delta module 1 report june 2012

5/26/2018 Delta Module 1 Report June 2012

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Delta Module One

Understanding language, methodology and

resources for teaching

Examination Report

June 2012


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Contents

1 Comments on Overall Performance ............................................................................................... 4

2 Delta Module One Markscheme ..................................................................................................... 6

2.1

Distribution of marks .............................................................................................................. 6

2.2 Markscheme for each task ..................................................................................................... 6

2.3 Grading................................................................................................................................... 7

3 Paper 1 Task 1................................................................................................................................ 9

4 Paper 1 Task 2.............................................................................................................................. 10

5 Paper 1 Task 3.............................................................................................................................. 11

5.1 Guideline Answer ................................................................................................................. 11

Candidate performance ....................................................................................................... 11

5.2 Sample Answers .................................................................................................................. 12

6 Paper 1 Task 4.............................................................................................................................. 15


6.2 Candidate performance........................................................................................................ 19

6.3 Sample Answers .................................................................................................................. 22

7

Paper 1 Task 5.............................................................................................................................. 30



7.3 Sample Answers .................................................................................................................. 34

8 Paper 2 Task 1.............................................................................................................................. 38



8.3 Sample Answers .................................................................................................................. 41

9 Paper 2 Task 2.............................................................................................................................. 45



9.3 Sample Answers .................................................................................................................. 49

10 Paper 2 Task 3.............................................................................................................................. 54

10.1

Guideline Answer ................................................................................................................. 54



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10.3 Sample Answers .................................................................................................................. 55

11 Paper 2 Task 4.............................................................................................................................. 58


11.2

Candidate performance........................................................................................................ 59

11.3 Sample Answers .................................................................................................................. 60


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1 Comments on Overall Performance

The Delta Module One examination was taken by over 550 candidates from 64 centres in a widerange of countries. As in previous sessions mean scores were above half the marks available for theexam for the candidature as a whole.

Percentages of candidates achieving both Merit and Distinction were up on June 2011. More than67% of candidates achieved a Pass. Key reasons why candidates may not achieve pass standard areas follows:

The most common reason is that they do not possess sufficient knowledge and experience tobe able to address the different tasks and are therefore unable to perform at Delta standard.

A large majority of candidates have a very poor knowledge of phonology which can result in asignificant loss of marks in, for example, Paper One, Task 4. Candidates and centres alikeneed to increase / improve their level of phonological input.

Some candidates who enter the examination without having taken a preparation course mayhave insufficient awareness of task requirements. Candidates should refer to the previousModule One examination reports. These give clear guidance as to what candidates have todo in order to increase their chances of success in the examination.

Some candidates who follow a preparation course may have received inadequate orinaccurate centre guidance. From Examiner comments this year, this seems to have beenless of a problem than in previous sessions although some lack of accurate guidance is stillevident.

Some candidates do not manage their time effectively. As stated in the June 2011 report,Task 4 in both Papers One and Two and Task 5 in Paper One carry a large number of marksand candidates are strongly advised to allow adequate time for these tasks. Candidates arefree to attempt the tasks in the order of their choosing and of course should not spend somuch time on the tasks indicated above to the detriment of the other ones. This session therewere fewer unattempted and incomplete tasks than in previous sessions.

The mean score for Paper One was higher than for Paper Two although the overall mean score wasentirely in line with previous sessions. In Paper One, Task 1 candidate performance was very strong,

with almost 60% of candidates achieving 5 or 6 marks (see page 6 below for marks allocation by task).Performance in Task Two also showed improvement over the past two sessions with the averagenumber of marks achieved being 6. Task 3 performance was well in line with previous sessions withan average of 9 marks achieved. The mean score for Task 4 was the second highest since theintroduction of the new scheme at almost 25. Candidates also performed well in Task 5 with anaverage score of almost 12 marks. Overall, performance on Paper One was the highest since June2010.

In Paper Two, Task 1 generated the highest marks ever with more than half the candidates achievingat least 12 marks. Examiners noted that candidates appeared to be more confident in terms of how toapproach the task. The mean score for Task 2 was 16. However, some candidates struggled toidentify a sufficient number of purposes in part (a) and accompanying assumptions in part (b);candidates may need more training in how to approach this task and also need to explore in greater

depth the principles behind the design of teaching material. Candidate performance in Task 3,however, was the highest since June 2009. Task 4 continued to challenge candidates and the meanscore was lower than half the marks available for the task. Examiners noted that many candidatesstruggled with the topic of approaches to teaching lexical and functional language and interpreted therubric in a variety of different ways. Overall, Paper Two scored slightly lower than in previous sessionsbut this was balanced by the higher scores achieved in Paper One. Task-level performance wasconsidered in the application of grade boundaries and, overall, candidate achievement for the June2012 cohort was entirely in line with previous sessions.

Layout of answers shows improvement although weaker candidates continue to lay their answers outin a disorderly fashion and provide information not required in the rubrics.

Please see each task for examiner comments on individual task performance.


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General adviceCandidates are strongly advised to do the following in order to maximise their performance in theexamination:

read the previous Examination Reports in detail to ensure that they understand how toapproach each task and how the marks are allocated

make use of the suggested times given on the question papers to complete each task - the

times relate to the number of marks available for the questions. Candidates are not penalisedif they outline more features than asked for in Paper One, Tasks 3 and 5, and in Paper Two,Tasks 1 and 2b but they should note that this is a dangerous strategy as providing morefeatures than asked for takes away time from other tasks. Adding one more feature in thesetasks may be a useful safety net but doing more than this can jeopardise other tasks

read question rubrics very carefully, underlining or highlighting key points they contain. It isessential that candidates provide the information asked for and do not provide unrequestedinformation. While no marks are deducted for wrong or irrelevant information, candidate timeis wasted and no marks are gained by providing unrequested information

plan the order in which they are going to answer the tasks and complete at least two full mockexaminations in timed conditions to get used to the exam format and time requirements

do not waste time making rough notes there is no time available for this. Instead candidatesshould do what is suggested in the above bullet point and do more tasks under timed

conditions to get used to the requirements and formats of the different tasks follow the layout as suggested in each task. Use bullet points to organise their answers and

save time

start each task on a new page and clearly label their answers, showing what task or part of atask they are answering

lay their answers out with plenty of space candidates might find it easier to write theiranswers on every other line in the answer booklet. Many answers were very cramped andwritten in the margins, making it very difficult for Examiners to mark the tasks. One candidatecompleted all five tasks on four sides of paper with the result that the answers were socramped that they were almost impossible to read. Candidates need to consider theiraudience and by leaving extra space, they can include more points later in the exam if theyrealise that they have something more to add


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2 Delta Module One Markscheme

2.1 Distribution of marks

In Delta Module One, candidates accumulate marks across questions and it is the total number ofmarks obtained across the two papers that determine which grade a candidate is awarded.Candidates do not therefore gain a grade for each task.

Answers are marked against a detailed markscheme containing guideline answers, with candidatesbeing awarded marks for each correct answer given. The number of marks available for each task isas follows:

Paper 1

Task 1 6

Task 2 12

Task 3 15

Task 4 40

Task 5 27

Total 100

Paper 2

Task 1 20

Task 2 30

Task 3 10

Task 4 40

Total 100

GrandTotal

200

Points made twice within an answer are not credited twice and no marks are deducted for wronganswers.

Please note that relevant alternative wordings and examples are accepted.

2.2 Markscheme for each task

Paper 1 Task 1One mark is awarded for each correct answer.

Paper 1 Task 2A total of three marks are available per answer:

one mark for the basic definition one mark for a further point made

one mark for a correct example


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Note: The further point is only awarded if the basic definition is correct; only one further point isallowed per question; the example can be awarded a point, even if the definition is not correct.

Paper 1 Task 3

One mark is awarded for each language feature correctly identified.

A further two marks are awarded for each correct example / illustration. An example cannot be

awarded marks if the feature is not identified.

Paper 1 Task 4One mark is awarded for each point correctly made up to a maximum of 40.Note: in a, there is a maximum of five marks available and a mark is only awarded if a correctexample is given.

Paper 1 Task 5a

One mark is awarded for each strength correctly identified up to a maximum of three marks.

One mark is awarded for each example from the text illustrating the strength identified, up to amaximum of three marks. Note: no mark can be given for an example if its accompanying strengthhas not been correctly identified

One mark is awarded for each weakness correctly identified up to a maximum of three marks.

One mark is awarded for each example from the text illustrating the weakness identified, up to amaximum of three marks. Note: no mark can be given for an example if its accompanyingweakness has not been correctly identified

Additional marks may be awarded for knowledge and insight into why and how the strengths andweaknesses aid or negate the effectiveness of the text.

b

One mark is awarded for each justification given for the weakness prioritised, up to three marks.One additional mark is awarded for each justification that is fully developed.

Paper 2 Task 1

One mark is awarded for each positive / negative feature identified. An additional mark is awardedfor each positive / negative feature identified if its application to the learner is also identified.

Up to two additional marks are awarded for accurate use of four testing terms throughout theanswer. However these additional marks cannot be awarded if more than two terms are usedinaccurately and the use of the terms must occur in valid points.

Paper 2 Task 2

Two marks are awarded for each purpose correctly identified.

One mark is awarded for each assumption listed.

Two additional marks are awarded for two reasons given for an assumption.

Paper 2 Task 3

One mark is awarded for each correct point made, up to a maximum of 10.

Paper 2 Task 4

Two marks are awarded for each correct point made, up to a maximum of 40.

2.3 Grading

Results are recorded as three passing grades (Pass with Distinction, Pass with Merit, Pass) and onefailing grade (Fail).

At the end of the marking process, there is a grading meeting to determine precisely how many marksare required to obtain each of the passing grades. The grade boundaries are set in a way that ensuresthat the level of knowledge required to obtain the three passing grades:

is consistent with the band descriptors on page 7 of the Delta Modules Handbook is the same from one session to the next

does not vary as a result of slight variations in the difficulty of the papersThe following information is used in the grading process:


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statistics on the candidature

comparison with statistics from previous years examination performance and candidature

recommendations of examiners, based on the performance of candidates

The marks required to obtain each grade are:

Pass approximately 50%Pass with Merit approximately 65%Pass with Distinction approximately 75%


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3 Paper 1 Task 1

For examples of Task 1 questions, and comments on sample answers, see previous ExaminationReports.

As in previous sessions, candidates are recommended to: only write the required term, not giving an example or any extra information not provide alternative answers

spell terms correctly; a very limited number of alternative spellings are accepted

lay out their answers clearly using the sub-headings of Point, Further Point, Example

see previous examination reports on the Cambridge ESOL website for detailed feedback on howto approach this task


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4 Paper 1 Task 2

For examples of Task 2 questions, and comments on sample answers, see previous ExaminationReports.

As in previous sessions, candidates are recommended to: only write about four terms

give a basic definition, an example and one item of further information for each term

lay out their answers clearly using the sub-headings of Point, Further Point, Example

see previous examination reports on the Cambridge ESOL website for detailed feedback on howto approach this task


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5 Paper 1 Task 3

The extract for this task is a writing activity for intermediate (CEFR level B1) learners.

Identify a totalof five key languagefeatures learners at this level would need in order to complete

the activity successfully. Provide an example specific to this activity to support each choice.

Phrases for beginning and ending a story are provided in the extract. Do notwrite about phrases forbeginning and ending a story in your answer.

5.1 Guideline Answer

Organisation o f content / paragraphing

Example1 background and description of main character/setting, 2 (bad) event, 3 (overcoming bad)

event, 4 resolution OR equilibrium disequilibrium re-equilibrium (NB: candidates had to mention aminimum of two)

Narrative tenses AND/OR past simple, past continuous, past perfect (NB: candidates had tomention a minimum of two of these)

ExampleThe old lady lived alone in a cottage. She had never met a dwarf before.

Direct/indirect speech

ExampleThe little girl said, What big teeth you have. The little girl told her granny what big teeth she

had.

Sequencers / time related linkers

Examplethenshe ran all the way home, after thatthe witch made new plans to kill her, beforelong

the news of their marriage spread through the kingdom

Relative clauses / participle clauses Example the princess who lived in ..., The forest which he passed through ..., Passing through the

forest, he saw ,

Adjectives / adject ive + noun col locations / adverbs / adverbial phrases

Examplethe cruel old man, handsome prince, wicked witch, lucky charm, She tried again and again,

to her surprise, the frog turned into a prince.

Lexis relevant to genre of fo lk tales/fairy stories

Examplewitch, broomstick, forest, magic, make a wish

Substitution / use of synonyms (to avoid repetition / to create interest)

Examplethe dark wood the frightening forest, the prince the kindly young man

Candidate performance

The genre of a fairy/folk tale generated interest and most candidates could identify 2 or 3 features withappropriate exemplification. Some candidates included too many examples which Examiners notedwas not a productive use of time. The most common features identified were the use of narrativetenses, lexis related to fairy tales, adjectives & adverbs, and the organisational structure of the text.Weaker candidates were unable to identify the grammatical features of direct/indirect speech andparticiple/relative clauses. The least common feature identified was the use of synonyms to avoidrepetition. Instead, candidates cited the use of pronouns to substitute for nouns which is not specific tothis text type. Few candidates specified the type of linking devices required: they listed a range ofcohesive devices (e.g. however, soetc) rather than highlighting the importance of ones forsequencing/time. Two other features which were frequently cited were an informal style suitable for

children which was not appropriate as the style of a folk take can range from the very informal/simple,as if read to a child, to a quite formal and complex style. The other feature which was not accepted onits own was the use of the past simple, which at this level and for this genre, was too limited.


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Candidates needed to choose at least two past verb forms or refer to narrative tenses to be awardedthis feature.

As was written in the June 2011 report, accurate and full exemplification is key to this task becausecandidates are awarded 1 point for the feature and 2 points for the example. Many candidates hadclearly taken this suggestion on board and provided full examples rather than just single items at an

appropriate level. They generally did this well for all the language features apart from adjectives whichthey listed without giving them the noun (and therefore context) that they would accompany and fortime discourse markers which they did not put into a sentence. Exemplification for the feature oforganisation of content/paragraphing was not done well with weaker candidates simply giving pre-learnt labels such as introduce the background, main events, conclusion. Candidates must rememberthat they need to give an example appropriate to the genre as indicated in the Guideline Answers.Others simply wrote the paragraphs for a specific fairy story, e.g. Cinderella, rather than extrapolatingthe basic framework of the genre. Some candidates continue to lose marks because they do notinclude an example this is very poor exam technique as there are a potential 10 marks available forexemplification. Other candidates wasted time providing too many examples or other extra/unaskedfor information on why the feature was included. Candidates should note that it is only necessary toinclude one full example for each feature, apart from organisational features and that including more isnot a good idea in terms of time efficiency.

Candidates are recommended to:

read the rubric carefully

only discuss what the rubric requires

outline no more than six features (five as the task requires and a maximum of one extra one forinsurance)

make sure their answers cover a range of relevant subskills and discourse features

make sure their answers, including examples, are specific to the activity described in the task

always give examples and avoid repeating any one example

provide one example for each feature

provide full language examples, not just sentence stems

avoid repeating any of the wording of the extract in their answers

list the points they wish to make, avoiding any introduction, summary or conclusion use a bullet point or similar format when answering the task

lay their answer out using the headings of Feature and Example to ensure that they include bothrequirements

5.2 Sample Answers

5.2.1 The following sample answer gained full marks

3. 1. Use of past tenses such as past continuous and past simple for narration :e.g. While the man was walking through the forest, he saw a bear.

2. Am a pha Referencing for text cohesion, most likely anaphoring:e.g. The bear was big. It growled.

3. Organisation : the text should be divided into clear paragraphs which are logically ordered:introduction : introduces the theme, catches readers attentionmain body : 2 3 paragraphs which develop the storyconclusion : summarises the story, delivers the resolution

4. Time expressions for linking:e.g. After that, the bear charged at the man.

5. A range of adjectives to describe the characters and the setting:e.g. The tall and young man was walking through a dark and scary forest.

Accurate use of regular and6. Adjective to describe irregular past endings

The man entered the forest and saw a bear.


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7. Relative clauses to des to describe places and characters :The main, who was tall, saw a bear which was enormous.

Examiners comments on sample answerThis is a good example of an answer which is succinct and very clearly laid out. Out of the seven

features that the candidate lists, five are accurate and are accompanied by very clear exemplification.There is one example at an appropriate level for each feature which is a full exponent with the keyfeature underlined. She includes grammatical, lexical, discoursal and organisational features whichprovides a good range to her answer. She has included two features which were not credited, i.e. theuse of pronouns for anaphoric reference and the use of the past simple: the former is not a featurespecific to this particular genre and the latter is already included under her first point about narrativetenses. However, she was not penalised for this.

5.2.2 The following sample answer gained just over half the marks available for this task

1) organisation

Student must be able to use write paragraphs with a topic sentence

Student must be able to write paragraphs which follow each other in a chr fairlychronological sequence.

2) TensesGrammar: the use of narrative tenses like:

tenses: Students must be in control of the form regular t irregular simple past s verbs;he/she must be familiar with the use and meaning of many simple past verbs andhe/she mustfor example: The princess lost her ball in the fountainbut he/she must also be in control of the past continuous: she had been

looking for her ball when She saw a frog.

She/he must know how to use direct and reported speech to make the text moreimmediate: For example: give Please get my ball, the princess said.and later that day

reported speech the princess had forgotten that the frog had told herhe would come to the castle.

3) lexis: descriptive vocabularydescribing the scene:the princess was s playing with her ball in the beautiful gardens behind the castle

4) Cohesion con

he/she must use cohesive devices to make the text flow and to avoid repetition

s substitution to avoid repetitionthe princess ran after the ball and then she

elisionleaving words out because the meaning is clear

The

5) Structure of narrative

The story needs

a beginning (setting the scene)

Wha a series a events leading to a climax (the ball falls in the fountain)A resel resolution to the climax and a happy ending ie, the frog turns the Frog turns into aprince (happy ending).


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Examiners comments on sample answerThis answer lists five features but the first one (organisation) is a repetition of the fifth one (structure ofnarrative) and so overall for this feature the candidate only gains three marks: one for the feature andtwo for the exemplification which was credited under structure of narrative. The other two featureswhich were credited are the use of narrative tenses and direct/reported speech. The lexical featurecould not be credited because it is not specific enough: rather than write descriptive vocabulary the

candidate needed to identify the feature as being adjectives or adjective + noun collocations oradverbs. The other features which could not be awarded any marks were those under the heading ofcohesion. The first one of substitution was not accepted as it relates to pronoun referencing ratherthan the use of synonyms to avoid repetition and the second one of ellipsis (which the candidatemisidentified as the phonological feature of elision) is a general feature of most texts and not specificto the genre of fairy tales. The candidates answer could be expressed more concisely by giving thefeature and one example and whilst the layout of the answer is reasonably clear, the candidatecramped some of her answer into the margins which made it difficult for the Examiners to mark it.

5.2.3 The following sample answer obtained under half the marks available

3.Feature 1. The use of Narative tensesExample: Past Perfect (Simple & continuos)

Past Simple, past continuos- to talk about what happened in the Story

Feature 2. use of genre specific lexisExample to do with fairy stories i.e. elf/goblinFeature 3. The use of lexical chunks,

Pre fabricated pieces of lexis that can beUsed when telling Storiese.g. There have been many stories like this

Which is unheard of in many culturesFeature 4. The use of the Passive for giving other

Peoples opinion, common in folk tales:Example: i.e. It has been heard that

People have been known to

Feature 5: The use of superlatives to exageratein fairy stories, for impact on reader:

Example: Extremly uglyvery handsomefabulously richTerribly evil

Examiners comments on sample answerThis answer also contains five features but only two of them could be credited: the use of narrativetenses and the use of lexis related to the genre of fairy tales. Of these two features, only the second

one gained three marks (one for the feature and two for the example) because there was no examplegiven of a sentence containing any of the three narrative tenses. This candidate, like many others,appears to believe that the name of the tense is the example but this is the feature and the examplerequires a full sentence as illustrated in the Guideline Answers. None of the other three features listedcould be credited. The use of lexical chunks relates to the oration of the story rather than the lexiswhich would feature in the genre; the use of the passive is not a feature of fairy tales; and it is not theuse of superlatives which is the feature but rather the use of adverbs which is what her examplesillustrate. However, without an accurate naming of the feature, the examples cannot be awarded anymarks. Again, the layout of the task is reasonable although it would be helpful for the Examiner if eachfeature could be separated by one or two lines as this answer is rather cramped.


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6 Paper 1 Task 4

a The text is a celebrity interview in a popular magazine. Identify fivefeatures of the text that arecharacteristic of its genre. Give one example of each feature you identify.

Do notinclude more than onefeature of layout.

b Look at the extracts from the text.

i. Comment on the questionformsin bold.ii. Comment on the features of connected speechin the phrases in bold.

Do you enjoycooking?(line 5)

its all showbiz isnt it?(line 8)

What food reminds youof your childhood? (lines 59-60)

c Comment on the form and useof the phrases in bold as they are used in the text.

Its a bit artistic (line 6)

Im a prettygood dessert guy (line 25)

Its really kindaweird (lines 28-29)

d Look at the three relative clauses in bold in the following sentences from the text. Comment onthe useof the relative pronounand the relative clausein each case.

There are desserts that my mum used to makethat take me back, like tapioca pudding,whichis yummy.(lines 61-64)

The first thing I thinkwhen I have guests is What can I fix them?(lines 74-76)


a features of a celebrity interview in a popular magazine

Layout (NB: only one of these was allowed)

Picture

Title/heading

Different fonts / bolding for questions/non-bold for answers

Organisation

Organisation structure i.e. Brief introduction (who Jimmy Osmond is) followed by rest of

article, with promotion at end (for Jimmys show)

Question and answer format e.g. Do you enjoy cooking? I do

Content

Preferences / experiences e.g. What food reminds you of your childhood? [...] desserts that

my mum used to make [...]

Humorous anecdote e.g. eating white mouse

Lack of controversial content / positive content (to promote Jimmy Osmond) e.g. food / family /

family manTidied up (spoken) language e.g. no hesitations devices / no repetition / no rephrasing


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Style

Informal/semi-formal/spoken style / colloquial lexis e.g. Yummy, its fun, crunched up, so sick!

/ would take a year to explain

Lexical/grammatical

Direct speech e.g. Whats your favourite recipe?

Pun in the title i.e. CelebrityBites(what the celebrity eats vs. sound-bites)

Expressions/adverbs/adjectives to express attitude/feelings/opinions e.g. its fun,

unfortunately, its so yummy, its amazing

Person reference e.g. youin questions and Iin answers

Short answers / question tags e.g. I do, isnt it?

Discourse

Contractions / ungrammatical sentences / vague language / fillers e.g. it's like a big art project,

that's totally my mum, stuff, and boy

Short sentences / simple linking devices / parataxis e.g. and

Graphological

Punctuation e.g. exclamation marks / dashes

b Question forms and features of connected speech in phrases in bold

Do you enjoy cooking? (line 5)

Question Form

Auxiliary / dummy auxiliary / operator / do

Second person singular

Subject pronoun (you)

Base form / bare infinitive / infinitive without to of main verb ( enjoy)

RegularTransitive

Present simple

Yes/no question / closed question

+ gerund

To ask about permanent states / something which is always true / stative verb

Features of connected speech

Weak form of you/jW/or /j/ or do/dW/

Coalescence/assimilation of do you/dW/or /d/ or /d:/

Intrusive /w/between youand enjoy /dju:wnd/

Stress is likely to be on enjoy

its all showbizisnt it? (line 8)

Question Form

Third person singular

Present simple

Subject pronoun

Question tag / tag question

Main verb beinverted with the subject/pronoun

Negative because main clause is affirmative

Contracted

Anaphoric reference to Presentation / cooking

To involve the listener / ask for confirmation


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Consonant + vowel linking/liaison/catenation isnt it

Elision of first /t/in /zWnt/

Glottalisation/elision of second /t/in /zWn/

insertion of a schwa /W/ between /z/ and /n/

Stress is likely to be on isnt

What food reminds youof your childhood?(lines 59-60)

Question Form

Interrogative determiner / question word What

Uncountable

Noun

Subject

Third person singular

Regular

Transitive

Main verbPresent simple

No auxiliary

Object pronoun you

Wh /open question

Subject question

To ask about permanent states / something which is always true/stative verb


Glottalisation/elision of /t/in what/w/

Glottalisation/elision /d/in food /fud/

Assimilation between reminds you /rmanjW/ Weak form of you/jW/OR /j/

Stress likely to be on food, reminds (One example of stress is sufficient)

C Form and use of phrases in bold

Itsa bitartistic (line 6)

Form

Adverbial phrase / adverb

Indefinite article a + (countable) noun bit

Quantifier

Use

Informal/colloquial/spoken

Qualifying/modifying adjective artistic

Weakens the adjective / hedges / non-boastful / non-proud

Im apretty good dessert guy (line 25)

Form

Adverb

Use Informal/colloquial/spoken

Qualifying/modifying adjective good

Intensifier not as strong as very


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Makes Jimmy sound modest OR boastful

Its reallykinda weird (lines 28-29)

Form

Reduced/contracted/abbreviated/clipped/shortened kind of

Noun kind

Preposition of

Acts as an adverb

Use

Informal/colloquial/spoken

Common in American English

Filler / vague language

Qualifying/modifying adjective weird

Weakens the adjective / hedges / implies not weird in a bad way

d Use of relative pronoun and relative clauses in bold

that my mum used to make(lines 61-64)

Relative pronoun

That is used for things

Anaphoric reference to the desserts

That can be replaced by which but that is more common in spoken English

That can be omitted because it is the object of the verb

Relative clause

DefiningGives essential information about / specifies/identifies which desserts

No comma is used

which is yummy (lines 61-64)

Relative pronoun

which is used to refer to things

Anaphoric reference to thepudding

whichcannot be omitted because it is the subject of the clause

thatcannot be used instead of which

Relative clauseNon-defining

Gives extra/non-essential/additional information about the pudding

Comma precedes the clause

I think (lines 74-76)

Relative pronoun

Ellipsis / omission of that /which because it is the objet of the verb

Anaphoric reference to the first thing

Relative clauseDefining

Gives essential information about / specifies The first thing

No comma is used


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6.2 Candidate performance

As in previous sessions, the quality of answers to this task varied widely with some candidates scoringfewer than 10 marks over the four sections and others scoring the maximum of 40 marks which are

available for this task, thus reflecting the fact that this task discriminates well between thosecandidates who have real insight into language and those who are not close to Delta standard.Adequate training was evident on the whole although some candidates still seem unsure as to how toproceed and do not put enough down on paper to accumulate marks. It was very encouraging to seesome very high scores and that more than 30% of the cohort obtained more than 50% of the totalmarks. Those candidates who gained fewer than half the marks did so because of inaccurate orincomplete answers. Answers were inaccurate particularly in the area of connected speech in part (b)and in analysing the form and use of the adverbials in part (c). Many candidates lost marks becausethey did not describe grammatical form accurately, or with a correct use or spelling of terminology, orwith enough precision, or in enough detail. Some also wasted time by not reading the rubric carefullyenough and including information which was not required: for example, in part (a) where theyexplained why the features were part of the genre; in part (b) where they discussed intonation featureswhich are not part of connected speech; in part (c) where they discussed the meaning rather than the

use of the adverbials; and in parts (c) and (d) where they included phonological analysis of the items.A significant number analysed the unbolded items which was not required in the rubric candidatesshould read the rubrics carefully before answering the questions. Others automatically lost markswhen they omitted sections or abandoned the task. They should note that this is a dangerous strategyto adopt because this task carries a maximum of 40% of the total number of marks for Paper 1.Candidates are advised to make as many points as possible (within the time available) as succinctlyas possible. Most answers were presented in note form, using bullet points, which made for a gooduse of time although candidates frequently squashed their answers into an inadequate amount ofspace.

In relation to specific points on content:

a features of the text characteristic of a celebrity interview in a popular magazine

Most candidates identified an average of three features with stronger candidates citing four orfive. The most common features which were identified were the informal style of the interviewin terms of lexis and discourse (generally contractions) and a feature of layout, usually thephoto

However, a significant number of candidates gave more than one example for each featureand gave reasons for the features, which is not a requirement. Candidates should note that amaximum of 5 marks is available for this section and that they are only required to list thefeature and give an appropriate example from the text provided

Appropriate exemplification continued to be a problem. Quite a few candidates lost marksbecause they did not give an example for the feature, especially for the question / answerformat they only gave an example of a question without its answer and so could not beawarded a mark. Others gave numerous examples when only one is needed

As was noted in last years report, candidates highlighted features which are specific to thisparticular example of the genre. For example, they cited lexis related to the topic offood/cooking because this was largely the topic of the interview. However, this is not a featureof the genre as it would not appear in all celebrity interviews in a popular magazine. Again,when analysing the organisation or content of the genre, candidates frequently identified theending with contact details and booking information as being a feature; again, this is a featureof this particular celebrity interview and not celebrity interviews in general. Candidates couldhave included the promotional part of the interview as part of the overall organisation of theinterview but not as a separate feature of its own

Few candidates identified the more sophisticated points relating to the pun in the title, theinclusion of positive content, or the use of punctuation


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b Do you enjoy/ isnt it?/ What food reminds you There were a high number of marks available for this part of Task 4 and most candidates were

able to amass a reasonable count. Well-trained candidates analysed the form in detail whichshows good improvement on last Junes session and there were no features of form thatremained unidentified across the whole cohort

In some cases, candidates covered the form very minimally, making only a single point and it

seemed they had not studied the previous examination reports or had training in the level ofdetail required

Others made several points for each item but lost marks because they wrote partialdescriptions. This was most common in the following examples: they wrote second personrather than second person singular; subjectrather than subject pronoun (many appear to thinkthat subjectandpronounare synonyms which is not the case); infinitiverather than bareinfinitive / base form / infinitive without to;presentinstead ofpresent simple

In other cases, the analysis was incorrect, for example, candidates stated that isin isnt it wasan auxiliary verb when it is the main verb; they identified youin reminds you as a subject whenit is an object

In a few cases, candidates did not address the form at all and went straight to thephonological analysis or vice versa. It was unclear whether this was lack of training, amisreading of the question, or in the case of phonology, a lack of knowledge. Whatever the

reason, it resulted in a loss of marks In terms of describing the use of the question forms, most candidates identified the use of the

question tag but not the use of the present simple to talk about permanent states. Where theydid refer to the use of the present simple, they often stated incorrectly that it was to do withroutines and habits

Performance in the pronunciation part of the task was generally disappointing. As noted in theJune 2011 report, a large number of candidates do not seem to be trained to describe featuresof connected speech. This needs urgent attention on the part of centres and candidates asmany marks for phonology may be lost in this part

The most common phonological features to be identified and exemplified were the weak formsin youand doand the intrusive/w/in do you enjoy

Many candidates did not use the phonemic script or if they did, did not use a symbol to

highlight the features, e.g. / through the omitted sound to indicate elision, H to show a link or abox / circle above the stressed syllable to indicate sentence stress. They also lost marksbecause they simply said that the stress would fall on enjoy without indicating which syllable

A significant number of candidates did not use terminology correctly. They either gave a laydescription, e.g. words glide together rather than elision, linking or assimilation; or they usedthe wrong term, e.g. ellipsisforelision; or they mis-spelt the term, e.g.*ellison, *glotalisation,*liason

Other candidates did not give an example to illustrate the term used, or gave a wronglytranscribed example, e.g. they referred to the elision of /t/ in isnt but either did not use asymbol to show that the /t/ was not pronounced or did not transcribe how isnt would be saidwith an elided /t/. The same problem applies to candidates analysis of glottalisation whenthey did not use the phonemic symbol for this sound. Without the use of phonemictranscription, Examiners cannot assess whether the candidates understand the term they

have used or not Some candidates discussed intonation patterns which was not required in the rubric. If

candidates are expected to discuss intonation, this will be stated explicitly in the rubric for thetask. Others referred to features within a word, e.g. the elision of /d/ or the assimilation of s to/z/ in reminds rather than referring to features of connectedspeech.

There was some inaccuracy of analysis, e.g. referring to an intrusive /j/ rather than /w/between youand enjoyin Do you enjoy.

To summarise, as has been stated in all the previous examination reports, candidates mustuse phonological terms to describe features and be able to use the phonemic script accuratelyto illustrate them.

c a bit / pretty / kinda

Candidates performed least confidently in this part of the task and many candidates failed torecognise that the three forms were all adverbial in nature instead they mis-identified themas being adjectives. As has been noted in previous reports, adverbials is a useful area forcandidates to research in more depth as they are wide-ranging in their use


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Candidates were also frequently unable to analyse the individual parts of a bit and kinda. Theydid not recognise that thegrammatical form of a bit was the indefinite article + noun and alsowrote that bit was a quantifier rather than a bit. They also did not identify kind of as being anoun + preposition and weaker candidates frequently wrote that kind andpretty wereadjectives. This lack of analytical precision and accuracy suggests that centres still need totrain candidates in identifying the form as well as the use of language items

Under use, marks were frequently lost because candidates were vague in their description ofthe use of the adverb with the adjective and wrote things such as a bit describesartisticrather than a bit modifiesthe adjectiveartistic

Only stronger candidates recognised how the items were used in terms of weakening theadjective and/or making Jimmy Osmond sound modest. This reflects the weakness mentionedunder Part (a) where candidates could not identify the subtleties of use

A proportion of weaker candidates identified the meaning of the phrases rather than their use,e.g. kinda weird means a little bit strangeor discussed the phonological features of the itemsor analysed the unbolded items. These three examples reflect the fact that some candidatesare not reading the rubric carefully enough before starting the task and therefore are wastingtime providing information which is not required and does not carry any marks

d use of relative pronoun / relative clause

Part (d) was a good discriminator between those candidates who had a good knowledge ofrelative clauses and those who did not. Those who did have the knowledge, were able toidentify whether the clauses were defining or non-defining, whether the pronoun could beomitted or replaced by which or that, and whether a comma was required or not. Those whodid not have the knowledge were unable to state very much that was accurate about thepronouns or the clauses.

Again as in Parts (b) and (c), candidates lost marks because of a lack of precision in theiranalysis, e.g. they wrote that the relative clause gave essential or non-essential informationbut did not say in terms of what, i.e. which desserts, the puddingand the first thingso lostmarks. They also did not recognise the anaphoric reference (or did not use the term) to thesame items so again lost marks

Some candidates also analysed the unbolded items, e.g. the meaning of yummy and used tomake which are neither relative pronouns nor clauses. Again, this indicates that candidatesshould read the rubric for the task very carefully


in Part (a), only state five features and give one example for each as only a maximum of 5 marksare available in this section

not to spend time saying why the features have been included as no marks are allocated for thisbeyond what is stated in the Guideline Answers

in Parts (b)(d), make their answers as detailed as is required, making as many points aspossible, as indicated in the Guideline Answer

read the rubric carefully to see exactly what they are required to discuss

pay attention to words given in bold and only comment on them in the way required, not onaccompanying or surrounding words

make sure they consistently provide the full information required, including giving examples whenasked for

make use of precise linguistic / technical terms rather than the more simplified terms they mightuse with students

spell these terms correctly: marks will not be awarded if terms are incorrectly spelt

use the phonemic script / phonological symbols where appropriate: candidates will not be awardedmarks if this is not used where required or used accurately

only comment on pronunciation/phonology in sections where it is specifically mentioned

lay out their answers in list form, and make it clear what part of the answer they are writing about

use plenty of space/paper to write out their answers, writing on every other line if possible toensure that they do not write in the margins or make it difficult for the Examiners to locate theiranswers

make as many points as possible in Task 4 (within the time available) as it carries almost half themarks available in Paper One


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6.3 Sample Answers

6.3.1 The following sample answer gained a high number of the points available

4a)

1. Photo of celebrity - in top right.

2. Informal le style lexise.g. L10 we do stuff together, L25 pretty good

3. Question and answer form organisation.e.g. L5 6 Q

L6 13 A

4. Information relating to associated current production / release given at end of piece includingbooking details + website. After L77 Jimmy is

5. Contractions (e.g. Whats L24Im L53

4b)

i) F Do you enjoy- do auxiliary verbyou 2

ndperson subject pronoun.

enjoy bare infinitive of verbpresent simpleverb transitive

isnt it?negative tag question.goes with positive statement its all showbiz.

is not contracted to isntpresent simpleit 3

rdperson singular / impersonal pronoun.

What food reminds youWhatquestion word pronounWhatsubjectinformal form formal which foodreminds 3

rdperson form of present simple

Food uncountable nounreminds regular verb.

ii) Do you enjoy.

weak forms /dj/

possible elision - /duw/

of o and coalescence of /d/ and /j/ to give /d/

/d/Do youyou enjoy intrusive /w/

/w/

prominence of on enjoy

isnt it- elision of /t/

- Final consonant initial vowel linkingisnt it

- prominence on it tonic syllable


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/What/ food /reminds you- elision of /t/

- tonic syllable food /fu /

- prominence on what and reminds take

- elision of d in reminds your'manzju

- consonant cluster n&j nzj

4c)

a bitF a indefinite article

quanbit quantifierpremodify artistic adjective.

U - informal- means somewhat- gives relaxed, friendly tone.

prettyF - adverb comes after indefinite article usually adverb is before.

- premodifies adjective good which modifies compound noun dessert guy

U - means quite- informal word- informal position after article.- used to be modest here.

KindaF - short form of kind of

- reflects pronunciation in connected speechkind = ad noun Fi chunk- of = preposition

U - means somewhat literally- informal- Functions as a Filler- gives impression of friendly speech.

4d) Use

that my mum used to make

that - defe relative pronoun- used with objects- here post modifies refers anaphorically to deserts.

- defining relative clause- post-modifies desserts to identify which ones we are talking about.- no comma.- Emphasis is on desserts- past simple used to + verb refers to habitual past action now no longer carried out.- desserts are object of verb make.

Which is yummy.

which - relative pronoun


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- refers anaphorically to tapioca pudding.- non-defining relative clause- with a comma- acts as a comment on the preceding noun.- yummy means delicious- informal.

I think- no ellipted relative pronoun

- that or which- full form- that I think when I have guests is full relative clause- relative clause is defining relative clause- that refers anaphorically back to the first thing- post-modifies the first thing- relative clause is complex- subordinating conjunction when- Noun phrase including relative clause is subject of is main verb.- that is ellipted for brevity.

Examiners comments on sample answer

Part aThis part of the answer is clear and accurate, with each feature backed up by one relevant example,which shows a good use of time. The candidate describes a range of features which relate to layout,content, lexis and spoken discourse. However, she only gains four marks here because the featurerelating to content associated to the current production and booking details is not specific to the genreof a celebrity interview in a popular magazine this feature needed to be included as a part of theorganisation structure, not as a separate point. The layout of this part of the task is clear.

Part bThe candidate is very detailed and accurate in her answer and she gains over twenty marks in this

section which reflects the fact that she provides an excellent amount of detail in terms of form andphonology. In terms of the latter, her answer has the benefit of clear exemplification with an accurateuse of the phonemic script and also symbols to indicate where linking and elision occur. There are acouple of instances when she identifies features which are not related to connected speech, namelythe elision of d and consonant cluster in reminds but otherwise her answer is focussed on what isasked for in the rubric. Her style is succinct, the layout is neat and the answer does not contain anyrepetition.

Part cHere the candidate gains eleven out of a possible twenty marks, an indication that this part of the taskis more difficult than part (b). She does not state that bit is a noun or that it is a bit which acts as aquantifier rather than bitand does not recognise that it weakens the adjective artistic. In terms ofpretty, she does not recognise that it is used as an intensifier. However, here she does recognise that

it is being used to make Jimmy Osmond sound modest. Regarding her analysis of kinda, she does notrecognise that it acts as an adverb, that it is common in American English, that it modifies theadjective weird, or that it weakens the adjective. For each item, she states their meaning which is notrequired. The task is clearly laid out and labelled and as in the other sections, she does not waste timeusing a discursive style to make her points but makes good use of bullet points. However, whilst it isclear that she is a strong candidate, her performance in this part of the task supports the point madeabove that the area of adverbials and their use is one that needs to be given more attention duringexamination preparation.

Part dThe candidates response to this part of the task is generally strong and she gains more than half themarks available. However, she also provides some unnecessary detail, e.g. she states the meaning ofyummy, the use of used to make, and moves beyond the analysis of I think in the third example. Her

analysis is accurate in terms of form and pronunciation and she uses the phonemic script accurately toillustrate her points. She is more confident in her analysis of the relative clauses rather than therelative pronouns and does not state basic points such as that that can be replaced by which in thefirst example or that which cannot be omitted in the second example or that I think gives essential


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information about The first thing and that no comma is needed in this example. Overall, a little moreprecision would have been beneficial in this part of the task but by this stage, the candidate may havebeen pressed for time as her answer to Task 4 is unusually full.

6.3.2 The following sample answer gained just over half the marks available for this task

4) A)

LAYOUT visual stimuli (two) pictures and title banner to catch readers attention. It engagesreader, enhances meaning

Example picture of the interviewee

ORGANISATION interview format; question in bold writing followed by answer in a shortparagraph. Do you enjoy cooking? I do

STYLE informal, use of contractions its whats shed theres

LEXIS lexical field a on popular topic which readers can relate to:cookingrecipe, good food, sauce, dessert

GRAMMAR present simple for general description and informationI have four kids

- Simple past for factual information about past I was in Japan it made me sick- present perfect to talk about life experience with no specific time Has it been importantWhats the strangest food

B) Question Forms

i) Do you enjoy

closed question (yes/no answer) question without question word

formed by auxiliary do + subject pronoun you + information

auxiliary do simple present general information

enjoy + verb(ing) to follow

auxiliary do for 2nd

person singular

Isnt it?

question tag

goes at the end of the question

its the opposite (negative -) of main verb in question it is

used to ask for confirmation of opinion: presentations everything

What food reminds you question with question word what

open question, Jimmy needs to think about the answer

formed by question word (what) + object + verb + subj. pronoun

ii) Connected speech

Do you enjoy ellission + assimilation Duju/d/

isnt it first t dissapears /snt/(ellission)

What Foods remind s you

intrusion /rmansu /

glottal stop d dissapears


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C)

FORM USE

A BIT indefinite article + singular countablenounquantifier

quantifies the adjectiveartistic referring to cooking

PRETTY quantifiera + pretty + adjectiveindefinite article

Refers to liking desserts a lotand making them well

Kinda transcripted connected speech becauseof colloquial speechkind + OFquantifierqu kind + of + adjective

To quantify adjective weirdrefering to dish calledopulent chicken

D)

USE OF RELATIVE PRONOUN USE OF RELATIVE CLAUSE

that my mum used to makerefers to desserts, adds information

which is yummyrefers to tapioca puddinganaphoric reference

describes the puddingadds more information

I think(that) optional left outrefers to the thought What can Icataphoric reference

Examiners comments on sample answerPart aThe candidate identifies three features with an example for each one: the use of a picture, thequestion and answer organisation and the use of contractions. However, the remaining two features(lexis related to food/cooking and the present simple/present perfect) could not be credited becauseneither of these features is specific to the genre of a celebrity interview in a popular magazine; ratherthey are specific to this particular interview. The organisation and layout of the answer is clear and it issuccinctly expressed.

Part bThe candidates analysis is accurate but does not contain enough points about the form, and use ofpronunciation. The point about the intonation pattern of the question tag is not relevant as intonation isnot part of connected speech and the point about the elision of /t/ in isnt it could not be creditedbecause elision is mis-spelt. The candidate gains less than half the marks available for this section,reflecting the fact that he needs to include more detail about the question forms.

Part cAgain, the answer to this part needs more detail both in terms of form and use to maximise thenumber of marks available. For example, he needs to state the form of the items (adverbial), specifythe part of speech of kind and of, and discuss the use of all of the items in more depth in terms of howthey are used in this particular text. Future candidates should also note that this candidate loses twomarks because he writes quantifies rather than qualifies the adjectives artistic and weird. An accurateuse of terminology is therefore very important.

Part dThis part of the task is also weak because it is too short and therefore only provides very limited detailon the relative pronouns and clauses. For example, there is no mention of what type of clauses theyare, what the pronouns are generally used for, and no information on punctuation. The analysis here isat a very basic level although again what is written is not inaccurate, just insufficient.


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6.3.3 The following sample answer gained fewer than half the marks available for this task

4a)a) layoutvisuals a photograph (visual) of the celebrity + a photograph of bold the cast

b) Col register: informala lot of colloquial languageand rhetorical question at the beginning to make text immediatecontractionsDo you enjoy cookingContractions: its a bit artisticdraws the reader in

c) Grammar A lot written in the present tense for in on to make interview format gives the text immediateappeal: Its all show biz, isnt it? I have four kids and .

d) lexis: lexical fields used here having to do with cooking: good food, a cooking is a big process, an art to it,feed, healthy recipe

e) organisation:interviewer asks a question + the interviewee answers:Do you enjoy cooking? QuestionYes, I do . Answer

4b)

Do you enjoy cooking (line 5)

Form

aux Do auxiliaryyou per 2

ndperson singular personal pronoun

enjoy verb in the f infinitivecooking verb infinitive + pa present participle ending ing

Connected speech:

Do you enjoy cooking

du

The here I

The do you are elided to /dzu

/

enjoy becomes a schwa /nd /

to cooking: kukn - the final g is assimilatedkukon

its all show biz isnt it?

isnt it is a question tagsaid to show interest

isnt it in connected speech

becomes /iz in/ /it/elided assimilated


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/izin/ the

4c)

a bit lne 6

a: indefinite articleused before an uncountable noun

bit: adjective meaning somewhat actually elision occurring here a little has been left out

meprett formpretty in this case a a graded qua qualifier meaning meaning: mean qualifying good and meaningfairly

Kinda elided Form of Kind of used as a quantifier meaning sort of

4d)

that my Mum used to make

Use: no comma used to define what krefers back to desserts that could be substituted by which

Which is yummy

Non defining, so

separated by comma

says how the subject of the relative clause is

Examiners comments on sample answerPart aThe candidate gains three marks in this part of the task: one for the inclusion of a photograph underlayout, one for the use of contractions, and one for the question/answer format under organisation.Unfortunately, whilst she recognises the feature of colloquial language, she does not provide anaccurate example and so cannot be credited a mark. She also cannot receive any marks for the use ofthe present simple or lexis related to food and cooking as these are not features related to the genreof a celebrity interview but rather specific to the content/interviewee in this particular context. Thelength and layout of the task are appropriate.

Part bThe candidates response to this part of the task is very short and she only gains four marks. In

addition, some of her analysis of form is incorrect or imprecise: in terms of enjoy she needed to beprecise in terms of the type of infinitive it is, i.e. the bare infinitive, and cooking is a gerund, not apresent participle. There is no discussion of use. Her phonological analysis is generally inaccurate: do

you are not elided but assimilated to/dzu / , there is no schwa in enjoy, there is no /g/ sound at the

end of cooking and it therefore cannot be assimilated and the same level of confusion is evident in herdiscussion of isnt it.

Part cThe candidates answer to this part is also very brief and is mostly inaccurate: bit is a countable (notuncountable) noun and it is not an adjective; elision is a phonological term presumably the candidatemeans that a little has been elipted but there is no evidence to assume that this is the case. It isunclear what the candidate means bypretty being a graded qualifier presumably she means an

adjective which is not the case. Kinda is not an example of elision and the meaning of this item as wellas bit andpretty is not asked for in the rubric. Overall, the candidate scores one mark in this sectionfor identifying that bit is a noun.


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Part dThe candidates response to this part of the task is minimal and she only gains three marks, one forthe fact that that can be substituted by which in the first example, and that which is yummy is a non-defining clause which contains a comma. Overall, the candidates performance in Parts (b) to (d)indicate that her language awareness is not at Delta standard as it contains a high level of inaccuracy.

She also appears to mis-manage her time as she does not complete any of the three tasks.


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7 Paper 1 Task 5

The text (245 words) for this task is reproduced on the opposite page. It was written by a learner in anupper-intermediate (CEFR level B2) class in response to the following task:

Write an essay for the class magazine describing a person you particularly admire.Say why you particularly admire them.

a Identify three key strengthsand three key weaknessesof the text. Provide an example of eachstrength and each weakness.

Your answer should focus on some or all of the areas listed below:

Organisation

Accuracy of grammar

Accuracy and range of lexis

Punctuation

Task achievement

b Which one of the weaknessesidentified above would you choose to prioritise to help this learner?Give three reasons for your choice.


Key strengths and weaknesses

Key strengths

Task achievement

The learner achieves the task fully by describing a person he admires (his mother) and sayingwhy he admires her

Example description he says where she was born / what her background was / describes how

she managed to get to university / what she did once she had graduated(NB: candidates must mention a minimum of one of these)ANDreasonshe admires her because she has reached all her goals / she has strong principles / agood sense of humour / a positive attitude/is hardworking / she has fought against troubles(NB: candidates had to mention a minimum of one of these)

Organisation The information is in a logical order

Example he describes his mother's background, her life from past to now and then he gives hisreasons for admiring her (NB: candidates had to mention a minimum of two topics)

Accuracy and range of lexis Some accurate and sophisticated phrases / collocations are used

Example very successful woman, reached all her goals, very strong principles, good sense of

humour, a positive attitude

Accuracy of grammarSome accurate use of complex sentences

Example After she spent some time teaching ... she had a great offer, The person that I

particularly admire, is my mother.

Accuracy of grammarAccurate use of present perfect OR present perfect and past simple

Example When my mother finished ..., he wanted to study ... but her parent didnt have..., when

she found the job she started her degree. ... she had one of the best marks..., she got Economics


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degree ..., After she spent time teaching in the University she had a great offer, ... she hasreached all her goals, ... and she has always followed

Key weaknesses

OrganisationPoor paragraphing / one-sentence paragraphs

Example paragraphs could be between lines 1-5 (background); lines 6-9 or 6-18 (how she got to

university & her subsequent career); lines 9-18 (her subsequent career); lines 19-25 (reasonswhy he admires her) NB: candidates had to mention a minimum of one possible paragraph whichwas wrong or a corrected version)

Accuracy of grammarUse of articles

Example finished the High School, the University, when she found the job, She never defaulted

in the life, She got Economics degree, great offer of one bank, she is a Manager of one OfficeBank, she is very successful woman, she has a very strong principles

Accuracy of grammarUse of prepositions

Example Study a degree, to pay the University, searching a job, of her university, a great offer of

one bank

Range of lexisOveruse/repetition of after / after that

Example lines 10, 11, 13, 15

Accuracy of grammarUse of past continuous

Example Then, we was searching a job, She was studying and working at the same time, She

was teaching in a High School

PunctuationCapitalisation of ordinary nouns and pronouns

Example in the North-West of Spain, When my mother finished the High School He wanted to

Study a Degree but. After that She was studying, Now She ... Office Bank, For me She is

PunctuationInaccurate use/omission of commas OR use of full stops instead of commas

Example The person that I particularly admire, is my mother; In this place, the most part of the

people; Then. We was searching; Now. She is; incredible person. no because


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Which weakness to priorit ise

Candidates may choose any of the key weaknesses listed in part a. They should provide threereasons for their choice from the list below:

the learners level

the learners exams and future study needs the learners job needs

fossilization of error

transfer to other genres

transfer to other skills

specific to the learners context

the learner will get his essay published in the class magazine

the effect on the reader

easy to rectify, therefore motivating

7.2 Candidate performance

Performance in this task showed an improvement on the last three sessions with the average markachieved being 12 which is the highest score since June 2010. There were also fewer candidates whodid not attempt this task or failed to complete it and this suggests that they have taken on boardfeedback from last years report and allocated a good amount of time to complete the task. A largenumber of candidates attempted the task first or second in the examination which may have helped toensure that they had time to to gain as many marks as possible, as long as their language awarenesswas accurate. However, some candidates continued to attempt it last and after they had run short oftime which meant that they lost marks. Overall, the task acted as a good discriminator between strongand weak candidates

a

Most candidates were able to identify at least one strength and two weaknesses accurately.The strengths which were most commonly identified were task achievement and organisation

of content (but see below) and poor paragraphing, misuse of articles and the inaccurate use ofcommas were the most frequent weaknesses cited

A lot of candidates struggled with task achievement in that whilst they recognised it was astrength, they were not specific in how the task was achieved, i.e. to get a mark they had tosay that the task was achieved because the student had described the person he admiredAND given reasons as to why he admired her. Saying this gained the candidates one mark. Inorder to get the second point available for the example, they then had to give a direct exampletaken from the text one of a description and one of a reason. Often candidates onlyaddressed and exemplified one part of the rubric and therefore did not get any marks foridentifying this strength

Candidates frequently recognised that range of lexis was a strength but did not get a markbecause the strength lay in the learners use of collocations and phrases rather than theirrange of lexis in general. Again, candidates need to be more specific in their analysis

Exemplification was problematic at times. In order to get a mark for the example of theinformation being in a logical order, they needed to mention two topics candidates often onlyrestricted their example to one topic but two were needed in order to show the logic of theorder of the texts context. When giving an example for the overuse of after/after that,candidates frequently lost a mark for the example because they did not cite the line numberwhere the example occurred or did not write the co-text in which it occurred

Very few candidates identified the accurate use of complex sentences or present perfect asstrengths or the misuse of prepositions or the past continuous as weaknesses. This suggeststhat candidates need to be more thorough when analysing the learners writing in terms of theuse of grammatical items. This inadequacy in language analysis was also frequently evidentwhen candidates selected minor areas such as pronoun displacement or use of passives asweaknesses, when these were not major problems in the learners writing. Weaker candidatesalso listed tenses as an area of weakness underAccuracy of Grammar without specifyingwhich ones


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Some weaker candidates hedged their bets by citing the learners use of paragraphing or thepast continuous as a strength and a weaknesses. Candidates should note that this is not aproductive use of time

As noted in the last examination report, a large number of candidates lost marks because theydid not include any comments regarding the effect of the strengths or weaknesses on theoverall effectiveness of the text in terms of the reader. There are marks available for two

comments over the whole answer. Some candidates included comments but unfortunately,marks for these comments could not be given because they had not identified a minimum offive strengths/weaknesses

There were fewer instances of candidates including more than one example for each strengthor weakness cited which was positive and there were almost no candidates who evaluated thetext in terms of criteria which were not listed in the rubric.

Layout of answers was also generally clear with the majority of candidates using the headingsof strengths and weaknessesto organise their answer and then the sub-headings of thecriteria listed in the rubric, e.g. Task Achievement, with another sub-heading of example toprovide clear signposting for the reader.

b

The improvement in the analysis in part (a) meant that more candidates identified anappropriate area to work on in part (b) and were therefore able to gain marks for theirjustification of the area. Candidates had also clearly taken on board comments made in theprevious examination report and were specific in the area that they chose to work on, e.g.prepositionsas opposed to accuracy of grammar which would have been too vague. However,there were still some candidates who outlined an inappropriate area of weakness or who werevague in terms of what they had chosen which meant that they lost a potential 6 marksbecause in part (a), they had included prepositions and then inaccurate analysis underaccuracy of grammar so it was unclear to Examiners which area of grammar the candidateintended to work on. Candidates should note that they must mention the specific weaknessrather than the criterion as listed in the rubric

Justifications were adequate but perhaps pre-learnt from previous examination reports. Mostcandidates gained three marks for part (b) but very few expanded their rationale in order to getthe full six marks available for this part of the task

Some candidates reproduced a long list of justifications from previous examination reportswhich was not a productive use of time as only the first three justifications could be credited.


only give oneexample for each strength and each weakness

only discuss in part (a) the areas given in the rubric

give both strengths and weaknesses as required

only discuss three key strengths and three key weaknesses; marks are not given for more thanthree of either. However, if candidates outline more than three strengths or weaknesses, they willnot be penalised but they should be aware that this will impact on timing over the whole paper

bear in mind the learners level when commenting in part aon the texts strengths and

weaknesses include two comments in part a on the effect the particular strengths and weaknesses have on the

effectiveness of the text

use a bullet point layout for the strengths and weaknesses

organise their answer under the headings of strengths and weaknesses and then use sub-headings of criterion and example to ensure that they address both parts of rubric. They can alsoadd an extra sub-heading of comment for two of their criteria to ensure that they provideinformation on the effect that the strength or weakness has on the text

only discuss in ba weakness mentioned in a

only discuss one area of weakness in part b

be specific in b on the exact weakness to be worked on

limit answers in bto reasons for prioritising an area

make sure they allow themselves enough time to complete this task; 25 minutes is recommended


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7.3 Sample Answers

7.3.1 The following sample answer gained most of the marks available for this task

5 a + Task achievement: Task has been achieved because learner has described the person and

said why they admire them.

e.g ls 1-9: background infols 10-14: universityls 15-18: careerls 19-25: why they admires her

- Organization: Despite logical sequencing of ideas, learner has notorganized them effectively into paragraphs.

e.g l 13-14 After that she was teaching ina high school and later in the university.This could form part of the previous paragraph.

This Lack of paragraph could have a negative effect on the reader as it makesIt more difficult to read.

- Range of lexis: Learner doesnt use a wide range of discourse markers / timemarkers. Repel

e.g. repetition of after / after that inls 10, 13, 15.

This as a negative effect on the reader as it doesnt and doesnt allow thelearner to show their level or abilities.

- Accuracy of grammar: Learner makes frequent errors with articles / determinersand singular / plural nouns.

e.g. l. 21 She has a very strong principles.1. 6 she fa when my mother finishedthe the High School.

and collocations, and fixed expressions+ Range of lexis for describing people.

e.g. l 21-22 strong principles.good sense of humour, positive attitude, hard-working

This has a positive effect on the reader as it shows good knowledge ofnatural expressions.

+ Accuracy of grammar: Learner uses past tenses eg. past simple, past continuous,and present perfectaccurately.

eg. l 10 she was studying and workingat the same time.l. 7 her parents didnt have enough moneyl. 20 She has reached all her goals.

b. I would prioritise accuracy of grammar: articles, for these reasons:

Learners linguistic knowledge otherwise is of a good level but this problem mayhold he them back from progressing to higher levels.


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Learner may have learnt rules in the past but not studied recently or at this level -should be a reminder so easily rectifiable.

If learner wants to study formal qualifications in the future eg. FCE/CAE, they will need bettergrammatical accuracy so this will be useful for them.

Examiners comments on sample answerThe answer is focussed on the criteria outlined in the rubric. It clearly cites three key strengths andthree key weaknesses of the text and gives clear examples, although there could be fewer given forarticles, collocations/fixed expressions, and repetition of after that. It also includes three comments asto how the features impact on the effectiveness of the text, e.g. regarding the lack of paragraphs, thiscould have a negative effect on the reader as it makes it more difficult to read. However, it is onlyuseful to include two reasons because the four extra marks will only be awarded for two commentsand no more. The answer could also be improved by being organised more clearly, i.e. with the threestrengths listed in a group and then the three weaknesses in another group. However, it is helpful thatshe uses the sub-heading e.g. to indicate where the examples are, and separates eachstrength/weakness into three parts so that it is also clear where the comments are. In terms of part b,she correctly identifies an area of weakness to work on which she clearly stated in part a. She

provides three justifications, the first two of which are fully developed and therefore gain two markseach. In order for the third justification to be fully developed, the candidate needed to specify whichpart of the FCE or CAE, an accurate use of articles is particularly important for, e.g. in the writingpaper in order to fulfil the criterion of grammatical accuracy.

7.3.2 The following sample answer gained over half the marks available for this task

5Organisation

+ us paragraphs are well formed.

This makes it easier for the reader to followEach paragraph contains one idea.

Accuracy of grammar+- lots of inaccuracies.

e.g when we was searching for paying her degree She never defeated in the life

These may have a negative effect on the reader.

+ Some Phrases

Accuracy and range of lexis

+ Good range e.g. particularly with collocationseg Searching for a Job

Spent some timereached all the goals

- Not enough range of linking devices. After that is usedtoo often making the text feel repitive, the reader maybec become bored

Punctuation

- misplaces commas eg_ that particularly adjective In this place, the most partand full stops


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eg. . Then. We was searching.

Overuses capital lettersbecause they They are farves

The reader could be quite confused.

Task achievement

+ Completes the task successfully.reader

The reader would be well informed about the personand why the writer admires them

b I would focus on Punctuation because:

its transferable to all writing genres

it will be useful if the learner wishes to study for anexam eg FCE or IELTS.

its easy to fix. A smallpunctuation slot can be addpunctuation slot can be added to each lesson

it will have a positive effect on the reader as the text would beeasier to understand.

Examiners comments on sample answerThe candidate identifies five strengths and weaknesses but the strength relating to task achievementcould not be awarded a mark for an example because the candidate does not include a specific

example which describes the person or outlines a reason for admiring them. There was also no markgiven for the repetition of after thatbecause the candidate does not cite a line number or provide anyco-text. The other three points regarding the learners use of collocations and two weaknessesconcerning punctuation were awarded marks for examples because the candidate includes these. Thecandidate makes two other points, neither of which could be credited because the first one isinaccurate (the paragraphs are well formed) and the second one is too vague. The candidate writeslots of inaccuracies and although the example contains a misuse of the past continuous, she needs toexplicitly state that the weakness is with this particular verb form in order to be awarded a mark. TheExaminer noted that it is positive that the candidate has included comments on the effect that theweaknesses could have on the reader, i.e. they could become bored (lack of range of collocations) orconfused (overuse of capitals and misuse of commas) but no marks could be awarded for thesecomments because the candidate has not identified a minimum of five strengths / weaknesses with anexample for each one. It is therefore important that candidates remember that they must provide an

accurate example for each strength and weakness they identify. In terms of part (b), the area ofpronunciation was accepted because both weaknesses cited in part (a) were accurate. The candidategains three marks in this section for the first three basic justifications that she gives. The fourth one ofapositive effect on the reader was not credited as only three justifications are required in this part ofthe task.

5/26/2018 Delta

delta module 1 report june 2012

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