Teaching exam classes

transcript

Delta Module 3

Extended Assignment

Teaching Exam ClassesBy Tony Rawlinson

Date: 01.06.15

Word Count: 4486 words

Tony Rawlinson Teaching Exam Classes Page 1

CONTENTS PAGE

PART 1: INTRODUCTION 4-7

Rationale for choice of specialism4

Differences between examination classes and General English classes4

Issues relating to examination classes4

A wider ability range 4

Lack of background knowledge5

Lack of familiarity with exam preparation courses6

Backwash 6

Learner perceptions 7

PART 2: NEEDS ANALYSIS AND DIAGNOSTIC TESTING8-11

Key points 8

Learner profile 8

Needs analysis tools used 8

Results of needs analysis 9

Results of VARK test 9

The diagnostic test 9

Results of diagnostic test 10

Priorities 10

Limitations of needs analysis11

PART 3: COURSE PROPOSAL12-15

Course design12-15

Institutional requirements and constraints15

PART 4: ASSESSMENT16-20

Principles of assessment 16

Monitoring progress 16

Evaluating outcomes 16

Implications of formal testing18

Evaluation 18

PART 5: CONCLUSION 20

BIBLIOGRAPHY21-22

APPENDICES 23-34

Part 1: IntroductionRationale for choice of specialism

I chose to focus on Teaching Exam Classes because, as an IELTS and FirstCertificate teacher, I have observed a lot of differences betweenthese and General English classes. An exploration of thesedifferences, as well as several issues which are hampering progress,will be of benefit to both learner and teacher.

Differences between examination classes and GeneralEnglish classes

Learners tend to have the same aim in examination classes,rather than diverse aims in General English. As May (1996:4)points out, Students usually share the same aim: to pass the exam. Theirneeds are largely similar and a sense of common purpose frequently develops.

Personal experience

While learners’ aims may be similar, their needs are asdiverse as in General English, and as much of a challenge toaccommodate.

A shared aim leads to greater learner motivation than isapparent in general English classes. Allwright and Bailey(1991) agree with this point. They note stronger learnerreceptivity to aspects of learning such as the teacher,course content and teaching materials.

Personal experience

Learners tend to do their homework more often, ask pertinentquestions, and have specific requirements, rather thanappearing to accept whatever is on offer in General English.

Motivation is more extrinsic than intrinsic in exam classes. Inother words, learners aim for the reward of a pass in theexamination, rather than doing tasks for no definite reward.

Personal experience

I have noticed that extrinsic motivation can vary accordingto factors such as the date of the examination. A learnerwho has an examination at the end of the week tends to bemore motivated than one who has it in six months.

Issues relating to examination classes

A wider ability range

Learners in an examination class come from different GeneralEnglish groups; for example, an IELTS Mid class couldcontain pre-intermediate, intermediate and upper-intermediate learners, as is the case in my institution. Thewider ability range creates the challenge for the teacher ofhow to differentiate between abilities.

Carley (2010) divides a typical exam class into weak low-levellearners, who have little or no chance of passing the exam,average mid-level learners, who will pass providing they usecorrectly previously-acquired knowledge, and strong high-levellearners, who possess both a good knowledge of the exam andthe language necessary to pass.

Personal experience

I am faced with two major challenges as an examination classteacher: to accommodate the different ability levels and toget as many learners as possible through the examsuccessfully.

Implications for course design

It is essential to differentiate between weaker and strongerlearners. As May (1996) points out, weaker learners’ workshould be corrected gently, with focus on errors whichimpede communication rather than correction of every error.Lower essay word limits could be set for weaker writers, orstronger writers asked to include more points.

Lack of background knowledge

Wallace (1996:371) points to the fact that the removal of athematic link between IELTS reading and writing papers since1995 has allowed for topics to be included which lie well outsidethe experience, world view, and, therefore, the schemata of students in severalmore traditional societies in the world.

Personal experience

Careful selection of course material is paramount, aslearners are likely to find examination techniques difficultenough without having to cope with course material of whichthey have little familiarity.

Course design should wherever possible incorporateauthentic, up-to-date tasks and materials which mostlearners are likely to be familiar with.

Lack of familiarity with exam preparation courses

Learners might not know much about exam tasks, including theexam-specific rubric which they will not have encountered inGeneral English. If they are doing a short course, there maynot be sufficient time for a familiarisation stage. May(1996) points out that learners are sometimes faced withunfamiliar exam tasks, for example a formal letter, whenthey are inexperienced in writing any kind of letter inEnglish.

Personal experience

My institution only offers longer FCE, CAE and IELTScourses, and so a familiarisation stage takes place.

This course lasts 22.5 hours, so a comprehensivefamiliarisation stage is not practical. However, examinationrubric familiarisation tasks could be given to learners,such as working out the rubric for a writing task by lookingat a model answer.

Backwash

The examination can heavily influence what is taught. Anegative result is too many exam-based tasks at the expenseof general language tasks. May (1996:4) points to Thepotentially negative effect which the exam can have on the exam class … lessonsimitate the exam.

Scrivener (2005:327) supports this view. A common problem withexam preparation courses arises when too much time is spent on examtechnique and not enough on other areas.

Podromou (1995:49) also agrees with this point. He says thatnegative backwash can occur, in other words, the direct or indirectresult of examinations on teaching methods.

Personal experience

I have been guilty of too much focus on examination practicetasks at the expense of a more rounded lesson with a lead-in, skills development and skills practice.

May points out the necessity for examination techniques tobe built on a solid foundation of language skills. Coursedesign for an examination class should test a learner’sskills in using and understanding English (communicativecompetence) as well as their knowledge in order to achievepositive backwash.

Learner perceptions

Learner misconceptions about what is required to study on anexam course can hinder exam preparation.

Personal experience

I have noticed the following when teaching exam classes:

Excessive learner autonomy, for example, abandonment ofprescribed examination technique in favour of thelearner’s own. Learners may insist upon reading thewhole text instead of going directly to the relevantsection in order to answer a question.

A lack of self-study and the failure to understand thatthis is crucial for preparation for the exam class andthe examination itself.

The belief that entering the exam as soon as possibleafter a poor result will somehow improve the result.

Course design should include:

Embedded exam technique advice and tasks to elicit examtechnique, such as learners comparing two approaches toa reading task and deciding which one is better and why.It is important that the course includes as manyrecreations of the examination scenario as possible,such as strict timings for tasks.

Embedded self-study advice. An emphasis on homeworkcompletion by feedback sessions at the start of thefollowing lesson, thus also allowing for recycling oflanguage.

Advice for individual learners about when they shouldenter the exam.

Part 2: Needs analysis and diagnostictesting

Key points

Scrivener (2005) describes needs analysis as The various tools,procedures and materials used for finding out about learner needs.

As West (1994) points out, the term ‘analysis of needs’ was firstused in India by Michael West who was concerned by secondary-level learners who were receiving lessons without their needs

first being determined; Abbot (1980:123) calls this TENOR(Teaching English for No Obvious Reason).

Long (2005:1) explains that Language teaching using generic programmesand materials, not designed with specific groups in mind, would be inefficient at the veryleast, and in all probability, grossly inadequate.

He refers to the collection, translation and interpretation of data. Ishould therefore collect, translate and interpret data in a waywhich is relevant not solely to the specific group, but, as faras possible, tailored to each learner’s individual needs.

Learner profile

I have taught this group of 14 IELTS Mid learners, so I have somefamiliarity with their needs. They hope to achieve an IELTS Level5 or 6. (See appendix 3)

Needs analysis tools used

a. A questionnaire was chosen for the needs analysis because Ineeded a more deductive method of gathering data. Inductivemethods such as observations and case studies, as mentionedby West (1994), were avoided due to time constraints and theneed for more precise data on which to base course design.

b. The questionnaire was divided into two sections: the firstsection dealt with objective information, which Nunan (1988:18)describes as factual information which does not require the attitudes andviews of the learner to be taken into account.

The second section asked for subjective information relating tothe issues discussed in Part 1. (See appendix 4)

c. I also included a VARK questionnaire to establish thelearning styles of the group, allowing for tasks which suitthe preferred learning style. (See appendix 2b)

Results of needs analysis (See appendix 2a)

Reading: lack of understanding of topic-specific vocabularyin texts; timing.

Writing: The sub-skill of coherence, and to a lesser extentcohesion, was an issue since learners expressed a difficultywith organising and writing the concluding paragraph of anessay. (1, 2, 3, 10)

Learners regarded the reading sub-skill of scanning asimportant in helping them complete reading tasks. (11)

Learner perceptions: Self-study was insufficient, with a maximum ofabout two hours done daily. (4, 5, 12)

Learners also valued the linguistic input of their IELTS lessonas much as purely passing the exam, possibly because they alsoall attend general English classes. (13, 14)

A wider ability range: All learners said that the different abilitylevels in the class helped their learning, possibly due to gooddifferentiation by the teacher preventing learnerdissatisfaction. (6)

Backwash: Learners said non-exam-related tasks helped them withspeaking and vocabulary and allowed them to try out othertechniques not related to the exam, indicating possible negativebackwash if too many exam-related tasks feature in the courseproposal. (8, 9)

Lack of background knowledge: Most learners felt that exam taskswere similar to everyday life, suggesting reasonable to goodbackground knowledge. (15)

Results of VARK test (See appendix 2b; 5)

The kinaesthetic learning style was the most popular. I will try toinclude as many kinaesthetic tasks as possible in the courseproposal.

The diagnostic test

Diagnostic tests, according to Hughes (1989:15), identify learners’strengths and weaknesses and ascertain what learning still needs to take place.

Alderson et al, in Alderson (2005) point out that specific diagnostictests are more difficult to devise because of the need to diagnoselearners’ precise strengths and weaknesses. I would argue that aneffective needs analysis enables the diagnostic test to identify thesestrengths and weaknesses.

My diagnostic test comprised the following:

Reading: A multiple-choice and gapfill task was set underexam conditions, in order to test learners’ knowledge oftopic-based vocabulary, timing ability and ability to usethe sub-skill of scanning.

Writing: due to time constraints, a segment only of a Task 2writing task was set to test learners’ sub-skills ofcoherence and cohesion.

Listening: A multiple-choice and gapfill task was set totest learners’ ability to listen for gist and specificinformation.

Speaking was omitted from the diagnostic test because of theimpracticality of comprehensively testing and marking everylearner in the time available.

(See appendices 6 and 7)

The test is practical as it can be given over two lessons. It also hasoverall construct validity because it was created to measure certaintheoretical constructs, as Hughes (1989:26) points out, such as theability to read for gist and specific information.

It does not have face validity, however, as it would be unclear bylooking at the test what it is supposed to be measuring if a secondteacher were to administer the test. However, I am the only tester.

(See appendix 7)

Results of diagnostic test (See appendices 2c and 7)

1. Reading: Problems with reading for specific information:recognition of topic-based vocabulary; lack of knowledge ofparts of speech.

2. Writing: Problems with accuracy: lack of articles and verbforms.

3. Listening: Problems with listening for specific information:vocabulary recognition; lack of knowledge of parts of speech.

Priorities

1. Reading: expand topic-based vocabulary; reinforce sub-skill ofscanning.

2. Improve writing sub-skills of cohesion and coherence.3. Improve knowledge of use of articles.4. Improve knowledge of verb forms and parts of speech.5. Improve exam technique including timings.6. Help with self-study.7. Kinaesthetic tasks.

Limitations of needs analysis

Scrivener (2005) outlines some limitations, applicable in this case:

The questionnaire was completed at the end of a lesson,so learners did not have much time.

Unreliability of responses. Learners may think theteacher knows best or write what they think the teacherwants to hear.

Part 3: Course ProposalCourse design

Hedge (2000) outlines seven stages of course design, applicable tothis course:

1. Consider the students: the needs analysis and diagnostic testidentified areas of focus.

2. Consider the context: This comprises social and educationalfactors according to Hedge. These learners are helped bysocial factors such as the presence of English in thecommunity, which gives them the high level of exposure and strongmotivation mentioned by Field (2008:79), and helps in developinglanguage skills such as inferring meaning from context.

Educational factors include hours available for teaching, inthis case 1.5 hours every day, and a wide range of possibleexamination materials.

3. Establish goals and objectives: Nunan (1988:61) outlines goalsor aims as general signposts whereas objectives are more specificguidelines for course planners.

A correlation between learners’ needs, the aims of the course,and the linguistic and skills-based objectives is illustrated inthe table below.

Need Priority Aim Objective1. Reading: problems understanding topic-based vocabulary; sub-skill of scanning seen asuseful by learners.

2. Writing: sub-skills of cohesion and coherence, including structuring and concluding the essay.

3. Problems witharticles.

4. Issues with verb forms and parts of speech.

5. Learners had timing issues inreading.

6. 2 hours a dayself-study

1. Expand topic-based vocabulary; reinforce sub-skill of scanning.

2. Improve cohesion and coherence, including structuring and concludingthe essay.

3. Improve knowledge of use of articles.

4. Improve knowledge of verb forms andparts of speech.

5. Improve exam techniqueincluding timings.

6. Help with self-study.

1. To expand learners’ topic-based vocabulary;reinforce scanning skills.

2. To improve learners’ cohesion and coherence, including structuring and concluding the essay.

3. To improve learners’ use of articles.

4. To improve learners’ knowledge of verbforms and parts of speech.

5. To improve learners’ exam timings.

1. By the end of the course, learners will have expanded their topic-based vocabulary andimproved theirability to scan.

2…learners will have improved cohesion and coherence, including structuring and concludingthe essay.

3….learners will be betterable to use articles correctly.

4….learners will have better knowledge of verb forms andparts of speech.

5…learners will be betterable to complete a task within a

insufficient.

7. Kinaesthetic learning style most popular.

7. Kinaesthetic tasks.

6. To give learners self-study advice.

7. To provide kinaesthetic tasks.

set time limit.

6….learners will be betterat self-study.

7….learners will have benefited fromkinaesthetic tasks.

4. Plan the syllabus: This course will be 22.5 hours long, andwill be taught after learners’ main IELTS class. (See appendix 1)

Syllabus type: A product syllabus is best for this exam class,in which The focus is on the knowledge and skills which learners should gain as aresult of instruction (Nunan 1988: 27). The product of this course isfor learners to pass the IELTS exam.

There are elements of the process syllabus where The syllabus isorganised around tasks, rather than in terms of grammar or vocabulary,according to Richards, Platt and Weber (1985:289).

Syllabus shape: The best syllabus shape is linear which Dubinand Olshtain (1986) refer to as a sequence which has beenworked out in advance, with further grading of each unit.

This syllabus type fits best with the layout ofthe coursebooks used.

There is little time during a 22.5-hour course torevisit the same subject matter, althoughspecific linguistic items will be recycled, thusadopting elements of a cyclical syllabus.

Sequencing of work: Reading and writing will receive the mostattention on the course due to issues with these skills.

Skills development in reading and writing, aswell as listening and speaking, will be followedby skills practice, which takes the form of apractice test done under exam conditions. Thisallows for plenty of time for error-correctionand feedback.

There will be 3 lessons of skills development forReading, and 1 for the practice test. There willbe 4 lessons of skills development for Writing,and 1 for the practice test.

There will be a 10-minute recap of key items fromprevious lessons at the start of each lesson tointroduce new and revise existing vocabulary.

Listening is included on the course becauselistening for specific information was an issuein the diagnostic test.

Speaking, while not a priority, will be includedto identify any areas of weakness, such aspronunciation and intonation.

A vocabulary test will take place every secondlesson, otherwise a vocabulary bag will be usedto recycle and update vocabulary.

Homework will generally be given every alternatelesson, mainly from supplementary exercises inInsight into IELTS.

5. Design the materials: Nunan (1996:97) emphasises The desirability ofrelating classroom activities to syllabus goals and objectives so that courses have anoverall coherence of purpose.

Materials used on this course allow for goals and objectivesto be achieved. (See appendix 1)

Published materials are best for this course because learnersare familiar with them and indicated in the needs analysisthat they did not find coursebook content unfamiliar. Theyalso mentioned that they needed exam practice, which is a keycomponent of coursebooks.

Insight into IELTS will be the main coursebook. This will be new tolearners and a change from the usual coursebook. It is clearlyset out and the format suits the course structure of skillsdevelopment leading to skills practice. Examples of othercoursebooks are Step up to IELTS, IELTS Advantage and Focus on IELTS.

I use these materials when teaching IELTS and they correspondto the IELTS level that the target group wishes to achieve.

(See appendix 8)

6. Teach the course: One teacher, or two alternating teachers,will be used for this course. The latter is preferable becauselearners will benefit from different teaching styles.

Teaching approach: An eclectic approach will be used on thiscourse, for example, communicative or lexical approaches. Thecourse has been customised to suit the target learners, so itis easier to accommodate a variety of teaching approaches. Alexical approach to a reading lesson could be used to bringvocabulary more to the fore, especially as vocabulary is anarea of weakness for these learners.

7. Evaluate the course: Formative and summative evaluation willbe examined in the next section.

Institutional requirements and constraints

This IELTS course could not take place at the preferred time of 1.00– 2.30pm due to timetabled IELTS lessons. It would need to be anadditional course from 2.45 – 4.15pm.

Part 4: AssessmentPrinciples of assessment

Douglas Brown (1994) points out that we test hypotheses and makejudgements on a daily basis when we read a book, watch TV, orprepare a meal.

Rea-Dickins (Hedge 2000:376) describes classroom assessment asintegral to the whole process of teaching and learning, and the means by which students’language learning development and achievements are monitored over time.

My assessments are integral to this course because they result fromestablished priorities, aims and objectives. (See appendix 1)

Monitoring progress

These assessments will be informal, and so are more likely to conformto McNamara’s (2000:4) view that testing is now a more neutral assessmentof what learners know, rather than aimed at catching them out.

The assessments will also be formative because they will take placeduring the course. They will consist of:

Checking homework the lesson after it is set, thereby alsoproviding an opportunity to recycle language and assessprogress in autonomous learning.

Vocabulary tests: The expansion of learners’ vocabulary is a keypriority and course aim, so a vocabulary bag mentioned inPart 3 will be used, allowing for recycling of vocabulary.

Evaluating outcomes

These assessments will be formal and summative, in that they takeplace at the end of a sub-section of the course. (See appendices 1,9, 10 and 11)

Timing of the tests is flexible, as learners are used to doing atleast two practice tests per week, so do not need too muchpreparation work.

These tests are:

Practical because they are published IELTS practice tests and soare easy to administer in an IELTS lesson, straightforward tomark using the mark scheme provided, and, as Douglas Brown(1994:293) states, within the means of financial limitations, time constraints,ease of administration, and scoring and interpretation.

Reliable because they are likely to give similar results iftaken on more than one occasion, excepting external factorssuch as an interruption to the test or learner illness.Similarly, scorer reliability, which Douglas Brown (1994:254)classes as the consistency of scoring by two or more scorers, is apparent inthe course tests. This is with the exception of the speakingand writing practice tests, which call for more subjectivemarking. However, a marking scheme will be provided which, asBrown and Bailey (1984) point out, can increase thereliability of the scoring. (See appendix 10)

Valid because:

1. They contain examples of the language they are meantto be testing (content validity).

For example, the gapfill section in the section 1academic reading test requires learners to look forthe missing word in the text.

2. The results agree with an independent assessment of acandidate’s ability (criterion-related validity), with theexception of the speaking test.

Hughes (1989) points out that the full length of timeneeded to administer a speaking test of, for example,20 minutes, would be impractical for every singlelearner in the class. The only option in a 90-minutelesson is to allocate less time to each learner, thusreducing criterion-related validity.

Hughes also suggests that a sample of the learners aregiven the full 20 minutes by perhaps four differentscorers, and a comparison made between these resultsand the earlier results to test criterion-relatedvalidity. However, this would be impractical toadminister on this course.

3. The tests are likely to be marked according to whathas been tested (scoring validity). The five tests will bemarked in accordance with the rubric.

4. The tests look as if they measure what they aresupposed to measure (face validity), for example, thereading test rubric clearly shows that learners arebeing tested on their ability to find no more than twowords from a text in order to complete sentences.

However, the writing test does not need to show whatit is testing, namely learners’ knowledge of cohesionand coherence, provided the marker is aware of thesecriteria.

(See appendices 9 and 11)

Implications of formal testing

Content validity: Tests have been devised toincorporate priorities and course aims. Learnerswill therefore be tested on a narrow set ofcriteria. As Hughes (1989:27) points out, Areas that

are not tested are likely to become areas ignored in teaching andlearning. The judgement has to be made whether, asMcNamara (2000:50) says, the test content forms asatisfactory basis for the inferences to be made from testperformance.

Criterion validity: It is questionable whetherthe results of the speaking test are valid whenlittle time can be afforded to each learner.Independent testing of results by other markersusing a sample of learners is a possiblesolution, or learners testing each other on aportion of the test.

Evaluation

As Thornbury (2006:18) points out, Assessment is distinguished fromevaluation, which is concerned with evaluating the effectiveness of the overall courseor programme, rather than the progress of individual learners on it.

Sharp (1990:132) adds that Evaluation is meant to provide a basis for futuredecisions about course planning and implementation.

Formative evaluation, or feedback on the course in action, can takeplace at the end of each lesson by the use of learner self-evaluation forms. (See appendix 12)

Summative evaluation will take place at the end of the course whenthe teacher evaluates the outcomes of the course according tothe main priorities and course aims set at the beginning ofthe course. (See appendix 13)

Evaluation forms have advantages and disadvantages:

Learners are used to completing monthly self-evaluation forms at the end of the lesson.

Learners may state what they think the teacherwants to hear, as in the needs analysis, thinkthe teacher knows better, or feel a negativeanswer may affect grades, points made by Sharp(1990). They may also not possess the insight forself-assessment reflection.

However, these issues are less likely to occur in thisexamination class for the following reasons:

The teacher will discuss the importance of theself-evaluation form beforehand. As Sharp(1990:135) says, Such discussion makes clear that teacherswant students to be involved in the planning of future courses.

Informal chats between teacher and learner cantake place throughout the course. These can leadto a personalised learner study plan.

Part 5: ConclusionThe course proposal incorporates the principles and issues discussedin Part 1 for the following reasons:

There is a strong link between principles and issues; needs;aims and objectives.

The above are strongly represented in the course plan.

Learners will benefit from the course proposal in the followingways:

They did not appear to be adversely affected by some of theissues identified in Part 1:

1. The disruption of learning by different levels in theclass. All learners thought that this helped learning,although some learners may have stated on the needsanalysis what they wanted the teacher to hear.

2. Lack of knowledge of the examination. Most learners inthis group have been studying IELTS for a considerableperiod, so their knowledge of the format of theexamination is good.

The course proposal should help with improving backgroundknowledge by the inclusion of regular vocabulary testing andmanipulation through the use of the vocabulary bag, as well asa focus on vocabulary in reading skills development.

Hopefully, by including more kinaesthetic tasks, the courseproposal should help to avoid negative backwash and learners’

perceptions that too many exam-related tasks might upsetlearning if progress is not being made.

The course proposal contains embedded advice about examinationtechnique and other issues such as the lack of self-study,which regular homework and the recycling of material formhomework should help to resolve.

The emphasis on skills development followed by skillspractice, which takes the form of tests held under examinationconditions, should enable real improvement to take place.

Limitations of the proposal

The need to teach the course in the afternoon following atimetabled IELTS class may prove off-putting to learners.

However, it is a short course with the objective of helpinglearners with specific weaknesses, so they should welcome it.

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AppendicesCONTENTS PAGE

1. Course plan25-30

2a Needs analysis results31-32

2b Results of VARK test 33

2c Diagnostic test results34-35

1. Course Plan

Lesson Key skills/lesson objectives

Relatedpriorityaimobjective

Key activities Materials Homework Time Assessment

1(Skills development)Reading: To help learnersorientate themselves to atext.

(Skills development)Reading : To help learners locate the rightinformation in a text.

(Skills development)Reading: To help learnersidentify words in context.

Learners examine texts andidentify the main ideas and the likely readership.

Learners examine texts anduse skimming and scanning techniques to answer questions.

Learners choose the correct definition for words and expressions froma text.

Insight into IELTS Pg 29-32: ReadingUnit 1: Orientating yourself to the text.

Insight into IELTS Pg 33-37

IELTS Advantage Pg 21: Spotlight on exam skills 1: Skimming and scanning. Appendix 8.1

IELTS Advantage Pg 108-109/110: Vocabulary builder:Words in context Appendix 8.2

Exercise B; Supplementaryactivities; Insight into IELTS Pg 111

1.5 hrs

Topic-based vocabulary test.

Vocabulary bag.

(Skills development)Reading: To help learnersidentify main and supporting ideas in a text.

(Skills development)Reading: To help learners

1,71,71,7

Learners read extracts from texts and answer questions , e.g. the main and supporting points of the texts.

Learners look at paragraphs and decide on

Insight into IELTS Pg38-41

Update vocabulary bag.

improve their global reading skills.

the appropriate headings. Kinaesthetic: learners have to match cards with extracts from the text to cards with headings.

1.5 hrs

3(Skills development)Reading: To help learnersimprove their summarisingskills

(Skills development)Reading: To help learnersunderstand argument.

Elicit verb forms then check knowledge.

(Skills development)Reading: To help learnersidentify opinion and attitude and make inferences.

4,4, 4

1,71,71,7

Learners use global reading skills to summarise texts.

Learners examine texts andchoose the correct arguments from a list.

Learners pick out verb forms from text then do a grammar task.

Learners look at texts andseparate opinion from fact.Kinaesthetic: learners have to

Insight into IELTS Pg49-52Appendix 8.3

New English File Upper-Intermediate Teacher’s BookPg181

Insight into IELTS Pg53-56

Supplementaryactivitiy; Insight into IELTS Pg 112

1.5 hrs

Vocabulary test.

place cards with opinions and cards with facts in specific places on the board.

4(Skills practice)Reading: To give learnersexam practice

1,51,51,5

Learners do a practice test, noting down key vocabulary during error correction/feedback. Learners justify answers in feedback, highlighting places in text.

Step up to IELTS Pg 19-21 IELTS Testbuilder: Academic Reading Test 1

1.5 hrsUpdate vocabulary bag.

Step up to IELTS Pg 19-21

5(Skills development)Writing: To help learnersunderstand the rubric of a writing task

To help learners to describe facts and figures.

(Skills development)Writing: To help learnersto describe trends.

2,72,72,7

Kinaesthetic: learners have to provide match cards with the rubric of 4 different writing tasks with the correct task.

Learners write sentences and fill in gaps to describe the facts and figures of graphs and charts.

Learners look at the overall content of graphs,charts and tables and write sentences describingpatterns.

Insight into IELTS Pg 91

1.5 hrs

Vocabulary test.

6(Skills development)Writing: To help learnerssummarise data.

(Skills development)Writing: To help learnersdescribe a process.

Learners look at graphs and charts and use key phrases to summarize information. POSS GIVE EGS

Learners look at diagrams and familiarise themselveswith the beginning and endof the process as well as decide what tense and linking words to use.

Exercise B; Supplementaryactivities; Insight into IELTS Pg 115

1.5 hrs

7(Skills development)Writing: To help learnersplan a structure.

(Skills development)Writing: To help learnersorganize their essay.

Learners decide what key ideas and supporting points to use in a piece of writing.

Learners look at a model essay and note the structure and language that is used to structure the essay.

Insight into IELTS Pg 85-87Appendix 8.4

IELTS Advantage Pg Structure and linking: Organizing your essay

Focus on IELTS Pg 21: Focus on writing 2: Paragraphing

1.5 hrs

Vocabulary test.

8(Skills development)Writing: To help learnersto develop an argument.

Grammar: To develop

Learners examine a paragraph to identify the main and supporting arguments; learners fill in gaps in extracts from amodel essay to provide main and supporting arguments.

New English File

Supplementaryactivity; Insight into IELTS Pg 120

Articles: Straightforward Upper-Intermediate Workbook Pg 66

Update vocabulary

learners’ use of articles.

(Skills development)Writing: To improve learners knowledge and use of linking words and phrases.

2,3,72,3,7

Learners complete 3 texts with a, an, the or no article. Kinaesthetic: learners place cards with articles on them in the correct place in the text.

Learners complete and rewrite sentences using linkers; learners fill in gaps and complete a table of linkers.

IntermediateTeachers’ Book Pg 155Appendix 8.6

IELTS Advantage Pg 25;42Appendix 8.5

1.5 hrs

9(Skills practice)Writing: To give learnersexam practice.

2,52,52,5

Learners do a practice test.

Insight into IELTS Pg 144-145Writing task 1/2

1.5 hrsVocabulary test.

Insight into IELTS Pg 144-145Writing task 1/2

10(Skills development)Speaking: To help learners with Part 1 of the speaking test.

Learners fill in information in a table; learners examine possible Wh- questions; learners examine how ideas are linked together.

11(Skills development)Speaking: To help learners with Parts 2 and3 of the speaking test.

Learners examine short answers to questions

Learners explore themes and sub-themes.

Step up to IELTS Pg 67: IELTSTest practice: Listening section 2

Supplementaryactivity; Insight into IELTS Pg 126

1.5 hrs

Vocabulary test.

12(Skills practice)Speaking: To give learners exam practice.

Step up to IELTS Pg 79: Test practice: Speaking test parts1-3

Step up to IELTS Pg 79: Test practice: Speakingtestparts 1-3

13(Skills development)Listening: To help learners listen for specific information.

(Skills development)Listening: To help learners identify detail.

Learners identify key vocabulary from completionof notes and tables.

Learners decide on the context of language by looking at the words in questions and pictures; learners decide what information to listen for and answer questions.

1.5 hrs

Vocabulary test.

14(Skills development)Listening: To help learners identify the

Learners fill in a table relating to a situation, introductory phrase, topic

Insight into IELTS Pg 16-18 Supplementaryactivities; Insight into

main ideas.

(Skills development)Listening: To help learners to see beyond the surface meaning.

and how topic develops.

Learners identify words which focus on the meaning.

IELTS Pg 109-110

1.5 hrs

15(Skills practice)Listening: To give learners exam practice.

1.5 hrsVocabulary test.

The course plan contains the following details:

15 lessons of 1.5 hours per lesson, making a 22.5-hour course. Lessons are referenced to the priorities, aims and objectives shown in the table below. For example,

all reading lessons are referenced to the reading priorities, aims and objectives, as they contain elements of these priorities, aims and objectives.

Skills development is followed by skills practice. Skills practice is always a mock test done under examination conditions. Vocabulary is recycled by the use of regular tests every second lesson, the vocabulary bag and a

daily 10-minute recap of the previous lessons.When a vocabulary test is not given, the vocabulary bag is updated.

Material is derived from a range of published IELTS sources, with Insight into IELTS predominant. Learners will be given help with parts of speech (priority, aim and objective 4), by regular

eliciting by the teacher of the correct part of speech in error correction and feedback.

Formative evaluation will take place at the end of each lesson by means of a self-evaluation form. Summative evaluation by the teacher will take place at the end of the course. The teacher can use notes made on learners’ strengths and weaknesses, coupled with the collated self-evaluation forms, to complete the summative evaluation.

Need Priority Aim Objective1. Reading: problems understanding topic-basedvocabulary; sub-skill of scanning seen as useful by learners.

2. Writing: sub-skills ofcohesion and coherence, including structuring andconcluding the essay.

3. Problems with articles.

4. Issues with verb formsand parts of speech.

1. Expand topic-based vocabulary; reinforce sub-skill of scanning.

2. Improve cohesion and coherence, including structuring and concluding the essay.

3. Improve knowledge of use of articles.

4. Improve knowledge of verb forms and parts of speech.

1. To expand learners’ topic-based vocabulary; reinforce scanning skills.

2. To improve learners’ cohesion and coherence, including structuring andconcluding the essay.

3. To improve learners’ use of articles.

4. To improve learners’ knowledge of verb forms and parts of speech.

1. By the end of the course, learners will have expanded their topic-based vocabulary and improved their ability toscan.

2…learners will have improved cohesion and coherence, including structuring and concluding the essay.

3….learners will be better able to use articles correctly.

4….learners will have

5. Learners had timing issues in reading.

6. 2 hours a day self-study insufficient.

7. Kinaesthetic learning style most popular.

5. Improve exam techniqueincluding timings.

6. Help with self-study.

7. Kinaesthetic tasks.

5. To improve learners’ exam timings.

6. To give learners self-study advice.

7. To provide kinaesthetic tasks.

better knowledge of verb forms and parts of speech.

5…learners will be betterable to complete a task within a set time limit.

6….learners will be better at self-study.

7….learners will have benefited from kinaesthetic tasks.

2a. Needs analysis results

2. What do you find most difficult in your IELTS lesson?

3. Why?

4. How can the teacher help you?

5. What self-study do you do?

6. How often?

Reading and writing most popular answers.

Lack of time and topic familiarity; complicated vocabulary; difficulty concludingthe essay.

More exercises; vocab explanations; more tips, exam practice; clear explanations of tasks.

Watching TV and movies; practice across the 4 skills.

Most learners do daily practice.7. The different ability

levels in the class….. help my learning slow down my learning do not affect my learning

8. How?

All learners said different ability levels helped their learning.

Learners are of different levels,which leads to more task variety.More questions asked in class leading to increased understanding.

9. Do you think that non exam-related tasks can helpyou with areas of weakness?Yes/No

10. If Yes, how?

Yes was the most common answer.

Reasons given were:They enable error correction to take place.They enable application of techniques learned. They improve speaking and vocabulary.

11. Give 2 examples of Scanning was the most popular

exam technique you’ve learned during the IELTS course.

answer; Reading key words the next popular.Also:SkimmingReading faster.Structuring writing.Linking words.

12. Give 2 more examples of your own exam technique that you use.

Scanning was the most popular answer.Also:Looking for key words.Looking for repeated words to give the main idea of a paragraph.Reading the 1st and last sentencesfrom a paragraph.Organising thoughts for speaking.

13. How much time do you spend studying for the IELTS exam at home every day?

More than 2 hours About 2 hours Less than 2 hours

About 2 hours was the most popular answer.Next popular was Less than 2 hours.

14. Which of the followingis more important to you?

Gaining the highest possible IELTS exam score Improving my level of English

15. Why?

Both was the most popular answer.

Passing the IELTS exam and improving my level of English at the same time was the most popular reasonNext popular: Going to university after passing IELTS exam (when level of English will continue to improve).Also: Improving English will lead to a good exam score.

16. Do you think that examtasks are similar to everyday life? Yes/No

If Yes, how?

3 learners said Yes; 2 said No

2 learners said You can use what you learn in everyday life.1 said the exam is more difficult.

17. Knowledge of the IELTSexam

There was a reasonable understanding of the IELTS exam

format.

2b. Results of VARK test

Blue: Visual (1 learner)

Red: Aural (3 learners)

Green: Read/Write (1 learner)

Purple: Kinaesthetic (5 learners)

The kinaesthetic learning style was therefore the most popular.

2c. Diagnostic test results

Student name

Listening Reading Writing

Hamad 17/20 Excellent; evidence of recognition and knowledge of vocabulary and part of speech needed for gapfill.

6/8 Good ability to identify key words andfind the correct information in gapfill; good identification of synonyms in multiple-choice.

Sophisticated vocabularyindicates familiarity with topic. EGS?

Overlong sentences / lack of modal knowledge evident, e.g. You don’t independent instead of You can’t be independent. Otherwise, ideas linked well together.

Saad Absent for test Absent for test. Reasonable breadth of vocabulary indicating some topic familiarity.

Lack of articles, e.g. Learning environment and learning style can improve the way students learn; Exams couldalso help learning way.Issues with verb forms, e.g. The formal way are working better.This corresponds to the observation by Swan and Smith (1987) about the different range of use of the definite article in Arabic.Very clear although lacking in linkers.

Abdullah Absent for test Absent for test. Good vocabulary range indicates topic familiarity.

Lack of articles, e.g. Exams are great way to test yourinformation (should be knowledge). Otherwise, very clear although lacking in linkers.

Agnes 8/20 Evidence of issues with vocabulary and some inability to recognise part of speech needed for gapfill.

0/8 Clear problems; lots of gaps left; evidence of guessing in multiple-choice.

Some accurate vocabularyused indicating some familiarity with the topic.

Lack of articles, e.g. Examination of learning also helps us remember; I would study all time.This corresponds to Swanand Smith: Typical mistakes involve leaving out the except in demonstrative and emphatic contexts. (1987: 248)Otherwise, some good ideas clearly expressed.

Hanin 14/20 Multiple- choice better than gapfill; problems identifying the part of speech needed to fill the gaps.

1/8 Evidence of lack of familiarity with parts of speech neededfor gapfill, e.g. verbinstead of noun.

Limited vocabulary range: possible lack of topic familiarity.

Issues with verb forms, e.g. The students feeling weak; how the students are improve. More linkers desirable.

Alaa 9/20 Near misses in gapfill, e.g. missed adjectives or the date written incorrectly. Better performance in multiple-choice.

0/8 Although some answers in the gapfillmake sense, they are incorrect and show problems identifying the correct part of the text; did not attempt the multiple-choice; timing a possible issue.

Good vocabulary range indicating topic familiarity.

Some errors with verb forms, e.g. Having more exams make us; making discoveries and research are theperfect way to have what you want. However, good use of linkers.

Salah 11/20 Spelling issuesin gapfill section which cost marks; better performance inmultiple-choice.

0/8 Problems with vocabulary, e.g. form instead of the name ofa poet in the gapfill;did not attempt the multiple-choice; timing an issue.

Absent for test

Dhedan 13/20 No attempt to do gapfill, possibly due to lack of knowledge of vocabulary/parts of speech. Good performance in multiple-choice.

6/8 Evidence of lack of understanding of some vocabulary in feedback despite high score.

Absent for test

Nawaf 10/20 Marks lost in answers which were not quite right, e.g.writing the date wrong; also quite a few answers left blank in gapfill, indicating a lack of vocabulary/parts of speech knowledge.

5/8 Evidence of good understanding of partsof speech needed for gapfill; good identification of synonyms for multiple-choice.

Absent for test

Ahmet 10/20 Appeared to give up before the gapfill section; possible lack of confidence in vocabulary knowledge and parts of speech required. Better performance in multiple-choice.

3/8 Spelling a problemin the gapfill task; evidence of quite goodidentification of synonyms in the multiple-choice task.

Absent for test

Abdulaziz 13/20 Very good; evidence of recognition and knowledge of vocabulary and part of speech needed for

1/8 Lack of understanding of some questions, e.g. notary instead of sonnet for agapfill answer that did not require the

Absent for test

gapfill. name of a person.

Overall:

Listening: Problems with listening for specific information: lack of recognition of topic-based vocabulary; lack of knowledge of partsof speech.

Reading: Problems with reading for specific information: lack of recognition of topic-based vocabulary; lack of knowledge of parts ofspeech.

Writing: Problems with cohesion and coherence, including lack of articles and verb forms.