PHOTOCOPIABLE

CAN

BE D

OWNL

OADE

D

FROM

WEB

SITE

TEACHERS NOTES

CAE Writing Paper - Part 2(a)By Russell Whitehead

ExAm

s

Exams / CAE / Writing Paper - Pt 2(a)

Macmillan Publishing Ltd 2006

Preparation

Copying the Worksheets. Gathering images.

Procedure

Get the topic going. Depending on where you are, the time of day, etc., ask the class what examples of IT there are in the room, in the school, etc. Then ask them what uses of IT they have made already today, or how IT has been used behind the scenes (the chip in the washing machine that washed that shirt, etc.). Perhaps take a quick vote on whether IT is a force for good or bad.

2 Give out a copy of Worksheet 1 to pairs or groups of three. Allow a few minutes for them to discuss the situation and task in order to get focused.

3 Outline the process to be followed: focus on each aspect of the content (present situation, good, bad, future), and then get them to think about how most effectively and appropriately to write the ideas up.So, at this stage, they will just be talking and making notes. Sharing ideas will lead to more ideas than having them work individually.

[Note: Worksheets 2 and 3 do not have instructions included. This is to enable you to tailor the sort and level of the instructions to your particular students. If you prefer, you could adapt the Worksheets to include instructions, or you could write the instructions on

the board, or even use them as a dictation exercise.]

Give each pair/group of three Worksheet 2 and ask them to deal with the first section, Areas. Ask them to use the frame provided as a template on which to build their ideas. They may wish to add further areas, but the ones here are a reasonable starting point. For the first phase, thinking about work, perhaps a good way in is to think about the different kinds of places that people work in, for example, a factory, an office and so on. If they can come up with more words to add to this list than there are allotted spaces, all the better it shows they are being creative.For the second phase, they should think about the effects of IT within that kind of workplace, so, for example, in factories, robots are now quite common in certain kinds of manufacturing. They should be adding as many ideas as possible to these lists.

4 Once you can see that quite a lot of ideas have been noted down, have a whole-class review of these ideas, so that any group that hadnt thought of a certain thing now gets the chance to jot it down when they hear it.

5 At this stage, in terms of content, the first point a description has been dealt with. Now the greater sophistication of evaluating the data is required. Tell the pairs/groups to use the lists they have made and to take the three suggested levels on Worksheet 2 (Individual, etc.) as a means of considering whether they think the things they have listed are positive or negative in effect (or, of course, a combination of the two).Allow this discussion to get going.

6 Once the discussion is under way (or even if it doesnt seem to be getting going), pause it and give out copies of Worksheet 3.Make the point that this content matter is going to need a structure or shape. Worksheet 3 contains some considerations that would be useful. Say that this worksheet is a good place to make notes for the positive/negative part of the content for the article. They should add to this list if possible, and use it to focus their ideas: in terms of money, for example, is the use of email in offices good because its cheaper to email than phone or sending letters by post, or is it bad because it means providing a computer and training for every employee?

Overview: A sequence of steps to guide students through from discussion to producing a well controlled article.

General relevance:Using ideas in writingExpressing opinions and evaluating situationsWork on improving written style

materials: Worksheets 1-4.You may find it useful to have an assortment of images illustrating or suggesting applications and influences of IT in our daily work/study/leisure lives, collected together from magazines, the web etc.

Time: 45-90 minutes (can be divided, can include homework).

1

PHOTOCOPIABLE

CAN

BE D

OWNL

OADE

D

FROM

WEB

SITE

TEACHERS NOTES

CAE Writing Paper - Part 2(a)By Russell Whitehead

ExAm

s

Exams / CAE / Writing Paper - Pt 2(a)

Macmillan Publishing Ltd 2006

7 When it seems that a reasonable level of discussion has taken place and that useful notes have been made, turn the students attention to the final content point, the future.For this, they can use any ideas they want from their discussion so far and talk about how they imagine things will develop in the future. (The brief for the article leaves it open as to how far into the future, so you and the students can choose.) Theres plenty of space on the worksheet for them to make notes/draw diagrams, etc.

8 Optional: you could lead a whole-class discussion here to share the various visions of the future.

9 Make the point that this process of building ideas, here done in communicative groups, is essential to producing an effective piece of writing. In the exam, of course they will be working alone; they will need to use the principles of this process in order to work up their own ideas.

10 Now its time for some language work to get everyone ready to write up their ideas up into a good article, worthy of publication (or, at any rate, of a reasonable exam mark ).

11 Ask everyone quickly to write out a draft introduction i.e. individual students working from the shared notes. Allow only a few minutes, so that they write it out swiftly. When everyone has written some lines, tell them to stop.

12 Give out Worksheet 4.Exercise 1: the pairs/threes should do Questions 1-3 together. If you think the questions are rather challenging, you could do Question 1 with them, and then have them do the other two.

Suggested answer key1. I think its of primary importance that we evaluate new IT applications rather than just accepting them without question.2. Individualism is on the increase.3. It could be argued that there are excessive amounts of information.

13 Now explain that the material for Questions 4-6 is their introductions. They should take some sentences from each others introductions and copy these out as 1st draft, and then co-operate to produce improved versions of them.

Optional alternative: If you think this type of activity will be challenging (or unwelcome) for your particular students, you could at this point take in the introductions and select sentences yourself to continue the exercise, which could be completed in the next lesson. Or you could make up your own questions. Or you could delete this part of the lesson altogether.

14 Exercise 2 contains some useful openings for sentences in the final section, about the future. Get the pairs/groups to talk about these and write four sentences, and then get them to show their sentences to other pairs/groups. Monitor and/or take questions for issues of accuracy.

15 Now individuals should write their articles (within the word count). This could be homework, of course.

16 Peer evaluation of the articles would be a good way to edit the articles, especially since they have discussed so much of the content together.

17 Encourage the students to see how this approach could be generalised. Give them some past paper/practice test material articles and get them to use the same approach to building up ideas. By the time they take the exam, they should be fluent in this kind of ideas-building.

PHOTOCOPIABLE

CAN

BE D

OWNL

OADE

D

FROM

WEB

SITEExams / CAE / Writing Paper - Pt 2(a)

Macmillan Publishing Ltd 2006

ExAm

s

CAE Writing Paper - Part 2(a)By Russell Whitehead

WORKSHEET 1

You see the following announcement in an international magazine:

Write your article in about 250 words.

What has Information Technology done to your country? Who is sailing into a brave new world and who is getting left behind? What will happen in the future?

Write and tell us about it. Send us an article, describing the current situation and its positive and negative aspects and explaining your vision of the future.

We will publish the best articles.

PHOTOCOPIABLE

CAN

BE D

OWNL

OADE

D

FROM

WEB

SITE

CAE Writing Paper - Part 2(a)By Russell Whitehead

ExAm

s

Exams / CAE / Writing Paper - Pt 2(a)

Macmillan Publishing Ltd 2006

Areas

1 Work

~ factory robots,

~ office

~

~

~

2 Education/health

~ schools

~

~ hospitals

~

~

3 Leisure

~ computer games

~

~

~

~

Level1 Individual

2 Family/friends

3 Society

WORKSHEET 2

PHOTOCOPIABLE

CAN

BE D

OWNL

OADE

D

FROM

WEB

SITE

CAE Writing Paper - Part 2(a)By Russell Whitehead

WORKSHEET 3

ExAm

s

Exams / CAE / Writing Paper - Pt 2(a)

Macmillan Publishing Ltd 2006

Considerations~ money

~ time

~ quality of life

~ efficiency

~ communication

~

~

~

The future

PHOTOCOPIABLE

CAN

BE D

OWNL

OADE

D

FROM

WEB

SITE

CAE Writing Paper - Part 2(a)By Russell Whitehead

WORKSHEET 4

ExAm

s

Exams / CAE / Writing Paper - Pt 2(a)

Macmillan Publishing Ltd 2006

Exercise 1

1 I think we must evaluate new IT applications rather than just accepting them without question.

primary importance

I think .. evaluate new IT applications rather than just accepting them without question.

2 Everybodys becoming more separate from each other.

Individualism

.... the increase.

3 Maybe theres too much information.

be argued/excessive

It could amounts of information.

4 1st draft:

Improved:

5 1st draft:

Improved:

6 1st draft:

Improved:

Exercise 2

A Judging by the present evidence

B One trend that seems highly likely to continue is

C I think we are bound to see a growing degree of

D I would not be surprised to see