CELTS Assignment 3
CELTS Assignment 3
Candidates are reminded of the Centre’s policy on plagiarism. Plagiarism is defined as submitting as one’s own work, irrespective
of intent to deceive, that which derives in part or in its entirety from the work of others without due acknowledgement. It is both poor
scholarship and a breach of academic integrity.
can correctly use terminology that relates to language skills and sub-skills
can find, select and reference information from one or more sources using written language that is clear, accu-
rate and appropriate to the task
Referencing
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Your assignments need to be written in clear, accurate and academic English with appropriate in text referencing. You
should use mainly indirect quotes, meaning that you paraphrased the text. If specific quotes are used, they should be
referenced in the body of the assignment using author(s)’ surname(s), year of publication and page numbers quoted, e.g.
(Richards 2001:98). Page numbers are not required if indirect quotes are used. E.g. Richards (2001). The full reference to
these sources needs to be provided in the bibliography.
The bibliography should be presented in alphabetical order of author’s surname. Year of publication, city and publisher should be
included. This should be presented after the assignment and before the appendices, and should only include publications referred
to in the text itself.
Here are examples of references according to the APA Publication Manual, (6th ed., 2009); for more information see
www.apastyle.org or visit https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htm for additional examples.
Journal article
Chapelle, C. (1999). Validity in language assessment. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics. 19, 254–272.
Edited book
Graves, K. (Ed.) (1996). Teachers as course developers. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Electronic source
British Educational Research Association. (1992). Ethical guidelines. Retrieved 22 May, 2016, from:
http://www.bera.ac.uk/guidelines.html
Please note that the bibliography is not included in the word count
Plagiarism
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Instructions
Section A
§ Choose ONE of the provided texts: all your tasks are going to be based on this chosen text only. Answer the
questions in order to comment on the suitability of the chosen text for classroom use;
§ design an introductory receptive task to familiarize the learners with the text;
§ make reference to background reading to explain what the respective sub-skills entail and to justify classroom practice of
those sub-skills.
§ Design another receptive skill task, focused on developing a different sub-skill (specific information or detailed
comprehension). Use THE SAME text that you used to design the first task.
Section B
§ design and describe a productive task to be done after students have read the chosen text;
§ describe the procedure for your task, including how you plan to motivate and support student leading up to the task and
what you plan to do after students complete the task.
Section C
§ provide a bibliography of the sources you have consulted and made reference to.
Section D
The length of the assignment must be between 750 and 1000 words (+/- 10%). Any submission exceeding the word limit is
an automatic resubmission. If you are having problems here, consider using appendices as these are NOT INCLUDED in
the word count.
Checklist
receptive task 1 in the appendices
a bibliography
a word count
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Recommendations
Section A
§ PART 1
o choose one of the texts provided in the assignment template, and answer all the questions with this text in mind.
Avoid omitting information (e.g. level, subject, length, etc.);
o when assessing the suitability of the chosen text for your TP students, you are free to refer to the old or the new
level as long as you clearly state it (e.g. my current Elementary learners / my current Intermediate learners / etc.).
Choose and state the level you are designing the lesson for.
§ PART 2
o consider an engaging lead in to raise interest in the topic and a pre-text discussion task to activate the learners’ prior
knowledge of the topic / theme of the article;
o the rationale must be supported by references to your background reading; avoid using long quotations: paraphrase
what you read so as to better demonstrate your understanding.
§ PART 3
o consider ‘blocking’ words (i.e. vocabulary which could prevent learners from carrying out the comprehension tasks
successfully;
o avoid listing all ‘difficult’ words as this is less useful in relation to the completion of the comprehension tasks.
§ PARTS 4-5
o definitions must be supported by references to your background reading;
o indicate the time limit and the reasons for your specific time limit;
o the rationale must be supported by references to your background reading; avoid using long quotations: paraphrase
what you read so as to better demonstrate your understanding;
o explicitly mention real-life situations in which the sub-skills would be used.
§ refer to the “Input Resources” section (Teaching Reading and Listening) on Moodle to review suitable receptive task
types. These are the basic sub-skills we recommend you look at:
o gist: the purpose is to gain a preliminary understanding of the text. Suitable tasks will encourage learners to read
from the beginning until the end of the text. Avoid vague questions such as ‘What’s the text about?’. Also avoid
asking questions that require learners to find specific information. The task usually includes 1 question only.
o specific information: the purpose is to gain a better understanding of the text. Suitable tasks will encourage
learners to retrieve information such as: facts, figures, people, names, events, dates, places, etc. Include at least 5
items (questions, gapped statements, empty boxes in a chart to fill in) in your task.
o detailed comprehension: the purpose of is to gain a deeper understanding of the text. Suitable tasks will
encourage learners to interpret / infer feelings, behaviours, attitudes, opinions, beliefs, etc. of the author or the
characters in the text. Include at least 5 items (T/F statements, questions, multiple choice items)
Section B
§ answer all the questions and avoid omitting information (e.g. why a productive activity? Why your task? Etc.);
§ the rationale must be supported by references to your background reading; avoid using long quotations: paraphrase
what you read so as to better demonstrate your understanding;
§ indicate clearly what is expected of the learners, the teacher’s role, the communicative purpose, and whether the activity
promotes accuracy or fluency.
Section C
§ authors mentioned in the bibliography must be mentioned in the body of the assignment; avoid listing authors you have
read but not directly used in the body of the assignment.
Section D
§ include the actual worksheets for all tasks (two Receptive and one Productive task)
§ the productive skills activity could focus on (a) a post-text productive task designed to encourage learners to comment
on the text and the topic / theme of the text; (b) a post-text productive task designed to use the text as a springboard for
skills (speaking or writing) work.
§ include the answer key where necessary
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For ideas on how to deal with comprehension errors and ideas on task types & task design
§ IH Moodle: Input Resources. Language Skills: Teaching Reading & Writing.
Please note that all sections of this assignment must be completed in relation to this text. The text can’t be changed and
must be used consistently throughout the assignment.
K: I think we should head for Greece, Piotr. For one thing it’s cheap to fly there.
P: I don’t know. It’s a bit too hot for me. Besides, what will we do?
K: Well, on the one hand you’ve got loads of historical sites so that’s interesting and on the other
hand you can always spend a few days by the sea relaxing.
P: Yes, well it’s true about the history and broadening the mind but sitting on the beach isn’t my
idea of real travelling!
P: Well, we only have four weeks and I can go to a beach any time I want!
K: But we’re going to want to have some time doing nothing after our exams’ aren’t we?
P: Yes, you’re right. Ok then. It’d be a good idea to go to an island, get a tan and then after about a
week we can go to Athens and travel on the mainland.
K: Great idea. Oh, by the way, I was wondering if Pavel could come with us?
K: Why not?
P: Don’t get me wrong. Pavel’s fine as a person but it’ll be easier to book rooms for two than three.
K: Well, if we stay in hostels we’ll share rooms with lots of people anyway. I did it last year and it’s
a really good way to meet other travellers.
P: That’s true, but another disadvantage of Pavel coming is that there’ll be three of us, which always
makes it harder to come to decisions about what to visit – you know, one person wants to do one
thing and someone else doesn’t want to.
K: Ok. He doesn’t have to be with us all the time but how about saying to him that he can meet up
with us somewhere?
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TEXT 2 for this assignment (740 words)
Please note that all sections of this assignment must be completed in relation to this text. The text can’t be changed and
must be used consistently throughout the assignment.
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TEXT 3 for this assignment (616 words)
Please note that all sections of this assignment must be completed in relation to this text. The text can’t be changed and
must be used consistently throughout the assignment.
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SECTION A - Developing Receptive Skills using the chosen Text
PART 1
Identify which text you selected. What’s the genre of the text (e.g., an article/ a recorded conversation)? What level are you designing
the tasks for? What makes the text appropriate for this level (length, complexity of language, etc.)?
What makes this article suitable for your TP students? Why (not)? Are there any students in your class who may have difficulties under-
standing this text? Will the subject be of interest to them? What about other learners/other cultures (anyone you have taught before, or
examples related to your cultural background)?
In general, what would be some of the potential barriers to reading/listening which some learners would face?
The genre of the text I chose is a blog post from the Guardian website. The level I’m designing the tasks for
is intermediate. Grammar usage (Past tense) and idioms (larger-than-life and state-of-the-art) makes the
text appropriate for this level. Expressing the past story makes this article suitable for my TP students be-
cause they’re interested in talking about the stories using the past tense and idioms. Students can read the
text easily and identify the meaning well because the language in the text isn’t complex for the level although
the length is long. This text is suitable for student’s interest and culture as most people like the context
(creating the memory in the photos). When students read the text, they may be difficult to understand the
meaning of idioms because each word in them has respective meaning. Moreover, students who aren’t
familiar with gist reading, they take much time on reading.
PART 2
How would you introduce the text and get students interested in the topic?
I would introduce the text by showing the picture which is in my wallet and the topic of the text and ask
students whose photo is kept and why they keep. I will encourage them to discuss the topic of the text.
What is your rationale? Why introduce a text before reading/listening? Refer to background reading (include page reference).
I introduce it before reading to engage the students with the topic of the text and to activate their existed
knowledge of the content.
(Harmer, 2007:271)
PART 3
Are there any items of vocabulary which you feel are essential for the students to know before they read/listen to the text? If there are,
list the items.
They are essential for the students because students have to deal with them when they read for de-
tailed comprehension task. Stephen Krashen stated that “unless students are provided the ‘compre-
hensible input aids’ before reading, they will disengage from the receptive tasks.” (Harmer, 2007:272)
PART 4
CHOOSE one receptive sub-skill. DESIGN a comprehension task which allows the students to familiarise themselves with the text and
practice the chosen receptive sub-skill. Include the task in the appendices.
You MUST refer to background reading (check page 2 of this document for referencing guidelines and include reference here) when
completing the section.
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Gist reading subskill will be designed by “reinserting some sentences that have been
Identify the receptive skill separated from the text.”
and provide a definition for “Students have to read quickly by skimming in order to discover the key topics and
it.
to generally understand main idea of the passage.”
(Scrivener, 2011: 265, 267)
Students have to read within 3 minutes for this task as ,in this stage, students don’t
Time Limit for this task and need to understand every single word in the text and ‘speed reading’ should be
why conducted for general understanding during gist reading.
(Scrivener, 2011: 264, 265)
This subskill is practised in class so that they can read the text faster to get its main
idea and the awareness can be raised that it isn’t necessary to understand every
word in the text. This subskill will enable students to read without stopping and pro-
What is the rationale for
getting students to practise vide how to notice the main idea by finding the surrounding words in the text. In real
this sub-skill in class? life, they can do this when they read the article by looking at the headline and skim-
When would they do this in
real life?
ming so that they can know what the content will be. It can also make them interested
in the text and it will not lose their pleasure when they read the novels. It will lead
them to extensive reading in real life.
(Scrivener, 2011:264)
PART 5
CHOOSE a different receptive sub-skill. DESIGN a comprehension task which allows the students to develop a deeper understanding of
the chosen text and practice the chosen sub-skill. The task should include minimum 5 items (questions/statements, etc.) Include the
task in the appendices.
You MUST refer to background reading (check page 2 of this document for referencing guidelines and include reference here) when
completing the section.
Multiple choice comprehension questions are designed for this subskill, reading for
Identify the receptive skill detailed comprehension. Students have to “locate a specific piece of information (eg.
and provide a definition for name, place, fact, number,) and to understand the detailed points (opinions or atti-
it.
tude behind words of the text)” by scanning closely and carefully.
(Scrivener, 2011:264,265,283)
This task will take 7 minutes because students need to find the specific information
by looking at the key words and to understand the details in the text indirectly by
Time Limit for this task and
why logically thinking. Students should read the text carefully and accurately so that they
can realize the attitude in the text.
(Scrivener, 2011:264,265) (Harmer, 2007:283)
The subskill is practised so that students can accurately find out the specific facts,
to understand the attitude of the text in details properly and to think logically how to
What is the rationale for find the underlying meaning of the text when they answer the comprehension ques-
getting students to practise
this sub-skill in class?
tions in tests. Students would do this in real life when they read manuals, leaflets,
When would they do this in advertisement on trains or cars, tickets for specific information as place, date and
real life? instructions. Students would think outside the box after reading the articles, blog
posts and author’s opinions in texts.
(Scrivener, 2011:264)
If students get wrong answer, they are asked to say where exactly they find the
Suggest a way teachers relevant fact and information in the text and to highlight the key words.
could help students if they
get wrong answers to the They can involve in discussion by nominating whether to agree the answers or not.
detailed questions (Harmer, 2007:286)
You also need to answer this question correctly in order to pass the assignment.
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PART 1
DESIGN or find a speaking or writing activity which you could use after the students have processed your selected text and include it in
the appendices. You MUST refer to background reading (include page reference) when completing this section.
SECTION C – Bibliography
Harmer, J. (2007). The Practice of English Language Teaching (4th ed.). Harlow: Pearson Education
Limited.
Scrivener, J. (2011). Learning Teaching: The Essential Guide to English Language Teaching (3rd
ed.). Oxford: Macmillan Publisher Limited.
Online resources
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/learner-english/
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SECTION D – Appendices
I. Read the text and fill in the blanks with the relevant sentences given in the box.
A. I think this was her first passport photo, when she was 18 months old.
B. I think this photo is a passport one, from when we went to India.
C. I keep this photo on the dashboard because it makes me smile every time I look at it
D. At the time my friends from Japan had just given me a then state-of-the-art Polaroid-type camera
E. The photo of my grandson is from 18 months ago, and my son's photo is from five years ago.
William was my partner for 26 years, and died of cancer last year. __________________________. We went every
year for 10 years, usually to Goa, which he loved - I think because he felt very accepted and we were really happy there. He
was a larger-than-life character, and he retired in 2003 - shortly after he was blinded in his left eye in a homophobic attack.
This is a happy photo, though; he's smiling and it's totally him. He had such a good sense of humour and a warm heart and
was well loved by friends and family. At the moment it's very raw: Saturday was the anniversary of his death. It helps to
carry photos around, but I am not sure for how long. That's the funny thing about moving on, you have to let go, but that's
something I am still exploring and it's early days - 2003 had so many painful memories, but this photo does remind me of
the good ones. Ultimately, though, the memories are in my head, and I don't need a photo to bring them back.
This photo just made me laugh. The expression here on my daughter Gina Mae's face is sheer shock, and every time I look
at it I laugh, even though it's quite a rubbish photo, actually. ____________________. My wife, Jenny, had it taken at
the local photo shop and I stuck it into this Filofax with a bit of sticky tape. She's three now and I really should change it,
but it's been there for so long. This is the first time I have carried photos about, but it's lovely to have a picture of your first-
born and I've always got it on me now.
These are my youngest son, Jake, and my first grandchild, Charlie. I also carry a photo of my other son, Ben, but I can't find
that easily in my purse. _________________________________. I tend not to have photos on show at home, and I
suppose I carry these to show to friends I haven't seen in a while, although hopefully I wouldn't show them without being
asked. I can't bear looking at other people's photos! I've never carried photos before, maybe it's just getting older. My
youngest son used to live outside London and I didn't get to see him so much, and a first grandchild is pretty special. I think
I put them in here because they were small photos that would fit. With my other grandchild, Charlie's brother, the photos
their parents send now are all on the computer and huge.
My daughter, Tamaki, is 11 now, but this photo was taken when she was five, at our home in Elephant and Castle in south
London. ____________________________________ - and that day I had bought Tamaki a new dress, so I wanted
to take a picture of her. I did her hair and put on her new dress and we had a little photo shoot. She doesn't usually like
having her picture taken but she is smiling in this one. It's one of my favourite photos of her, and I always carry it with me
in my diary. Don't all mothers carry a photo of their children?
___________________________________, even when I am sitting in London traffic. It's a photo of my wife, Julie,
on a beach in Cyprus, probably about six or seven years ago. Her face is in the sun, and it's a nice reflection of her. I do
remember it being taken - it was just after breakfast and she'd just come out of the sea. We were the only people on the
beach, and it was a nice moment.
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Answer key: 1.B, 2.A, 3.E, 4.D, 5.C
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I. Read the text again and choose the correct answers.
3. How long has Jack carried his daughter’s photo in his Filofax for?
A. For 1 year and 4 months
B. For 2 years and 4 months
C. For 3 years and 4 months
8. How did Gina Mae feel when she took her first passport photo?
A. She felt completely upset.
B. She felt completely surprised.
C. She felt completely nervous.
9. Why didn’t Cynthia show the photos to those who were not interested in them?
A. Because she hadn’t got the photos in her purse.
B. Because she couldn’t stand peeking at other’s photos.
C. Because she put her photos in her computer.
10. How does David feel when his car is unable to be moved on the road?
A. He feels pleased to stare at his wife’s photo in the dashboard.
B. He feels worried about his wife while staring at his wife’s photo.
C. He feels annoyed as he has to wait for a long time to see his wife.
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Answer key: 1.B, 2.C, 3.B, 4.B, 5.C, 6.A, 7.B, 8.A, 9.B, 10.A
I. Do you agree or disagree with these statements? Give reasons why you agree or disagree.
1. Taking photos is the best way to reflect your memories.
2. Not only the good memories but also painful memories should be kept in the
photos.
3. The older you are, the more you adore carrying photos to show your friends.
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