SULTANATE OF OMAN

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF EDUCATIONAL EVALUATION

STUDENT
ASSESSMENT
HANDBOOK
for ENGLISH

BILINGUAL
PRIVATE
SCHOOLS

GRADE 12

September 2019
CONTENTS

GLOSSARY p. 2-3

GENERAL INTRODUCTION p. 4-9

A. Background p. 5
B. Assessment Principles p. 5-7
C. Learning Outcomes (Overview) p. 8
D. Planning for Assessment p. 9

PART ONE: GATHERING INFORMATION p. 10-19

1.1 During Everyday Teaching:
1.1.1 Day-to-Day Observation p. 11-12
1.1.2 Classroom Questioning p. 12-14
1.1.3 Written Work p. 15
1.2 Through Testing
1.2.1 Semester Tests p. 17-18
1.2.2 Classroom Tests p. 19

PART TWO: RECORDING INFORMATION p. 20-23

2.1 Formal Record-keeping p. 21-23
2.2 Informal Records p. 23

PART THREE: USING INFORMATION p. 24-38

3.1 Formative Assessment
3.1.1 Adaptation of Teaching p. 25-26
3.1.2 Giving Feedback to Students p. 26-28
3.1.3 Student Self-Assessment p. 29-30
3.2 Summative Assessment
3.2.1 Rating Scales p. 32
3.2.2 Making Decisions on Marks p. 32-35
3.2.3 Moderation (Formal & Countinous) p. 35-38

APPENDICES p. 39-53
1. Learning Outcomes & Rating Scales p. 40-47
2. Mark Sheets for Continuous Assessment p. 49-50
3. Exam Specifications p. 52-53

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GLOSSARY

Learning Outcomes Statements which describe what students should know,

understand and, especially, be able to do. Outcomes can be
grouped together into ‘elements’ (e.g. Writing).

Assessment A range of techniques designed to gather useful information

about students’ achievement of learning outcomes.

Summative Assessment Assessment of student learning. Its purpose is to measure and

report on standards of learning. Typically done by awarding
marks and grades. Also involves reporting to the Ministry and
to parents.

Formative Assessment Assessment for student learning. Its purpose is to improve

students’ learning. Typically done through adaptation of teaching,
giving feedback, student self-assessment, etc.

Continuous Assessment Assessment that is conducted — in schools, by teachers —

throughout the school year, rather than just at the end. Provides
a fairer, more balanced picture of students’ attainment. Also
allows the inclusion of skills (e.g. Speaking) which are difficult,
for reasons of practicality, to assess by means of formal testing.
Can be used for both Formative and Summative purposes.

Self-Assessment Assessment by students of their own strengths and weaknesses,

their own learning strategies, and the quality of their own work.

Self-Monitoring A particular kind of self-assessment, in which students assess the

quality of their own work while they are actually doing it.

Peer-Assessment Assessment by students of each other’s work. A useful bridge to

self-assessment.

Test/ Exam A formal set of instructions for test-writers, providing information

Specifications about various features of a particular test: duration, elements to
be tested, formats & materials to be used, types of student
response, marks to be awarded, etc.

Washback Effect The impact that assessment has on what happens in the class-
room, especially on the strategies that teachers and students
adopt for language-learning. This impact can be either ‘positive’
or ‘negative’ or ‘neutral’.

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Moderation A range of (Final & Continuous) procedures designed to ensure
that marks awarded to all students are fair and consistent in all
schools throughout the country.

Stakeholders Individuals and institutions which are affected by — and so have

an interest in — the education system and its procedures and
outputs. These include everyone employed by the Ministry, as
well as students, parents, employers, the wider community, etc.

Feedback Comments from other people to students about the quality of

their work with the aim of improving it. The work may be either
already completed or still in progress.

Presentation An activity in which a speaker addresses an audience — typically,

the rest of the class — for an extended time. He/She can present
information, ideas and/or opinions, after which he/she is
expected to answer questions from the audience.

Informative Writing Writing in which the main purpose is to communicate information.

Includes a wide variety of texts, such as descriptions, reports,
articles, summaries, leaflets, etc.

Interactive Writing Writing which is intended to communicate directly with other

individuals, usually as part of an exchange. This includes letters,
e-mails, invitations, etc, as well as replies to these texts.

Narrative Writing Writing which tells a story (in the past tense). Typical texts
include: accounts of real-life experiences or events, news
reports, biographies, historical texts, etc.

Persuasive Writing Writing in which personal opinions are expressed and justified.
Typical texts would be in essay form, and would involve, discuss-
ing pros and cons, commenting on issues, giving advice etc.

Writing about Literature Differs from other types of writing in that it should be a personal
and creative response to poetry, prose and drama. It is NOT just
summarizing. It requires an understanding of literary elements
and the ability to analyse the text, evaluate the language used,
and interpret the text’s overall meaning in relation to the
student’s own life and culture.

Literary Elements Aspects found in all literature, such as style, character, setting,
point-of-view, conflict, theme, etc.
Figures of Speech Stylistic uses of language, such as metaphors, symbols, images,
similes, puns, etc,

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 GENERAL
INTRODUCTION

4
A. BACKGROUND

 This Student Assessment Handbook for Bilingual Private Schools is based on

the official guidelines for assessment issued by the Directorate-General of Educational
Evaluation (DGEE) of the Ministry of Education.

 Its purpose is to provide information and guidance for English teachers, supervisors
and exam-writers on the assessment of students in Grade 12.

 It was prepared by a joint committee consisting of Assessment Officers from DGEE,

teachers from schools, and representatives from the Directorate-General of Private
Schools (Programme Development and Supervision).

 It replaces all previously-issued student assessment documents and will be

implemented from September 2019.

B. ASSESSMENT PRINCIPLES

(Jessup, 1991): 'The measure of success for any education system should be what
people actually learn from it.’

 The aim of assessment is to provide useful information about students’

learning.

 Assessment therefore focuses on the learning outcomes which students are

expected to achieve.

 Learning Outcomes are statements which describe what students should know,
understand and be able to do.

 In a skill like language-learning, the most important thing is what students are
actually able to do. So outcome statements typically begin with: “Can…”.
However, knowledge, understanding and awareness also play an important role in
supporting and enabling these skills.

• Learning outcomes go hand in hand with assessment because they focus:

(i) not on what the teacher does, but on what the student learns.
(ii) not on what happens in the classroom (activities, tasks, teaching materials)
but on the impact that this has on student achievement.

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 • Three other features of learning outcomes are relevant to assessment:
(i) ‘Transfer’: ‘an important quality of learning, i.e. a crucial indicator of
whether a student understands (and can do) something is whether he or
she is able to apply it in different circumstances.’ (Gipps, 1994)
(ii) Language learning as a cumulative process: in order to be useful, recently-
learnt skills must be combined and integrated with previously-learnt skills.
(iii) Larger outcomes (e.g. ‘Can give presentations’) are made up of smaller
outcomes (e.g. ‘Can establish and maintain contact with the audience’), which in
turn are made up of even smaller outcomes (e.g. ‘Can make effective use of eye
contact’). At different times and for different purposes, assessment will focus
on either the larger or the smaller outcomes. (See ‘Introduction to Part Three’.)
 However, learning outcomes are not only for assessment. Clear, explicit
outcome statements play a central role as the focus for the contributions of all
the various participants in the educational process. They are also essential for
transparency and accountability.

This role can be pictured as follows:

Course designers/ Administrators

Materials writers Society

Teachers/ Learning Students

Heads of Outcomes
Dept

Supervisors/
Teacher Trainers Parents
Assessment
specialists

 Assessment of students’ achievement of these learning outcomes is based on the

conscious, systematic gathering of information.

 A wide variety of sources of information are available. Each of these sources has
its own strengths and weaknesses, so in order to arrive at a properly balanced
picture, teachers should make use of as many different sources as possible.

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 Teachers can use the assessment information which has been gathered for two
main purposes:
- Summatively: to measure (and report on) students’ learning. Typically, this
involves awarding marks and grades. This information is then passed on, as
appropriate, to the Ministry, parents and other stakeholders.
- Formatively: to improve students’ learning. Typically, this involves adapting
lessons, giving feedback to students, encouraging self-assessment, etc.

 Both Formative and Summative Assessment are necessary and important; neither
should be neglected.

 Outside the classroom, other important decisions are also made on the basis
of assessment information, sometimes with a major impact on the future of
individual students and other stakeholders.

 For all these reasons, the quality — i.e. the truthfulness and reliability — of the
information provided by assessment is crucial.

 The whole way in which assessment is conducted can also have an important impact
on teaching and learning practice. This impact on what happens in the classroom is
known as ‘washback effect’. This effect can be either ‘positive’ or ‘negative’.
Assessment procedures and practices should, of course, aim for the former, and
avoid the latter.

 One crucial element of this ‘washback effect’ relates to attitudes towards learning
and towards the purpose of assessment. Teachers naturally wish to help their
students, but in order to promote positive, productive attitudes, what form should
this assistance take?

A) ‘HELP’ >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Teacher ‘gives’ Sts

good marks

B) HELP >>>>>> Sts learn >>>>>>> Sts earn good marks

Model ‘B’ is the proper model because it focuses on learning and on genuine
achievement. Model ‘A’, on the contrary, leaves out both of these essential
elements.

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C. LEARNING OUTCOMES (OVERVIEW)

The Learning Outcomes for Grade 12 are grouped into four elements:
Speaking Reading Writing Literature

 A total of ten key outcomes have been identified:

Elements Key Learning Outcomes

SPK (1) Can give presentations.

RDG (2) Can understand a variety of written texts.

(3) Can write and respond to letters and e-mails. (Interactive)

(4) Can write texts with the purpose of providing information. (Informative)
WRT
(5) Can write stories and narrate events in the past. (Narrative)

(6) Can write texts which express and justify opinions. (Persuasive)

Can engage with and write about literary texts:

LIT
(7) Poetry (8) Drama (9) Short Stories (10) Novels

• Marks are awarded for these outcomes on the basis of two methods of assessment:
Continuous Assessment (CA) and End-of-Semester Tests (SMTs).
● Different elements are assessed in different ways: some using only CA, some
using only SMTs, others using a combination of both methods. The weightings for each
element in Grade 12 are as follows:

Continuous Semester
Elements TOTAL
Assessment (CA) Test (SMTs)

Speaking 10% — 10%

Reading 5% 25% 30%

Writing 10% 20% 30%

Literature 5% 25% 30%

Total 30% 70% 100%

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 D. PLANNING for ASSESSMENT

NOTE for ENGLISH TEACHERS:

At the start of the school year, you should:

• Make yourself thoroughly familiar with the contents of the BIL-SAH.

• Pay special attention to:

 Strategies for Conducting Formative and Summative Assessment

 Learning Outcomes
 Rating Scales
 Semester Test Specifications

• Make sure that your students know:

 How assessment will be conducted and what rules will be applied

 The criteria for awarding marks
 The formats used in the Semester Tests

• Prepare the relevant mark sheet for formal record-keeping, and read the guidelines
on how to fill it in correctly.

• Make a note of important dates and deadlines.

During the school year, you should:

• Take part in assessment-related meetings, workshops and other activities organised

by your Head of English and/or your Supervisor.

• When preparing lessons, anticipate opportunities for both Formative and Summative
Assessment; when teaching, take full advantage of these opportunities.

• Use the official mark sheet to record provisional, and then final, marks awarded to
students according to the relevant Rating Scales.

• Keep regularly-updated written notes and collect appropriate samples of student work
in preparation for the Formal Moderation visit.

• Reflect on and evaluate the professional quality of their own assessment work and
take steps to improve it.

9
 PART ONE
GATHERING
INFORMATION

Section One
DURING
EVERYDAY TEACHING

10
INTRODUCTION TO PART ONE

 Part One of this handbook is divided into two sections, which deal with ways of
gathering information about students’ learning.

 Both sections have the same overall aim: to provide information and guidance which
will help teachers to maximize the quantity and quality of the assessment information
that they gather.

 The first section deals with various ways of gathering assessment information while the
main focus is actually on teaching.

 This section emphasizes the need for teachers to conduct constant, on-going
assessment of both individuals and the whole class, so that they can note progress
and identify problems and solutions. This kind of assessment is an integral part of
successful teaching and learning.

 The second section deals with tests, i.e. instruments and procedures which are
designed specifically for assessing student learning.

1.1.1 DAY-TO–DAY OBSERVATION

Definition

To ‘observe’ is ‘to watch (and listen to) someone or something carefully’.

Teachers should observe not only individuals, but also groups and the whole class.
In doing this, they should pay close attention to:

- what students say

- what students write
- what students do
- which strategies students use to carry out tasks
- how students react to new input
- how students interact with each other
- what is revealed by their facial expressions and body language
- what is revealed by their self-assessments

None of these ‘indicators’ is perfectly reliable on its own. However, combined together,
they provide a very rich source of (diagnostic) information about student learning.

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Teacher Qualities

In order to become skilful observers, teachers need to develop a combination of personal

and professional qualities. This can be achieved by a process of self-observation and
reflection, followed by targeted action:

Teachers need to be: Requirements

Know what they are looking for; be fully familiar with the
1) … aware
learning outcomes; be able to recognise valid indicators.

Keep their eyes (and ears) open; notice what is going on

2) … alert
in the classroom.

Manage the classroom efficiently, so that they can create

3) … well-organised
and take full advantage of opportunities for observation.

Observe in a discreet, inconspicuous way, so that students

4) … tactful
are not disturbed or distracted from what they are doing.

See clearly what is actually happening, without pre-

5) … objective conceptions (positive or negative) about the class or
about individual students.

Care about and stay focused on student learning; think

6) … genuinely interested
about and try to understand what has been observed.

Take conscious, active steps to investigate and find out

7) … pro-active
what students actually know, understand and can do.

1.1.2 CLASSROOM QUESTIONING

Content

One of the most important ways of investigating student learning is by means of Classroom
Questioning. The main aim of any question is to supply the teacher with reliable, useful
information. In order to do this, the question needs to be well-chosen and appropriate.
So, what is asked — its content and exact form — is very important.

When deciding on the form or wording of any particular question, the teacher must first
have a clear idea of what exactly he/she wants to find out. A different focus of attention
requires a differently-worded question.

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In evaluating the wording of any question, the teacher should consider the following points:

Is the question directly related to the specific point that I am

Relevance
interested in?
Is it concise, simple and clear, so that (all) the students will
Clarity
understand it?
Will students’ responses to the question actually tell me any-
Response Validity
thing? Will they provide me with reliable information?

This evaluation will need to be made again in the classroom, immediately after the question
has been asked. One of the advantages of classroom questioning — compared with a
written test — is that, if the first question does not work as expected, the teacher can ‘try
again’ by re-formulating the original question or by asking a new, follow-up question.

Strategies

Just as important as what the teacher asks is how he/she asks it. It is, unfortunately, not
unusual to see classroom questioning conducted in a way which has a negative impact on
the intended goal of gathering information about student learning.

One all-too-common example is known as ‘Initiation–Response–Feedback’ or ‘IRF’:

1) Teacher asks the class a question — typically, a question with a single correct
answer.
2) Some of the students volunteer to respond by raising their hands (and possibly also
by calling out).
3) Teacher selects one of these volunteering students.
4) The selected student responds to the question.
5) Teacher either: (i) indicates that the response is correct, and praises the student.
or : (ii) indicates that the response is wrong, and corrects the student.

This procedure has certain advantages: it meets with traditional expectations and it keeps
the lesson moving along efficiently. However, if whole lessons are conducted in this way
without any variation, the limitations of ‘IRF’ as a tool for gathering information become
clear. The quality of this information is affected by three main problems:

Problem Description

The teacher is doing most of the talking, so he/she does not get
LIMITED QUANTITY
to hear (or see) much evidence about student learning.

The teacher only gets information about some of the students

LIMITED SPREAD
(typically, only those who ‘volunteer’).

The information remains shallow and superficial because deeper

LIMITED QUALITY
issues (such as understanding) are left unexplored.

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However, educational researchers have suggested a number of possible solutions:

Strategy/ Solution Description

T uses a range of elicitation techniques; gets Sts to talk;

(a) Don’t Tell — Elicit!
doesn’t tell them what they could tell him/her.
QUANTITY

T stays out of the interaction and improves the STT:TTT

(b) Open Pairwork
ratio by setting up ‘open pairwork’ in the classroom.

Closed Pairwork/ T improves the STT:TTT ratio even more by setting up

(c)
Groupwork regular group-work (or ‘closed pairwork’) activities.

T includes questions to which there are many possible

(d) Open Qs
(correct) answers.

T doesn’t allow Sts to raise their hands; selects for

(e) No Hands
him/herself which student(s) should respond.
SPREAD

T allows Sts to raise their hands, but doesn’t allow them

(f) No Calling Out
to call out.

T withholds or delays feedback on the correctness of the

‘No Comment’
(g) response. Instead, he/she invites other students to either
>> Peer-Correction
confirm the first student’s response or correct it.

T includes questions to which he/she doesn’t already know

(h) Genuine Qs
the answer.

T pauses after questions to allow Sts time to think about

(i) Thinking Time
their response.
QUALITY

T asks follow-up Qs to make sure that he/she has really

(j) Check/ Confirm
understood a response.

T asks students to explain or justify the response they

(k) ‘Why?’
have just given.

‘No Comment’ Instead of correcting, T merely indicates that there is a

(l)
>> Self-Correction problem and invites the student to try again.

[ Note: T = Teacher; Sts = Students; Qs = Questions; TTT = Teacher Talking Time;

STT = Student Talking Time ]

Teachers are advised to:

- try out these various techniques,

- evaluate their effectiveness, and
- combine those which work best.

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1.1.3 WRITTEN WORK

The teacher can also gather useful information by looking closely at students’ written work
— whether this work has been done in class, as homework, or as a combination of the two.

Written work of this kind has four main advantages:

 It provides detailed information, especially about students’ writing skills and their
awareness of literature.
 It provides an easily-accessible and permanent record, which shows students’
progress over time.
 It can be looked at when and where the teacher chooses, so he/she is able to
concentrate fully without distractions.
 It provides concrete evidence which is of use in evaluating the accuracy of marks
awarded (see ‘Formal and Informal Moderation’).

However, because of the time-consuming nature of the task, much of this written work will
actually be produced, at least in part, outside the classroom. So an important principle
needs to be established:

 The teacher must make every effort to ensure that all written work has genuinely
been done by the individual concerned, without (inappropriate) assistance from
any outside source. Fortunately, it is usually fairly obvious when this is not the
case — and if in doubt, the teacher can easily check.
 He/She should then adopt a strict policy of not accepting any work which is not
genuine. This policy should be made clear (and explained) to students from the
very start of the school year, and then applied consistently.

If, on the contrary, this policy is not followed, and non-genuine work is accepted, there will
be (at least!) three negative consequences:

 Marks awarded will be false, unfair and meaningless.

 The honest students in the class are likely to be de-motivated.
 Worst of all, the dishonest student’s own educational progress will be held back. If
work is not genuinely attempted by a student, then he/she has no chance at all of
actually learning anything from it.

15
 PART ONE
GATHERING
INFORMATION

Section Two
THROUGH
TESTING

16
INTRODUCTION TO PART ONE, SECTION 2

 A ‘test’ is a specially-designed procedure for gathering information about students’

achievement of learning outcomes. It is not part of teaching in the same way as the
approaches just described in Section One.

 In a typical testing situation:

− The same tasks are carried out by all of the students.
− There is a time-limit within which the tasks must be completed.
− Students must work independently.
− There is a marking guide, with either the correct responses or a rating scale
(set of criteria) for judging the quality of students’ responses.

 In more formal kinds of test (i.e. exams):

− There is a relatively large number of students.
− There is a fixed timetable.
− There is a strict set of standardized procedures for administration and
marking.
− More time is allocated and there is a wider coverage of learning outcomes.
− Testing materials are produced centrally, according to a set of prescribed
Exam Specifications.
• In this section, two different types of testing are described: Semester Tests and
Classroom Tests.

1.2.1 SEMESTER TESTS

General

 The Semester Test (SMT) is a formal examination given at the end of each semester.

 It covers three of the four elements of the Grade 12 course: Reading, Writing &
Literature.
(Note: Speaking is not included in the test, for reasons of time and practicality.)

 The duration of the Semester Test is three hours.

 The test accounts for 70% of the total marks awarded as part of the General
Education Diploma awarded to students on completion of Grade 12.

 Students who fail to achieve the overall pass-mark for a semester’s work (CA and
SMT combined) will have the opportunity to take a Second Session exam.

17
Preparation

 Semester Test papers are prepared and administered centrally (by DGEE at the
Ministry of Education).
 All questions must conform to the official Exam Specifications, details of which can
be found in Appendix Three of this document.
• In order to provide a valid assessment of students’ language skills, Reading texts
which students have already seen are not included in the exams. Only unseen
texts are used.

 In the interests of quality, test-writing is done in a collaborative way, with a team

of test-writers and reviewers working closely together and supporting each other.

 Teachers should make sure that their students are familiar, in advance, with all the
test formats (task-types) which appear in the Specifications. They should, in
particular, make sure that students understand the task instructions, and know what
to do, where to write, etc. Students will also need to know on what basis marks will
be awarded in the tests.

Marking
 Marking is centrally organized and involves a team consisting of assessment officers
from DGEE, teachers from bi-lingual schools, and staff from the Directorate-General
of Private Schools.
 Training activities will be organised in order to familiarise team members with the
procedures and criteria for awarding marks for the relevant exam paper.
 Each paper consists of two very different types of items, each with a different
procedure for marking.
 Reading tasks are of the objectively-marked, ‘right-or-wrong’ type.
− The Multiple-Choice items in RDG 1 and True/False items in RDG 2 are
machine-marked automatically.
− The short answers which students write to Wh-Qs in RDG 2 are scanned and
then checked on-screen by two different markers. Any discrepancies which
may occur between the two markers are referred to and resolved by the Head
of English Marking, in a process known as ‘adjudication’.

 The Writing and Literature sections, on the other hand, require extended responses,
where there is no ‘correct answer’. As with Wh-Qs, the responses are scanned and
then judged independently by two markers. However, any disagreements between
the two are handled in a different way: (a) If there is a small difference in the marks
awarded, the system automatically averages the two scores. (b) If there is a large
difference, the case is adjudicated by the Head of English Marking.
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1.2.2 CLASSROOM TESTS

Main Features

• Classroom Tests (CTs) are a more informal type of test conducted by the teacher
during teaching-time.
 However, if the resulting marks are to be relied on as evidence of student achieve-
ment, certain aspects of more formal tests will need to be observed, e.g. no copying
from other students.
 Unlike Semester Tests, CTs do not receive a specific proportion of the marks
awarded. Any assessment information gained from them should be combined with
all the other information which has been obtained from other sources. Together, this
will form the basis for awarding Continuous Assessment marks according to the
relevant Rating Scale.

Purpose & Use

 Classroom Tests can be a useful tool for gathering additional information about
students’ learning. However, such tests should have only a limited role to play in
awarding Continuous Assessment marks. They should not become the main — and
certainly not the only — assessment tool used by the teacher.
 There are a number of reasons for this:
− An assessment process which is reduced to administering tests on a small
number of specific occasions is clearly not Continuous Assessment.
− Day-to-Day Observation and Written Work are rich sources of assessment
information, which should not be under-estimated or neglected.
− A major advantage of these two forms of information-gathering is that they are
an integral part of teaching, and can be carried out without spending valuable
time on activities specially designed for Summative Assessment.

Another possible use of classroom testing is as a way of preparing students for the
end-of-semester exams. This may have some value in giving the students a chance
to familiarize themselves with the instructions and the types of task in the exam, and
— if properly done — can help them to develop useful test-taking strategies.
However, teachers are advised not to overdo this type of exam practice, which can
distract students’ attention away from the real goal of improving their actual
skills and abilities. This kind of improvement is also probably a more reliable way
to achieve satisfactory exam results!

19
 PART TWO
RECORDING
INFORMATION

20
2.1 FORMAL RECORD-KEEPING

 The Semester Test component of Summative Assessment is centrally organised

and administered, and does not require any official record-keeping by the teacher.

 However, the Continuous Assessment component does require teachers to

complete an official mark sheet for each of their classes. These marks are then
reported to the Ministry, which will combine them with the Semester Test marks.

 The mark sheet has learning outcomes down the side and student names across the
top. At the bottom, there is space for each student’s overall CA score.

 All marks awarded on this sheet should be based on the criteria shown in the official
Rating Scales. Only the marks specified on these scales should be awarded, without
the inclusion of ‘in-between‘ half- marks.

 This also means that a mark of ‘zero‘ should not be awarded for any outcome, except
in very exceptional circumstances. (Note: See DGEE’s overall assessment document
for further information.)

The mark sheet is to be completed in three stages:

(i) Early on in the semester, use the relevant Rating Scale to decide on
Stage 1: a provisional mark for each learning outcome.
During the (ii) Enter these marks on the sheet in pencil.
semester (iii) Then, as you gather further information during the semester, review
the marks regularly and amend them as necessary.

Stage 2: (i) Make your final decision about the mark for each learning outcome.
End of
(ii) Enter these marks in ink.
semester

(i) Total the marks for each element [e.g. ‘WRT: Total (10)’].
Stage 3:
(ii) Add together the SPK, WRT and LIT totals [‘Total Mark (30)’].
Round-up
(iii) Enter this overall ‘CA Total’ in ink.

Note: These guidelines refer to ‘pencil’ and ‘ink’. However, records may also be kept
electronically, with ‘provisional’ and ‘final’ marks being indicated in other
ways — i.e. by means of fonts, colours, italics, bold, etc.

21
Here is an example of the three stages outlined above, showing the marks of an imaginary
student:

MARKS << CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3

- During the - At the end - Totalling of
BILINGUAL PRIVATE SCHOOLS semester of the marks
- Provisional semester - Overall
(Details of grade-level, school year, marks - Final marks CA mark
semester, class and teacher) (in pencil) (in ink) (in ink)

“Can ….” (5) 3 4 4

WRITING

“Can ….” (5) 3 4 4

WRT: Total (10) 8

Outcome # 3: “Can ….”

6 8 8
SPK

(10)
SPEAKING: Total

“Can ….” (5) 2 3 3

LITERATURE

“Can ….” (5) 3 3 3

LIT: Total (10) 6

CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT: Total (30) 22

Further Notes

• During the semester, when entering a provisional (pencilled-in) mark for a particular
student, the teacher may still be in some doubt as to the correct mark. In this case,
he/she can add simple symbols (e.g. ‘?’, ‘+’ ‘–‘,’^’, etc.) as a reminder to review the
mark again. Any such annotations should, of course, be removed at the end of the
semester, after the final (inked-in) mark has been awarded.
• The guidelines state that the first (provisional) marks for outcomes should be inserted
‘early on’ in the semester. In practice, this normally means that, by the end of the
first month, there will already be a complete set of pencilled-in CA marks for each
student.

22
• However, it will also happen that a particular outcome cannot be assessed at this
very early stage, because it has not yet been introduced. In this case, the teacher
should, of course, postpone the awarding of any provisional marks until the students
have started actual work on the outcome in question.

• There are two possible situations in which a ‘pencilled-in’ mark should be amended:
Either: (a) The student’s level of achievement in the outcome has changed.
Or: (b) The student’s level has not actually changed, but, on the basis of new
information/observation/consideration, the teacher has realised that the
previously-awarded mark was inaccurate.

2.2 INFORMAL RECORDS

The mark sheets issued by the Ministry have a simple, but useful function. However, they
do not contain all the information needed. It is strongly recommended that teachers also
keep Informal Records — using whatever format they prefer — concerning each of their
individual students. This recommendation is based on three important needs:

Need Rationale
- Both Formative and Summative Assessment require that you
know your students well; in particular, that you are well-
(a) To Have Easy
informed about your students’ progress and current level of
Access to Accurate,
achievement.
High-Quality
- Formal mark sheets contain some information, but nowhere
Information
near enough for you to carry out Formative and Summative
Assessment effectively.
- You are probably able to keep quite a lot of this additional
(b) To Overcome the information stored ‘in your head’. However, it is very difficult
Limitations of — in fact, impossible — for any teacher to retain all the
Memory necessary information in this way, and the more students
you have, the more difficult this becomes!

- Parents, Heads of English, school principals, and Supervisors

have the right to ask you questions about your students and
their learning. They also have the right to expect credible,
convincing answers.
(c) To Communicate
- If you have all the relevant information available ‘at your
Effectively with
fingertips’, you will be able to answer these questions
Other Stakeholders
confidently and convincingly.
- In addition, when the questioner sees that you keep detailed
written records, this will in itself make a good impression,
and so help to make your replies more convincing!

23
PART THREE
USING
INFORMATION

Section One
FORMATIVE
ASSESSMENT

24
INTRODUCTION TO PART THREE

This part of the handbook deals, in turn, with Formative and Summative uses of the
assessment information which has been gathered.

 Summative Assessment is assessment of students’ learning, with the aim of

providing evidence for reporting to the Ministry, to parents, and to other concerned
parties. Its purpose is to measure standards, typically by awarding marks and
grades.

 This kind of assessment tends to focus on the larger (target) outcomes. It is less
interested in the specifics of ‘how’ and ‘why’ learning is achieved than in the actual
end-product: the students’ ability to use the English language in different ways.

 Formative Assessment is assessment for learning, with the aim of helping

students to achieve the relevant learning outcomes. Its purpose is to improve
achievement, typically by intervening in some way in the teaching-learning process.

 This kind of assessment tends to focus on the smaller, enabling outcomes which
contribute towards the achievement of the larger outcomes. It is especially
interested in ‘how’ and ‘why’ learning is achieved, and in what specific action can be
taken to change things — always remembering that the larger outcomes are the
long-term target.

 Regarding the topic of this section, Formative Assessment, research conducted in

various countries has consistently produced two contradictory findings:

(1) Genuinely formative assessment produces results, having a clear, positive

impact on student learning.
(2) Nevertheless, it is frequently neglected by teachers. Even when conducting
Continuous Assessment, much of what teachers do is actually summative, i.e.
for the purpose of awarding marks, rather than formative.

 In other words, more time and attention is often paid to Summative than to
Formative Assessment — when it should be other way round!

3.1.1 ADAPTATION of TEACHING

Whole Class

Assessment information which you gather may reveal:

Either: a particular problem which your students have in their learning

Or: a particular success which they have had, e.g. mastery of a literary concept

25
In either case, you may decide to adapt your teaching in order either to solve the problem
or to build on the success.

There are two main ways in which this can be done:

(a) BEFOREHAND: By making amendments (in advance) to your plan for the
next lesson(s).

(b) DURING THE LESSON: By taking action — departing from your lesson plan in
some way — because of something which you have observed while teaching.

Note: Action of the second type — in response to something unexpected that happens
during the lesson — may well have to be decided ‘on the spot’ and improvised.
However, it is obviously better if you have anticipated the problem and included an
alternative strategy in the lesson plan that you have prepared.

Individual Students

In other cases, the adaptation will only apply to individual students (or possibly small
groups of students). You may, for example:

- hold meetings (‘conferences’) with the student;

- provide supplementary tasks or activities for the student to work on;
- (more formally), set up a whole plan — either ‘remedial’ or ‘enrichment’ — for the
student.

In all cases, you will then need to evaluate the actual impact of what you have done,
and then make further decisions as part of an on-going process.

3.1.2 GIVING FEEDBACK to STUDENTS

Feedback can be defined as: ‘Comments to students about the quality of their work with
the aim of improving it’.

The model for providing useful feedback is based on three key requirements. In order for a
student to improve, he/she must:

 have an idea of the desired standard of performance,

 be able to compare the actual performance with the desired performance;
 take action to close the gap between the two.

26
Before giving actual feedback, you will need to make a number of decisions:

DECISION: MAIN OPTIONS:

(i) To individuals
• Who shall I give it to? (ii) To groups
(iii) To the whole class

(i) During the work

• When shall I give it? (ii) Immediately after
(iii) Later

(i) Orally
• How shall I give it?
(ii) In writing

Each of these options has its advantages and disadvantages, which you will need to bear in
mind in particular cases. It is therefore recommended that you keep things fresh by varying
your feedback strategies — and then evaluating how effective these strategies are with
your students.

However, making the right decisions on these matters is still not enough. If feedback is to
be really effective, it also needs to be:

Requirement Notes Comments

Remember that all your students —

No students should be
including the ‘excellent’ ones — can
1. … inclusive forgotten or taken for
benefit from useful feedback, so as to
granted.
do (even) better.

Do not give students feedback on Focus on the quality of

2. … selective every single activity, performance or feedback rather than the
piece of work done. quantity.

Your feedback should be based on a

Acquiring this kind of
sound knowledge of:
knowledge should, of
… knowledge- (a) the English language in particular,
3. course, be part of your
able and:
on-going professional
(b) effective language-learning
self-development.
strategies in general.

Communicate effectively in language Also, try to present your

4. … clear which is clear and can be readily feedback in a way which
understood by students. makes it memorable.

27
 Give students a clear idea of what to
Simply using marks or
do in order to improve. Make specific,
5. … specific very simple comments
concrete suggestions as to where and
(‘Good’) is not sufficient.
how the work could be improved.

State your comments, suggestions The whole atmosphere in

… supportive, and criticisms honestly, but do this in which feedback is given
6.
but honest a tactful, patient and pleasant should be, in a word,
manner. professional.

Try to avoid always ‘handing This type of interactive feedback

down’ your feedback as if is often neglected, whether
students were just ‘empty because of traditional views of
containers’ waiting to be 'filled'. the teacher’s role, or because of
… open /
7. Before making your own a tendency to under-estimate
interactive
comments, ask questions, the students, or simply because
encourage self-assessment, of ‘lack of time’. However, it is
involve students in identifying potentially very valuable and
problems and solutions. very productive.

Two further points should be made regarding feedback:

 Peer-Assessment: Remember that you are not the only person in the classroom
who can give feedback. Students should be given opportunities to give feedback to
each other. This process not only helps to develop student self-assessment; it can
also produce interesting, genuinely communicative classroom interaction.

 Giving Written Feedback: The comments, corrections and other notations that
you put on students’ written work are also a kind of feedback. There are different
ways in which this can be done. However, it is important to avoid ‘spoon-feeding’ the
student. Your feedback should always leave the student with something that they
have to work out for themselves. Exactly how challenging this ‘something’ should be
will, of course, vary from student to student.

28
3.1.3 STUDENT SELF-ASSESSMENT

The language skills and cognitive abilities promoted in Grade 12 are not just ‘for the
classroom’. Sooner or later — whether in the examination hall or, even more important, in
real life — students will have to make independent use of their skills and abilities, without
the assistance of a teacher.
It is therefore essential that students develop the ability and the confidence to assess their
own work, and then make decisions and take action to improve it. Self-assessment needs
to become a habit for students, something that they do automatically and constantly.
As a teacher, you can support the development of this useful habit by adopting a number of
positive strategies:

Strategy Notes
1) At the start of the school year, explain to Emphasise that self-assessment is
the students what self-assessment is, why nothing ‘special’ or ‘frightening’, but a
it is important, and what you will be very normal, everyday thing to do.
expecting of them during lessons.

2) Encourage students to believe that they Giving short ‘pep-talks’ may be helpful
can (learn to) do it. here. But more important is providing
regular, on-going opportunities for
students to ‘try out’ self-assessment
and in this way build their confidence.

3a) Using language that they understand, give These learning outcomes are, of
students information about the learning course, exactly the same as the ones
outcomes. which the teacher assesses.

b) Likewise, explain to them the general Communicate these criteria simply and
criteria for assessing these outcomes. clearly.

4a) Before students start work on any Focus on a small number of key
particular task, tell them (or, even better, criteria, and express these in clear,
elicit from them) what the ‘criteria for straightforward language.
success’ are.
b) Then, while students are doing the task, The ability to ‘self-monitor’ — using
keep reminding them of these criteria and appropriate criteria for success — is
encouraging them to monitor the quality crucial in carrying out any task which
of their own work — and to improve it, as is worth doing well.
necessary.

29
5) In particular, on a regular, day-to- Typical questions might be: ‘What do you
day basis in the classroom, ask think?’, ‘Is that clear/ correct/ OK?’ etc.
questions which require students If the answer to any of these questions is:
to assess the quality of any work ‘No/ Not really’, then you can ask follow-up
done, whether by themselves (self- questions like: ‘What’s wrong with it?’,
assessment) or by other students ‘What could you/he/she write instead?’ etc,
(peer-assessment). thus pointing the way to improvement.

6) In all your classroom practice, try to The whole process of self- and peer-
create the right kind of classroom assessment will only work effectively if you
atmosphere, one which encourages succeed in doing this.
openness and honesty.

Note: However, before embarking on these strategies, you should evaluate your students’
current level of awareness and confidence in this area. Some of the above-mentioned steps
may not, in fact, be necessary.

‘Peer-assessment’ can play a very useful role as a kind of ‘bridge’ towards self-
assessment. It can do this because it focuses students’ attention on exactly the same
learning outcomes and ‘criteria for success’ as self-assessment. It also has the same
ultimate aim, i.e. the improvement of the work being done.

Peer-assessment is especially suited to the process of Writing: students can show each
other their first (and second) drafts, and give each other feedback, based on simple,
previously-agreed criteria (e.g. ‘Relevant?’, ‘Clear?’, ‘Interesting?’, ‘Friendly?’, etc.), which
will depend, of course, on the type of text being written.

In this way, students will (hopefully) come to understand, and become accustomed to
using, the criteria with which they can assess their own work. They will also (hopefully)
learn to appreciate that self-assessment/self-monitoring is a natural and constant feature
of any learning process — and, indeed, of any kind of worthwhile work or task that they will
do in future.

REMINDER for TEACHERS: The sole purpose of self-assessment is formative. Self-

assessment is not intended to provide you with summative data to be used in awarding
marks and grades.

30
PART THREE
USING
INFORMATION

Section Two
SUMMATIVE
ASSESSMENT

31
3.2.1 RATING SCALES

● Definitions:

 ‘scale’ (n): ‘a measuring instrument’ featuring ‘a set of points with regular spaces
between them’
 ‘rate’ (vb): ‘to judge the quality of somebody or something’

● Purpose: Rating Scales are intended to help make teachers’ judgements as fair,
consistent and professional as possible.

● In this assessment document:

– A specific Rating Scale is provided for each learning outcome covered by Continuous
Assessment.
– Each scale describes five different levels of achievement.

– These ‘descriptors’ consist, at each level of achievement, of two or more statements.

– Each of these statements covers a different aspect of the students’ performance, for
example, for Interactive Writing: ‘impact on reader’, ‘task achievement’,
‘appropriateness’ and ‘correctness’.
– Typically, the statements make use of descriptive adjectives (e.g. ‘clear‘,
‘appropriate’’), adverbs (‘usually’, ‘reasonably’) and quantifiers (e.g. ‘few’, ‘most’).

– Teachers need to use their professional judgement to interpret these words and
apply them in practice.
– They should also consult with others in order to create a shared understanding of
what these words mean. (See below: ‘Informal Moderation’).

3.2.2 MAKING DECISIONS on MARKS

Standard Procedure

When making decisions about marks, the ‘standard’ procedure for applying any Rating
Scale is as follows:

Step Action Notes

1. Focus on one Learning Outcome and The mark that you give should not be
one Rating Scale at a time. influenced by other CA marks that you
have awarded for other learning outcomes,
or by the student’s marks in Semester
Tests.

32
2. Award CA marks according to the Do not award marks by comparing students
wording of the descriptors in the with each other or putting them in ranking
Rating Scale. order.

3. Consider all the aspects listed in All of the aspects listed in the descriptors
each descriptor. are important and should be taken into
account. For example, do not award
‘Writing’ (Interactive) marks based only on
‘correctness’ — consider the other three
aspects as well.
4. Read the descriptors in the scale Follow a systematic procedure:
and eliminate those which obviously (i) With weak students, start from the top
do not apply to the particular score (e.g. ‘5’) and then work your way
student in question. downwards.
(ii) With strong students, start from the
bottom score (e.g. ‘1’) and then work your
way upwards.
(iii) With average students, start with top
and bottom scores, and then work your
way inwards.
5a. In some cases, this procedure will If the correct mark is indeed obvious, do
quickly lead you to a single correct not ‘agonise’ for a long time — make a
mark, which is fairly obvious. decision!

5b. In almost all other cases, you will Do not simply rely on some ‘easy’,
be left with only two ‘possibles’. In ‘automatic’ method, such as always
these ‘borderline cases’, use your awarding the higher (or the lower) of the
professional judgement to decide two marks.
which of the two descriptors is
closer to the particular student's
actual level of achievement.

33
Difficult Cases

If teachers follow this procedure, arriving at an appropriate mark will often be quite
straightforward. However, there are some cases where it is rather more difficult to
make the right decision:

Case Nature of Difficulty Strategy

Student does not fit easily into any ›› Think globally, focusing (as in real life) on
one descriptor because the level is the overall impression made by the work
different for different ‘aspects’ done.
A
(e.g. in e-mails, he/she writes ›› Do not simply apply mathematical
correctly, but often uses averages or any other ‘automatic’ method.
inappropriate language). Make a professional judgement.
›› First, investigate — why do these
Student’s performance seems to variations occur?
B vary considerably from one ›› Then, base your marks on those
occasion to another. pieces of evidence which you believe
are most reliable.
›› Do not just ‘average out’ all the marks
awarded throughout the semester.
›› Base your mark on where the student
Student’s level undergoes a
stands (overall) at the end of the
substantial change as the semester
C semester.
progresses, e.g. a student’s
›› In the (rarer) case of a student ‘going
presentations noticeably improve.
backwards’, apply the same method,
but also make a special point of
investigating the cause(s).
›› Provide the kind of help which encourages
Student manages to produce good
awareness and self-correction.
final versions of written work, but
D ›› Base your final decision on the student’s
only after a lot of help from the
real (i.e. independent) level of achieve-
teacher.
ment.
Student has produced very little ›› Tell the truth — i.e. award a (very)
E
work/ evidence of achievement. low mark, but not zero.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Strategy ‘E’, in fact, applies to all decisions on awarding marks.
The best way to really ‘help’ students — in the long run — is to tell them the truth,
and then work together with them to improve whatever needs to be improved.

34
Anticipating and Avoiding Problems

It is possible to avoid many of these (and other) potential difficulties by taking preventive
measures as follows:

 At the start of the school year, explain to the class how marks will be awarded, and
make them familiar with the relevant outcomes and the general criteria for awarding
marks.
 Consolidate this by encouraging self-assessment / peer-assessment / use of the
criteria.
 Also brief the students about the basic ‘rules’ you expect them to follow (in
particular, your insistence on genuine work).
 Start filling in your provisional (pencilled-in) marks as soon as possible — do not
leave it until the last minute!
 Identify potential ‘difficult cases’ early on — well before the end-of-semester — and
then observe closely and gather further evidence.
 Speak to students who are in danger of getting low marks — a low mark at the end
of the semester should never come as a complete surprise! Where appropriate,
parents will need to be notified as well.
 Consult with Supervisors, your Head of English and other teachers about common
standards in general and for difficult cases in particular. (See: ‘Informal Moderation’)

3.2.3 MODERATION (Final & Continuous)

The purpose of moderation is to ensure that the criteria for awarding marks are being
applied fairly and consistently at all the schools concerned.

Final Moderation

Of the several possible methods which can be used for Formal Moderation, the Ministry has
chosen to focus on ‘Moderation Visits’. These are held towards the end of each semester,
shortly before the exams.

During these visits, teachers will need to provide Visiting Moderators with convincing
evidence that the marks which they have awarded for Continuous Assessment (CA) are
fair and accurate, and in line with national standards. Consideration of this evidence may
result in amendments to the teacher’s marks, either upwards or downwards.

Discussions will centre on the completed CA mark sheet for each class:
a) All marks awarded on this sheet should be based on the criteria shown in the official
Rating Scales.
b) Only the marks specified in these scales should be awarded, without the inclusion of
half-marks.

35
 c) This also means that a mark of ‘zero‘ should not be awarded for any outcome, except
in very exceptional circumstances. (Note: See official DGEE rules and regulations.)

In order to confirm/verify the accuracy of the marks awarded, two main types of evidence
are available:

 For Speaking (Presentations), the teacher’s written notes based on his/her

observations during the semester.
 For Writing and Literature, samples of work done by individual students.

SPEAKING (10 marks) (Teacher’s Notes only)

 The teacher’s written notes about the performance of individual students in their
Presentations.
 These notes should be typed and should consist of bullet-points outlining the main
features/ strengths and weaknesses of the student’s performance.
 Comments need not be lengthy, but should be as detailed and specific as possible.
Teachers should use their own words and write in straightforward, everyday
language. They should not cut-and-paste the (specialised, academic) expressions
used in the Rating Scales.
 Ideally, the Visiting Moderator should be able, just from reading the teacher’s
comments, to judge what an appropriate mark would be for that particular student.
 The teacher should also provide brief details, i.e. the date and topic, of any
presentation(s) given by the student.

WRITING (5 + 5 = 10 marks) (Samples of Work only)

 For each student in the class, at least two typical samples of each of the two types
of Writing required.
LITERATURE (5 marks)

 For each student in the class, One typical sample of each of the two genres covered.

WRITING & LITERATURE

 These pieces of work will, for the most part, have emerged from classwork,
homework, etc., used in the normal course of teaching. It is also possible to include
classroom tests, but any such test-like activities should not predominate in the
awarding of Continuous Assessment marks. Note: (most of the writing should be
done in class)

36
  The samples should be genuine pieces of Writing, which are typical of the student
and show his/her actual level of (general) Writing Skills or Literary Appreciation.
Without (inappropriate) assistance from any outside source.
 Each sample should include the date, as well as details of the task instructions.
 The sample should be annotated with both marks and comments made by the
teacher.
(Note: if students score less than 3 marks in writing or literature, one more
evidence is required)

READING (5 marks) (Samples of Work only)

Class-based Reading

 At least four examples of tasks in which students’ wrote responses to Reading texts
(either in course materials or in quizzes). The types of reading should match the
types covered each semester.
 Each task should be accompanied by the relevant text (with instructions) and the
date.
 Reading tasks of this kind generally include a number of items to which students
should give correct responses. The resulting score must then be converted to a score
out of 5, in order to show its value in terms of the official Rating Scale.
 Reading texts must follow the types specified in the reading outcome.
 Samples should include different types of reading texts and variety of tasks.
 The length and the difficulty level of the reading texts should be suitable for grade
12.
On the day of the Moderation Visit, the teacher needs to have all of the evidence for each
of his/her students readily available and accessible, so that the visit can run as
smoothly and efficiently as possible.

For an exact, step-by-step description of the procedures and requirements for

Formal Moderation Visits, please refer — at the start of every school year — to the
documents produced by the Moderation Section of the Department of Attainment
Evaluation at the DGEE.

Countinous Moderation

In order to enhance the accuracy and consistency of the marks awarded, it is essential the
Informal Moderation activities are carried out during the semester, before the Formal
Moderation Visits take place.

This is a process of on-going consultation and teacher-development. The target is to arrive

at a shared understanding of the criteria used for assessing students’ work and awarding
marks.
37
It also helps to prepare teachers for the Moderation Visits. If teachers have already taken
part in informal moderation activities, they will feel more comfortable and confident when
dealing with more formal procedures.

Some recommended examples of Informal Moderation activities are:

ACTIVITY NOTES & COMMENTS

1. Two teachers talk together informally about work

Simple, informal and very
done by their students — comparing, evaluating and
easy to arrange.
commenting.
Post-lesson discussions will
2. Two teachers agree to visit each other's classes
then be based on observed
and contribute to the assessment of students'
evidence and on the criteria in
performance in Speaking (Presentations).
the Rating Scales.
The Supervisor or the school’s Head of English sits
3.
down with a teacher, looks at her CA mark sheets
and selects a particular mark. He/She then asks This can be done both during
the teacher why he/she has awarded that the semester, and again as a
particular mark. The teacher justifies his/her final check at the end of the
mark, referring to Rating Scales, Informal Records, semester.
and samples of the student’s work. Then, the
process is repeated with other marks.

4a. All the English teachers at a school get together for The Head of English collects
a moderation workshop, at which they discuss and selects appropriate
and agree on appropriate marks for a varied collec- samples of students’ written
tion of samples of Sts’ work for Writing or Literature. work.

Likewise, a workshop on ‘difficult (or borderline’) Teachers should bring with

4b.
cases', i.e. cases where they are finding it difficult them all the available evid-
to decide on the correct mark for any outcome. ence for these ‘difficult’ cases’

The same kind of workshop as in Activities 4a or 4b, Possibly rather difficult to

4c. arrange — but the wider the
but involving teachers from two or more schools
circle of participants, the
within easy reach of each other, i.e. a 'local
more valid the moderation will
cluster'. be.
5. As a result of the above-mentioned workshops (4a,
With proper coordination,
4b or 4c), compile — and make available to teachers
collections from different
— a collection of 'exemplars' of students’ written
schools can be combined into
work which have already been 'moderated'. Each
a larger collection, more
exemplar should be accompanied by the agreed
widely circulated.
mark, along with comments and explanations.

38
In connection with these activities, some further points should be noted:

 Every activity involves teachers getting together to talk about students’ work and
how that work should be assessed.
 Some of the activities can be initiated very informally by teachers; others require
action by the Head of English; others may require some level of coordination by
Supervisors. However, it is always possible, whatever the local circumstances, to
carry out some form of Informal Moderation.
 It may happen that, initially, some teachers will feel a little uncomfortable with, or
even threatened by, these ‘sharing’ procedures. However, Heads of English and
Supervisors need to show leadership in emphasizing the benefits in terms of
increased professionalism.
 Hopefully, all teachers will eventually come to appreciate the increased feeling of
security and confidence that they have when awarding marks — and when facing
not only Visiting Moderators, but also other stakeholders (parents, school principals,
etc) who may query their marks.
 The likelihood that these Informal Moderation activities will make the marks that
students receive more accurate and closer to the truth is, of course, in itself,
another important benefit.

 It is true that the procedures listed above take time, especially at the beginning.
However, for the reasons just given, this is clearly time well spent.

39
 APPENDIX
ONE

Learning Outcomes
& Rating Scales

39
 BILINGUAL PRIVATE SCHOOLS — OUTCOME & RATING SCALE for SPEAKING
OUTCOME # 1 RATING SCALE # 1
– Presentations are easy to follow, well-structured and interesting.
Can give presentations. – Contact with audience is very good.
– Voice and pronunciation are clear.
10
– Language used is mostly accurate.
– Presenters should be able to speak on a topic for – Supporting visuals are clear and effective.
four to five minutes. – Answers to Qs are clear and convincing.
– The audience will consist of the rest of the class. 9 Between the descriptors above and below
– Presentations are mostly clear, as well as quite interesting.
– Topics should be approved in advance by the – Contact with audience is reasonably good.
teacher. – Voice and pronunciation are mostly clear.
8
– Language used contains inaccuracies, but meaning is only rarely obscured.
– These topics should be culturally appropriate and of – Supporting visuals are quite good.
interest to the audience. – Answers to Qs are mostly adequate.
– Presentations should be supported by digital 7 Between the descriptors above and below
technology (images, sounds, etc.). – Presentations are reasonably clear, but not very interesting.
– Contact with audience is only moderate.
– Students may use brief notes (either on paper or – Voice and pronunciation are fairly good.
6
on-screen), but should not read out from a prepared – Language used contains noticeable errors, occasionally making meaning unclear.
text. – Supporting visuals are adequate.
– Answers to Qs are only partly effective.
– Presentations will usually be given individually, but 5 Between the descriptors above and below
can also be given in pairs. – Manages to convey some information, but generally ineffective/uninteresting.
(Note: In paired presentations, marks should be – Contact with audience is rather weak.
awarded individually.) – Voice and/or pronunciation are sometimes unclear.
4
– Language used contains frequent errors, making meaning sometimes unclear.
– After the presentation, there should be an – Use of supporting visuals is limited.
opportunity for the audience to ask Qs. – Answers to Qs are limited and/or unclear.
3 Between the descriptors above and below
– Presentations are unclear and uninformative.
– Contact with audience is very weak.
– Voice is difficult to hear and/or pronunciation is difficult to understand.
2 – Frequent serious errors make speech generally difficult to follow.
– Supporting visuals are either missing or obviously inadequate.
– Answers to Qs are very inadequate indeed.

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 BILINGUAL PRIVATE SCHOOLS — OUTCOMES & RATING SCALES for WRITING(1)
OUTCOME # 2 RATING SCALE # 2
– Message to the intended reader(s) is very clear.
Can write and respond to letters and – Writing clearly succeeds in achieving its intended purpose.
5
e-mails. – Uses language which is fully appropriate to reader and context.
– A varied range of structures and vocabulary, with a very good level of accuracy.

Students should be able to write letters and – Message to the intended reader(s) is fairly clear.
e-mails of up to 300 words. – Writing has reasonable success in achieving its intended purpose.
4
– uses language which is somewhat appropriate to reader and context.
These ‘Interactive’ texts come under two main – A fair range of structures and vocabulary, with a good level of accuracy.
categories:

– informal: to friends and relatives – Message to the intended reader(s) is partially clear.
– formal: to employers, officials, school – Writing has only partially achieved its intended purpose.
principals, etc 3
– Uses language which is minimally appropriate to reader and context.
– A limited range of structures and vocabulary, with a reasonable level of accuracy.
These texts cover a wide range of everyday types
and topics, including :
– Message to the intended reader(s) is mostly unclear.
– latest news – Writing has only very limited success in achieving its intended purpose.
– requests for information/advice 2
– Uses language which is mostly inappropriate to reader and context.
– giving information/advice – A very limited range of structures and vocabulary, and frequent errors.
– letters of complaint
– application letters, etc
– Message to the intended reader(s) is unclear.
– Writing clearly fails to achieve its intended purpose.
1
– NO use of appropriate language.
– Extremely limited range of structures and vocabulary, and frequent serious errors.

41
 BILINGUAL PRIVATE SCHOOLS — OUTCOMES & RATING SCALES for WRITING(2)
OUTCOME # 3 RATING SCALE: # 3

– Presents relevant information clearly and in an interesting way.

Can write texts with the purpose of _Very good use of details and examples.
5
providing information. – Language used is fully appropriate to the type of text.
– A varied range of grammar and vocabulary with a very good level of accuracy.

– Presents relevant information with reasonable success.

Students should be able to write texts of
_ Good use of details and examples.
up to 300 words. 4
– Language used is mostly appropriate to the type of text.
These ‘Informative’ texts may include: – A fair range of grammar and vocabulary with a good level of accuracy.
– reports
– articles – Manages to present relevant information, but only in a somewhat limited way.
– summaries -Minimal use of details and examples.
– descriptions 3
– Language used is reasonably appropriate to the type of text.
– processes, etc – A limited range of grammar and vocabulary with a reasonable level of accuracy.

– Attempts to present information, but the results are obviously inadequate.

_ Poor use of details and examples.
2
– Language used is often inappropriate to the type of text.
– A very limited range of grammar and vocabulary with frequent errors.

– Presents very little relevant information indeed.

_ No use of details and examples.
1
– Language used is wholly inappropriate to the type of text.
– Extremely limited range of grammar and vocabulary with frequent serious errors.

42
 BILINGUAL PRIVATE SCHOOLS — OUTCOMES & RATING SCALES for WRITING(3)
OUTCOME # 4 RATING SCALE # 4

– Produces narratives which are fully successful in engaging the reader.

Can write stories and narrate events – Lively, effective use of appropriate detail.
5
in the past. – Writing is very well-structured, clear and coherent.
– A varied range of grammar and vocabulary with a very good level of accuracy.

Students should be able to write texts of – Produces narratives which are reasonably successful in engaging the reader.
up to 300 words. – Generally good use of appropriate detail.
4
– Writing is generally well-structured, and mostly clear and coherent.
These ‘Narrative’ texts may include:
– A fair range of grammar and vocabulary with a good level of accuracy.
– descriptions of real-life events set in the
past – Produces narratives which are only partially successful in engaging the reader.
– accounts of personal experiences, – Somewhat limited use of appropriate detail.
3
– (non-literary) fictional narratives, – Writing is well-structured, but is still reasonably clear and coherent.
– biographies, – A limited range of grammar and vocabulary with a reasonable level of accuracy.
– historical texts,
– Produces narratives which have very limited success in engaging the reader.
– diary entries, etc.
– Inadequate use of appropriate detail.
2
– Writing is poorly-structured, and often unclear.
– A very limited range of grammar and vocabulary with frequent errors.

– Produces narratives which fail entirely to engage the reader.

– Little or no use of appropriate detail.
1
– Writing is incoherent and confusing.
– Extremely limited range of grammar and vocabulary with frequent serious errors.

43
 BILINGUAL PRIVATE SCHOOLS — OUTCOMES & RATING SCALES for WRITING(4)
OUTCOME # 5 RATING SCALE # 5

– Expresses opinions on topics in a lively, convincing way.

Can write texts which express and – Supports all points effectively with relevant evidence and detail.
5
justify opinions. – Essays are very well-organised, clear and coherent.
– A varied range of grammar and vocabulary with a very good level of accuracy.

Students should be able to write texts of up – Expresses opinions on topics in a reasonably convincing way.
to 300 words. – Supports most points with relevant evidence and detail.
4
These ‘Persuasive’ texts will consist of – Essays are generally well-organised and, for the most part, clear and coherent.
essays of a range of different types, – A fair range of grammar and vocabulary with a good level of accuracy.
including:

– advice/ recommendations – Expresses opinions on topics, in a somewhat limited way.

– feedback/ praise/ criticism – Is inconsistent in supporting points with relevant evidence and detail.
3
– ‘pros and cons’ – Essays are poorly- organised, but are still reasonably clear and coherent.

– comments on social/cultural/ethical issues – A limited range of grammar and vocabulary with a reasonable level of accuracy.

– opinions concerning on public or

– Expresses opinions on topics, but the results are clearly inadequate.
institutional policy
– Is generally weak in supporting points with relevant evidence.
2
– Essays lack organization, lacking in coherence and sometimes unclear.
– A very limited range of grammar and vocabulary with frequent errors.

– Makes only very feeble attempts to express opinions on topics.

– Fails to support points with any relevant evidence.
1
– Essays are incoherent and confusing.
– Extremely limited range of grammar and vocabulary with frequent serious errors.

44
 BILINGUAL PRIVATE SCHOOLS — OUTCOMES & RATING SCALE for LITERATURE

OUTCOME # 6 RATING SCALE # 6

– Responses are relevant*, well-developed and insightful.

Can engage with and write about – Effectively relates texts to personal and/or social values and themes.
5
literary texts. – Shows very good understanding of literary elements and figures of speech.
– Writing is varied, clear and mostly accurate.

– Responses are relevant* and reasonably well-developed and insightful.

These ‘literary texts’ cover four genres:
– Has reasonable success in relating texts to personal and/or social values and themes.
Poetry, Drama and two types of fictional 4
– Shows good understanding of literary elements and figures of speech.
prose: Short Stories and Novels.
– Writing is somewhat varied and mostly clear, despite some inaccuracies.
Within these categories, a wide variety of
texts are to be included: – Responses are mostly relevant*, but only developed on a superficial level.
– Has only partial success in relating texts to personal and/or social values and themes.
− both classic and contemporary 3
– Shows reasonable understanding of literary elements and figures of speech.
− a wide range of authors in terms of place
– Writing is reasonably clear, but lacks variety and contains frequent inaccuracies.
of origin, background, gender, etc.

Note: Translations into English from other – Responses are attempted, but are incomplete and at times irrelevant*.
languages are acceptable, except in the – Generally fails to relate texts to personal and/or social values and themes.
2
following two cases: – Shows only limited understanding of literary elements and figures of speech.
(i) poetry – Writing is limited and sometimes unclear, and contains serious errors.
(ii) texts which were originally in Arabic (the
students’ mother tongue) – Responses are feeble: largely irrelevant* and/or seriously inadequate.
– Little or no attempt to relate texts to personal and/or social values and themes.
1
– Shows little or no understanding of literary elements and figures of speech.
– Writing is very limited, frequently unclear, and contains many serious errors.

45
OUTCOME # 6 (cont’d)

Students should be able to engage with these texts and

show the ability to:
− analyse
− interpret
− evaluate
− address relevant moral/ ethical/ social issues
− relate literary texts to their own lives and cultural
backgrounds

As part of this, they will need to be familiar with a wide

DEFINITION of *relevant:
range of literary elements (e.g. style, character, setting,
point-of-view, conflict, etc.) and figures of speech (e.g. ‘The student’s response fully addresses the topic of the question.’
metaphors, puns, symbols, images, etc.) used in and across
Note: This is an essential requirement for all essays written
the four genres.
in relation to this Learning Outcome.

Students should be able to express their insights and

opinions during discussion, and especially in the form of
written essays.

A list of approved texts for each genre is provided by the

Directorate-General of Private Schools for use in the
classroom, and as a basis for Continuous Assessment.

However, all the literary texts which will appear in the

Ministry exams will be unseen.

46
 BILINGUAL PRIVATE SCHOOLS — OUTCOME AWARDED MARKS
on the basis of SEMESTER TESTS ONLY
READING
OUTCOME # 7

Can understand a variety of written texts.

Students should be able to read and understand texts of up to 750 words.

Covers the ability to understand four general categories of text:

Interactive: (i) Informal letters/ e-mails (ii) More formal letters/ e-mails, covering a range of everyday topics
Informative: Descriptions ; sets of instructions; tables/ graphs; newspaper/magazine articles; factual texts; reports; scientific texts;
encyclopedia entries; , leaflets/ brochures/ adverts, etc.
Narrative: News reports; biographies; historical texts; accounts of personal experiences etc.
Persuasive: Articles expressing opinions; reviews ; essays; editorials ; ‘Letters to the Editor’, etc.

NOTE: Literary texts are not included here. (See Outcome # 6)

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 APPENDIX
TWO

Mark Sheets
for Continuous
Assessment

48
MARKS << CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT

BILINGUAL PRIVATE SCHOOLS

GRADE 12 SEMESTER ONE

Class: _______________ Year: ________________

Teacher: __________________________________

Can write letters and e-mails (5)

Can write texts with the purpose

WRT

(5)
of providing information

WRT: Total: (10)

Can give presentations. (10)

RDG SPK

Can understand a variety of

(5)
written texts.
Can engage with & write about
(5)
LIT

literary texts: Short Stories &

Drama

CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT: Total (30)

49
MARKS << CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT

BILINGUAL PRIVATE SCHOOLS

GRADE 12 SEMESTER TWO

Class: _______________ Year: ________________

Teacher: __________________________________

Can narrate events in the past (5)

Can write texts which express

WRT

(5)
and justify opinions

WRT: Total: (10)

Can give presentations. (10)

RDG SPK

Can understand a variety of

(5)
written texts.
Can engage with & write about
(5)
LIT

literary texts: Poetry & Novels

CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT: Total (30)

50
 APPENDIX
THREE

EXAM
SPECIFICATIONS

51
 SPECIFICATIONS for the END-of-SEMESTER EXAM
BI-LINGUAL PRIVATE SCHOOLS
SEMESTER ONE
MATERIALS WITH: STUDENT TASK MARKING

12 Multiple Choice For each item, indicate which

One mark per item:
READING 1 items (each with 3 of the three options is
One NARRATIVE and one PERSUASIVE Total: 12 marks
options). correct.
text, each of between 600 and 700
words Task One: For each question,
Task one: 8 Wh-Qs write a short answer.
(Note: Test-writers to decide which is in
items. One mark per item:
READING 2 RDG1, and which is in RDG 2) Task Two: Indicate
Task Two: 5 True/False Total: 13 marks
whether the statement is
items.
TRUE or FALSE.

Instructions for 2 tasks, one requiring Award a global score

Choose ONE of the options
using the appropriate
WRITING the writing of an INFORMATIVE text, the (No other materials) and complete the task
Rating Scale.
other of an INTERACTIVE text writing at least 200 words.
Total: 20 marks

Award a global score

One question requiring
LITERATURE Extract from an unseen DRAMA Answer the question, writing using the appropriate
discussion, analysis,
ONE Length: 200-300 words at least 120 words. Rating Scale.
interpretation, etc.
Total: 10 marks
Award a global score
Answer question 1, writing at using the appropriate
Two questions requiring
LITERATURE Extract from an unseen SHORT STORY least 50 words Rating Scale.
discussion, analysis,
TWO Length: 300-400 words Answer question 2, writing at Question one: 5 marks
interpretation, etc.
least 120 words. Question two :10 marks
Total: 15 marks

52
 SPECIFICATIONS for the END-of-SEMESTER EXAM
BI-LINGUAL PRIVATE SCHOOLS
SEMESTER TWO
MATERIALS WITH: STUDENT TASK MARKING

12 Multiple Choice items For each item, indicate which One mark per item:
READING 1
(each with 3 options). of the three options is correct. Total: 12 marks
One INTERACTIVE and one
INFORMATIVE text, each of Task One: For each question,
between 600 and 700 words Task one: 8 Wh-Qs items. write a short answer.
Task Two: 5 True/False
(Note: Test-writers to decide which Task Two: Indicate whether One mark per item:
READING 2 items.
is in RDG1, and which is in RDG 2) the statement is TRUE or Total: 13 marks
FALSE.

Instructions for 2 tasks, one Award a global score using

requiring the writing of a Choose ONE of the options
the appropriate Rating
WRITING (No other materials) and complete the task writing
NARRATIVE text, the other of a Scale.
at least 200 words.
PERSUASIVE text Total: 20 marks
Award a global score using
One question requiring
LITERATURE A complete POEM (or extract from Answer the question, writing the appropriate Rating
discussion, analysis,
ONE a poem): Length: 15-30 lines at least 120 words. Scale.
interpretation, etc.
Total: 10 marks

Award a global score using

Two questions requiring Answer question 1, writing at
the appropriate Rating
LITERATURE Extract from an unseen NOVEL. discussion, analysis, least 50 words.
Scale.
TWO Length: 300-400 words interpretation, etc. Answer question 2, writing at
Question one: 5 marks
least 120 words.
Question two :10 marks
Total: 15 marks

53