This makes it easy to
remember how to use later on
reflects real life language takes place in
context
∗
helps them to know what to focus
∗
reduce stress Learners may feel stress
and demotivated when they don’t know what
to do while listening
Key Lang 1
T2
Assumption
Reason
(b)
4) It is important to present relevant
vocabulary/or check relevant
vocabulary
that learners will need
later on.
∗
it gives chance to teach/learn/check relevant
vocabulary
∗
to activate learners schemata about the
topic.
∗
to personalise the target language
∗
to motivate learners
Case Study 1
5) It is important to provide a freer
practice in which learners can have
chance to practice what they have
learned.
Case Study 2
46
6) It is important to provide guidelines
for specific tasks (presentation
guideline in Case Study 2)
Which gives also an idea about the
organisation & content (weakness …
strength)
∗
to help learners to understand and complete
the task successfully
∗
to draw learners attention b to
organisation of the presentation/content of
the presentation
∗
to clarify what is expected in the task
Examiner’s comments on sample answer
In part (a), the candidate identifies six accurate purposes: to introduce language related to giving a
presentation and to provide a written record of the language in Key Language 1; to introduce more
language and to help students to understand graphs in Case Study 1; and to provide the learners with
the opportunity to practise the language they have learnt in the previous exercises and to allow them
to prepare their presentation in Case Study 2. Unfortunately, the candidate’s response to part (b) of
the task is weak and she only identifies one accurate assumption which is that it is important to
provide guidelines for specific tasks in order to help learners complete the task successfully. In order
to be awarded full marks for this assumption, the candidate needed to provide another reason for its
value, e.g. it will make the presentation more effective. None of the other five assumptions could be
credited because they were generic and not relevant to the design of these particular exercises, i.e.
learners need a task to notice the target structure (there is no task which does this); it is important to
contextualise the target language and to set a task for learners whilst listening (this is done in a
previous exercise); it is important to present relevant vocabulary which learners will need later on (the
candidate needs to recognise the importance of chunks of language/formulaic language); and it is
important to provide freer practice (the assumption that is clearly evidenced in these exercises is the
move from controlled to freer practice).
This candidate’s answer to part (b) is typical of many who rely on pre-learnt assumptions from
previous Guideline Answers and repeat these without looking at the sequence of material in this
examination paper in depth. Candidates in future sessions should be aware that this is likely to result
in them gaining lower marks for this part of the task.
9.3.3 The following sample answer obtained a third of the marks available for this task
TWO Ⓐ
Key language 1
purpose in relation to whole extract.
-
Helps scaffold the language for the students.
to provide the learners with model target language for a presentation.
to encourage learners to work collaboratively with other learners. To encourage
learner independence / confidence autonomy.
To activate cognitive process for me in the learners in.
To encourage learners to use listening skills for prediction.
To encourage learners to think about cohesion in discourse and identify the purpose of sequencing
in a text.
provides a focus on language chunks for more easily retainable language.
47
Ⓐ Case study exercise 1
-
provides a focus on topic related
lexis
-
Having gone from ‘hole’
to establish meaning the activity now looks at ‘part’
– focusing on more detail and language forms.
-
provides a change of pace ‘slow motion’ activity so that learners’
accuracy rath er than fluency.
attentions are drawn to
TWO CONTINUED
Ⓐ case study exercise 2
-
This activity  “develop a sales presentation” is designed to encorperate all the language items
and skills addressed in the previous activities.
-
It provides learners with
free practice to proceeduralise the language
acquired.
eincluding a free activity provides the learners with an opportunity to use the language and process it
further by activating the cognitive process.
v
 this gives students an opportunity to acquire 1
-
this activity alows learners to demonstrate their language acquired through procedural knowledge.
TWO EXERCISE Ⓑ
B) Six key assumptions
exercise ① (key language)
Assumptions
① – that learners acquire language more effectively if they can learn collocations and fixed expressions
as one unit of language rather than individual words.
exercise ①
② Assumption (key language)
② learners learn more effectively if they can work collaboratively comparing confering with their
classmates. gives
learners more confidence and promotes learner autonomy
exercise 1  case study
③ Assumption
- that once learners have been given a context with which to address and connect the language, that
they are ready to focus on language form and address accuracA
Ay.
exercise 1 case study
48
④ Assumption
that learners need to ‘notice’ patterns in language to acquire rules. more effectively.
⑤ Exercise ①  case study + key language
Assumption
①
that learners learn more effectively If they are first provided with a context  ‘meaning’ then they will
better connect with the language form used with in that context.
⑥ exercise 2  case study
AA Assumption ⑥
 than proceduralising language helps learners to acquire the language and activates their kno
procedural knowledge schemata.
 That acquisition is best obtained when learners transform declarative
6
knowledge into procedural knowledge.
Examiner’s comments on sample answer
The candidate’s performance in both parts of this answer is poor. In part (a), she identifies three
valid purposes: to introduce chunks of language in Key Language 1; to focus on more lexis in
Case Study 1; and to provide the learners with the chance to practise the language in Case Study 2.
There are some comments which are unclear (e.g. to activate cognitive process in the learners, this
activity alows learners to demonstrate their language acquired through procedural knowledge), vague
(e.g. helps scaffold the language for the students), inaccurate (e.g. to encourage learner autonomy, to
encourage learners to use listening skills for prediction, to provide a change of pace), or descriptive (e.g.
to encourage learners to work collaboratively with other learners).
In part (b), the candidate accurately identifies two assumptions out of the six that she lists. These are
the value of teaching language in chunks and the usefulness of groupwork. For the first of these
assumptions, she does not provide any rationale but for the second one, she gives two reasons: that
groupwork gives learners more confidence and promotes learner autonomy.
As with the previous sample, the remaining three assumptions are generic/not clearly stated and do not
apply to this particular sequence of material, i.e. the usefulness of presenting language in context (stated
twice); the value of learners noticing patterns in language; and that acquisition is best obtained when
learners transform declarative knowledge into procedural knowledge (the Examiners noted that it was not
clear what the candidate meant here).
A clearer layout of the answer to part (b) with the use of the sub-heading Rationale might have
helped the candidate to address the rubric fully but the key problem with this answer is that the
candidate lacked sufficient knowledge of the principles behind the design of material in order to be
able to answer this task.
49
10
Paper 2 Task 3
Comment on the ways in which Key Language exercise 3, Case Study exercise 3, and Follow Up
combine with the exercises discussed in Task Two.
10.1 Guideline Answer
Exercise
Key Language 3
Case Study 3
Follow up
How exercise combines with exercises in Task Two
• Builds on/extends vocabulary from Key Language 1 / that could be
used in the preparation of the presentation in Case Study 2
• Introduces collocations / language / verbs + prepositions which
prepares for Case Study 2
• Highlights the importance of accuracy which will be important when
they are preparing the presentation in Case Study 2 / to focus the
learners on form
• Gives learners controlled/written practice / focuses on accuracy before
production
• Gives a reason for giving the presentation well (in Case Study 2 as
peers are judging you)
• For the presenters, it provides a checklist of things that they will be
evaluated on
• For the listeners/other students/the teacher, it provides a checklist for
what to listen for / a task to complete in Case Study 2
• Provides an opportunity for feedback on their performance (based on
input from previous exercises)
• Encourages reflective practice to apply to their own presentation (This
point was allowed once for Case Study 3 or Follow up)
• Encourages reflective practice to apply to their own presentation (This
point was allowed once for Case Study 3 or Follow up)
• Builds on/extends language/phrases from Key Language 1 / openings
and closings
• Highlights the importance of style/appropriacy (from Key Language 1)
• Highlights important aspects of giving a presentation (3, 4 5) (which
could have arisen in Case study 2)
• Acts as a checklist in order to improve future presentations
• Encourages personalisation / a personal response to the content of the
lesson
• Provides variety in interaction (whole class)
10.2 Candidate performance
Examiners commented that candidates appeared to have a clearer idea of how to approach the
task with the average number of marks gained being 5, i.e. 50% of the total marks available. This is
in line with previous sessions. As in Task Two, those candidates who viewed the material and tasks
as being focussed on language rather than training learners to give a presentation, failed to
recognise how the exercises in this task combined with the ones in the previous task to achieve this
aim, particularly in terms of Case Study 3. This is the reason why candidates generally gained most
of the points in this task when discussing Key Language 3 rather than the other two exercises.
There are still signs that candidates are not looking at the material as a whole, for example almost
no candidates recognised the fact that the Follow up exercise provides variety in interaction by
organising the learners to work whole class. Some candidates still conflated exercises which meant
that they lost marks as it was not clear which exercise they are referring to. Centres should
emphasise that candidates must identify which tasks they are referring to for each point they make.
Two examiners also noted that in some cases, candidates did not attempt or complete this task,
indicating that timing is a problem for some candidates; others stated that candidates did not make
enough points so that whilst what they wrote was generally accurate, they lost marks because their
answers were limited in coverage.
50
The most common points made about how the exercises combine with those in Task Two were:
• Key Language 3 builds on vocabulary from Key Language 1
• It also introduces collocations/verbs + prepositions which prepare for Case Study 2
• It highlights the importance of accuracy/provides a focus on form
• It gives learners practice
• Case study 3 provides an opportunity for feedback on the learners’ performance
• Follow up highlights the importance of style
The least common points made were:
• Case Study 3 provides a checklist of things that the presenters will be evaluated on
• Follow up highlights important aspects of giving a presentation
• It acts as a checklist in order to improve future presentations
• It provides variety in interaction
The inaccurate/imprecise points listed below were frequently identified:
• Follow up is the final stage of a PPP cycle
• It built on Case Study 2 without saying exactly how it did this, i.e. by highlighting important
aspects of giving a presentation
Candidates are recommended to:
read the rubric carefully and only discuss the exercises they are asked to discuss
approach this task by discussing each exercise on its own so that they maximise the number of
points that they make
make a minimum of twelve points about the different exercises
make sure they discuss how the specific exercises combine with the exercises in Task Two rather
than with each other
make sure they say how the exercises combine rather than describe what the learners have to do
in the exercises
make sure that they do not simple describe the purpose of the exercises without saying how they
combined with one of the exercises in Task Two
do the exercises themselves so that they can see how the exercises link with the ones in Task
Two
consider a range of ways exercises can combine, e.g. in terms of language and skills, the focus
of the extract as stated in Task Two, the type of practice, presentation to practice, student
interaction patterns, opportunities for personalisation, progression, recycling, the balance
between accuracy and fluency, the topic/context etc.
10.3 Sample Answers
10.3.1 The following sample answer obtained a high number of marks available for this task
KEY EX 3
•
•
asks students to focus on key words and their collocations which prepares them for the case
study class as well as checks and highlights what they’ve noticed from key language 1.
gap fill makes students think about language – both form and meaning. It allows for a more
active practice of the language in 1 and prepares them for the case study presentation.
CASE STUDY 3
•
•
•
•
•
allows for peer correction on
case study 2 which means students learn from each other +
aren’t always reliant on the teacher
gets students to realise that “orginasation, clarity , and interest + usefulness” are important and
they can notice lack of the above in other’s work – or why other presentations were more
successful
highlights that it is important to listen to other students and that we can learn from them.
gives the students a
purpese for listening
links with production of target language in 2, this time checking reception of it
51
FOLLOW UP
•
•
•
•
gives question one links to key lang 1 – it checks understanding of key language as well as
highlighting the importance of formality
it gets students to think about formality and think about whether their, or their peers’
presentations in the case study were sufficiently formal
highlights importance of preparation in the case study
make students think of the importance of the delivery of the presentation as well as the
preparation – this builds on the target lang in key lang + case study 1 and
the presentation
in case study 2
Examiner’s comments on sample answer
This answer identifies nine accurate points spread evenly over the three exercises. These are that Key
Language 3 builds on vocabulary from Key Language 1, introduces collocations which prepare them for
the case study, and gives them practice of the language; Case Study 3 provides a checklist of things
that the presenters will be evaluated on, provides those students listening to the presentation with a
task to complete and allows for feedback; Follow up builds on language from Key Language 1,
highlights the importance of formality, and highlights important aspects of giving a presentation which
could have arisen in Case Study 2. Whilst some of the points could be expressed a little more
succinctly, e.g. the focus on formality in Follow up, overall, this answer contains a good range of points
in terms of the ways that the material combines in terms of language work and the focus on developing
learners’ presentation skills. It also explicitly refers back to the exercises discussed in Task 2.
10.3.2 The following sample answer obtained over half the marks available for this task
Key Language 3
•
to provide students with language to use during in the presentation in CS2.
•
to make ss aware of possible mistakes before they make them in CS2
•
to make focus ss attention on their own output and com during presentation in CS2
•
to avoid learning of incorrect useage usage later on in CS2&3
•
teach ss useful language for the presentation in CS2.
Case Study 3
•
give ss an idea on how to improve/what they did right.
•
give ss an activity to do while they are listening to others’ presentations.
•
get ss reflecting on their own organisation and how to improve.
•
evaluate ss success
•
provide feedback from many different people = more ideas
Follow Up
•
focus ss attention of on different language appropriate for different situations – register, and - the
appropriacy of
register in different situations
•
provide reflection o
•
focus ss attention on opening + closing statements
•
get ss exchange
52
•
brign bring the cycle to a close by getting ss to exchange opinions.
•
reflect on the opinions which students have enacted during their experience
Examiner’s comments on sample answer
Out of the 14 points that the candidate makes, seven can be credited as being accurate over the three
exercises. In terms of Key Language 3, these are that the exercise introduces language needed for
the presentation in Case Study 2 (stated twice) and to highlight the importance of accuracy; in Case
Study 3, to provide feedback (stated 3 times), to provide the listeners with a task to complete, and to
encourage the learners to reflect on their own presentation (stated twice); and in Follow up, to
highlight the importance of style and focus the learners’ attention on opening/closing language. The
candidate made four points which could not be credited because they were inaccurate or descriptive
and were not explicitly related to the exercises in Task 2, i.e. in Key Language 3, to make ss aware of
possible mistakes before they make them in CS2, to focus ss attention on their own output during the
presentation in CS2; in Follow up, bring the cycle to a close by getting ss to exchange opinions (this is
description). However, overall, it is clear that this candidate understands how to approach the task.
10.3.3 The following sample answer obtained very few marks available for this task
Task Three
key language exercise 3
-
to practice
and analyse the form of the target language exposed to key language 1.
-
to give them ready reference which will be helpful
study 2
-
to teach the form of the target language which is required to achieve the task in case study 2
for the learners to achieve task set in case
Case study 3
-
to help learners notice their gaps in learning after presenting the target language in case study 2
-
to help the teacher analyse the learner needs and requirements after they complete case study 2
Follow up
-
- to focus on the target/form of the target language and teach them explicitly which they been
presented with in Key language 1
Examiner’s comments on sample answer
The candidate’s response to this task is poor because she only outlines six points when the number
of marks available for this task is 10. Out of the six that she identifies, four are accurate. These are
that Key Language 3 introduces vocabulary needed for Case Study 2 and give learners practice of
the target language; Case Study 3 encourages reflective practice; and Follow up builds on language
from Key Language 1. The other two points, i.e. that Key Language 3 gives them ready reference and
Case Study 3 helps the teacher analyse the learner needs are not accurate. Overall, it is clear that
the candidate knows how to approach the task but she does not analyse the exercises in enough
detail and so fails to make enough points.
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11
Paper 2 Task 4
Below is an extract from Inside Teaching by Tim Bowen and Jonathan Marks (Heinemann, 1994, page
143):
a
Why might teaching writing skills be ‘at the bottom of the list of teachers’ priorities’?
b
What justification could there be for giving the teaching of writing skills a more central role in
English-language teaching?
11.1 Guideline Answer
Why writing might be ‘at the bottom of the list of teachers’ priorities’?
• Methodologies there is an emphasis on oral skills in some approaches, e.g. CLT, CLL
• Previous experience writing has negative associations for learners/teachers connected with
previous experience of exams or school or homework or ‘traditional’ approaches
• Learner needs there is a perceived need/preference amongst learners for speaking/listening
skills/grammar/lexis / learners do not need to write / learners are not motivated to write
• Opportunities to speak/write people speak more than write in life / there are a lot of opportunities to
speak
• Teacher/learner reactions speaking activities are considered more fun/active/ involving; writing is a
solitary/silent/boring/stressful activity
• Syllabus writing may not be a major part of a school’s course syllabus / writing may be taught in a
specialist class
• Accuracy the focus on accuracy in writing makes it too difficult/demotivating for learners
• Feedback to writing/speaking feedback to writing is usually delayed (so has less effect) / feedback
to speaking can often be immediate
• Published materials coursebooks often relegate writing to workbooks / give writing an incidental role
/ don’t provide activities to support teachers in developing writing
• Script learners with different scripts find writing difficult / literacy issues avoid writing
• Waste of class time writing can be done as homework rather than developed in the classroom /
writing takes valuable time in class / learners feel waste of valuable contact with teacher
• Cultural norms different cultures have different assumptions about features of good writing and this
means there is more to unpack / some cultures have a strong oral tradition
• Explicit focus not necessary writing is often considered as ‘taking care of itself’ with the belief that
learners will make progress naturally over time as their English improves
• A long time it takes a long time to learn to write
• Teacher knowledge teachers may lack knowledge of some genres and so avoid teaching them /
teachers lack knowledge of how to teach writing skills / teachers may not write well themselves
• Marking correcting written work is an additional burden for teacher / is time consuming / difficult
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• Young learners for younger learners it can be confusing to learn to write in their L1 and an L2 at the
same time / can’t write well
• Mixed ability difficult to cater to different writing skills abilities in the same class
What justification could there be for giving writing a more central role in ELT?
• Learner expectations learners expect to write in class / being able to write is part of being a
competent language user/learner
• Previous learning experience some learners with strong emphasis on writing in previous education
experience feel more comfortable writing
• Progress learners can see their progress over time which can be motivating
• Evidence learners are motivated because there is a record of what they have written/there is
evidence of their output/work
• Learning styles writing in class suits some learning styles / some Ss enjoy writing/being creative
• Change lesson writing can provide a change in pace of class / opportunity for quiet/reflective activity
/ variety / change of focus
• Less confident speakers it takes the pressure off shyer/less confident students
• Language consolidation it can be used to consolidate language work i.e. writing to learn
• Work/life needs some learners need to learn to write for work / EIL/globalisation
• Study needs some learners need to learn to write for study/exam purposes
• New technologies writing is more common in everyday life because of internet
• More time to think learners have more time to think about language, self monitor / it helps learners
focus on accuracy and thus develop
• Feedback it is easier for teachers to give individual feedback to each learner / allows teacher to
see/diagnose individuals’ strengths/weaknesses
• Learning outside the classroom it helps encourage learning outside the classroom as it is easier to
practise writing than speaking
• Support/Improvement it is often the weakest skill and learners need focussed support to develop /
learners find writing difficult and need lots of help / it forces learners to improve their writing
• Script learners with a different script / literacy issues need extra support
• Different language features writing uses different language features / sub-skills (e.g. spelling,
punctuation, different kinds of grammar, lexis, cohesive devices, style, summarizing, note-taking,
paragraphs)
• Collaborative it is possible to make writing a more collaborative process in class, e.g. process
writing, joint tasks, project work
• Technology now provides additional support for learners, e.g. spell check
• Impact on other skills improving writing skills has a knock-on effect on other skills, e.g. helping make
learners more effective readers, more accurate speakers
• Teacher – learner relationship writing can allow teachers to have a closer relationship with individual
learners / allow learners to communicate individually/directly with the teacher
55
• Errors vs slips enables teachers to identify errors rather than slips / mistakes in speaking may
simply be slips
• Writing conventions Writing conventions may differ between languages
11.2 Candidate performance
Candidates responded very well to the focus on developing writing skills in the classroom with this
task achieving the highest marks since the modular Delta examination was introduced in December
2008. The average number of marks achieved was 22 and a significant number of candidates
achieved 32 marks. Examiners commented that the task therefore acted as a good discriminator
between those candidates who had experience of, or had researched, teaching writing skills and
those who had not. It also allowed for candidates who were less confident on the ‘theory’ to show their
practical knowledge in both parts of the task. Very few candidates wrote off-task, although some spent
too long on talking about writing in different methodological approaches and only got one point for
this. There were no recurring inaccurate points made, which was very encouraging. Overall, this task
sampled well across many Delta syllabus areas and answers reflected effectively the relative
strengths and weaknesses of individual candidates.
The most common points identified in Part A were:
• Learners want to focus on speaking rather than writing
• There are more opportunities to speak rather than write in their lives
• Writing can be seen as being boring / a solitary activity
• Writing is a waste of class time and can be done at home
• Teachers may lack the knowledge to teach writing skills
• Marking written work is time consuming for teachers
The least common points identified in Part A were:
• Feedback to writing is usually delayed and so can have less impact
• Different cultures have different assumptions about the features of good writing
• Writing is often considered to take care of itself
The most common points identified in Part B were:
• Learners need to write for work/life
• Learners also need to write for study purposes
• Writing is more common in new technologies
• Writing can be used to consolidate language work
• Writing suits some learning styles
• Improving writing skills can have an impact on other skills
• Learners with different scripts or with literacy issues need extra support
The least common points identified in Part B were:
• Being able to write is part of being a competent language user
• Writing can allow teachers to have a closer relationship with individual learners
• Written work enables teachers to identify what are errors rather than slips
• Writing conventions may differ between languages
Candidates are recommended to:
read the rubric very carefully
only provide the information they are asked for about a topic, i.e. keep to the point
make as many relevant different points, up to a maximum of 20 over the two sections
use bullet points rather than an essay format as candidates are marked on the number of points
that they make rather than the depth of their answers
not to write at length about one point but to make as many different points as possible
prepare for this task by reading a methodology book which covers a range of topics, e.g.
Learning Teaching (Scrivener) or The Practice of English Language Teaching (Harmer)
allow themselves enough time for both parts of the task
refer, where appropriate, to a range of learners and contexts
consider the question (where appropriate) from the viewpoints of learners, teachers, institutional
requirements, materials, etc in order to generate a greater range of ideas.
56
11.3 Sample Answers
11.3.1 The following sample answer obtained almost the maximum number of marks available for
this task
④
• reasons why teaching writing may be ‘at the bottom of the list of teachers’ priorities
a)
• It is very time consuming (teachers and students may believe time can be ‘better’
spent.
• It is difficult to monitor in a large glass
• Teachers may be unconfident of how/how much to correct.
• Teachers may see writing as simply a combination of grammar and lexis and
Therefore prefer to focus on Those individual aspects.
• supporters of The audio-lingual method may think it is more valuable to teach
through simple modelling and drilling.
• It is not a very interactive skill/class activity and therefore may be seen to go against
a communicative syllabus.
• Although a class of students may be of roughly the same ‘level’, students written
abilities tend to vary more greatly and Therefore it can be difficult for teachers to
know which areas to focus on/teach
• students tend to feel more satisfied when they are learning new grammar and
vocabulary.
• Teachers and students may have had negative experiences with writing, due to
‘grammar translation’ methodologies often used in secondary schools.
• It requires the teacher to take on the role of ‘prompter’ rather than of ‘teacher’ and
some teachers may be uncomfortable with this ie think it is not ‘real’ teaching.
• Most syllabuses nowadays focus on the spoken production of language and
encourage communicative activities. If it is not focused on in coursebooks,
teachers may not think it should be a priority.
b)
Justifications for giving the teaching of writing skills a more central role:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
It is an integrative skill and therefore provides good practice of all many
language/lexical elements.
It benefits and appeals to ‘shyer ‘shy’ students who can be intimidated by group
work. (as it’s usually done individually)
It benefits and appeals to non learners who prefer non-verbal modalities.
so
It is usually done individually ^ it gives a great opportunity for the teacher and
student to see a The true level of what They can produce.
It provides a great opportunity for students to independently practice everything
They’ve been studying recently - ie it can be used as a summative activity.
Students work can be put on the wall or in a display and therefore it can be a very
motivating activity.
Many students study English to use it in their current/future jobs. These will often
involve writing emails/business letters, Therefore written accuracy is a vital skill
Students have more time to think when writing  (in comparison to when
speaking), and therefore it can be used as a scaffolding stage between learning
language and spoken production.
It is one of the only ways skills such as spelling and punctuation can be checked.
Often written language differs from spoken language (ie it can be more formal)
and Therefore focusing only on spoken production is not enough to cover all
aspects of the language
Due to the effects of globalisation and English becoming the ‘global language’, a lot
of most internet information and business information is produced in English and if
students wish to work in any of those areas, strong written skills are essential.
57
Examiner’s comments on sample answer
Part a
The candidate makes nine valid points with an appropriate amount of detail. She identifies key points
in terms of methodology, learners’ previous experience of writing in the classroom, learner needs, the
fact that learners and teachers may see writing as not being very interactive, it may not be a major
part of a syllabus or a coursebook, it is time consuming to teach in class, teachers may not feel
confident about teaching writing skills and it can be difficult to cater for different writing abilities in the
same class. However, she also makes three inaccurate points, i.e. that it can be difficult to monitor
writing in a large class (this is also true for other skills), teachers may see writing as a language work
and that it requires teacher to take on the role of ‘prompter’ (there is no reason for either of these
points being the case).
Part b
Here the candidate makes another nine valid points: the writing can be used to consolidate language;
it benefits shyer learners; it suits different learning styles; it allows students and teachers to diagnose
strengths and weaknesses; it provides learners with evidence of their work; learners need to write in
their jobs (stated twice); it provides learners with time to think; writing focuses on different language
features; and it is needed in new technologies. There was one point which was not credited (writing
can be used as a summative activity) as it was not clear what the learners would be practising, i.e.
language (which had already been stated) or skills.
11.3.2 The following sample answer obtained just over half the number of marks available for
this task
4. a.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
students are generally not interested in writing. They give more importance to speaking.
students might find it hard to write in L1 and even more so in L2.
Teachers might find it hard to teach writing
Students and the teacher might consider it a waste of time as there are more important things to
focus on.
Students find it boring.
Students lack creativity – Students lack ideas.
It takes time to write ^inclass so it is either relegated is homework or not focused on
4. b.
•
•
It helps with accuracy.
It is a required skill in exams such as IELTS and FCE.
(BH later)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Students have the time to focus on grammatical structures and thus it improves on their spoken
fluency.
It’s a skill which is learnt in L1 and should also be learnt in L2.
It completes the cycle of language acquisition. Listening speaking  reading  writing.
It aids retention
It gives students a written record of what they have learnt.
It gives them time to reflect on the language.
Collaborative writing induces peer teaching and as a result aids retention.
It consolidates what students have learnt in a lesson
Examiner’s comments on sample answer
Part a
The candidate makes seven points of which five were credited as being valid. These were that learners
see speaking as being more important than writing; they may find writing difficult in their L1; teachers
may find it difficult to teach writing skills; learners and teachers may see writing in class as a waste of
58
time (stated twice); and students may find writing boring. The candidate’s point that learners may lack
ideas was not credited as this is something which teachers can deal with when preparing their writing
skills lessons. The Examiners noted that this part of the candidate’s answer was too short and that he
needed to outline more points to maximise his chances of gaining more marks for this section.
Part b
The candidate’s response to this part of the task is fuller and he makes six valid points out of the
nine that he outlines. These are that writing is important for study purposes; it can be used to
consolidate language work (stated three times); it can impact on the development of speaking
skills; writing is part of being a competent language user; writing gives learners time to think; and
it encourages collaborative work. The candidate’s point about it providing learners with a written
record of what they have learnt could not be credited as it was not clear whether the candidate
was referring to a record of language (which was already credited as a point) or a record of skills
work which needed to be clearly stated. The points about writing being an aid to retention and
also that it completes the cycle of language acquisition were too vague to be credited.
11.3.3 The following sample answer obtained very few of the marks available for this task
4
a)
teaching skills may be at the bottom of the list because
learners may believe they need to practice speaking skills when they have an opportunity to talk
to a native L2 speaker.
It takes a lot of time to correct learners writing both inside and outside class.
With the advent of methodologies such as the communicative Approach which includes
community language learning, teachers may now believe that their should be less focus on
grammar and more on lexis.
Grammar translation methodology is outdated. Language learning does not follow strict rules
and learners need to acquire language in a lexical way rather than grammatical as suggested by
Michael Lewis (1993).
4B
What justification
1.
Given writing a more central role promotes fluency in both written and spoken text. If
learners can control the TL in written form there is positive backwash when they speak in
their L2.
2.
Teachers have a better indicator as to errors learners are making [and can plan
subsequent classes to help learners practice discrete items of language].
3.
Learners can work together to practise writing skills using the drafting techniques
suggested in the process or genre writing approaches. This can help learners confidence
as they negotiate meaning together.
4.
Learners can practise writing skills for spe different types of genre. This is necessary
experience if learners want to do exams like the First Certificate which checks that students
can write different types of text. Such as a transactional letter.
Examiner’s comments on sample answer
Part a
The candidate makes two valid points, i.e. that learners see speaking as more of a priority than writing,
and that marking students’ written work is time-consuming. The remainder of this part of the task could
not be credited because there was no reference to written or oral skills in the discussion of the different
methodologies. As in the previous sample, the candidate’s response to this part of the task was too
short.
59
Part b
The candidate outlines four points, all of which are valid, i.e. that work on writing skills can impact on
other skills, in this case, speaking; that written work can allow the teacher to diagnose learners’
weaknesses; that it encourages collaborative work; and that it is important for exam purposes.
However, as in the previous section, the candidate’s response to this section was also too short
which means that overall the candidate would only have the possibility of gaining a total of eight
marks.
Candidates in future sessions should note that this task carries 40 marks (each point being worth 2
marks) and so candidates must make at least 10 marks to gain 50% overall.
60