1. In-Service Teacher Training
Assessment in AS English Language 8693
Session 1: Introduction to the Syllabus

2. Welcome Introductions Background Aim of training
1. It is important that you introduce yourself and outline your experience. The delegates should then introduce themselves and outline their experience. (It is often a good idea to get the delegates to write this information down as it is unlikely you will remember it - unless you already know the delegates, in which case you may wish to skip this slide.)
2. Explain the background to the training, such as:
who requested it;
where the training is from (a pack acquired from CIE for self
delivery, adapted for your own needs);
why the delegates are taking part.
3. Explain that the aim of the training is to give teachers a greater understanding of the assessment process so that they will feel that they are in a better position to prepare their students for the examination. By improving teachers’ understanding of the process they will be able to guide and prepare students, thus helping to ensure that candidate performance is maximised.

3. Session 1 looks at: Formative assessment Syllabus aims
Structure of the syllabus
Assessment Objectives
Addressing student progress
Explain that Session 1 will focus on formative assessment by looking at the aims of the syllabus, the structure of the syllabus and the Assessment Objectives. (If necessary, remind delegates that formative assessment is the assessment of the student as the course progresses, with a view to maximising attainment.)
Knowledge of, and reference to, the syllabus, Assessment Objectives and composition of the examination papers underpins ongoing assessment (formative assessment) of students as they progress through the AS Level English Language course of study.
The unit ends with a look at a number of different ways of addressing student progress.

4. Aims of the syllabus
To encourage a critical and informed response to writing in a range of forms, styles and contexts
To encourage reading, analysis and communication
To encourage effective and appropriate communication
The syllabus aims to encourage a critical and informed response to writing in a range of forms, styles and contexts.
It may be useful to discuss here the ways in which these aims are broadly measured in terms of both examination papers: that is, the materials for Paper 1 are drawn from a wide range of sources (such as biography, travel writing, short stories, newspapers) and Paper 2 has two sections, one for narrative/descriptive/imaginative writing and another for discursive/argumentative writing. It should be stressed though that the tasks on Paper 1 also require writing as well as reading and interpretative skills.
The syllabus aims to encourage reading, analysis and communication, as well as effective and appropriate communication.

5. Structure of the syllabus
Assessment Objectives
Using the current syllabus, describe the Assessment Objectives and their application to both papers.
Assessment Objective 1 discretely applies to Paper 1: candidates will demonstrate the ability to read, with understanding, written material in a variety of forms and to comment on its effectiveness.
Assessment Objective 2 applies to both papers: knowledge and understanding of features of English language. (It is worth noting here, at the start, that the papers are not merely asking candidates to identify or spot specific features but to comment on their effects and implications within the given contexts.)
Activity 1.1: in pairs, encourage delegates to discuss the kinds of features candidates might expect to have knowledge and understanding of; what kinds of approaches to the text the candidates should avoid (for example, simply identifying simple/complex sentences or repetition of words and phrases without comment on their effects).
Assessment Objective 3 also applies to both papers: the ability to write clearly, accurately and effectively for a particular purpose or audience.
The course is assessed, as noted previously across two examination papers, each worth 50% of the total mark.

6. Assessment structure
Each paper is 50% of the total mark and two hours long
Paper 1 Passages for Comment
Paper 2 Composition
It may be useful for delegates to look briefly through examples of each paper at this point (some may not be that familiar with the format).
Activity 1.2: lead a brief discussion about the issues raised concerning the nature of each paper and the ways they may impinge on delivering the content of the course; discuss how initial teaching activities might be influenced by the nature and content of each paper; and discuss whether the issues of each paper would be taught separately or as part of a combined approach.
It might be useful to ask colleagues who have experience of delivering the course to share their experiences with those who are not as familiar with the course and/or with those who are completely new to it.

7. Paper 1: Passages for Comment (1)
Choice of three passages on Paper 1 and candidates must choose two
There will be:
either a question asking them to comment on style and then a directed task based on the passage
or a directed task first followed by a question asking them to compare their piece of recreative writing to the original passage
It may be useful to spend some time at this point considering the nature of Paper 1 and its relation to Assessment Objective 1.
Activity 1.3: using examples of past papers ask pairs to consider the range of genres which might be drawn on as reading materials (such as biography, autobiography, speeches, reviews, travel writing, magazine articles, short stories, fiction extracts). It would also be useful to consider ways in which these genres could be delivered. (Note: there is no fixed method of delivery – it will depend on the composition of the class and the resources available.)
For example, it might suit some centres to focus on specific examples of a particular genre and consider some of their essential features.
Using Paper , for example, Question 1 might be a useful illustration of how to teach the features and techniques of rhetoric/political speech. In no more than five minutes, ask delegates to highlight (a skill which it should be stressed that candidates should be encouraged to do in the examination itself, possibly through the use of colour coding) the key features of the speech and encourage them in particular to comment on their effects. Keep plenary fairly succinct but perhaps ask someone to act as secretary and note down different responses: these could be collated for copying and issued at the end of the session.
If time allows, the other two questions on the paper could be taken as generic examples and key features and their effects highlighted in the same way.

8. Paper 1: Passages for Comment (2)
Assessment Objective 3: Ability to write clearly, accurately and effectively for a particular purpose or audience
The other aspect of the paper is the type of question linked to Assessment Objective 3 in particular, where candidates are asked to write for different purposes, audiences and contexts.
Activity 1.4: briefly discuss the demands/approaches that such a task requires. It should lead to the idea that candidates need to work out the features of the passage first before attempting to write their recreative piece, especially if the recreative task comes first in the sub-part question order and requires candidates to compare their piece to the original extract.

9. Paper 2: Composition
There are two sections, each requiring word responses
Candidates select one title out of four from each section:
Section 1 narrative/descriptive/imaginative writing
Section 2 discursive/argumentative writing
It may be useful at this point to consider the structure of each section of the paper using examples of past papers and to consider ways of delivering these aspects of the course.
Activity 1.5: using a past paper, ask delegates to consider briefly the types of questions in Section A of Paper 2. These questions tend to focus on particular skills such as descriptive writing (often a ‘before and after’ scenario of some kind), the use of a particular genre (such as a drama script, radio script autobiography, biography, science fiction, horror, detective, romance and so on), the establishing of characters or even a complete short story. Discuss the ways in which practitioners deliver these aspects of the course; it may lead to a sense that some people explore these different possibilities as discrete entities or link them to Paper 1 passages and set writing tasks linked to the genres on that paper. (Again it will depend on the centre set up; some courses may be delivered by two teachers, each focusing on a specific paper.)
Activity 1.6: Similarly, consider Section B of Paper 2 and the types of questions set here: some focus on a particular context (such as writing a magazine article, delivering a speech, writing letters, writing magazine/newspaper articles) or present a moral or ethical issue for candidates to consider. Again, explore what the group think some of these approaches require (for example, what the essential features of a discursive essay are) and how these topics could be linked to the delivery of Paper 1.

10. Formative assessment
…an interaction between student and teacher
…the means for the teacher to assess progress, for example, by feedback on tests
…the means of helping the student assess their own progress
…the means of encouraging improvement in performance
Explain that there are many ways of assessing students, either as a group or individually. The essential characteristic about formative assessment is that there is feedback to the student by the teacher, and that this feedback is used with the idea of improving the performance of the student. Without the latter, the assessment cannot be said to be formative.

11. Formative assessment: Ways of assessing progress
Marking
Feedback on tests
Answers given to verbal questions
Target setting
Student self-evaluation
Explain that for formative assessment to be useful, the student should gain something positive from the experience. For example, marking should not be used just as a blunt tool for obtaining student grades, but should include positive and constructive feedback for each individual student.
Feedback on tests should include details on why exactly individual answers were correct or incorrect (as well as providing the model/correct answers).
Target setting: SMART targets are steps towards reaching specific goals. Students could be given specific goals to aim at over a fixed time period. They should be:
- Specific: state exactly what needs to be done e.g. learn a specific section of work / learn how to use a microscope
- Measurable: most easily done by a specific test / piece of work to test understanding
- Achievable: the target should be simple enough to be met within a short period of time e.g. two weeks
- Realistic: the task set will depend on the level / grade at which the student is working – it is counter-productive to set tasks which make students feel that they have not succeeded
- Time-related: the length of time the student is given to complete the task is specified. You may need to check up on how the task is going from time to time.
Students may also evaluate how they themselves think they are progressing by individual discussion with their teacher. It may be the case that the student’s view of his or her progress differs from the teacher’s view.

12. Addressing student progress (1)
Assessing progress on Paper 1
Collaborative model answers
Self-marking and peer/plenary discussion
Self-set directed tasks
Test of technical skills
- spelling
- punctuation
- vocabulary
- tense usage
Because the course is essentially not content driven, there is a wide range of possibilities in dealing with this issue.
Activity 1.7: a brief discussion of ways in which practitioners carry out both short- term and long-term assessment for Paper 1. This may vary from a show and tell approach to question and answer.
Below (and on Handout 1.7) are some suggestions for assessing progress (and this will depend on whether Papers 1 and 2 are taught together or separately).
•The teacher exploring the features of a particular genre including its style and use of language (highlighting/colour coding) and offering a sample answer based on own or exemplar material, noting particular strengths and limitations of individual responses. Past papers could be used.
 •Asking students to work in pairs on collaborative answers which are then discussed with the class. 
•Issuing a generic mark scheme to students and asking them to mark and assess particular responses or scripts followed by peer/plenary discussion.
•Encouraging students to think of directed tasks based on set generic extracts, to discuss the stylistic and linguistic features of such extracts and develop individual/collaborative answers based on such approaches.
•It is also worth ensuring that technical skills are taught/tested on both an informal and formal basis at regular intervals. A structured programme of spelling/punctuation/ vocabulary/tense usage should be built into the scheme of work. Centres may prefer to assimilate these areas into the units they are teaching or to offer them discretely.

13. Addressing student progress (2)
Assessing progress on Paper 2
Collaborative model answers
Self-marking and peer/plenary discussion
Vocabulary development
Mini exercises
Because the course is essentially not content driven, there is a wide range of possibilities in dealing with this issue.
Activity 1.8 addresses short-term and long-term assessment of Paper 2. 
• The teacher might wish to explore the features of different styles of writing (descriptive/imaginative/narrative/discursive/argumentative), looking at particular features from selected extracts. These could be worked through in some detail and model answers established through pair/group working.
•Issuing a generic mark scheme to students and asking them to mark and assess particular responses or scripts followed by peer/plenary discussion.
• The sense of vocabulary associated with particular genres or formats could also be built up through exploration of style and language.
• Rather than simply assessing longer, whole answers the teacher might wish to set mini exercises related to a particular style of writing before assessing a longer piece: for example, ask candidates to write 100 words of descriptive writing using a clearly defined set of criteria such as sentence variation, a use of texture and colour, a range of punctuation, a certain tense or point of view. The number of criteria could vary from one to several as the candidate develops skills and expertise with a certain genre or format.
•Informal test of technical skills.  .

14. Closing comments Closing comments
Discuss with delegates that they should now be familiar with the syllabus and have started to consider how they will use this knowledge to enhance their teaching and assessment methods. Emphasise that teaching methods should develop the skills as outlined by the assessment objectives. For example, teaching methods should develop the skills of application, and formative assessment methods should assess the extent to which this skill has been developed.