English at Leisure Test-taking Techniques By Feng Xue BeiwaiOnline

Structure and Strategies ( 各部分应试策略 ) –Written test –Oral test Special exam items and their exam techniques ( 难点题型以及答题要领 ) Marking criteria ( 评分标准, 得分点 ) Contents

Exam Structure & Strategies

Structure & Strategies ( 各部分应试策略 ) – Written Session （笔试听力） Section 1 Section IISection III Skill Listening ReadingWriting Score Time 30 min + 10 min 60 min30 min Content Three listening texts: short conversation extended conversation monologue (Played twice) Three reading tasks: practical reading (150 ＊５ ) reading comprehension (450* *1) Description or narration appr. 150 words structured theme-based Written Test + Oral Test

Strategies for Listening （听力策略） Pre-read to predict the main content. Grab general ideas in the first listen, and more details in the second. Listen for key words. Don’t waste time thinking about one or two words you missed. Be aware of paraphrase ( 换一种说法 ). –For example, “11am” can be paraphrased as “late in the morning”. Write beginning letters instead of whole word when hearing long words. Add letters during pauses. Be alert to tense, capitalization and parts of speech ( 时态、大小写和 词性 ).

Structure & Strategies ( 各部分应试策略 ) – Written Session （笔试阅读） Section 1 Section II Section III Skill Listening Reading Writing Score Time 30 min + 10 min 60 min 30 min Content Three listening texts: short conversation extended conversation monologue (Played twice) Three reading tasks: practical reading (150 ＊５ ) reading comprehension (450* *1) Description or narration appr. 150 words structured theme-based Written Test + Oral Test

Strategies for Listening （阅读策略） First scan – for main idea; then skim – for answers. Don’t be put off by new words. They are always there. Try to guess the meaning of some new words, and ignore the rest. It is useless to worry about the words you think you missed when the tape is running. Recognize paraphrase.

Structure & Strategies ( 各部分应试策略 ) – Written Session （笔试写作） Section 1Section II Section III Skill ListeningReading Writing Score Time 30 min + 10 min60 min 30 min Content Three listening texts: short conversation extended conversation monologue (Played twice) Three reading tasks: practical reading (150 ＊５ ) reading comprehension (450* *1) Description or narration appr. 150 words theme-based structured Written Test + Oral Test

Strategies for Listening （听力策略） DO’s Plan your time wisely. Plan your structure nicely. Read the instruction and underline key words. Keep your role and your reader in mind when setting off to write. Write according to English conventions. Proofread after writing. DON’Ts Don’t spend too much time or too many words on opening, leaving no space for body and end. Don’t write on your own will. Don’t write to nobody or to the examiner only. Don’t transfer Chinese punctuations in English writing. Don’t let simple errors affect your score.

Structure & Strategies ( 各部分应试策略 ) – Oral Session （会话口试） Pre-testSection 1Section II Skill (Info. processing) Conversation Score NA 50 Time 10 min 5 min Content think alone Look at the topics and think alone. A B A asks initiates and B responds. B A B asks initiates and A responds. Written Test + Oral Test

Profile of a Good Speaker （口试要求） 95: Demonstrates an extremely high level of oral English fluency rarely achieved by others. Excellent conversational skills, sentence structure, grammar and vocabulary. Able to argue and make points very clearly with only rare errors. Excellent pronunciation.

Strategies for Oral Test ( 口试注意事项 ) No reading from the test paper or your notes Appropriate body language (gesture, eye contact, facial expressions) No silent waiting. –If you can’t quite understand your partner, ask your partner to repeat or rephrase. –If your partner gets stuck, say something to keep the conversation going or to invite your partner’s responses. Don’t overdo your role, leaving no chance to your partner. No enquiry about your performance.

End of Exam Structure and Strategies

Special Items and Their Techniques ( 特殊题型及其答题要领 ) a.Blank-filling b.Short answer questions

Special Items and Their Techniques –1 All the following details are decisive for a point to be given or reduced: – spelling – word form – word number – capitalization ( 大小写 ) Blank-filling

Special Exam Items and Their Exam Techniques ( 重点题型以及其答题要领：简答题 ) Short Answer Questions Question 44. Why do parents spoil their children? (Name at least three reasons) You should therefore look out in the text for a group of reasons, which may be given together or scattered across the text. Please refer to the sample test paper. ( 请参见模拟试题 )

Special Exam Items and Their Exam Techniques ( 重点题型以及其答题要领：简答题 ) Short answer questions: Question 44. Why do parents spoil their children? (Name at least three reasons) “Why do parents give their children too much, or give them things they cannot afford? I believe there are several reasons. … One fairly common reason is that parents spoil their children out of a sense of guilt. … Other parents provide too much because they want their children to have everything they had while growing up, along with those things they pined for but did not get. … Still others are afraid to say no to their children’s endless requests for toys for fear that their children will think they are unloved or will be made fun of if they do not obtain the same toys their friends have. … Spoiling a child also happens when parents are unable to stand up to their children’s unreasonable demands.” You find the following sentences relevant in the text:

Special Exam Items and Their Exam Techniques ( 重点题型以及其答题要领：简答题 ) Short answer questions: “Why do parents give their children too much, or give them things they cannot afford? I believe there are several reasons. … One fairly common reason is that parents spoil their children out of a sense of guilt. … Other parents provide too much because they want their children to have everything they had while growing up, along with those things they pined for but did not get. … Still others are afraid to say no to their children’s endless requests for toys for fear that their children will think they are unloved or will be made fun of if they do not obtain the same toys their friends have. … Spoiling a child also happens when parents are unable to stand up to their children’s unreasonable demands.” You should identify the key words as underlined: Question 44. Why do parents spoil their children? (Name at least three reasons)

Special Exam Items and Their Exam Techniques ( 重点题型以及其答题要领：简答题 ) (Any three) Out of a sense of guilt / feeling guilty Want their children to have everything (they had while growing up and the things they failed to get) Want their children to feel loved Want their children to have the same toys their friends have and not to be made fun of unable to stand up to their children’s unreasonable demands / permissive nature Short answer questions: “… out of a sense of guilt. … want their children to have everything they had, along with those things they pined for but did not get. … for fear that their children will think they are unloved or will be made fun of … unable to stand up to their children’s unreasonable demands These key points can be summarized as: Question 44. Why do parents spoil their children? (Name at least three reasons)

Let’s look at another example.

Special Exam Items and Their Exam Techniques ( 重点题型以及其答题要领 ) “… Then, even if you have not uncovered the reason, you should begin to make firm decisions and practice responding to your children’s requests in a determined manner. ” Short answer questions: Question 45. What are the writer’s suggestions for those parents who have not found the reason why they are spoiling their children? You should therefore look out in the text for suggestions for the spoiling parents.

Special Exam Items and Their Exam Techniques ( 重点题型以及其答题要领 ) Short answer questions: Question 45. What are the writer’s suggestions for those parents who have not found the reason why they are spoiling their children? You should therefore look out in the text for suggestions for the spoiling parents.

Special Exam Items and Their Exam Techniques ( 重点题型以及其答题要领 ) “… Then, even if you have not uncovered the reason, you should begin to make firm decisions and practice responding to your children’s requests in a determined manner. ” Short answer questions: Question 45. What are the writer’s suggestions for those parents who have not found the reason why they are spoiling their children? The following remarks are relevant to the question:

Special Exam Items and Their Exam Techniques ( 重点题型以及其答题要领 ) “… should begin to make firm decisions and practice responding to your children’s requests in a determined manner. ” Short answer questions: Finally, paraphrase the key points as: -- Begin to be firm / practice responding in a determined manner.

End of Special Item Analysis

Writing and Speaking Criteria 写作及口语评分标准

Writing Criteria ( 写作评分标准 ) 项目项目项目项目 分数 (20) 标 准 内容内容内容内容 8分8分 文章切题，内容充实，思维新颖，见解独到。篇幅适当，行文流畅，有很强的可读性趣味性。 6分6分 文章切题，但新意不足，结构较清晰，篇幅适当，有一定的可读性和趣味性。 4分4分 文章大致切题但缺乏新意。篇幅不够 / 过长或篇章结构较差，可读性和趣味性较差。 2分2分 文章离题较远、结构紊乱，或大部分重要信息缺失。篇幅不够 / 过长。 语言语言语言语言 10 分 用词巧妙，辞藻丰富，表达手法灵活，写作技巧娴熟，明显超出普通水平。语法结构严谨。 8分8分 用词准确，能运用多种表达手法，偶有选词错误。语法结构一般但不影响理解。 5分5分 用词很差，表达手法单一。文中使用汉语词汇或拼音，错词很多，语法结构较混乱。 3分3分 书写书写书写书写 2分2分 拼写及标点符号使用偶有错误。书写整洁，易于认读。 1分1分 拼写及标点符号使用有较多的错误，影响认读。书写基本工整。 0分0分 拼写及标点符号错误极多，字迹潦草，全篇认读困难。 规定使用的词汇少于 8 个每个扣 0.5 分；规定词汇使用错误每个扣 0.5 分。

Speaking Criteria ( 口语评分标准 ) 95: Demonstrates an extremely high level of Oral English fluency rarely achieved by others. Excellent conversational skills, sentence structure, grammar and vocabulary. Able to argue and make points very clearly with only rare errors. Excellent pronunciation. 85: Demonstrates a quite high level of Oral English skills. Fairly good sentence structure, very small grammar and vocabulary problems. Adequate conversation skills, no requirement for partner to repeat questions or ask student for explanation, but a few pronunciation errors cause the listener to concentrate. … 20: Has almost no oral English skills at all and uses Chinese constantly. Little vocabulary. Very poor pronunciation.

End of Marking Criteria

The End Wish you success!