Module 3 Extended Assignment

Teaching Exam Classes

Panagiotopoulou Anthoula

Centre No:11256

Date of Submission: 4th June 2014

Word count: 4,499

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction.....................................................................................................4

1.1 Why exam classes?....................................................................................4

1.2 Exams vs general English classes..............................................................4

1.3 The teacher’s role.......................................................................................5

1.4 Backwash...................................................................................................5

1.5 Balancing teaching and testing..................................................................6

1.6 Materials selection.....................................................................................7

1.7 Development of learner autonomy.............................................................8

2. Needs Analysis................................................................................................9

2.1 Class Profile................................................................................................9

2.2 Needs Analysis methodology.....................................................................9

2.3 Needs Analysis findings (Appendix 2)......................................................10

2.4 Diagnostic Assessment (DA) methodology...............................................10

2.5 Diagnostic Assessment findings (Appendix 2)..........................................11

2.6 Implications for syllabus design...............................................................12

3. Course Proposal (Appendix 1).......................................................................14

3.1 Course aim...............................................................................................14

3.2 Course objectives.....................................................................................14

3.3 Syllabus type and sequencing..................................................................15

3.4 Course Content and materials..................................................................16

4. Assessment and Evaluation...........................................................................19

4.1 Formative assessment..............................................................................19

4.2 Summative assessment...........................................................................20

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 4.3 Backwash.................................................................................................21

4.4 Evaluation.................................................................................................21

5. Conclusion.....................................................................................................23

6. Bibliography..................................................................................................25

Materials for Classroom Activities.......................................................................26

7. Appendices....................................................................................................27

7.1 Appendix 1: Course Proposal.......................................................................27

7.2 Appendix 2: Needs Analysis and Diagnostic Test: collated results..............44

7.2.1 Needs Analysis.......................................................................................44

7.2.2 Diagnostic Assessment..........................................................................65

Further Appendices

Appendix 3: Needs analysis (blank).................................................88

Appendix 4: Diagnostic Test (blank)...............................................101

Appendix 5: Samples of learners’ work from diagnostic test124Error: Reference

source not found

Appendix 6: Sample materials.......................................................130

Appendix 7: Samples of summative assessments.........................138

Appendix 8: Course evaluation materials......................................149

Colour-coding in this document: Objective R3 (Reading)

Key Concepts Objective R4 (Reading)

Needs Analysis (NA) Objective U1 (Use of English)

Diagnostic Assessment (DA) Objective U2 (Use of English)

Objective R1 (Reading) Objective U3 (Use of English)

Objective R2 (Reading)

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4
 1. Introduction

1.1 Why exam classes?

Examinations are very often the culmination of English language learning in

Greece, where I had been teaching for fifteen years before coming to the U.K.
and most B2-C2 level classes are exam-oriented.

In this professional context, an EFL teacher in Greece becomes necessarily an

exams teacher. Personally, I started teaching exams classes only two years after
my initial training. The Cambridge English Proficiency (or Cambridge Proficiency
in English –CPE) is increasingly required by adults because it is a pre-requisite for
admission to postgraduate courses and, in Greece, it gives access to the ELT
profession.

Because of the ‘significant effect on people’s lives and careers exams results
can have’ (Burgess/Head 2005:1) I feel that further study on this field would help
me become a better exams trainer and language teacher.

1.2 Exams vs general English classes

The main differentiating factor between exam preparation and general English
classes is the objective; in exam classes the objective is the examination itself,
whereas in general English classes it is the learning per se.

The objective has implications on:

a) course content: most students do not tolerate deviation from exam-

oriented materials.

b) lesson pace: students are usually prepared for an intensive pace, typical of
such courses.

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 c) student rapport: they collaborate more willingly because ‘they usually
share the same aim’ (May 1996:4)

d) learners’ motivation and willingness to do homework/self-study: learners

are reported to work more intensively on an exam course and it is ‘easier
to persuade students of the importance of homework and of practising the
skills in which they are weakest’ (Burgess/Head 2005:2) because their
progress is measured against external criteria and they have a deadline to
meet those, namely the exam date.

e) learners’ emotional state: they tend to be under pressure (Prodromou

1995).

1.3 The teacher’s role

Burgess/Head (2005) list some of the characteristics of a successful exams

teacher. To my mind, the following two make a diference:

If the teacher views the exam as a positive challenge and is knowledgeable

enough to show learners how to achieve the desired result, then he can earn his
learners’ trust and attention. Undoubtedly, this is something that the teacher
should work towards in every class.

Another important aspect is giving clear, constructive and honest feedback

about the students’ performance, encouraging autonomous learning and
informing the learner about their own responsibility towards their learning.
Correction is no synonym to feedback and an exam teacher’s role is not to
merely correct.

1.4 Backwash

‘The backwash effect can be defined as the direct or indirect effect of

examinations on teaching methods’ (Prodromou 1995:13) Classroom examples
are:

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 a) The teacher uses exclusively (or excessively) practice papers to prepare
students, neglecting communicative and humanistic methodologies. He
basically uses all course time to test learners.

b) Even when the teacher uses other materials, there is an explicit focus on
exam-type activities or skills required for the exam.

c) Errors are penalized.

d) Learners are not encouraged to take time to think; they are required to
produce answers fast.

e) The teacher is viewed as the supreme authority- he has all the right
answers and most of the classes are teacher-led and –centred.

Negative backwash is not always teacher-induced. Students’ choices also

produce it. The exam being learners’ main objective, they may see any
activity not directly related to the exam as a waste of time.

Nevertheless, backwash can be positive, especially if focusing on exam

material means that learners are made to concentrate on an area or skill
they are weak at and tend to avoid doing so in a general English class. In
CPE classes, this is usually the case of the use of English section, which
demands good language command.

Finally, the degree of the backwash effect is related to ‘the place of

examinations in particular societies’ (Prodromou 1995:13) too; in Greece,
where I draw my experience from, passing exams is, unfortunately, an
index of language awareness and mastery, which in most cases is not true.

1.5 Balancing teaching and testing

‘Testing prepares students for the experience of reading, writing, listening or

speaking under exam conditions and of following exam procedures’
(Burgess/Head 2005:11). This helps lower learners’ affective filter at the time of
the exam and gives them a good sense of the importance of time management.
The risk of negative backwash, however, needs to be taken into account.

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However useful, testing should not be the focus of an exam course.

If testing dominates classes, learners are robbed of the opportunity to

understand and rectify their mistakes, thus not improving and they end up being
demoralized. If teaching dominates classes, learners are robbed of the
opportunity to familiarize themselves with the time constraints, activity types
and pressure, all typical of an exam.

Because results interpret learners’ performance in a very measurable way, I

agree with Burgess/Head that ‘regular testing should have the effect of proving
students what they can achieve through steady hard work and provide a positive
challenge’(2005:12) It can help keep motivation levels high or give a warning
that a more responsible approach to one’s learning is needed, but, most of all, it
should remain a way of assessing progress on a course and not its main core.

1.6 Materials selection

Selection of materials is crucial when designing an exam class syllabus because

‘if the test content and testing techniques are at variance with the objectives of
the course, then there is likely to be harmful backwash’ (Hughes 2003:1).

However, doing several practice tests followed by correction would not be

teaching, but testing. Learners should be trained on exam approaches,
encouraged to reflect on their mistakes and remedial teaching should take place
(Burgess/Head 2005). This can be achieved through exploiting practice test
books, by using published materials or creating ones that target specific
weaknesses.

Nowadays, a wide range of electronic materials is also available: electronic

educational platforms, such as Pearson’s www.mygrammarlab.com, coursebooks
with supplementary material on CD-ROM, reliable websites for practice, such as
learnenglish.britishcouncil.org, with a section dedicated to the IELTS exam.

Where possible, materials should reflect learners’ interests, so motivation levels

are maintained and they may also be involved in material selection, suggesting

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texts (spoken or written) for classroom use. With my learners, I do that through a
Facebook group I created, where they can share videos or articles they find
interesting.

1.7 Development of learner autonomy

Pressure and work overload are typical features of an exam class, so it is

important that learners are trained on managing their time efficiently and find
the learning techniques that work for them. The teacher should maximize
learners’ opportunities to use English inside and outside the classroom. The
secret lies in training learners in developing good study habits. Burgess/Head
(2005) suggest spending regular time working on their English, reviewing, using
self-study and reference books and organizing their paperwork among others. In
my school, I always include sessions on the use of bilingual/monolingual
dictionaries and electronic resources.

Where possible, I choose coursebooks with supplementary self-study material

and I encourage my learners to use it because I agree that ‘private study should
be regarded as an integral part of the learning process’ (May 1996:5), something
that most learners in exams classes understand.

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 2. Needs Analysis

2.1 Class Profile

I will take over this group in September 2014, in my own school, in Kerkyra,
Greece. It comprises 8 students:

 seven female, one male

 Greek is everyone’s native language

 most of them aged 18-25, two of them in their 30s

 all of them have University education, two of them at postgraduate level

 all but one are multilingual. Most of them speak three foreign languages
(among English, French, Spanish, Italian, German)

 their perceived level is C1-C2 and most of them share extrinsic motivation
(Harmer 2007:98) because they need to pass the exam for reasons related
to work or studies.

2.2 Needs Analysis methodology

To conduct a needs analysis I used both objective and subjective analysis types
(Nunan 1988). the subjective type, in the form of a questionnaire, provided me
with learners’ personal details, their knowledge of the exam and their learning
styles and beliefs.

I created the questionnaire using Google Drive (Appendix 3) based on the

questionnaire by Nunan (1985: 67-70, in Nunan 1988:14-17).

I also conducted informal interviews with the students so I could complement

and clarify any data provided from the questionnaires, as is for example the fact
that five out of eight students are working towards a Translation University
degree, meaning that they work on their English on a daily basis and that all of
them have acquired the University of Michigan Proficiency Certificate (ECPE, C2
level also).

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It is important to clarify that I have taught most of these learners myself in
previous classes and in preparation for their previous certificates.

2.3 Needs Analysis findings (Appendix 2)

The students say they;

 plan to take the CPE exam after a course of 4 or 8 months (September to

December or May)

 have some knowledge of the exam format

 want to work mainly on the Use of English part of Paper 1

 identify lexis as a difficulty that comes up in all papers

 find the Reading Comprehension and the Use of English part the most
difficult of all and Speaking the easiest one

 think their spelling is average to very good

 learn grammar through studying and practising and lexis through keeping
a notebook and using new vocabulary

 have most difficulty with remembering new words

 are interested in: travel, entertainment, leisure

social problems

education issues, university life

 prefer working in very small groups or alone

 use technology every day, particularly the Internet

 remember things when they write them

 are language-smart, music-smart and picture-smart (Puchta 2005:7)

2.4 Diagnostic Assessment (DA) methodology

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The diagnostic assessment, or task analysis is ‘employed to specify or
categorize the language skills required to carry out real-world communicative
tasks’(Nunan 1988:18), in this case, the CPE exam. Even though Hughes (2003)
suggests that indirect testing is more appropriate for diagnostic purposes as it
provides a more representative range of language, I chose to use a practice test
and administered it under exam-like conditions, because it would provide me
with details on learners’ time management, approach to exam conditions and
familiarization with the exam format.

I used Test 1 from Cambridge English Proficiency for the updated exam Book 1
(UCLES 2012) because it covered all task types. It was marked using the criteria
described in the same book.

The DA enabled me to see the degree to which some students had or did not
have difficulties with individual papers and to contrast their perceived needs and
strengths with their real ones.

A wider range of questions, especially regarding the Use of English part, would
have provided me with a better understanding of the learners’ level, as it is
specific items that are tested, but it would have been unrealistic to test
everything they know, so I felt that this part would provide me with enough data
for error analysis.

2.5 Diagnostic Assessment findings (Appendix 2)

Speaking was the easiest part for the learners, followed by Listening and
Writing, so we are not going to focus on these papers on this course.

Antigoni, who is one of the learners who need to get a B (approximately 85%) ,
already hit her target in Speaking and was very close in Writing and Listening.
The other three learners who need a B grade, had satisfactory percentages,
Elisa, Giota and Panagiotis got 64.5, 66 and 70 respectively in the overall scores.

The DA confirmed what the learners replied in the NA: the Use of English and the
Reading parts are the most challenging ones for them.

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Problems which lost students most marks Course Priorities

Lack of lexis, lack of application of How to approach and double-check

grammar rules (Use, part 4) this task

Practise sentence transformations

Wrong choice of derivatives, How to approach and double-check

miscomprehension (Use part 3) this task

Affixation

Intensive reading

Lack of time (reading parts 5, 7) Reading sub-skills: scanning,

skimming

Reading speed

Lack of understanding references How to approach this task

(reading part 6) Understanding cohesion, coherence
focus

Lack of lexis, inferring meaning from Reading sub-skills: inferring meaning

context, understanding opinion and
attitude (reading parts 5-7)

2.6 Implications for syllabus design

In summary, the course needs:

 a focus on reading and lexis

 clear information on task types and training on specific task types

 class interactions to be kept within small groups or pair work

 linguistic, musical and visual-spatial activities

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 3. Course Proposal (Appendix 1)

This course is a 21.5-hour excerpt from the beginning of a longer course for CPE
preparation, which I will teach starting late September 2014. The group is
already closed so there will only be the participants whose needs have already
been analysed.

Lessons will take place from 10:00 to 14:00 on Mondays, Wednesdays and
Fridays, plus a 1.5 hour for a summative assessment on the second Friday and
some time for tutorials after the assessment.

3.1 Course aim

To improve learners’ score in CPE Paper 1 by at least 5%.

Even though more work is required for most learners to achieve their desired
goals, I think an increase of 5% is a feasible goal for the two-week period.

3.2 Course objectives

‘An objective refers to a statement of specific changes a program seeks to bring

about and results from an analysis of the aim into its different components’
(Richards 2001:122-123). Features of objectives according to Richards (2001)
are: description of aims in smaller learning units, being the basis for organizing
teaching and providing a measure for performance

By the end of the programme. learners will have:

R= Reading, U=Use of English

R1 Increased their reading speed

R2 Improved their ability to skim and scan

R3 Improved their ability to infer meaning from

context

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R4 Improved their ability to understand text
organization, structure and cohesion

U1 Improved their comprehension at sentence level

U2 Improved their affixation skills

U3 Improved at rephrasing sentences, mostly using

affixation

3.3 Syllabus type and sequencing

The course follows a mixture of a skills syllabus and a product oriented syllabus.

It is skills-based in the sense that it focuses ‘on performance in relation to

specific tasks and therefore provide a practical framework’ (Richards 2001:161).
The learners will be mainly working on their reading comprehension skills so that
they can improve their score at the Reading part, which was one of their
weaknesses according to the NA and DA. The skills are broken into sub-skills,
reflected in the course objectives around which the course has been designed.

It is product-oriented in the sense that the syllabus was conceived with the
focus on the knowledge (lexical-objectives U2, U3) and skills (reading –objectives
R1, R2, R3, R4, U1) the learners should gain as a result of the teaching.

Tasks have been sequenced from simple (D1e, D3c) to complex (D4d) and on the
basis that some sub-skills (D1h) are required for following tasks (D4HW task 3)

Spiraling also takes place throughout the course. ‘This means that something
learned is reintroduced in connection with something else, so that it is both
‘reused’ and learned in more depth’ (Graves 2000:138). For example, learners
have been taught how to skim, scan and infer meaning in D1e and D3c which
they have to combine for a reading task in D5c.

3.4 Course Content and materials

The following factors influenced the design of this course:

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Students’ motivation

To keep students’ motivation levels high, I have focused on exam-type activities

so that they can witness their progress in a way that is measurable is
understandable to them.

Teacher’s role

Feedback plays a major role in the course and follows every activity. It is done
extensively and aims at clarifying errors and refining reading techniques. My
own positive attitude to exams will also contribute to learners responding
positively to the reading challenge. The tutorial on Day 6 also aims at giving
learners an opportunity to discuss personal thoughts on their progress, without
peer pressure.

Backwash

In order to reduce negative backwash, I have applied a range of techniques:

 errors are viewed as an opportunity to learn, hence feedback is

explanatory and extensive

 in the skills-training stages time has been allocated to allow learners to

think through their answers

 elements of the communicative methodology are present. For example,

even though the course focuses on reading, speaking (D4b), writing
(D3HW task 4) and personalized activities (D3f) are included.

Balancing testing and teaching

In order to balance teaching and testing, a skills-training stage always precedes

the testing stage. During the skills training stage, activities are exam-type but
not in terms of length, so learners are prevented to see them as tests and focus
on the skills-building. A testing stage follows where the teacher diagnoses

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whether further teaching should take place and assigns another test for
homework. It would be unrealistic not to include testing in an exams class, as
learners expect it-so I made sure that teaching precedes it and learners are
focused on it.

Materials selection

According to Graves (2000), whether one chooses, adapts or develops materials

depends on the learners, the aims of the course, students’ learning styles and
the role of the teacher.

My choice of materials was based on learners’ expectations and the materials

content validity. I know that learners in Greece are used to working from a
coursebook and feel insecure with teacher-made materials. As a result, I used
published materials which I have used with CPE classes before. Focusing on
published input, learners feel safer and good quality of visuals is provided,
suitable for visual learners. As the level is high, I tried to integrate some
authentic materials (D2c, D5d), too, even though sometimes it is ‘problematic in
the L2 classroom because it is not constructed to contain only the aspects of
language the learner has encountered’ (Graves 2000:156).

Learner autonomy

Instilling good study habits was my main aim in this respect. This is the reason
why, my learners valuing private study, I chose to set homework every day, be it
skills practice (reading) or lexis work (keeping a vocabulary notebook).
Homework is limited to one hour per session because some learners mentioned
they could not dedicate more time. Keeping a vocabulary notebook will help
learners store lexis in a practical way and aid them with recalling it, as they said
they remember things better when they write them. Everyday reading practice
through www.spreeder.com, will help them see day-to- day progress and it is
something they can continue using after the end of the course.

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Institutional constraints

There are no limitations imposed by the organisation I will be teaching the

learners in, because I own it and I have free choice of materials and resources.
The main room where we will be having lessons is equipped with computers and
internet access and it also has an OHP where I plan to project some of the
materials to facilitate learners’ understanding.

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 4. Assessment and Evaluation

‘Assessment plays three interrelated and overlapping roles in course design.

The first is assessing needs, the second is assessing students’ learning and the
third is evaluating the course itself’ (Graves 2000: 207).

4.1 Formative assessment

It is not only the teacher’s wish to assess learners; learners on exam courses
also expect to be tested regularly (Burgess/Head 2005:11), some of them even
expect the corpus of the course to be solely practice papers and are
disappointed if this is not the case. Responding to learners’ expectations,
formative assessment is one of the pillars of this course, as it is the basis for
constructive feedback and offers learners the opportunity to become more
aware and improve their performance.

Learners’ progress on the course objectives will be assessed as follows:

Objectiv Assessment
e

R1 Tested daily. Students complete details of their

reading texts and speed in a document kept by the
learners but available to the teacher. This way,
learners will feel no direct pressure and are more
probable to carry on with the reading speed
practice after the end of the course.

R2 Tested informally in all R2 tasks, but also R3 tasks

as skimming/scanning is in most cases a
prerequisite for inferring (D5c). The test has face
validity as it tests these specific skills.

R3 Tested informally and directly (D3d). Skills-training

stages are inferior to skills-practice stages of the
lessons in terms of content validity, because
learners in the former, benefit from pre-task

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 activities.

R4 Tested informally and directly (D2c) The same

comments apply as for R3 regarding skill-training
and skill-practice stages.

U1 Tested informally and directly (D4HW task 4) This is

also tested alongside Reading objectives. Validity
varies depending on the stage of the lesson and
whether pre-tasks have taken place but, on the
whole, sentence-level comprehension is also tested
indirectly, through learners’ interactions in class.

U2 Tested informally and directly (D4e). Again, content

validity depends on the stage of the lesson.

U3 Tested informally (D2e) The objective of the course

being to improve learners’ ability of rephrasing and
not the specific CPE written task, tests regarding
this objective have face validity but may lack
content validity as they assess a limited range of
input and are also dependent on learners’ own
contributions in homework from previous days.

All tests, except D4c and D5d, are from knowledgeable, reliable publishers and
UCLES, the examination body administering CPE exams, so have greater content
validity than self-made assessments.

4.2 Summative assessment

‘Summative tests are administered at the end of courses and their objective is to
see if students have achieved the objectives set out in the syllabus’
(Harris/McCann 1994:28) The summative assessment for this course consists in
an entire Reading and Use of English CPE paper, done under exam conditions. It
will be marked objectively , with right or wrong answers (Hughes 2003:19). Even
though the focus of this course has been on Reading and only part of the use of

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English tasks, the test may lack construct validity, but it will still provide the
teacher with an idea of learners’ progress.

Harris/McCann (1994) state that information gathered from summative

assessment usually remains unexploited, as it takes place at the end of a
course, but in our case, given that the course designed is only the beginning of
an 8-month preparation course, I feel that this statement is not applicable. The
findings from this summative assessment will feed into another, later course on
reading comprehension.

4.3 Backwash

By combining constant formative and summative assessment at the end of the

course, I believe I will be able to minimize the chances of a negative backwash.
Formative assessments with following feedback aim at viewing tests as
opportunities for students to see if they are making progress or they need to
become more responsible for their learning and how they can address their
problems. A feeling of control over one’s progress will keep learners’ motivation
levels high and prevent negative backwash. Furthermore, a focus on areas that
each learner is weak at will even have a positive backwash effect, as will the fact
the summative assessment is on Reading comprehension, a skill that learners
will have worked on throughout the course. On the other hand, the fact that the
summative test includes a full use of English paper whereas learners will only
have been trained in Part 3 of this paper, may produce a negative backwash
effect, but remains a good opportunity for learners to find out whether they have
made progress in this particular task type and see how they are progressing in
the overall paper too.

4.4 Evaluation

As mentioned above, evaluating a course is an essential part of course design.

My evaluation plan includes formal and informal ways of assessing the course,
following the plan in Graves (2000).

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Formal ways include a questionnaire (Appendix 8) given to the students after the
end of the course based on the objectives of they course as they will have been
outlined on the first day. It is important that learners are aware of the objectives
and it is even more important to see whether they are able to link the course
content to them. The questionnaire will be distributed via the Facebook group so
learners may choose whether they want to return it handwritten or typed in the
school’s ‘Suggestions’ box.

Informal ways of course evaluation include informal interviews with the learners
and my own reflection notes (Richards 1990) which I will be taking throughout
the course so I can reformulate and adjust it to learners’ emergent needs and
wishes.

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 5. Conclusion

Application of principles and benefits for the learners

The course I propose provides my students with intensive practice in the one of
the skills that they are least confident in and some practice in language. It will
boost their confidence and take off some of the pressure, as Paper 1 weighs 40%
of the total marks for CPE and they are relatively strong in other papers.

The course encourages learners to develop good study habits, ones that will
accompany them after the completion of this course and during their future
studies, particularly the habits of reading to improve speed, dealing with
unknown vocabulary and finding a practical way of storing lexis.

Through objectives R2/R3/ R2, students become aware of the sub-skills required
in order to approach not only the reading comprehension part of the exam, but
several parts of the use of English and listening too. They also deal with a shared
problem: unknown lexis. Instead of feeding my students with long word lists, I
chose to train them in finding meaning through textual clues, a skill which is
transferrable not only to other examination types, but also to general English
reading. Honest, direct and constructive feedback is one of the main focuses in
lessons, as in this course learners will have to opportunity to actually learn why
they make mistakes and find ways around their issues.

Given the interests of the group in studying English, one can see their high
levels of motivation. I know most students because I have taught them before,
so I can advise them and help them handle the course pressure effectively.

The materials used are mainly published materials and remain exam-like, as
students expect. This will hep them feel safer and in control of their progress.

Course limitations

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As the course designed is for 21.5 hours only, I chose to focus on reading skills
and affixation. This meant that I had to leave out of the course design other
areas of weakness, such as the entire use of English part and some aspects of
writing which were made obvious through the diagnostic assessment.

Not dealing with the entirety of the use of English paper may result in
demotivating students during the summative assessment but I am convinced
that they will see the progress they will have made in comprehension in all tasks
of the use of English paper, as they all require some degree of using reading
comprehension sub-skills.

On the whole, I feel the benefits outweigh the limitations, and that the course
will fulfil my students’ needs.

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1.

6. Bibliography

Burgess, S. and Head, K. 2005 How to Teach for Exams Pearson Longman: Harlow

Graves, K. 2000 Designing Language Courses: A Guide for Teachers Heinle &

Heinle: Boston

Harmer, J. 2007 The Practice of English Language Teaching Pearson Longman:

Harlow

Harris, M. and McCann, P. 1994 Assessment Macmillan: Oxford

Hughes, A. 1989 Testing for Language Teachers Cambridge University Press:

Cambridge

May, P. 1996 Exam Classes Oxford University Press: Oxford

Prodromou, L. 1995 ‘The backwash effect: from testing to teaching’; in ELT

Journal, Volume 49/1 January 1995, Oxford University Press: Oxford

Puchta, H. November 2005 ‘Making the most of multiple intelligences’; in English

Teaching Professional, Issue 41 November 2005

Richards, J. 2001 Curriculum Development in Language Teaching Cambridge

University Press: Cambridge

Richards, J. 1990 The Language Teaching Matrix Cambridge University Press:

Cambridge

UCLES (University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate) 2012 Cambridge

English Proficiency for Updated Exam, Book 1, Student’s Book with Answers:
Examination Papers Cambridge University Press

Nunan, D. 1988 Syllabus Design Oxford University Press

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 Materials for Classroom Activities

Evans, V. Dooley, J. 2002 Upstream Proficiency Student’s Book Express

Publishing

Evans, V. Dooley, J. 2002 Upstream Proficiency Workbook Express Publishing

Roderick, M. Nuttall, C. and Kenny, N. 2013 Expert Proficiency Coursebook

Pearson

Scott-Barrett, F. 2002 Longman Exam Skills Proficiency Use of English Longman

Stephens, M. 2002 Longman Exam Skills Proficiency Reading Students' Book

Longman

UCLES (University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate), 2012 Cambridge

English Proficiency for Updated Exam, Book 1, Student’s Book with Answers:
Examination Papers Cambridge University Press

An unlikely muse, http://www.examenglish.com/cpe/cpe_reading_part4.htm

(accessed 16 May 2014)

Racism. Adapted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism (accessed 1 May

2004)

26
 7. Appendices

7.1 Appendix 1: Course Proposal

Course Aim

To improve learners’ score in CPE Paper 1 by at least 5%.

Course Objectives

R=Reading, U=Use of English

R1 By the end of the programme, learners will have

increased their reading speed, so that they can
read a CPE Paper text in approximately 15 minutes.
They will also be able focus on known instead of
unknown words.

R2 By the end of the programme, learners will have

improved their ability to skim and scan. They will
be able to understand the main idea of a text and
the writer’s purpose and they will be able to scan
texts for information, without focusing on unknown
words.

R3 By the end of the programme, learners will have

improved their ability to infer meaning from
context. This will be done by exploring concept
relationships and context clues, such as
redundancy.

R4 By the end of the programme, learners will have

improved their ability to understand text
organization, structure and cohesion. This will be
done by looking at different text types, exploring

27
 cohesive devices, understanding and using them to
retrieve information

U1 By the end of the programme, learners will have

improved their comprehension at sentence level.
This will be done by exploring cohesion and
coherence within a paragraph.

U2 By the end of the programme, learners will have

improved their affixation skills. This will be
achieved by exposing learners to affixation
techniques and practice.

U3 By the end of the programme, learners will have

improved at rephrasing sentences –mainly
including affixation-so that they will be able to
better express themselves and perform better at
use of English Part 4.

28
The course is a 21.50-hour excerpt from a course, with a focus on reading skills and use of English. For the first two

week, five lessons take place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, each lesson is four hours (four 50-minute

sessions) and takes place between 10:00 and 14:00. This will be followed by a one-hour-and-thirty-minute lesson on

the last Friday between 12:30 and 14:00, during which summative assessment will take place. Students are expected

to dedicate approximately one hour to their homework per session. Students are already members of

www.facebook.com (a social network) where homework tasks will be posted, having been given in class and which will

be used as a means of communication within members of the class. Students will have the option of handing in

homework through email. Unless otherwise stated, all web pages used will be printed.

Note: all assessment is underlined in the course proposal. Summative assessment is on Day 6. All other assessment

takes place as an integral part of the course.

Week 1
Day Obj. Suggested activities and materials Time Topic(s)

D1 a. Students meet and introduce themselves 15

Mon T explains class rules, the 2-week plan and its

day objectives Week 2

Day Obj. Suggested activities and

T introduces materialsgroup and its functions for
the Facebook Time Topic(s) Notes

D4 this class
a. Update (homework
on reading speed,tolearners
be assigned
shareby teacher, useful
experience 45

Mon questions, polls, videos, articles to be posted there)

Homework correction (an entire Reading Paper), error analysis,
15
day b. Overview of Paper 1(tasks, marks, timing)
feedback
R1 25
b. c. Test Reading Speed and
(Roderick/Nuttall/Kenny Comprehension
2013) on
Expert Proficiency p 87 Ss 15 Travel
www.readingsoft.com
discuss the pictures in pairs, wholeclass discussion about

ways
Ss of
aretravel
introduced to www.spreeeder.com, showed its

functions
c. Ss visit and settings so they can use it for choose
http://www.alexrobertsontextor.com/, every one
R2, 40 Travel
session
blogpost and tell their partner about the place visited or
R3
tipsWholeclass
they read about. Whileabout
discussion reading, theytips
general canand
taketechniques
notes

andused
underline lexis they
when reading formay need to ask afterwards.
comprehension
R1 25 Arts,
Wholeclass
d. Ss take the textdiscussion: Why do
‘Imelda Marcos’ we travel? Is travelling
from people
easier nowadays? How?
http://www.examenglish.com/ and put it in spreeder,

perform comprehension task and make note of their

wpm (words per minute)

Travel
R2 45
Day Obj. Suggested activities and materials Time Topic(s) Notes

R2, d. (Roderick/Nuttall/Kenny 2013) Expert Proficiency p 88-89. Travel

R3 Ss underline key words in the phrases and use a technique 35

to find the correct answer. They read each text once and try

to match it with as many questions as they think it can be

matched (always justifying their choices). After they finish,

they double-check or see if any question is left with two

answers instead of one. (approx. time allowed 17 mins)

Feedback.

e. (Scott-Barrett 2002) Longman Exam Skills Proficiency Use

of English p139-140, Forming adjectives and adverbs

U2 40 Travel
f. Class divided in two groups. Groups exchange papers with

sentences prepared as homework. Each group must

U3 25
transform the sentences without using the same word but

one derived from it, keeping the same meaning. 25

minutes to see which group finishes first. Groups share

results. Wholeclass voting on best pairs of sentences.

Day Obj. Suggested activities and materials Time Topic(s) Notes

Homework set:

1. 1 article on spreeder and note it in the list

2. UCLES 2012) Cambridge English Proficiency for

Updated Exam, Book 1, Test 4, Paper 1, Part 7
(exam practice)

3. Completing Vocabulary notebook, word formation

section

4. (Scott-Barrett 2002) Longman Exam Skills

Proficiency Use of English p145, Word formation

(exam practice)

5. Transformation sentences based on class game

D5 a. Update on reading speed, learners share experience 35

Wed Homework correction, error analysis, feedback

nesd
Day Obj. Suggested activities and materials Time Topic(s) Notes

ay b. (Evans/Dooley 2002) Upstream Proficiency SB p 165 20

Ss discuss the pictures, listen to a historian talking Social

about important events and complete the listening task. isssues

Ss in small groups match the sentences with the issues

in ex. 2. Wholeclass discussion about discrimination

c. Remind students of scanning/skimming/inferring

R2, 40
techniques
R3 Social
(Evans/Dooley 2002) Upstream Proficiency SB p 166- issues
167. Ss do Pre-reading tasks 5a-5c and Reading task

5d timed (approx. 15 minutes)

Feedback

Pairs, then wholeclass discussion about ‘What parts of

one’s life can racial preconceptions affect?’

d. Word formation task ‘Racism’ (adapted from Wikipedia) 20

Social
Day Obj. Suggested activities and materials Time Topic(s) Notes

U1 Feedback issues

e. (Stephens 2002) Longman Exam Skills Proficiency 45 Health,

Reading p 100-101. Text analysis. Go through skills medicine

R4
check with students, activities A & B, Feedback.

f. Practice:(Stephens 2002) Longman Exam Skills Health,

30
Proficiency Reading p 102-103 (timed approx. 17 medicine
R4
mins). Feedback

10
g. Overview of course

D6 Summative assessment & Tutorials 1h

30min
Frida
& time
y
for

tutori

als
7.2 Appendix 2: Needs Analysis and Diagnostic Test: collated
results

7.2.1 Needs Analysis

A. Personal Details

A1: Name

Kyriaki (Kiki)

Paraskevi

Elisavet(Elisa)

Antigoni-Maria

Maria

Margaret

Panagiota (Giota)

Panagiotis

A2: Nationality

All students are of Greek nationality

A3: Age group

18-25 6

26-30 2

over 30 0
A4: First language

All students’ first language is Greek.

A5: Level of education

University student 3

Graduate 3

Postgraduate student 1

Postgraduate diploma 1
holder

Other 0

A6: What languages do you speak?

Kiki English, French, Spanish

Paraskevi English, French, Italian

Elisa English, German, Spanish

Antigoni-Maria English, Spanish

Maria English

Margaret English, French, Spanish

Giota English, French, Italian

Panagiotis English, French

A7:How long have you been studying English

1-3 years 0

4-6 years 1

more than 6 years 7

A8: Where have you studied English?

At a public school 0

In a private institute, in a group 7

In a private institute, one-to-one 0

classes

At home, one-to-one classes 1

Self-taught 0

Other 0

A9:Your English is level..

B1-B2 0

C1-C2 8

A10: How much time can you dedicate to homework on a weekly basis?

less than 3 hours 4

3-6 hours 2

more than 6 hours 2

B. The Cambridge Proficiency exam

B1: When do you plan to take the exam?

Kiki Next year

Paraskevi May 2015

Elisa Next year

Antigoni-Maria December 2014

Maria This year

Margaret December

Giota In 6 months

Panagiotis After my graduation (in 1 year)

B2: Have you taken the CPE exam before?

Yes 3

No 5

B3: Why do you want to get the CPE?

Kiki: To enhance my knowledge

Paraskevi: It is required by my employer

Elisa:It is a worldwide recognized certificate

Antigoni-Maria:To apply to university MSc

Maria: I need it for my job.

Margaret: To obtain knowledge

Giota: Because I think it will improve my skills in English language

Panagiotis: In order to testify my capacity in speaking English as a foreign

language

B4: Is there any specific grade you need to obtain?

Yes, B and above 4

No 4

Other 0
B5: Which part of the exam do you want to work most on?

Reading 1

Use of English 4

Listening 1

Writing 2

Speaking 0

B6: Have you ever taken a CPE preparation course before?

Yes 6

No 2

C. Reading Comprehension

C1: Which statement applies to you?

I do not know what to expect in the CPE 2

reading exam

I know little about the CPE reading exam 4

I know exactly what to expect in the CPE 2

reading exam

C2: How do you feel about Reading comprehension in English?

I find it difficult 1 0

2 1

3 5

4 2

I find it easy 5 0

C3: How do you practise your reading skills outside class?

Never Once a Once a Several Every

month week times a day
week

Reading books written for 3 4 1 0 0

native speakers (fiction)

Reading books written for 1 3 3 1 0

native speakers (non-
fiction)

Reading readers for 2 4 1 0 0

English learners

Reading magazines 0 2 4 2 0

Reading newspapers 1 2 4 0 1

Doing online reading other 0 0 2 3 3

than
magazines/newspapers
(social networks, blogs,
etc)

Doing CPE reading 2 3 1 2 0

practice
C4: What is your biggest difficulty when it comes to reading in English?

Kiki: Vocabulary

Paraskevi: Scientific vocabulary

Elisa: Part 6

Antigoni: Concentrating

Maria: Unfamiliar words

Margaret: Vocabulary

Giota: Some words that I can’t understand

Panagiotis: Clarity in expression

D. Use of English

D1: Which statement applies to you?

I do not know what to expect in the CPE 1

use of English exam

I know little about the CPE use of English 4

exam

I know exactly what to expect in the CPE 3

use of English exam

D2: How do you feel about use of English?

I find it difficult 1 0
2 3

3 2

4 3

I find it easy 5 0

D3: How do you practise your use of English outside class?

Never Once a Once a Several Every

month week times a day
week

Doing CPE use of English 2 3 1 2 0

practice

Practising with self-study 4 2 2 0 0

grammar books

Practising online on 4 3 1 0 0
several websites

Practising with self-study 1 3 3 1 0

vocabulary books

Producing English texts 3 3 2 0 0

and correcting them

D4: How do you feel about learning grammar?

I find it difficult 1 0

2 0

3 4

4 2
I find it easy 5 2

D5: How do you learn new grammar?

Kiki: from movies

Paraskevi: by having it explained to me by teachers

Elisa: through exercises

Antigoni: study

Maria: with practice

Margaret: by studying it

Giota: in compare to greek grammar

Panagiotis: through practice

D6: What is your biggest difficulty when it comes to grammar?

Kiki: part 4

Paraskevi: phrasal verbs

Elisa: phrasal verbs, prepositions

Antigoni: remembering all the rules

Maria: ---

Margaret:phrasal verbs

Giota: tenses

Panagiotis: no difficulties

D7: How good is your spelling?

Very poor 1 0
2 1

3 1

4 3

Very good 5 3

D8: how do you feel about learning new vocabulary?

I find it difficult 1 1

2 3

3 0

4 4

I find it easy 5 0

D9: How easily do you learn vocabulary?

I find it difficult 1 1

2 2

3 1

4 4

I find it easy 5 0

D10: How do you learn vocabulary?

Memorising the words with their 2

translation

Keeping a vocabulary notebook 4

Making vocabulary cards 1

Using new vocabulary in written/spoken 4

texts

Other Memorising words with

synonyms of the same
language

D11: What is your biggest difficulty when it comes to vocabulary?

Kiki: to remember the spelling

Paraskevi: its memorisation

Elisa: I can not memorise iteasily and I cannot remember all the meanings at
once

Antigoni:not confusing similar words

Maria: I can’t remember new words

Margaret:----

Giota: none

Panagiotis: correct use in speech.

E. Listening

E1: Which statement applies to you?

I do not know what to expect in the CPE 1

listening exam

I know little about the CPE listening 4

exam

I know exactly what to expect in the CPE 3

listening exam

E2: How do you feel about Listening comprehension in English?

I find it difficult 1 0

2 1

3 2

4 3

I find it easy 5 2

E3: How do you practise your listening skills outside class?

Never Once a Once a Several Every

month week times a day
week

Listening to music 0 0 0 1 7

Watching television/films 0 0 0 3 5
in English (no subtitles)

Listening to the radio 2 0 2 3 1

Watching videos online 0 0 0 3 5

(youtube ets)

Doing CPE listening 3 2 1 1 1

practice tests

E4: What is your biggest difficulty when it comes to listening in English?

Kiki: pronunciation

Paraskevi: I am not familiar with different accents

Elisa: unknown vocabulary and different accents

Antigoni: the accents!

Maria: unfamiliar words

Margaret:----

Giota: none

Panagiotis: complicated statements

F. Writing

F1: Which statement applies to you?

I do not know what to expect in the CPE 2

writing exam

I know little about the CPE writing exam 4

I know exactly what to expect in the CPE 2

writing exam

F2: How do you feel about writing in English?

I find it difficult 1 0

2 1

3 4

4 3

I find it easy 5 0
F3: How do you practise your writing skills outside class?

Never Once a Once a Several Every

month week times a day
week

Writing texts, social media 1 3 1 2 1

posts

Writing emails (formal & 1 1 1 5 0

informal)

Writing letters (formal & 4 2 1 1 0

informal)

Writing articles, blogposts 4 3 1 0 0

Doing CPE writing practice 2 3 1 1 1

F4: What is your biggest difficulty when it comes to writing in English?

Kiki: word limit

Paraskevi: time frame

Elisa: to adopt different styles and use different vocabulary

Antigoni: finding the words I want

Maria: poor vocabulary

Margaret: grammar

Giota: syntax

Panagiotis: clarity in expression

G. Speaking
G1: Which statement applies to you?

I do not know what to expect in the CPE 2

speaking exam

I know little about the CPE speaking 3

exam

I know exactly what to expect in the CPE 3

speaking exam

G2: How do you feel about speaking in English?

I find it difficult 1 0

2 0

3 1

4 3

I find it easy 5 4

G3: How do you practise your reading skills outside class?

Never Once a Once a Several Every

month week times a day
week

Speaking to friends (non- 1 0 3 0 4

native speakers)

Speaking to friends (native 2 1 1 0 4

speakers)

Speaking to friends(who 1 0 2 0 5
speak the same language
as me)

G4: What is your biggest difficulty when it comes to speaking in English?

Kiki: vocabulary

Paraskevi: I don’t have any particular difficulty

Elisa: I feel stressed and even though I know how to express myself, I confuse or
forget the vocabulary

Antigoni: no difficult, it comes fluently

Maria: ---

Margaret:nothing

Giota: syntax

Panagiotis: using new advanced vocabulary

H. Topics, Interests

H1: Do you think you can speak/write about the following topics?

No A little Most of the Always

time

Travel, entertainment, 0 0 3 5
leisure

People, families, 0 0 4 4
appearances, feelings

Technology, computers, 0 4 3 1
space travel

Social problems 0 1 5 2
Environmental issues 0 4 3 1

Work, business 0 2 5 1

Education issues, 0 1 5 2
university life

Health, fitness, 1 3 3 1
medicine, sports

Economy, advertising 0 4 4 0

Media, journalism, 0 2 4 2
communication

H2: Are you interested in the following topics?

Not at all A little A lot Very I don’t

know
what that
means

Travel, 0 0 1 7 0
entertainment,
leisure

People, families, 0 1 2 5 0
appearances,
feelings

Technology, 1 3 1 3 0
computers, space
travel

Social problems 1 1 0 6 0

Environmental 1 1 2 4 0
issues
Work, business 0 3 2 3 0

Education issues, 0 1 1 6 0
university life

Health, fitness, 1 1 5 1 0
medicine, sports

Economy, 0 4 1 2 1
advertising

Media, journalism, 0 3 1 3 1
communication

I. Learning Styles

I1: How do you learn? (not just English, generally speaking)

Working alone 2

Working in groups 2

Working with only one partner, or very 4

small groups

Working as a whole class 1

I2: Do you use technology for learning purposes?

No 0

Not much 1

A lot 3

Every day 4

I3: Which of the following do you use for learning purposes?

Internet 8
Podcasts 2

Online educational platforms 2

Educational software 2

Educational TV programmes 2

Cds or DVDs for language learners 2

Videogames for language learners 1

I4: When do you remember things more easily?

When I read them many times 1

When I listen to them. 4

When I write them. 6

When I say them. 3

I5: Check what applies to you (more than one may be possible)

I am good at maths 2

I am good at learning languages 5

I am good at drawing/painting. 1

I play a musical instrument/sing. 0

I do a lot of sport. 1

I listen to music when I study. 5

I use colours and drawing to help me 4

remember things

I use pictures to help me remember things. 4

I move around a lot. 2

7.2.2 Diagnostic Assessment

Part 1: Use of English

Total Scores (maximum score: 36 points)

Students Correct answers Percentage (%)

Kiki 14 40

Paraskevi 29 80

Elisa 17 47

Antigoni 23 64

Maria 20 56
Margaret 23 64

Giota 17 47

Panagiotis 25 70

Analysis of wrong answers

Questio Correct answer Students’ answers Possible reasons

n
number

1 B D, A Unknown lexis,
unknown
collocation

5 C D, B Unknown
collocation

12 to For (x8) L1 interference

14 not Usual, once Unknown fixed

expression

17 likened Alike, likeable, likely Wrong word class,

miscomprehension

18 botanists Botanologists, botanist L1 interference

Did not check

grammar

20 revelation Revelance, revealation Wrong formation

Spelling

21 extraordinary Inordinary, unordinary, Wrong formation

ordinary

23 unpleasant Pleasing Miscomprehension

24 distances distance Did not check
grammar

26 Took no notice (of  Took absolutely no Did not know the

me) attention to me fixed expression

 Took no consideration Confused ‘pay

of me attention to’ with
‘take notice of’
 (uncompleted)

28 Until darkness fell (uncompleted x3) Miscomprehension

before the sun fell Confused

‘darkness falls’,
until the sun fell
‘the night falls’
until the night fell dark and ‘the sun sets’

29 In the/as a last When there’s no Did not know the

resort does/do alternative does the structure ‘resort to
/will the company company resort to +-ing form’

As the last resort does Mixed ‘as a last

the company resort/in the last
resort’
Resort makes the
company to Did not know fixed
expression
(uncompleted x3)

30 Which went into  (uncompleted x3) unknown

preparing/(the) collocation
 which was taken
preparation (for)
carefully to prepare confused because
the OR which was
the of ‘handled
taken with carefully/handle
preparing /(the)  with which we
with care’ and
preparation (for) prepared the
analogically
the formed ‘prepared
 carefully/prepare
with care’

Part 2: Reading Comprehension

Total Scores (maximum score: 36 points)

Students Correct answers Percentage

Kiki 14 39

Paraskevi 29 80

Elisa 20 55

Antigoni 29 80

Maria 16 45
Margaret 23 63

Giota 20 55

Panagiotis 23 63

Analysis of wrong answers

Question Correc Students’ answers Possible reasons1

number t
answe
r

34 B C Possibly thought ‘Scruton had

difficulty ...’ echoed in ‘he sounds
dinstinctly uneasy’

35 B D, C Possibly did not understand ‘hardly’

in’…are hardly a promising basis for
understanding cinematic techniques’

Completely contrasting answer. Text

reads: ‘That may or may not be true’
and the answer reads: ’He is right to..’

39 E F, G Students did not understand the

referencing ‘it’ or the logical sequencing
of ‘in addition’ in paragraph after 39

40 G D, A Students did not understand the

referencing ‘these drawbacks’ in
paragraph after 40

44 E B Students possibly thought ‘questioning

in B and ‘investigate’ in the question
 refer to the same action

Students do not understand ‘to delve’

51 C B, E, F Illogical answers.

Students do not understand ’on a

whim’

52 C B, F, E Students thought ‘criticism was the

making of her’ (B), ‘my friends aren’t
readers’ (F). ‘will his family find it all a
bit weird’ (E) echoed in ‘disregard for
adverse criticism’

Part 3: Writing

Total Scores (maximum score 40)

(Marking has been based on Cambridge Assessment scales as described in

Cambridge English Proficiency (2012)

Students Score Percentage

Kiki 21 52.5

Paraskevi 31 77.5
Elisa 21 52.5

Antigoni 28 70

Maria 25 62.5

Margaret 25 62.5

Giota 25 62.5

Panagiotis 27 67.5

Writing Part 1 (essay)

Students Score Content Communicativ Organisation Language

(out e Achievement
of 20)

Kiki 10 3 3 3 1

Points Communicates well- shows range

relevant complex ideas organised of vocabulary
to the Holds target variety of shows
topic reader’s cohesive control over
Target attention devices simple and
reader complex
Fulfills coherent
fully grammatical
communicativ
informed forms, some
e purpose
errors
Some
realting
omissions
mainly to
grammar

Paraskevi 18 5 5 4 4

all points shows very well- wide range

relevant complete organised of
to the command of vocabulary,
 topic conventions wide range less common
of cohesive lexis
target holds thetaget
devices
reader reader’s shows
used with
fully attention with fluency,
complete
informed ease precision,
flexibility sophisticatio
communicates
fully n and style
complex ideas
coherent uses
fulfills
complex and
communicativ
simple
e purpose
grammatical
forms

Elisa 12 4 3 2 3

Points Communicates well- Range of

relevant complex ideas organised vocabulary
to the Holds target coherent Uses less
topic reader’s common
variety of
Target attention lexis
cohesive
reader Fulfills devices, Precise
fully communicativ though not Wide range
informed e purpose sophisticate of simple and
d complex
grammatical
forms

Minor errors

Antigoni 15 4 4 4 3

Points Communicates very well- Range of

relevant complex ideas organised vocabulary
to the Holds target wide range Uses less
topic reader’s of cohesive common
 Target attention devices lexis
reader used with
Fulfills Precise
fully complete
communicativ Wide range
informed flexibility
e purpose of simple and
coherent complex
grammatical
forms

Minor errors

Maria 12 4 3 3 2

Points Communicates well- Range of

relevant complex ideas organised vocabulary
to the Holds target variety of Uses less
topic reader’s cohesive common
Target attention devices lexis
reader Fulfills Precise most
fully communicativ of the time
informed e purpose Variety of
simple and
complex
grammatical
forms

Minor errors

Margaret 13 4 3 4 3

Points Communicates very well- Range of

relevant complex ideas organised vocabulary
to the Holds target wide range Uses less
topic reader’s of cohesive common
Target attention devices lexis
reader used with
Fulfills Precise
 fully communicativ complete Wide range
informed e purpose flexibility of simple and
complex
coherent
grammatical
forms

Minor errors

Giota 12 4 3 3 2

Points Communicates well- Range of

relevant complex ideas organised vocabulary
to the Holds target variety of Uses less
topic reader’s cohesive common
Target attention devices lexis
reader Fulfills Precise most
fully communicativ of the time
informed e purpose Variety of
grammatical
forms

Minor errors

Panagiotis 15 4 4 4 3

Points Communicates very well- Range of

relevant complex ideas organised vocabulary
to the Holds target wide range Uses less
topic reader’s of cohesive common
Target attention devices lexis
reader used with
Fulfills Precise most
fully complete
communicativ of the time
informed flexibility
e purpose Wide range
coherent of simple and
complex
 grammatical
forms

Minor errors

Writing Part 2

Students Score Content Communicativ Organisation Language

(out of e Achievement
20)

Kiki- letter 11 4 2 3 2

Points Communicates text is well- Range of

relevant complex ideas organised vocabulary
to the Holds target coherent Uses less
topic reader’s common
uses a
Target attention lexis
variety of
reader Fulfills cohesive Precise
fully communicativ devices most of the
informed e purpose time

Exceeded Variety of
word count grammatica
l forms

Minor errors

Paraskevi- 13 4 3 4 3
review Points Communicates very well- uses a
relevant complex ideas organised range of
to the vocabulary
Holds target wide range
topic and less
reader’s of cohesive
common
Target attention devices
lexis
 reader Fulfills used with precisely
fully communicativ complete uses a wide
informed e purpose flexibility range of
coherent simple and
complex
grammatica
l forms

Elisa- article 9 2 1 3 3

some does not use text is well- uses a

omissions communicativ organised range of
are e task vocabulary
coherent
present conventions and less
uses a
effectively at common
target variety of
all times lexis
reader is cohesive
precisely
informed register is devices
appropriate uses a wide
range of
target reader’s
simple and
attention is
complex
held
grammatica
communicates
l forms
straightforwar
d and complex
ideas

Antigoni- 13 4 3 3 3
report Points Communicates text is well- uses a
relevant complex ideas organised range of
to the vocabulary
Holds target coherent
topic and less
reader’s uses a
common
Target attention variety of
 reader Fulfills cohesive lexis
fully communicativ devices precisely
informed e purpose uses a wide
range of
simple and
complex
grammatica
l forms

Maria- letter 13 4 3 4 2

Points Communicates very well- Range of

relevant complex ideas organised vocabulary
to the Holds target wide range Uses less
topic reader’s of cohesive common
Target attention devices lexis
reader used with
Fulfills Precise
fully complete
communicativ most of the
informed flexibility
e purpose time
coherent Variety of
grammatica
l forms

Minor errors

Margaret- 12 4 3 3 2
report Points Communicates text is well- Range of
relevant complex ideas organised vocabulary
to the Holds target coherent Uses less
topic reader’s common
uses a
Target attention lexis
variety of
reader Fulfills cohesive Precise
fully communicativ devices most of the
informed
 e purpose time

Variety of
grammatica
l forms

Minor errors

Giota- report 13 4 3 4 2

Points Communicates very well- Range of

relevant complex ideas organised vocabulary
to the Holds target wide range Uses less
topic reader’s of cohesive common
Target attention devices lexis
reader used with
Fulfills Precise
fully complete
communicativ most of the
informed flexibility
e purpose time
coherent Variety of
grammatica
l forms

Minor errors

Panagiotis- 12 4 3 3 2
review Points Communicates text is well- Range of
relevant complex ideas organised vocabulary
to the Holds target coherent Uses less
topic reader’s common
uses a
Target attention lexis
variety of
reader Fulfills cohesive Precise
fully communicativ devices most of the
informed e purpose time

Variety of
grammatica
 l forms

Minor errors

Part 4: Listening

Total Scores (maximum score : 30 points)

Students Correct answers Percentage (%)

Kiki 13 44

Paraskevi 29 97

Elisa 23 77

Antigoni 23 77
Maria 18 60

Margaret 23 77

Giota 25 77

Panagiotis 24 80

Analysis of wrong answers

Questio Correct Students’ answers Possible reasons

n answer
number

3 B A A refers to the stage before the ‘info

search’ and comes first in the listening

10 microbes Microbs, Spelling

composition Students did not look for the phrase to
be completed and simply transcribed a
word from the extract

16 B C, A C- illogical answer

A- confusion over ‘I could easily feel

both of these contrasting sentiments’

21 F G Confusion because of ‘I originally found

them by chance’ but this does not refer
to a method

24 D H, F Both illogical answers

Part 5: Speaking

Total Scores

(Marking has been based on Cambridge Assessment scales as described in

Cambridge English Proficiency (2012)

Students Percentage

Kiki 55%

Paraskevi 85%

Elisa 78%

Antigoni 83%
 Maria 58%

Margaret 67%

Giota 74%

Panagiotis 70%

Studen Grammat Lexical Discourse Pronunciati Interactive Global

ts ical resource manageme on communicati achieve
resource nt on ment

Kiki Limited Appropriat Coherent Good Some On task

and e speech, pronunciati hesitation,
simple vocabulary good on and good turn
forms linking, intonation taking and
appropriate contribution
length of to dialogue
utterances

Parask Impressiv Wide Impressive Excellent Good turn On task

evi e range, range, linking of pronunciati taking and
simple appropriat ideas, on, contribution
and e coherence, intonation, to dialogue,
complex vocabulary sometimes connected no pauses
forms lengthy speech and very
responses good repair
skills

Elisa Wide Wide Coherent Excellent Good turn On task

range, range, speech, pronunciati taking and
simple appropriat impressive on, contribution
and e linking, intonation, to dialogue,
complex vocabulary appropriate connected no pauses
forms length of speech and good
 utterances repair skills

Antigo Wide Wide Coherent Good Good turn On task

ni range, range, speech, pronunciati taking and
simple appropriat good on and contribution
and e linking, very good to dialogue,
complex vocabulary appropriate intonation. no pauses
forms length of and good
utterances repair skills

Maria A variety Wide Coherent Good Some On task

of simple range, speech, pronunciati hesitation,
and some appropriat very good on and contributed
complex e linking, intonation to dialogue
forms vocabulary appropriate bit did not
length of take turns
utterances

Margar Wide Wide Coherent Good Some On task

et range, range, speech, pronunciati hesitation,
simple appropriat very good on, contributed
and e linking, sometimes to dialogue
complex vocabulary appropriate flat, good bit did not
forms, length of intonation, take turns
sometime utterances connected
s speech
awkward

Giota Wide Wide Coherent Pronunciati Some On task

range, range, speech, on needs hesitation,
simple appropriat good work and good turn
and e linking, intonation, taking and
complex vocabulary appropriate too. contribution
forms, , some length of to dialogue,
some wrong utterances, no repair
mistakes collocation although
 s short on skills
two
occasions

Panagi Wide Wide Coherent Very good No pauses, On task

otis range, range, speech, pronunciati good turn
simple appropriat good on, taking and
and e linking, intonation, contribution
complex vocabulary utterances connected to dialogue,
forms, , sometimes speech no repair
sometime sometimes long skills
s unnatural
awkward collocation
s

Overall scores

By Paper
By Learner