Troy Witt
ELT Signposts, Brno
11th September 2011

Fluency on Paper:
The Path to Successful Writing Skills
How will the seminar be structured?
• Part A: Theory (15 mins)
• Part B: Methodology (45 mins)
• Part C: Assessment (30 mins)

Part A - Theory (15 Mins)
This part of the seminar will:
• examine the ‘product vs. process’ debate
• consider why writing seems to cause such difficulties for many students
• explore what needs to go into ‘good writing’ before the pen even hits the page

Process or Product?
In the teaching of writing we can focus on the product of that writing or on the writing process itself. When concentrating on the product we are interested in the aim of a task and in the end product. Those who advocate a process approach to writing, however, pay attention to the various stages that any piece of writing goes through.
Jeremy Harmer, The Practice of English Language Teaching

The Writing Process
Reviewing
Generating
Ideas
Structuring
Drafting Focusing
Evaluating
White and Arndt, 2001

Why do students HATE writing?
Because...
• it’s dull, time-consuming and not interactive
• it’s often difficult to see improvement
• it requires learning a lot of lexis that is ‘non-transferable’ (used to write only)
• it’s often the least encountered of all 4 of the skills in daily life
• the fact that good speaking skills do not translate directly into good writing skills (yet they are both productive) is frustrating
• it’s ‘foreign’ as the Czech school system does very little of it

What do students need to ask themselves before they write?
1 the WHY
2 the WHAT
3 the HOW
4 the WHO
What is your motivation for writing?
Do you want transfer information, achieve a goal, or just make social contact?
What is the best way to communicate what it is you need to say?
If you know what you want, what do you need to know to create it?
Should you use a formal letter, a quick note, or a bulleted list?
What makes a report different than a proposal?
Who is going to read what you write?
How is an email to your boss different than an email to your grandmother?

Part B - Methodology (45 Mins)
This part of the seminar will:
• consider the elements and aspects involved in successful writing
• examine strategies, techniques, and some useful activities that help support these

Successful Writing Needs A Plan:
Transactional Letter Organization Guide

Successful Writing Needs A Plan:
Transactional Letter Organization Guide
In groups...
•review the task, and discuss the points that need to be included in the letter
•complete the TRANSACTIONAL
LETTER ORGANIZATION GUIDE for the task
IESOL B2 Communicator
Sample Paper I

Successful Writing Needs Proper Register:
A Tale of Two Letters
Formal
1. Dear Sir/Madam
2. Furthermore
3. I would greatly appreciate it if you could
Informal a. And another thing b. Do you think you can c. Hey Bob

Successful Writing Needs Proper Register:
A Tale of Two Letters

Successful Writing Needs Proper Register:
A Tale of Two Letters
In groups...
•read both letters, decide which letter is
FORMAL and which is INFORMAL
•mark the structures in the list as indicative to either FORMAL (F) or
INFORMAL (I)
•find examples of each in the two letters

Successful Writing Needs To Be Corrected:
A Letter to Correct
WW wrong word
GR grammar
SP spelling
T tense
P
/ unnecessary word
Prep preposition
A article punctuation
WO word order

Successful Writing Needs To Be Corrected:
A Letter to Correct
What are the problems here?
I born in 1971 in one small town in Mexico.
^ WW
My father is diplomat, so my all life I live in different country.
A
WO T GR
I’m married since five years. I knew my wife on school.
T WW WW Prep

Successful Writing Needs To Be Corrected:
A Letter to Correct

Successful Writing Needs To Be Corrected:
A Letter to Correct
In groups...
•correct the letter using the ‘correction guide’ presented
New Headway UI (3 rd Ed) pg 112

Part C – Assessment (30 Mins)
This part of the seminar will:
• provide an overview of City & Guilds itself, as well as the
IESOL and EBC exams
• provide an opportunity for YOU to try your hand at assessing some sample responses

A Little Bit About City & Guilds
• British examining and certification body providing 50% of the UK’s vocational qualifications.
• City & Guilds in ČR organizes exams in English through 35 approved testing centres.
• City & Guilds exams in English:
 General English exams: IESOL (written) + ISESOL (spoken)
 Business English exams: EBC (written) + SETB (spoken)
 Exams for Young learners : YESOL (written) + YSESOL (spoken)

The Exams
CEFR
A1 Breakthrough
A2 Waystage
B1 Threshold
B2 Vantage
C1 EOP
C2 Mastery
IESOL*
Preliminary
Access
Achiever
Communicator
Expert
Mastery
EBC**
1
2
3
*International English for Speakers of
Other Languages
**English for
Business
Communication

The Exams
Exams Features…
• benchmarked to the CEFR (6 levels)
• valid for life
• recognized internationally
• recognized by the Ministry of Education in ČR, employers and
Czech universities
• based on communicative method
• assessed by independent examiners in London (both written and spoken exams)
• flexible preparation materials

The IESOL Exams
Communicator
Level B2
Skills and Focus
Writing 1
Writing 2
Task
Respond appropriately to a given text to produce a formal response for an intended public audience
Instruction to respond formally using a written, graphic or visual input with four content points to be addressed and the intended reader specified
Produce a personal letter, a narrative or descriptive composition
Instruction to write an informal piece of writing for a specified reader on a general subject not requiring specialist knowledge
Format
100-150 words
150-200 words

The IESOL Communicator Level (B2) Assessment
Criteria
CRITERIA task fulfillment
DESCRIPTION
A measure of how far the candidate has achieved/addressed the task. Has the candidate done what was asked (eg “Write four sentences” – are there four sentences?) grammar A measure of the range, appropriacy and accuracy of grammar.
MARKS
0-3
0-3 vocabulary structure
A measure of the range, accuracy and appropriacy of vocabulary. This criterion also includes spelling accuracy.
A measure of coherence and cohesion. How the text is put together. Is there an attempt to link the ideas and to organise them in a coherent manner? We also look at the accurate use of punctuation in this criterion.
First Class Pass 12 – 10 , Pass 9 – 6 , Narrow Fail 5 , Fail 4 – 0
0-3
0-3
NOTE: detailed grammar can be found in the IESOL Qualification Handbook

IESOL Task Evaluation 1: An Article
Succeed in City & Guilds pg 16/162

IESOL Task Evaluation 1: An Article

IESOL Task Evaluation 1: An Article
In groups...
•Read the task
•Examine both sample answers
•Evaluate each using the B2
Communicator Level assessment criteria

IESOL Task Evaluation 2: A Formal Letter
Succeed In City &
Guilds pg 140/166

IESOL Task Evaluation 2: A Formal Letter

IESOL Task Evaluation 2: A Formal Letter
In groups...
•Read the task
•Examine both sample answers
•Evaluate each using the B2
Communicator Level assessment criteria

The EBC Exams
• Modern written Business English for international communication
• Ministry of Education the ČR accreditation as a standard language exam for civil servants
• In-tray simulation, real business cases
• Reading and writing
• Results: Fail (less than 60%), Pass (60%+), First Class Pass
(75%+)

The EBC Exams
Level
1
2
3
Length & Tasks Reading Skills
1 h + 15 min
2 h + 15 min
2 h 30 min + 15 min
Writing Skills
Understanding simple internal and external business communications
Understanding internal and external business communications , e.g. memos and letters, written telephone messages, faxes and emails.
Understanding internal and external business communications.
Write simple, concise letters
Write simple memos.
Draft faxes
Write concise letters
Write memos.
Draft faxes.
Prepare other documents for business purposes, e.g. circular letters and mailshots, press releases and articles
Write concise letters.
Write memos.
Draft faxes.
Draft other documents for business purposes: notices and invitations, speeches, agendas and the minutes of meetings, advertisements and mailshots, press releases, articles and circular letters.

The EBC Level 2 (B1-B2) Assessment Criteria
CRITERIA layout mechanics content
DESCRIPTION assessed on 2 questions only (letter and memorandum) grammatical accuracy (4 marks) spelling & punctuation (4 marks) tone & fluency (4 marks) how well the task itself is completed
First Class Pass +75 % , Pass +60 % , Fail -60% fluency = degree of success with which message is conveyed tone = appropriateness of style, register and vocabulary for the purpose of the task
MARKS
0-4
0-12
0-4

EBC Task Evaluation: A Business Letter

EBC Task Evaluation: A Business Letter
EBC Level 2
Practice Paper 1

EBC Task Evaluation: A Business Letter

EBC Task Evaluation – A Business Letter
In groups...
•Read the task
•Examine both sample answers
•Evaluate each using the EBC Level 2 assessment criteria

In Conclusion
• a successful writing ‘product’ is the direct result of a strong writing
‘process’
• writing is a productive knowledge of register and form, a structured plan and continual feedback throughout this process
• good assessment requires strictly defined criteria, consistency of form but also a degree of the assessor’s own instinct
•
The City & Guilds IESOL and EBC materials and practice tests provide a series of thorough, well-structured writing tasks that can make a great addition to your classroom
• The City & Guilds exams are an efficient way to test and assess your students’ writing skills

Do you have any questions?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?

Thanks very much for your time!
www.cityandguilds.cz
www.cityandguildsenglish.com