In-Service Teacher Training Assessment in IGCSE English as a Second Language 0510 Session 3: Mark schemes and Examiners Reports

Introductions Background Aim of training Welcome

Session 3 looks at: Resources Mark schemes as a resource Principal Examiners’ Reports Recommended books Other resources Learners and their needs

Using mark schemes as a resource Mark schemes: Give the allocation of marks Indicate the range of acceptable answers Give examples of unacceptable answers Give an indication of what Examiners are looking for in an answer

Mark schemes and Principal Examiners’ Reports: Both give information about each part of each question Should be used side by side to analyse students’ answers to questions Provide information which can be passed on to students

Principal Examiners’ Reports After each examination session the Principal Examiner: Writes a full and detailed report for each component Comments on strengths and weaknesses of the candidates Aims to provide advice to help teachers improve their own teaching and their students’ performance

Some areas covered in Principal Examiners’ Reports Tiering - how effective it was Completion of the examinations Very detailed comments on specific questions Acceptable and unacceptable answers The rubric - how well was it followed ?

Principal Examiners’ Reports: Extracts on the Reading and Writing paper (1) ‘ Some candidates are not reading for meaning - they are copying out chunks of information indiscriminately’ ‘About one third of candidates wrote well over the word length for the summary’

Principal Examiners’ Reports: Extracts on the Reading and Writing paper (2) ‘Many candidates did not notice the requirement for capitals in the form-filling exercise’ ‘A common difficulty noticed by Examiners in extended writing was with subject and verb agreement’

Principal Examiners’ Reports: Extracts on the Listening paper (1) ‘Spelling was not taken into account in accordance with the ‘listening for understanding’ ethos’ ‘Phonetic attempts at the answer could be rewarded, unless this made a difference in meaning’

Principal Examiners’ Reports: Extracts on the Listening paper (2) ‘Many gaps were left. It is always a good strategy to have an attempt at the answer’ ‘Further work on numbers and quantities and time lengths is to be recommended’

Principal Examiners’ Reports: Extracts on the Speaking paper (1) ‘There was a considerable difference in the duration and the effectiveness of the warm ups’ ‘It is permissible to use the main topic as a springboard for further discussion - prompts are only guides’

Principal Examiners’ Reports: Extracts on the Speaking paper (2) ‘Some Examiners are reminded that it is a conversation that is required and not a speech’ ‘Where adjustment was made to Centres’ marks, it tended to be the result of lenient marking’

CIE maintains a Resource list of endorsed and other recommended textbooks on CIE Online. Visit your qualifications page at for further information. Books/Texts

Other resources and support material CD-ROMs of past papers and mark schemes (‘Tool Kit’) A CD of a range of Listening material has been produced. Activities and structured lessons have been written to support this Online training. Teachers can follow a 6-week course of online training in IGCSE E2L

[BBC World Service] [British Council] [English Space] [Self Access] The Internet – some useful websites

The CIE Teacher Support site (1) Access to this site allows you to download: Schemes of Work Question papers and mark schemes from November 2001 Syllabuses Principal Examiners’ Reports

The CIE Teacher Support site (2) You can also: Access a number of other useful resources Engage with a subject specific FAQ area

The learners: time for reflection How might learning on this course be different to a regular E2L programme? What level do you think your E2L students need to be at when starting the IGCSE course? And to do well? Can you anticipate some questions that might be asked by your learners? How will you introduce your learners to the background knowledge they will need to acquire?

Your teaching And to finish: Are you happy with the teaching resources that you have? What will you need to obtain? Does your teaching style suit this IGCSE course? What IS your teaching style? Are you confident about constructing some of your own teaching Schemes and lessons? Are there any final thoughts or issues that you would like to raise with your colleagues now?

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