Fluency on Paper: The Path to Successful Writing Skills

Fluency on Paper: The Path to Successful Writing Skills Troy Witt ELT Signposts, Brno 11th September 2011

Fluency on Paper: The Path to Successful Writing Skills How will the seminar be structured? • Part A: Theory (15 mins) • Part B: Methodology (45 mins) • Part C: Assessment (30 mins)

Part A - Theory (15 Mins) This part of the seminar will: • examine the ‘product vs. process’ debate • consider why writing seems to cause such difficulties for many students • explore what needs to go into ‘good writing’ before the pen even hits the page

Process or Product? In the teaching of writing we can focus on the product of that writing or on the writing process itself. When concentrating on the product we are interested in the aim of a task and in the end product. Those who advocate a process approach to writing, however, pay attention to the various stages that any piece of writing goes through. Jeremy Harmer, The Practice of English Language Teaching

Generating Ideas Reviewing Structuring Drafting Focusing Evaluating The Writing Process White and Arndt, 2001

Why do students HATE writing? Because... • it’s dull, time-consuming and not interactive • it’s often difficult to see improvement • it requires learning a lot of lexis that is ‘non-transferable’ (used to write only) • it’s often the least encountered of all 4 of the skills in daily life • the fact that good speaking skills do not translate directly into good writing skills (yet they are both productive) is frustrating • it’s ‘foreign’ as the Czech school system does very little of it

What do students need to ask themselves before they write? 1 2 3 4 the WHY What is your motivation for writing? Do you want transfer information, achieve a goal, or just make social contact? the WHAT What is the best way to communicate what it is you need to say? Should you use a formal letter, a quick note, or a bulleted list? the HOW If you know what you want, what do you need to know to create it? What makes a report different than a proposal? the WHO Who is going to read what you write? How is an email to your boss different than an email to your grandmother?

Part B - Methodology (45 Mins) This part of the seminar will: • consider the elements and aspects involved in successful writing • examine strategies, techniques, and some useful activities that help support these

Successful Writing Needs A Plan:Transactional Letter Organization Guide

Successful Writing Needs A Plan:Transactional Letter Organization Guide In groups... • review the task, and discuss the points that need to be included in the letter • complete the TRANSACTIONAL LETTER ORGANIZATION GUIDE for the task IESOL B2 Communicator Sample Paper I

Successful Writing Needs Proper Register:A Tale of Two Letters Formal 1. Dear Sir/Madam 2. Furthermore 3. I would greatly appreciate it if you could Informal a. And another thing b. Do you think you can c. Hey Bob

Successful Writing Needs Proper Register:A Tale of Two Letters

Successful Writing Needs Proper Register:A Tale of Two Letters In groups... • read both letters, decide which letter is FORMAL and which is INFORMAL • mark the structures in the list as indicative to either FORMAL (F) or INFORMAL (I) • find examples of each in the two letters

Successful Writing Needs To Be Corrected:A Letter to Correct / WW A T unnecessary word wrong word article tense Prep P SP preposition punctuation spelling WO ^ GR word order missing word grammar

Successful Writing Needs To Be Corrected:A Letter to Correct What are the problems here? I born in 1971 in one small town in Mexico. My father is diplomat, so my all life I live in different country. I’m married since five years. I knew my wife on school. ^ WW A WO T GR Prep T WW WW

Successful Writing Needs To Be Corrected:A Letter to Correct

Successful Writing Needs To Be Corrected:A Letter to Correct In groups... • correct the letter using the ‘correction guide’ presented New Headway UI (3rd Ed) pg 112

Part C – Assessment (30 Mins) This part of the seminar will: • provide an overview of City & Guilds itself, as well as the IESOL and EBC exams • provide an opportunity for YOU to try your hand at assessing some sample responses

A Little Bit About City & Guilds • British examining and certification body providing 50% of the UK’s vocational qualifications. • City & Guilds in ČR organizes exams in English through 35 approved testing centres. • City & Guilds exams in English: • General English exams: IESOL (written) + ISESOL (spoken) • Business English exams: EBC (written) + SETB (spoken) • Exams for Young learners: YESOL (written) + YSESOL (spoken)

The Exams *International English for Speakers of Other Languages **English for Business Communication

The Exams Exams Features… • benchmarked to the CEFR (6 levels) • valid for life • recognized internationally • recognized by the Ministry of Education in ČR, employers and Czech universities • based on communicative method • assessed by independent examiners in London (both written and spoken exams) • flexible preparation materials

The IESOL Exams

The IESOL Communicator Level (B2) Assessment Criteria First Class Pass 12 – 10, Pass 9 – 6, Narrow Fail 5, Fail 4 – 0 NOTE: detailed grammar can be found in the IESOL Qualification Handbook

IESOL Task Evaluation 1: An Article Succeed in City & Guilds pg 16/162

IESOL Task Evaluation 1: An Article

IESOL Task Evaluation 1: An Article In groups... • Read the task • Examine both sample answers • Evaluate each using the B2 Communicator Level assessment criteria

IESOL Task Evaluation 2: A Formal Letter Succeed In City & Guilds pg 140/166

IESOL Task Evaluation 2: A Formal Letter

IESOL Task Evaluation 2: A Formal Letter In groups... • Read the task • Examine both sample answers • Evaluate each using the B2 Communicator Level assessment criteria

The EBC Exams • Modern written Business English for international communication • Ministry of Education the ČR accreditation as a standard language exam for civil servants • In-tray simulation, real business cases • Reading and writing • Results: Fail (less than 60%), Pass (60%+), First Class Pass (75%+)

The EBC Exams

The EBC Level 2 (B1-B2) Assessment Criteria First Class Pass +75 %, Pass +60 %, Fail -60% fluency = degree of success with which message is conveyed tone = appropriateness of style, register and vocabulary for the purpose of the task

EBC Task Evaluation: A Business Letter

EBC Task Evaluation: A Business Letter EBC Level 2 Practice Paper 1

EBC Task Evaluation: A Business Letter

EBC Task Evaluation – A Business Letter In groups... • Read the task • Examine both sample answers • Evaluate each using the EBC Level 2 assessment criteria

In Conclusion • a successful writing ‘product’ is the direct result of a strong writing ‘process’ • writing is a productive knowledge of register and form, a structured plan and continual feedback throughout this process • good assessment requires strictly defined criteria, consistency of form but also a degree of the assessor’s own instinct • The City & Guilds IESOL and EBC materials and practice tests provide a series of thorough, well-structured writing tasks that can make a great addition to your classroom • The City & Guilds exams are an efficient way to test and assess your students’ writing skills

Do you have any questions? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Thanks very much for your time! www.cityandguilds.cz www.cityandguildsenglish.com Thankyou

Fluency on Paper: The Path to Successful Writing Skills