NATIONAL EXAMINATIONS IN ENGLISH Kaia Norberg Innove Tallinn, October

OUTLINE Year 9 exam in 2015 National exam in 2015 Comments Exams in 2016 Questions

YearStudents Mean score (%) Average mark (3 859) (4 003) (3 755) (3 666) (3890)

MarkStudents 2 (20-49) 60.4% 3 (50-74) % 4 (75-89) % 5 (90-100) % Total %

YEAR 9 EXAM IN 2015 NMean score Mark Girls Boys

YEAR 9 EXAM IN Listening88.6%81.7% Reading87.1%85.5% Writing88.4% Speaking88.1%88.8%

YEAR 9 EXAM IN 2015 LISTENINGMean (%) Task 1: matching88.4% Task 2: gap-filling75.7% Task 3: multiple choice78.6% Task 4: gap-filling86.9%

YEAR 9 EXAM IN 2015 READINGMean (%) Task 1: matching92.3% Task 2: multiple choice88% Task 3: multiple matching89.5% Task 4: gap-filling73.7%

YEAR 9 EXAM IN 2015 WRITINGMean (%) TASK 1: decription88.7% TASK 2: letter to a friend88.2%

DESCRIPTION Task 1 (9 points) Write a short description of something you did and were proud of. In your description, write about – what you did; – when and where it happened; – why you were proud. You should write 75 words.

MARKING SCALE FOR DECRIPTION Task Completion Vocabulary Grammar 3 All aspects appropriately addressed. Logical and clear organisation. Vocabulary appropriate to the task. Only a few spelling mistakes. Grammar well controlled. Only a few grammar mistakes. 2 All aspects addressed. Organisation not always logical. Vocabulary basic but conveys the meaning. Some words used inappropriately. Several spelling mistakes. Limited control of grammar. Several grammar mistakes. 1 One or two aspects not addressed. Illogical organisation. Partly off-topic. Limited vocabulary. Many words used inappropriately. Spelling problems make communication difficult. Minimum control of grammar. Grammar problems make communication difficult. 0 The prompt has been ignored. The response is completely off- topic. Fewer than 35 words. The prompt has been ignored. Vocabulary problems make communication impossible. The prompt has been ignored. Grammar problems make communication impossible.

SAMPLE DESCRIPTION

LETTER Task 2 (16 points) Your friend Pat from England is thinking about leaving school at 16. Write a letter to him/her. In your letter, – ask about his/her reasons; – comment on his/her decision; – write about your own plans. You should write 120 words.

MARKING SCALE FOR LETTER Task Completion OrganisationVocabularyGrammar 4 All aspects mentioned and appropriately expanded. Well organised. Clear paragraphs. Both salutation and sign-off appropriate. Vocabulary appropriate to the task. Only occasional spelling mistakes. Grammar well controlled. Only occasional grammar mistakes. 3 All aspects mentioned but only two appropriately expanded. Mostly well organised. Paragraphs not always logical. Salutation OR sign-off appropriate. Vocabulary quite basic but conveys the meaning and is mostly appropriate to the task. Several spelling mistakes. Mostly grammatical. Most sentences are error-free. 2 All aspects mentioned but only one appropriately expanded. Some irrelevant remarks. Sometimes illogical. Both salutation and sign-off inappropriate. Limited vocabulary. Some words used inappropriately. Frequent spelling mistakes. Limited control of grammar. Frequent grammar mistakes. 1 One or more aspects not mentioned at all. Significant amount of irrelevant information. Illogical. Salutation AND sign-off missing. Very limited vocabulary. Many words used inappropriately. Spelling problems make communication difficult. Minimum control of grammar. Grammar problems make communication difficult. 0 The prompt has been ignored. Fewer than 60 words. The prompt has been ignored. Not a connected text. The prompt has been ignored. Vocabulary problems make communication impossible. The prompt has been ignored. Grammar problems make communication impossible.

SAMPLE LETTER

COMMENTS Read the instructions (WHAT is expected of you: task type, audience, purpose) Check where you write, be economical with space Salutation (Dear Pat,)and sign-off (Love, Tom/Regards, Tom/Yours, Tom/Best wishes, Tom) Structure: follow the prompt You is not capitalised in English

YEAR 9 EXAM IN 2015 SPEAKINGMean (%) Task achievement87.8% Vocabulary88.6% Grammar86.1% Fluency and pronunciation90.4%

INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATES B1B2C1C2Kokku CAE CPE 11 FCE TOEFL IELTS Kokku

YearStudentsMean scoreMinMax SD YEAR 12 EXAM IN 2015

B % B % No level165923% YEAR 12 EXAM IN 2015

NMeanB1B2 No level Boys %52%18% Girls %39%27% Total %45%23%

Mean (%) Writing 63.3% Listening 66.0% Reading 62.6% Speaking 80.1% YEAR 12 EXAM IN 2015

WRITINGMean (%) TASK 1: letter65% TASK 2: essay62% YEAR 12 EXAM IN 2015

LISTENINGMean (%) Task 1: gap-filling 64% Task 2: matching 76% Task 3: multiple choice 72% Task 4: matching 64% Task 5: open gap fill 54% YEAR 12 EXAM IN 2015

READINGMean (%) Task 1: multiple choice 75% Task 2: multiple choice 71% Task 3: matching 74% Task 4: open gap-filling 53% Task 5.1: matching 63% Task 5.2: matching 58% Task 6: word formation 45% YEAR 12 EXAM IN 2014

COMMENTS Usage of a pencil is prohibited In Listening: don’t invent anything! (Pay extra attention to your appearance. In text: First thing is your appearance) Although minor spelling mistakes are acceptable, the word has to be recognisable (exeptional) Make sure the sentence makes sense (Google needs to give more importance to arrival services In text: rival services)

COMMENTS cont. Text as a whole has to make sense (The users of Google rarely move on. Small advertisers find it inconvenient to switch to Google.) Pay attention to collocations (know the City throughout vs know the City thoroughly) No spelling mistakes are allowed! (conducive vs conductive) Word formation: which word class? (make the snakes harmony to users vs harmless)

COMMENTS cont. (and possible even to hunt prey vs possibly hunt prey) The sentence has to make sense (Flying snake is a leading name vs misleading name) Its vs it’s

LETTER Task 1 (9 points) LETTER Read the job offer below. Activity Instructors needed at Camp Harper, UK, for July 2015 Responsibilities: looking after a group of 10 campers aged 10–14 running elective activities (art, sport, music, etc.) We are looking for young people who: have experience working with children can run elective activities Write a letter to Paul Jackson, Camp Manager, applying for the job, explaining your suitability and asking for further information about the job offer. Use the pen-name Mari/Mart Mets for yourself. Do not write any addresses. You should write at least 120 words.

MARKING SCALE FOR LETTERS Word count (Task completion): More than 132 words– no penalty 108–132– OK! 60–107– deduct 1 point Fewer than 60 words 0 Salutation (Task completion): - Dear Mr Jackson Sign-off (Task completion): - Yours sincerely No contracted forms! (Vocabulary) Commas in both the salutation and sign-off or in neither. (Grammar) Task Completion VocabularyGrammar 3 All aspects of the prompt addressed appropriately and expanded well. Clear organisation (information grouped into paragraphs logically). Correct format. Appropriate, wide vocabulary. Error-free word- formation. Appropriate tone and register. Correct spelling. Grammatically correct, with a few slips. Complex structures predominate. Punctuation well managed. 2 All aspects of the prompt addressed appropriately. Two or three aspects expanded. Organisation mostly logical. Mostly correct format. Some irrelevant remarks. Basic vocabulary. Less common vocabulary faulty or lifted from the prompt. Tone and register mostly appropriate. Some spelling mistakes. Basic grammar. Complex structures faulty. Few complex sentences. Frequent grammar and punctuation mistakes. 1 All aspects of the prompt addressed but none expanded OR not all aspects discussed. May require re-reading because of faulty organisation. Faulty format (does not look like a letter). Significant amount of irrelevant information. Vocabulary limited. Frequent incorrect usage. Inappropriate tone and register. Vocabulary and spelling mistakes make comprehension problematic. Mostly simple sentences. Minimum control of grammar. Grammar and punctuation mistakes make comprehension problematic. 0 The prompt has been misunderstood. Fewer than 60 words. Vocabulary and spelling mistakes make comprehension impossible. Grammar and punctuation mistakes make comprehension impossible. The prompt has been ignored. Plagiarised work.

SAMPLE LETTER

ESSAY Task 2 (16 points) ESSAY Should smart devices be banned in the classroom? Write an essay discussing the advantages and disadvantages of using smart devices in the classroom and expressing your own opinion. You should write at least 200 words.

MARKING SCALE FOR ESSAYS ContentOrganisationVocabularyGrammar 4 All aspects of the task appropriately addressed. Ideas presented, expanded and supported. Well organised. All required elements present. Clear paragraphs. Natural use of linking devices. Accurate, appropriate, wide vocabulary. Appropriate tone and register. Correct spelling. A wide range of grammatical structures correctly used. Complex structures predominate. Punctuation well managed. 3 All aspects of the task appropriately addressed. Some aspects expanded and supported. Organisation mostly logical. Required elements present but not always appropriate. Paragraphing mostly clear with a few slips. Linking devices mostly used appropriately. Good general control of vocabulary. Tone and register mostly appropriate. A few unsystematic spelling mistakes. Good general control of grammatical structures. A mix of simple and complex structures. A few mistakes in complex structures. A few unsystematic punctuation mistakes. 2 Some aspects of the task addressed. Some irrelevant remarks. Organisation is evident but may not always be logical. Some required elements missing or wrong. No paragraphs, but logical. Linking devices limited in number or used mechanically. Basic vocabulary well controlled but less common vocabulary faulty or vocabulary mainly lifted from the prompt. Tone and register inappropriate at times. Frequent spelling mistakes. Basic control of grammar. Complex structures not used or mostly contain errors. Simple sentences predominate. Some punctuation errors. 1 Task addressed in a limited way or partly misunderstood. Significant amount of irrelevant information. Organisation unclear or illogical. Random paragraphs. Relations between ideas unclear. Linking devices missing or overused. Vocabulary limited. Frequent incorrect usage. Inappropriate tone and register. Spelling-mistakes make comprehension problematic. Limited range of grammar with frequent errors. Grammar and punctuation mistakes make comprehension problematic. 0 Task misunderstood. Plagiarised work. Fewer than 100 words. Ignores the prompt. Plagiarised work. No apparent organisation. Ignores the prompt. Plagiarised work. Misspelling prevents understanding. Ignores the prompt. Plagiarised work. No rateable language.

COMMENTS Possible task types the same (letter, report, essay) No penalty for exceeding word limit Read the instructions: what do you have to do? Respond to all the prompts+expand Include only relevant information Consider structure (paragraphs, salutation, sign-off in the letter) Formal style

2016 Year 12 exam 3 May May 2016 Year 9 exam June 2016

INTERNATIONAL EXAMS 1) Preliminary English Test (PET) 2) First Certificate in English (FCE) 3) Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) 4) Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) 5) The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) - at least 4.0 points 6) Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) iBT - at least 57 points 7) Pearson Test of English General (PTE General) – at least Level 2 Deadline: 20 January 2016

TEACHER TRAINING Seminars – Year 9 Tallinn - 28 October 2015 Tartu - 4 November 2015 – Year 12 Tallinn – 2 November 2015 Tartu - 9 November 2015 Registration:

RESOURCES CEFR – Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

Questions and comments