LPAT Briefing Session (English Language)

1. LPAT Briefing Session (English Language) Date: 13 November 2010 (Saturday)    Time: 1:00pm - 3:30pm   Venue: Queen’s College Speakers: Dr Neil DRAVE 1:00pm – 2:20pm Manager - Assessment Development (LPAT English Language), HKEAA Josephine CHEUNG 2:45pm – 3:15pm Sonia KAN S C CHENG Language Proficiency Assessment Section, EDB

2. Rundown • Aims of the Session • How the LPATE is assessed • Outline of the Papers • Paper 1 (Reading) • Paper 2 (Writing) • Paper 3 (Listening) • Paper 4 (Speaking) • Break (& Question submission time) • Questions (Paper 1 – 4) • Paper 5: Classroom Language Assessment (CLA) • Questions (Paper 5)

3. Aims • Introduce the assessment approach • Introduce each LPATE paper, with examples from recent assessments • Give you some hints about how to do well • Answer questions • More information in the Handbook for Candidates

4. Assessment TypesNorm-referenced vs. Standards-referenced

5. Paper 1 Reading • Duration: one hour 30 minutes • 3 Reading Comprehension passages • Passages are about 1 page of A4 each • One longer, two shorter (may change from year to year) • Most require phrases or sentences as answers • Topics and genres will be of different kinds • Some MC questions (4 options) – blacken the circle

6. Passage A Please answer the following questions. You may use words from thepassage or your own words except where explicitly stated. You do not have to answer each question in complete sentences but make sure that your answers are full enough and coherent enough for the assessor to understand. Rubric

7. Sample Passage (2008) Passage B Making the Cut: China’s Designers on the Rise Having turned itself into a factory floor for the global apparel industry, China – through a new generation of young designers – is repositioning itself to become a force in creating clothes, not just manufacturing them. The international fashion industry is paying more attention to China’s design talent, says Xiao Yan, deputy editorial director of fashion magazine Elle China. On the world style scene, though, ‘Chinese designers are still in the very early stage’, she adds. [continues]

8. Sample Questions (1) • Question ‘On line 7, “…in the very early stage”. Of what?’ • Answer Repositioning itself to become a force in creating clothes [exact words] OR Entering the world style scene [exact words ++] OR Being recognised by the international fashion world [paraphrase]

9. Sample Questions (2) • Question ‘In paragraph 1, what metaphor is used to refer to China as a manufacturer of clothes for the world?’ • Answer ‘a factory floor’ [l. 1 - exact words]

10. Sample Questions (3) • Question ‘According to the paragraph beginning on line 28, in what kinds of institutions can students study fashion design in Shanghai?’ • Passage ‘Besides universities in major cities, which have been beefing up their fashion department offerings over the past six years or so, there are private academies…’ • Answer Universities and private academies [need BOTH]

11. Paper 1Suggestions • Refer to the text for answers (don’t rely on personal knowledge or experience) • Copy, summarise or paraphrase information in the text • If copying, don’t copy too much: only your FIRST answer (or section) will be marked • Pay attention to the number of marks • 2 marks usually means more than one piece of information • 1 mark MAY mean one piece of information or may mean that it is two closely linked pieces e.g. Q = ‘Where did the writer find materials in English’ A = Record stores and second-hand book stores (1 mark) • Make sure answers are grammatical

12. Paper 2 Writing • Part 1: Task 1 Composition Writing • Part 2: • Task 2A Correcting errors in a student’s composition • Task 2B Explaining errors in a student’s composition

13. Part 1: Task 1 Composition • Different text types to write (expository, narrative, descriptive etc.) • Text input of about 200 words • Word limit – 400 words • Scales and descriptors used to judge quality of writing

14. Sample Part 1 Prompt (2008) Read the following article about contributing to the community. Making a Contribution Bill Gates is more of a philanthropist than a software developer these days and has left his job at Microsoft to manage his charity work through the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. [continues 150 – 200 words total]

15. Sample Writing Part 1 Task (2008) Task Write a short speech for your school graduation ceremony in which you talk about the importance of contributing to the community. Describe someone who devotes some of his/her time and energy to helping others. Write about 400 words.

16. Sample Writing Part 1 Task (2007) Task Your Principal has provided HK$2000 to run a campaign to promote healthy eating in your school. He is now asking for suggestions on how best to spend this money. Write to the Principaloutlining some of the problems with students’ eating habits and suggesting two ways of using the funds provided.  Write about 400 words.

17. Scales and Descriptors • Scale 1 Organisation and Coherence • Scale 2 Grammatical & Lexical Accuracy/Range • Scale 3 Task Completion

18. Scale 1: Organisation and coherence • Unity: each paragraph should deal with one topic only • Coherence: the overall flow/development should be clear • Cohesion: use cohesive devices such as conjunctions, referencing and repetition of key words and phrases wisely - make sure that connectives aren’t overused • Conciseness: do not write more than is necessary

19. Scale 2: Grammatical & lexical accuracy/range • Accuracy • Sentence structure • Agreement • Collocation • Variety (complexity, naturalness) • Vocabulary and phrasing • Fixed expressions vs. cliché

20. Scale 3: Task completion • Read the task instructions carefully • Identify the specific areas to be addressed • Plan how you will address each for a balanced piece of writing

21. Paper 2 Part 1 Suggestions • Read English texts e.g. opinion pieces in newspapers • Become familiar with the basic structure of different types of texts • Increase your vocabulary using a thesaurus & other tools • Don’t just copy ideas from the prompt – expand upon them

22. Paper 2 Part 2 • Task 2A – Detecting & Correcting Errors / Problems in a Student Composition • Task 2B – Explaining Errors / Problems • Questions are in the Question booklet, write answers in the Question Answer booklet

23. Sample Task 2A (2008)Correcting Errors Global warming: What can we do? I think this not good to our planet. (1) We had to work to stop damaging us planet. There is much things we may do (2) to less the pollution like not to smoke, not drive and not to waste electricity. [continues]

24. (1) We had to work to stop damaging us planet. (2) to less the pollution like not to smoke, not drive and not to waste electricity. (3) even so my 15-years old sister. (1) Sample only – answer will be given (2) to lessen the pollution, like not smoking (3) even my 15-year old sister. Task 2A Suggested Answers

25. Writing Task 2B Sample Questions (1) 2009 Item 17: we celebrated at a very (17) good restaurant he help prepare the food There are two errors in this sentence. The first relates to the need for a/an (a)_________________‘where’ to tell the reader the location of the father’s food preparation. The second error is one of agreement. The subject is ‘he’, which is (b)___________________________, and so the verb should be ‘helps’ not ‘help’.

26. Sample Answers (1) Item 17: we celebrated at a very (17) good restaurant he help prepare the food There are two errors in this sentence. The first relates to the need for a/an (a)relative pronoun‘where’ to tell the reader the location of the father’s food preparation. The second error is one of agreement. The subject is ‘he’, which is (b) third person singular, and so the verb should be ‘helps’ not ‘help’.

27. Sample Questions (2) 2008 Item 17: … polar bear is (17) too cuter than the panda There is one error. The writer has used a/an (a)______________ ‘too’; however, the (b)_____________ ‘cuter’ is sufficient.

28. Sample Answers (2) Item 17: … polar bear is (17) too cuter than the panda There is one error. The writer has used a/an (a) modifier [adverb/intensifier] ‘too’; however, the (b) comparative (adjective) ‘cuter’ is sufficient.

29. Paper 2 Task 2 Suggestions (1) • LPATE for teachers of English • Tasks 2A and 2B, though related, are two separate tasks • Task 2A • Correct only the underlined and numbered items • Do not make unnecessary changes e.g. ‘My mother also likes fastly cars…’ ‘My mother also likes fast cars…’  ‘My mother also likes to drive cars quickly…’ 

30. Paper 2 2A/2B Suggestions (2) • Task 2B • Refer back to student composition • Be specific e.g. the type of pronoun / conditional • Revise basic grammatical terminology (‘metalanguage’) • Various answers (‘systems’) are allowed • Grammar book • easy to use • from a reputable publisher • If in doubt, put more detail • Spelling is important but mistakes will be penalised only once

31. Paper 3 Listening • Duration: One hour • Pauses included throughout & 10 minutes at the end • 3 or 4 texts e.g. radio discussions, debates, monologues, podcasts/webcasts • Different topics (not necessarily education related) • Up to 4 speakers & host • Native speakers of English & non-native speakers • Male & Female • ‘Normal’ speed for the type of discourse • Complete answers as you listen

32. Question types (1) 1. Open-ended How does Carmen send a message to Jeff Orlando? She writes a message on the notepad and draws a line to his name [need BOTH parts] 2. Gap-filling in a connected paragraph Complete the summary below. Use NO MORE THAN ONE WORD for each answer. (8 marks) David believes that the reforms are moving in the right (i)direction but he is unsure as to whether the new system will really be a (ii)betteralternative.

33. Question Types (2) • Filling in blanks in a flowchart • Filling in cells in a table • Filling in gaps in a bulleted list • Multiple choice • Diagram labelling • Figures: e.g. ‘What is the best estimate of the number of Gypsies in the UK in 2005?’ • Exact words: e.g. ‘Wendy feels that a Feng Shui master should also know about what?’

34. Read upcoming questions carefully during pauses Use background knowledge (topics, context) Grammar ONLY important in ‘one word answer’ section Connie agrees David’s view  Connie supports David’s view  Spelling ONLY important for proper names, job titles & other ‘fixed’ items, unless the meaning is changed Tourist Management  Tourism Management  Board based education  Broad based education  Paper 3 Suggestions

35. Part 1 (individual) Task 1A Reading aloud Task 1B Recount Part 2 Group Interaction Paper 4 Speaking

36. Task 1A Reading Aloud (prose) Task 1B Telling/Recounting/ Presenting (monologue) 10 minutes to prepare for both parts 5 minutes for the test (both parts) Assessment FormatPart 1

37. Part 2 Group Interaction Assessment Format • 5 minutes to prepare in the classroom • 3 or 4 candidates in a group (random assignment) • Time limit • 10 Minutes (3 candidates) • 13 minutes (4 candidates) • Discuss an education-related topic / situation E.g. planning something, deciding what to do about something, reflecting on the past, coming up with a policy…

38. Scales and Descriptors Task 1A Reading aloud Scale 1. Pronunciation, stress and intonation Scale 2. Reading aloud with meaning Task 1B Recounting / Presenting Scale 3. Grammatical & lexical accuracy / range Scale 4. Organisation & cohesion Task 2 Group interaction Scale 5. Interacting with peers Scale 6. Discussing educational matters with peers

39. Reliability • All examiners are from HK tertiary institutions • Two examiners per assessment • Pre-assessment training • During assessment - monitoring by Chief Examiner

40. Recording • Your performance will be recorded • If you agree to sit for the assessment, you agree to the recording • Reasons • Appeals & complaints • Examiner training • Research

41. Recording Set-up

42. Reading aloud Read phrase by phrase, not word by word Don’t try to be too dramatic Don’t be too slow – 2.5 to 3 minutes is about right Recounting How much can you do in 1 – 2 minutes? Two or three main points Clear structure Can be in a conversational or an ‘oral presentation’ style Group discussion Conversational style Don’t try to dominate Don’t just ask questions Build upon what others have said Refer to your actual (learning/teaching) experience if possible Suggestions

43. Handbook for Candidates (+CD, DVD) – New version 2010

44. Concluding Remarks • LPATE is a test for teachers, not a general English test • It is possible to practice for it • Treat it like a driving test, with certain skills to be demonstrated under controlled conditions • Markers and Oral Examiners are well-trained experts who want a fair assessment

45. GoodLuck!