117377 Cambridge English Proficiency CPE Handbook

Handbook for Teachers

Content and overview Paper/timing

1 READING 1 hour 30 minutes

Content

Test focus

Part 1

Three short texts with six four-option multiple-choice cloze questions on each.

Part 2

Four short texts with two four-option multiple-choice questions on each.

Part 3

Gapped text with seven questions.

Assessment of candidates’ ability to understand the meaning of written English at word, phrase, sentence, paragraph and whole text level.

Part 4 Long text with seven four-option multiple-choice questions.

2 WRITING 2 hours

Part 1

Part 2 Candidates answer one question from a choice of four questions (including the set text option). Part 1

3 USE OF ENGLISH 1 hour 30 minutes

One compulsory question.

Modified open cloze with fifteen questions.

Part 2 One short text with ten word formation questions. Part 3

Assessment of candidates’ ability to write specified text types with a range of functions.

Assessment of candidates’ ability to demonstrate knowledge and control of the language system by completing various tasks at text and sentence level.

Six sets of three gapped sentences.

Part 4 Eight key word transformations. Part 5 Two texts with four questions and a summary writing task. Part 1

4 LISTENING 40 minutes (approx.)

Four short extracts with two three-option multiple-choice questions on each.

Part 2 One long text with nine sentence completion questions. Part 3

Assessment of candidates’ ability to understand the meaning of spoken English, to extract information from a text and to understand speakers’ attitudes and opinions.

One long text with five four-option multiplechoice questions.

Part 4 One long text with six matching questions.

5 SPEAKING 19 minutes

Part 1

Interview.

Part 2 Collaborative task. Part 3

Individual long turns and follow-up discussion.

Assessment of candidates’ ability to produce spoken English using a range of functions in a variety of tasks.

CONTENTS

Preface This handbook is for teachers who are preparing candidates for Cambridge English: Proficiency, also known as Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE). The introduction gives an overview of the exam and its place within Cambridge ESOL. This is followed by a focus on each paper and includes content, advice on preparation and example papers. If you need further copies of this handbook, please email [email protected]

Contents About Cambridge ESOL 2

Sample paper 22

The world’s most valuable range of English qualifications 2

Assessment of Writing 24

Key features of Cambridge English exams 2

Sample scripts with examiner comments 28

Proven quality 2 Introduction to Cambridge English: Proficiency 3 Who is the exam for? 3 Who recognises the exam? 3 What level is the exam? 3

Paper 3 Use of English 34 General description 34 Structure and tasks 34 The five parts of the Use of English paper 35 Preparation 36

Exam content and processing 3

Sample paper 38

A thorough test of all areas of language ability 3

Answer key and mark scheme 42

International English 4

Assessment of summary writing task 43

Marks and results 4

Candidate answer sheets 44

Certificates 4 Exam support 5 Support for teachers 5 Support for candidates 6

Paper 1 Reading 7 General description 7 Structure and tasks 7 The four parts of the Reading paper 8 Preparation 9 Sample paper 11 Answer key 16 Candidate answer sheet 16

Paper 2 Writing 17 General description 17

Paper 4 Listening 48 General description 48 Structure and tasks 48 The four parts of the Listening paper 49 Preparation 50 Sample paper 52 Answer key 59 Candidate answer sheet 60

Paper 5 Speaking 61 General description 61 Structure and tasks 61 The three parts of the Speaking test 62 Preparation 63 Sample paper 65

Structure and tasks 17

Assessment of Speaking 68

The two parts of the Writing paper 18

Cambridge English: Proficiency glossary 73

Preparation 19

CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

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ABOUT CAMBRIDGE ESOL

About Cambridge ESOL Cambridge English: Proficiency is developed by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL), a not-for-profit department of the University of Cambridge. Cambridge ESOL is one of three major exam boards which form the Cambridge Assessment Group (Cambridge Assessment). More than 8 million Cambridge Assessment exams are taken in over 160 countries around the world every year.

One of the oldest universities in the world and one of the largest in the United Kingdom

Departments of the University

To find out more about Cambridge English exams and the CEFR, go to www.CambridgeESOL.org/CEFR In addition to our own programmes of world-leading research, we work closely with professional bodies, industry professionals and governments to ensure that our exams remain fair and relevant to candidates of all backgrounds and to a wide range of stakeholders.

Key features of Cambridge English exams Cambridge English exams: • Cambridge Assessment: the trading name for the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES)

•

Departments (exam boards)

• •

Cambridge ESOL: University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations Provider of the world's most valuable range of qualifications for learners and teachers of English

University of Cambridge International Examinations The world’s largest provider of international qualifications for 14–19 year olds

OCR: Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations One of the UK’s leading providers of qualifications

The world’s most valuable range of English qualifications Cambridge ESOL offers the world’s leading range of qualifications for learners and teachers of English. Over 3.5 million people take our exams each year in 130 countries. Cambridge ESOL offers assessments across the full spectrum of language ability. We provide examinations for general communication, for professional and academic purposes, and also specialist legal and financial English qualifications. All of our exams are aligned to the principles and approach of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

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CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

are based on realistic tasks and situations so that preparing for their exam gives learners real-life language skills accurately and consistently test all four language skills – reading, writing, listening and speaking – as well as knowledge of language structure and its use encourage positive learning experiences, and seek to achieve a positive impact on teaching wherever possible are as fair as possible to all candidates, whatever their national, ethnic and linguistic background, gender or disability.

Proven quality Cambridge ESOL’s commitment to providing exams of the highest possible quality is underpinned by an extensive programme of research and evaluation, and by continuous monitoring of the marking and grading of all Cambridge English exams. Of particular importance are the rigorous procedures which are used in the production and pretesting of question papers. All our systems and processes for designing, developing and delivering exams and assessment services are certified as meeting the internationally recognised ISO 9001:2008 standard for quality management and are designed around five essential principles: Validity – are our exams an authentic test of real-life English? Reliability – do our exams behave consistently and fairly? Impact – does our assessment have a positive effect on teaching and learning? Practicality – does our assessment meet learners’ needs within available resources? Quality – how we plan, deliver and check that we provide excellence in all of these fields. How these qualities are brought together is outlined in our publication Principles of Good Practice, which can be downloaded free from www.CambridgeESOL.org/Principles

introduction to cambridge english: proficiency

Introduction to Cambridge English: Proficiency Cambridge English: Proficiency was originally introduced in 1913 and is a high-level qualification that is officially recognised by universities, employers and governments around the world. Following extensive research, updates in 1975, 1984 and 2002 have allowed the exam to keep pace with changes in language teaching and testing while ensuring the exam remains reliable, relevant and user friendly for candidates.

Who is the exam for? Cambridge English: Proficiency is aimed at learners who have achieved an extremely high level of skill in the English language and want to: • • • •

study demanding subjects at the highest levels, including postgraduate and PhD programmes actively engage in academic life by participating confidently in tutorials and seminars lead on complex and challenging research projects negotiate and persuade effectively at senior management level in international business settings.

What can candidates do at Level C2? The Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) has carried out research to determine what language learners can typically do at each CEFR level. It has described these abilities in a series of Can Do statements using examples taken from real-life situations. Cambridge ESOL, as one of the founding members of ALTE, uses this framework as a way of ensuring its exams reflect real-life language skills.

Examples of Can Do statements at Level C2 Typical abilities Reading and Writing

Listening and Speaking

Overall general ability

CAN advise on or talk about sensitive issues, understanding colloquial references and dealing confidently with hostile questions.

CAN write letters on any subject and full notes of meetings or seminars with good expression and accuracy. Social & Tourist CAN (for example, when looking for accommodation) understand a tenancy agreement in detail, including its main implications.

Who recognises the exam? •

• • •

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Cambridge English: Proficiency is a truly international exam, recognised by thousands of employers globally as a qualification demonstrating an exceptional level of English. Cambridge ESOL exams are recognised by 12,500 institutions and employers. It is also accepted by a wide range of educational institutions for study purposes. It meets the UK Border Agency language requirements for Tier 1, 2 and 4 immigration, covering study and work in the UK*. The UK’s Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) now allows students applying to UK universities for 2011 to gain UCAS Tariff points by achieving certain grades in Cambridge English: Proficiency*. For more information visit www.CambridgeESOL.org/UCAS-points The exam has been accredited by Ofqual, the statutory regulatory authority for external qualifications in England and its counterparts in Wales and Northern Ireland.

* All information accurate as of April 2011. Check the latest requirements at www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk For more information about recognition go to www.CambridgeESOL.org/recognition

What level is the exam? Cambridge English: Proficiency is targeted at Level C2 – the highest CEFR level – and provides universities and employers with detailed evidence that successful candidates are able to use English at nearnative levels in a wide range of situations.

CAN understand documents, correspondence and reports, including the finer points of complex texts.

CAN talk about complex or sensitive issues without awkwardness.

CAN write letters on any subject with good expression and accuracy. Work

CAN understand reports and articles likely to be encountered during his/her work, including complex ideas expressed in complex language.

CAN advise on/handle complex, delicate or contentious issues, such as legal or financial matters to the extent that he/she has the necessary specialist knowledge.

CAN make full and accurate notes and continue to participate in a meeting or seminar. Study

CAN access all sources of information quickly and reliably.

CAN understand colloquial asides and cultural allusions.

CAN make accurate and complete notes during the course of a lecture, seminar or tutorial.

Exam content and processing Cambridge English: Proficiency is a rigorous and thorough test of English at Level C2. It covers all four language skills – reading, writing, listening and speaking and includes a fifth element focusing on the candidate’s understanding of the structure of the language. Preparing for Cambridge English: Proficiency helps candidates develop the skills they need to use English to communicate effectively in a variety of practical contexts.

A thorough test of all areas of language ability There are five papers: Reading, Writing, Use of English, Listening and Speaking. Each paper carries 20% of the total marks. Detailed information on each test and sample papers follow later in this handbook, but the overall focus of each test is as follows:

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exam content and processing

Reading: 1 hour 30 minutes Candidates need to be able to understand texts from publications such as fiction and non-fiction books, journals, newspapers and magazines.

Writing: 2 hours

Certificates We have made enhancements to the way we report the results of our exams because we believe it is important to recognise candidates’ achievements.

Candidates have to show that they can produce two different pieces of writing: a compulsory task in Part 1, and one from a choice of five in Part 2.

The Common European Framework of Reference

Cambridge English: Proficiency Grade A

Use of English: 1 hour 30 minutes

C Proficient user

Candidates’ use of English is tested by tasks which show how well they can control their grammar and vocabulary.

C2

Grade B Grade C

........................

Proof of exceptional English ability ........................

C1

Level C1 ...................................

Listening: 40 minutes (approximately)

B Independent user

Candidates need to show they can understand the meaning of a range of spoken material, including lectures, radio broadcasts, speeches and talks.

Speaking: 19 minutes

B2

B1

A2 A Basic user

Candidates take the Speaking test with another candidate or in a group of three, and are tested on their ability to take part in different types of interaction: with the examiner, with the other candidate and by themselves.

A1

Each of these five test components provides a unique contribution to a profile of overall communicative language ability that defines what a candidate can do at this level.

Cambridge English: Proficiency – Level C2

International English

Level C1 Certificate

English is used in a wide range of international contexts. To reflect this, candidates’ responses to tasks in Cambridge English exams are acceptable in all varieties and accents of English, provided they do not interfere with communication. Materials used feature a range of accents and texts from English-speaking countries, including the UK, North America and Australia. US and other versions of spelling are accepted if used consistently.

If a candidate’s performance is below Level C2, but falls within Level C1, we will recognise their achievement with a Cambridge English certificate stating that they demonstrated ability at C1 level.

Marks and results Cambridge English: Proficiency gives detailed, meaningful results. All candidates receive a Statement of Results. Candidates whose performance ranges between CEFR Levels C2 and C1 will also receive a certificate.

If a candidate achieves grade A, B or C in the exam, they will receive the Certificate of Proficiency in English at Level C2.

Special circumstances Cambridge English exams are designed to be fair to all test takers. This commitment to fairness covers: •

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Statement of Results The Statement of Results outlines: • •

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the candidate’s result. This result is based on a candidate’s total score in all five papers a graphical display of a candidate’s performance in each paper (shown against the scale Exceptional – Good – Borderline – Weak) a standardised score out of 100 which allows a candidate to see exactly how they performed.

CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

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Special arrangements These are available for candidates with a permanent or long-term disability. Consult the Cambridge ESOL Centre Exams Manager (CEM) in your area for more details as soon as you become aware of a candidate who may need special arrangements. Special consideration Cambridge ESOL will give special consideration to candidates affected by adverse circumstances such as illness or bereavement immediately before or during an exam. Applications for special consideration must be made through the centre no later than 10 working days after the exam date. Malpractice Cambridge ESOL will investigate all cases where candidates are suspected of copying, collusion or breaking the exam regulations in some other way. Results may be withheld while they are being investigated, or because we have found an infringement of regulations. Centres are notified if a candidate’s results have been investigated.

exam support

Exam support A feature of Cambridge English exams is the outstanding free and paid-for support we offer to teachers and candidates.

How to order support materials from Cambridge ESOL A wide range of official support materials for candidates and teachers can be ordered directly from the Cambridge ESOL eShops: •  Printed publications: www.shop.CambridgeESOL.org •  Online preparation: https://eshop.cambridgeesol.org

Past Paper Packs Past Paper Packs provide authentic practice for candidates preparing for Cambridge English paper-based examinations and are ideal to use for mock exams. Each pack contains: • • •

Support for teachers Teacher Support website This website provides an invaluable, user-friendly free resource for all teachers preparing for our exams. It includes: General information – handbook for teachers, sample papers, exam reports, exam dates Detailed information – format, timing, number of questions, task types, mark scheme of each paper Advice for teachers – developing students’ skills and preparing them for the exam Downloadable lessons – a lesson for every part of every paper, there are more than 1,000 in total Forums – where teachers can share experiences and knowledge Careers – teaching qualifications for career progression News and events – what’s happening globally and locally in your area Seminars – wide range of exam specific seminars for new and experienced teachers, administrators and school directors. www.teachers.CambridgeESOL.org

ten copies of each of the papers with photocopiable answer sheets CD with audio recordings for the Listening paper Teacher Booklet with: - answer keys - mark schemes and sample answers for Writing - tapescripts for the Listening paper - the assessment criteria and a copy of the Cambridge ESOL Common Scale for the Speaking paper - Speaking test materials, which include candidate visuals and examiner scripts.

www.CambridgeESOL.org/past-papers

Speaking Test Preparation Pack This comprehensive resource pack is designed to help teachers prepare students for the Cambridge English: Proficiency Speaking test. Written by experienced examiners, it provides clear explanations of what each part of the Speaking test involves. The step-by-step guidance and practical exercises help your students perform with confidence on the day of the test. Each pack includes: • • • •

Teacher’s Notes Student Worksheets which you can photocopy or print a set of candidate visuals a DVD showing real students taking a Speaking test.

www.CambridgeESOL.org/speaking

Cambridge English Teacher Developed by Cambridge University Press and University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL), Cambridge English Teacher provides opportunities for English teachers to engage in continuing professional development through online courses, share best practice and network with other ELT professionals worldwide. For more information on how to become a Cambridge English Teacher, visit www.CambridgeEnglishTeacher.org

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exam support

Support for candidates Cambridge ESOL website We provide learners with a wealth of exam resources and preparation materials throughout our main website, including exam advice, sample papers and a guide for candidates. www.CambridgeESOL.org

Official preparation materials A comprehensive range of official Cambridge English preparation materials are available from University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL) and Cambridge University Press. Materials include printed and digital resources to support teachers and help learners prepare for their exam. Find out more at www.CambridgeESOL.org/exam-preparation

Other sources of support materials A huge range of course books, practice tests and learning resources are produced by independent publishers to help prepare candidates for Cambridge English exams. We cannot advise on text books or courses of study that we do not provide, but when you are choosing course materials you should bear in mind that: • • •

Cambridge English: Proficiency requires all-round language ability most course books will need to be supplemented any course books and practice materials you choose should accurately reflect the content and format of the exam.

www.CambridgeESOL.org/resources/books-for-study

Exam sessions Cambridge English: Proficiency is available as a paper-based test. Candidates must be entered through a recognised Cambridge ESOL centre. Find your nearest centre at www.CambridgeESOL.org/centres

Further information Contact your local Cambridge ESOL centre, or Cambridge ESOL direct (using the contact details on the back cover of this handbook) for: • • • • •

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copies of the regulations details of entry procedure exam dates current fees more information about Cambridge English: Proficiency and other Cambridge English exams.

CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

Paper 1 Reading General description PAPER FORMAT

TIMING NO. OF PARTS NO. OF QUESTIONS TASK TYPES TEXT TYPES

LENGTH OF TEXTS ANSWER FORMAT

MARKS

The paper contains nine texts with accompanying vocabulary and comprehension tasks. 1 hour 30 minutes. 4. 40. Lexical cloze, gapped text, multiple choice. From the following: books (fiction and non-fiction); nonspecialist articles from journals, magazines and newspapers; promotional and informational materials (e.g. advertisements, guide books, manuals). Approximately 3,000 words in total. For all parts of this paper, candidates indicate their answers by shading the correct lozenges on an answer sheet. Part 1 – each correct answer receives 1 mark. Parts 2, 3 and 4 – each correct answer receives 2 marks. The total score is then weighted to a maximum of 40 marks for the whole paper.

Structure and tasks Part 1 TASK TYPE AND FOCUS

FORMAT

NO. OF QS

Multiple-choice lexical cloze. Idioms, collocations, fixed phrases, complementation, phrasal verbs, semantic precision. Three unrelated texts from a range of sources, each with six gaps. Candidates must choose one word or phrase from a set of four to fill each gap. 18.

Part 2 TASK TYPE AND FOCUS

FORMAT

NO. OF QS

Multiple choice. Detail, opinion, attitude, tone, purpose, main idea, implication, text organisation features (exemplification, comparison, reference). Four texts on one theme from a range of sources, each followed by two four-option multiple-choice questions. 8.

Part 3 TASK TYPE AND FOCUS FORMAT

NO. OF QS

Gapped text. Cohesion, coherence, text structure, global meaning. A text from which paragraphs have been removed and placed in jumbled order after the text. Candidates must decide from where in the text the paragraphs have been removed. 7.

Part 4 TASK TYPE AND FOCUS

FORMAT NO. OF QS

Multiple choice. Detail, opinion, attitude, tone, purpose, main idea, implication, text organisation features (exemplification, comparison, reference). A text followed by four-option multiplechoice questions. 7.

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paper 1: READING

The four parts of the Reading paper

Candidates should select one option for each question and mark it in some way, e.g. by circling the letter A, B, C or D on the question paper. Once they are satisfied that they have made the appropriate selections, they should transfer their answers to the answer sheet.

PART 1 Lexical cloze

PART 3 Gapped text

This part tests the candidates’ control and range of vocabulary.

This part tests candidates’ understanding of text structure and their ability to follow text development.

‡‡Sample task and answer key: pages 11 and 16. Each correct answer in Part 1 receives 1 mark. ›› This task requires candidates to select from four options the correct word or phrase to fit in each of six gaps in a text. This involves choosing the answer that correctly fits the meaning within a phrase or sentence, and candidates may also have to take into account the broader context of the previous or following sentences or the whole text. The texts are from a variety of sources and may be formal, neutral or informal in style. Each text has a title. There is no example answer. Some items focus on the meaning of individual words; this may involve choosing, e.g. ‘leaking’ rather than ‘pouring’, ‘spilling’ or ‘flowing’ to fill the gap in: ‘The roof of our tent was … ’. In other cases candidates need to be aware of how the word is used in context; this may involve, e.g. choosing ‘interested’ rather than ‘keen’, ‘eager’ or ‘enthusiastic’ to fill the gap in: ‘You may be … in applying for this job’. In this example, ‘keen’ is wrong not because it has the wrong meaning but because it does not fit in with the grammar of the sentence. This part of the paper also tests fixed phrases, idioms and collocations such as ‘to pay attention to’ and ‘to take no notice of’ as well as phrasal verbs, and linkers such as ‘in case’, ‘as long as’ , ‘even if’ and ‘while’. Candidates should select one option for each question and mark it in some way, e.g. by circling the letter A, B, C or D on the question paper. Once they are satisfied that they have made the appropriate selections, they should transfer their answers to the answer sheet.

PART 2 Multiple choice (short themed texts) This part tests candidates’ detailed understanding of a range of texts, including the purpose, main idea and organisation of the texts and the opinions and attitudes expressed in them.

‡‡Sample task and answer key: pages 12 and 16. Each correct answer in Part 2 receives 2 marks. ›› Part 2 consists of four short texts, with two multiple-choice questions on each. Each text has a title. The texts come from a range of sources and may vary in style, but they share a broad theme which is given in the rubric at the beginning. Being aware of the thematic link between the texts should help candidates in moving from one text to the next. Two multiple-choice questions appear after the text. Some questions focus on specific sections of the text and test understanding of detail, while others may test the writer’s purpose, understanding of text organisation or global understanding of the text. Questions focusing on detail are presented in the same order as the information in the text. If a text has a question with a global focus, this will be the second in the pair. The questions can be answered correctly only by referring closely to the text.

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CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

‡‡Sample task and answer key: pages 14 and 16. Each correct answer in Part 3 receives 2 marks. ›› The task requires candidates to select from eight options the correct extract to fit in each of seven gaps in a text. There is only one correct answer for each gap. There is no example answer. The task consists of a gapped text followed by the extracts from the text and one further extract which does not fit in any of the gaps. The text has a title and may also have a sub-heading. Candidates need to read the gapped text first in order to gain an overall idea of the structure and meaning of the text, noticing carefully the information and ideas before and after each gap as well as their development throughout the whole of the gapped text. They should then decide which extract fits each gap, and write the appropriate letter in each gap. They should remember that each letter may only be used once and that there is one extract that they will not need to use. When they have made their selection and checked each choice carefully, they should transfer their answers to the answer sheet.

PART 4 Multiple choice (long text) This part tests candidates’ detailed understanding of a long text, including its purpose and organisation and the opinions and attitudes expressed in it.

‡‡Sample task and answer key: pages 15 and 16. Each correct answer in Part 4 receives 2 marks. ›› Part 4 consists of one longer text followed by seven multiple-choice questions which test detailed understanding of the text, including opinions and attitudes expressed in it. The text has a title and may also have a subheading. Candidates need to read the text closely in order to distinguish between, for example, apparently similar viewpoints, outcomes or reasons. The questions are presented in the same order as the information in the text and the final question may depend on interpretation of the text as a whole, e.g. the writer’s purpose, attitude or opinion. Candidates should select one option for each question and mark it in some way, e.g. by circling the letter A, B, C or D on the question paper. Once they are satisfied that they have made the appropriate selections, they should transfer their answers to the answer sheet.

paper 1: READING

Preparation

fills in more than one lozenge for a question, the answer sheet is rejected and checked manually.

General

By part

•

PART 1

•

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Exposure to, and engagement with, a substantial and varied range of written English is essential preparation for the Reading paper. The students who are most successful in Cambridge English: Proficiency are likely to be those for whom reading in English is a leisure activity as well as an educational requirement. Students should be encouraged to read extensively outside the classroom. This will enable them to become familiar with a wide range of language and will also be helpful when they are working on the longer texts in Parts 3 and 4. The Reading paper includes a range of text types, so students should aim to read a variety of authentic texts including modern fiction, short stories, and articles from newspapers and magazines. The internet now provides access to news and feature articles from the press of Britain and other English-speaking countries, as well as journal articles and promotional and informational materials. Students should be able to follow their own interests while reading outside the classroom. Extensive reading can be supported by asking students to provide verbal or written feedback on their reading, or by using it as the basis for classroom discussion, as well as by encouraging students to share texts and information on good text sources between themselves. In class, students should consider the relationship between text type, purpose, organisation and language when using coursebooks and practice materials. As well as practising intensive reading skills focusing on detail, students should be encouraged to discuss the main points of longer texts, concentrating on overall understanding and progression of ideas within the argument or narrative. Students should be aware of the different reading strategies required by different types of question, and it is also useful for them to experiment with alternative ways of dealing with texts so that they can decide which ones suit them best. Regular and effective use of an advanced monolingual English dictionary is essential, not only to clarify the meaning of new words but also to extend knowledge of collocations, fixed phrases, and features of lexico-grammar such as dependent prepositions. However, students should also be aware of alternative techniques for coping with unfamiliar vocabulary, such as the use of contextual clues.

•

It is important that students are familiar with the format of the Reading paper, including the instructions on the front page of the question paper and the rubrics for each part of the test, as well as the different task types. They should be aware of the need to allow sufficient time for each part of the paper.

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Students should also be familiar with the technique of indicating their answers on the separate answer sheet so that they can do this quickly and accurately. (They may write on the question paper during the examination, but their notes will not be marked.) Some students prefer to transfer their answers at the end of each task rather than wait until they have completed the whole paper. Answers must be marked by filling in lozenges on the answer sheet in pencil. This must be done within the time allowed for the Reading paper (11/2 hours). The answer sheets are scanned by an Optical Mark Reader. If a question is left blank, or if a candidate

•

Students should be aware of the different aspects of vocabulary tested in this part of the paper. They should read through each text carefully, not forgetting the title, to get a general idea of the text type and meaning before looking at the options. They could also be encouraged to think about the possible forms and meanings of the gapped words at this stage. They should be aware that the missing word(s) may form part of an idiom, fixed phrase or collocation, so they should always check the words around the gap carefully. The missing word(s) must also fit the whole context of the passage so they should also check that the completed sentence makes sense in the passage as a whole. This is particularly important in the case of linkers.

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For Part 1, students need to develop their knowledge of the form, meaning and use of lexical items. They should discuss different methods of recording and recycling vocabulary and be encouraged to experiment with different techniques. Effective use of a good up-to-date monolingual dictionary is essential, and dictionary work may be particularly useful to check and extend knowledge of lexis extracted from reading and listening tasks. As well as learning new words, students should refine their knowledge of familiar lexis through extending their knowledge of collocations, fixed phrases and idioms.

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A helpful preparation activity might be to give students a short text and ask them to find examples of the different aspects of vocabulary tested in the exam. Students could also look at completed Part 1 tasks (retyped so that there is no indication of which words were gapped) and suggest which words or phrases might be gapped, discussing what words might be used as distractors, then comparing this with the actual gapped task. Students could also be given a range of short texts from different sources (e.g. newspaper articles, advertising material, and fiction) and encouraged to look at the relationship between style and lexis, for example by looking at a list of words and phrases from the texts and predicting which might appear in each text.

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A useful pre-reading activity is for the teacher to extract a number of two-word collocations from a text and separate and jumble them. The students can then be asked to predict the original collocations before reading the text to check. Alternatively, a number of collocations, idioms and fixed phrases can be extracted from the text and written on the board with one word in each gap. Students can predict the missing words and then check with the text.

PART 2 •

Students should always read the rubric, as this will give them information about the theme of this part of the paper. Encourage your students to read each text carefully, thinking about its overall meaning and purpose, before reading the two questions that follow it.

•

Candidates will need to read each question very carefully, as well as the four options, all of which may appear at first to be likely answers.

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paper 1: READING

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When answering the questions, some students find it useful to consider a possible answer by first looking only at the stem and not at the options. They may then be able to identify a possible answer in the text, which can then be compared with the options. However, they must be aware that it is also necessary to check each option against the evidence of the text. Students should not assume that an option is correct simply because it contains a word that is also in the text. They need to check carefully that the meaning is the same in the text as in the question. Ask your students to check the questions which take the form of unfinished sentences very carefully. The whole sentence has to match what is written in the text, not just the phrase in the option A, B, C or D.

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This part of the paper shows the greatest variety in terms of source, point of view, style and purpose. Students should therefore familiarise themselves with a wide range of registers, topics and lexical fields. They should also be aware of the different reading skills involved in Parts 2 and 4, such as understanding opinion, attitude, purpose and implication, as well as text organisation features, lexical and grammatical references and linking words.

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Activities which focus on recognising and evaluating attitude and opinion and which enhance students’ abilities to infer underlying meaning will be helpful in preparation for both Part 2 and Part 4. For example, students could look at ways in which the writer’s choice of vocabulary reveals opinion and attitude, or the effect of metaphor and simile within a text.

pairs or groups, students will also be encouraged to justify their combinations and links to one another. Exercises which involve analysing the organisation of different types of texts and understanding how this affects meaning would also be helpful. •

PART 4 •

Preparation for the multiple-choice task should include practice in reading a text quickly for a first overall impression, followed by close reading of the text in order to prevent any misunderstandings which may lead students to choose a wrong answer. As with Part 2, they must be aware of the need to check each option against the evidence of the text. They will therefore need practice in skimming a text quickly to get a general idea of its meaning, as well as scanning to find the information needed to check options.

•

It may be useful to discuss which aspect of reading each question is focusing on (e.g. detail, inference or organisation). As with Part 2, activities which focus on recognising and evaluating attitude and opinion and inferring underlying meaning will be helpful. Students can also be encouraged to identify similar features in texts of their own choice, and to work in groups to prepare questions (not necessarily multiple-choice) focusing on these features.

•

Part 4 texts often contain complex ideas, and in the classroom students should be encouraged to discuss these and relate them to their own experience and world knowledge both before and after reading.

PART 3 •

Encourage your students to read the main (base) text first so that they gain an overall idea of the structure and development of the theme or argument of the text, before starting to do the task. They should pay attention to the information and ideas before and after each gap as well as throughout the whole of the gapped text. Students frequently make the wrong choice by selecting options which fit the text before the gap, and neglecting to check that the text after the gap follows on smoothly.

•

The way in which a text has been gapped may require the reader to consider large sections or even the organisation of the whole of a text, in order to reconstitute a particular part of the text. As in Part 2, it is important to discourage your students from ‘word spotting’, that is assuming that if the same word, name, date, etc. appears in the surrounding text as in one of the extracts, that is necessarily the right option to fill the gap. Students should be trained to consider the development of the text as a whole, and not to focus on each gap separately. Sometimes students will need to choose carefully between two extracts as possible answers and will need to make decisions about which is the most logical extract to fill the particular gap. They should not rule out an answer for consideration on the grounds that they have already used it, as the earlier use may be incorrect.

•

Practice is needed in recognition of a wide range of linguistic devices which mark the logical and cohesive development of a text, e.g. words and phrases indicating sequence of events, cause and effect, premise and conclusion. In class, the task can be adapted by photocopying the text and cutting up the paragraphs, which gives students additional visual support and allows them to compare alternatives more easily. If this activity is done in

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Candidates should beware of approaching the gapped-text task as an exercise requiring them merely to identify extracts from the text and sections in the text which contain the same words. The task is designed to test understanding of the development of ideas, opinions and events rather than the superficial recognition of individual words.

paper 1: READING | sample paper

EXAM PAPER | LEVEL 1 | READING | PAPER

SAMPLE PAPER

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paper 1: READING | sample paper

PAPER 1 | READING

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paper 1: READING | sample paper

EXAM PAPER | LEVEL 1 | READING | PAPER

SAMPLE PAPER

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paper 1: READING | sample paper

PAPER 1 | READING

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paper 1: READING | sample paper

EXAM PAPER | LEVEL 1 | READING | PAPER

SAMPLE PAPER

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paper 1: READING | answer key and candidate answer sheet

PAPER 1 | READING

Answer key Q

Part 1

Q

Part 2

Q

Part 3

Q

Part 4

1

D

19

A

27

G

34

C

2

B

20

D

28

A

35

B

3

A

21

D

29

F

36

B

4

B

22

A

30

D

37

D

5

C

23

C

31

C

38

D

6

D

24

C

32

E

39

A

7

C

25

B

33

H

40

C

8

B

26

A

9

A

10

C

11

D

12

A

13

B

14

C

15

B

16

A

17

A

18

B

Candidate answer sheet

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Paper 2 Writing General description PAPER FORMAT TIMING NO. OF PARTS NO. OF QUESTIONS

TASK TYPES

ANSWER FORMAT

MARKS

The paper contains two parts. 2 hours. 2. Candidates are required to complete two tasks – a compulsory one in Part 1, and one from a choice of five in Part 2. A range of tasks from the following text types: articles, essays, letters, proposals, reports, reviews. Each task has a given purpose and a target reader. Candidates write their answers, within the grey lines on the appropriate page, in the question paper booklet. Answers should be written in pen. There are blank pages in the question paper booklet; these can be used for making notes or for completing the tasks if necessary. Each question on this paper carries equal marks.

Structure and tasks Part 1 TASK TYPE AND FOCUS

FORMAT

NO. OF TASKS AND LENGTH

Question 1 Writing one of the following: • an article • an essay • a letter • a proposal. The task focus is discursive. Candidates are required to respond to input material of approximately 100 words. This may include extracts from newspapers, magazines, books, letters or advertisements, or could be based on quotations made by speakers during a discussion. The input text may be supported by visual material. One compulsory task. 300–350 words.

Part 2 TASK TYPE AND FOCUS

FORMAT NO. OF TASKS AND LENGTH

Either: Questions 2–4 Writing one of the following: • an article • a letter • a proposal • a report • a review Or: Question 5 Writing one of the following, based on reading one from a prescribed list of two books: • an article • an essay • a letter • a report • a review. Contextualised writing tasks, each specified in no more than 70 words. Five tasks from which candidates choose one. 300–350 words.

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paper 2: writing

The two parts of the Writing paper Each question on the Writing paper carries equal ›› marks.

Expected text length Candidates are asked to write 300–350 words for each answer, and writing approximately the right number of words is an integral part of task achievement. If significantly fewer words are written, this is likely to mean that the task has not been successfully completed, whereas overlong pieces of writing may involve irrelevance, repetition of ideas, poor organisation or have a negative effect on the target reader.

PART 1 Compulsory task This part tests the candidates’ ability to produce a specified task type, in response to instructions and one or more texts, which may be supported by visual prompts.

‡‡Sample question and scripts: pages 22 and 28–29. Task type and focus In Part 1, candidates are asked to write one of the following: an article, an essay, a letter or a proposal. The questions in Part 1 always have a discursive focus. Discursive writing is a style used in academic writing and it requires the high level of language competence appropriate at Cambridge English: Proficiency. Candidates may be asked, for example, to present and defend an argument, to express and then justify an opinion, to explain a problem and suggest a solution, or to evaluate ideas and make recommendations. The input which explains and defines the task will always present at least three points to be addressed, and candidates are required to cover these points in their answers and to add their own views and opinions. The input will always define the purpose for writing and will identify the target reader.

Task format Candidates are required to base their answers on input material which will take the form of a short text or texts, or quotations. The texts will come from a variety of sources such as extracts from newspaper articles, magazines, books, letters or advertisements; the quotations will be from speakers heard, for example, on the radio or during a discussion. Visual material such as diagrams, simple graphs or pictures may be included to support or extend the topic. Since the task focus is on productive language, the input will be well within the reading competence of candidates at this level.

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PART 2 This part consists of four optional questions, one of which offers two options based on the set texts. Candidates must choose one question from this part of the paper.

Task format The input for the questions in Part 2 is considerably shorter than in Part 1, and will not be more than 70 words in length. The rubric for each question will define the purpose for writing, identify the target reader and therefore indicate the appropriate format and register required in the answer.

PART 2 Questions 2–5

‡‡Sample questions and scripts: pages 23 and 30–33. Task types and focus In Part 2, candidates have a choice of task. The different task types are intended to provide the candidates with a clear context, topic, purpose and target reader for their writing. For questions 2–4, the task types used are article, letter, report, review and proposal. The characteristics of each are detailed on pages 20–21.

PART 2 Questions 5(a) and 5(b) Question 5 consists of a choice between two tasks based on the set reading texts. Further information can be found at: www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/general-english/cpe.html This option is included to encourage the extended reading which develops candidates’ linguistic competence, widens the range of language they encounter and enriches their language study. It also enables candidates to show in their writing that they have appreciated the themes, characters and relationships within the text they have read. A choice of texts is included in order to appeal to different tastes. Alternatively, or in addition, candidates may choose to watch a film version of one of the set texts. Teachers are best placed to make a judgement as to which set text on offer may be appropriate and stimulating for a particular teaching situation. Each text will normally remain on the list for two years.

Task types and focus Candidates are required to write one of the following: an article, an essay, a letter, a report or a review. The characteristics of each are detailed on pages 20–21. Candidates are not required to produce literary analysis for question 5.

paper 2: writing

Preparation

object is not merely to restate the content points, but to develop them and integrate them into a piece of discursive writing of the appropriate task type. A successful answer may also refer to the writer’s own ideas and opinions.

General •

It is important that students are familiar with the format of the paper and the range of text types used so that in Part 2 they can make the best choice from the questions which are available.

•

Make sure students know how important it is to read the questions very carefully and to identify, before they begin to plan their answers, what they hope to achieve through writing (the purpose of the task), to whom they are writing (the target reader) and their role as writer.

•

•

•

Candidates need to read the question very carefully in order to perform the task set effectively. Students need practice in identifying what the task is and what needs to be addressed. The question identifies the context, the writer’s role and the target reader, which helps the candidate to choose the appropriate register. It is also very important that students learn to distinguish between the various task types required by the questions. Even though a candidate may display an excellent command of the language, an answer will only achieve a high mark if all the above factors are taken into account. Candidates should get into the habit of planning their answers thoroughly before they begin to write. This will encourage an organised and coherent approach and prevent irrelevant digression. Practice in writing to time will help prepare students to answer the question under examination conditions, produce the appropriate number of words required in the time set and avoid the possibility of running out of time. The various task types which appear on the paper require the use of a range of language functions, for example the language of persuasion, description, recommendation, comparison. Students should be given guidance in identifying these, and practice in using them.

•

Remind your students that correct spelling and punctuation are important. If spelling errors or faulty punctuation impede communication, then this will be reflected in the mark awarded. American usage and spelling are acceptable (see page 4: International English).

•

Familiarity with the assessment criteria can be another useful part of preparation. The assessment scales give information about the linguistic aspects that examiners will consider, including range of vocabulary and expression, collocation, variety of structure, organisation and cohesion, register and format; the Examiner Comments on pages 28–33 of this handbook also show examples of what is required of specific tasks in terms of content and target reader.

•

Students need to be reminded that the Part 1 task always has a discursive focus. Part of the task, therefore, is to put forward a well-argued and logical case, making sure that this is appropriate to the particular task type – letter, essay, article or proposal – and that the register is suitable for the scenario outlined in the question.

•

Candidates may, of course, use key words from the question, but must avoid ‘lifting’ whole segments of the input. No credit will be given for language or ideas that have not been appropriately expanded on or integrated into their writing.

•

Because of the discursive focus of this part of the paper, students need to be equipped to discuss a range of topics. Reading and discussing articles in English on a variety of issues will help them to develop their ideas and extend their vocabulary in order to cover the points raised in the questions.

PART 2 •

There is considerable choice on this part of the paper: advise your students to choose task types and topics that appeal to their interests and experience.

•

The questions in Part 2 are shorter, but just as much care is required in reading them. Candidates who do not read a question carefully enough may seize on a familiar topic and start the task before they have identified exactly what is required. It is always the case that there are at least two parts to these questions, and only candidates who produce a balanced answer dealing adequately with all parts of the question can expect to gain a mark in the higher bands.

•

Encourage your students to use a wide variety of grammatical structures and language functions and to explore the use of a range of vocabulary and expression.

By part PART 1 •

There are always at least three content points to address in a Part 1 task, and students need to be given practice in identifying these. It is important that candidates spend some time reading the input carefully and identify the main points which need to be included. Careful reading of the question will establish important details. It is important for candidates to remember that, in Part 1, the

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paper 2: writing

Task types in the Cambridge English: Proficiency Writing paper

Preparation

AN ARTICLE is written on a particular theme in a style which makes it suitable for publication in an English-language newspaper, magazine or newsletter. The question identifies the topic for the article, and the type of publication mentioned gives the candidate guidance as to the appropriate register to be used – for example how academic or lively the article should be. The purpose of an article is to convey information; it may contain some description and/or narrative, and candidates should bear in mind the need to engage the interest of their readers.

Students should be reminded that a successful article interests and engages the reader, often with some description, narration and anecdote. In some cases, a personal angle will be appropriate and a catchy title will attract the reader’s attention. However, remind students that there are many different types of article, and that they should check carefully to see what kind of publication they are being asked to write for. An article in an academic publication will have a very different style and choice of language from one in a student magazine. It may be appropriate to use headings for the various sections in an article; whether this is done or not, the article needs to be well planned and paragraphed. Reading and discussing a range of articles from a variety of publications will be useful preparation here.

AN ESSAY is usually written for a teacher. It should be well organised, with an introduction, clear development and an appropriate conclusion. The question specifies what particular aspects of the book (development of character or significance of events) should form the content of the essay.

Essays (only used for set text questions) may be united by a central idea which provides a point and purpose to the writing, so they need careful planning. Students should be encouraged to practise organising the points they wish to make and the textual references that will support these points in order to write a clearly structured essay with a suitable introduction, development and conclusion.

A LETTER is written in response to the situation outlined in the question. Letters in the Cambridge English: Proficiency Writing paper will require a response which is consistently appropriate for the specified target reader, and candidates can expect to be asked to write letters to, for example, the editor of a newspaper or magazine, to the director of an international company, or to a school or college principal. A letter to a newspaper or magazine may well include a narrative element which details personal experience; other letters may be more concerned with giving factual information.

It is important that a letter begins and ends appropriately: it may be appropriate at the beginning to explain the reason for writing, and the letter should have a suitable conclusion. Students should be encouraged to read and discuss letters in newspapers and magazines as this may help make them aware of the style of writing required.

A PROPOSAL has a similar audience and format to a report. Whereas the focus of a report is on something that has already happened, a proposal is concerned with some future event or decision. A question of this type requires the candidate to put forward suggestions or make recommendations for discussion or for action. The objective or aim of the proposal will be specified in the question; the candidate’s task will be to provide suggestions about how to achieve the desired outcome, and to do this in a suitably persuasive way. An example of a proposal would be a bid for funds for a project defined in the task, and would entail outlining the way the funds would be spent, the benefits which would accrue, and the way progress would be monitored and evaluated if the bid were to be successful. Proposals should be well structured with clear sections.

A proposal (not used for set text questions) needs a very clear structure and should be organised in clear sections. As with a report, the purpose, the target reader and the role of the writer must be identified. Students should be given practice in using section headings and in writing clear conclusions. Students should also be given opportunities to gain experience in using the language commonly used in proposals, for example the language of describing, analysing, justifying and persuading.

A REPORT is written for a specified audience. This may be a superior, for example, a boss at work, or members of a peer group, colleagues or fellow class members. The question identifies the subject of the report and specifies the areas to be covered. The content of a report is mainly factual and draws on the prompt material, but there will be scope for candidates to make use of their own ideas and experience.

The purpose of the report must be identified so that the correct information can be selected; establishing the identity of the target reader will ensure that a suitable style and choice of language is used. It is also important for students to read the context carefully to identify their role as writer. A report should be well organised and clearly arranged in sections. Students should be given practice in achieving this, perhaps by using section headings and they should also be given practice in writing an effective conclusion. Students should also be encouraged to develop an awareness of the language commonly used in reports, for example the language of describing, comparing, analysing and making recommendations.

A REVIEW may be about a book, magazine, film, play, or concert, but it may also be about, for example, a restaurant, hotel, or perhaps an exhibition. The target reader is specified in the question, so the candidate knows not only what register is appropriate, but also has an idea about the kind of information to include. A review does not merely require a general description of, for example, an event or publication, but it specifies the particular aspects to be considered. For example, the review may employ narrative, as well as descriptive and evaluative language, and a range of vocabulary relating, for example, to literature and the media such as cinema or TV.

In order to become familiar with what is required of a review, students should read and discuss a range of reviews such as can be found in various magazines and newspapers. The language appropriate to a review will include, for example, language for describing, narrating and evaluating and students should try to extend their vocabulary to include that related to literature and the media.

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paper 2: writing

Task types in the Cambridge English: Proficiency Writing paper

Preparation

SET TEXT questions may be articles, essays, letters, reports or reviews.

Set texts may give rise to useful and stimulating classroom work and discussion. Candidates who choose these questions will be expected to have a good knowledge of the text, or the film version, and to be able to deal with the themes and ideas of the chosen text. Credit will be given for task achievement and language competence; candidates are not expected to demonstrate skill in literary analysis. They are expected, however, to read the question carefully and to address the requirements of the task while clearly referring to specific events or characters from the set text. Useful preparation for these questions may be to consider themes which run through the text and then identify events or characters that exemplify these. Students should be made aware that merely reproducing, for instance, a summary of a novel’s plot or outlining its principal message will not provide a successful answer, and that their statements and opinions must be clearly supported by evidence from the text.

These indications of readership and purpose are not comprehensive, but are intended to give some guidelines to the different task types. It must be stressed that specialised writing skills are not expected of candidates at this level.

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paper 2: writing | sample paper

PAPER 2 | WRITING

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paper 2: writing | sample paper

EXAM PAPER| 2LEVEL | WRITING | PAPER

SAMPLE PAPER

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paper 2: writing | 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 Cambridge ESOL’s 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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paper 2: writing | assessment

The subscale Content is common to all levels:

Content 5

All content is relevant to the task. Target reader is fully informed.

3

Minor irrelevances and/or omissions may be present. Target reader is on the whole informed.

1

Irrelevances and misinterpretation of task may be present. Target reader is minimally informed.

0

Content is totally irrelevant. Target reader is not informed.

The remaining three subscales (Communicative Achievement, Organisation, and Language) have descriptors specific to each CEFR level:

CEFR level

Communicative Achievement

Organisation

Language

Demonstrates complete command of the conventions of the communicative task.

Text is organised impressively and coherently using a wide range of cohesive devices and organisational patterns with complete flexibility.

Uses a wide range of vocabulary, including less common lexis, with fluency, precision, sophistication, and style.

Communicates complex ideas in an effective and convincing way, holding the target reader’s attention with ease, fulfilling all communicative purposes. C2

C1

Use of grammar is sophisticated, fully controlled and completely natural. Any inaccuracies occur only as slips.

Uses the conventions of the communicative task with sufficient flexibility to communicate complex ideas in an effective way, holding the target reader’s attention with ease, fulfilling all communicative purposes.

Text is a well-organised, coherent whole, using a variety of cohesive devices and organisational patterns with flexibility.

Uses the conventions of the communicative task effectively to hold the target reader’s attention and communicate straightforward and complex ideas, as appropriate.

Text is well-organised and coherent, using a variety of cohesive devices and organisational patterns to generally good effect.

Uses a range of vocabulary, including less common lexis, effectively and precisely. Uses a wide range of simple and complex grammatical forms with full control, flexibility and sophistication. Errors, if present, are related to less common words and structures, or occur as slips. Uses a range of vocabulary, including less common lexis, appropriately. Uses a range of simple and complex grammatical forms with control and flexibility. Occasional errors may be present but do not impede communication.

B2

Uses the conventions of the communicative task to hold the target reader’s attention and communicate straightforward ideas.

Text is generally well-organised and coherent, using a variety of linking words and cohesive devices.

Uses a range of everyday vocabulary appropriately, with occasional inappropriate use of less common lexis. Uses a range of simple and some complex grammatical forms with a good degree of control. Errors do not impede communication.

B1

Uses the conventions of the communicative task in generally appropriate ways to communicate straightforward ideas.

Text is connected and coherent, using basic linking words and a limited number of cohesive devices.

Uses everyday vocabulary generally appropriately, while occasionally overusing certain lexis. Uses simple grammatical forms with a good degree of control. While errors are noticeable, meaning can still be determined.

A2

Produces text that communicates simple ideas in simple ways.

Text is connected using basic, highfrequency linking words.

Uses basic vocabulary reasonably appropriately. Uses simple grammatical forms with some degree of control. Errors may impede meaning at times.

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paper 2: writing | assessment

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

C2

Content

5

All content is relevant to the task.

Demonstrates complete command of the conventions Target reader is fully informed. of the communicative task. Communicates complex ideas in an effective and convincing way, holding the target reader’s attention with ease, fulfilling all communicative purposes. Minor irrelevances and/or omissions may be present. Target reader is on the whole informed.

Irrelevances and misinterpretation of task may be present. Target reader is minimally informed.

0

Uses the conventions of the communicative task with sufficient flexibility to communicate complex ideas in an effective way, holding the target reader’s attention with ease, fulfilling all communicative purposes.

Uses the conventions of the communicative task effectively to hold the target reader’s attention and communicate straightforward and complex ideas, as appropriate.

Content is totally irrelevant. Target reader is not informed.

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Language

Text is organised impressively and coherently using a wide range of cohesive devices and organisational patterns with complete flexibility.

Uses a wide range of vocabulary, including less common lexis, with fluency, precision, sophistication, and style. Use of grammar is sophisticated, fully controlled and completely natural. Any inaccuracies occur only as slips.

Text is a well-organised, coherent whole, using a variety of cohesive devices and organisational patterns with flexibility.

Uses a range of vocabulary, including less common lexis, effectively and precisely. Uses a wide range of simple and complex grammatical forms with full control, flexibility and sophistication. Errors, if present, are related to less common words and structures, or as slips.

Performance shares features of Bands 1 and 3.

2 1

Organisation

Performance shares features of Bands 3 and 5.

4 3

Communicative Achievement

CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

Text is well-organised and coherent, using a variety of cohesive devices and organisational patterns to generally good effect.

Uses a range of vocabulary, including less common lexis, appropriately. Uses a range of simple and complex grammatical forms with control and flexibility. Occasional errors may be present but do not impede communication.

Performance below Band 1.

paper 2: writing | GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Cambridge ESOL Writing mark scheme

5. LANGUAGE Vocabulary

Everyday vocabulary refers to vocabulary that comes up in common situations of a non-technical nature in the relevant domain.

Glossary of terms 1. GENERAL Generally

Flexibility

Generally is a qualifier meaning not in every way or instance. Thus, ‘generally appropriately’ refers to performance that is not as good as ‘appropriately’. Flexible and flexibly refer to the ability to adapt – whether language, organisational devices, or task conventions – rather than using the same form over and over, thus evidencing better control and a wider repertoire of the resource. Flexibility allows a candidate to better achieve communicative goals.

2. CONTENT Relevant

Relevant means related or relatable to required content points and/ or task requirements.

Target reader

The target reader is the hypothetical reader set up in the task, e.g. a magazine’s readership, your English teacher.

Informed

The target reader is informed if content points and/or task requirements are addressed and appropriately developed. Some content points do not require much development (e.g. “state what is x”) while others require it (“describe”, “explain”).

3. COMMUNICATIVE ACHIEVEMENT

Basic vocabulary refers to vocabulary used for survival purposes, for simple transactions, and the like.

Less common lexis refers to vocabulary items that appear less often in the relevant domain. These items often help to express ideas more succinctly and precisely. Appropriacy of vocabulary

Appropriacy of vocabulary: the use of words and phrases that fit the context of the given task. For example, in I’m very sensible to noise, the word sensible is inappropriate as the word should be sensitive. Another example would be Today’s big snow makes getting around the city difficult. The phrase getting around is well suited to this situation. However, big snow is inappropriate as big and snow are not used together. Heavy snow would be appropriate.

Grammatical forms

Simple grammatical forms: words, phrases, basic tenses and simple clauses. Complex grammatical forms: longer and more complex items, e.g. noun clauses, relative and adverb clauses, subordination, passive forms, infinitives, verb patterns, modal forms and tense contrasts.

Grammatical control

Grammatical control: the ability to consistently use grammar accurately and appropriately to convey intended meaning. Where language specifications are provided at lower levels (as in Cambridge English: Key (KET) and Cambridge English: Preliminary (PET)), candidates may have control of only the simplest exponents of the listed forms.

Range

Range: the variety of words and grammatical forms a candidate uses. At higher levels, candidates will make increasing use of a greater variety of words, fixed phrases, collocations and grammatical forms.

Conventions of the communicative task

Conventions of the communicative task include such things as genre, format, register, and function. For example, a personal letter should not be written as a formal report, should be laid out accordingly, and use the right tone for the communicative purpose.

Overuse

Holding the target reader’s attention

Holding the target reader’s attention is used in the positive sense and refers to the quality of a text that allows a reader to derive meaning and not be distracted. It does not refer to texts that force a reader to read closely because they are difficult to follow or make sense of.

Overuse refers to those cases where candidates repeatedly use the same word because they do not have the resources to use another term or phrase the same idea in another way. Some words may unavoidably appear often as a result of being the topic of the task; that is not covered by the term overuse here.

Errors and slips

Communicative purpose

Communicative purpose refers to the communicative requirements as set out in the task, e.g. make a complaint, suggest alternatives.

Straightforward and complex ideas

Straightforward ideas are those which relate to relatively limited subject matter, usually concrete in nature, and which require simpler rhetorical devices to communicate. Complex ideas are those which are of a more abstract nature, or which cover a wider subject area, requiring more rhetorical resources to bring together and express.

Errors are systematic mistakes. Slips are mistakes that are nonsystematic, i.e. the candidate has learned the vocabulary item or grammatical structure, but just happened to make a mistake in this instance. In a candidate’s response, where most other examples of a lexical/grammatical point are accurate, a mistake on that point would most likely be a slip.

Impede communication

Impede communication means getting in the way of meaning. Meaning can still be determined indicates that some effort is required from the reader to determine meaning.

4. ORGANISATION Linking words, cohesive devices, and organisational patterns

Linking words are cohesive devices, but are separated here to refer to higher-frequency vocabulary which provide explicit linkage. They can range from basic high frequency items (such as “and”, “but”) to basic and phrasal items (such as “because”, “first of all”, “finally”). Cohesive devices refers to more sophisticated linking words and phrases (e.g. “moreover”, “it may appear”, “as a result”), as well as grammatical devices such as the use of reference pronouns, substitution (e.g. There are two women in the picture. The one on the right …), ellipsis (e.g. The first car he owned was a convertible, the second a family car.), or repetition. Organisational patterns refers to less-explicit ways of achieving connection at the between sentence level and beyond, e.g. arranging sentences in climactic order, the use of parallelism, using a rhetorical question to set up a new paragraph.

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paper 2: writing | sample scripts with examiner comments

PAPER 2 | WRITING | QUESTION 1

Question 1 Candidate A PROPOSAL To: The Principal of the college From: , student of the college Subject: “How the open day of the college’s new centre should be organised to best promote the work of the college” Date: 3 December, 2010 Introduction As requested by the college, I am submitting the following proposal on how the open day of the college’s new centre, consisting of a computer room, a recreation area and a sports hall, should be organised to best promote the work of the college. So, in order to achieve this aim, it would be wise to consider which famous person to invite to open the centre or what activities to organise to make the event partticularly memorable and how the college will benefit from this open day in the future. Famous person to invite To start with, we should consider seriously the possibility of inviting to open the centre the most renowned persons in their fields: firstly, Bill Gage, who is the owner of Microsoft and the richest person in the whole world, and secondly, the best football player ever, David Beckham! Undoubtedly, it would be a great honour for our college to open officially the computer room such a guest like Bill Gage, who is the first man worldwide to create the pattent of Microsoft Windows that all people use in their computers. Also, who else could open our sports hall if not David Beckham who, because of his successful career as a football player, is admired from all people and especially youths. Activities to make the event memorable A god idea (so as) to make the event memorable is to organise a lecture in which the two special guests will talk about the world of (the) computers and football and thus stress the idea of how important it is for a college to have a computer room, a sports hall and a recreation area. Another idea would be to show from a videowall various football, basketball or even volleyball matches and of course pictures that have to do with computers, in general. We could, as well take cuttings from newspapers that show pictures pertaining to sports and multimedia. Thus, all the students of our college will remember the inportance of this day for ever. Benefit from this open day in the future Undisputably, this open day will be of benefit to the college in the future on the grounds that from this day all students can have access in computers and multimedia, in sports and they will have a recreation area, too. In this way, the college will organise sports events or other events that have to do with computers a fact that will allow it to distinguish among other colleges. Conclusion Having considered the various options, I believe that in my proposal is the best way of organising the open day of our college’s new centre to best promote the work of the college and I therefore trust that you will give it due consideration.

Examiner comments Subscale

Mark

Commentary

Content

4

All content is relevant to the task, although two names, rather than one, are put forward as appropriate choices to open the centre, and there is slight lack of development of the third content point. However, the target reader would be fully informed.

Communicative Achievement

4

A good command of the conventions of the communicative task is demonstrated. This is shown by the use of headings which would be appropriate for a proposal, and maintaining an appropriate register throughout (I therefore trust that you will give it due consideration). Complex ideas are communicated effectively and in a generally convincing way, holding the target reader’s attention with ease, and fulfilling all communicative purposes.

Organisation

4

Text is well-organised, using a wide range of cohesive devices with flexibility, including complex examples (in order to, undoubtedly, on the grounds that, in this way, as requested by the college, having considered the various options). There is evidence of similar flexibility with the use of different organisational patterns (who else could open our sports hall if not David Beckham . . .).

Language

4

A wide range of vocabulary is used, including less common lexis, and this is done effectively and precisely (submit a proposal, most renowned in their fields, stress the idea, pertaining to, to achieve this aim). Uses a wide range of simple and complex forms with full control, flexibility and sophistication (as requested by the college, in order to achieve this aim, it would be wise to consider . . ., undoubtedly, it would be a great honour for our college). There are grammatical inaccuracies (admired from all people, a fact that will allow it to distinguish among other colleges) and some spelling errors (for example: pattent, inportance) but these are slips.

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CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

paper 2: writing | sample scripts with examiner comments

PAPER 2 | WRITING | QUESTION 1

Question 1 Candidate B When new facilities are been building is always a good oportunity to reestablish our view about the targets of education. Education is not only the way to knoledge but also to help the students to develop their own skills and abilities. That it would be the message tha we have to dispach during the opening day. For these reasons I will recomment some activities that would help us to reach our target. First of all, it would be great to invite some famous persons that have passed from college as students during the previous years. They can have speech about the differences between their times and now regarding the new infrastracture. Because of being famous they will surely make influence to the youngsters. A second proposal it would be, to held social activity in every single domain inside the new center. For example, it would be great to organise a web conferance to demonstrate the abilities of the computer room, or to held a LAN party with online games. As for the recreation area it would be nice to organise an exposition of paintings or sculptures that students draw or build. That it would be a message about the new leasure or creative activities that they wold take place from now on at the new recreation facility. As for the sports hall it would be most reasonable to establish a common game cup such as basketball umong other colleges and this cup to be held annualy, so to remind every one the days that this new center open its gates. All the activities that i mention above, of course, would be accompanied with soft drinks, food and music. It is party so that the way it should be. The college from these new buildings will raise its status, so it will bring higher level students during the years to come. Furthermore, it can be a pole for the locals people and not only for the students. Every new attempt for the benefit of the students is welcome.

Examiner comments Subscale

Mark

Commentary

Content

2

There is some irrelevance, for example a discussion of the possibility of having an annual basketball championship. Not all of the issues are developed: for example the question of who should be invited to open the centre is only discussed in the most general terms.

Communicative Achievement

1

The conventions for a proposal are used effectively to hold the reader’s attention and communicate straightforward and some more complex ideas. The format is not appropriate for a proposal, but there is some attempt at respecting the conventions in terms of register and style. In a few places rather informal language is used (it would be great to . . .).

Organisation

1

The text is well-organised and generally coherent, using a variety of cohesive devices and organisational patterns to generally good effect (education is not only the way to knoledge but also to help the students to develop their own skills and abilities, for these reasons, for example, as for . . ., all the activities that I mention above . . .).

Language

0

Although there is a range of simple and complex grammatical forms, they are not always used with control and flexibility (when new facilities are been building, so to remind every one the days that this new center open its gates, it is party so that the way it should be). A range of vocabulary is used but often inappropriately (for example: the message tha we have to dispach, it can be a pole for the locals people, an exposition of paintings).

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paper 2: writing | sample scripts with examiner comments

PAPER 2 | WRITING | QUESTION 2

Question 2 Candidate C I have to admit that through my life I haven’t been an ardent fan of what we call destiny. I always believed that we are the ones who make our destiny, but I guess life at times proves me wrong. That’s what happened several years ago, when I was still in high school. As we all know high-school kids become almost obsessed at the beginning of every school year. They always try to find the best bags and accessories that will make the drudgery of the new school year a little bit more pleasant. Like every kid, I set out with my mother on Saturday morning to discover and buy my new school bag. And just about we were ready to give up, as we had been in every single store and I still hadn’t found the one, there it was. A brown leather bag, very simple, but I was sure that this would be the bag I would keep for the rest of my time at school. Of course it was very expensive and we didn’t have all the money required so I would have to come back and get it on Monday noon. To my great disappointment the one and only piece was sold, when I came back on Monday, and to my greater disappointment I notices during the week that a girl from my new class was holding it. And here it is that fate enters. During the year I ended up spending very much time with that girl and before the school year ended we had become inseparable. Towards the end of the year I confessed to her that I wanted her bag desperately in the beginning. So during the summer, when it was my birthday, she gave it to me as a present, saying that our friendship was more important than the bag. Today I still have in my life both the bag and my best friend. Of course I don’t use that bag anymore, since I’m not at school, but it also became a symbol of our friendship, and not just my favourite bag.

Examiner comments Subscale

Mark

Commentary

Content

5

All content is relevant to the task. The target reader is fully informed, and would understand what the object is and how it came into the writer’s possession. There are no irrelevances.

Communicative Achievement

4

The conventions for an article are used with flexibility to communicate complex ideas in an effective and convincing way, holding the reader’s attention with ease and fulfilling all communicative purposes. Good use is made of the conventions of a narrative by adopting a highly appropriate style and register which engages the reader (I have to admit that through my life I haven’t been an ardent fan of what we call destiny, And here it is that fate enters, I guess life at times proves me wrong).

Organisation

4

The text is a well-organised, coherent whole using a wide range of cohesive devices and organisational patterns with a good degree of flexibility, for example simple linking words (so, since, also) and more complex ones (as we all know, to my great disappointment, like every kid, towards the end of the year).

Language

4

A wide range of vocabulary is used, including less common lexis, effectively and precisely and sometimes with a degree of sophistication (ardent fan, proves me wrong, drudgery, we had become inseparable, wanted her bag desperately, became a symbol of our friendship). A wide range of simple and complex grammatical forms is used with full control and sophistication, and generally naturally. Inaccuracies that occur are related to less common structures, or are slips (and just about we were ready to give up is a less common structure, and I notices during the week . . . is a slip).

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CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

paper 2: writing | sample scripts with examiner comments

PAPER 2 | WRITING | QUESTION 3

Question 3 Candidate D Everybody who has lived in Athens during the past 30 years could relate to John Armstrong’s new novel ‘City Days’. By means of a simple storyline, concerning the adventures of six friends growing up together in the city centre, the writer manages to show Athens’ evolution during the years 1979–2000. The fact that John Armstrong is not Greek has no effect on his perception of Athens, since he has lived here for more than 20 years. All of the city centre’s areas, including Syntagma, Omonoia and Plaka, are described almost exactly as they are or have been. It is obvious that he was careful not to give misleading information about them and that he has studied the city’s history, including its architectural styles during the past three decades, since all of the characteristic buildings in Athens are presented, and all other buildings described do or could exist, and the changes that it has gone through. Even the landscapes look familiar to an Athens’ resident like me. I have often had the feeling that I knew where a place described was, even if its name was not mentioned. The novel’s only weak point is the description of its characters. While the main six characters, especially George, the protagonist, are ordinary people, good examples of how Greek youth thought and felt at the time, secondary ones are not given as much attention. The writer tends to follow the clichés that have been established concerning Greeks, describing almost all of them as good-natured but lazy and not serious people. That is partially true, but during the post-dictatory years Greeks were not like that, especially the capital’s residents. They used to think a lot and were no longer passive. By making this mistake the writer fails to capture that age’s spirit. Despite its disadvantages, though, the novel is totally worth reading. I was really moved while reading it, perhaps because of personal experiences and my bond to the place. To sum up, this novel accomplishes its main purpose; to show that, despite its chaos, the difficulties it poses and the problems it causes, one can’t help loving Athens. I do, and the writer does, too.

Examiner comments Subscale

Mark

Commentary

Content

5

All content is relevant to the task. The target reader is fully informed and would have plenty of information to help them understand how well the writer of the book has captured the atmosphere of the area through the descriptions of the landscape, buildings and characters.

Communicative Achievement

5

Complete command of the conventions of the review, and holds the target reader’s attention with ease. This includes the use of engaging, honest, personal comments (Everybody who has lived in Athens during the past 30 years could relate to . . ., even the landscapes look familiar to an Athens resident like me, I was really moved while reading it, perhaps because of personal experiences and my bond to the place).

Organisation

5

The text is organised impressively and coherently using a wide range of cohesive devices and organisational patterns with complete flexibility (by means of . . ., the fact that . . ., it is obvious that . . ., that is partially true, by making this mistake, despite its disadvantages, to sum up, one can’t help loving Athens, I do, and the writer does too).

Language

5

A wide range of vocabulary, including less common lexis, is used with fluency, precision and sophistication (has no effect on his perception of Athens, careful not to give misleading information, . . . tends to follow the clichés that have been established concerning Greeks, describing almost all of them as good-natured but lazy . . ., the writer fails to capture that age’s spirit, this novel accomplishes its main purpose). The use of grammar is sophisticated, fully controlled and completely natural (all of the city centre’s areas . . . are described almost exactly as they are or have been, they used to think a lot and were no longer passive, one can’t help loving Athens). Any inaccuracies occur as slips (the post-dictatory years).

CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

31

paper 2: writing | sample scripts with examiner comments

PAPER 2 | WRITING | QUESTION 4

Question 4 Candidate E Sir or Madam I am writing this letter as an invitation from your newspaper to readers to propose a restaurant for the competition ‘Restaurant of the year’. The restaurant which I would like to proposed, called ‘Food Company’ and it is in the centre of Athens. This place has been my favourite since I was a university student and I believe then when you will read my letter you will understand the reason. To being with, I would like to say that my taste in food is quite strange that is why it is difficult for me to find a restaurant which I really like. Food Company is the ideal place. For me, as it cater to all the different tastes of food. You can find traditionall greec recipes but also a great variety of Italian pasta. And the best of all is that although I am a vegeterian, it is not difficult to find interesting dishes without meat and not only boring salads as it happens in other restaurants. Don’t forget to mention that the dishes are delicious as if your mother was cooking. Another factor which also it is important for me in a restaurant is the atmosphere and of course the service. ‘Food Company’ is a friendly place with a lovely decoration which attract your impression from the first moment. For me and my company is the best choice for cold nights and as we enjoy having a dinner and listening to jazz, as ‘Food Company’ loves this kind of music. In connection with the service you should know that the stuff is always ready to propose a dish and they are always at your disposal. Finally, as the prices are extremely low, you can meet university students but also doctors, artists and generally different types of people. This is, I believe, a great advantage of this restaurant as it creates the impression of small society in the centre of the town. To conclude, I would not hesitate to recommend ‘Food Company’ as the best choice for your readers to enjoy a delicious dinner. I hope my letter will be of interest to you and I am looking forward to see it in print. Yours faithfull

Examiner comments Subscale

Mark

Commentary

Content

4

All content is relevant to the task. Although lacking development in some areas, for example in the description of service, there are no irrelevances.

Communicative Achievement

3

The conventions of the letter task are used with sufficient flexibility to communicate complex ideas in an effective way, holding the target reader’s attention with ease and fulfilling all communicative purposes. The style and register are appropriate for a letter to a newspaper.

Organisation

3

The text is a well-organised, coherent whole, using a variety of cohesive devices and organisational patterns with flexibility. However, there is not much evidence of a wide range of cohesive devices and there is often a reliance on fairly straightforward or simple devices (and the best of all is that . . ., another factor which also it is important for me, finally, to conclude). It is also worth noting that some linking devices are used incorrectly (to being with, don’t forget to mention that . . .).

Language

1

A range of vocabulary, including some less common lexis, is used appropriately (a great variety, prices are extremely low, creates the impression). A wide range of simple and complex grammatical forms is used with control and flexibility and some sophistication (this place has been my favourite since I was a university student, I would not hesitate to recommend ‘Food Company’ as the best choice for your readers, I hope my letter will be of interest to you). There are occasional errors, but these do not impede communication.

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CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

paper 2: writing | sample scripts with examiner comments

PAPER 2 | WRITING | QUESTION 5(b)

Question 5(b) Candidate F Dear Sir/Madam I am writing in response to your request for recommendation of books to be added to your reading list on the theme of ‘The Triumph of the Human Spirit’. Having recently read BEL CANTO by Ann Patchett I would strongly recommend this book be added to the list. BEL CANTO is the novel of great passion, where love, music and languages are main themes. Being captured in the host country (poor Latinoamerican country) the hostages build a close relationship with terrorists and the drama begins. Roxanne Coss, a soprano diva, holds everyone together with her magnificent singing, her amazing voice, and is admired by terrorists as much as by the hostages. Gen, Mr Hosokawa’s translator, becomes a ‘bridge’ between hostages and terrorists and the outside world. He is a great example of how people in desperation become close, form a very strong connection and find happiness in most unexpected way. His love for Carmen, a terrorist girl, is pure and passionate, something he never experienced in his life before. Ruben Iglesias, the Vice president of the country, now hostage in his own house, finds happiness and joy in spending time with Ishmael, the terrorist boy, and the bond between them is so strong that he is considering of adopting him once they are released. All the terrorist are killed at the end of the novel and such a strong ending breaks up the almost idyllic world of love and happiness where hostages and terrorists live together. Bel Canto has brought together the most unusual characters under one roof. I am looking forward to reading most of the books recommended by other readers and do hope that some of them will enjoy BEL CANTO as much as I did. Yours faithfully

Examiner comments Subscale

Mark

Commentary

Content

4

All content is relevant to the task, and the target reader is informed. However, there is a slight lack of detail and development of some of the points, for example in the reference to the happiness experienced by Gen, and by Ruben Iglesias in this desperate situation.

Communicative Achievement

4

The communicative conventions of the letter are used with flexibility, with the answer beginning and ending appropriately (I am writing in response to your request . . ., I am looking forward to reading most of the books recommended by other readers and do hope that some of them will enjoy Bel Canto as much as I did). Complex ideas are communicated in an effective and generally convincing way, holding the reader’s attention with ease and fulfilling all communicative purposes.

Organisation

3

The text is a well-organised, coherent whole which uses a variety of cohesive devices and organisational patterns (Having recently read . . ., Being captured in . . ., . . . something he never experienced in his life before, . . . and the drama begins) with flexibility. However, there is some evidence of over-paragraphing in the middle of the letter.

Language

3

A range of vocabulary, including less common lexis, is used effectively and precisely, and with some sophistication in places (an idyllic world of love and happiness, . . . has brought together the most unusual characters under one roof, holds everyone together with her magnificent singing). Uses a range of simple and complex grammatical forms with control and flexibility but there are slips involving prepositions and articles (he is considering of adopting him, Bel Canto is the novel of great passion . . .).

CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

33

Paper 3 Use of English General description PAPER FORMAT TIMING NO. OF PARTS NO. OF QUESTIONS TASK TYPES

ANSWER FORMAT

MARKS

The paper contains five parts. 1 hour 30 minutes. 5. 44. Open cloze, word formation, gapped sentences, sentence transformations, comprehension questions and summary writing task. Candidates write their answers on two answer sheets. They may write on the question paper, but they must transfer answers to the separate answer sheet within the time limit. For Parts 1, 2 and 3, candidates write their answers in capital letters in the spaces provided on Answer Sheet 1. For Parts 4 and 5, candidates write on Answer Sheet 2 and capital letters are not required. Parts 1 and 2 – each correct answer receives 1 mark. Part 3 – each correct answer receives 2 marks. Part 4 – each correct answer receives up to 2 marks. Part 5 – for questions 40–43, each correct answer receives 2 marks. For question 44, there are 14 marks available: up to 4 marks may be awarded for content and up to 10 marks for summary writing skills.

Structure and tasks Part 1 TASK TYPE AND FOCUS FORMAT NO. OF QS

Open cloze. Emphasis on grammar and vocabulary. A modified cloze test containing 15 gaps. 15.

Part 2 TASK TYPE AND FOCUS FORMAT

NO. OF QS

Word formation. Emphasis on vocabulary. A text containing 10 gaps. Each gap corresponds to a word. The stems of the missing words are given beside the text and must be changed to form the missing word. 10.

Part 3 TASK TYPE AND FOCUS FORMAT

NO. OF QS

Gapped sentences. Emphasis on vocabulary. Questions are made up of three discrete sentences. Each sentence contains one gap. The gapped word is common to the three sentences. Candidates must write one word which is appropriate in all three sentences. 6.

Part 4 TASK TYPE AND FOCUS FORMAT

NO. OF QS

Key word transformations. Emphasis on grammar and vocabulary. 8 discrete items with a lead-in sentence and a gapped response to complete in 3–8 words including a given ‘key’ word. 8.

Part 5 TASK TYPE AND FOCUS

FORMAT

NO. OF QS

34

CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

Comprehension questions and summary writing task. The focus of the questions is on awareness of the use of language (recognising and understanding the force of lexical items, rhetorical and stylistic devices and referencing). The focus of the summary is on information selection, linking and sentence construction. Two texts with two questions on each text. The summary task requires selection of relevant information from both texts. 4. 1 summary writing task.

paper 3: use of english

The five parts of the Use of English paper PART 1 Open cloze In this part, the focus of the gapped words is grammatical or lexicogrammatical.

‡‡Sample task and answer key: pages 38 and 42. Each correct answer in Part 1 receives 1 mark. ›› Part 1 is a modified cloze text containing 15 gaps plus one example. Candidates are required to draw on their knowledge of the structure of the language and understanding of the text in order to fill the gaps. A single word is needed to fill each gap – never a phrase or contraction. There may be more than one acceptable word for a gap, defined by the mark scheme. Candidates must write their answers in capital letters on Answer Sheet 1.

PART 2 Word formation In this part, the focus is lexical (e.g. affixation, compounding).

‡‡Sample task and answer key: pages 38 and 42. Each correct answer in Part 2 receives 1 mark. ›› Part 2 is a word-building task, consisting of a text with 10 gaps plus one gap as an example. The types of word-building involve not just the addition of affixes (e.g. ‘honest’ to ‘dishonesty’ or ‘person’ to ‘impersonal’), but also internal changes (e.g. ‘strong’ to ‘strengthened’) and compounding (e.g. ‘rain’ to ‘raindrop’ or ‘set’ to ‘outset’). Any number of changes may be made to the stem word and candidates may be required to demonstrate understanding of the text beyond sentence level. Candidates must write their answers in capital letters on Answer Sheet 1.

PART 3 Gapped sentences In this part, the focus is lexical (e.g. collocation, phrasal verbs, word combinations).

‡‡Sample task and answer key: pages 39 and 42. Each correct answer in Part 3 receives 2 marks. ›› The task in Part 3 aims to test candidates’ knowledge of lexical patterns, e.g. collocations and phrasal verbs. Part 3 consists of six questions; each question is made up of three discrete sentences. Each sentence contains one gap and candidates must supply a single word which is common to all three sentences. Candidates must write their answers in capital letters on Answer Sheet 1.

PART 4 Key word transformations In this part, the focus is on grammar and vocabulary.

‡‡Sample task and answer key: pages 40 and 42. Each correct answer in Part 4 receives up to 2 marks. ›› Part 4 consists of eight key word transformations, plus one example. Each question contains three parts: a lead-in sentence, a key word and a second response sentence of which only the beginning and end are given. Candidates have to fill the gap in the second sentence so that it is similar in meaning to the lead-in sentence. Candidates are required to manipulate structures and lexical phrases in their answer, e.g. a verb in the given sentence might need to be changed to a noun. They can use between three and eight words including the given key word. The key word must not be changed in any way and candidates must write their answers on Answer Sheet 2.

PART 5 Comprehension questions and summary writing task In this part, the focus of the comprehension questions is on awareness of the use of language (recognising and understanding the force of lexical items, rhetorical and stylistic devices and referencing). The focus of the summary question is on information selection, linking and sentence construction.

‡‡Sample task, answer key and mark scheme: pages 41 and 42.

The four comprehension questions (40–43) each ›› receive 2 marks.

14 marks are available for the summary question ››

(44): up to 4 marks may be awarded for content and up to 10 marks for summary writing skills.

Part 5 consists of two texts from different sources which represent different treatment of the same topic. Complete sentences are not required; some questions can be answered by a short phrase or a single word. Candidates must write their answers on Answer Sheet 2. Question 44, the summary task, tests candidates’ ability to select appropriate information from the two texts, and to organise it into a well-constructed and grammatically accurate summary of between 50 and 70 words. The paragraph must be written in complete sentences and should be in a formal/neutral register. All the information required is found in the texts and candidates are not expected to offer their own opinion. The task focus is on productive language, so texts will be well within the reading competence of candidates at this level. Candidates must write their answer on Answer Sheet 2. Details of the assessment of the summary writing task are given on page 43.

CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

35

paper 3: use of english

Preparation General •

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

36

For all parts of the Use of English paper, students need to analyse language at both sentence and paragraph level, and to regard texts critically in order to develop sensitivity to, for example, word combinations, collocations and idioms. They also need to increase their awareness of appropriacy in the selection of language and to be able to analyse the use of modality and tenses. Encouraging students to read a wide variety of text types will help them develop their ability to understand the language system and how this system can be manipulated. There are four texts in the Use of English paper, which are largely contemporary and taken from journalistic, academic and literary sources. There is a title to the texts in Parts 1 and 2 of the paper. This is meant to give candidates an early idea of what to expect from the text, and to help them use their predictive reading skills. Encourage candidates to read through the whole of any text in the Use of English paper to have a clear idea of what it is about before they begin to answer any of the questions. Parts 1–4 of the test have an example at the beginning of each task, and candidates should be encouraged to read these examples carefully, to help them understand what they have to do. (They should not write the answer to the example on the separate answer sheets.) The amount of language candidates are required to produce in Parts 1–5 of the Use of English paper increases progressively from one-word answers to short phrases to a paragraph. Candidates should always write complete words in their answers and not use abbreviations (e.g. ‘sthg’ for ‘something’). Candidates may think that, for certain questions, more than one answer is possible. However, they should not give more than one answer on the separate answer sheets as they may lose marks if they do. This is because, if one answer is incorrect, they will not be awarded any marks. Candidates may write on the question paper during the examination, but their notes will not be marked. Candidates must complete two separate answer sheets for the Use of English paper, which are then marked and/or scanned. Candidates can either transfer their answers to the separate answer sheets as they complete each part of the test, or transfer all their answers at the end, but they must complete the transfer of answers within the time allowed for the Use of English paper (1 hour 30 minutes). Candidates should practise completing the answer sheets correctly and should always check that they have written the answer next to the appropriate question number. Candidates can complete the various parts of the test in any order, but it is probably better to do them in the order of the question paper to avoid the possibility of putting answers in the wrong sections of the answer sheets. Candidates should write in a soft pencil (B or HB) on the answer sheets. If they wish to change an answer, they should rub it out using an eraser and write the correct answer instead. If candidates cross out an answer instead of rubbing it out, they should do this clearly. It is not a good idea to alter the word itself, as this will make it unclear. Candidates should not put the word in

CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

brackets, as this may appear to be an alternative answer and they may lose marks. •

In Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 all spellings must be correct; spelling and punctuation are important aspects of accuracy and will be taken into account in the assessment of the candidates’ writing skills. In Part 5 some minor misspellings are allowed, as long as the message is communicated. Encourage candidates to try to make their handwriting clear, so that it can be easily read by the markers.

•

Encourage candidates to plan their time carefully and not spend too long on any one part of the test. They should also make sure that they have a few minutes at the end of the test to check through their answers.

By part PART 1 •

Remind your students to treat the open cloze as a normal text, and to read the title and the whole text before attempting to fill in any gaps. This will help them to understand what the text is about, and make it easier for them to fill in the gaps. Emphasise that they should always keep in mind the meaning of the whole text when doing the task.

•

Remind students that they should always read the complete sentence that contains the gap before deciding on their answer, and should always check for negatives, conditionals or structures that might put the opposite point of view. They may need to look for a referent (e.g. names; places; pronouns, he/they, etc.) in another part of the sentence and, in this case, they should make sure that the word they write in the gap agrees with the subject.

•

Encourage students to pay particular attention to the words before and after the gap, as they may form part of a collocation that is completed by the missing word.

•

Remind students that they must only use one word to fill in each gap, and they will not be expected to use a contraction (don’t = do not) when these count as two words. If they are not sure of an answer, advise them to leave it blank and go on. Then, when they check their work after doing the task, they should read the whole text through again. This may give them the clue they need to fill in the word they are not sure of.

•

In class, encourage students to note down and learn words and expressions in context, especially grammatical patterns and collocations. It is also useful if they mark collocations in texts that they read.

•

Work on text organisation, particularly linkers and referents, is also useful for this part.

PART 2 •

As with all texts, candidates should read the title and the whole text before attempting to fill in any gaps.

•

Remind students to read the whole sentence before they fill in the answer, as they may need to use the plural or negative form of the base word.

•

To prepare for this part of the paper, help students to develop flexibility in the application of affixation and word formation. Make them aware of the range of words that can be formed from

paper 3: use of english

the same base word including the negative forms, e.g. friend friendship friendliness friendly befriend unfriendly. •

Remind them that they may also have to make internal changes to a word, e.g. strong – strength. There can be any number of changes to a word, e.g. relate – relationships; mercy – mercifully.

•

Use activities in class that help students to manipulate word forms such as word-building games. Encourage students to note down all parts of a new word when they come across it in a reading text and not just the base form.

•

Suggest that students use a thesaurus to help them to extend their range of vocabulary, but remind them to check all new words in a dictionary as there may be differences not only in meaning but also how they are used. Remind students that many dictionaries give collocations and phrases with words.

PART 3 •

•

•

Remind students that there will be more than one word that can fit each individual sentence, but there is only one word which fits the gap in all three sentences. This word must be the same part of speech in each gap. Suggest that students note all the possible words for the gap at the end of each individual sentence. This will show up the one word that fits all three sentences.

•

To help students prepare for the comprehension questions, the following may be useful: •

Encourage students to read as widely as possible to help extend their range of vocabulary.

•

Provide exercises which will help students to understand textual features such as the use of different words or phrases to refer to the same object or theme.

•

Do exercises which encourage students to recognise ways in which texts are structured and organised at whole-text and sentence level, for example reassembling jumbled text or completing gapped texts.

•

Give students practice in describing the meaning of a specific word or phrase in context. There are two steps students need to take when writing the summary: – selecting and interpreting specific and key information from two texts – presenting the relevant, key information in a coherent and concise manner with appropriate use of cohesive devices.

These two activities promote awareness of words used in different contexts.

•

Provide frequent practice in selecting specific information from a variety of texts to help students to find relevant information.

Activities that provide practice in collocations are also useful for this part of the test, e.g. matching verbs to nouns – make the bed. Always encourage students to note down new words in phrases, collocations or complete sentences.

•

Provide regular practice in presenting four points of information in 50–70 words, to develop students’ ability to convey information concisely.

•

Increase students’ awareness of linguistic devices which mark the development of a text by working with linking words and doing exercises where students have to combine sentences.

•

If possible, find texts on similar topics, e.g. from different newspapers or internet articles, and ask students to note down the main points from each and discuss the differences between them.

•

Remind students to use their own words and not to rely on ‘lifting’ words from the text. Paraphrasing work suggested for Part 4 will also help them with this.

•

Encourage students to read through their summary when they have written it, to check for overall coherence and for any irrelevant information. They should also check for spelling and grammatical mistakes.

PART 4 •

•

•

In preparing for this part of the paper, give your students practice in paraphrase use. You could ask them to rewrite sentences from texts they have read, or rewrite sentences from their own or a partner’s written work. You can also use tapescripts from listening activities; give students a paraphrase of a sentence and ask them to listen and identify the original. Remember to discuss whether the paraphrase has changed the register or style of the sentence. In speaking, ask them to paraphrase by saying, ‘In other words … ’. These activities will back up formal exam practice, and will also help students with the summary writing in Part 5.

PART 5

Exercises which increase candidates’ awareness of the use of vocabulary in a range of contexts and with a range of meanings would be helpful in preparation for this task, e.g. – Students can write their own sets of gapped sentences for each other, using a dictionary. They can start by only writing two sentences, to make the task easier in class. – In class, put students in pairs and give each pair a set of five different words. They write a sentence for each word. They then exchange their words with another pair, and write sentences for the new words. Finally the two pairs compare their sentences and discuss the differences.

•

sentence as it may indicate whether a verb in the gap should be singular or plural. They should also take particular note of the words immediately before and after the gap.

Remind students that the answer must consist of three, four, five, six, seven or eight words. If they write more than eight words they will not be awarded the marks. Remind them that, as in Part 1, contractions (don’t) count as two words (do not). Each transformation is divided into two parts, each worth one mark, so a candidate may score 0, 1 or 2 marks depending on the accuracy of the response. Candidates must use the key word in their answer and they must not change it in any way. If they do not use it or if they alter it, they will not be awarded the marks. When they write their answers on the answer sheet they should only write the words that are needed to fill the gap and not the whole sentence. Remind students to pay careful attention to the frame for the answer, especially any verb in the final part of the second

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paper 3: use of english | sample paper

EXAM PAPER 3 | LEVEL USE OF| ENGLISH PAPER

38

CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

SAMPLE PAPER

paper 3: use of english | sample paper

PAPER 3 | USE OF ENGLISH

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paper 3: use of english | sample paper

EXAM PAPER 3 | LEVEL USE OF| ENGLISH PAPER

40

CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

SAMPLE PAPER

paper 3: use of english | sample paper

PAPER 3 | USE OF ENGLISH

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paper 3: use of english | answer key and mark scheme

EXAM PAPER 3 | LEVEL USE OF| ENGLISH PAPER

SAMPLE PAPER

Answer key and mark scheme Q

Part 1

Q

Part 2

Q

Part 3

Q

Part 4

1

IF

16

ENLIGHTENED

26

FREE

32

GAVE ME ][ HER WORD

2

FIRST

17

INTRIGUING

27

CALL

33

BEEN (PREYING) ON ][ MY MIND

3

FAR

18

DISMISSED

28

KEEP

34

4

WHOSE

19

INSIGNIFICANT

29

CUT

(BEFORE) HAD THE CITY (EVER) SEEN/ WITNESSED ][ SUCH A(N) LARGE/BIG/ HUGE/MAJOR/ENORMOUS/GREAT

5

THE

20

30

TIPS

6

DEAL

GRAPHIC/ GRAPHICAL

31

SAFE

35

WOULD BRING ][ THE MATTER UP/UP THE MATTER

7

TO

36

8

IN

(GOING/SURE/CERTAIN) TO CLOSE DOWN/ CLOSING DOWN ][ WHETHER WE LIKE IT

9

OUT

10

WAY(S)

11

HOW

12

BROUGHT

13

ALTHOUGH/ THOUGH/WHILE/ WHILST

14

BEST

15

GOOD

21

CONCEPTION

22

OUTSTANDING

23

INPUT

37

GOES ][ WITHOUT SAYING (THAT)

24

GEOGRAPHER

38

25

EXEMPLIFY

THE FIRST TIME ][ (THAT) RAYMOND HAS (EVER) BEEN BEATEN/DEFEATED

39

HIGHLY UNLIKELY/IMPROBABLE ][ (THAT) THE MOTORWAY PLAN WILL BE

Q

Part 5: Mark scheme for questions 40–44

40

we use the names of flowers and fruit/natural objects/phenomena (to describe colours)

41

definitive

42

(meaning) of all things (yellow)

43

That blue was the last of the (major/primary) colours to be defined/named (in many languages)

44

These points draw on the language used in the texts. Students should be rewarded for effective re-wording in their summaries.   i. ‘Hitherto, such colours had been regarded merely as shades of red, yet so limited was their use that people managed to talk about them quite adequately without needing to be more precise.’ (acceptable paraphrase: It was not considered necessary to be precise about shades of colour).   ii. ‘Today’s requirements are more complex’ (acceptable paraphrase: we now have more need to distinguish subtle variations in colour).   iii. ‘the myriad variations of blues and greens, reds and purples that modern chemistry has produced’ (acceptable paraphrase: technology has produced an increasing number of distinct colours in recent times).   iv. ‘difficult to obtain from natural sources, and planters and textile dyers throughout the ages have often found themselves at the mercy of what contemporary chemical technology could offer’ (acceptable paraphrase: some colours are more difficult to obtain from natural sources).   v. ‘our eyes’ sensitivity to different colours is weakest in the blue-violet part of the visible spectrum, so that a rich blue does not strike us with the same bright impact as a strong yellow or red.’ (acceptable paraphrase: eyes are more sensitive to some colours than others).

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CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

paper 3: use of english | assessment of summary writing task

Assessment of summary writing task For question 44, an impression mark for summary skills is awarded using the Summary Mark Scheme on the right. Content points are separately assessed; see Part 5 Mark Scheme on page 42. The 10 marks for summary writing skills are divided into five bands, as described in the mark scheme, and candidates can be awarded one of two performance levels within each band. For example, in Band 4, 4.1 represents weaker performance, while 4.2 represents stronger performance within Band 4.

Cambridge English: Proficiency Band

Summary mark scheme

5

Outstanding realisation of the task set: • Totally relevant • Concise and totally coherent • Skilfully organised, with effective use of linking devices • Skilfully re-worded, where appropriate • Minimal non-impeding errors, probably due to ambition Clearly informs and requires no effort on the part of the reader.

4

Good realisation of the task set: • Mostly relevant

Length

• Concise and mostly coherent

50 to 70 words are asked for. Candidates producing very short or long summaries will be penalised, as specified in the mark scheme.

• Competently re-worded, where appropriate

Spelling and punctuation These are important aspects of accuracy and must be taken into account. American spelling and usage is acceptable (see page 4: International English).

• Well organised, with good use of linking devices • Occasional non-impeding errors Informs and requires minimal or no effort on the part of the reader. 3

Satisfactory realisation of the task set: • Generally relevant, with occasional digression • Some attempt at concise writing and reasonably coherent • Adequately organised, with some appropriate use of linking devices

Handwriting

• Adequately re-worded, where appropriate

If handwriting interferes with communication, the candidate will be penalised. Totally illegible responses receive 0.

Adequately informs, though may require some effort on the part of the reader.

• Some errors, mostly non-impeding 2

Inadequate attempt at the task set: • Some irrelevance

Mark scheme for the summary task

• Little attempt at concise writing, so likely to be overlength and incoherent in places OR too short

Note: This mark scheme is interpreted at Cambridge English: Proficiency level. A separate mark scheme is used to assess content (see page 42).

• Some attempt at organisation, but only limited use of appropriate linking devices and may use inappropriate listing or note format • Inadequately re-worded and/or inappropriate lifting • A number of errors, which sometimes impede communication Partially informs, though requires considerable effort on the part of the reader. 1

Poor attempt at the task set: • Considerable irrelevance • No attempt at concise writing, so likely to be seriously over-length and seriously incoherent OR far too short • Poorly organised, with little or no use of appropriate linking devices and/or relies on listing or note format • Poorly re-worded and/or over-reliance on lifting • Numerous errors, which distract and impede communication Fails to inform and requires excessive effort on the part of the reader.

0

Negligible or no attempt at the task set: • Does not demonstrate summary skills • Incomprehensible due to serious error • Totally irrelevant • Insufficient language to assess • Totally illegible

CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

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paper 3: use of english | candidate answer sheet

EXAM PAPER 3 | LEVEL USE OF| ENGLISH PAPER

Candidate answer sheet 1

44

CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

SAMPLE PAPER

paper 3: use of english | candidate answer sheet

PAPER 3 | USE OF ENGLISH

Candidate answer sheet 2

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paper 3: use of english | assessment of summary writing task

Sample scripts with examiner comments Candidate A Some colours have not been for a long period in English. But there are some reasons for that. Firstly, they did not need to precise an object’s colour as it’s use was limited and people could understand each other without identifying the colour. Moreover, people had in their minds a specific shape wanted a specific name. They wanted the correct name. Secondly, the chemical technology helped “painters and textile dyers” to dye with contemporary colours. The last reason is in the “eye’s sensitivy”. Ancient people could not easily recognise the difference between two colours as it did not “strike” them.

Examiner comments The summary includes content points 1 and 5. There is some irrelevance and there are a number of errors which impede the reader’s understanding. 2.2

Candidate B Before 17th century, because some colours did not be used enough, people did not need to be more accurate when they refered to these colours. Nowadays the situation is more complex. Modern chemistry has produced many colours, which take their names after nature. Moreover, back in those days the chemical technology was not so developed. In addition to all these, human eye is not so sensitive to every kind of colour in the visible spectrum and for that reason some colours do not have the same bright influence like others.

Examiner comments The summary includes content points 1, 2, 3 and 5. This is a good realisation of the task. It is well organised with good use of linking devices. 4.1

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CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

paper 3: use of english | assessment of summary writing task

Sample scripts with examiner comments (cont.) Candidate C The reasons that explain why some colours have only been named in English more recently are as follows: 1) some colours were considered as shades of the primary ones because of their rarity. 2) the variety of colours depends on the technological process. 3) some colours were in rare raw materials. 4) human vision is less sensitive in some parts of the visible spectrum. So the longestablished colour names in English are the names of the primary colours depending on the use of each one of them throughout English history

Examiner comments The summary covers content points 1, 4 and 5 – point 3 is not adequately made. This fails to make Band 3 due to limited use of appropriate linking and the irrelevance of the final sentence. 2.2

Candidate D In the first text the writer says that, in the past, there were colours that were not often found in people’s discutions, so there wasn’t a need to name them, and if there was, they were named as shades of other colours. In the second text the writer talks about a biological reason and he says that the eye isn’t very sensitive in some colours, so people weren’t interested in naming them.

Examiner comments The summary covers content points 1 and 5. It is generally relevant, well organised and competently re-worded. 3.2

Candidate E In the first place, some colours had no definition as they were primarily described as shades of others. Moreover others remained unknown until lately because they couldn’t be found from natural resources. Finally certain colours were not appreciated due to our eye’s insensitivity towards some colours, in a way that a striking colour has a stronger impact on our eye.

Examiner comments The summary covers content points 1, 4 and 5. It is concise and well organised with occasional non-impeding errors. 4.1

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Paper 4 Listening General description PAPER FORMAT

TIMING NO. OF PARTS NO. OF QUESTIONS TASK TYPES TEXT TYPES

ANSWER FORMAT

RECORDING INFORMATION

MARKS

48

The paper contains four parts. Each part contains a recorded text or texts and corresponding comprehension tasks. Each part is heard twice. Approximately 40 minutes. 4. 28. Multiple choice, sentence completion, matching. Monologues, prompted monologues or interacting speakers: interviews, discussions, conversations, radio plays, talks, speeches, lectures, commentaries, documentaries, instructions. Candidates are advised to write their answers in the spaces provided on the question paper while listening. There will be 5 minutes at the end of the test to copy the answers onto the separate answer sheet. Candidates indicate their answers by shading the correct lozenges or writing the required letter, word or short phrase in a box on the answer sheet. The instructions for each task are given in the question paper, and are also heard on the recording. These instructions include the announcement of pauses of specified lengths, during which candidates can familiarise themselves with the task. A variety of voices, styles of delivery and accents will be heard in each Listening paper to reflect the various contexts presented in the recordings, as appropriate to the international contexts of the test takers. Each correct answer receives 1 mark.

CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

Structure and tasks Part 1 TASK TYPE AND FOCUS FORMAT

NO. OF QS

Three-option multiple choice. Gist, detail, function, purpose, topic, speaker, addressee, feeling, attitude, opinion, etc. Four short unrelated texts lasting approximately 1 minute each, consisting of either monologues or exchanges between interacting speakers. There are two multiplechoice questions per text, each with three options. 8.

Part 2 TASK TYPE AND FOCUS FORMAT NO. OF QS

Sentence completion. Specific information, stated opinion. A monologue or prompted monologue lasting 3 to 4 minutes. 9.

Part 3 TASK TYPE AND FOCUS FORMAT NO. OF QS

Four-option multiple choice. Opinion, gist, detail, inference. A text involving interacting speakers lasting 3 to 4 minutes. 5.

Part 4 TASK TYPE AND FOCUS

FORMAT

NO. OF QS

Three-way multiple matching. Candidates match statements on a text to either of two speakers or to both when they express agreement. Stated and non-stated opinion, agreement and disagreement. A text with interacting speakers lasting 2 to 3 minutes, in which opinions are exchanged and agreement or disagreement expressed. 6.

paper 4: listening

The four parts of the Listening paper PART 1 Multiple choice This part tests candidates’ ability to listen for a variety of focuses.

‡‡Sample task, tapescript and answer key: pages 52, 55 and 59.

Each correct answer in Part 1 receives 1 mark. ›› The eight questions in this part relate to four separate texts (two questions per text). The texts may be self contained or may be extracts from longer texts. The four texts are a mixture of monologues, prompted monologues and texts with interacting speakers. Candidates should read the introductory sentence carefully as this gives information which will help to contextualise what they will hear. Each question focuses on a different aspect of each text, for example: • • • •

What is the speaker’s attitude to those who complain? In the speaker’s opinion, what explains the team’s recent lack of success? What is the programme going to be about? What should you do if you want to enter the competition?

PART 4 Three-way multiple matching This part tests candidates’ ability to listen for stated and non-stated opinion, agreement and disagreement.

‡‡Sample task, tapescript and answer key: pages 54, 57 and 59.

Each correct answer in Part 4 receives 1 mark. ›› The six questions in this part relate to one text which is usually in the form of an informal discussion in which opinions about a topic are exchanged and agreement and disagreement are expressed. There are two main speakers, one male and one female to facilitate identification, although some texts may also feature a presenter’s introduction and/or questions. A series of six statements summarises the main points raised in the text and forms the basis of a three-way matching task. Candidates are asked to match each statement to the speaker who expresses that view, or to indicate where speakers are in agreement.

Recording information Each text is heard twice. Recordings will contain a variety of accents corresponding to standard variants of native speaker accents, and to non-native speaker accents that approximate to the norms of native speaker accents. Background sounds may be included before speaking begins to provide contextual information.

PART 2 Sentence completion This part tests candidates’ ability to listen for specific words or phrases and produce written answers in response to the sentences.

‡‡Sample task, tapescript and answer key: pages 53, 56 and 59.

Each correct answer in Part 2 receives 1 mark. ›› Candidates listen to a monologue or prompted monologue of an informative nature, aimed at a non-specialist audience. The nine questions in this part take the form of incomplete sentences. The candidates show their understanding of what they have heard by completing gaps in these sentences. Answers are short, generally in the form of single words or noun groups. They must be spelled correctly and must fit into the grammatical structure of the sentence. The questions follow the order of the information in the text and candidates write down the words that are heard on the recording.

PART 3 Multiple choice This part tests candidates’ ability to listen for opinion, gist, detail and inference.

‡‡Sample task, tapescript and answer key: pages 53, 56 and 59.

Each correct answer in Part 3 receives 1 mark. ›› Candidates listen to a text in which opinions and attitudes are expressed, both implicitly and explicitly. The five four-option multiplechoice questions in this part focus on detailed understanding of points raised. Questions follow the order of the information found in the text, but the final question may test global understanding of the text as a whole.

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paper 4: listening

Preparation

•

General •

•

The best preparation for the Listening paper is exposure to, and engagement with, a wide range of spoken English, including a range of voices, accents and styles of delivery. News broadcasts, documentaries and discussions can be used as suitable texts, as can light entertainment and drama broadcast in English. Classroom discussion activities also provide an invaluable source of listening practice. Candidates should familiarise themselves with the format of the paper and the task types, which are always the same. It is helpful to work through a sample paper before the examination takes place and to have practice in completing the answer sheets.

•

Students should listen to a range of text types and accents regularly.

•

Build up students’ confidence in listening by grading listening tasks from easy to more challenging.

•

Make students aware of how much they themselves bring to a listening task. For example, discuss with them what they expect to hear in a particular context.

•

Students should practise listening to and reading the rubric so that they are sure they understand what they are listening for, and what they have to do.

•

Remind students that they should use the time allowed before each part to read through the questions carefully, so that they know what to listen out for.

•

As students listen to texts, encourage them to concentrate on what the speakers say, and to listen for both stated and implied attitudes and opinions, especially in Parts 1, 3 and 4.

•

Train students to follow the questions through as they listen to a text so that they can ‘locate’ the answer to each question. Encourage students to confirm their answers when they listen to each text for the second time.

•

Students should get used to answering all the questions, even if they are not sure – they have probably understood more than they think.

By part

•

50

PART 2 •

Tasks such as gap-filling exercises which focus on retrieving facts from an informative text will prepare students for this part.

•

Candidates need to get into the habit of reading what is before and after the gap in the sentence so that they do not attempt to repeat information which is already in the sentence, and to check that what they have written fits into the grammatical structure of the sentence.

•

Candidates should be discouraged from attempting to write long or complicated answers, the size of the boxes on the question paper and answer sheet serving as a guide to the length of expected responses.

•

Remind students that they should write the actual word or words they hear.

•

Remind students that they should write their answers clearly when they copy them onto the answer sheet, using capital letters if they are not sure about their handwriting.

PART 3 •

Classroom preparation for this part could include at first focusing on the question and not the options. This encourages students to concentrate on the focus of the question and really listen to what the speaker says about this point.

•

Students should listen carefully to locate where the answer to the question lies. You could ask students to raise their hands when they hear the ‘cue’ (the first reference) for the next question.

•

Summarising what the speaker(s) say is valuable practice for this part.

•

It is useful for students to work with texts where opinions are stated indirectly rather than directly and to practise ‘listening between the lines’.

•

If the answer to a question cannot be heard during the first listening, encourage students to mentally leave that point and refocus on the next question. The second listening allows students the opportunity to finalise their answers.

PART 4

PART 1 •

Working with the transcript, marking where the correct answer is located, can help candidates gain confidence in their listening skills. This could then be followed by discussion of the reasons for the distractors being wrong.

Candidates should be very wary of choosing an answer just because it contains a word or phrase which they hear on the recording. They should listen to the whole text carefully and then choose the answer. Similarly, they should not answer the question ‘too soon’, and perhaps jump to the wrong conclusion. Candidates can prepare for this part by listening to a range of short extracts of speech and concentrating on the main points of what they hear, as well as predicting the purpose of the text and the attitudes and opinions expressed.

CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

•

Students need exposure to a range of texts containing the type of language used between peers when discussing everyday topics of common interest.

•

In addition to what is directly stated, candidates should have practice in recognising the role of stress and intonation in supporting meaning.

•

Analysing spoken text to recognise how people agree and disagree will help students decide on ‘Both’ answers. People do not always say something as obvious as ‘Yes, that’s right’.

paper 4: listening

•

Activities which encourage students to express their opinions, and agree and disagree with others, such as debates, are very useful practice.

•

As candidates can write their answers on the question paper before transferring their answers to the mark sheet at the end of the test, it is good practice to write the letter of each speaker, as he or she expresses the opinion stated, on the question paper because it makes it easy to confirm whether both speakers agree or not.

•

Remind students to listen carefully to check whether the speakers agree, as this will give a ‘Both’ answer.

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paper 4: listening | sample paper

PAPER 4 | LISTENING

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CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

paper 4: listening | sample paper

EXAM PAPER| 4LEVEL | LISTENING | PAPER

SAMPLE PAPER

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paper 4: listening | sample paper

PAPER 4 | LISTENING

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CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

paper 4: listening | sample paper

EXAM PAPER| 4LEVEL | LISTENING | PAPER

SAMPLE PAPER

Tapescript This is the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English Listening test. I’m going to give you the instructions for this test. I’ll introduce each part of the test and give you time to look at the questions. At the start of each piece you’ll hear this sound:

with asking another adult permission to go about my basic business? Obviously, this attitude wasn’t one that was going to guarantee lifelong employment. — *** — Extract three. — *** —

— *** — Man:

You’ll hear each piece twice. Remember, while you’re listening, write your answers on the question paper. You’ll have 5 minutes at the end of the test to copy your answers onto the separate answer sheet. There’ll now be a pause. Please ask any questions now, because you must not speak during the test. Now open your question paper and look at Part 1. You’ll hear four different extracts. For questions 1–8, choose the answer (A, B, or C) which fits best according to what you hear. There are two questions for each extract. Extract one. — *** — Thank you. I’d like to say that there are all kinds of reasons why people may need to use their cars to get into the centre of Oxford and there are proposals currently about to be implemented by the city council which are actually going to make it virtually impossible for people in the east of the city, which is the majority of residents, to get into the city centre using their cars. And I know from knocking on countless doors, that many people, cyclists included, whom I’ve spoken to are desperately opposed to this idea. Now, I used to live just outside Canterbury, and there the city centre has been successfully pedestrianised – 25 years ago – because the road layout makes it possible to pedestrianise the heart of the city, whilst at the same time allowing people to get very near the city centre in their cars, or on public transport for that matter. And in some cities it’s possible, but in a city such as ours, the road layout makes it impossible to do that successfully. — *** — Extract two. — *** — I’ve been a self-employed journalist for 15 years. Before that, I started my working life in a publishing house. My immediate boss delighted in writing out letters in pencil and summoning me to type them out at the drop of a hat. I’m afraid my response was rather insubordinate and surly – if she had the time to write them out in long hand, why on earth didn’t the woman just type them out herself in the first place? I guess it was my first introduction to office politics and hierarchy, and I didn’t appreciate being put in my place. I’d never been one for petty bureaucracy. Having to get the green light to take an hour off work to go to the dentist or use the office phone to call my bank felt like an insult to my integrity and dignity. If I got the work done, chose to stay on late, why should I demean myself

I’m more than a little concerned that this museum intends to restore ‘The Warring Gods’ painting. Can you, number one, restore an unfinished painting? What does it mean to make an unfinished painting intelligible? Because that is apparently the avowed goal of the restorer. How do you make something that was never intelligible, intelligible, as it were? We’re dealing here with too many unknowns. And even if you wanted to do that, who’s it to be intelligible for?

Woman: Look, the whole ethics thing of being a restorer is that you do not put your personal views on to a painting. Everything is very professional – absolute quantifiable analysis along with academic research, including the participation of art historians. This whole idea that we restorers are the . . . kind of . . . janitors, running around with a bottle of cleaner taking off the original paint is just baloney. Anyway, a lot of what’s happened is that in the past there has been vast over-restoration through hundreds of years and often what a painting’s restorer does is to try and undo that work, not tamper with the original. — *** — Extract four. — *** — The first time you go skydiving you don’t jump alone. You’re attached to an instructor and he’ll deploy the parachute and ensure a safe landing. Time relentlessly ticks away; and it takes a good 20 minutes for the plane to reach jump height, and then you’re another 3 minutes falling – and that feels like an eternity. When the plane door opens, the wind rushes in. You waddle towards the door and it becomes a roar. With your toes over the edge, your head tells you this is absurd, and orders your body to walk back inside the plane. It’s unreal; the ground looks like a scale model directly below. Then you’re lying prostrate in the air with nothing around you, floating. Up and above, the plane’s disappearing as if someone’s pulling it up with a string, and the ground’s approaching, slowly then fast. After a few times, skydiving loses its initial thrill, but the camaraderie with the other jumpers and the marvellous feeling from floating above the earth remain. The view’s always intriguing as the perspective you get is so rare. — *** — That’s the end of Part 1. Now turn to Part 2.

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paper 4: listening | sample paper

PAPER 4 | LISTENING You’ll hear part of a lecture on soap and its role in society. For questions 9–17, complete the sentences with a word or short phrase. You now have 45 seconds in which to look at Part 2. — *** — Hello and welcome to Liverpool College. Liverpool is a very fitting place for this lecture on the social role of soap, for, as you probably know, the last bar of soap has just dropped off the production line at the nearby Morrison’s factory, signalling an end to 114 years of those little oblong blocks of fat mixed up with various kinds of detergent. But fear not, the mass-produced block is merely being discontinued in favour of liquid versions – shower gels, bodywashes and liquid soap in dispensers. The soap bar, you understand, has been deemed unhygienic. Liquid soap costs more, but no matter: soap is something on which we seem happy to spend, spend, spend. So how did we ever come to fall in love with soap? Over the past 100 years, soap has reflected the development of consumer culture. Some of the earliest brand names were given to soap, and it was one of the first mass-produced goods to be machine cut into standard size and packaged. This was revolutionary stuff, the customer was reassured of quality and quantity, and there was no need for the messy business of the grocer lopping off a slice of soap with a cheese wire. Thus, mass-production set up a direct relationship between manufacturer and consumer, bypassing the grocer. Soap is in some ways the ultimate demonstration of consumer capitalism. But the supremacy of soap is not as rational as we might believe. Soap has more to do with the imagination than with the health of our bodies. It’s a widely held misconception that soap is good for us; in fact, it does little, if anything, for global health. Yes, the rise in the use of soap has coincided with improving life expectancy, a fact that some soap producers have been keen to point out, but that has been due to the availability of clean water and effective sewerage rather than anything to do with soap. So what is soap all to do with then? Well, we now have a cultural obsession with smelling nice. For something to be clean, it has to smell clean. The concept of cleanliness as a smell started with soap – one bar was once used to wash everything from furniture to clothes and bodies. As soap has multiplied into dozens of specific cleaning products, from shampoo to fabric softener, so have the smells. Some have developed particular associations: after lemon became a staple of household cleaners, lemon soaps went out of fashion. Every corner of the well-kept house offers a symphony of elaborately constructed smells, all purporting to be natural. Producers know this sells and are anxious to claim it in their advertising. In fact, the smells are more often complex synthetic imitations owing everything to the art of industrial chemists. Tastes in soap have fragmented into different markets. There’s been a move from utility to pampering yourself. Basically, soap is a cheap treat. The fragrance has shifted from strong florals to food smells, such as fruits, which are understood in the business as reassuring, reminding the consumer of their childhood. Presently, there’s a move towards watery fragrances – smells such as you get at the seaside or in melons or cucumbers. And herbal fragrances are my prediction as the next big thing. Another very significant development has been prompted by the

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dramatic expansion of the male cosmetics market. This has entailed a shift from the marketing people who are now refocusing on hygiene in the original sense of the word – a sense of wellbeing of mind and body. The soap is sold around the idea that it is physically and emotionally therapeutic. There is no sign of packaging and it is sold in bars. Manufacturers have targeted new outlets such as sports shops, and I note with interest that soap is now not only once again being sold in health food shops, but is also made on the premises. Truly the wheel has come full circle . . . [fade] Now you’ll hear Part 2 again. — *** — That’s the end of Part 2. Now turn to Part 3. You’ll hear an interview with Jerry Davison, the owner of a chain of mobile phone shops called Mobile Madness. For questions 18–22, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best according to what you hear. You now have 1 minute in which to look at Part 3. — *** — Int:

In the 12 years since opening his first shop selling mobile phones, Jerry Davison has turned Mobile Madness into a major retail chain, and he’s probably one of the most successful young entrepreneurs in Britain today. Jerry, welcome to the programme.

JD:

Thank you.

Int:

Is it true that you started your first business venture at school?

JD:

That’s right. I sold fancy goods, like sunglasses and pens, which I bought in bulk through a small ad. It didn’t cost much to get going: I bought a small stock, and sold it for double, so from then on the whole thing was self-financing. School wasn’t the ideal marketplace, of course, being restricted in size, and mostly short of the readies, at that. I soon realised that selling wasn’t my forte, though, so I hired a schoolmate with the gift of the gab to do it. After that, everything just seemed to fall into place. He could sell sunglasses when it was pouring with rain.

Int:

Did you set up Mobile Madness when you left school?

JD:

No, first I got a job with an electrical retailer, who put me onto selling mobile phones. Remember this was in the really early days. I soon realised that this was the best thing that had ever happened to me. The market for mobiles was just taking off, demand was outstripping supply.

Int:

So more a case of allocating than selling, then.

JD:

Exactly. But even though the company was turning more and more floor space over to mobiles, after a while I just knew I wasn’t getting anywhere. I had a handful of good contacts in the industry and boundless energy. Plus I could scrape together just enough savings to open a shop. So I asked another old schoolmate to help me set up Mobile Madness, and we never looked back. I’d consulted my parents, who were always supportive and helped me

paper 4: listening | sample paper

EXAM PAPER| 4LEVEL | LISTENING | PAPER financially after the launch, when money was tight. I’m very conscious of the debt I owe them. Int: JD:

Why do you think Mobile Madness has been so much more successful than its competitors? The mobile phone market has boggled consumers with its complexity for years: different networks, changing technology. I decided at the outset that we’d differentiate ourselves by providing retailing consultancy. We have quite a lot of staff in every shop, to minimise queueing, but we make sure they’re well-briefed, so that they can help customers through the maze of products and prices. And we’re independent of the manufacturers. We aim to sell people the cheapest product that will actually meet their requirements. But price alone isn’t the decisive factor: every retailer gives special offers these days.

SAMPLE PAPER

Tanja:

But little snippets of detail about their hair, clothes, or just a gesture were embedded throughout. Then you just had to add a dash of imagination and you were there.

Steve:

. . . and if I can’t get an inkling of what they look like – they’re just blobs on a page. They were very two‑dimensional. And she keeps repeating stuff about the characters that she’s already told you – you know like Larry was 31, or Larry was married to Donna. It’s only reinforcing information which still doesn’t help you get to know Larry any better. You’re still seeing him through a glass. There’s not enough description, but I suppose the book is redeemed by the narrative.

Tanja:

A cliff-hanger at the end of every chapter – kept me going, I must admit. But one of the problems I had was I wasn’t sure whether I liked Larry or not.

Int:

Things haven’t always gone smoothly, though. You came in for quite a lot of flak when you sacked your Public Relations Officer after just six months, didn’t you?

Steve:

Well, Larry’s an oddball – certainly – and not very convincing. All that stuff about going to flower arranging classes – and Beth is weird too.

JD:

That left quite a nasty taste. She seemed ideal at first, and couldn’t be faulted on her rapport with the media, as I found to my cost. I was very hurt that she went to the press about it after what I thought was an amicable agreement to part, saying that we clashed too often. But the bottom line is that in business you’re judged by results, and she just wasn’t up to it.

Tanja:

I wondered whether it would have been different if she’d made the main character a woman. Maybe there is a kind of gulf anyway if you’re a woman writing about a man. I know when the book came out she was questioned about why she’d made the main character a man.

Steve:

But there are hundreds of writers who can write about the opposite sex without it jarring – or write about things they haven’t experienced personally, come to that. I think the fact that we are discussing this is because he seems unreal and distant, not because she’s a woman writer.

Tanja:

But perhaps that’s also a result of how the book is organised, you know with chapter headings and so on. It seemed to match Larry’s obsession with mazes and there’s something rather pleasing about its symmetry.

Steve:

Contrived and self-conscious in my view – people’s lives hardly divide up into chapters like that and somehow it meant that the story didn’t flow, it just jumped from one rigid section to another. It was like those old silent films with titles introducing each bit.

Tanja:

Oh, come on – in fairness, within that, she has a lovely style.

Steve:

Mmm . . . I suppose that’s why I carried on reading it – and there were bits which were interesting, but then these odd staccato jumps – it may have had something to do with the way she kept writing in the present tense. And I thought the ending was silly. You’ve waited all this time for the party, and it’s not really important. It’s as if she had thought of the last chapter first, and then sat down and wrote all the chapters up to that point.

Tanja:

And I think that’s quite a common failing in novels these days. Overall, I quite enjoyed it – but not as much as I thought I would. That’s often a problem – after a writer’s brilliant debut, their next attempt can be a let down, can’t it?

Steve:

There was certainly a lot of hype for that one.

Int:

And finally, Jerry, can you see yourself selling the company and getting out?

JD:

I wouldn’t entirely rule it out, in some hazy future. In the meantime, there’s work to be done. We’ve taken over several firms recently, and now we have to focus on integrating them. The way I see it panning out, developments in the technology will mean that to keep up, we need to keep on our toes with our product range, or we’re finished.

Int:

Jerry Davison, thank you very much.

JD:

Thank you.

Now you’ll hear Part 3 again. — *** — That’s the end of Part 3. Now turn to Part 4. You’ll hear part of a discussion in which two friends, Tanja and Steve, are discussing a book they have each read recently. For questions 23–28, decide whether the opinions are expressed by only one of the speakers, or whether the speakers agree. Write T for Tanja, S for Steve, or B for both, where they agree. You now have 30 seconds in which to look at Part 4. — *** — Tanja:

So, Steve, what did you think of Anna Wilson’s latest novel? I was quite struck . . .

Steve:

Really? Oh, Tanja! I’m afraid it just struck me as empty – you know, not fleshed out. I can’t get to grips with the characters at all.

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paper 4: listening | sample paper

PAPER 4 | LISTENING Tanja:

And for this one too. But that’s what the publisher has to do to get a book talked about.

Steve:

Yes, the blurb on the cover made it sound incredible, so I decided to save it for a long train journey and so I was really looking forward to it, but it was like ordering a meal and thinking it will be lovely and then the food arrives and it isn’t really what you thought it would be.

Tanja:

That reminds me of when I last went . . . [fade]

Now you’ll hear Part 4 again. — *** — That’s the end of Part 4. There’ll now be a pause of 5 minutes for you to copy your answers onto the separate answer sheet. Be sure to follow the numbering of all the questions. I’ll remind you when there is 1 minute left, so that you’re sure to finish in time. You have one more minute left. That’s the end of the test. Please stop now. Your supervisor will now collect all the question papers and answer sheets.

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paper 4: listening | answer key

EXAM PAPER| 4LEVEL | LISTENING | PAPER

SAMPLE PAPER

Answer key Q

Part 1

Q

Part 2

Q

Part 3

Q

Part 4

1

B

9

FAT(S)

18

C

23

B

2

A

10

(BRAND) NAMES

19

A

24

S

3

A

11

CHEESE

20

D

25

T

4

C

12

B

26

B

C

LIFE (EXPECTANCY) / LIVES

21

5

22

A

27

T

6

A

28

S

7

C

8

A

13

FURNITURE

14

NATURAL

15

HERBAL

16

MIND AND BODY

17

(ANY SIGN OF) PACKAGING / WRAPPING

In Part 2, bracketed words do not have to appear in the answer.

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paper 4: listening | candidate answer sheet

PAPER 4 | LISTENING

Candidate answer sheet

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Paper 5 Speaking General description PAPER FORMAT TIMING NO. OF PARTS INTERACTION PATTERN

TASK TYPES

MARKS

The Speaking test contains three parts. 19 minutes. 3. Two candidates and two examiners. One examiner acts as both interlocutor and assessor and manages the interaction either by asking questions or setting up the tasks for candidates. The other acts as assessor and does not join in the conversation. Short exchanges with the examiner and with the other candidate; a collaborative task involving both candidates; a 2 minute long turn and follow-up discussion. Candidates are assessed on their performance throughout the test.

Structure and tasks Part 1 TASK TYPE AND FORMAT FOCUS TIMING

Conversation between the interlocutor and each candidate (spoken questions). General interactional and social language. 3 minutes.

Part 2 TASK TYPE A two-way conversation between the candidates. AND FORMAT The candidates are given instructions with written and visual stimuli, which are used in a decision-making task. FOCUS Sustaining an interaction; exchanging ideas, expressing and justifying opinions, agreeing and/or disagreeing, suggesting, speculating, evaluating, reaching a decision through negotiation, etc. TIMING 4 minutes.

Part 3 TASK TYPE An individual ‘long turn’ from each candidate AND FORMAT followed by a discussion on topics related to the long turns. Each candidate in turn is given a written question to respond to. The interlocutor leads a discussion to explore further the topics of the long turns. FOCUS Organising a larger unit of discourse, expressing and justifying opinions, developing topics. TIMING 12 minutes (2-minute long turn for each candidate and approximately 8 minutes following the long turns).

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The three parts of the Speaking test Format

1 minute to talk about this. After this, the interlocutor gives the candidates spoken instructions for a decision-making task. Candidates are expected to work together towards a negotiated completion of the task and are assessed on their speaking skills while doing this; there is no right or wrong answer to the task.

The paired format of the Speaking test (two examiners and two candidates) offers candidates the opportunity to demonstrate in a controlled but friendly environment, their ability to use their spoken language skills effectively in a range of contexts. The test takes 19 minutes. One examiner, the interlocutor, conducts the test and gives a global assessment of each candidate’s performance. The other, the assessor, does not take any part in the interaction but focuses solely on listening to, and making an assessment of, each candidate’s oral proficiency.

The task gives candidates the opportunity to show their range of language (speculating, evaluating, comparing, giving opinions, eliciting, negotiating, etc.) and their ability to manage a discussion.

At the end of the Speaking test, candidates are thanked for attending, but are given no indication of the level of their achievement.

In this part of the test, each candidate is given the opportunity to speak for 2 minutes without interruption. Each candidate in turn is given a card with a question on it, and there are also some ideas on the card which the candidates can make use of if they choose.

The standard format is two examiners and two candidates. In cases where there is an uneven number of candidates at a centre, the last Speaking test of the session will be taken by three candidates together instead of two. The test format, test materials and procedure will remain unchanged but the timing will be longer: 28 minutes instead of 19. The Speaking test consists of three parts, each of which is assessed. Each part of the test focuses on a different type of interaction: between the interlocutor and each candidate, between the two candidates, and among all three. The patterns of discourse vary within each part of the test.

PART 1 Interview This part tests the candidates’ ability to provide information about themselves and to offer their personal opinions on a range of topics.

‡‡Sample tasks and assessment criteria: pages 65 and 69. This part of the test gives candidates the opportunity to show their ability to use general interactional and social language. The interlocutor asks each candidate a series of questions by addressing one question to each candidate in turn. The questions begin by asking candidates for general information about themselves and move on to more open questions requiring speculation or an opinion. The candidates do not need to talk to each other in this part of the test, though they may if they wish.

PART 2 Collaborative task This part tests the candidates’ ability to engage in a discussion and to work towards a negotiated outcome of the task set.

‡‡Sample tasks and assessment criteria: pages 65–66 and 69.

The candidates are given spoken instructions and are provided with a visual stimulus (one or several photographs/artwork/computer graphics, etc.) to form the basis for a task which they carry out together. First, the candidates are asked a question which focuses on their reaction to aspects of one or more pictures, and they are given

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PART 3 Long turn + discussion This part tests the candidates’ ability to develop and sustain discourse, and to engage in discussion on the topics of the long turns.

‡‡Sample tasks and assessment criteria: pages 67 and 69.

Candidates need to pay attention while their partner is speaking as they are asked to comment (for about 1 minute) after their partner has spoken; a further question on the same topic is then directed to both candidates. Candidates should be aware that they must not speak during their partner’s long turn. In this part, candidates need to be able to organise their thoughts and ideas, and express themselves coherently in appropriate language in the given time. Following both candidates’ long turns and follow-up questions, the interlocutor leads a discussion which further explores the topics of the long turns.

paper 5: speaking

Preparation

PART 2 •

Teach your students to listen carefully to the instructions and to carry them out. Students should be aware that their response to the first 1 minute focus question that accompanies the visuals sheet needs to go beyond the level of pure description and contain a speculative element.

•

Train your students to take notice of the title on the visuals sheet. First of all, it is very useful in helping them remember the examiner’s instructions. Secondly, information given in the title about the context or audience (e.g. Library exhibition) will help students to keep their discussion focused, and to ensure that the outcome is appropriate.

•

It is very important that the students interact with each other in this task. All classroom discussion in pairs and small groups provides excellent preparation. Students should know how to make positive contributions to move a discussion forward, and show a willingness to take turns, inviting others to speak, listening and responding, as well as initiating discussion themselves.

•

Encourage students to be good listeners. They should be able to pick up on their partner’s points.

•

Set up classroom activities that allow students to express their reactions to and opinions about pictures.

•

Encourage students to discuss the messages portrayed in visuals. Choose two or three thematically linked pictures from your coursebook, or cut them out of a magazine (or get students to bring some into class); ask students to talk about the aspects of the theme that the pictures illustrate.

•

Equip students with the functional language needed to manage a discussion, i.e. how to move forward, re-direct if necessary, manage the conclusion, etc.

General •

Classroom activities which involve students working in pairs and small groups will give them practice in skills such as sensitivity to turn-taking and responding appropriately to their partners, which are essential to success in the Speaking test.

•

Ensure students have the opportunity to work with different partners in the class.

•

Make sure your students are familiar with the format of each part of the test. They should be aware of the interaction patterns (in Part 1 they speak mainly to the interlocutor, in Part 2 to each other, and in Part 3 to each other and the interlocutor).

•

It is helpful for the students to know the timings for each part.

•

Encourage your students to speak clearly and audibly so that they can be heard by both the interlocutor and assessor, and to paraphrase when they do not know or cannot remember a word.

•

Train your students to listen carefully to the instructions so that they know precisely what they have to talk about.

•

In order to make a fair and accurate assessment of candidates’ performance, the examiners must be given a reasonable amount of language to assess. Remind students it is their responsibility to give a good account of themselves.

•

Remind students that they can ask for clarification of instructions before they begin a task.

•

In some centres, candidates from the same school are paired together. However, where candidates from a number of different schools are entered at the same centre, some candidates may find that they are paired with a candidate from another school. Students should check with the centre through which they are entering for the local procedure.

PART 3 •

Remind students they can allow themselves up to 10 seconds before they need to speak. Some students find it helpful to read the question out loud as a way of getting started.

•

Brainstorming activities in class will give students practice in getting ideas quickly.

•

After the question on the card, there are three bulleted points; these are ideas which support the question. Remind students that they do not need to use these points if they don’t want to. As a classroom activity, remove the bullet points. This focuses the students’ attention on the main question.

•

Encourage students to focus on structuring extended contributions, for example by using linking, counter-argument and summing up.

•

In order to give students practice in getting the feel of how long 2 minutes is, put students in pairs – one as a speaker and one as a time-keeper.

•

In the discussion that follows the long turns, the interlocutor will ask questions addressed to both candidates. He/she might not use the candidates’ names so students must be prepared to take it in turns to be the initial responder and the one who reacts to that response. In class, make sure paired students get practice

By part PART 1 •

Examiners will ask candidates three questions each about their everyday life, work experience, interests, travel, etc. Candidates will also have the opportunity to express what they think in some of their answers.

•

Encourage students to respond promptly to the questions. Discourage students from preparing rehearsed speeches, however, as these answers are likely to be overlong, unnatural and inappropriate.

•

Give students practice with a variety of questions; some which require general information about themselves and which can be answered quite briefly and others which demand a more extended response.

•

Encourage students to socialise with others in an English speaking environment.

•

In class, students can practise interviewing each other using questions similar to those in the sample task on page 65.

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paper 5: speaking

in being both the first speaker to react to a question, and the second. •

Remind your students that this is not a test of knowledge. It is quite acceptable to admit to not knowing much about a particular topic, but this should be followed by some sort of opinion in order to provide a large enough sample of language for assessment.

•

After your students have both done their long turns, read them the rubric that introduces the discussion phase (‘Now, to finish the test, we’re going to talk about … in general’). Ask pairs of students to write five or six discussion questions on the topic. These sets can be exchanged within the class and discussed.

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paper 5: speaking | sample paper

EXAM PROFICIENCY PAPER| 5|LEVEL PAPER | SPEAKING | 1PAPER | READING

SAMPLE SAMPLEPAPER PAPER

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paper 5: speaking | sample paper

1

SAMPLE PAPER EXAM PROFICIENCY PAPER| 5|LEVEL PAPER | SPEAKING | 1PAPER | READING

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CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

SAMPLE PAPER

paper 5: speaking | sample paper

EXAM PROFICIENCY PAPER| 5|LEVEL PAPER | SPEAKING | 1PAPER | READING

SAMPLE SAMPLEPAPER PAPER

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paper 5: speaking | assessment

Assessment of Speaking Examiners and marking The quality assurance of Speaking Examiners (SEs) is managed by Team Leaders (TLs). TLs ensure all examiners successfully complete examiner training and regular certification of procedure and assessment before they examine. TLs are in turn responsible to a Professional Support Leader (PSL) who is the professional representative of Cambridge ESOL for the Speaking tests in a given country or region. Annual examiner certification involves attendance at a face to face meeting to focus on and discuss assessment and procedure, followed by the marking of sample speaking tests in an online environment. Examiners must complete standardisation of assessment for all relevant levels each year and are regularly monitored during live testing sessions.

Assessment scales Throughout the test candidates are assessed on their own individual performance and not in relation to each other. They are awarded marks by two examiners; the assessor and the interlocutor. The assessor awards marks by applying performance descriptors from the analytical assessment scales for the following criteria: • • • • •

Grammatical Resource Lexical Resource Discourse Management Pronunciation Interactive Communication

The interlocutor awards a mark for global achievement using the global achievement scale. Assessment for Cambridge English: Proficiency is based on performance across all parts of the test, and is achieved by applying the relevant descriptors in the assessment scales. The assessment scales for Cambridge English: Proficiency (shown on page 69) are extracted from the overall Speaking scales on page 70.

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paper 5: speaking | assessment

Cambridge English: Proficiency Speaking Examiners use a more detailed version of the following assessment scales, extracted from the overall Speaking scales on page 70.

C2

Grammatical Resource

Lexical Resource

Discourse Management

Pronunciation

5

Maintains control of a wide range of grammatical forms and uses them with flexibility.

Uses a wide range of appropriate vocabulary with flexibility to give and exchange views on unfamiliar and abstract topics.

Produces extended stretches of language with flexibility and ease and very little hesitation.

Is intelligible.

Contributions are relevant, coherent, varied and detailed. Makes full and effective use of a wide range of cohesive devices and discourse markers.

Interacts with ease by Phonological features are skilfully interweaving his/ used effectively to convey her contributions into the conversation. and enhance meaning. Widens the scope of the interaction and develops it fully and effectively towards a negotiated outcome.

Performance shares features of Bands 3 and 5.

4 3

Interactive Communication

Maintains control of a wide range of grammatical forms.

Uses a range of appropriate vocabulary with flexibility to give and exchange views on unfamiliar and abstract topics.

Produces extended stretches of language with ease and with very little hesitation.

Is intelligible.

Contributions are relevant, coherent and varied.

Individual sounds are articulated clearly.

Intonation is appropriate. Sentence and word stress is accurately placed.

Interacts with ease, linking contributions to those of other speakers. Widens the scope of the interaction and negotiates towards an outcome.

Uses a wide range of cohesive devices and discourse markers. Performance shares features of Bands 1 and 3.

2 1

Shows a good degree of control of a range of simple and some complex grammatical forms.

Uses a limited range of appropriate vocabulary to give and exchange views on familiar and unfamiliar topics.

Produces extended stretches of language with very little hesitation.

5

Intonation is generally appropriate.

Contributions are relevant Sentence and word stress and there is a clear is generally accurately organisation of ideas. placed. Uses a range of cohesive Individual sounds are devices and discourse generally articulated markers. clearly.

Initiates and responds appropriately, linking contributions to those of other speakers. Maintains and develops the interaction and negotiates towards an outcome.

Performance below Band 1.

0

C2

Is intelligible.

Global Achievement Handles communication on all topics, including unfamiliar and abstract ones, with very little hesitation. Uses accurate and appropriate linguistic resources with flexibility to express complex ideas and concepts and produce extended and coherent discourse.

4 3

Performance shares features of Bands 3 and 5. Handles communication on a wide range of topics, including unfamiliar and abstract ones, with very little hesitation. Uses accurate and appropriate linguistic resources to express complex ideas and concepts and produce extended and coherent discourse.

2

Performance shares features of Bands 1 and 3.

1

Handles communication on a range of familiar and unfamiliar topics, with very little hesitation. Uses accurate and appropriate linguistic resources to express ideas and produce extended discourse that is generally coherent.

0

Performance below Band 1.

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• Uses a wide range of appropriate vocabulary with flexibility to give and exchange views on unfamiliar and abstract topics.

• Uses a wide range of appropriate vocabulary to give and exchange views on unfamiliar and abstract topics.

• Uses a range of appropriate vocabulary to give and exchange views on familiar and unfamiliar topics.

• Maintains control of a wide range of grammatical forms and uses them with flexibility.

• Maintains control of a wide range of grammatical forms.

• Shows a good degree of control of a range of simple and some complex grammatical forms.

C2

C1

• Sentence and word stress is accurately placed. • Individual sounds are articulated clearly.

• Uses a wide range of cohesive devices and discourse markers.

A1

A2

• Requires additional prompting and support.

• Has considerable difficulty maintaining simple exchanges.

• Has very limited control of phonological features and is often unintelligible.

• Shows only limited control of a few grammatical forms.

• Uses a vocabulary of isolated words and phrases.

• Requires prompting and support.

• Is mostly intelligible, despite limited control of phonological features.

• Maintains simple exchanges, despite some difficulty.

• Keeps the interaction going with very little prompting and support.

• Initiates and responds appropriately.

• Uses appropriate vocabulary to talk about everyday situations.

• Uses basic cohesive devices.

• Contributions are mostly relevant, but there may be some repetition.

• Is mostly intelligible, and has some control of phonological features at both utterance and word levels.

• Individual sounds are generally articulated clearly.

• Shows sufficient control of simple grammatical forms.

• Uses a range of appropriate vocabulary when talking about familiar topics.

• Shows a good degree of control of simple grammatical • Produces responses which are extended forms. beyond short phrases, despite hesitation.

B1

• Maintains and develops the interaction and negotiates towards an outcome with very little support.

• Sentence and word stress is generally accurately placed.

• Intonation is generally appropriate.

• Maintains and develops the interaction and negotiates towards an outcome.

• Initiates and responds appropriately.

• Individual sounds are articulated clearly.

• Uses a range of cohesive devices and discourse markers.

• Initiates and responds appropriately, linking contributions to those of other speakers.

• Widens the scope of the interaction and negotiates towards an outcome.

• Interacts with ease, linking contributions to those of other speakers.

• Widens the scope of the interaction and develops it fully and effectively towards a negotiated outcome.

• Is intelligible.

• Sentence and word stress is accurately placed.

• Contributions are relevant and there is a clear organisation of ideas.

• Shows a good degree of control of simple grammatical • Produces extended stretches of language despite some hesitation. forms, and attempts some complex grammatical forms. • Contributions are relevant and there is very little repetition. • Uses appropriate vocabulary to give and exchange views, on a range of familiar topics. • Uses a range of cohesive devices.

• Intonation is appropriate.

• Produces extended stretches of language with very little hesitation.

• Is intelligible.

• Intonation is appropriate.

• Contributions are relevant, coherent and varied.

• Is intelligible.

• Produces extended stretches of language with ease and with very little hesitation.

• Makes full and effective use of a wide range of cohesive devices and discourse markers.

• Contributions are relevant, coherent, varied and detailed.

• Interacts with ease by skilfully interweaving his/her contributions into the conversation.

• Is intelligible.

• Produces extended stretches of language with flexibility and ease and very little hesitation. • Phonological features are used effectively to convey and enhance meaning.

Interactive Communication

Pronunciation

Discourse Management

B2

Grammar and Vocabulary

Lexical Resource

Grammatical Resource

paper 5: speaking | assessment

Overall Speaking scales

paper 5: speaking | glossary of terms

Cambridge ESOL Speaking assessment

2. GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY (cont.) Grammatical forms

Complex grammatical forms: longer and more complex utterances, e.g. noun clauses, relative and adverb clauses, subordination, passive forms, infinitives, verb patterns, modal forms and tense contrasts.

Glossary of terms 1. GENERAL Conveying basic meaning

Conveying basic meaning: the ability of candidates to get their message across to their listeners, despite possible inaccuracies in the structure and/or delivery of the message.

Situations and topics

Everyday situations: situations that candidates come across in their everyday lives, e.g. having a meal, asking for information, shopping, going out with friends or family, travelling to school or work, taking part in leisure activities. A Cambridge English: Key (KET) task that requires candidates to exchange details about a store’s opening hours exemplifies an everyday situation.

Range

Coherence and cohesion

Cohesive devices: words or phrases which indicate relationships between utterances, e.g. addition (and, in addition, moreover); consequence (so, therefore, as a result); order of information (first, second, next, finally). At higher levels, candidates should be able to provide cohesion not just with basic cohesive devices (e.g. and, but, or, then, finally) but also with more sophisticated devices (e.g. therefore, moreover, as a result, in addition, however, on the other hand).

Abstract topics: topics which include ideas rather than concrete situations or events. Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) tasks that require candidates to discuss how far the development of our civilisation has been affected by chance discoveries or events, or the impact of writing on society, exemplify abstract topics.

Appropriacy of vocabulary

Related vocabulary: the use of several items from the same lexical set, e.g. train, station, platform, carriage; or study, learn, revise. Grammatical devices: essentially the use of reference pronouns (e.g. it, this, one) and articles (e.g. There are two women in the picture. The one on the right …).

Utterance: people generally write in sentences and they speak in utterances. An utterance may be as short as a word or phrase, or a longer stretch of language.

Appropriacy of vocabulary: the use of words and phrases that fit the context of the given task. For example, in the utterance I’m very sensible to noise, the word sensible is inappropriate as the word should be sensitive. Another example would be Today’s big snow makes getting around the city difficult. The phrase getting around is well suited to this situation. However, big snow is inappropriate as big and snow are not used together. Heavy snow would be appropriate.

Flexibility

Flexibility: the ability of candidates to adapt the language they use in order to give emphasis, to differentiate according to the context, and to eliminate ambiguity. Examples of this would be reformulating and paraphrasing ideas.

Grammatical control

Grammatical control: the ability to consistently use grammar accurately and appropriately to convey intended meaning.

Coherence and cohesion are difficult to separate in discourse. Broadly speaking, coherence refers to a clear and logical stretch of speech which can be easily followed by a listener. Cohesion refers to a stretch of speech which is unified and structurally organised. Coherence and cohesion can be achieved in a variety of ways, including with the use of cohesive devices, related vocabulary, grammar and discourse markers.

Unfamiliar topics: topics which candidates would not be expected to have much personal experience of. Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) tasks that require candidates to speculate about whether people in the world today only care about themselves, or the kinds of problems that having a lot of money can cause, exemplify unfamiliar topics.

2. GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY (cont.)

Range: the variety of words and grammatical forms a candidate uses. At higher levels, candidates will make increasing use of a greater variety of words, fixed phrases, collocations and grammatical forms.

3. DISCOURSE MANAGEMENT

Familiar topics: topics about which candidates can be expected to have some knowledge or personal experience. Cambridge English: First (FCE) tasks that require candidates to talk about what people like to do on holiday, or what it is like to do different jobs, exemplify familiar topics.

Utterance

Simple grammatical forms: words, phrases, basic tenses and simple clauses.

Discourse markers: words or phrases which are primarily used in spoken language to add meaning to the interaction, e.g. you know, you see, actually, basically, I mean, well, anyway, like. Extent/extended Extent/extended stretches of language: the amount of language stretches of produced by a candidate which should be appropriate to the task. language Long turn tasks require longer stretches of language, whereas tasks which involve discussion or answering questions could require shorter and extended responses. Relevance

Relevance: a contribution that is related to the task and not about something completely different.

Repetition

Repetition: repeating the same idea instead of introducing new ideas to develop the topic.

Where language specifications are provided at lower levels (as in Cambridge English: Key (KET) and Cambridge English: Preliminary (PET)), candidates may have control of only the simplest exponents of the listed forms. Attempts at control: sporadic and inconsistent use of accurate and appropriate grammatical forms. For example, the inconsistent use of one form in terms of structure or meaning, the production of one part of a complex form incorrectly or the use of some complex forms correctly and some incorrectly. Spoken language often involves false starts, incomplete utterances, ellipsis and reformulation. Where communication is achieved, such features are not penalised. CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

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paper 5: speaking | glossary of terms

4. PRONUNCIATION Intelligible

Intelligible: a contribution which can generally be understood by a non-EFL/ESOL specialist, even if the speaker has a strong or unfamiliar accent.

Phonological features

Phonological features include the pronunciation of individual sounds, word and sentence stress and intonation. Individual sounds are: • Pronounced vowels, e.g. the // in cat or the // in bed • Diphthongs, when two vowels are rolled together to produce one sound, e.g. the // in host or the // in hate • Consonants, e.g. the // in cut or the // in fish. Stress: the emphasis laid on a syllable or word. Words of two or more syllables have one syllable which stands out from the rest because it is pronounced more loudly and clearly, and is longer than the others, e.g. imPORtant. Word stress can also distinguish between words, e.g. proTEST vs PROtest. In sentences, stress can be used to indicate important meaning, e.g. WHY is that one important? versus Why is THAT one important? Intonation: The way the voice rises and falls, e.g. to convey the speaker’s mood, to support meaning or to indicate new information.

5. INTERACTIVE COMMUNICATION Development of the interaction

Development of the interaction: actively developing the conversation, e.g. by saying more than the minimum in response to the written or visual stimulus, or to something the other candidate/ interlocutor has said, or by proactively involving the other candidate with a suggestion or question about further developing the topic (e.g. What about bringing a camera for the holiday? or Why’s that?).

Initiating and Responding

Initiating: starting a new turn by introducing a new idea or a new development of the current topic. Responding: replying or reacting to what the other candidate or the interlocutor has said.

Prompting and Supporting

Prompting: instances when the interlocutor repeats, or uses a backup prompt or gesture in order to get the candidate to respond or make a further contribution. Supporting: instances when one candidate helps another candidate, e.g. by providing a word they are looking for during a discussion activity, or helping them develop an idea.

Turn and Simple exchange

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Turn: everything a person says before someone else speaks. Simple exchange: a brief interaction which typically involves two turns in the form of an initiation and a response, e.g. questionanswer, suggestion-agreement.

CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PROFICIENCY handbook for teachers

cambridge english: proficiency glossary

Cambridge English: Proficiency glossary Affixation

adding prefixes or suffixes to a base word to make it fit a particular context.

Answer Sheet

the form on which candidates record their responses.

Assessor

the Speaking test examiner who assigns a score to a candidate’s performance, using analytical criteria to do so.

Multiple Matching

a task in which a number of questions or sentence completion items, generally based on a reading text, are set. The responses are provided in the form of a bank of words or phrases, each of which can be used an unlimited number of times.

Neutral Style

a writing style with no specific features of formality or informality.

Options

the individual words in the set of possible answers for a multiplechoice item.

Paraphrase

to give the meaning of something using different words.

Phrasal Verb

a verb which takes on a new meaning when followed by a certain preposition or adverb (e.g. ‘get away’, ‘take up’).

Pretesting

a stage in the development of test materials at which items are tried out with representative samples from the target population in order to determine their difficulty.

Productive Task

a task which provides candidates with a stimulus to which the response is a piece of written or spoken language. As well as the Writing and Speaking tasks, productive tasks are found in Cambridge English: Proficiency Paper 3 and in Parts 2 and 4 of Paper 4.

Referencing

the technique of using ‘referents’.

Referent

a word or term that refers to another person, place, etc.

Cloze Test

a type of gap-filling task in which whole words have been removed from a text and which candidates must replace.

Coherence

language which is coherent is well planned and clear, and all the parts or ideas fit well so that they form a united whole.

Collaborative Task

the opportunity in the Speaking test for the candidates to engage in a discussion and work together towards a negotiated outcome of the task set.

Collocation

this term describes the likelihood of two words going together, e.g. a good job, a wonderful occasion.

Comprehension Questions

short questions testing information selection, linking and sentence construction.

Content Points

the points contained in the Cambridge English: Proficiency Paper 2 Part 1 compulsory question, which must be included in the response.

Register

the tone of a piece of writing. The register should be appropriate for the task and target reader, e.g. a letter of application is written in formal register.

Discourse

written or spoken communication.

techniques used in a text to achieve a particular effect.

Discrete Sentences

sentences not connected by context or meaning.

Rhetorical/ Stylistic Devices Rubrics

Distractor

each incorrect option in a multiple-choice item.

the instructions to an examination question which tell the candidate what to do when answering the question.

Gap-Filling Item

any type of item which requires the candidate to insert some written material – letters, numbers, single words, phrases, sentences or paragraphs – into spaces in the text. The response may be supplied by the candidate or selected from a set of options.

Sentence Transformations

a task where a lead-in sentence is followed by a prompt and a gapped sentence, which must be completed.

Stem Word

the word at the end of each line in Cambridge English: Proficiency Paper 3. Part 2 which is the basis for the word that has to be formed.

Gapped Sentence

a task in Cambridge English: Proficiency Paper 3 Part 3 where questions are made up of three gapped sentences, with the gapped word being common to all three sentences.

Style

a property of a text which may be neutral, formal, informal, etc.

Summary Task

a task which requires candidates to summarise in a specific number of words information from two texts.

Gist

the central theme or meaning of the text.

Target Reader

Impeding Error

an error which prevents the reader from understanding the word or phrase.

the intended recipient of a piece of writing. It is important to ensure that the effect of a written task on a target reader is a positive one.

Input Material

the text and notes, sometimes supported by illustrations or diagrams, which candidates have to base their answers on in the Cambridge English: Proficiency Paper 2 questions.

Transactional Letter

a letter written in response to a request for action or to initiate action, i.e. the letter will trigger some outcome or result, usually in the form of further communication. A letter of complaint is transactional, a letter giving advice is not.

Interlocutor

the Speaking test examiner who conducts the test and makes a global assessment of each candidate’s performance.

Trialling

Item

each testing point in a test which is given a separate mark or marks, e.g. Cambridge English: Proficiency Paper 1, Part 1 has 18 items.

a stage in the development of test materials at which tasks for the Writing or Speaking papers are tried out with representative samples of students to determine their suitability as test materials and whether they work as expected.

Key

the correct answer to an item.

Lexical

adjective from lexis, meaning to do with vocabulary.

Long Turn

the opportunity in the Speaking test for a candidate to talk uninterrupted for a period of time, enabling them to produce an extended piece of discourse.

Lozenge Multiple Choice

the space on the answer sheet which candidates must fill in to indicate their answer to a multiple-choice question.

Acronyms ALTE

The Association of Language Testers in Europe.

CEFR

Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

EFL

English as a Foreign Language.

ESOL

English for Speakers of Other Languages.

UCLES

University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate.

a task where candidates are given a set of several possible answers of which only one is correct.

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*3759979245*

Cambridge English: Proficiency has been accredited by Ofqual, the statutory regulatory authority for external qualifications in England and its counterparts in Wales and Northern Ireland; for more information, see www.ofqual.gov.uk

Cambridge English Proficiency Handbook for Teachers

Cambridge English: Proficiency, also known as Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE), is at Level C2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) published by the Council of Europe.

University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations 1 Hills Road Cambridge CB1 2EU United Kingdom Tel: +44 1223 553997 Email: [email protected]

www.CambridgeESOL.org

© UCLES 2012 | EMC/2318/2Y03 ISBN 978-1-907870-16-3

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