PAPER 2: WRITING I ASSESSMENT

Assessment of Writing

Examiners and marking

Writing Examiners (WEs) undergo a rigorous process of training
and certification before they are invited to mark. Once accepted,
they are supervised by Team Leaders (TLs) who are in turn led by
a Principal Examiner (PE), who guides and monitors the marking
process.

WEs mark candidate responses in a secure online marking

environment. The software randomly allocates candidate responses
to ensure that individual examiners do not receive a concentration
of good or weak responses, or of any one language group. The
software also allows for examiners' marking to be monitored for
quality and consistency. During the marking period, the PE and
TLs are able
to view their team's progress and to offer support and advice, as
required.

Assessment scales
Examiners mark tasks using assessment scales that were developed
with explicit reference to the Common European Framework of
Reference for Languages (CEFR). The scales, which are used across
the spectrum of the Cambridge English General and Business
English Writing tests, consist of four subscales: Content,
Communicative Achievement, Organisation, and Language:

Content focuses on how well the candidate has fulfilled the

task, in other words if they have done what they were asked
to do.
• Communicative Achievement focuses on how appropriate the
writing is for the task and whether the candidate has used
the appropriate register.
Organisation focuses on the way the candidate puts together the
piece of writing,in other words if it is logical and ordered.
• Language focuses on vocabulary and grammar. This includes
the range of language as well as how accurate it is.
Responses are marked on each subscale from 0 to 5.

When marking the tasks, examiners take into account length of

responses and varieties of English:

Guidelines on length are provided for each task; responses

which are too short may not have an adequate range of
language and may not provide all the information that is
required, while responses which are too long may contain
irrelevant content and have a negative effect on the reader.
These may affect candidates' marks on the relevant subscales.

Candidates are expected to use a particular variety of English

with some degree of consistency in areas such as spelling,
and not for example switch from using a British spelling of a
word to an American spelling of the same word.

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ASSESSMENT

The subscale Content is common to all levels:

Content

5 All content is relevant tothe task.

Target reader isfully informed.

3 Minor irrelevances and/or omissions may be

present Target reader isonthe whole informed.

Irrelevances and misinterpretation of task may be present

Target reader isminimally informed.

0 Content istotal irrelevant

Target reader isnot
informed.

The remainingthree subscales (Communicative

Achievement, Organisation, and Language) have
descriptors specific to each CEFR level:

CEFR
Communicative Achievement Organisation Language
level
Demonstrates complete command of the Text is organised impressively and Uses a wide range of
conventions of the communicative task. coherently using a wide range of vocabulary,including less common lexis,
Communicates complex ideas in an cohesive devices and organisational with fluency,precision, sophistication, and
effective and convincing way, holdingthe patterns with complete flexibility. style.
target reader's attention with ease, fulfilling Use of grammar is sophisticated, fully
all communicative purposes. controlled and completely natural.

C2 Uses the conventions of the Text is a well-organised, coherent Any

Usesinaccuracies occur only as
a range of vocabulary, slips.
including
communicative task with sufficient whole, usinga variety of cohesive less common lexis, effectively and
flexibiiity to communicate complex ideas in devices and organisational precisely.
an effective way, holdingthe target patterns with flexibility. Uses a wide range of simple and complex
reader's attention with ease, fulfilling all grammatical forms with fullcontrol, flexibility
communicative purposes. and sophistication.
Errors, if present, are related to less
common words and structures, or occur as
Cl Uses the conventions of the Text is well-organised and coherent, Uses a range of vocabulary,including
communicative task effectively to hold the using a variety of cohesive devices less common lexis, appropriately.
target reader's attention and communicate and organisational patterns to Uses a range of simple and complex
straightforward and complex ideas, as generally good effect. grammatical forms with control and flexibility.
appropriate.
Occasional errors may be present but do
not impede communication.
82 Uses the conventions of the Text is generally well-organised Uses a range of everyday vocabulary
communicative task to hold the target and coherent, using a variety of appropriately, with occasional inappropriate
reader's attention and communicate linking words and cohesive use of less common lexis.
straightforward ideas. devices. Uses a range of simple and some complex
grammatical forms with a good degree of
control.
Errors do not impede communication.
81 Uses the conventions of the Text is connected and coherent, Uses everyday vocabulary generally
communicative task in generally using basic linking words and a appropriately, while occasionally
appropriate ways to communicate limited number of cohesive devices. overusing certain lexis.
straightforward ideas. Uses simple grammatical forms with a
good degree of control.
While errors are noticeable, meaning can still
be determined.
A2 Produces text that communicates Text is connected using basic, Uses basic vocabulary reasonably
simple ideas in simple ways. high- frequency linking words. appropriately. Uses simple grammatical forms
with some degree of control.
Errors may impede meaning at times.

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PAPER 2: WRITING IASSESSMENT

Cambridge English: First Writing Examiners use the following assessment scale, extracted from the one on the previous page:

B2 Content Communicative Achievement Organisation Language

5 All content is relevant to Uses the conventions Text is well-organised Uses a range of vocabulary,
the task. of the communicative and coherent, using a including less common lexis,
Target reader is fully task variety of cohesive appropriately.
informed. effectively to hold the target devices and Uses a range of simple and
reader's attention and organisational patterns to complex grammatical forms with
communicate straightforward generally good effect. control and flexibility.
and complex ideas, as
Occasional errors may be present but
appropriate.
4 Performance shares features of Bands 3 and 5. do not impede communication.

3 Minor irrelevances and/or Uses the conventions of Text is generally well- Uses a range of everyday vocabulary
omissions may be present. the communicative task organised and coherent, using appropriately,with occasional
Target reader is on the to hoId the target a variety of linkingwords and inappropriate use of less common
whole informed. reader's cohesive devices. lexis.
attention and communicate Uses a range of simple and some
straightforward ideas. complex grammatical forms with a good
degree of contra I.

2 Performance shares features of Bands 7 and 3.

1 Irrelevances and Uses the conventions of Text is connected and Uses everyday vocabulary
misinterpretation of task may the communicative task in coherent, using basic linking generally appropriately,while
be present. generally appropriate ways to words and a limited number occasionally overusing certain
Target reader is communicate straightforward of cohesive devices. lexis.
minimally informed. ideas. Uses simple grammatical forms with a
good degree of control.
While errors are noticeable, meaning can
0 Content is totally irrelevant. still be determined.
Performance below Band 1.
Target reader is not informed.

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 PAPER2:WRITING IGLOSSARYOF TERMS

Writing mark scheme

S.LANGUAGE
Glossary of terms
Vocabulary Basic vocabulary refers to vocabulary usedfor survival
purposes, for simpletransactions, andthe like.
1.GENERAL
Everyday 't'OCabulary refers tovocabulary that comes up
in common situations of a non-technical nature inthe
Generally Generally is a qualifier meaningnotin ry way or instance. relevant domain.
Thus, 'generally appropriately' refers to performance thatis not as
Less common lexis refers to vocabulary items that appear
good as 'appropriately'.
less often in the relevant domain.These items often help
toexpress ideas moresuccinctly and precisely.
Rexibility Flexible and flexibly refer tothe ability to adapt - whether
Appraprilty of Appropriacy of vocabulary: theuse of words and phrases that
language, organisational devices, or task conventions - rather than
VOCilbUllrJ fitthe context of the given task. For example, in I'm verysensible
usingthe sameform over and over,thus evidencingbetter
control and a wider repertoire of the rl!Source. Flexibility allows a
to noise. the word sensible isinappropriate as the word should
candidate to better achieve communicative goals.
be sensitive. Another example would be Today'sbigsnow
makes gettingaroundthecity difficult The phrasegetting
around is well
2. CONTENT suited to this sib.Jation. However,bigsnowis inappropriate as big
and snow are notusedtogether. Heavy snowwould beappropriate.
Relevint Relevant means related or relatable to requiredcontent points and/ Grammatical Simple grammatical fonns: words, phrases, basic tenses
or task requirements. forms and simpleclauses.
Target The target reader is the hypothetical reader set upinthe task. Complex grammatical formli: longerandmorecomplex items, e.g.
reader e.g.a magazines' readership,your English teacher. noun clauses, relative and adverb clauses, subordination, passive

lnfonned The target reader is infonned if content points and/or forms, i nfinitives, verb patterns, modal forms and tense contrasts.
task
requirements are addressed and appropriately dloped.Some Grammatical Grammatir.al control: the abiilty to consistently use grammar
content points do not requiremuch development (e.g. "state what control accurately and appropriately to conveyintended meaning.
isx") while others requireit ("describe", "explain"). Where language specifications are provided at lower levels (as
in
Cambridge English: Key (KU)and Cambridge English: Preliminary
(PET}), candidates may have control ofonly the simplest exponents
3. COMMUNICATIVE ACHIEVEMENT ofthe listed forms.
Conventions Conventions of the communicatiw task include suchthings
of the asgenre, format, register,and function. For example. a personal
c:ommunicative letter should not bewritten as a formal report should belaid Range Range:the variety ofwords and grammatical forms a candidate
t.ask out accordingly, and use the right tone for the communicative uses. At higher levels,candidates will makeincreasinguse
purpose. of a greater variety of words, fixed phrases, collocations and
Holdingthe
grammatical forms.
target reader's Holdingthe target readl!l"s attention is used inthe positive
attention sense and refers tothe quality of a text that allows a reader to
derive meaningand notbe distracted. Itdoes not refer totexts Overuse Overuse refers to those cases where candidates repeatedly use
that force the same word because they do not havethe resources to
a reader to read closely because they are difficult tofollow or useanother term or phrase the same idea inanother way. Some
Cam11U1icativa
make sense of. words may unavoidably appear often as a result of beingthe
pgpD5I!
topicofthe task; that is not covered by the termoveruse here.
Communiciltiw purpose refers tothe communicative
requirements as set outinthe task. e.g. make a complaint,
Straightforward
nl c:omplex suggest alternatives. Errors and slips Errors are systematicmistakes. Slips are mistakes that are non
ideas Straightforward ideas are those which relate to relatively limited systematic, i.e. the candidate has learnedthe vocabulary item or
subject matter,usually concrete in nature,and which grammatical structure, butjust happened to make a mistake inthis
requiresimpler rhetorical devices to communicate. Complex instance. Ina candidate's response, where most other examples
ideas are those which of a lexical/grammatical point are accurate, a mistakeonthat
are of a moreabstract nature,or whichcover a wider subject point would most likely bea slip.
area,
requiringmore rhetorical resources to bringtogether and express. Impede Impede communication means gettinginthe way of meaning.
communication Meaning can still be determined indicates that some effort is
requiredfromthe readertodetermine meaning.

4. ORGANISATION
Linking words. Linkingwords arecohesive devices, but are separated here to
cohesive refer to higher.frequency vocabulary which provide explicit
devices,nl linkage. They can range from basic high frequency items (such
organisational
as "and", "but") to basic and phrasal items (such as "because",
patterns
"first of all", finally").

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 PAPER 2:WRITING I
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C devices refers to moresophisticated linkingwords and phrases
o (e.g. "moreover", "it mayappear", "as a result"),aswell
h asgrammatical devices such as the useof reference pronouns,
e substitution (e.g. Thereare two women in thepicture. Theone on
s the right...), ellipsis (e.g. The first car he owned was a
i convertible, thesecondafamily car). or repetition.
v Organisational patterns refers to less-explicit ways of achieving
e connection atthe between sentencelevel and beyond,e.g.
arrangingsentences inclimactic order, the use of parallelism,
using a rhetorical question toset up a new paragraph.

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