Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs

English Language Certification

LEVEL MODULE

C1 4

on the scale set by the Council of Europe EXAMINER PACK

Period

November 2005

ATTENTION

This pack is for the Oral Test and it contains: Guidelines for conducting the test, on pp. 2-3. Questions for Activity 1 (p. 4) Information about Activity 2 (p. 5) Task for activity 2 (pp. 6-7) The Assessment Criteria (pp. 8-10).

 / English Language Exam

November 2005

GUIDELINES FOR CONDUCTING THE EXAM

Upon arrival at the Examination Centre: Make sure you obtain all the materials you need to prepare for and conduct the test: (a) The Candidate Booklet which contains the Greek texts for Activity 2. (b) The Examiner Pack for DAY 1 (if you are giving the Oral Test the first day) or for DAY 2 (if you are giving the Oral Test the second day). Note: If you are not provided with these materials at least two hours in advance of the exam, request immediately to see the Director of the Exam Centre. If there is a problem you may contact the administrative committee at 210 3250785. In the Examiner Pack there are a series of questions for Activity 1 and tasks for Activity 2 Select a partner (co-assessor) and work with him/her before the test begins. Discuss the tasks helping each other understand what each task entails and what kind of interaction it will involve the candidates in. Role-play one or two test situations to see how the tasks for Activity 2 work for you. Also, study the assessment criteria in this pack. Before the test begins Make sure you know your examination room and who your examination partner will be. Decide which one of you will have the role of Examiner first. Make sure that the desks in the examination room are set up properly, so that candidates are sitting side by side, the Examiner is facing the candidates, and the desk of Evaluator 1 is at some distance from the candidates but allows visual contact with them. Make sure you have all the materials you need to conduct the test. Bring the Candidate Booklet into the exam room as well as the Examiner Pack of the day containing the tasks. Also be sure that there are two more Candidate Booklets in the room, one for each candidate. At the beginning of the test When you are the Examiner: greet the candidates and ask them to give you the Oral Production Evaluation Form where the candidates name, registration number, etc. have already been recorded by the Exam Centers Committee members who have the responsibility for checking candidates registration details, identification cards, etc. Give the Form to your partner. Ask the candidates to take a seat, introduce yourself and your co-assessor, explain that they must respond to two activities, tell them how much time they will have for each and request that, throughout the test, they speak in English, loudly and clearly. Also explain that they are allowed to ask questions, to request that task instructions be repeated or reworded and that they may ask for any other clarifications necessary. Ask each candidate his/her name so that both you and your co-assessor identify who is who. Write their names (and any other reminder) on a piece of scrap-paper to remember who each candidate was once they have left the room, because that is when you will assign their marks. BE SURE YOU DONT MIX UP THE CANDIDATES. Ask each candidate a few ice-breaking questions (e.g. where do you work/study? Where do you live? Where will you be going for your Christmas holidays? etc). This information will facilitate your choice of prompts for Activity 1 and tasks for Activity 2. During the oral test Remember that the test lasts 20 minutes for both candidates. As time is limited, you must allocate the time for each activity to each candidate accordingly. Ice-breaking and test instructions Activity 1 2-2 min. for each candidate for an open-ended response on the basis of a prompt. Activity 2 Oral mediation on the basis of the Greek texts (3 min.) (4-5 min. for both) (10-12 min. for both)

The candidates take turns in doing the required task first. This means that if candidate A is the first one asked to respond to the question of Activity 1, it is candidate B that is asked to start speaking in the task of Activity 2.

Level C1/ Module 4

EXAMINER PACK PAGE 2

 / English Language Exam

November 2005

Change roles with your partner frequently. It is recommended that you change roles after you have conducted the test with 3-4 pairs of candidates. However, the frequency of role change is up to you. Avoid noting things down when candidates are talking to you, because this prevents interaction and negotiation of meaning, while it also works against efforts to create a friendly rapport. Be supportive but dont show them what you think of their production. Do pay attention to what theyre saying and help the conversation flow. Encourage candidates to respond to the requirements of the test. When carrying out Activity 1, do not change or rephrase the question. If one candidate hesitates, repeat the question more slowly this time, clarify or explain one word but only if you are asked to. When carrying out Activity 2, do not change the task or text. Keep to the original wording of activity instructions. If one candidate hesitates, repeat task instructions and clarify something if necessary. Make sure that both candidates in a pair are examined by the same Examiner. Remember that you may make a random selection of prompts for Activity 1 and tasks for Activity 2 but that it is strongly recommended that you take into consideration the candidates profile so as to set the most appropriate task each time. Dont forget that you should use different prompts and tasks for different pairs of candidates, but that you are not obliged to use them all. If you are unsure about or uncomfortable with one of the tasks, dont use it. If at the end of the testing day there are three candidates left, the test will be conducted with the three candidates. For Activity 2, use the texts on the last page of the Candidate Booklet for candidate 3 and assign one of the accompanying tasks. (See also p. 6). During the test, do not allow anyone to interfere with your work, to stand outside the exam room talking or doing something that might disturb you or the candidates. Dont forget that SMOKING, the USE OF CELLULAR PHONES and EATING are PROHIBITED in the exam room. If before or during the test you have queries or problems, consult with the Examination Centres Committee members. If you need to take a break, make sure that you inform the Committee members. Using the Oral Production Evaluation Forms Keep in mind that both you and your partner must assess each candidate on the same Evaluation Form. The person who is silent and evaluates candidates performance during the test is Evaluator 1. S/he fills in the criteria boxes on the left-side column of the form. The Examiner who conducts the oral test is Evaluator 2 and fills in the boxes on the rightside column after the candidates have left the room. Do NOT record the overall mark for each candidate. The computer will work it out. Both Evaluators mark the boxes in the columns in ball point pen (black or blue). When marking do remember that the highest possible mark for the Oral Test is 20 and that the overall passing mark is 6 out of 20. Remember when you are assessing that a 0 on an activity indicates not merely that the candidate has no competence in English whatsoever or that s/he has not talked at all but that s/he does not have the particular knowledge or competence that a C1 level user of English should have. When you are conducting the test (you are acting as Examiner), remember that you must not mark candidates performance while they are talking. Fill in the Evaluation Form as soon as they leave the room. You have 5 minutes before you call in the next pair of candidates. Dont forget that you must not make corrections, use correcting fluid (blanco), or damage the Evaluation Form in any way. Upon completion of the test Make sure that the candidates do NOT TAKE THE CANDIDATE BOOKLET away from the exam room, and that at the end of each test day you return to the Exam Centre Committee: (a) all Candidate Booklets, (b) the Examiner Pack and (c) the Oral Production Evaluation Forms for each candidate you have examined. When you have finished the Oral Test, you MUST fill in the Feedback Form attached to this Pack. Use the table on the last page of the Feedback Form to take notes and fill it in later (see instructions on the Form).

Level C1/ Module 4

EXAMINER PACK PAGE 3

 / English Language Exam

November 2005

ACTIVITY 1: RESPONSE TO AN OPINION QUESTION

INSTRUCTIONS Below is a series of questions for candidates. Choose which question you will pose to each candidate, taking into account the candidates profile. Before you begin, tell candidates that you expect them to clearly state their position on the issue at hand and to fully justify it. Dont use your own words when you are posing the opinion question, and dont move on to a different one. However, if the candidate seems to have nothing to say on the particular subject, do try to help him/her respond, especially if s/he asks for your help. For example, you may prompt him or her to say why s/he has no opinion on the matter at hand. QUESTIONS MORE APPROPRIATE FOR YOUNGER CANDIDATES 1. Tell us about an athlete, singer or actor/actress that you think highly of and explain why you have such a high opinion of him or her. 2. Tell us if you think it is better for teenagers to have a monthly allowance or to ask their parents for the money they need every day. Justify your opinion. 3. Think of people who like to work as a team. What kind of personality traits do you think they have and/or may develop? 4. There are some parents who believe that its absolutely necessary for their children to have a mobile phone even if the child is very young. Do you agree with their opinion? Why or why not? 5. Which do you think are the most important qualities of a mother and which of a father? Tell us and explain why you think so. 6. Tell us if you agree or disagree with the saying A friend in need, is a friend indeed and explain why. 7. Tell us if you agree or disagree with the saying Actions speak louder than words and explain why. 8. Tell us if you agree or disagree with the saying All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, which means that if you work a lot and you dont have any fun, youll end up an uninteresting person. Explain why you agree or disagree with this idea. 9. Aristotle once said What we learn, we learn by doing. Tell us if you agree and explain why. QUESTIONS MORE APPROPRIATE FOR OLDER CANDIDATES 10. Tell us about a writer, painter, composer or film/theatre director that you like and explain why you like his or her work. 11. Tell us your opinion of (a) people who work unusually hard (the so-called workaholics) and (b) those who become very involved in community work. 12. Tell us what you think of people who will do everything in their power to achieve what they want and explain why you think so. 13. Tell us what you think of people who strongly believe that its no use trying hard for something and that everything is a matter of chance or fate. Explain why you think so. 14. Why do you think that its important to convince people who live in big cities to use public means of transport and avoid using their cars all the time? 15. Tell us what you think makes a relationship last (any relationship be it with a friend, a partner, a spouse) and explain why you think so. 16. Menander, an ancient Greek philosopher, once said Wealth is a cloak that covers many evils. Tell us if you agree and why. 17. Tell us if you agree or disagree with the saying Health before wealth and explain why.

Level C1/ Module 4

EXAMINER PACK PAGE 4

 / English Language Exam

November 2005

ACTIVITY 2: ORAL PRODUCTION AND MEDIATION

Please note that: The first half of the Candidates Booklet (pages 2 to 8) contains the Greek texts that Candidate A must read in order to do this activity. The second half of the Booklet (pages 9 to 15) contains the Greek texts that Candidate B must read in order to do the activity. The last page (page 16) contains extra texts, which are relevant to those on pages 3 and 10. - These may be used as alternatives to those on one of the aforementioned pages. - They may be used if, at the end of the test day, there are three candidates left, and Activity 2 must be conducted with three instead of two. [In such a case, assign either one of the tasks connected to the texts on pages 3 and 10 (and also use the relevant text on page 16). Please also note that: The texts on pages 2 and 9, 6 and 13, as well as the tasks connected to them are inappropriate for young candidates. They are appropriate for adults. If candidate A responds first to the prompt of Activity 1, then candidate B opens the conversation for Activity 2. Before you ask candidates to read their text and tell them what their task is, give them the following instructions: I will now ask you to do a task but, first, you must read one/some Greek text(s) which has/have the information you need. I will give you 2-3 minutes to read your text(s). The texts you and your partner will read are different but they are in some way related to one another. In order to complete your task you must exchange information. I will be listening to you while you talk with one another. I will not take part in your conversation. When I tell you to begin, you [address either Candidate A or B] will open the discussion. Both of you are responsible to keep the conversation going. After you read your text(s), you have about 10 minutes to reach the following decision. [The examiner gives task instructions.] Now please read your text(s). [The examiner hands the booklet to each of the candidates.] Yours [address candidate A] is on page ., and yours [address candidate B] is on page During this activity, remember that candidates are supposed to manage a conversation with each other, given a specific task which involves decision making. So, do not interrupt unless it is necessary; otherwise, interaction is hindered. If one of the two candidates is totally unable to take part in conversation in other words, fails to do Activity 2 then, you must take on the role of the interlocutor. Remember that you are not there to correct the candidates but to examine them. Allow them to manage by themselves. If, however, one of the two is either taking up too much of the talking time or too little, do intervene to facilitate as equal a distribution of talking time as possible. If one of the two candidates is relaying information from the Greek text incorrectly, content wise, it may make the decision making process impossible. Therefore, you might have to help out in this case. But try to avoid any interference.

Level C1/ Module 4

EXAMINER PACK PAGE 5

 / English Language Exam

November 2005

THE TASKS
HEALTH TIPS (PAGE 2 for Candidate A & PAGE 9 for Candidate B)
TASK 1 Candidate A: Explain to your partner why health tips 1, 4 and 5 are important. Candidate B: Explain to your partner why health tips 2, 3 and 5 are important. Together then : Decide which two health tips you consider important for someone like me (an adult female/male with an overactive work schedule) and you would advise me to take very seriously. TASK 2 Candidate A: Use the information in texts 2, 3 and 4 to explain to your partner why the particular health tips are important. Candidate B: Use the information in texts 1, 4 and 5 to explain to your partner why the particular health tips are important. Together then : Decide which two health tips you would include in a magazine for young people still in school. TASK 3 Read the health tips on your page (Candidate A page 2, Candidate B page 9), and together decide which ones you think most Greeks take seriously and which they do not. Also try to think of ways to convince them to take seriously those they do not.

PRACTICAL TIPS (PAGE 3 for Candidate A, PAGE 10 for Candidate B & PAGE 16 for Candidate C)
TASK 1 Read the practical tips on your page (Candidate A page 3, Candidate B page 10), and together decide on one which is of interest to both younger and older people. TASK 2 Read the practical tips on your page (Candidate A page 3, Candidate B page 10), and together decide on one which would be the most useful for a University student living on his or her own.

CHILDREN AND TV (PAGE 4 for Candidate A & PAGE 11 for Candidate B)

TASK 1 Imagine you are teachers and you are planning a meeting with parents about the role of TV in the life of children. Read the e-mails on your page (Candidate A page 4, Candidate B page 11), briefly present to your partner the positions people take and together decide on 3 discussion points that you will be raising. TASK 2 Imagine that you are the editors of the local newspaper. Read the e-mail messages on your page (Candidate A page 4, Candidate B page 11), present the main idea in each of them to your partner, and together decide on two (one from each page) that you will publish.

LESS STRESS, MORE ENERGY (PAGE 5 for Candidate A & PAGE 12 for Candidate B)
TASK 1 Imagine that both you and your partner suffer from stress. Read your texts (Candidate A page 5, Candidate B page 12), present the new information to your partner and together decide which the 2 golden rules for overcoming stress are. TASK 2
Level C1/ Module 4 EXAMINER PACK PAGE 6

 / English Language Exam

November 2005

Both of you have relatives and friends that suffer from job related stress. Read your texts (Candidate A page 5, Candidate B page 12), present the new information to your partner and together decide which 4 pieces of advice you find most useful and effective.

OLYMPUS MARATHON (PAGE 6 for Candidate A & PAGE 13 for Candidate B)

TASK 1 Read your texts (Candidate A page 6, Candidate B page 13), present the main idea of each paragraph to your partner and together decide on the order of the story. TASK 2 Read your texts (Candidate A page 6, Candidate B page 13), present the main idea of each paragraph to your partner, and together decide which of the three titles at the bottom of the page is the most appropriate.

BOOKS FOR CHILDREN (PAGE 7 for Candidate A & PAGE 14 for Candidate B)
TASK 1 Read your texts (Candidate A page 7, Candidate B page 14), tell your partner about the books presented in your texts and together decide which book you would recommend for translation into English. TASK 2 Read your texts (Candidate A page 7, Candidate B page 14), tell your partner about the books presented in your texts and together choose one book for a 9 year old child who reads Greek. Shes the daughter of your English colleague and he wants to give her a book as a Christmas present.

WHAT WE CAN DO FOR OUR PLANET(PAGE 8 for Candidate A & PAGE 15 for Candidate B)
TASK 1 Imagine you are members of an organization which has decided to launch a campaign on energy conservation and that you have been asked to design the campaign leaflets. Read your texts (Candidate A page 8, Candidate B page 15), and together decide on the two most useful pieces of advice you would include in a section of the leaflet addressed to housewives. TASK 2 Imagine you are members of an organization which has decided to launch a campaign on energy conservation and that you have been asked to design the campaign leaflets. Read your texts (Candidate A page 8, Candidate B page 15), and together decide on the two most useful pieces of advice you would include in a section of the leaflet addressed to business people. TASK 3 Imagine you are members of an organization which has decided to launch a campaign on energy conservation and that you have been asked to design the campaign leaflets. Read your texts (Candidate A page 8, Candidate B page 15), and together decide on the two most useful pieces of advice you would include in a section of the leaflet addressed to teenagers.

Level C1/ Module 4

EXAMINER PACK PAGE 7

 / English Language Exam

November 2005

MODULE 4: ASSESSING THE CANDIDATES ORAL PERFORMANCE

OVERALL PERFORMANCE FOR TASKS 1 & 2 PHONOLOGICAL COMPETENCE: INTONATION AND PRONUNCIATION COMPETENT C1 SPEAKER 2 Clear articulation and fully intelligible pronunciation. Varies intonation to express finer shades of meaning. Changes sentence stress correctly to give emphasis on specific meanings. MODERATELY COMPETENT C1 1 Clear articulation and intelligible pronunciation. Clear, natural, intelligible intonation. Stress patterns and rhythm fully intelligible.

LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE
LEXICAL RANGE AND CONTROL

COMPETENT C1 SPEAKER 3 The form and meaning of the words s/he uses are correct and his/her lexical repertoire does not restrict him/her in what s/he wants to say. Gaps are scarce and overcome by circumlocutions. Good command and effective use of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms when required by the task
GRAMMATICAL ACCURACY

MODERATELY COMPETENT C1 2 The form and meaning of the words s/he uses are mostly correct errors are infrequent. Little obvious searching for expressions; few lexical gaps which are successfully overcome with circumlocution. Limited evidence of avoidance strategies On some occasions, his/her lexical repertoire seems limited for the topic in question but s/he uses idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms. MODERATELY COMPETENT C1 - 2 High degree of grammatical accuracy which is not always consistent. Frequent and successful use of complex sentence forms Errors are rare; when they do occur, they are usually corrected.

MARGINALLY COMPETENT C1 -1 S/he makes a few (insignificant) meaning errors and there are only minor errors in form. Lexical gaps are generally overcome with circumlocution although there is strong evidence of avoidance strategies. His/her lexical repertoire is quite limited for the topic in question.

BELOW C1 LEVEL 0 S/he makes some form and meaning errors which however do not seriously hinder communication. Lexical gaps which cause obvious hesitation and circumlocutions are frequently unsuccessful. His/her lexical repertoire is obviously limited and s/he uses some standard expressions but not always correctly.

COMPETENT C1 SPEAKER - 3 Consistently high degree of grammatical accuracy. Good command and successful use of complex sentence forms. Errors are difficult to spot; when they occur, they are successfully corrected.
Level C1/ Module 4

MARGINALLY COMPETENT C1 -1 Fairly high degree of grammatical accuracy. Occasional use of complex sentence forms which are successfully used. Errors are quite infrequent and often corrected when they occur.

BELOW C1 LEVEL - 0 Mostly correct grammatical structures chosen. Some use of complex sentence forms but always correctly used. Some incorrect grammatical choices but they do not hinder communication.

EXAMINER PACK FOR DAY 1-PAGE 8

 / English Language Exam

APPROPRIATENESS OF LANGUAGE CHOICES COMPETENT C1 SPEAKER - 3 MODERATELY COMPETENT C1 - 2 Ideas are conveyed clearly but Expresses ideas by making some language choices are language choices which are ineffective or awkward. appropriate for the situational context. Uses appropriate register but Uses appropriate register and cannot make register shifts even if required by the situation. makes appropriate register shifts if required by the situation. Makes rather awkward attempts to Accommodates to his/her accommodate to his interlocutor. interlocutor effectively. COHESION, COHERENCE OF SPEECH AND FLUENCY COMPETENT C1 SPEAKER - 3 MODERATELY COMPETENT C1 - 2 Generally smoothly flowing, Clear, smoothly flowing, wellcoherent speech, but sometimes it structured, fully coherent speech. is not well structured. Effective and correct use of connectors and cohesive devices. Generally correct and appropriate use of cohesive devices and Makes elaborate descriptions and connectors. narrates when this is required, integrating sub-themes, Expresses him/herself fluently, and developing particular topics, spontaneously, with almost no rounding off with appropriate hesitations, stuttering etc. conclusions fluently, spontaneously, almost effortlessly.

November 2005

MARGINALLY COMPETENT C1 -1 Ideas are sometimes confused because his/her language choices are not always appropriate. Does not always use fully appropriate register. Does not always accommodate to his interlocutor.

BELOW C1 LEVEL - 0 Ideas are somewhat confused because of frequent inappropriate language choices but communication is established. Choice of register is inappropriate. S/he makes inappropriate/infrequent attempts to accommodate to his/her interlocutor.

MARGINALLY COMPETENT C1 -1 Flow of speech is not always smooth; though talk is coherent, it is not well structured. Use of correct but not always appropriate cohesive devices to link utterances and chunks of talk. Does not always express him/herself spontaneously, while there are some hesitations and stuttering (not due to his/her unfamiliarity with the subject of talk) which may tire the listener.

BELOW C1 LEVEL - 0 Generally coherent discourse but not well structured speech. Generally correct use of cohesive devices to link utterances and chunks of talk. Though s/he is able to deal with the topic, there is an obvious lack of spontaneity and hesitations or interruptions sometimes tire the listener.

Level C1/ Module 4

EXAMINER PACK PAGE 9

 / English Language Exam

November 2005

ASSESSMENT OF TASK 2 CONVERSATIONAL COMPETENCE COMPETENT C1 SPEAKER 3 Initiates, sustains, intervenes and ends a discussion using appropriate conversational strategies. Relates his/her own contribution skilfully to those of his/her interlocutor and (counter)argues opinions, positions, etc. Interrupts without causing offence, asks clarification questions to clarify points and ensures that his/her interlocutor understands what s/he is saying. MODERATELY COMPETENT C1 2 Initiates, sustains, intervenes and ends a discussion using mostly appropriate conversational strategies. Relates his/her ideas to those of his/her interlocutor and makes attempts to contribute effectively to an argument. Takes the floor in appropriate ways, responds appropriately to requests for clarification and makes attempts to help his interlocutor understand, participate, etc. MARGINALLY COMPETENT C1 -1 Initiates, sustains and ends a discussion but his/her conversational strategies are somewhat ineffective. Sometimes his/her ideas are unrelated to those of his/her interlocutor and s/he does not argue points effectively. Though s/he participates in the discussion/argument, s/he does not show appropriate initiative to keep it going. BELOW C1 LEVEL 0 His/her skills to initiate and sustain a discussion are limited but s/he does participate when initiating moves are made by the other. Can take his/her turn but not always appropriately or may use an unsuitable strategy to get the floor. Is not systematically concerned with his/her interlocutor and has limited participation in the discussion.

MEDIATION COMPETENT C1 SPEAKER - 3 MODERATELY COMPETENT C1 - 2 MARGINALLY COMPETENT C1 -1 Depending on the task, the candidates are expected to either: relay in English bits of information in the source text which are relevant to the task in question, or paraphrase / reformulate / summarize the source text Responds to task expectations in a Responds to task expectations in Responds to task expectations in partially satisfactory manner. a nearly satisfactorily manner. fully satisfactory manner. Tends to translate more than relay Relays information from the Relays required information. information from or reformulate the source text even when this is not Systematically re-negotiates source text. required by the task. information by adjusting Makes some successful attempts to Makes successful attempts to - effectiveness strategically re-negotiate information strategically re-negotiate - efficiency by adjusting relevance to context of information by adjusting - relevance situation. effectiveness and relevance to to context of situation. context of situation. BELOW C1 LEVEL - 0

Does not truly respond to task expectations. Translates form the source text rather than relay information / paraphrase / summarize. Makes attempts to strategically re-negotiate information, but efforts are unsuccessful.

Level C1/ Module 4

EXAMINER PACK PAGE 10