Evaluation criteria for the written part of the exam on english language tasks 39 and 40 (from a speech at a meeting of teachers english language of the Leninsky district of the city of N. Novgorod)
Section 4 "Letter "Consists of two tasks and is a small written work: writing a personal letter (task 39 ) and a written statement with elements of reasoning “My opinion” (task40 ).
When evaluating a task39 (personal letter) are taken into accountthree criteria:
1. "Content" - maximum amount -2 point
2. "Organization of the text" - maximum amount -2 point.
3. "Language Design" - a maximum of -2 points.
When evaluating a task40 (written statement with elements of reasoning) are taken into accountfive criteria:
1. “Content” -solution KZ (K1) - maximum amount - 3 points,
2. “Organization of the text” - (K2) the maximum number is 3 points,
3. “Vocabulary” - (K3) - maximum amount - 3 points,
4. “Grammar” - (K4) the maximum number is 3 points,
Letter – answer student
September, 20
Dear Bill,
Thank you for your letter. Well, I shall answer your questions.
I have already decided on my career. I want to be a translator of English. It was not a problem to chose this profession because I like English. Also I want to be a teacher of English. It’s a good idea too.
But I want to have a break and enjoy myself before I go to a University. I want to travel alone or with my parents. What about you? What are your future planning of traveling? Would you like to visit my country? It will be nice if we meet soon.
Hope to hear from you soon,
Yours, vika
Analysis of task 1.
What is expected of the student?
Give a detailed message and answer all the questions of a friend;
Request information;
Use an informal style;
Follow the format of the informal letter.
Comments on the personal letter
A personal letter is evaluated according to three criteria: the content and organization of the text and the language design of the text of the personal letter .. However, the verification of work begins with counting the number of words in the task. The required volume is given in the assignment for the student (No. 39:100-140 words).
In a personal letter, word counting begins with the first word of the address and ends with a signature; numbers count as one word. In general, all words are considered, including articles, conjunctions, prepositions, etc. Brief forms of verbs are considered as one word. After making sure that the required volume is met, we proceed to the assessment of the completed task.
Evaluatingfirst criterion - content (solving a communicative problem), we must answer the following questions:
1. Does the content reflect all aspects specified in the assignment;
2. Is the style chosen correctly, taking into account the purpose of the statement and (for personal writing, this is an unofficial style);
3. are the language accepted ;
4. whether the required amount of expression has been complied with.
It is necessary to formulate all aspects of the content that the examiner must disclose in his personal letter. To do this, you need to analyze the stimulus letter and the additional task that is given after it.
We will immediately note whether this aspect of the content is reflected in the analyzed work and how fully it is reflected:
1. Is there a message that the student has already chosen a future profession? - Yes: I have already decided on my career.
2. Is there a message about who the author of the letter wants to become? - Yes: I want to be a translator of English. Also I want to be a teacher of English.
3. Is there a message why the author wants to become a translator and teacher? - Yes, but the argument is not detailed and weak in the first case, why she wants to become a translator: “because I like English” and is absent in the second case, why she wants to become a teacher.
1. Is the appeal given in the correct form in accordance with the informal style? Given correctly.
2. Is the final phrase given in the correct form in accordance with the informal style? - Yes, given correctly.
3. Is the correct form given, only the name of the writer? - Dana.
4. In the third component of the solution of the communicative problem (accepted in the language of politeness):
And finally, does the volume of the statement correspond to the task and the requirements specified in the task? - Corresponds.
Summing up the content criterion: maximum 2 points are given for the content, the analyzed work can be estimated at 1 points, since there is no detailed argumentation why the examinee chose this profession.
The second criterion by which a personal letter is evaluated is the organization of the text. Evaluating the task by this criterion, we must answer the following questions:
1. How logical is the overall statement? - In general, the letter is logical, but in the first paragraph the two phrases are not quite logically connected and some other proposal between them is required.
2. Are logical communications available and are they used correctly? - Present, but minimally. Used generally correctly.
3. Is the text divided into paragraphs? - The letter is divided into paragraphs, the division is logical, paragraphs are clearly marked with a red line. However, it was desirable to separate questions to a friend in a separate paragraph.
4. Does the design of the text comply with the standards adopted in the country of the language being studied? This last question requires details:
A) Address on a separate line - corresponds.
B) The final phrase on a separate line - matches.
C) Signature on a separate line - does not match.
D) Date - consistent.
To summarize the criterion for organizing the text: the maximum score for this criterion is 2 points, the student will receive 1 point with some stretch. The rating is reduced for the lack of an address, for the fact that a signature is not given on a separate line and some violation of logic.
The third criterion by which a personal letter is evaluated is the language design of the text. Evaluating the work according to this criterion, we must evaluate: the correspondence of the used vocabulary and grammatical structures to the task.
In this letter we see a grammatical error (tochose), incorrect construction of the question (Whatareyourfutureplanning...) in terms of both grammar and vocabulary, a spelling mistake in the wordtraveling. The maximum score for this criterion is 1 point.
Thus, for the implementation of task number 39, the author of a personal letter receives 3 points.
Student Activity 40
. Youhave 40 minutestocommentthefollowingstatement.
It’ sreportedthatbillionsofdollarsare spent on space exploration projects every year. Some people believe that this money should be used to solve problems on Earth.
What is your opinion? What problems should humanity solve first of all?
Write 200 - 250 words.
Use the followingplan :
Make an introduction (state the problem)
Express your personal opinion and give 2-3 reasons for your opinion
Express an opposing opinion and give 1-2 reasons for this opposing opinion
- explain why you don’t agree with the opposing opinion
Make a conclusion restating your position
The text of the student’s written statement with elements of reasoning
Nowadays a lot of people spend their money on new projects or researches. For example billions of dollars are spent on space exploration projects every year. I think it is not right. Our Earth needs some helpness from goverments from different countries. People have a lot of problems in medicine. We have illnesses like cancer with which people don’t know how to fight We will know everything about spaces, but nothing about our health, our life on Earth. Is that right? No, I think. We should take care about each other and our goverment should spend money on people, on life’s troubles. Government should spend money on our grandmothers and grandfathers, take care about nature, because we have problems with atmosphere. We know about pollution but we don’t want to find the solution about this problem. We should take care about our animals who are in danger. We should take care about poverty, we shall think about it. A lot of people need our help, our money, because they don’t have something to eat. We should think about children, whose parents denyed from them when they were born. They are lonely and need our help. To sum up I think that we can spend our money on new projects but we should remember one rule “we are people and we need each other.We need help from each other. "
Comments on the completed task
A written statement with elements of reasoning, in this case an essay-statement of opinion, is evaluated according to five criteria:content, text organization, vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation. However, the verification of work begins with counting the number of words in the completed task. The required volume is given in the assignment for the student ( 200-250 words ).
After making sure that the required volume is met, we proceed to the assessment of the completed task.
Assessing the work offirst criterion - content (solving a communicative problem), We must answer the following questions:
Ø Does the content of this essay correspond to the proposed communicative task? The Additional Assessment Scheme proposes the following questions that detail the content of this paragraph:
1. Is there an introduction to the problem statement? - There is, however, the author did not even rephrase the problem that is indicated in the instructions for the assignment. Moreover, the first and second phrases of the introduction carry almost the same information (the second phrase clarifies the first somewhat).
As for the argument, it is presented somewhat confused and not always logical. There is a phrase that the Earth needs the help of governments of different countries, but this thesis is not argued and the author immediately proceeds to the fact that people have health problems and it is not known how to treat, for example, cancer. Hence, the author concludes that people should take care of each other, and the government should spend money on life's problems (life’s troubles.). The following is a list of the problems that the government should address: grandparents, concern for nature, poverty, abandoned children. The argument is weak or not, and the problems themselves are poorly worded.
Ø Does the essay present other points of view and an explanation of why the author disagrees with them? - The essay does not present another point of view on this issue and there is no argument for disagreeing with it.
Ø Is there a conclusion with a conclusion? - There is a conclusion, but it is somewhat contrary to the content of the introduction and the main part, since if earlier it was said that you need to spend money on people and nature, then the conclusion is that you can spend money on new projects (it’s not clear which ones) and that we should help each other.
The second part of the conclusion is in no way connected with the communicative task. Thus, the communicative task is only partially completed, and the content of the essay can be rated at 1 point.
Second criterion grading essays -text organization . The main question: “Does the organization of the text comply with generally accepted rules?” It is necessary to detail, namely:
1 Is there a division into paragraphs and is it implemented correctly?
2. Is the composition logical and are the means used correctly
logical connection: the lack of logical construction is hindered
paragraphs, the use of logical communications is minimal.
In general, according to this criterion, 1 point will be put.
Third criterion by which a written utterance with elements of reasoning is evaluated islexical speech design. Assessing this criterion, the expert should answer the following questions:
1. Does the vocabulary correspond to the communicative task? - In general, consistent;
2. Is the vocabulary sufficient, how diverse is it, does it correspond to a high level? - In general, yes. The vocabulary is relatively diverse, but there are unjustified repetitions of words and phrases, such as “take care”, “need”, “think”.
3. Does the author comply with the rules , collocations are words used correctly in a specific context and do errors (if any) affect understanding of the content? - In this essay there are errors in the use of words in a specific context. One mistake, namely, in the sentence: “People have a lot of problems in medicine” can affect the understanding of the content, since the author does not mean medicine in general, but health problems. A number of errors are lexical and grammatical in nature and can be attributed to both vocabulary and grammar, for example, prepositions.
If we assign lexical and grammatical errors to vocabulary, then in this case, vocabulary can be rated 1 point (in this case, we have no right to lower points for the same lexical and grammatical errors a second time - according to the criterion of grammatical presentation of speech).
Fourth criterion which evaluates a written statement with elements of reasoning isgrammar speech. Assessing the answer according to this criterion, the expert should answer the following questions:
1. Is the choice of using grammar tools appropriate to the purpose of the utterance? - In general, yes.
2. How diverse are the grammatical means and do their complexity correspond to a high level? - Grammar means are rather monotonous and do not fully correspond to a high level. The author often uses the same grammatical constructions, for example, with should.
3. How correctly and accurately used grammatical means? - Errors are observed in several sections of the grammar, for example, in word order, in complex sentences, the use of uncertain uncountable nouns. However, in general, these errors do not affect the understanding of the content.
According to this criterion, the answer can be rated at 2 points.
Byfifth criterion – spelling and punctuation - the work will be rated 1 point (maximum score-2), as there are errors in spelling and punctuation (there is no comma after For example).
Thus, the completion of task 40 as a whole can be evaluated on7 points.
The task №39 for student
You have 20 minutes to do this task.
You have received a letter from your New Zealand pen-friend Ann who writes
…We are going to visit Moscow in September. What’s the weather like then? Do we need to bring our warm coats? My Mum is a vegetarian, she eats lots of fruit. What sort of fruit will she find in Russia? My Dad would like you to tell us what we could visit in a week.
By the way, yesterday I bought the necessary vegetables and cooked Russian borsch. Thank you for the recipe. Everyone liked it very much ...
Write a letter to Ann.
In your letter
Answer her questions
Ask3 questions about her favorite food.
Write100 - 140 words.
Remember the rules of letter writing.
1. Check the work of the graduate, put points on all criteria in the Additional assessment scheme. ( application 3)
New zealand
August 24, 2009
Dear Ann,
Thanks for your letter. You are going to Moscow in September! It’s great!
September is a month of Indian summer. It’s time for fruit and vegetables. Everywhere in Moscow shops you can bye apples, bananas, pears, grapes, cucumber, tomatoes, beetroot, cabbage and what not. The forecast says that September this year will be warm and clean with a lot of sunshine. I think you will need only light summer clothes and a light jacket for evening walks. To your father I sent a map with Moscow sights. You can study it and choose the most interesting places for you to visit.
I’m glad that you liked a Russian borsch. Are you a vegetarian? What is your favorite food? What national kitchen do you prefer?
Got to go - my dad’s calling me. See you soon!
Best wishes,
Tamara
Written statement with elements of reasoning “Your opinion”
The task for student
№40
You have 40 minutes to do this task.
Comment on the following statement.
Some of my friends say there’s nothing better than reading a good book while others would rather watch its film version.
What is your opinion? How would you prefer to get to know the characters and the plot of the book?
Write200-250 words.
Use the following plan
Make an introduction (state the problem)
Express your personal opinion and give reasons for it
Give arguments for the other point of view and explain why you don’t agree with it
Draw a conclusion
2. Check the work of the graduate, put points on all criteria in the Additional assessment scheme. ( application 4)
Many people think that reading book is better than see film version this book.
I think reading book is better because you see characters of heros. You see them eyes author. Moreover you know all about them and about situation, which that happened. In films we don’t see all details, as a result of we don’t understand the hero. In addition reading give us satisfaction, develop our brain. Books give us life experience. In order to we will not make mistakes. I like reading. I agree with our government which teached us literature and Art in general.
On the other hand reading is very boring and reading spent very long time. Now people are very busy and they want to be fashionable and cool. Mass Media now it is very cool, fashionable and modern and glamor. All want to go on TV sets or TV shows, they want to be super star. Films are bad now. They films in very short time whereas they dropped out information from plot of book Essentially, they want play a very good film, but they change book with her heroes. I think our media mustn’t play films with bad plot.
To sum, I think people need in good literature. People must read books, because it is very attractive.
Annex 1
A unified scale for assessing the fulfillment of tasks 39, 40 of the section "Letter"
Points
Content - K1
Text Organization - K2
Vocabulary –K3
Grammar-K4
Spelling and punctuation-K5
K5
3 points
The task is completed in full: the content reflects all aspects specified in the task; the style of speech is chosen correctly, taking into account the purpose of the statement and the addressee; the rules of politeness accepted in the language are observed.
The statement is logical; logical communication tools used correctly; the text is correctly divided into paragraphs; The format of the statement is chosen correctly.
The vocabulary used corresponds to the task; there are practically no violations in the use of vocabulary.
Grammar structures are used in accordance with the task. Virtually no errors.
2 points
The task is completed: some aspects indicated in the task are not fully disclosed; there are some violations of the style of speech; Basically, the rules of politeness accepted in the language are observed.
The statement is mostly logical; there are some disadvantages when using logical communications; there are certain disadvantages when dividing the text into paragraphs; there are some violations of the format of the statement.
The vocabulary used corresponds to the task, however, there are some inaccuracies in the use of words or the vocabulary is limited, but the vocabulary is used correctly.
There are a number of grammatical errors that do not impede the understanding of the text.
Spelling errors are missing. The text is divided into sentences with the correct punctuation.
1 point
The task is not fully completed: the content does not reflect all aspects specified in the task; violations of the style of speech are quite common; Basically, the rules of politeness accepted in the language are not respected.
A statement is not always logical; there are numerous errors in the use of logical communications; their choice is limited; there is no division of text into paragraphs; There are numerous errors in the sentence format.
Unreasonably limited vocabulary used; often there are violations in the use of vocabulary, or some of them may make it difficult to understand the text.
Either errors of an elementary level are often encountered, or errors are few in number, but complicate the understanding of the text.
There are a number of spelling and / or punctuation errors that slightly complicate the understanding of the text.
0 points
The task is not completed: the content does not reflect those aspects that are specified in the task or does not correspond to the required volume
There is no logic in constructing a statement; Speech format not respected.
Extremely limited vocabulary does not allow you to complete the task.
Grammar rules are not respected.
Spelling and punctuation rules are not respected.
Appendix 2
Additional Assessment Scheme for Task 39 “Personal Letter”
(Maximum score is 6)
FULL NAME OF THE EXPERT ________________________________________ EXPERT CODE _________________
Blank number
1. Content
Information about
Information on the motives for choosing this profession
Questions about travel plans
The scope of the statement corresponds to the task
Appeal (correct form in accordance with the informal style)
The final phrase (the correct form in accordance with the unofficial style)
Signature (correct form, author name only)
Total score
(maximum score - 2)
2. TEXT ORGANIZATION
Logic
Paragraphing
Logical Communications
Single line item
Closing phrase on a separate line
Signature on a separate line
Date under address
Total score
(maximum score - 2)
Language design of the text - ( maximum score -2)
Exam test task in the section "Letter" was a check of the level of formation of the skills of the examinees to use written language to solve communicatively-oriented tasks. The “Letter” section in 2008 consisted of two tasks:
C1 - A personal letter (the assessment criteria of which belonged to the basic level);
C2 - A written statement with elements of reasoning (the evaluation criteria of which belonged to a high level).
C1 there was an excerpt from a friend’s correspondence letter reporting on events in a friend’s life and asking questions.
Incentive for speaking in the assignment C2 there was a statement with which the test person could agree or disagree, express his opinion on this statement, giving arguments and evidence.
The table provides information on the types of tasks, difficulty level, volume, duration of the tasks of the control measuring materials in the "Letter" section.
The average result of task C1 was 77% (2007 - 75%) of the maximum score. The average result of task C2 was, as in 2007, 62% of the maximum score.
Groups of “good” and “excellent students” received high marks for both tasks according to all criteria. The group of “troechniks” coped only with task C1.
An analysis of the fulfillment by examiners of this section can be done based on the nature of the typical mistakes.
When completing a task C1 (Personal letter) most of the examinees correctly chose the elements of an informal style. Almost all the subjects complied with the rules of courtesy, starting a letter of gratitude for the letter received, the vast majority used the appropriate ending phrase and put the signature correctly at the end of the letter. In some cases, the address and date were missing. The communication task was more difficult. More than a third of the examinees were not able to provide a complete answer to the information requested in the letter.
Table: Structure and content of the “Letter” section
| The task | Job type | Checked skills (main blocks) | Volume required | lead time |
| C1 | Personal letter | - Give a detailed message - Request information - Use an informal style - Follow informal letter format | 100–140 words | 20 minutes. |
| C2 | Written statement with elements of reasoning | - Express your opinion and give arguments, evidence, examples - Make a conclusion. Consistently and logically correctly construct a statement - Use appropriate means of logical communication - Correctly stylize in accordance with the task | 200–250 words | 40 min |
For instance:
Personal letter
Student assignment
C1. You have 20 minutes to do this task.
You have received a letter from your English-speaking pen friend Bill who writes
... I don't think it will be a problem for me to choose a good job in the future as I'm really interested in foreign languages, cultures and countries and I hope I'll work as a translator or teacher of foreign languages \u200b\u200bsome day. Have you already decided on your career? What job are you going to choose? Why?
I’ve lived in the USA my whole life but I’d really love to travel to other countries ...
Write a letter to Bill.
- answer his questions
- ask 3 questions about his plans for traveling.
Write 100 - 140 words.
Remember the rules of letter writing.
Text 1 of the student’s personal letter
Thank you for your letter. Well, I shall answer your questions.
I have already decided on my career. I want to be a translator of English. It was not a problem to chose this profession because I like English. Also I want to be a teacher of English. It’s a good idea too.
But I want to have a break and enjoy myself before I go to a University. I want to travel alone or with my parents. What about you? What are your future planning of traveling? Would you like to visit my country? It will be nice if we meet soon.
Hope to hear from you soon,
Analysis of task 1
Job Type: Job with Expanded Answer
Feasibility of style and format: personal letter, informal communication style, basic level.
Required Volume: 100-140 words
What is expected of the student?
- Give a detailed message and answer all the questions of a friend;
- Request information;
- Use an informal style;
- Follow the format of the informal letter.
Comments on the personal letter
A personal letter is evaluated according to two criteria: the content and organization of the text. However, the verification of work begins with a formal, but important point - counting the number of words in the task. The required volume is given in the assignment for the student (C1: 100–140 words). Clause 11 of the specification gives clear instructions on this subject: “The permissible deviation from a given volume is 10%. If the completed task C1 has less than 90 words ..., then the task is not subject to verification and 0 points are evaluated. If the volume is exceeded by more than 10%, i.e. if in completed task C1 there are more than 154 words ..., only that part of the work that corresponds to the required volume is subject to verification. Thus, when checking task C1, 140 words are counted from the beginning of the work ... and only this part of the work is evaluated. ” At the same time, all words (prepositions and articles including) are counted, short (syllable forms) of verbs (didn’t, can’t, let’s) are counted as 1 word.
After making sure that the required volume is met, we proceed to the assessment of the completed task.
Evaluating first criterion - content (solving a communicative problem), we must answer the following questions:
1. Does the content reflect all aspects specified in the assignment;
2. whether the styling was chosen correctly, taking into account the purpose of the utterance and the addressee (for personal writing, this is an unofficial style);
3. whether the courtesy standards adopted in the language are complied with;
4. whether the required amount of expression has been complied with.
In detailing the first question, it is necessary to formulate all aspects of the content that the examiner should disclose in his personal letter. To do this, you need to analyze the stimulus letter and the additional task that is given after it. The result is the following list (we will immediately note whether this aspect of the content is reflected in the analyzed work and how fully it is reflected):
1.1. Is there a message that the student has already chosen a future profession? - Yes: I have already decided on my career.
1.2. Is there a message about who the author of the letter wants to become? - Yes: I want to be a translator of English. Also I want to be a teacher of English.
1.3. Is there a message why the author wants to become a translator and teacher? - Yes, but the argument is not detailed and weak in the first case, why she wants to become a translator: “because I like English” and is absent in the second case, why she wants to become a teacher.
2.1. Is the appeal given in the correct form in accordance with the informal style? - Given correctly.
2.2. Is the concluding phrase given in the correct form in accordance with the informal style? - Yes, given correctly.
2.3. Is the correct form given, only the name of the writer? - Dana.
On the third component of the solution of the communicative problem (accepted in the language of politeness):
And, finally, (4) does the volume of the statement correspond to the task and the requirements specified in the task? - Corresponds. Unfortunately, there may be cases when, with a formally observed volume of 90 words, the examiner does not perform substantive tasks, limiting himself to brief unreasoned answers to the questions asked in the stimulus letter, and the required volume is performed by presenting the “topic” learned by heart.
Summing up the content criterion: the maximum is 3 points for the content, the analyzed work can be rated 2 points, since it does not have a detailed argumentation why the examinee chose this profession. In addition, the information was completely repeated (the same profession was selected) from the stimulus letter, Bill's letter. However, the score will not be lowered for this, as perhaps Olga really wants to become a translator and teacher too.
Second criterion by which a personal letter is evaluated - organization of the text.
Evaluating the task by this criterion, we must answer the following questions:
5.1. How logical is the overall statement? - In general, the letter is logical, but in the first paragraph there are two phrases that are not quite logically connected, and some other sentence between them is required.
5.2. Are logical communications present and are they used correctly? - Present, but minimally. Used generally correctly.
5.3. Is the text divided into paragraphs? - The letter is divided into paragraphs, the division is logical, paragraphs are clearly marked with a red line. However, it was desirable to separate questions to a friend in a separate paragraph.
5.4. Does the design of the text comply with the standards adopted in the country of the language being studied?
This last question requires details:
a) An appeal on a separate line - consistent.
b) The final phrase on a separate line - matches.
c) Signature on a separate line - does not correspond.
e) Date - appropriate.
To summarize the criterion for organizing the text: the maximum score for this criterion is 3 points, the student will receive 2 points with some stretch. The rating is reduced for the lack of an address, for the fact that a signature is not given on a separate line and some violation of logic. Thus, in general, the student will receive 4 points for a personal letter.
Text 2 of the student’s personal letter
(with preservation of language design)
Many thanking for your letter. Sorry, but I had no time to answer. I’m very beasy, because I prepare to my exams.
You asked me about my career. I think it is rather difficult to do a wright choice. Many of young people want to have a very good job.
I want to become a translator as you. I’ll love this job and I love traveling. What is your favorite country and where have you never been?
Comments on the personal letter
The volume of the completed letter is less than 90 words. The letter will not be checked. The student will receive 0 points for the content, which means for the entire letter.
When completing a task C2 (Speaking with elements of reasoning) the test subjects also found it difficult to solve the communicative problem in full. Nevertheless, a significant part of the graduates was able to present a statement of the required volume, demonstrated the ability to present arguments for and against, or to formulate their own opinions and see other possible points of view.
The task was difficult to formulate the problem at the beginning of the statement, not repeating the statement of the task, but using synonymous means and syntactic periphrase. The tendency to use the material of the notorious “topics” as ready-made passages inserted into a written statement makes itself felt again. As for the organization of the text, the problem of dividing the text into paragraphs and the use of means of logical communication still remains.
For instance:
Student Activity
C2. You have 40 minutes to do this task.
Comment on the following statement.
It’s reported that billions of dollars are spent on space exploration projects every year. Some people believe that this money should be used to solve problems on Earth.
What is your opinion? What problems should humanity solve first of all?
Write 200 - 250 words.
Use the following plan:
- make an introduction (state the problem)
- express your personal opinion and give reasons for it
- give arguments for the other point of view and explain why you don’t agree with it
- draw a conclusion
The text of the student’s written statement with elements of reasoning
(with preservation of language design)
Nowadays a lot of people spend their money on new projects or researches. For example billions of dollars are spent on space exploration projects every year. I think it is not right. Our Earth needs some helpness from goverments from different countries. People have a lot of problems in medicine. We have illnesses like cancer with which people don’t know how to fight We will know everything about spaces, but nothing about our health, our life on Earth. Is that right? No, I think.We should take care about each other and our goverment should spend money on people, on life’s troubles. Government should spend money on our grandmothers and grandfathers, take care about nature, because we have problems with atmosphere. We know about pollution but we don’t want to find the solution about this problem. We should take care about our animals who are in danger. We should take care about poverty, we shall think about it. A lot of people need our help, our money, because they don’t have something to eat. We should think about children, whose parents denyed from them when they were born. They are lonely and need our help. To sum up I think that we can spend our money on new projects but we should remember one rule “we are people and we need each other. We need help from each other. "
A written statement with elements of reasoning, in this case an essay-statement of opinion, is evaluated according to five criteria: content, organization of the text, vocabulary, grammar, spelling and punctuation.
1. Does the content of this essay correspond to the proposed communicative task? In the additional assessment scheme, the following questions are proposed that detail the content of this item:
1.1. Is there an introduction to the problem statement? - There is, however, the author did not even rephrase the problem that is indicated in the instructions for the assignment. Moreover, the first and second phrases of the introduction carry almost the same information (the second phrase clarifies the first somewhat).
1.2. Is the author's opinion on the problem expressed and reasoned? - Opinion expressed - I think it is not right. As for the argument, it is presented somewhat confused and not always logical. There is a phrase that the Earth needs the help of governments of different countries, but this thesis is not argued and the author immediately proceeds to the fact that people have health problems and it is not known how to treat, for example, cancer. Hence, the author concludes that people should take care of each other, and the government should spend money on life's problems (life’s troubles.). The following is a list of the problems that governments should address: grandparents, concern for nature, poverty, abandoned children. The argument is weak or not, and the problems themselves are poorly worded.
1.3. Does the essay present other points of view and an explanation of why the author disagrees with them? - The essay does not present another point of view on this issue and there is no argument for disagreeing with it.
1.4. Is there a conclusion with a conclusion? - There is a conclusion, but it is somewhat contrary to the content of the introduction and the main part, since if earlier it was said that you need to spend money on people and nature, then the conclusion is that you can spend money on new projects (it’s not clear which ones) and that we should help each other. The second part of the conclusion is in no way connected with the communicative task. Thus, the communicative task is only partially completed, and the content of the essay can be rated at 1 point.
The second criterion for evaluating the composition is the organization of the text. The main question:
“Does the organization of the text comply with generally accepted rules?” It is necessary to detail, namely:
2.1. Is there a division into paragraphs and is it implemented correctly? Unfortunately, the author did not select paragraphs.
2.2. Is the composition logical and are the means of logical communication used correctly: the construction of logicality is hindered by the absence of paragraphs, the use of logical communication is minimal.
In general, according to this criterion, 1 point will be put.
The third criterion by which a written statement with elements of reasoning is evaluated is vocabulary. Assessing the work on this criterion, the expert should answer the following questions:
3.1. Does the vocabulary correspond to the communicative task? In general, consistent.
3.2. Is the vocabulary sufficient, how diverse is it, does it correspond to a high level? - In general, yes. The vocabulary is relatively diverse, but there are unjustified repetitions of words and phrases, such as “take care”, “need”, “think”.
3.3. Does the author comply with the rules of word formation, collocations, are words used correctly in a specific context, and do errors (if any) affect understanding of the content? - In this essay there are errors in the use of words in a specific context, in word formation. One mistake, namely, in the sentence: “People have a lot of problems in medicine” can affect the understanding of the content, since the author does not mean medicine in general, but health problems. A number of errors are lexical and grammatical in nature and can be attributed to both vocabulary and grammar, for example, prepositions.
If we attribute lexico-grammatical errors to vocabulary, then in this case the vocabulary can be estimated at 1 point.
The fourth criterion by which a written statement with elements of reasoning is evaluated is grammar. Assessing the answer according to this criterion, the expert should answer the following questions:
1.1. Is the choice of using grammar tools appropriate to the purpose of the utterance? - In general, yes.
1.2. How diverse are the grammatical means and do their complexity correspond to a high level? - Grammar means are rather monotonous and do not fully correspond to a high level. The author often uses the same grammatical constructions, for example, with should.
1.3. How correctly and accurately used grammatical means? - Errors are observed in several sections of the grammar, for example, in word order, in complex sentences, in the use of indefinite pronouns, uncountable nouns. However, in general, these errors do not affect the understanding of the content.
According to this criterion, the answer can be rated at 2 points.
According to the fifth criterion - spelling and punctuation - the work will be rated at 1 point (maximum score - 2), as there are errors in spelling and punctuation (there is no comma after For example).
Thus, the composition as a whole can be rated at 6 points.
The analysis of typical mistakes made during the assignments in the “Letter” section allows us to formulate the following general recommendations for preparing students for the exam in the English language:
1. Students should be introduced to different species assignments by writing, to discuss the specifics of a communicative task of a certain type and the features of each kind arising from this communicative task.
2. It is necessary to teach students to carefully read the instructions for the assignment, to extract as much information from it as possible, to see the communicative task and formal restrictions (recommended lead time, required volume).
3. It is recommended that students be trained to complete written assignments of various sizes so that they are ready to write work in accordance with the volume specified in the test assignment. Insufficient volume of a written statement, as well as a significant excess of a given volume, lead to a decrease in points.
4. To master the skills of writing, students should be taught to analyze their own work and edit them in the right direction.
5. Before starting work, students should be able to select the material necessary for the complete and accurate completion of the assignment in accordance with the assigned communicative tasks, and after writing the work, be able to check it both in terms of content and in terms of form.
6. It is also necessary to determine the style (official, unofficial) depending on the addressee and type of assignment and adhere to it throughout the text.
When performing task C1 (personal letter), students should pay attention to the following aspects:
2. When familiarizing themselves with the stimulus text, students should be able to identify the main questions that should be revealed in the work and outline a plan for their response letter.
To successfully complete task C2 (written statement with elements of reasoning), one must keep in mind the following:
1. In the current KIM, two types of tasks are proposed: to express one’s own opinion on a certain problem and to state the arguments “for” and “against” a certain point of view. Students should understand how these two types of essays are close and how they differ, and accordingly build their own text.
2. The instructions for the assignments propose the most general plan for a written statement, which students should be able to concretize in accordance with the proposed topic. It is necessary to develop the ability to plan a written statement and build it in accordance with the plan. In this case, the introduction and conclusion should not be more in volume than the main part.
3. It should also be remembered that writing is characterized by dividing the text into paragraphs that reflect the logical and informative structure of the text.
Criteria for assessing the performance of tasks C1 and C2 of the "Letter" section
| Points | Content | Text Organization | Vocabulary | Grammar | Spelling and punctuation |
| K1 | K2 | K3 | K4 | K5 | |
| 3 | The task is completed in full: the content reflects all aspects specified in the assignment; the style of speech is chosen correctly, taking into account the purpose of the statement and the addressee; The rules of politeness accepted in the language are observed. | The statement is logical; logical communication tools used correctly; the text is correctly divided into paragraphs; The format of the statement is chosen correctly. | The vocabulary used corresponds to the task; there are practically no violations in the use of vocabulary. | Grammar structures are used in accordance with the task. Virtually no errors. | |
| 2 | The task is completed: some aspects indicated in the assignment are not fully disclosed; there are some violations of the style of speech; Basically, the rules of politeness accepted in the language are observed. | The statement is mostly logical; there are some disadvantages when using logical communications; there are certain disadvantages when dividing the text into paragraphs; there are some violations of the format of the statement. | The vocabulary used corresponds to the task, however, there are some inaccuracies in the use of words or the vocabulary is limited, but the vocabulary is used correctly. | There are a number of grammatical errors that do not impede the understanding of the text. | Spelling errors are missing. The text is divided into sentences with the correct punctuation. |
| 1 | The task is incomplete: the content does not reflect all aspects specified in the assignment; violations of the style of speech are quite common; Basically, the rules of politeness accepted in the language are not respected. | A statement is not always logical; there are numerous errors in the use of logical communications; their choice is limited; there is no division of text into paragraphs; There are numerous errors in the sentence format. | Unreasonably limited vocabulary used; often there are violations in the use of vocabulary, or some of them may make it difficult to understand the text. | Either errors of an elementary level are often encountered, or errors are few in number, but complicate the understanding of the text. | There are a number of spelling and / or punctuation errors that slightly complicate the understanding of the text. |
| 0 | The task is not completed: the content does not reflect those aspects that are indicated in the task or does not correspond to the required volume | There is no logic in constructing a statement; Speech format not respected. | Extremely limited vocabulary does not allow you to complete the task. | Grammar rules are not respected. | Spelling and punctuation rules are not respected. |
Notes: The criterion “Spelling and punctuation” (K5) in the “Letter” section is evaluated on a scale of 0 - 2 points. Experts evaluate the performance of tasks C1 according to the criteria K1 and K2. Task C2 is evaluated according to the criteria K1 - K5. When an examiner receives 0 points according to the “Content” criterion, the entire task is evaluated at 0 points.
Letter prepared by members of the Federal Subject Commission on Foreign Languages
doctor of Philosophy M.V. Verbitskaya and Ph.D. K.S. Makhmuryan
Task C1. Writing a personal letter (maximum score - 6). It was evaluated according to three criteria:
- K1. The solution to the communicative problem (content) (maximum score - 2)
- K2. Organization of the text (maximum score - 2)
- K3. Language design of the text (maximum score - 2)
1. Correspondence of the volume to the task: 100-140 words +/- 10%
If the letter has less than 90 words, the task is not subject to verification and is rated at 0 points.
If the letter contains more than 154 words, 140 words are subject to verification.
2. Relevance to the topic specified in the assignment and completeness of the disclosure of the topic:
Completeness and correctness of filling in the author’s address and date;
Availability and completeness of answers to all questions contained in the letter;
The presence of the final phrase and signature.
3. Correspondence of the speech style of the communication situation (neutral / informal style)
3) text structuring, division into paragraphs, design in accordance with the standards adopted in the country of the language being studied:
Registration of the appeal on a separate line (left);
Dividing text into paragraphs;
Making the final phrase on a separate line (left);
Signature on a separate line (left).
When evaluating a letter by criterion K3. The language design of the text was taken into account:
Accuracy and variety in the use of lexical units;
The correctness of the used grammatical constructions;
Compliance with spelling and punctuation standards adopted in the English language.
Task C2. Writing a detailed statement with elements of reasoning (maximum score - 14)
Evaluated by five criteria:
- K1. The solution to the communicative problem (content) (maximum score - 3)
- K2. Organization of the text (maximum score - 3)
- K3. Vocabulary (maximum score - 3)
- K4. Grammar (maximum score - 3)
- K5. Spelling and punctuation (maximum score - 2)
When evaluating a letter by criterion K1. The solution of the communicative problem (content) was taken into account:
1) Correspondence of the volume to the task: 200-250 words +/- 10%
If the task has less than 180 words, the task is not subject to verification and is rated at 0 points.
If the letter contains more than 275 words, 250 words are subject to verification.
2) Compliance with the topic specified in the assignment, and the completeness of the topic:
Availability of introduction - statement of the problem (in accordance with the topic);
The presence of arguments “for” with justification (in accordance with the topic);
The presence of arguments “against” with justification (in accordance with the topic);
Availability of opinion (in accordance with the topic);
3) The correctness of the style of the statement (neutral / semi-official style):
Selection of vocabulary appropriate to the neutral / semi-official style of writing;
The choice of means of logical communication (unions, introductory words and phrases) corresponding to the semi-official style of writing.
When evaluating a letter by criterion K2. The organization of the text was taken into account:
1) consistency in the presentation of the material;
2) the correct use of logical communications;
3) text structuring, paragraphing, design in accordance with the plan specified in the assignment.
When evaluating a letter by criterion K3. The vocabulary was taken into account:
1) accuracy in the choice of words and expressions;
2) the variety of vocabulary used (not using repetitions, using synonyms)
When evaluating a letter by criterion K4. Grammar is taken into account:
1) accuracy in the choice of grammatical constructions;
2) the variety and complexity of the grammatical constructions used.
When evaluating a letter by criterion K5. Spelling and punctuation were taken into account:
1) compliance with the spelling standards of the English language;
2) the correct punctuation of proposals.
Some students do not cope with this type of letter, because, probably, they do not rationally calculate the time to complete tasks. The recommendation is not to complete task C1 (writing a personal letter) in a draft.