Guide for Teachers - IsE III

1

Integrated Skills in English (ISE) Guide for Teachers — ISE III (C1)

Trinity College Londonwww.trinitycollege.com

Charity number 1014792Patron HRH The Duke of Kent KG

Copyright © 2015 Trinity College LondonPublished by Trinity College LondonSecond edition, September 2015

Reading & Writing | Speaking & Listening

3

Contents

ISE III Reading & Writing exam Overview of the ISE Reading & Writing exam 6

Who is ISE Reading & Writing for? 6Introduction to ISE Reading & Writing tasks at ISE III 7Glossary of reading skills for ISE III 8Glossary of writing aims for ISE III 9Candidate profile 10

Task specifications for ISE III Reading & Writing 11

Task 1 — Long reading 11Task 2 — Multi-text reading 12Task 3 — Reading into writing 13Task 4 — Extended writing 13

Preparation activities for ISE III Reading & Writing 14

Task 1 — Long reading: Birth order 14Task 2 — Multi-text reading: Interesting facts about butterflies 19Task 4 — Extended writing: Writing about changes in popular entertainment 24

ISE III Speaking & Listening exam

Overview of the ISE Speaking & Listening exam 32

Who is ISE Speaking & Listening for? 32Introduction to ISE Speaking & Listening tasks 33Glossary of speaking aims for ISE III 35Glossary of listening skills for ISE III 35Candidate profile 36

Task specifications for ISE III Speaking & Listening 37

Topic task 37Collaborative task 38Conversation task 39Independent listening task 39

Preparation activities for ISE III Speaking & Listening 40Topic task: ISE III topic presentation structure 40Collaborative task: The internet — A waste of time? 46Conversation task: Yes, but is it art? 50Listening task: How to write a summary using note-taking skills 54

Appendices

Appendix 1 — Sample Reading & Writing exam paper 62Appendix 2 — Information on the Speaking & Listening exam 74Appendix 3 — Language functions for ISE III 77Appendix 4 — ISE III Task 3 Reading into writing rating scale 78Appendix 5 — ISE III Task 4 Extended writing rating scale 80Appendix 6 — ISE III Speaking and listening rating scale 81Appendix 7 — ISE III Independent listening rating scale 82

Contents

4

ForewordTrinity’s Integrated Skills in English (ISE) exam assesses all four language skills — reading, writing, speaking and listening. In the ISE exam, all four skills are tested in an integrated way, reflecting how skills are used together in real-life situations.

This guide:

◗ gives you a brief overview of the two modules of the ISE III exam — Reading & Writing and Speaking & Listening

◗ offers some practical advice for preparing students for each task in the exam

◗ provides some example activities that you can use in the classroom and adapt for your students.

For more classroom activities to help prepare your students for ISE III, as well as the exam specifications, see www.trinitycollege.com/ISEIII

Please note that ISE IV has a different format — see www.trinitycollege.com/ISEIV for details.

5

ISE

III Rea

din

g

& W

riting ex

am

Overview of the ISE Reading & Writing exam

6

Overview of the ISE Reading & Writing exam Trinity’s ISE Reading & Writing exam tests reading and writing skills through an integrated approach. The integrated skills approach mirrors how we use reading and writing skills both together and separately in our studies and work. The reading texts reflect the range of subjects a student may encounter in an educational or academic setting and the way that he or she needs to find, select and report relevant and appropriate information. The writing tasks reflect the kind of activities a student does in a school or college context, such as essay writing.

The purpose of the exam is to assess a candidate’s skills in reading and writing in the English language through tasks which correspond to his or her real world activity and reason for learning English.

The ISE Reading & Writing exam is currently offered at four levels of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) from A2 to C1.

Who is ISE Reading & Writing for?The intended candidate is a young person or adult, typically at secondary school or college, who is using English as a second or foreign language as part of their studies in order to develop their skills and improve their knowledge of a range of subject areas. The typical ISE candidate is aged between 11 and 19, but may be older.

A candidate at the lower levels of the exam (ISE Foundation and ISE I), is generally a young person or adult in school or college who is taking ISE as evidence to progress to a higher level of English study within their mainstream or English language school. At the higher levels of the exam (ISE II and ISE III), a candidate is typically a young person or adult preparing for further or higher education who is required to prove their English language proficiency levels within an educational context.


7

Introduction to ISE Reading & Writing tasks at ISE IIIThe Reading & Writing exam consists of four tasks.

Task 1 is the Long reading task, where the candidate reads a single text and answers 15 questions. The aims of this task are to understand:

◗ the main idea of a paragraph or text

◗ specific information at sentence, phrase and word levels.

Task 2 is the Multi-text reading task, where the candidate first reads four texts and then answers 15 questions. The aims of this task are to:

◗ understand the main idea of a paragraph or text

◗ understand specific information at sentence, phrase and word levels

◗ find specific information in different texts in order to create a text summary.

Task 3 is the Reading into writing task, where the candidate produces a piece of writing based on the four texts in task 2.

Task 4 is the Extended writing task, where the candidate produces a piece of writing in response to a prompt.

Overview of ISE Reading & Writing at all levels

ISE Foundation ISE I ISE II ISE III

CEFR level A2 B1 B2 C1

Time 2 hours 2 hours 2 hours 2 hours

Task 1 Long reading

◗ 300 words ◗ 15 questions

Long reading


Long reading


Long reading


Task 2 Multi-text reading

◗ 3 texts ◗ 300 words ◗ 15 questions

Multi-text reading


Multi-text reading


Multi-text reading


Task 3 Reading into writing

◗ 70–100 words

Reading into writing

◗ 100–130 words


◗ 150–180 words


◗ 200–230 words

Task 4 Extended writing

◗ 70–100 words

Extended writing

◗ 100–130 words

Extended writing

◗ 150–180 words

Extended writing

◗ 200–230 words

Please see page 8 for a glossary of reading skills and writing aims for ISE III.


8

Glossary of reading skills for ISE III

Reading for general comprehension

◗ Reading a wide range of complex texts or infographics likely to be encountered in social, professional or academic life, containing ideas, opinions and implied writer’s attitude

Skimming ◗ Reading to understand the general meaning of a paragraph, text or infographic (graphic with writing)

Reading for gist ◗ Reading to understand the main idea of a paragraph, text or infographic ◗ Reading to identify the content and relevance of news items, articles and reports on a wide range of professional topics quickly

◗ Deciding if closer study is worthwhile

Scanning ◗ Reading longer and more complex texts or infographics to find relevant details ◗ Identifying relevant information and common themes and links across multiple texts, including the finer points of detail, eg implied attitudes

Careful reading to understand specific facts, information and significant points

◗ Reading to understand specific, factual information at the word, phrase or sentence level

◗ Reading to understand important points in a text ◗ Looking for main points and clues from context ◗ Identifying which information is factual, which is opinion ◗ Comparing and evaluating information at sentence, phrase and word level ◗ Identifying finer points of detail including attitudes and implied as well as stated opinions

◗ Guessing the meaning of unknown words and sentences in their context ◗ Understanding cohesion by focusing on word–grammar patterns and words which go together (collocations)

◗ Adapting style and speed of reading to different texts and purposes

Deducing meaning ◗ Using contextual, grammatical and lexical cues to infer attitude, mood and intentions, and anticipate what will come next

◗ Guessing the meaning of sentences, phrases and words from their context ◗ Using word–grammar patterns or collocation to understand cohesion

Understand a range of texts

◗ Reading to understand in detail a wide range of texts likely to be encountered in social, professional or academic life

◗ Reading texts that are outside his or her field of interest ◗ Reading articles and reports concerned with contemporary issues, in which the writers adopt particular positions or points of view

Summarising ◗ Reading to identify the main conclusions in clearly structured and signposted argumentative texts

◗ Synthesising and evaluating information and arguments from a number of different types of texts

◗ Commenting on and discussing contrasting points of view and the main themes


9

Glossary of writing aims for ISE III

Reading for writing ◗ Showing understanding of reading texts ◗ Identifying common themes in reading texts ◗ Summarising or paraphrasing ideas from reading texts

Task fulfilment ◗ Responding to the prompt fully ◗ Using the correct number of words to respond to the prompt ◗ Showing awareness of the reader and the purpose for writing

Organisation and structure ◗ Presenting ideas and arguments clearly ◗ Using the best format to fulfil the task and text type ◗ Structuring the writing appropriately, eg using beginnings, endings and paragraphs

Language control ◗ Using a range of language functions, grammar and vocabulary ◗ Using language functions, grammar and vocabulary accurately ◗ Using spelling and punctuation accurately

10 1110


Candidate profile

Reading (tasks 1 and 2)A candidate who passes ISE III Reading can:

◗ understand in detail lengthy, complex texts, whether or not they relate to his or her own area of speciality, provided he or she can reread difficult sections

◗ understand in detail a wide range of complex texts likely to be encountered in social, professional or academic life, identifying finer points of detail including attitudes, and implied as well as stated opinions

◗ use contextual, grammatical and lexical cues to infer attitude, mood and intentions and anticipate what will come next

◗ summarise long, demanding texts.

In tasks 1 and 2, the candidate is assessed on his or her ability to read across several texts and demonstrate a range of reading skills including skimming, scanning, reading for gist, reading for detail, inferring, summarising and evaluation.

Reading into writing (task 3)A candidate who passes ISE III Task 3 — Reading into writing can:

◗ identify connections and themes between four texts in task 2

◗ identify information from task 2 that is relevant to task 3

◗ synthesise the information in task 2 to produce elaborated responses with clarity and precision in task 3.

Writing (tasks 3 and 4)A candidate who passes ISE III Writing can:

◗ express himself or herself with clarity and precision, relating to the addressee flexibly and effectively

◗ write clear, detailed and well-structured descriptions and imaginative texts on complex subjects, underlining the relevant issues, in an assured style appropriate to the reader in mind

◗ expand and support points of view at some length with subsidiary points, reasons and relevant examples, and rounding off with an appropriate conclusion.

This profile is based on the level C1, Proficient User, of the Council of Europe’s Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).

Task specifications for ISE III Reading & Writing

10 11


Task 1 — Long reading

Task One reading text followed by 15 questions

Text The text is complex with detailed information, ideas and opinions, and an implied writer’s attitude. It is the type of text that the candidate is familiar with from his or her own educational setting.Subject areas for ISE III:

◗ Independence ◗ Ambitions ◗ Stereotypes ◗ Role models ◗ Competitiveness ◗ Young people’s rights ◗ The media ◗ Advertising ◗ Lifestyles ◗ The arts ◗ The rights of the individual ◗ Economic issues

◗ Roles in the family ◗ Communication ◗ The school curriculum ◗ Youth behaviour ◗ Use of the internet ◗ Designer goods ◗ International events ◗ Equal opportunities ◗ Social issues ◗ The future of the planet ◗ Scientific developments ◗ Stress management

Text length 700 words (approximately)

Number of questions

15 questions

Question types

Title matching (Questions 1–5)These require the candidate to choose the most appropriate title for each paragraph of the text. The text has five paragraphs and there are six titles to choose from. Some useful reading subskills to practise for this section are:

◗ skimming ◗ scanning ◗ reading for gist ◗ reading for main ideas ◗ understanding the main idea of each paragraph.

Selecting the true statements (Questions 6–10) These require the candidate to select five true statements from a list of eight statements. Five statements are true according to the text. Three are false or are not stated in the text. Some useful reading subskills to practise for this section are:

◗ careful reading for detail ◗ understanding specific, factual information at the sentence level ◗ distinguishing principal statement from supporting examples or details, distinguishing fact from opinion

◗ comparing, evaluating and inferring.

Completing sentences (Questions 11–15)These require the candidate to complete sentences with a word or phrase taken from the text (up to three words).

Some useful reading subskills to practise for this section are:

◗ careful reading for comprehension ◗ careful reading for detail ◗ cohesion via word–grammar or collocation ◗ understanding specific, factual information at the word and/or phrase level

◗ inferring and understanding across paragraphs (eg writer’s attitude, line of argument, etc)

Timing The candidate is advised to spend 20 minutes on this part of the exam

Assessment The task is scored against an answer key


12 13

Task 2 — Multi-text reading

Task Four reading texts read as a group followed by 15 questions

Text The four texts are complex with information, ideas and/or opinions at detail level, and implied writer’s attitude. One text is an infographic (eg a diagram, drawing, map or table). The texts are of the kind that would be familiar to a candidate from his or her educational setting.

Subject areas: ◗ Independence ◗ Ambitions ◗ Stereotypes ◗ Role models ◗ Competitiveness ◗ Young people’s rights ◗ The media ◗ Advertising ◗ Lifestyles ◗ The arts ◗ The rights of the individual ◗ Economic issues

◗ Roles in the family ◗ Communication ◗ The school curriculum ◗ Youth behaviour ◗ Use of the internet ◗ Designer goods ◗ International events ◗ Equal opportunities ◗ Social issues ◗ The future of the planet ◗ Scientific developments ◗ Stress management

All four texts are on the same topic and are thematically linked.

Text length ◗ 700 words (approximately) across the four texts ◗ One text is an infographic

Number of questions

15 questions

Question types

Multiple matching (Questions 16–20)These require the candidate to choose the most appropriate sentence to describe each text.

Some useful reading subskills to practise for this section are: ◗ skimming ◗ scanning ◗ reading for gist ◗ reading for purpose or main ideas.

Selecting the true statements (Questions 21–25) In this section, the candidate selects five true statements from a list of eight statements. Five statements are true according to the texts. Three are false or are not stated in the texts.Some useful subskills to practise for this section are:

◗ careful reading for detail ◗ scanning ◗ inferring and comparing ◗ understanding specific, factual information at the sentence level.

Completing summary notes (Questions 26–30)These require the candidate to complete sentences with a word or phrase taken from the text (up to three words).

Some useful reading subskills to practise for this section are: ◗ careful reading for comprehension ◗ understanding specific, factual information at the word and/or phrase level across texts ◗ comparing and evaluating ◗ inferring ◗ summarising the texts and using this to create a response.


Assessment The task is scored against an answer key


12 13

For a sample ISE Reading & Writing paper, please see appendix 1.

Task 3 — Reading into writing

Task A writing task in which the four texts from task 2 are used to respond to a prompt.The response should only take information from the texts in task 2. There is space for planning. The candidate should check his or her response when he or she has finished.

Task focus This section assesses the ability to: ◗ identify information that is relevant to the writing prompt ◗ identify common themes across multiple texts and the finer points of detail, eg implied attitudes

◗ paraphrase and summarise complex and demanding texts ◗ synthesise such information to produce elaborated responses with clarity and precision.

Output length 200–230 words

Output genre ◗ Descriptive essay ◗ Discursive essay ◗ Argument essay ◗ Report ◗ Proposal ◗ Article (magazine or online).


Assessment The task is assessed using the Reading into writing rating scale on pages 78–79

Task 4 — Extended writing

Task A writing task in which the candidate responds to a prompt. There is space for planning. The candidate should check his or her writing when he or she has finished.

Task focus This section assesses the ability to produce a discursive, well-developed response to a prompt. For the target ISE III language functions see page 77.

Output length 200–230 words

Output genre ◗ Descriptive essay ◗ Discursive essay ◗ Argument essay ◗ Article (magazine or online)

◗ Informal email or letter ◗ Formal email or letter ◗ Review ◗ Report

Subject area The writing prompt relates to one of the subject areas for ISE III:

◗ Independence ◗ Ambitions ◗ Stereotypes ◗ Role models ◗ Competitiveness ◗ Young people’s rights ◗ The media ◗ Advertising ◗ Lifestyles ◗ The arts ◗ The rights of the individual ◗ Economic issues

◗ Roles in the family ◗ Communication ◗ The school curriculum ◗ Youth behaviour ◗ Use of the internet ◗ Designer goods ◗ International events ◗ Equal opportunities ◗ Social issues ◗ The future of the planet ◗ Scientific developments ◗ Stress management.


Assessment The task is assessed using the Extended writing rating scale on page 80

Preparation activities for ISE III Reading & Writing

14 15

Preparation activities for ISE III Reading & WritingTask 1 — Long reading: Birth order

Level: ISE III

Focus: Task 1 — Long reading

Aims: To develop reading strategies by reading a short article about the impact of birth order on a child’s development and answering three sets of questions

Objectives: To scan an article for gist, to skim an article and answer True/False questions and to skim an article to complete sentences with information from the text

Skill: Skimming and scanning

Subject area: Roles in the family — Birth order

Language functions: Developing and justifying an argument, evaluating options, and summarising

Lexis: Lexis related to roles in the family

Materials needed: One student worksheet per student and dictionaries

Timing: 1 hour

Preparation

Print or copy one worksheet per student.

In class

1. Explain to the class that they will be doing a reading activity and that this will help them to prepare for task 1 of the ISE III Reading & Writing exam.

2. Write the following three questions on the board and ask students to discuss them in pairs. When they have finished, carry out group feedback.

◗ Do you have any siblings?

◗ How would people typically describe the eldest child, the middle child and the youngest child of a family?

◗ Do you believe that birth order plays an important role in a child’s development?

3. Give each student one worksheet and ask them to carry out task A. Tell them that the eight words or phrases in the box are in a text on birth order. Tell the students to write the correct word or phrase next to the definition. Ask them to work alone first and tell them they can use a dictionary. Then tell them to compare their answers with their partner. Carry out feedback as a group and write the answers on the board. Ask one or more concept-check questions to check if students have understood the words. (Some examples concept-check questions: ‘Can you give an example of a household chore?’, ‘If there are subtle differences between two things, is it easy or difficult to see them?’)

4. Tell the class they are going to read about the impact of birth order on a child’s development. Ask the students to complete task B. Tell them to read the text quickly and choose the best summary from the descriptions provided. Ask students to compare their answers in pairs and then give feedback as a group.

5. Write ‘reading for gist’ and ‘skimming’ on the board. Tell the students that task B asked them to read the text for gist or general understanding without the need to concentrate on all the details. Tell the students that this reading skill is also called skimming.

6. Ask students to read the texts again and complete task C. Ask the students to decide whether each statement is true or false. Ask students to compare answers in pairs and then give feedback as a group.

7. Write ’reading for detail’ and ‘scanning‘ on the board. Elicit from the students the difference between this reading task and task B.

8. Ask the students to carry out task D. Tell them to complete the sentences with information from the text. Ask them to compare answers with a partner. Carry out feedback as a group.

9. Tell the students that task D tested their understanding of specific information at word and sentence level. Elicit that this requires scanning the text, not skimming.


14 15

Extension activity

1. Write the following two sentence starters on the whiteboard:

◗ What surprised me most was …

◗ I don’t really think this is true because …

Ask students, in pairs, to discuss their opinion about what they have read and tell them to start the discussion with one of the sentence starters. Carry out feedback as a group.

2. Students who finish the tasks early can write new questions about the text. Then they ask another student the questions.

Further support activity

1. Tell the students finding the task difficult that they can use a dictionary and look up unknown words while reading the text.

2. Ask the students finding the task difficult to work with another student when comparing answers after each reading task.

Homework

Ask the students to interview someone about whether they think birth order matters. Ask the students to report back in the next class.


16 17

Student worksheet: Birth order

Task A — Vocabulary

Choose a word or phrase from the box and write it next to the correct definition below.

distort (verb) prone to error notorious (adjective)

subtle (adjective) rebel against (verb + preposition) chores (noun, plural)

syndrome (noun) manipulate (verb)

1. Famous but for a negative reason

2. To give a false meaning to

3. To influence someone skilfully often to get something

done for your own benefit

4. Difficult to understand because of fine differences

5. Likely to be wrong

6. The everyday work around the house

7. Resist something or someone

8. A pattern of behaviour

Task B

Read the text below quickly. Choose the best summary of the text from the descriptions below.

1. Middle child syndrome.

2. Birth order has a significant impact on a child’s development.

3. Birth order plays only a minor part in the development of a child.

Reading text

JUST LET YOUR CHILDREN BE THEMSELVES

A recent study on the impact of birth order suggests that firstborns have a higher IQ. The problem is that studies such as this distort the bigger picture by confirming birth order stereotypes.

The study was conducted in Norway and showed that the eldest children had a slightly higher IQ on average than their younger siblings. Nobody can explain the results of the study. It has been suggested that the eldest children benefit from more attention before the arrival of their siblings. Another theory is that the eldest children have more responsibility which helps them to develop their brain.

It is a good idea though to look at the study in more detail before blindly applying its results to your own family. The subjects of the study were all male, the area was limited to Norway and IQ test results are notoriously prone to error. Important to note is that the averages for both older and younger children were well within the normal range so it is probably not necessary to start worrying.

It is not advisable to pay too much attention to the rather subtle impact birth order has on the development of your child. There are simply too many contributing factors from genes to life in the womb.


16 17

Firstborns

The eldest children are often said to possess leadership skills such as organising and logical thinking, and to be better at dealing with adults. They often have to take more responsibility but it is not ideal to put more pressure on them by expecting them to behave as a parent to their younger siblings. For parents it is probably better not to pay too much attention to this theory as it may lead to unrealistic expectations.

Middle children

Popular wisdom also has it that middle children are very diplomatic and sociable. In order to stand out they may rebel against their parents. This is often referred to as middle child syndrome. What parents could do to prevent this is to give the middle child the responsibility that normally would be given to the eldest child.

Last children

It is commonly claimed that last-borns are spoiled and good at manipulating others to get things done for them. The youngest may appear cute compared to their older siblings but they obviously need to be shown limitations. Parents should give them their share of chores.

Task C

Read the text again. Are the statements true or false?

1. A Norwegian study suggests that the eldest children in a family have a higher IQ.

2. Results of IQ tests are normally highly reliable.

3. The difference in IQ between the oldest and youngest children is significant.

4. The author suggests giving the eldest child a taste of what it is to have the responsibility of an adult.

5. When middle children feel left out, they may seek attention through defiant behaviour.

6. The youngest children often know naturally what the limits of acceptable behaviour are.

Task D

Complete the sentences with one or two words from the text.

1. It is important to look at the context in which a study took place because it is easy to

the results and draw the wrong conclusions.

2. Having more may help develop the mind.

3. Birth order theories may result in of the parents in their firstborn children.

4. Middle children are always caught in the middle which means they may have developed the skill to be

more .

5. Youngest children are often labelled as .


18 19

Answers: Birth order

Task A

1. notorious

2. distort

3. manipulate

4. subtle

5. prone to error

6. chores

7. rebel against

8. syndrome

Task B

3. Birth order plays only a minor part in the development of a child.

Task C

1. True

2. False

3. False

4. False

5. True

6. False

Task D

1. Distort

2. Responsibility

3. Unrealistic expectations

4. Diplomatic

5. Spoiled/cute


18 19

Task 2 — Multi-text reading: Interesting facts about butterflies

Level: ISE III

Focus: Task 2 — Multi-text reading

Aims: To read for gist and specific information and to deduce meaning from context

Objectives: To talk about butterflies, to read four different texts, to understand the main meaning of texts, to find specific information in texts, to use context to deduce meaning and to focus on the language of scientific descriptions

Skills: Skimming, scanning and contextual deduction

Topic: The natural world

Language functions: Summarising

Lexis: Insects and habitat

Materials needed: Student worksheets and pictures of butterflies

Timing: 50 minutes

Preparation

1. Print one student worksheet per student.

2. Prepare three pictures of different butterflies.

In class

1. Tell the class that they are going to practise reading some short texts to find specific information. This will help them prepare for Task 2 — Multi-text reading of the ISE III Reading & Writing exam. Tell students that in the exam, they will have 20 minutes to complete three questions, and that one of the texts will be an infographic (eg a diagram or table). In this practice activity there are four texts and no infographic.

2. Inform the students that the topic of the lesson is ‘butterflies’. Show the class the three pictures of the butterflies (prepared before the class). Ask them to individually think of four or five things they know about butterflies. Give them one minute to do this. Then tell them to work in pairs and share their information with their partner. Together they should think of six things that they know about butterflies. Give them three minutes to share the information. Then have some open-class feedback about what they know. You could put some key facts on the board, for example: ‘they have wings’, ‘they are multi-coloured’, ‘they have patterns’, and ‘they grow from an egg’.

3. Tell the students they are going to read four short texts about butterflies to find the main information.

4. Hand out the worksheets. Ask the students to read the five statements in question 1. Then tell them to read the four texts and decide which statement fits which text. Give the students five minutes. Get the class to check their answers in pairs. In open-class, ask for the answers and ask the class why they chose the answers. Write the correct answers on the board.

5. Now tell the class to look at question 2. Explain that only five of the sentences in A–H are true according to the texts. Tell them to read the sentences again and put T for true next to the sentences they think are true. Give the students five minutes to do this. Then tell the students to check their answers in pairs.

6. In open-class, ask for the true sentences and ask the class why they are true. Put the correct answers on the board. Ask the class why the other sentences are not true or whether there is no information given.

7. Now tell the class that they are going to read the texts and find some small details to complete the notes on butterflies in question 3. They need to look back at the texts in order to complete the notes. Tell the students that this is an exam-type question and that they can use one to three words to complete the notes.

8. Ask the class to read the notes in question 3. Write the first part of note 1 on the board and ask the class to look for the word or phrase to complete the sentences. In open-class, get the answer (proboscis) and complete the sentence on the board. Give the class five minutes to find the rest of the words and phrases for these notes.

9. Get the class to check their answers in pairs and then check in open-class.


20 21

10. Now ask the class to read question 4, which is a language focus question and will not be in the exam but will help them understand similar texts. Make sure they read the ‘tip’. Get the students to work in pairs to find one example of the language in the texts, for example ‘are covered in’. Give the class five minutes to find the language and then, in open-class, put the language on the board.

Extension activity

You could ask students who finish early to look up five new words from the texts in their dictionaries.


Tell students finding the task difficult that they can complete the answers for question 2 and question 3 in any order and do the ones they find easiest first.

Homework

Students can find out five pieces of information about moths and make sentences using the language of description/processes to make five sentences about moths.


20 21

Student worksheet: Butterflies

Question 1

Read the texts below and decide which text each statement refers to — A, B, C or D. Which text: 1. details information on the physical process by which butterflies feed? 2. records amusing facts for younger readers? 3. provides a useful overview of all the species of butterfly? 4. gives a reason for butterflies’ appearance? 5. suggests other reading for those who want to create an appropriate space for butterflies to visit?

Text A

Elegant and beautiful, butterflies and moths never fail to impress. Their bodies are covered in tiny sensory hairs and their wings are made up of tiny delicate scales. It is these scales that give the wings their extraordinary variety of colours, patterns and sometimes iridescence. All butterflies and moths go through a four-stage life cycle: egg, caterpillar, pupa and adult. A complete metamorphosis takes place when a pupa emerges as a winged adult. Antarctica is the only continent where these insects are not to be found. Otherwise they are widely distributed with the majority of the 175,000 species living in the warm, moist tropics.

Text B

Butterflies live on an all-liquid diet. Adult butterflies can only feed on liquids, usually nectar. Their mouth parts are modified to enable them to drink, but they can’t chew solids. A butterfly has a proboscis which functions as a drinking straw and stays curled up under its chin until it finds a source of nectar or other liquid nutrition. It then unfurls the long, tubular structure and sips up a meal.

Text C

Text D

www.butterflies.com

Butterfly Lovers - use these links to find out more about the order Lepidoptera • MothorButterfly-what’sthedifference?The famous Monarch • ScientificMonarchWatch-observetheMonarchs’behaviourbyvolunteering• ThedietoftheMonarchMore general facts about butterflies• Learnaboutthefamiliesandhowyoucanrecognisethem• Anatomyofabutterfly:LearnthepartsFurther useful texts to consult if you’re interested in butterflies • Swallowtailsandtheirattractiontothebutterflyweedplant• Thebestenvironment:Toptipsforattractingbutterfliestoyourbackyard.Thisincludeshelpindesigningthegarden.

• Outofthesun:Howtomakethebestuseofshadypartsofyourgardentoattractbutterflies

1. Butterflies fix their eggs onto leaves with a particular kind of glue. The eggs hatch into caterpillars.2. Most caterpillars don’t eat meat, so they are called herbivores. 3. When a caterpillar has grown completely, it fixes its body to a tiny branch or leaf before it sheds some

of its skin. Underneath, it has a hard chrysalis. 4. The fully grown butterfly gradually emerges from the chrysalis. However, it needs to wait for some time

before it can fly while blood enters and pumps up its wings. 5. Depending on the type of butterfly, adults are known to survive from any period between a week

and a year!6. Extensive and lengthy migration is what Monarch butterflies are well-known for. Each year the Monarch

flies huge distances of up to and perhaps more than 4,000km. Then the female produces new eggs and the next generation of Monarchs completes the cycle by migrating back again.


22 23

Question 2

Look at the following statements (A–H). There are five true statements. Write T next to those statements which are true, according to the information given in the texts above.

A. Adult butterflies live for different lengths of time.

B. The patterns and colours on a butterfly’s wings are caused by tiny hairs.

C. The butterfly can fold its proboscis.

D. The majority of species of butterfly live in humid climates.

E. Butterflies are able to eat small insects.

F. It’s possible for someone to assist scientists in their observations of a particular type of butterfly.

G. Butterflies and moths belong to the same group of insects.

H. A caterpillar emerges from a chrysalis.

Question 3

Look at the following notes. Complete the notes with information from the texts. Find a suitable word or phrase in the texts above to complete the missing information in the gaps. Write your answers in the spaces. Use between one and three words. Don’t use more than three words.

Notes

1. Butterflies sip nectar with a kind of straw called a .

2. This drinking straw is located .

3. A pupa’s final transformation into a butterfly is called .

4. Iridescence is caused by on the wings.

5. One plant that attracts butterflies is a .

6. A butterfly’s wings need to fill with blood and dry before .

Question 4

Find the language in the text that describes the features and development of butterflies and that you could use to describe the features and development of other insects or animals. Tip: This is often passive and there are two useful phrasal verbs.


22 23

Answers: Butterflies

Question 1

1. B

2. D

3. A

4. A

5. C

Question 2

A. T

C. T

D. T

F. T

G. T

Question 3

1. proboscis

2. under its chin

3. metamorphosis

4. scales

5. butterfly weed plant

6. it can fly

Question 4

Are covered / are made up of / it is these scales that give / go through / take place / are (not) to be found / are distributed / are modified / are known for


24 25

Task 4 — Extended writing: Writing about changes in popular entertainment

Level: ISE III

Focus: Task 4 — Extended writing

Aims: To read for specific information and to write approximately 200 words on a topic

Objectives: To read a short text and talk about entertainment in the past and entertainment now, to focus on expressions useful for the writing task, to write approximately 200 words and to proofread for errors

Skill: Skimming and scanning, expressing opinions and evaluating

Subject area: The arts — Popular entertainment

Language functions: Developing and justifying an argument

Lexis: Entertainment

Materials needed: One worksheet per student, one picture of Shakespeare and one picture of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre

Timing: 1 hour

Preparation

1. Print one student worksheet per student.

2. Print one or two pictures of Shakespeare and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.

In class

1. Tell the class that in the lesson they are going to read two short texts, talk about the texts they have read and then write a short essay. This is to practise the writing part of the ISE III exam. In the exam, they will have 40 minutes to write one essay.

2. Tell students that in today’s lesson they are going to be talking about ‘popular entertainment’. Introduce the topic by pointing to the picture of Shakespeare and asking if anyone knows who he is. Elicit or tell the class that it is Shakespeare, who wrote many great plays, for example ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Point to the picture of the Globe Theatre and elicit/tell the class that this was the theatre where Shakespeare’s plays were performed in the early 1600s in England.

3. Write the words ‘buildings’, ‘advertising’, ‘the cost of seats’ and ‘men and women who perform in the theatre or cinema’ on the board. Ask the class to think about how going to the Globe was different from going to the theatre or cinema today. Ask students to brainstorm their answers and put some ideas on the board. Then put the students in pairs and label each student either A or B. Give out the student worksheet.

4. Tell the A students to read text A and tell the B students to read text B. Tell them they need to read their texts to find out about public entertainment in the 1600s and if the ideas on the board are right. Give the class two minutes to read their texts and five minutes to discuss in pairs how popular entertainment today is different to going to the theatre in England/Britain in Shakespeare’s time.

5. Ask for some more open-class feedback on the differences in entertainment, for example, usually buildings have roofs and everyone who pays generally has a seat, there is not an area for poor people, there are fire regulations for buildings and props, advertising for entertainment is usually in the newspaper or online, both men and women take equal part in entertainment, governments do not usually close down theatres.

6. Ask each pair to make a list of other kinds of public entertainment that they have in their country now, for example, football matches, sports events, Formula 1 racing, music festivals. Get feedback in open-class and write some different kinds of entertainment on the board. Make the point that there was little choice of popular entertainment in the 1600s.

7. Tell the class they are going to write an essay: ‘Popular entertainment nowadays is very different to going to the theatre 100s of years ago. Do you agree?‘ Write the title on the board.


24 25

8. Ask the students working in pairs to look at the Language focus boxes on the worksheet. Ask them to talk together about which phrases have similar meanings and when they could use the phrases. Make sure everyone knows the meaning of all the phrases. Give some of your own examples of how to use the phrases in the context. For example, ‘In my view, we are lucky to have so much choice in entertainment nowadays’, ‘Entertainment today is more varied’, ‘Going to the theatre was less comfortable for some people’, ‘Years ago men dressed as women on stage, whereas now both men and women act, sing and perform on stage’. Ask the class which other words from the boxes they could use in your examples.

9. Ask the class to give you some examples of their own about entertainment using the phrases in the box. Write some of the examples on the board.

10. Tell the students they have five minutes to plan, in pairs, how many paragraphs they think the 200–230 word essay should have and what each paragraph should include. Get feedback in open-class and put suggestions on the board.

For example:

◗ Introduction (40 words approximately) which explains if the student agrees or not

◗ Main body paragraph 1 (50 words approximately) about entertainment in the past and how it was different from now

◗ Main body paragraph 2 (100 words approximately) about types of entertainment today and how it is different from the past

◗ Conclusion (40 words approximately) which summarises what the student has written and answers the essay question

11. Give the students 20 minutes to plan and write their essay. After 20 minutes, ask the students to stop writing and check their work. When they check their work they should look out for the following (write up on the board):

◗ Subject–verb agreements

◗ Correct tense

◗ Spelling mistakes

◗ Correct expressions

◗ Three items from the Language focus boxes

12. Give the students five minutes to speak to their partner about their essays and to see if their partner can help them correct any language/grammatical problems.

Extension activity

The students who are more advanced can complete all of their essay in class. (There is a further essay, number 4 on the student worksheet, which students could also complete at home.)


Make sure that all the ideas and examples using the phrases are clearly written on the board, so that the learners who are finding the task difficult can use these ‘prompts’ in their essays. These learners can start their essays with the introductory paragraph, number 3 on the student worksheet. That way they only need to write three paragraphs for their essay.

Homework

Tell the class to write the answer to a new essay title: ‘Communication between people is easier today than it was 100 years ago. Do you agree?’ (See number 4 on the student worksheet).


26 27

Student worksheet: Writing about changes in popular entertainment

1. Reading Work in pairs. One student reads text A and one student reads text B. After you have read the texts, tell your partner how entertainment at the theatre in Shakespeare’s time was different to entertainment in your country now. Talk about the buildings, advertising, price/type of seats, women and men in the world of entertainment, and what different kinds of entertainment there is in your country now.

Text A

What became William Shakespeare’s famous Globe Theatre, the most famous theatre in England, was built in 1599 alongside the River Thames, which runs through London. The Globe was built of recycled wood from another theatre and as a large, round mainly open-air theatre, with just a small roof that only covered the area where people sat. There were three storeys of seating and the theatre could hold up to 3,000 people in the audience. By the bottom of the stage there was an area called ‘the pit’ and this is where poor people paid just a penny to stand and watch a performance of a play, sometimes in the rain. Some of the stage extended out between these people in ‘the pit’ so they were surrounded by the actors.

The first Globe Theatre burnt down in 1613 when one of the props being used in a play set fire to the theatre’s thatched roof. The whole theatre took less than two hours to burn down completely.

Text B

One very unusual fact about theatres at this time in England was that the theatre used to put different coloured flags outside the theatre each time there was a performance. That way the public knew what kind of play was going to be shown that day. There was a red flag for a history play, a white flag for a comedy and black for a tragedy. Also, at the entrance to the Globe there was an inscription in Latin which said ‘The whole world is a playhouse’. And apart from the flags advertising different kinds of plays, another different feature of a theatre at this time in history was the fact that there were no actresses at the Globe Theatre, or in fact at any other theatre in the country. The female roles in the plays were all taken by young boys because theatres at that time were not considered appropriate places for women to work.

In 1642 all the theatres in England were closed down by Parliament and no plays were allowed to be put on. This meant that people had almost no popular entertainment, as there were few alternatives to the theatre.


26 27

2. Language focus

Look at the following phrases. Work with your partner and decide which phrases you want to use in your essay.

Giving opinions

In my opinion …

In my view …

As far as I’m concerned …

From my point of view …

I think that …

Evaluating

It’s less/more likely/probable that …

It is much more effective/costly/varied/comfortable than …

Today … has been improved in terms of …

Comparing

Whereas …

On the other hand …

On the contrary …

3. Possible introductory paragraph: ‘Hundreds of years ago there was not much entertainment for people. Now we have many things that we can do in the evenings and at weekends. I agree it is very different. I will explain my reasons.’


28 29

4. Extra essay title:

Communication between people is much easier today than it was 100 years ago. Do you agree?

Write an essay of 200–230 words about the topic.

Plan the paragraphs here:

Planning:

Now write your essay on the lines below:


28 29

303030

313131

ISE

III Spea

king

& L

istenin

g ex

am

Overview of the ISE Speaking & Listening exam

32 33

Overview of the ISE Speaking & Listening examTrinity’s ISE Speaking & Listening exam tests speaking and listening skills through an integrated approach. The integrated skills approach reflects how we use listening and speaking skills both together and separately in our studies and work, mirroring the way the two skills interact in the real world. The integrated speaking and listening tasks reflect the kind of activities a student does in a school or college setting. Additionally, the Independent listening task reflects the way that a student finds, selects and reports relevant and appropriate information in an educational or academic setting.

The purpose of the exam is to assess a candidate’s English language skills in speaking and listening through tasks which correspond to their real world activities and their purpose for learning English.

The ISE Speaking & Listening exam is currently offered at four levels of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) from A2 to C1.

Who is ISE Speaking & Listening for?The intended candidate is a young person or adult, typically at secondary school or college who is using English as a second or foreign language as part of their studies in order to develop their skills and improve their knowledge of a range of subject areas. The typical ISE candidate is aged between 11 and 19, but may be older.

A candidate at the lower levels of the exam (ISE Foundation and ISE I), is generally a young person or adult in school or college who is taking ISE as evidence to progress to a higher level of English study within their mainstream or English language school. At the higher levels of the exam (ISE II and ISE III), a candidate is typically a young person or adult preparing for further or higher education who is required to prove their English language proficiency levels within an educational context.


32 33

Introduction to ISE Speaking & Listening tasksThe Speaking & Listening exam consists of several tasks and increases in length as the level increases. The table below shows the progression across the levels.

ISE Foundation ISE I ISE II ISE III

CEFR level A2 B1 B2 C1

Time 13 minutes 14 minutes 20 minutes 25 minutes

Topic task 4 minutes 4 minutes 4 minutes 8 minutes

Collaborative task — — 4 minutes 4 minutes

Conversation task 2 minutes 2 minutes 2 minutes 3 minutes

Independent listening task 6 minutes 7 minutes 8 minutes 8 minutes

Examiner administration time 1 minute 1 minute 2 minutes 2 minutes

The Topic taskWhat is the formal topic presentation? Before the exam, the candidate prepares a topic of his or her own choice to formally present to the examiner. The Topic task provides the candidate with the opportunity to talk about a topic which is of personal interest or relevance to him or her and which he or she feels confident about. This task gives the candidate a degree of autonomy and control over the content of the presentation and discussion.

What language skills can the candidate demonstrate in the topic presentation?

The presentation provides the candidate with the opportunity to:

◗ show he or she can present a discursive topic with different points of view and sub-themes

◗ show he or she can construct, present and develop an argument, and expand and support points of view at some length

◗ show he or she can use the language functions of ISE III (see page 77).

What is the formal topic discussion? After the presentation the candidate asks the examiner if they have any questions or comments about the ideas discussed in the presentation. The examiner and candidate then have a discussion.

What language skills can the candidate demonstrate in the topic discussion?

The candidate can:

◗ initiate and maintain the discussion, not just respond to the examiner’s questions and observations

◗ engage in a one-to-one, unscripted discussion with an expert speaker of English

◗ use the language functions of the ISE III (see page 77).

Can the candidate bring notes with them?

In the ISE III exam the candidate must prepare a formal handout to go with their formal topic presentation. The candidate gives the handout to the examiner. The candidate can prepare brief notes for themselves to use in their presentation. However, written scripts are not permitted.

Level Support

ISE Foundation Topic form with four points

ISE I Topic form with four points

ISE II Candidate may use notes or a mind map

ISE III Formal handout must accompany presentation


34 35

The Collaborative task (ISE II and ISE III only)What happens in the Collaborative task? The examiner reads the candidate a prompt. The candidate responds to the prompt by starting, leading and maintaining the interaction. For example, the candidate can ask questions to find out more information, respond to information and comments from the examiner, demonstrate skills in turn-taking in a conversation, etc. It is essential for the candidate to initiate, interact and collaborate with the examiner. The candidate should not wait for the examiner to lead the conversation, and monologues from the candidate will receive a low mark.

What is the examiner’s prompt? The prompt presents a dilemma, a situation or an opinion. The candidate then needs to take the initiative to find out more about the background of the examiner’s circumstances or position and engage the examiner in a sustained discussion about his or her circumstances or views. All of the examiner’s prompts are prepared in advance by Trinity. By asking the examiner for further information, in the Collaborative task, the candidate finds out more about the background to the dilemma, situation or opinion.

What language skills can the candidate demonstrate in the Collaborative task? The task provides the opportunity for the candidate to demonstrate his or her ability to take control through the use of questioning techniques and language functions such as requesting information and clarification. This task allows the candidate to show that they can initiate ‘turns’ and control the direction of the interaction. The Collaborative task produces an authentic exchange of information and opinions, with the language functions listed at ISE III arising naturally from the interaction. The language functions for ISE III are on page 77.

The Conversation taskWhat is the Conversation task? The Conversation task is a meaningful and authentic exchange of information, ideas and opinions. It is not a formal ‘question and answer’ interview. In this task, the examiner selects one subject area for discussion with the candidate.

What are the possible subjects for discussion? The subject areas have been carefully selected to offer a progression from the ‘concrete’ subjects at ISE Foundation to the ‘abstract’ at ISE III. For the subject areas for the Conversation task at ISE III, please see page 39.

What does the interaction in the Conversation task involve? The examiner asks a question or makes a comment to start the conversation but the candidate is expected to take responsibility for initiating and maintaining the conversation. At ISE III, the candidate is expected to lead the conversation to explore the issue with the examiner.

The Independent listening taskWhat is the Independent listening task? Listening skills are tested in an integrated way together with speaking skills in the Topic task, Collaborative task and Conversation task. In the Independent listening task the candidate has the opportunity to demonstrate the kind of listening skills that are required in lessons and lectures. In the ISE III Independent listening task, the candidate listens to a recording and talks about the content of the recording.

What is the procedure for the Independent listening task? The examiner plays an audio recording. The candidate listens once and the examiner asks the candidate to say in a few words what the recording was about. As the candidate listens for a second time, they can take notes. However, the notes are not assessed as part of the exam. The candidate then has one minute to talk about the content of the recording.


34 35

Glossary of speaking aims for ISE III

Communicative effectiveness

◗ Responding appropriately to interaction ◗ Initiating and maintaining conversation

Interactive listening ◗ Showing understanding of other speakers or the examiner ◗ Following the speech of other speakers or the examiner

Language control ◗ Using a range of language functions, grammar and vocabulary ◗ Using language functions, grammar and vocabulary accurately ◗ Avoiding errors which affect the understanding of the listener

Delivery ◗ Using clear and understandable pronunciation ◗ Using stress and intonation as appropriate

Glossary of listening skills for ISE III

Intensive listening in detail to gather as much information as possible

◗ Understanding specific, factual information at the word and/or phrase level ◗ Listening for explicitly stated ideas and information ◗ Listening for ideas and information which are not explicitly stated

Intensive listening for detailed understanding

◗ Listening to understand all or most of the information the recording provides

◗ Identifying finer points of detail including attitudes and implied as well as stated opinions

Extensive listening for gist, for main ideas and for global understanding

◗ Listening to understand the topic and main ideas of the recording

Deducing meaning ◗ Guessing the meaning of utterances, phrases and words from their context

Inferring attitude, intentions, viewpoints and implications

◗ Identifying which information is factual and which information is opinion ◗ Inferring meaning, eg the speaker’s attitude, line of argument, mood and intentions

Identifying the difference between main and subsidiary points, supporting examples or details; Identifying the difference between facts and opinions

◗ Identifying which information is key information, and which information is a supporting example or detail

◗ Identifying which information is the main point and which information is an example or details

36 37


36 37

Candidate profile

SpeakingA candidate who passes ISE III Speaking can:

◗ express himself or herself fluently and spontaneously, almost effortlessly — only a conceptually difficult subject hinders a natural, smooth flow of language

◗ readily overcome gaps with circumlocutions — there is little obvious searching for expressions or avoidance strategies and only a conceptually difficult subject hinders a natural, smooth flow of language

◗ use language flexibly and effectively for social purposes, including emotional, allusive and joking usage

◗ argue a formal position convincingly, responding to questions and comments and answering complex lines of counter argument fluently, spontaneously and appropriately

◗ give clear, detailed descriptions on complex subjects, integrating sub-themes, developing particular points and rounding off with an appropriate conclusion

◗ give clear, detailed descriptions of complex subjects

◗ give elaborate descriptions and narratives, integrating sub-themes, developing particular points and rounding off with an appropriate conclusion

◗ give a clear, well-structured presentation of a complex subject, expanding and supporting points of view at some length with subsidiary points, reasons and relevant examples

◗ select a suitable phrase from a readily available range of discourse functions to preface his or her remarks appropriately in order to get the floor, or to gain time and keep the floor while thinking

◗ produce clear, smoothly flowing, well-structured speech, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices

◗ qualify opinions and statements precisely in relation to degrees of, for example, certainty/uncertainty, belief/doubt, likelihood, etc.

ListeningA candidate who passes ISE III Listening can:

◗ understand enough to follow extended speech on abstract and complex topics beyond his or her own field, though he or she may need to confirm occasional details, especially if the accent is unfamiliar

◗ recognise a wide range of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms, appreciating register shifts

◗ follow most lectures, discussions and debates with relative ease

◗ understand a wide range of recorded and broadcast audio material, including some non-standard usage, and identify finer points of detail including implicit attitudes and relationships between speakers

◗ understand in detail speech on abstract and complex topics of a specialist nature beyond his or her own field, though he or she may need to confirm occasional details, especially if the accent is unfamiliar

◗ use contextual, grammatical and lexical cues to infer attitude, mood and intentions and anticipate what will come next.

This profile is based on the level C1, Proficient User, of the Council of Europe’s Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).

Task specifications for ISE III Speaking & Listening

36 3736 37


Topic task

Task type and format The Topic task is an integrated speaking and listening task. The candidate prepares a topic and delivers a formal presentation, giving a handout to the examiner. Other visual aids are optional.

After the presentation, the candidate and the examiner engage in a discussion about issues and points arising from the presentation.

Timing ◗ 4 minutes for presentation ◗ 4 minutes for discussion

Language functions ◗ Initiating and maintaining the conversation ◗ Developing and justifying an argument ◗ Evaluating options, past actions/course of events and different statements ◗ Speculating ◗ Hypothesising ◗ Staging (ie a logical signposted structure) ◗ Summarising ◗ Indicating understanding of points made by the examiner ◗ Establishing common ground

Examiner role The examiner makes notes during the presentation of ideas, points or issues to discuss after the presentation is finished.

During the discussion, the examiner asks questions and makes comments to elicit the language functions of the level.

Assessment The Topic task, Collaborative task and Conversation task are given one score using four criteria:

◗ Communicative effectiveness

◗ Interactive listening

◗ Language control

◗ Delivery


38 39

Collaborative task

Task type and format

The Collaborative task is an integrated speaking and listening task. The examiner reads a prompt. The prompt may express a dilemma, situation or opinion. The candidate needs to ask the examiner questions and make comments to find out more information and keep the conversation going.

Timing 4 minutes

Language functions

◗ Initiating and maintaining the conversation

◗ Developing and justifying an argument

◗ Evaluating options, past actions/course of events and different statements

◗ Speculating

◗ Hypothesising

◗ Staging (ie a logical signposted structure)

◗ Summarising

◗ Indicating understanding of points made by the examiner

◗ Establishing common ground

Examiner role The examiner reads a prompt containing a dilemma, situation or opinion. The examiner responds naturally to the candidate’s questioning. The examiner does not give away too much information in one turn, or unnaturally restrict information.

Assessment The Collaborative task, Topic task and Conversation task are given one score using four criteria:

◗ Communicative effectiveness

◗ Interactive listening

◗ Language control

◗ Delivery


38 39

Conversation taskTask type and format The Conversation task is an integrated speaking and listening task.

The examiner selects a conversation topic from the ISE III list given below and asks the candidate a question or makes a comment to start the conversation.

Timing 3 minutes

Language functions ◗ Initiating and maintaining the conversation ◗ Developing and justifying an argument ◗ Evaluating options, past actions/course of events and different statements

◗ Speculating ◗ Hypothesising ◗ Staging (ie a logical signposted structure) ◗ Summarising ◗ Indicating understanding of points made by the examiner ◗ Establishing common ground

Examiner role The examiner uses the list of subject areas to ask questions, make plans and elicit the target language functions of the level

Subject areas for the conversation

◗ Independence ◗ Ambitions ◗ Stereotypes ◗ Role models ◗ Competitiveness ◗ Young people’s rights

◗ The media ◗ Advertising ◗ Lifestyles ◗ The arts ◗ The rights of the individual ◗ Economic issues

Assessment The Conversation task, Collaborative task and Topic task are given one score using four criteria:

◗ Communicative effectiveness ◗ Interactive listening ◗ Language control ◗ Delivery

Independent listening task

Task type and format

The Independent listening task is an audio recording. The candidate listens to the recording and responds verbally.The candidate listens twice to a recording. After the first listening he or she reports the gist of what they have heard. After the second listening he or she reports details. During the second listening only, he or she may take notes. The recording is approximately 2 minutes and 45 seconds long.

Total task time 8 minutes

Task focus ◗ The candidate shows that he or she is able to place information in a wider context ◗ Clearly distinguishing main and subordinate points, recognising the speaker’s line of argument

◗ Inferring information and links between points of information that are not expressed explicitly

◗ Interpreting speaker’s attitude ◗ Inferring meaning of unfamiliar words

Examiner role The examiner plays the recording and reads the instructions including a gist question and a more detailed question

Assessment This task is scored using the ISE III Independent listening rating scale on page 82

For text of a sample ISE Speaking & Listening exam, please see appendix 2. There are also sample videos and audio files of ISE III exams at www.trinitycollege.com/ISEIII

Preparation activities for ISE III Speaking & Listening

40

Preparation activities for ISE III Speaking & ListeningTopic task: ISE III topic presentation structure

Level: ISE III

Focus: Topic presentation and discussion

Aims: To ensure students choose a discursive topic for the ISE III speaking exam and to familiarise students with the structure of a formal presentation

Objectives: Students consider the topic they would like to develop in the topic presentation and give an outline of the structure and content

Topic: Students’ own choice

Language functions: Developing and justifying an argument, evaluating options, past actions/course of events and different statements, summarising, and expressing and expanding ideas and opinions

Lexis: Vocabulary related to topics chosen and signposting expressions

Materials needed: Student worksheets

Timing: 90 minutes

Preparation

1. Print or copy a student worksheet for each student.

2. Consider whether the topics in step 2 below are culturally appropriate for your students, and substitute them with others where necessary.

3. If possible, write the topics in step 2 on the board before the start of the lesson.

In class

1. Tell students that the first part of the ISE III Speaking & Listening exam is a four minute formal topic presentation. Explain that the presentation must be discursive in nature; that is to say it must include reasoning and argument, and not be purely factual.

2. Write the following potential topics on the board (substitute any that are not culturally appropriate with topics of your choice):

1A. Recent developments in medical research 1B. The use of animals in medical research 2A. Christmas traditions 2B. The true meaning of Christmas 3A. My favourite TV show 3B. The effect of TV talent shows on the music business 4A. The history of rap music 4B. Misogyny in rap music 5A. My favourite film 5B. Violence in films

3. Ask students to discuss in pairs which one in each pair is more appropriate and why. Answer: The B versions are more appropriate in each case as they have the potential to be discursive whereas the A versions are likely to be purely factual.

4. Tell students they are going to plan a presentation on the first topic, ‘The use of animals in medical research’ in pairs. Give each student a worksheet. Give them 15 minutes to carry out task 1 in pairs.

5. Elicit answers from the class and write on the board as below. A suggested model answer is on page 45.

6. Tell students they are going to think about what linking expressions they could use to introduce each section. This corresponds to the ‘staging’ language function listed for ISE III. Direct them to task 2 on the worksheet and check they understand the instructions. Give them five minutes to carry out task 2 in pairs. Then go over the answers as a class (see suggested model answer on page 45).


41

7. Tell the students that they are going to plan a presentation individually. Each student chooses one of the other B topics or another discursive topic that interests them. Explain that they will need to find supporting evidence for each point. Ask them to complete task 2, and allow them to use the internet to research the topic further if possible. Set a 40 minute time limit. Monitor and provide help where necessary.

8. In pairs, students review each other’s notes and give feedback. Then give feedback to the whole class on how the task went and any common issues.

Extension activity

Students who finish their plans more quickly can continue with task 2 on the worksheet by adding more cohesive devices to each section. Students could also practise their presentations in front of a partner. After the presentation, the partner can ask questions as the examiner will in the real exam.


Students finding the task difficult can be allowed to research their chosen topic further at home.


42

Student worksheet: ISE III topic presentation structure

Task 1 — PlanningBelow is a suggested structure for a discursive topic presentation. Make brief notes on what you might include in each section.

◗ IntroductionTopic: The use of animals in medical research

◗ Provide a clear indication of your positionAgainst experiments on animals

◗ Present your first argument

◗ Present your second argument

◗ Present your third argument

◗ Indicate that there is another side to this argument, with some idea of the points likely to be made for the view(s) which are opposite to your own

◗ Reiterate your position and conclude


43

Task 2 — Discourse markers

Match the discourse markers to the section you would be most likely to use them in. Some may be suitable for more than one section.

In addition …

Thirdly …

Furthermore …

I’ll begin by talking about …

Secondly …


To sum up …

I’ve chosen to talk about …

In my opinion …

In conclusion …

Nonetheless …

Firstly …

In this presentation I’m going to talk about …

Personally, I believe that …

◗ Introduction

◗ Provide a clear indication of your position







44

Task 3 — Planning your own topic

Choose another topic from the list on the board and make notes on what you would include in each section.

◗ Introduction


◗ Present your first argument, with supporting evidence

◗ Present your second argument, with supporting evidence

◗ Present your third argument, with supporting evidence




45

Answers: Topic task — ISE III topic presentation structure

Task 1 — Planning model answer ◗ Introduction

Topic: The use of animals in medical research


Against experiments on animals


Causes pain and suffering to animals


Animals and humans may respond to tests differently


Tests can be done using modern technology instead of animals


Drugs have been successfully tested on animals in the past

It is worth causing some pain to animals to save human lives


Animal testing necessary in past, but now other methods need to be developed

Task 2 — Discourse markers model answer ◗ Introduction

In this presentation I’m going to talk about …

I’ve chosen to talk about …


In my opinion …

Personally, I believe that …


Firstly …

I’ll begin by talking about …


Secondly …

Furthermore/In addition …


Thirdly …

Furthermore/In addition …



Nonetheless …


In conclusion …

To sum up …


46

Collaborative task: The internet — A waste of time?

Level: ISE III

Focus: Collaborative task

Aims: To understand the Collaborative task requirements at ISE lll, to practise particular language functions such as defending/justifying an argument, challenging arguments and opinions, expressing beliefs, and summarising/paraphrasing information

Objectives: To make students aware of what is required in the Collaborative task and for students to role play the collaborative task at least twice

Topic: The use of the internet

Language functions: Developing and justifying an argument, evaluating options, and summarising — other ISE III language functions may also be used (see page 77)

Lexis: Language related to the above functions and lexis connected to the use of the internet

Materials needed: One student worksheet per student

Timing: 90 minutes (could be divided into 2 x 45 minute lessons)

PreparationPrint or copy one student worksheet per student.

In class

1. Go into class and say the following controversial statement: ‘I think the internet is a total waste of time’ and let students react, mentally noting what they say in response, receiving a response from everyone if possible (depending on the size of the class). This could take up to five minutes.

2. Now tell the students that in today’s lesson they will be focusing on the Collaborative task in the Speaking & Listening exam at ISE III level.

3. Ask students, in pairs or in groups of three, to ask each other if they know what they do in the Collaborative task, and what the language functions and requirements of ISE III are. Give the students two to five minutes depending on their prior knowledge.

4. Ask students to report back, and then see how their answers compare with the task requirements. Give out one worksheet per student and direct the students to look at the ISE III language functions. Alternatively, they could be put up on the board. It might be a good idea to point out that giving advice is NOT a requirement at this level (it is for ISE II).

5. Now write the following functions as headings on the board with space for students to write under each heading: a) Developing and justifying an argument b) Expressing beliefs c) Summarising ideas and arguments

6. Depending on the size of the class, assign one of these headings to each group of students (could be in pairs, or groups of three or four), and ask the students to think of expressions that fulfil the function they have been given. Give the students five minutes to do this. Monitor and answer any questions. Please note that some expressions could fit different functions.

7. Ask one student from each group or pair to write their expressions on the board under the appropriate heading. When they have all done this, invite students to comment on whether the expressions fit the appropriate function or if they could apply to other functions too.

8. At this point, ask the students to look at the points for and against the internet on the student worksheet. Ask the students to discuss in pairs. While the students are completing this task, monitor and answer any queries students may have. Then ask students to add to the handout any additional phrases that they think are useful that they have previously written on the board.


47

9. Model the pronunciation stress and intonation of a number of the key expressions.

10. The above activities will take approximately 45 minutes.

11. Now dictate the following prompt: ‘Many people have stated that the internet has been enormously beneficial for society. I often wonder if that really is the case.’

12. After students have checked what they have written down is correct, divide the class into two. One half of the class makes a list of the benefits of the internet, the other half makes a list of the problems connected with it (some ideas can be found on the student worksheet). Ask one student from each group to write their ideas on the board. Do not invite comments on these ideas as this will overlap into the next activity.

13. Now divide the class into groups of three and tell them one will be the examiner (E), one will be the candidate (C), and one will be an observer (O). E will start by reading the prompt that was dictated in stage 10, and C will respond. The objective of C will be to use some of the expressions that were on the student worksheet and also the ones that were added by the students in stage 8.

O should do three things while E and C are speaking:

◗ time the interaction for five minutes

◗ count how many questions C asks

◗ count how many expressions that were looked at earlier that both E and C use.

When they have finished, O gives C and E feedback. While the students are completing this stage, monitor them, noting points for feedback later.

14. Ask the students to swap their groups. This time ask the students to complete the same activity but with different roles (eg if they were an O previously they can be either E or C). Repeat the activity.

15. Students could swap around again, so that everyone has had a chance to be an E, C and O. This can be skipped if time is running short.

16. Give the students some feedback on how well the students completed this activity. Ask the observers for their observations. Did C ask enough questions? Did C use enough of the required functions? Did C use the expressions examined earlier in an appropriate way? Did C challenge E enough, or did C just tend to agree with everything E said? How do you think C could improve his or her performance?

Extension activity

Students can write more expressions and phrases that map to the functions listed on the student worksheet. This could be continued for homework.

If time, students can consider the following prompt: ‘Some people have stated that climate change has been totally exaggerated. I think I tend to agree with this point of view.’ They then think of arguments for and against this viewpoint.


Ask students finding the task difficult to concentrate on just a few of the most useful phrases and pieces of functional language that they have seen in the student worksheets, and which they think they will use in future. Students compare the functional language they have chosen with each other. The students can practise the intonation and stress of these pieces of language with each other.

Homework

Students could look at the Trinity website on ISE pages for the ISE III Collaborative task examples. They can make a note of useful expressions or strategies used by the candidate or examiner to share with the class before they next practise the Collaborative task.


48

Student worksheet: The internet — A waste of time?

Below are the language functions required at ISE III.

◗ Initiating and maintaining the conversation ◗ Developing and justifying an argument ◗ Evaluating options, past actions/course of events and different statements ◗ Speculating ◗ Hypothesising ◗ Staging (ie a logical signposted structure) ◗ Summarising ◗ Indicating understanding of points made by the examiner ◗ Establishing common ground

Some useful functional language at ISE IIIDefending/Justifying an argument

◗ What I am trying to explain is …

◗ I see your point, but …

◗ Don’t you think it might be …?

◗ I probably agree with what you’re saying, but in reality …

◗ I think you might be making a few assumptions there …

◗ I might be wrong but don’t you think it might be …?

Expressing beliefs ◗ I strongly believe …

◗ I am a firm believer in …

◗ What are your thoughts regarding …

◗ What are your beliefs on …

◗ You seem very definite on that point …

Summarising/paraphrasing information ◗ So in other words, what you are saying/I am saying is …?

◗ Are you saying/suggesting that …?

◗ Could you explain that in another way? Can you expand on that?

◗ Essentially what are the main points to bear in mind …?

◗ Basically, my main point is …

◗ In just a few words can you summarise that for me?


49

Sample points for and against the internet

Arguments for the internet Arguments against the internet

◗ Can find out information at the touch of a few buttons

◗ Resource for research for homework/other projects

◗ No need to go to the library

◗ Social networks helping us to keep in touch with old friends, or people far away

◗ Helps reduce the amount of paper consumed

◗ Anyone can use it as it is so simple

◗ It has created many jobs in the IT world

◗ People have become too lazy to research things in depth

◗ Websites such as online dictionaries are often wrong as anyone can edit them

◗ Searches often bring up student essays and opinions which are not authoritative (like books)

◗ It has divided the world into haves and have nots (the rich world is further removed from places which have poor internet connection)

◗ It excludes the elderly who may be scared to use it

◗ It is killing libraries (and jobs)


50

Conversation task: Yes, but is it art?

Level: ISE III

Focus: Conversation task

Aims: To develop students’ active vocabulary for discussing different art forms and to expand their knowledge of useful phrases to use in conversation

Objectives: To justify an argument by stating what makes something art and to agree or disagree with someone’s opinion on the topic of art forms

Subject area: The arts

Language functions: Developing and justifying an argument, and evaluating options, past actions/ course of events and different statements — other ISE III language functions may also be used (see page 77)

Lexis: Art forms and phrases used to express opinions

Materials needed: One worksheet per student

Timing: 1 hour

Preparation

1. Print or copy one worksheet per student.

2. Find images online or in a book of different pieces of art and print them out. Ensure you have one set of pictures for every two students.

In class

1. Explain to the class that they will be doing an activity today in class that will help them to practise for the Conversation task of the ISE III exam.

2. Tell the students that the topic of today’s lesson is ‘art’. Write the following three questions on the board and tell students to discuss the questions in pairs:

◗ What makes something art?

◗ Do you like art?

◗ What are the most popular art forms in your country?

Monitor and assist if necessary. Carry out feedback as a group.

3. Write the following 10 art forms on the board: ‘photography’, ‘computer games’, ‘painting’, ‘dance’, ‘comic books’, ‘architecture’, ‘web design’, ‘music’, ‘literature’, ‘fashion design’. Ask students to discuss the meaning of the words in pairs. Carry out feedback as a group.

4. Give each student a copy of the worksheet and ask them to complete task A. Tell the students to rank the art forms from 1 to 10 with 1 meaning the art form is really art and 10 meaning this is not art at all. When students have finished, ask them to compare their top 10 in pairs and discuss the differences. Carry out group feedback and elicit why something may/may not be a form of art.

5. Put students in pairs and tell each pair to choose one art form. Tell them to carry out task B. Ask the students to write down the art form on a piece of paper and then three arguments as to why the art form is art and three arguments as to why it is not art. They could put these under the headings ‘Arguments for’ and ‘Arguments against’. Monitor and correct errors.

6. Tell students to pass their paper to the pair sitting on their right and ask them to add one argument for or against. Repeat this until each pair has added a comment on at least two different art forms. Ask the students to return the papers back to the correct students.

7. Elicit from the students phrases to express opinions, and phrases to express agreement and disagreement and write them on the board. Ask students to look at the sentence starters in the table under task C and tell them to add three more from the ones they have discussed. Drill the sentence starters chorally and individually.


51

8. Ask students to carry out task C. Tell them they should have a discussion based on the arguments on their new piece of paper. One student should play the role of the examiner and should start the discussion with ‘Let’s talk about art. Do you think … is/are a real form of art?’ The other student should reply with one of the sentence starters on the worksheet. After three to four minutes, collect the papers and redistribute them. Ask the students to repeat the task but now they should swap the roles. Monitor and write the errors you hear on the board for later group error correction.

9. Have a whole-class discussion on at least two of the art forms. Encourage students to use the sentence starters.

10. Now draw the students’ attention to the errors that you have written up on the board. Ask the students to discuss in pairs what is wrong with the sentences or phrases and to correct them. Correct the errors as a group. Elicit the correct answer and the reason.

11. Tell the students that in the Conversation task of the ISE III exam they need to be able to develop and justify an argument. They need to take initiative and they should use a range of phrases as introduced in this lesson to manage the conversation. They can prepare for this by practising with another student and alternating the examiner role. Tell them that they should repeat the task until a wide range of phrases are used naturally.

Extension activity

Find images online or in a book of different pieces of art covering a wide range of genres. Suggestions: Mona Lisa (L Da Vinci), The Persistence of Memory (S Dali), traditional Chinese painting, cave painting, Fountain (M Duchamp), Guernica (P Picasso), The Night Watch (Rembrandt), Number 31 (J Pollock), Campbell’s Soup Can (A Warhol), etc. Give each pair a set of pictures. Ask students to discuss, in pairs, whether these are pieces of art or not.


Allow students to talk about the same art form when they change partners. This way they will repeat their ideas.

Homework

Ask students to find a famous piece of art online or in a book and bring a printout or photocopy of it to class. Ask the students to report back in the next class whether the piece of art they found is, according to them, art or not.


52

Student worksheet: Yes, but is it art?

Task ARank the art forms from 1 to 10.

1 = This art form is really art. 10 = This is not art at all.

Art forms Rank number

photography

computer games

painting

dance

comic books

architecture

web design

music

literature

fashion design

Task BWork with a partner. Choose one art form. On a piece of paper, write down the art form. Then under the headings ‘Arguments for’ write three reasons why the art form can be considered art and under the heading ‘Arguments against’ three reasons why it is not art.

Task CWork with a partner. Student A plays the role of the examiner, student B is the candidate. Use the question and the sentence starters below in your discussion.

Student A: Examiner

Let’s talk about art. Do you think … is/are a real form of art?


53

Student B: Candidate

I don’t think … The way I see it is that … In my opinion, …

I would say that …Yes, to a degree. Having said that, …

From my point of view, …

To be honest, I don’t think …Well, it’s not that clear-cut because …

Generally, I think … is considered art but in my honest opinion …


54

Listening task: How to write a summary using note-taking skills

Level: ISE III

Focus: Independent listening task

Aims: Listening for gist and listening for detailed information

Objectives: To identify the main ideas in a listening task, to develop summarising and note-taking skills

Topic: Listening skills

Language functions: Summarising

Lexis: Language related to listening skills, signposting words and expressions (eg firstly, to conclude

Materials needed: One worksheet per student and the audio script for, or an online connection to play, a news item or the ‘5 ways to listen better’ TED talk (see pages 59–60)

Timing: 45–60 minutes

Preparation

1. Print or copy one worksheet per student.

2. Find a news report in English of two to three minutes or listen to the TED talk ‘5 ways to listen better’. Prepare to read out the audio script in class (see pages 59–60 for the TED talk) or to play the audio during the class. Alternatively, you could make a recording to play in class.

In class

1. Tell the students they are going to spend this lesson developing their summarising and note-taking skills in preparation for the ISE III Independent listening task. This task involves students listening to spoken English in the form of, for example, lectures, complex discussions, debates, podcasts, radio programmes or documentaries. After the first listening they report the gist in a few words. During the second listening they can take notes. After the second listening they have one minute to give an answer to the examiner’s summary question using their notes.

2. Ask the students what is meant by the term ‘gist’. Write some of their ideas on the board. For example, explain that gist is the main focus of the discussion, the main idea.

3. Ask the students what they understand by ‘a summary’. Write some of their ideas on the board. Explain that a summary is selecting the main points from all the information given, and then putting them all together in a logical order.

4. Explain to the students that for the ISE III Independent listening task, they will be given a blank piece of paper to make notes on. However, for this task they will use a worksheet, which will help them to make notes during the Independent listening task in the exam. Inform the students that in today’s lesson, they will also practise this part of the test. Write ‘What is a summary?’ in large letters on the board. Ask the following questions in open-class (the correct answers are in brackets):

◗ Does a summary include background to the issue? (no)

◗ Does a summary include small details? (no)

◗ Does a summary include the student’s own views? (no)

◗ Does a summary include data (eg 23% of homeowners) (no)

◗ Does a summary involve detailed explanations? (no)

◗ Does a summary involve direct quotes? (no)

5. Warm-up discussion: Write the following on the board in large letters ‘Summarise the talk in five sentences’. Explain that they will practise the skill of ‘summarising’ today. Put the students into pairs and give out one worksheet per student, asking them to discuss all of the questions in task 1. Give the students approximately five to eight minutes to complete this task.

6. Go through the answers to task 1 in open-class. Write up the answers, if necessary.


55

7. Explain to the students that they are now going to listen to some audio. The first time they are only listening for gist. Play or read the recording.

8. Now ask the students to discuss with their partner what the gist of the talk was. If you are using the TED talk, possible answers include: ‘we are not listening anymore’, ‘we are not listening properly’, ‘our listening skills are becoming worse’, and ‘listening skills need to be taught in schools’.

9. Now explain to the students that they are going to listen for a second time, but this time they will be making notes to enable them to give a summary of the talk. Ask them to make notes as they listen in the boxes in task 2 on the student worksheet.

10. Play or read the recording for a second time.

11. Go through the notes the students have made in open-class, encouraging feedback from each group. Decide as a class which of the main points should be included in a summary.

12. In pairs, tell students they are going to work together to build a summary (task 3 on their worksheet). If you are using the TED talk, you could write the following on the board to help the students focus on the main information:

◗ Current situation

◗ Some key techniques for listening

◗ How to improve our listening

◗ Why we need to improve our listening

13. Listen to some pairs giving their summaries orally (the number will depend on class sizes etc but shouldn’t last more than 15 minutes). Give feedback and encourage other students to also give feedback by asking them to score each pair from 1–10 as they hear it. Ask the students why the summary with the highest mark scored so highly.

Extension activity

The more advanced students can practise retelling the talk which should involve giving as much information about the talk as possible.


Students finding the task difficult can be asked to listen to the first part of the talk and the last part, this will give them two main points, or they can be asked to listen to the middle part to get the gist.

Homework

Ask students to find another talk about something related to their homework that week and do the same exercise.


56

Student worksheet: How to write a summary using note-taking skills

Task 1 — SummarisingDiscuss the following questions in pairs

1. What makes a good summary?

2. Which of the following might be included in a summary? Circle YES or NO next to each point:

• Essential information YES / NO

• Minor information YES / NO

• Background information YES / NO

• The main idea and why it is relevant YES / NO

• Long explanations YES / NO

• Data YES / NO

• Direct quotes YES / NO

• A conclusion YES / NO

• Your own views YES / NO

• The views of people in the dialogue YES / NO

3. How should you decide what to include in the summary?


57

Task 2 — Listening

1. Listen to the recording for the first time and answer the following question:

What is the gist of what the speaker is talking about?

2. Now listen to the recording a second time and make notes on the key points.

•

•

•

•

•

Task 3Make a summary of the key points made during the talk.


58

Answers: How to write a summary using note-taking skills

1. What makes a good summary?

Selecting the main points from the information given, and then putting it all together logically. Use these keywords to explain: general, essential, concise, connected, logical.

2. Which of the following might be included in a summary?

Essential information, the main idea and why it’s relevant, a conclusion.

3. How should you decide what to include in the summary?

Which points are mentioned, and then developed, with possible examples given. Also, sequencing words and cohesive devices (signposting words) are a good indicator for when a main point is being mentioned.

4. The gist of what the speaker is talking about (for TED talk ‘5 ways to listen better’)

The importance of listening skills, why they are in decline, and why they need to be improved so we can all live in peace and harmony.

Task 3 — Model answer of summary (for TED talk ‘5 ways to listen better’)

We need to improve our listening skills as they are getting worse. We are able to distinguish sounds from one another, for example, when our name is called in a crowded place. If we focus on listening to something we have better results. The skill to listen is being lost in part, because of advanced recording technology so, we can hear things again and again. In addition to this, the world is noisy so it’s tiring to listen.

We are also very busy therefore we’re becoming impatient and we’re becoming desensitised as all sorts of media is thrown at us. It’s vitally important that we listen to each other as listening creates understanding.

In order to improve our listening skills, the lecturer recommends: three minutes of silence per day, focusing on hearing the different streams of sound wherever you are, focusing on everyday sounds and making them special, for example, the sound of your tumble dryer. Finally, by practising all of these techniques, you can improve your listening skills. He also suggests that you could ensure you appreciate who is talking to you by making little noises like ‘hmm, oh’ etc and asking your interlocutor questions.

We need to listen to each other to stay connected. We need to teach it in schools so that everyone knows how to do it. It is possible to do this to create a world of connection, understanding and peace.


5959

Audio script of TED talk ‘5 ways to listen better’

Read out this tape script as naturally as you can (normal speed delivery, or record it and play it back in class).

We are losing our listening. We spend roughly 60 per cent of our communication time listening, but we’re not very good at it. We retain just 25 per cent of what we hear. Now not you, not this talk, but that is generally true. Let’s define listening as making meaning from sound. It’s a mental process, and it’s a process of extraction.

We use some pretty cool techniques to do this. One of them is pattern recognition. So in a cocktail party like this, if I say, ‘David, Sara, pay attention’ — Some of you just sat up. We recognise patterns to distinguish noise from signal, and especially our name. Differencing is another technique we use. If I left this pink noise on for more than a couple of minutes, you would literally cease to hear it. We listen to differences, we discount sounds that remain the same.

And then there is a whole range of filters. These filters take us from all sound down to what we pay attention to. Most people are entirely unconscious of these filters. But they actually create our reality in a way, because they tell us what we’re paying attention to right now. I’ll give you one example of that: intention is very important in sound, in listening. When I married my wife, I promised her that I would listen to her every day as if for the first time. Now that’s something I fall short of on a daily basis. But it’s a great intention to have in a relationship.

But that’s not all. Sound places us in space and in time. If you close your eyes right now in this room, you’re aware of the size of the room from the reverberation and the bouncing of the sound off the surfaces. And you’re aware of how many people are around you because of the micro-noises you’re receiving. And sound places us in time as well, because sound always has time embedded in it. In fact, I would suggest that our listening is the main way that we experience the flow of time from past to future. So, ‘Sonority is time and meaning’ — a great quote.

I said at the beginning, we’re losing our listening. Why did I say that? Well there are a lot of reasons for this. First of all, we invented ways of recording — first writing, then audio recording and now video recording as well. The premium on accurate and careful listening has simply disappeared. Secondly, the world is now so noisy, with this cacophony going on visually and auditorily, it’s just hard to listen; it’s tiring to listen. Many people take refuge in headphones, but they turn big, public spaces like this, shared soundscapes, into millions of tiny, little personal sound bubbles. In this scenario, nobody’s listening to anybody.

We’re becoming impatient. We don’t want oratory anymore, we want sound bites. And the art of conversation is being replaced — dangerously, I think — by personal broadcasting. I don't know how much listening there is in this conversation, which is sadly very common, especially in the UK. We’re becoming desensitised. Our media have to scream at us with these kinds of headlines in order to get our attention. And that means it’s harder for us to pay attention to the quiet, the subtle, the understated.

This is a serious problem that we’re losing our listening. This is not trivial. Because listening is our access to understanding. Conscious listening always creates understanding. And only without conscious listening can these things happen — a world where we don’t listen to each other at all, is a very scary place indeed. So I’d like to share with you five simple exercises, tools you can take away with you, to improve your own conscious listening. Would you like that?

Good.

The first one is silence. Just three minutes a day of silence is a wonderful exercise to reset your ears and to recalibrate so that you can hear the quiet again. If you can’t get absolute silence, go for quiet, that’s absolutely fine.

Second, I call this the mixer. So even if you’re in a noisy environment like this — and we all spend a lot of time in places like this — listen in the coffee bar to how many channels of sound can I hear? How many individual channels in that mix am I listening to? You can do it in a beautiful place as well, like in a lake. How many birds am I hearing? Where are they? Where are those ripples? It’s a great exercise for improving the quality of your listening.


60

Third, this exercise I call savouring, and this is a beautiful exercise. It’s about enjoying mundane sounds. This, for example, is my tumble dryer. It’s a waltz — One, two, three, One, two, three, One, two, three. I love it. Or just try this one on for size (the sound of a coffee grinder). Wow! So mundane sounds can be really interesting if you pay attention. I call that the hidden choir. It’s around us all the time.

The next exercise is probably the most important of all of these, if you just take one thing away. This is listening positions — the idea that you can move your listening position to what’s appropriate to what you’re listening to. This is playing with those filters. You remember, I gave you those filters at the beginning. It’s starting to play with them as levers, to get conscious about them and to move to different places. These are just some of the listening positions, or scales of listening positions, that you can use. There are many. Have fun with that. It’s very exciting.

And finally, an acronym. You can use this in listening, in communication. If you’re in any one of those roles — and I think that probably is everybody who’s listening to this talk — the acronym is RASA, which is the Sanskrit word for juice or essence. And RASA stands for Receive, which means pay attention to the person; Appreciate, making little noises like ‘hmm,’ ‘oh,’ ‘okay’; Summarise, the word ‘so’ is very important in communication; and Ask, ask questions afterwards.

Now sound is my passion, it’s my life. I wrote a whole book about it. So I live to listen. That’s too much to ask for most people. But I believe that every human being needs to listen consciously in order to live fully — connected in space and in time to the physical world around us, connected in understanding to each other, not to mention spiritually connected, because every spiritual path I know of has listening and contemplation at its heart.

That’s why we need to teach listening in our schools as a skill. Why is it not taught? It’s crazy. And if we can teach listening in our schools, we can take our listening off that slippery slope to that dangerous, scary world that I talked about and move it to a place where everybody is consciously listening all the time — or at least capable of doing that.

Now I don't know how to do that, but this is TED, and I think the TED community is capable of anything. So I invite you to connect with me, connect with each other, take this mission out and let’s get listening taught in schools, and transform the world in one generation to a conscious listening world — a world of connection, a world of understanding and a world of peace.

Thank you for listening to me today.

Source: www.ted.com/talks/julian_treasure_5_ways_to_listen_better

Appen

dices

62 63

Appendix 1 — Sample Reading & Writing exam paper

ISE III ISE III

page 3page 2 This exam paper has four tasks. Complete all tasks. Turn over page

Integrated Skills in English III

Time allowed: 2 hours

This exam paper has four tasks. Complete all tasks.

Task 1 — Long reading

Read the following text about languages and answer the 15 questions on page 3.

Paragraph 1The writer and Professor of Linguistics David Crystal relates the experience of a fellow linguist called Bruce Connell, who was doing some research in West Africa in the 1990s when he discovered a language that had never been studied before. The problem was that there was only one man left who spoke it. Connell was too busy to investigate further, so resolved to return the following year. By the time he got back, the man had died, and of course the language along with him. One day it existed, the next day it was extinct.

Paragraph 2In itself, this story is not all that surprising: languages have been dying out (and new ones emerging) for as long as humans have been on the earth. More alarming is the current rate of language extinction. Professor Crystal, who has written a book called ‘Language Death’ as part of his campaign to raise awareness of the problem, estimates that of approximately 6,000 languages in the world, around half will disappear over the next 100 years. This means that’s one language less every couple of weeks. As for endangered languages, it has been estimated that there are nearly 500 with only one speaker left, and over 3,000 with 10,000 speakers or fewer.

Paragraph 3Does this matter? I confess that until I looked into it, I thought of this situation (if I thought about it at all) as just natural evolution. Languages come and go according to whether they meet the needs of the speakers, and of all the world’s problems, this is nowhere near the most pressing. Professor Crystal, though, offers a number of reasons why we should care. Languages, he says, are interesting in themselves and teach us about language and communication in general. They contain the culture and history of those who speak them, and are a vital part of group identity. A further and more abstract argument is that diversity is necessary for evolution, or even survival, just as much in cultural terms as in biology. Speaking personally, I must say these arguments haven’t converted me into a campaigner for endangered languages, but at least I’m grateful that there are people like David Crystal doing their best to keep the issue alive.

Paragraph 4There are various reasons why languages die, including the obvious one of populations disappearing as a result of natural disasters or war, but the most common one is a gradual cultural assimilation. When one culture dominates another, there is pressure on people to adopt the dominant language. What usually happens is that, after some time, most people begin to speak both languages. This phase, however, tends to lead to a gradual decline in the ‘dominated’ language as younger generations stop speaking it. From then on, basic population changes take over as its surviving speakers become fewer and fewer. Later generations may look back with regret and realise that something valuable has been lost, but by then of course it’s too late.

Paragraph 5So, if we accept that disappearing languages is an important problem, can anything be done? Unsurprisingly, David Crystal is convinced that steps can be taken (and furthermore have been successful in various places). He cites examples from around the world, including the revival of Welsh, which was the result of deliberate policy decisions. Favourable conditions, however, must be in place, not least of which is the desire and willingness of the community to save their language. In cases where this doesn’t exist, any efforts that are made will be doomed to failure. Beyond that, a threatened language needs to have prestige, which requires that it should be given a place in the education system and, in most cases, an agreed grammar and preferably a written form (if it doesn’t already have one). None of this is cheap. One estimate is that there would be an annual cost of £40,000 per language. But when you compare that to the amount spent in other areas, perhaps it’s not so much after all.

Appendix 1 — Sample Reading & Writing exam paper

62 63

Appendix 1 — Sample Reading & Writing exam paper (contd)

ISE III ISE III


Questions 1–5

The text on page 2 has five paragraphs (1–5). Choose the best title for each paragraph from A–F below and write the letter (A–F) on the lines below. There is one more title than you need.

1. Paragraph 1

2. Paragraph 2

3. Paragraph 3

4. Paragraph 4

5. Paragraph 5

Questions 6–10

Choose the five statements from A–H below that are TRUE according to the information given in the text on page 2. Write the letters of the TRUE statements on the lines below (in any order).

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Questions 11–15

Complete sentences 11–15 with a word, phrase or number from the text (maximum three words). Write the word, phrase or number on the lines below.

11. The writer’s view was that the survival of a language depends on if they

of people.

12. According to Professor Crystal, the of languages is necessary for evolution and survival.

13. Typically, after a period of bilingualism, one language will suffer

.

14. Attempts to save a language are without commitment from the people who speak it.

15. A language will be easier to save if it can be down.

A Why disappearing languages is a big issue

B How a language becomes dominant

C How languages can be rescued

D A story of a lost language

E Rate of language extinction

F Typical process of language extinction

A The decline in world languages will slow down in the future.

B The writer is now convinced that he should help to make people aware of the issue.

C People tend to give a language more respect if it is taught in schools.

D Languages are always dying out and new ones are born.

E Some languages are lost along with the people because of natural disasters.

F A researcher who returned to study a ‘new’ language found there were no speakers left.

G The writer used to think that language death was not a problem.

H It’s thought that 3,000 languages will disappear in a century.

64 65

ISE III ISE III


Beekeeper Jack Walsh opens the first hive and I look inside. ‘You can see the workers have gone, but the queen and the honey are still there – other bees would normally steal that, but won’t touch it in a CCD hive.’ CCD, or Colony Collapse Disorder, has wiped out over a third of the UK’s hives, and some believe up to 70% could be threatened. The phenomenon involves the sudden abandonment of a hive, and is yet to be explained, although, as Dr Karen Marsh at the University of London told me, various theories are being examined:

‘The chief suspect is the varroa mite, a tiny parasite which sucks the bees’ blood and carries a number of diseases. However, to stay healthy, bees also need a varied diet, but nowadays many farms grow just one crop. Plus, some pesticides may interfere with the bees’ navigation system. The only consensus is that a number of factors play a role.’

Jack Walsh blames modern methods: ‘We need to get back to basics, so no more antibiotics, or transporting bees hundreds of miles for pollination.’

16. is thinking of getting involved in beekeeping?

17. has never seen inside a beehive before?

18. wants to understand the reasons why bees are in danger?

19. wants to learn more about the organisation of social insects?

20. is interested in myths and legends about bees?

The Great Bee Mystery

Task 2 — Multi-text reading

In this section there are four short texts for you to read and some questions for you to answer.

Questions 16–20

Read questions 16–20 first and then read texts A, B, C and D below the questions.

As you read each text, decide which text each question refers to. Choose one letter — A, B, C or D — and write it on the lines below. You can use any letter more than once.

Which text would be most useful for someone who:

Text A

Text B

The ‘waggledance’communicates the distance and

location of nectar to other bees.

We rely on pollination by honeybees and other species of bee for around one third of the food we grow.

The single queen lays up to 2,000 eggs a day.

Most of the bees in a colony are ‘workers’.

They are females who collect nectar and pollen

from flowers, and maintain and defend

the hive.

The role of the drone is to mate with the queen. They can’t sting, and when

winter comes, they are driven out by workers to starve

to death.


64 65

ISE III ISE III


Text C

Bees in folklore – What traditions have you heard?Joe: My granddad told me bees can recognise their beekeeper!

Alex: Here they say that if someone in the family gets married, you have to ‘tell the bees’ and leave them some wedding cake, or they’ll get annoyed.

Luis: Because honey was the main sweet food in the old days, quite a few cultures say bees originated with the gods.

Helen: @Alex – Yes, but the same goes for bad news – they like to feel part of the family!

Rashid: I’ve heard they don’t sting at night. Is it true?

Silvio: @Joe – Tell him it’s not just an old wives’ tale – there’s research that says they might be able to tell faces apart.

Silvio: @Rashid – No, they’ll sting you any time if they’re threatened.

Benjamin: @Alex – I read that they’ve always been seen as a model for a good family – the way they all play their part and work hard and all that. So I suppose the belief is that if you include them in your family, that’ll be harmonious too.

Text D

The Newbie Beekeeper’s blogDecember 10, 2014Starting outAfter studying a few books, I bought my first hive – a new one (it’s best to avoid second-hand ones because of risk of disease) – and a small colony of workers with a queen. I found a second-hand veil and jacket, and a cheap smoker for calming down the bees before opening the hive – the smoke makes them think they need to evacuate the hive, so they quickly eat as much honey as they can, which makes them sleepy and slow. A local farmer was happy to have the hive on his land as long as it was away from his horses, as for some reason bees don’t like them. I got stung a lot more than I expected at first, until an experienced beekeeper watched me open the hive, and advised me to keep my movements much more calm and gentle. Oh, and to zip up my veil all the way – I learned that lesson the hard way!

Questions 21–25

Choose the five statements from A–H below that are TRUE according to the information given in the texts above. Write the letters of the TRUE statements on the lines below (in any order).

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

A There is an old tradition that you should share news of the family with the bees.

B Research studies have shown that bees only sting people during the daytime.

C A certain proportion of the beehive colony will not survive from one year to another.

D The spread of CCD risks causing a major problem for the UK’s farm and food production.

E The smell that the bee colony produces is determined by the specific flowers which they visit.

F More research is needed to confirm whether the varroa mite is the main cause of CCD.

G Anecdotal and scientific evidence suggest bees can recognise human facial features.

H CCD means that beehives now have to be moved around the country for pollination.


66 67

ISE III ISE III


Questions 26–30

The summary notes below contain information from the texts on pages 4 and 5. Find a word or phrase from texts A–D to complete the missing information in gaps 26–30.

Write your answers on the lines below.

Summary notes

How to keep bees

Essential equipment needed:

• a beehive, ideally a: (26.) one

• a bee colony, including (27.)

• suitable protective clothing, ie (28.)

• an instrument for calming the bees, ie a smoker

Choice of location:

• on a piece of land near nectar-bearing plants, eg flowers, crops

• at a safe distance from other animals, eg (29.)

Other considerations:

• keeping the hive healthy, ie ensuring a varied diet and avoiding (30.)

• getting advice from experienced beekeepers keeping up-to-date with the latest research


66 67

ISE III ISE III


Task 3 — Reading into writing

Use the information from the four texts you read in Task 2 (pages 4–6) to write an article (200–230 words) for a general interest science magazine. The topic of your article is the relationship between honeybees and humans.

You should plan your article before you start writing. Think about what you want to say and make some notes to help you in this box:

Planning notes

(No marks are given for these planning notes)

Now write your article of 200–230 words on the lines below. Try to use your own words as far as possible — don’t just copy sentences from the reading texts.


68 69

ISE III ISE III



68 69

ISE III ISE III


When you have finished your article, spend 2–3 minutes reading through what you have written. Make sure you have answered the task completely. Remember to check how you made use of the reading texts, as well as the language and organisation of your writing.


70 71

ISE III ISE III


Task 4 — Extended writing

Write an essay (200–230 words) giving your opinions on the topic:

‘When studying the past, it’s more important to know about ordinary people than famous people.Do you agree?’

You should plan your essay before you start writing. Think about what you want to say and make some notes to help you in this box:

Planning notes

(No marks are given for these planning notes)

Now write your essay of 200–230 words on the lines below.


70 71

ISE III ISE III



72 73

ISE III

When you have finished your essay, spend 2–3 minutes reading through what you have written. Make sure you have answered the task completely and remember to check the language and organisation of your writing.

End of examCopyright © 2015 Trinity College London


72 73

ISE III Sample paper 2 Answers

Task 1 — Long reading1. D

2. E

3. A

4. F

5. C

6–10 can appear in any order

6. C

7. D

8. E

9. F

10. H

11. meet the needs

12. diversity

13. (language) extinction

14. doomed to failure

15. written

Task 2 — Multi-text reading 16. D

17. A

18. B

19. A

20. C

21–25 can appear in any order

21. A

22. C

23. D

24. F

25. G

26. new

27. workers (and) queen (in either order)

28. veil and jacket (both required in either order)

29. horses

30. pesticides OR antibiotics/use of antibiotics


74 75

Appendix 2 — Information on the Speaking & Listening exam

Appendix 2 — Information on the Speaking & Listening examVideos of sample Speaking & Listening exams may be viewed at www.trinitycollege.com/ISE

There is a note-taking sheet on page 76 which may be photocopied and used in the classroom to help students practise note-taking.

Sample Independent listening task

Examiner rubric:

You’re going to hear part of a radio programme about routine. You will hear the talk twice. The first time, just listen. Then I’ll ask you to tell me generally what the speaker is talking about. Are you ready?

Now listen to the talk again. This time make some notes as you listen, if you want to. Then I’ll ask you to tell me the different ways the speaker evaluates the need for routine in our lives and whether you think he comes to a conclusion. Are you ready?’

Audio script for Independent listening task

In my recent book, I discuss the subject of routine and the effects it has on our lives. Actually, my original idea was to look at the working methods of successful creative people like writers and artists to see if there were any helpful lessons to be drawn. The more people I examined, the clearer it became that there was one thing the vast majority of them had in common: they had a regular working routine and stuck to it strictly, even obsessively. Their habits and routines often ended up being more like rituals. To take one example, the composer Beethoven apparently used to start each day with a cup of strong coffee made with exactly sixty coffee beans, which he insisted on counting out personally. And that’s by no means the oddest ritual I discovered.

Obviously we don’t all have to behave like that, but it does appear that routine is something most of us need. Most humans function better when they have some kind of structure to their lives. In fact, without routines for day-to-day activities, nothing much would get done. Transport wouldn’t run on time, schools and workplaces would be in a permanent state of chaos, and so on.

So, society as a whole seems to favour, or even require, people with regular lifestyles. But there’s a growing body of research suggesting that too much routine is bad for personal well-being, and it’s this aspect that much of the book is concerned with. Breaking up your routine and doing something new, it appears, increases your happiness. It’s not just a case of getting bored: routine also increases our sense of time passing by too quickly. When nothing new is happening, we’re not so conscious of events and simply don’t notice the days and weeks slipping away.

There’s also an interesting connection between time and memory, or more exactly two kinds of connection. Firstly, a lot of what people accept as naturally increasing forgetfulness as they get older is actually more to do with their lives becoming predictable. It’s not so much that they forget things that have happened but that they didn’t really notice them in the first place because they’d become so automatic. The other thing that strikes a chord with me as I get older is the explanation for why childhood memories seem so vivid. When you’re young, everything is new and your brain is working overtime to take everything in, so your impressions of events are much more memorable. What we need to do is to try and recapture that sense of newness by disrupting routines and actively seeking out new experiences.

74 75

Answers

Gist: Routine is beneficial to some extent. But it is important to break routine and try new things for

happiness and memory (any broadly similar formulation acceptable).

◗ Successful people known to have routine, for example, Beethoven

◗ Not always healthy though — can become like a ritual

◗ Some routine is vital — transport, schools, etc

◗ Also, people seem to need some routine to give structure to lives

◗ Society needs people to have routine

◗ BUT — doing new things is important for happiness/well-being — it means time doesn’t seem to pass so quickly

◗ Also, newness important for forming and maintaining memory — memory loss in older age can be due to predictability

◗ Conclusion? Speaker appears to conclude that a degree of routine is important for individuals and society as a whole but that it is very important to avoid becoming too predictable

Appendix 2 — Information on the Speaking & Listening exam (contd)

76 77

Appendix 2 — Information on the Speaking & Listening exam (contd)

Notes

Extra notes

w

w

w

w

w

w

w

w

w

w

Note-taking sheet for practising

76 77

Appendix 3 — Language functions for ISE III

◗

◗ Initiating and maintaining the conversation

◗ Developing and justifying an argument

◗ Evaluating options, past actions/course of events and different statements

◗ Speculating

◗ Hypothesising

◗ Staging (ie a logical signposted structure)

◗ Summarising

◗ Indicating understanding of points made by the examiner

◗ Establishing common ground

Please note that the language functions are cumulative through the ISE levels.

There are no suggested grammar structures for ISE III. Candidates are expected to use a broad range of complex structures to express thoughts clearly.

Appendix 3 — Language functions for ISE III

78 79

Appendix 4 — ISE III Task 3 Reading into writing rating scale

Score Reading and writing

◗◗ Understanding of source materials◗◗ Selection of relevant content from source texts◗◗ Ability to identify common themes and links within and across the multiple texts

◗◗ Adaptation of content to suit the purpose for writing◗◗ Use of paraphrasing/summarising

Task fulfilment

◗◗ Overall achievement of communicative aim◗◗ Awareness of the writer-reader relationship (style and register)◗◗ Adequacy of topic coverage

4 ◗ Full and accurate understanding of all source material in detail demonstrated

◗ A wholly appropriate and accurate selection of relevant content from the source texts

◗ Excellent ability to identify common themes and links within and across the multiple texts and finer points of details

◗ An excellent adaptation of content to suit the purpose for writing

◗ Excellent paraphrasing/summarising skills of long and demanding texts demonstrated

◗ Excellent achievement of the communicative aim with clarity and precision

◗ Excellent awareness of the writer-reader relationship ◗ All requirements (ie genre, topic, reader, purpose and number of words) of the instruction completely met

3 ◗ Full and accurate understanding of most source materials in detail demonstrated

◗ An appropriate and accurate selection of relevant content from the source texts (ie most relevant ideas are selected and most ideas selected are relevant)

◗ Good ability to identify common themes and links within and across the multiple texts and finer points of details, eg attitudes implied

◗ A good adaptation of content to suit the purpose for writing (eg apply the content of the source texts appropriately to offer solutions, offer some evaluation of the ideas based on the purpose for writing)

◗ Good paraphrasing/summarising skills of long and demanding texts demonstrated (with very limited lifting and a few disconnected ideas)

◗ Good achievement of the communicative aim with clarity and precision

◗ Good awareness of the writer-reader relationship (ie appropriate and helpful use of style and register throughout the text)

◗ Most requirements (ie genre, topic, reader, purpose and number of words) of the instruction appropriately met

2 ◗ Full and accurate understanding of more than half of the source materials in detail demonstrated

◗ An acceptable selection of relevant content from the source texts (the content selected must come from multiple texts)

◗ Acceptable ability to identify common themes and links within and across the multiple texts and finer points of details, eg attitudes implied

◗ Acceptable adaptation of content to suit the purpose for writing

◗ Acceptable paraphrasing/summarising skills of long and demanding texts demonstrated

◗ Acceptable achievement of the communicative aim with clarity and precision

◗ Some awareness of the writer-reader relationship (ie appropriate and helpful use of style and register in general)

◗ Most requirements (ie genre, topic, reader, purpose and number of words) of the instruction acceptably met

1 ◗ Inaccurate and limited understanding of most source materials demonstrated

◗ Inadequate and inaccurate selection of relevant content from the source texts (ie fewer than half of the relevant ideas are selected and most of the selected ideas are irrelevant)

◗ Poor ability to identify common themes and links within and across the multiple texts and finer points of details, eg attitudes implied (ie misunderstanding of the common themes and links is evident)

◗ Poor adaptation of content to suit the purpose for writing (ie does not use the source texts’ content to address the purpose for writing)

◗ Poor paraphrasing/summarising skills of long and demanding texts demonstrated (with heavy lifting and many disconnected ideas)

◗ Poor achievement of the communicative aim (ie difficult to follow and unconvincing for reader)

◗ Poor awareness of the writer-reader relationship ◗ Most requirements (ie genre, topic, reader, purpose and number of words) of the instruction are NOT met

0 ◗ Task not attempted ◗ Paper void ◗ No performance to evaluate

Appendix 4 — ISE III Task 3 Reading into writing rating scale

78 79

Appendix 4 — ISE III Task 3 Reading into writing rating scale (contd)

Score Organisation and structure

◗◗ Text organisation, including use of paragraphing, beginnings/endings

◗◗ Presentation of ideas and arguments, including clarity and coherence of their development

◗◗ Consistent use of format to suit the task ◗◗ Use of signposting

Language control

◗◗ Range and accuracy of grammar◗◗ Range and accuracy of lexis◗◗ Effect of linguistic errors on understanding◗◗ Control of punctuation and spelling

4 ◗ Effective organisation of text ◗ Very clear presentation and logical development of all ideas and arguments, underpinning the salient issues with expanding and supporting details at some length

◗ Appropriate and helpful format throughout the text ◗ Effective signposting

◗ Wide range of grammatical items relating to the task with high level of accuracy

◗ Wide range of lexical items relating to the task with high level of accuracy

◗ Any errors do not impede understanding ◗ Excellent spelling and punctuation of complex sentences

3 ◗ Good organisation of text (ie a clear and well-structured text of complex subjects)

◗ Clear presentation and logical development of most ideas and arguments, underpinning the salient issues with expanding and supporting details at some length

◗ Appropriate and helpful format in most of the text ◗ Good signposting (eg appropriate and flexible use of cohesive devices and topic sentences)

◗ Appropriate range of grammatical items relating to the task with good level of accuracy

◗ Appropriate range of lexical items relating to the task with good level of accuracy (with little evidence of avoidance strategies and good command of colloquialisms)

◗ Errors do not impede understanding ◗ Good spelling and punctuation of complex sentences, apart from occasional slips

2 ◗ Acceptable organisation of text (showed awareness of the need for structure, but may only be partially achieved with limited use of introductions/conclusions and topic sentences, however paragraphs are used throughout)

◗ Presentation and development of most ideas and arguments are acceptably clear and logical, underpinning the salient issues with expanding and supporting details at some length (but arguments may not follow in a predictable order)

◗ Appropriate and helpful format in general ◗ Acceptable signposting (some signposting used but may be inconsistent; some use of cohesive devices but may be inconsistent)

◗ Acceptable range of grammatical items relating to the task with acceptable level of accuracy

◗ Acceptable range of lexical items relating to the task with acceptable level of accuracy

◗ Errors sometimes impede understanding (sometimes require the reader to reread and/or reflect)

◗ Acceptable spelling and punctuation of complex sentences

1 ◗ Very limited or poor text organisation (the writing appears to lack structure with limited use of introductions/conclusions and topic sentences. Paragraphing may be absent/inappropriate)

◗ Most ideas and arguments lack coherence and do not progress logically, ideas are arranged in an entirely unpredictable order)

◗ Inappropriate format throughout the text ◗ Poor signposting

◗ Inadequate evidence of grammatical range and accuracy (may have control over the language below the level)

◗ Inadequate evidence of lexical range and accuracy (may have control over the language below the level)

◗ Errors frequently impede understanding ◗ Poor spelling and punctuation throughout


80 81

Appendix 5 — ISE III Task 4 Extended writing rating scale

Score Task fulfilment

◗◗ Overall achievement of communicative aim◗◗ Awareness of the writer-reader relationship (style and register)

◗◗ Adequacy of topic coverage

Organisation and structure

◗◗ Text organisation, including use of paragraphing, beginnings/endings

◗◗ Presentation of ideas and arguments, including clarity and coherence of their development

◗◗ Consistent use of format to suit the task ◗◗ Use of signposting

Language control

◗◗ Range and accuracy of grammar◗◗ Range and accuracy of lexis◗◗ Effect of linguistic errors on understanding

◗◗ Control of punctuation and spelling

4 ◗ Excellent achievement of the communicative aim with clarity and precision

◗ Excellent awareness of the writer-reader relationship

◗ All requirements (ie genre, topic, reader, purpose and number of words) of the instruction completely met

◗ Effective organisation of text ◗ Very clear presentation and logical development of all ideas and arguments, underpinning the salient issues with expanding and supporting details at some length

◗ Appropriate and helpful format throughout the text

◗ Effective signposting

◗ Wide range of grammatical items relating to the task with high level of accuracy

◗ Wide range of lexical items relating to the task with high level of accuracy

◗ Any errors do not impede understanding

◗ Excellent spelling and punctuation of complex sentences

3 ◗ Good achievement of the communicative aim with clarity and precision

◗ Good awareness of the writer-reader relationship (ie appropriate and helpful use of style and register throughout the text)

◗ Most requirements (ie genre, topic, reader, purpose and number of words) of the instruction appropriately met

◗ Good organisation of text (ie a clear and well-structured text of complex subjects)

◗ Clear presentation and logical development of most ideas and arguments, underpinning the salient issues with expanding and supporting details at some length

◗ Appropriate and helpful format in most of the text

◗ Good signposting (eg appropriate and flexible use of cohesive devices and topic sentences

◗ Appropriate range of grammatical items relating to the task with good level of accuracy

◗ Appropriate range of lexical items relating to the task with good level of accuracy (with little evidence of avoidance strategies and good command of colloquialisms)

◗ Errors do not impede understanding ◗ Good spelling and punctuation of complex sentences, apart from occasional slips

2 ◗ Acceptable achievement of the communicative aim with clarity and precision

◗ Some awareness of the writer-reader relationship (ie appropriate and helpful use of style and register in general)

◗ Most requirements (ie genre, topic, reader, purpose and number of words) of the instruction acceptably met

◗ Acceptable organisation of text (showed awareness of the need for structure, but may only be partially achieved with limited use of introductions/conclusions and topic sentences, however paragraphs are used throughout)

◗ Presentation and development of most ideas and arguments are acceptably clear and logical, , underpinning the salient issues with expanding and supporting details at some length (but arguments may not follow in a predictable order)

◗ Appropriate and helpful format in general ◗ Acceptable signposting (some signposting used but may be inconsistent; some use of cohesive devices but may be inconsistent)

◗ Acceptable range of grammatical items relating to the task with acceptable level of accuracy

◗ Acceptable range of lexical items relating to the task with acceptable level of accuracy

◗ Errors sometimes impede understanding (sometimes require the reader to reread and/or reflect)

◗ Acceptable spelling and punctuation of complex sentences

1 ◗ Poor achievement of the communicative aim (ie difficult to follow and unconvincing for reader)

◗ Poor awareness of the writer-reader relationship

◗ Most requirements (ie genre, topic, reader, purpose and number of words) of the instruction are NOT met

◗ Very limited or poor text organisation (the writing appears to lack structure with limited use of introductions/ conclusions and topic sentences. Paragraphing may be absent/inappropriate)

◗ Most ideas and arguments lack coherence and do not progress logically, ideas are arranged in an entirely unpredictable order)

◗ Inappropriate format throughout the text ◗ Poor signposting

◗ Inadequate evidence of grammatical range and accuracy (may have control over the language below the level)

◗ Inadequate evidence of lexical range and accuracy (may have control over the language below the level)

◗ Errors frequently impede understanding ◗ Poor spelling and punctuation throughout


Appendix 5 — ISE III Task 4 Extended writing rating scale

80 81

Score Communicative effectiveness

◗◗ Task fulfilment◗◗ Appropriacy of contributions /turn-taking

◗◗ Repair strategies

Interactive listening

◗◗ Comprehension and relevant response

◗◗ Level of understanding◗◗ Speech rate of examiner interventions

◗◗ Speed and accuracy of response

Language control

◗◗ Range◗◗ Accuracy/precision◗◗ Effects of inaccuracies

Delivery

◗◗ Intelligibility ◗◗ Lexical stress/intonation ◗◗ Fluency ◗◗ Effects on the listener

4 ◗ Fulfils the task very well ◗ Initiates and responds with effective turn-taking

◗ Contributes to effective topic maintenance and development by fully incorporating the examiner’s utterances into their own contributions

◗ Solves communication problems naturally, if any

◗ Understands interventions including those that are complex in grammar or ideas

◗ Interprets examiner aims and attitude accurately, following the line of argument

◗ Responses are immediate and always to the point

◗ Uses a wide range of grammatical structures/lexis flexibly to deal with topics at this level

◗ Consistently maintains a high level of grammatical accuracy and lexical precision effortlessly, even when using complex language

◗ Occasional minor slips may occur but difficult to spot

◗ Clearly intelligible ◗ Uses focal stress and intonation very effectively

◗ Effortlessly speaks very promptly and fluently

◗ Requires no careful listening

3 ◗ Fulfils the task appropriately ◗ Initiates and responds with effective turn-taking

◗ Contributes to effective topic maintenance and development by linking contributions to those of the examiner (eg summarising, indicating understanding of points made by the examiner, establishing common ground in the interaction)


◗ Understands all examiner interventions on a first hearing

◗ Interprets examiner aims and attitude accurately, following the line of argument

◗ Immediate and relevant responses to interventions

◗ Uses an appropriate range of grammatical structures/lexis to deal with topics at this level

◗ Consistently maintains a high level of grammatical accuracy and lexical precision

◗ Occasional minor slips occur

◗ Clearly intelligible ◗ Uses focal stress and intonation effectively

◗ Speaks promptly and fluently


2 ◗ Fulfils the task acceptably ◗ Initiates and responds with effective turn-taking

◗ Maintains and develops the interaction appropriately, while indicating understanding of what the examiner has said


◗ Understands most interventions on a first hearing

◗ Interprets examiner aims and attitude by making links with earlier information

◗ Prompt responses to the examiner showing relatively quick understanding

◗ Uses an acceptable range of grammatical structures/lexis to deal with topics at this level

◗ Consistently maintains a high level of grammatical accuracy and lexical precision

◗ Occasional minor slips occur

◗ Clearly intelligible ◗ Uses focal stress and intonation appropriately

◗ Generally speaks promptly and fluently


1 ◗ Does not fulfil the task ◗ Initiates and responds adequately

◗ Maintains and develops the interaction acceptably, but does not usually link contributions to those of the examiner

◗ Solves communication problems appropriately or acceptably, if any

◗ Appears to understand interventions but does not always respond appropriately

◗ Occasionally digresses from the examiner’s aims

◗ Occasional hesitation in order to make sense of examiner input

◗ Uses a range of grammatical structures/lexis that is not always adequate to deal with topics at this level

◗ Does not show an adequate level of grammatical accuracy and lexical precision at this level

◗ Some or many errors may occur

◗ May not always be clearly intelligible

◗ Does not always use focal stress and intonation appropriately

◗ Does not always speak promptly and fluently

◗ May require some careful listening

0 No performance to assess (candidate does not speak, or does not speak in English). Also use if no topic is prepared.

Appendix 6 — ISE III Speaking and listening rating scale

Appendix 6 — ISE III Speaking and listening rating scale

Appendix 7 — ISE III Independent listening rating scale

4 ◗◗ Identifies and reports all important points and supporting details rapidly and accurately with confidence

◗◗ Shows complete understanding of main points, including relevance to message as a whole

◗◗ Identifies speaker’s attitude and line of argument

◗◗ Evaluates speaker’s arguments in a sophisticated way

3 ◗◗ Identifies and reports most main points and supporting details rapidly and accurately

◗◗ Shows good understanding of main points, including relevance to message as a whole

◗◗ Recognises speaker’s attitude and line of argument

◗◗ Evaluates speaker’s arguments

2 ◗◗ Identifies main points and reports them briefly but accurately

◗◗ Shows good understanding of information in recording, but not always their relevance to message as a whole

◗◗ Does not always grasp speaker’s attitude or line of argument

◗◗ Does not always evaluate speaker’s arguments

1 ◗◗ Identifies main points but incompletely or in a rather general way

◗◗ Shows some understanding of information in recording, but does not differentiate between major and minor points

◗◗ Does not recognise speaker’s attitude or line of argument

◗◗ Does not evaluate speaker’s arguments

0 ◗◗ No performance to assess (eg candidate does not speak)

Appendix 7 — ISE III Independent listening rating scale

82

Guide for Teachers - IsE III

Documents

Transcript of Guide for Teachers - IsE III