Sample test guideline d.

•
answers
The answers contained here are intended to illustrate as
comprehensively as possible the points that candidates can
write in order to gain marks in Delta Module One. Please note
that candidates are not expected to write all of the
information contained in these guideline answers.
PAPER 1
order of acquisition
the order in which grammar / language items are thought
to be acquired
• there may be a natural, predictable order for at least
some morphemes/language items
• order of acquisition often different from order in
which language areas are introduced in coursebooks
• example: candidates should provide an example with at
least one item that is thought be acquired before another
(e.g. irregular past before regular past), or an item that is
early acquired (e.g. vocabulary), or an item that is late
acquired (e.g. third person ‘s’)

TASK ONE e. structural syllabus

• a syllabus which is based around a series of grammatical
a. washback / backwash structures

b. substitution • structures are sequenced according to assumed level of

complexity
c. universal grammar
• example: verb ‘to be’ – present simple – present continuous
d. connotation
f. word family
e. nucleus / tonic (syllable) / nuclear stress
• a group of words that share the same root / basic form
f. fossilization / fossilisation • words use different affixes / morpheme additions to make
different parts of speech
• example: care, careful, careless, uncaring, carer / or any
TASK TWO other acceptable example

a. adjacency pair
• a sequence of two related utterances by two different
speakers
• the first utterance leads to a set of expectations
about the response
• based on sociolinguistic context
• second utterance can be a ‘preferred’ or ‘dispreferred’
response
• example: ‘Fancy a coffee?’ ‘I’d love one!’( i.e. offer –
acceptance) / offer – non-acceptance / greeting – greeting /
question – answer, / invitation – acceptance or non-
acceptance / complaint – denial or apology / or any other
acceptable example
b. anaphoric reference
• a word or phrase that refers back to another word or
phrase which was used earlier in a text (written or
spoken)
TASK THREE
Key subskills/features of discourse
• knowledge and use of discourse structure of this type of
interaction
example: initiation → negotiation → checking the general
consensus → coming to an agreement → checking the
decision
• turn-taking skills
example: recognising intonation patterns that indicate a
person is coming to the end of an utterance / interrupting /
inviting others to speak
• knowledge of exponents and discourse function of
adjacency pairs
example: a suggestion needs a response / an opinion
needs an agreement or disagreement / or any other
acceptable example

• makes a text cohesive • compensating or paraphrasing when they don’t know a

• the second word or phrase is different in some way
from the first
• example: ‘Where are my keys?’ ‘You left them on the
kitchen table.’ Them refers back to keys in the first
utterance / or any other acceptable example
c. collocation
• two or more words that co-occur in a language more often
than would be expected by chance
• the more often words occur together, the stronger the
collocation
• collocation can be a result of grammatical rules or
simply usage
• examples: depend on / have a cigarette / high frequency /
bitterly disappointed / completely agree / or any other
acceptable example
word in English / clarifying what someone else has said
example: ‘The thing you use for … ’ / ‘Do you mean… ?’ /
‘Sorry, could you say that again? / or any other acceptable
example
• initiating an interaction
example: ‘So, what about the drinks?’ / ‘Let’s start with the
entertainment’ / or any other acceptable example
• inviting others to speak [If candidates have used a
language exponent to exemplify this under ‘turn-taking
skills’, no separate credit will be given here.]
example: ‘What do you think?’ / ‘Have you got any other
suggestions?’
• making suggestions / giving opinions / negotiation
example: ‘we could… ’ / ‘how about… ’ / ‘let’s… ’ / ‘why
don’t we… ?’ / ‘I think we should… ’ / ‘What I’d like to
have is… ..’ / or any other acceptable example

24 D E LT A H A N D B O O K | MODULE ONE
• accepting others’ ideas / agreement and disagreement /
negotiation
example: ‘good idea’ / ‘yes, that’s a nice idea’ / ‘I agree’ /
‘I’m with x’ / ‘No, I’d rather… / ‘Yes, but… ’ / or any other
acceptable example
• progressing the discussion / summarising
example: ‘Anyway,… ’ / ‘Let’s go on to something else’ /
‘So, do we all agree?’ / or any other acceptable example
• comparing
example: ‘x is much more expensive than y’ / ‘We could
have more of x and still pay less’ / or any other acceptable
example
• recognising intonation patterns – i.e. that indicate a per-
son is coming to the end of an utterance [If candidates
have used a language exponent to exemplify this under
‘turn-taking skills’, no separate credit will be given here.]
example: a falling intonation to indicate the end of a list
of points / a rising intonation to indicate an invitation for
someone else to speak (i.e. a pattern similar to a question)
• interrupting [If candidates have used a language exponent
to exemplify this under ‘turn-taking skills’, no separate
credit will be given here.]
example: ‘Yes, but I think…’ / ‘Err….also’ / ‘Could I just say
something?’
TASK FOUR
a. Features typical of this genre
• use of ‘headline language’ e.g. ‘teenager goes too far and
gets rushed to hospital’
• exaggerated/heightened/extreme lexis e.g. ‘rushed to’
(hospital), ‘rocketing’ (temperature), (tears) ‘streaming
down’, ‘drenched’, ‘burning up’
• complex clauses to describe people and things e.g.
‘17-year-old waitress Jasmine Willis’, ‘36-a-day double-
espresso habit’
• use of direct speech e.g. ‘I was crying in front of the
customers’
• colloquial expressions e.g. ‘I was all over the place’,
‘looking on the bright side’
• organisation i.e. introduction, summarise main point, list
events that led to/were caused by the event, reference to
situation now
• maintaining protagonist as the focus/topic – e.g. by use of
passives to keep Jasmine as the subject
• reference to external (and significant) sources connected
to the theme e.g. Robbie Williams’ addiction, French
research
• moral at the end – e.g. ‘dire warning to others’
• use of humour/irony – e.g. ‘… which may limit her future
career prospects’
• use of short paragraphs often containing just one idea
b.
She’d guzzled too much espresso coffee.
Form
• auxiliary verb (used with past participle (guzzled) to form
the past perfect tense
Meaning/use
• setting action of guzzling before the main events focused
on in the text – the illness which the guzzling caused
• past perfect is very often used to give the causes of past
events
Pronunciation
• because it’s an auxiliary, not a main verb, it can be
contracted as in this case
• /d/ may be elided because it’s followed by plosive /g/
… and (I) had tears streaming down my face.
Form
• main verb
• stative
• past simple
• not contracted because it’s a main verb / doesn’t have a
subject to form part of the contraction in this case
Meaning/use
• the event is happening at that moment
Pronunciation
• as a main verb ‘had’ wouldn’t normally be contracted (and
can’t be in this case because there’s no subject)
• might be slightly weakened as the stress is likely to be on
the object of the verb
In the end, Jasmine had to be sent home.
Form
• semi-modal ‘had to’
• main verb in past simple
Meaning/use
• used to express modality – necessity of sending Jasmine
home
Pronunciation
• not contracted because it’s a main verb / delayed
plosion/unexploded plosive
c.
I have always stressed to my children the importance of
moderation but Jasmine got caught out on this occasion.
Form
• passive voice using ‘got’ as an alternative to ‘was’ / ‘get’ in
past followed by the past participle of ‘catch’ and adver-
bial particle ‘out’
• separable transitive phrasal verb – ‘to catch someone out’
Meaning/use
• passive: to keep the emphasis on Jasmine as the subject of
the sentence i.e. keeping the focus on the protagonist
• use of ‘get’ makes the sentence more informal – common
in spoken English – and emphasises it as an action rather
than a state
• ‘get’ is typically used to replace ‘be’ in the passive when
the situation described has a negative impact on the
subject or if the subject was an unwilling participant in
the situation
• phrasal verb ‘catch out’ means ‘take by surprise’ in this case
• past simple used to describe a single event in the past as
part of a narrative
D E LT A H A N D B O O K | MODULE ONE 25
Pronunciation TASK FIVE
• elision of /t/ in ‘got’ / assimilation of /t/ to a glottal stop
before /k/ a.

• linking /kÉ … ta¨ t/ – transfer of final consonant to following Key strengths:

vowel (this may be referred to as catenation)
• Task Achievement: Task is achieved in terms of content.
Learner problems Learner reviews the film effectively, including outlining
Meaning/use the plot and the main character, evaluating the film and
giving a recommendation.
• students are likely to have a problem with the meaning of
‘get’ for passive use • Genre: Includes some structural features of genre:
summary of plot, information about main character,
• students may be confused by ‘get’ in general because they evaluative comments and recommendation.
perceive it as having so many uses and want an exact
translation • Style: Neutral to informal e.g. ‘it’s a Hollywood film set in
the 18th century’ ( line 3) appropriate for genre / audience,
• students may have a problem with ‘caught out’, the mean- personal comments (‘inspiring’), use of contractions
ing of which bears no relation to its separate parts appropriate to informal style.
Phonology • Organisation: The information is in a logical order, with
the ideas in the main paragraph showing a logical
• problems with linking the phrasal verb – attempting to
progression: the topic is introduced, plot and main
say the final consonants rather than attach them to the
character described and the film is then evaluated
following word
followed by a recommendation.
• possible problems with three similar vowel sounds in ‘got
• Cohesion: Learner has used linking devices e.g.
caught out’ particularly as they follow each other
‘gradually’ (line 12), ‘then’ (line 13).
/˝Å(÷)kÉ…t\¨t/
• Cohesion: Learner shows that he is able to write
d.
sentences using appropriate conjunctions e.g. ‘although’
Sobbing (line 8). He also uses relative clauses to add information
Form e.g. ‘who came with his army’ (line 7); there is consistent
use of accurate anaphoric referencing.
• gerund – a noun formed by adding –ing to the base form
of the verb ‘sob’ – final ‘b’ is doubled because of single Key weaknesses:
vowel followed by single consonant in a one-syllable verb
• Task Achievement / Genre: Task is not achieved because
Meaning/use the text follows informal letter conventions rather than a
magazine review e.g. greeting: ‘Dear fiona’ (line 1); signing
• used as a noun here off: ‘Best wishes’ (line 20).
• to cry hard and uncontrollably • Organisation: While the learner has some awareness of
• extreme and emotive vocabulary typical of this genre the need for paragraphs (e.g. signing off is in a separate
paragraph), the main body of the text consists of one
Rocketing paragraph, whereas it could be subdivided into 2/3
Form paragraphs e.g. introduction / plot and character/
evaluation and recommendation.
• present participle – formed by adding –ing to the base
from of the verb ‘rocket’ – an adjective • Punctuation: Use of capitals is problematic and has a
negative effect on the reader: few capitals to begin
Meaning/use sentences e.g. ‘it’s a Hollywood film’ (line 3), inconsistent
use of capitals with title e.g. ‘The Last samurai’; proper
• used as an adjective here
nouns e.g. ‘fiona’ (line 1) ‘Tom cruse’ (line 10) ‘samurai’
• to increase extremely quickly (lines 3, 5, 8, 11) but ‘Mansoor’; and nationalities e.g.
‘japanes’ (lines 4, 7) but ‘American’ (lines 6, 8).
• a common collocation with ‘temperature’ (also ‘prices’,
‘cost of living’ etc.) NOTE:
• extreme and emotive vocabulary typical of this genre Inaccurate use of commas is not a key weakness.

• ‘rocket’ originally a noun but is also used as a verb b. Candidates may choose any of the key weaknesses listed
in Part a. They should provide a rationale for their choice
Being that is reasonable, informed and refers to one or more of
Form the following:

• present participle formed by adding -ing to the base form • learner’s level
of the verb ‘be’ – here it is part of the passive voice with
the past participle ‘despatched’ • learner’s future needs

• specific nature of learner’s context

Meaning/use
• use of the –ing form following ‘after’ • fossilisation of error

• passive used here to forefront the action rather than the
agent (her father, Gary) and to agree with subject of the
finite clause that follows it
• non-finite clause used as a sentence adverbial
• transferability to other genres
• transferability to other skills
• effect on the reader.

• used as a stylistic alternative to ‘She had been

despatched… ’

26 D E LT A H A N D B O O K | MODULE ONE
PAPER 2
TASK ONE
Test Part 1
Positive points
• It is an indirect test as it
focuses on grammatical
accuracy (part of the
writing construct) to give
an indication of writing
skills. In this sense the
test has construct validi-
ty (or theory-based valid-
ity). Also, the focus on
discrete items means J
cannot avoid the items
targeted (as she would
be able to in a direct test
such as Part 2) so can
target this element of
the construct more
effectively.
• Preparation for this task
would help improve J’s
accuracy in writing and
range of grammatical
structures, which would
improve the impression
her clients have of her
writing (positive
backwash/washback).
• Transformation exercises
help develop J’s para-
phrasing skills. This con-
tributes to fluency
(positive backwash/
washback).
Negative points
• As an indirect test, it
tests competence (what
she knows about lan-
guage) rather than her
ability to use it. It could
be argued that this
makes the test less valid.
It may lead to a reduc-
tion in face validity as J
wants to communicate
effectively rather than
improve her grammatical
knowledge.
• J’s main need seems to
be to communicate
effectively in writing. The
discrete items targeted
would not usually
impede the message
(e.g. no.1: to decide vs.
deciding).
• Gap-fills such as this
sometimes test only the
discrete items that lend
themselves to this kind
of exercise and not nec-
essarily what J needs.
This may affect the
validity of the task.
Test Part 2
Positive points
• It is a direct test of
writing skills i.e. it tests
performance (what J can
do with her knowledge).
Because communicative
ability is a combination
of various subskills and
types of knowledge, it
can be argued that it is
more valid to test it by
means of an integrative
test such as this i.e. one
which judges how she
uses the language.
• It replicates authentic
language use and relates
directly to the genre she
needs for work (email)
and so has face validity –
the learner can see its
relevance to her writing
needs.
• To prepare for this part
of the test J would need
to practise writing
emails, which would be
relevant for her work
(positive backwash/
washback).
Negative points
• The style is not totally
appropriate for J: infor-
mal since to a friend,
whereas at work emails
to clients and agents are
likely to be more formal;
this makes it a less valid
test of the language J
needs.
• Detailed instructions
support candidate in pro-
viding clues to content
and organisation. This
will not be replicated in
the real world so could
be argued to make the
test less valid.
• Informal language in
emails has many fea-
tures of spoken language
but improving her spo-
ken language is not a
perceived immediate
need.

• An example is given so J • Familiarity with the task • Clear specific task

is unlikely to score poor-
ly because she misunder-
stood the question.
• The task is not situation-
would be an advantage.
This can affect reliability
in that the quality of test
preparation received
may be a factor, not
simply language compe-
tence. J will do a course,
which may enhance her
performance on the test
compared to other
candidates.
ally authentic as it is not
a real-world writing
activity. Doing this sort of
exercise is not something
J would do in her job.
instructions mean that J
is unlikely to do the task
incorrectly. This makes
the task more reliable.
TASK TWO
Exercise 3
Intended purpose
• to provide a context/situation for the grammar
Assumptions
• Language should be presented in context (in this case
a reading text). Learners focus on/understand the
context/situation before looking at the target language
itself – this will help them ‘decode’ the meaning of the
target language and therefore help them understand the
uses of the different forms.

• Students need to read for general understanding and

detail to understand a text.

D E LT A H A N D B O O K | MODULE ONE 27
• A reading text used for this purpose should not be too
long or challenging if it is to provide a clear context for
the target language – learners should not be distracted by
the text itself (which may happen if the text is too long
and/or difficult).
• Learners need to engage the correct schematic (back-
ground) knowledge before reading a text (use of pictures
and prediction activity in this exercise) – this ‘mirrors’
what readers do in their first language – it allows for top-
down processing.
• Learners need to establish the general/overall idea of the
text to allow them to understand the context.
• Learners need to gain a more detailed understanding of a
text in order to fully understand its meaning/content –
this helps them, in turn, understand the context/situation
in which the target language is contained.
• Learners need to be focused on language in use in order to
‘notice’ it – once they have ‘noticed’ it, they can begin
analysing, testing hypotheses and discovering the
meaning and form of the language.
• Learners will ‘notice’ more if they are exposed more to the
target language. The questions and the text have examples
of the target language.
Exercise 4
Intended purpose
• to allow learners to ‘discover’ the meaning/use (and form)
of the verb forms
Assumptions
• Learners will learn more if they engage cognitively with
the language being presented through a guided discovery
activity in which they analyse and test hypotheses about
meaning/use and form of the language they ‘noticed’ in
the reading text.
• The teacher should be a secondary presence, supporting
the learners rather than providing all the information for
them. Learners will depend on the teacher as the ‘knower’
unless given activities that specifically demand they work
on the language themselves.
• Learners will learn more if they focus on the ‘gap’
between their existing knowledge and the correct ‘model’
(hence exercise e).
• Learners benefit if they use and build on their existing
knowledge (hence the ‘testing’ inherent in many guided
discoveries).
• Pronunciation is important to complete the picture (i.e.
meaning, form and pronunciation) – see stress marked in
exercise 4 c).
• If this activity is done in groups/pairs – learners benefit
from collaboratively cognitively processing the language.
Exercise 5
Intended purpose
• for learners to focus on the pronunciation (main stress) of
selected target language sentences
• for learners to practise manipulating the target language
(form and pronunciation)
Assumptions
• Pronunciation is an important part of ‘knowing’ the target
language and this knowledge should not just stop with
meaning/use and form.
28 D E LT A H A N D B O O K | MODULE ONE
• The significant aspect of pronunciation for learners to
focus on in this exercise is sentence stress (intonation,
individual sounds and connected speech have a less
important role here).
• Learners will be understood if they have the main
sentence stress correct (intonation, individual sounds and
connected speech will not necessarily achieve this goal,
hence they play a less important role here).
• Learners will ‘internalise’ the target language more readily
if they have been given the chance to manipulate it orally
(a memory aid).
Exercise 6
Intended purpose
• to test learners’ ability to implement the target language
form/to give controlled/accuracy practice of target
language form
Assumptions
• Language should be practised/manipulated by students
immediately after it has been ‘presented’.
• Language practised should be in a meaningful and
recognisable context (the email).
• The context should be similar to the one in which the
language was initially presented – this will aid recognition
because of its familiarity.
• Learners need to be oriented to the wider text in the
practice exercise content before they use the text as a
‘test’ activity.
• Learners need to implement the rules of meaning/use and
form in a controlled environment where accuracy is
important – this allows them to discover mistakes they
are making before going on to implement the rules in
more ‘realistic’ communicative activities.
• Learners need to justify and discuss their choices in order
to further internalise the target language – cognitive
engagement will help them internalise the language/rules
(hence justification/discussion with pairs).
• Selection and justification of their choices will
demonstrate understanding of the target language and
rules – the teacher and/or learners can then decide
whether clarification is needed.
• The teacher should be a secondary presence, supporting
the learners rather than providing all the information for
them.
TASK THREE
• Exercise 1 provides vocabulary that can be used in later
exercises (8 and to a lesser extent 9 and 10) when stu-
dents manipulate the grammar target language.
• Exercise 1 pre-teaches vocabulary that learners may need
to know for reading exercise 3.
• Exercise 2 allows learners to manipulate the vocabulary in
preparation for possible use in exercises 8 and to a lesser
extent 9 and 10 (see below) and has the same
assumptions as exercise 6 (discussed above).
• Exercises 8 and to a lesser extent 9 and 10 support the
work on grammar by combining it with the work done on
vocabulary and allowing learners to use the target lan-
guage in a personalised context – the focus moves slightly
away from accuracy and more towards using the target
language to communicate with others.
• Exercises 2, 8, 9 and 10 support the work done on the
target language with the assumption that personalisation
will further enhance internalisation of the language.
TASK FOUR
a.
• English should be used as the means for communicating
information about the language as well as the means for
communicating in the language (T1, T2).
• This is based on an audiolingual approach to language
teaching which stipulates that learners need to be able to
‘think’ in the language they are learning (T1, T2).
• Translation/use of L1 will hinder the ability to ‘think’ in
the language they are learning (T1, T2).
• This is a reaction against grammar translation where L1 is
a major tool in the language classroom (T1, T2).
• Translation/use of L1 will make learners ‘lazy’ in their use
of L2 because they know they can resort to L1 when
communication becomes tough (T1, T2).
• There is often no direct one-to-one translation from L1 to
L2 (T1, T2).
• If learners have to ‘struggle’ to communicate, they are
more cognitively engaged and this is beneficial for
language learning (T1, T2, T4).
• Part of speaking a second/foreign language is use of the
skills of paraphrasing in order to communicate –
translation/use of L1 will stop learners developing these
skills (T1, T2, T4).
• Being able to ask a speaker to clarify what they have said
is part of learning a language – reliance on L1 will stop
learners developing language for clarification (T1, T2, T4).
• Using L2 encourages learners to develop more autonomy
(i.e. they don’t routinely rely on the teacher or other
students in the class to help them communicate by using
L1) (T1, T2, T4).
• Learners may get little chance to use L2 outside the
classroom so class time is best spent using L2 (not L1) (T1,
T2, T4).
• If the teacher uses L1, it reduces learners’ exposure to L2 –
the teacher is often (one of) the only ‘natural’ source(s) of
L2 that learners are exposed to (T1, T2, T4).
• Using L1 may lead to over-correction by the teacher
(because corrections may become simpler to give) – this
may have an adverse effect on developing learners’
fluency (T1, T2, T4).
b.
• The teacher could focus on learner training in classroom
language e.g. exponents for asking for/giving clarification,
skills of paraphrasing, etc.
• The teacher could focus on learner training in the skills of
using a mono-lingual English dictionary.
• The teacher should make their own role (as non-user of
L1) clear to learners.
• The teacher should explain why they are taking the role
above (regardless of whether they can actually speak
learners’ L1 or not) – see answers to a) above for
justification for teacher taking this role.
• The teacher could explicitly justify use of L2 in the
classroom. (See reasons in a. above.)
• The teacher should ensure that learners know what their
role is in the classroom in terms of demands made on
them to use L2 e.g. learner ‘contracts’.
• The teacher needs to be clear and unambiguous when
dealing with meaning/use of language e.g. visuals,
concept questions, situations, contexts.
• The teacher needs to be clear and unambiguous when
dealing with the form of language e.g. board, other visual
representations, gestures.
• The teacher needs to maintain clear and concise
explanations using para-language graded to the learners’
level when giving information about language to learners.
• The teacher could encourage learners to take clear notes
during the class in the L2.
• The teacher could encourage pair/group work.
• The teacher should give clear speaking tasks with a clear
outcome that learners can achieve using L2 (rather than
resorting to L1).
• The teacher should make sure that pairs and groups
include learners who want to communicate with each
other e.g. they like each other, they are interested in each
other.
• The teacher could give learners an L1-break at times
during the lesson i.e. understand that using L2 can be
tiring and stressful (especially at lower levels) and allow
them to chat in L1 for limited periods e.g. while the
teacher sets up a new activity, during mini-breaks etc.
• The teacher should give praise when learners use L2.
• The teacher should avoid over-correction of mistakes in
L2 output.
c.
• When learners are at a low level i.e. a level that restricts
the use of L2.
• When the teacher speaks the learners’ L1.
• When a word/phrase can be easily and directly translated
into L1 (speed and efficiency).
• When all the learners have the same L1.
• When only one or two learners have a problem
understanding a specific word in English (speed and
efficiency) – helps with effective differentiation.
• The teacher can give a translation or ask a learner to give
a translation to a weaker learner.
• The teacher can check learners’ understanding by asking
them to translate (if the teacher knows the learners’ L1).
• When explaining a false cognate (false friend) – similarity
of the English word to a word in the learners’ language
may make them resistant to attempts to demonstrate/
explain – a simple/quick translation will suffice.
• When learners need interpreting/translating skills (useful
in their own right and sometimes necessary in learners’
jobs/lives).
• When a learner knows a word/phrase in L1 and wants an
L2 equivalent (e.g. Community Language Learning).
• When setting up complicated activities in class e.g. L1
instructions may be more easily accessed by learners.
• If the teacher wants to encourage a more natural
interaction between teacher and learners i.e. learners
know that the teacher speaks their language – issues of
trust.
D E LT A H A N D B O O K | MODULE ONE 29
Sample scripts with examiner
all the marks available for the task.
comments
PAPER 1
■ Paper 1 Task Two
The following answers all gained full marks for this task. The
answers were produced by a range of candidates.
A Adjacency pair: Within an exchange between 2 speakers, an
initiation and response that typically belong together.
Speakers conform to sociolinguistic norms, which makes
communication easier.
e.g. Speaker 1: Hi! How are you?
Speaker 2: Not bad. And you?
B Anaphoric reference:
• associated with cohesion within discourse
• reference is made to something/someone that has already
been referred to previously.
e.g. Webought a houselast year, andfelt we’dgot a bargainas the
housewas only fiveyears old. A steal at theprice.
C Collocation: A feature within the lexical system, in which two
or more words occur together in varying degrees of frequency.
Strong collocations e.g. buttered toast. Mid strength
collocations (often high frequency involving delexicalised
verbs) have a bath, do your homework.
(v) + (n) (v) + (n)
Sometimes referred to as semi-fixed expressions (Lewis). Some
writers include all multi-word units under the umbrella term
collocation while others separate these from lexical features
such as idioms.
D Order of acquisition: This refers to the order in which certain
morphemes appear within the development of L1. It seems this
bears little relation to the order in which language items have
often been presented in coursebooks – i.e. ‘s’ 3rd pers singular
appears to be acquired relatively late yet often appears very
early in some syllabi/coursebooks.
F WORD FAMILY – IT IS A GROUP OF WORDS WITH A
COMMON ‘ROOT’ AND ITS DERIVATIVES FORMED BY
AFFIXATION
e.g. HAPPY
HAPPINESS
UNHAPPY
HAPPILY
Comment:
All the definitions provided by the candidates are full and
show depth of understanding of the terms defined. Clear and
appropriate examples are given. Note that the responses are
written in a range of styles.
30 D E LT A H A N D B O O K | MODULE ONE
The following answers gained some marks but did not gain
Collocation = words that go together
e.g. Communicate with s’one = talk/write to s’one
Communicate by s’one ≠ talk/write to s’one
‘Communicate’ collocates with ‘with’ not ‘by’ to mean talk/write
to s’one
e.g. take medicine
eat medicine
In English ‘take’ and ‘medicine’ collocate, not ‘eat’ and
‘medicine’.
Comment:
This definition gained credit for the examples given (though
the candidate did not need to provide more than one
example). The definition itself was awarded no marks
because it is too general and does not allow for the concept
that collocated words ‘go together’ with more than random
frequency.
Collocation is a term describing words that are ‘good friends’ and
often ‘go’ together. An example of collocation would be
‘associated with’ when using the word associated it is most
commonly used with the preposition ‘with’.
Comment:
The definition is clear, though not complete as it does not
refer to strong or weak collocation, and an appropriate
example is given.
ORDER OF ACQUISITION: Theory which says that we acquire
specific bits of a language in a specified order.
Comment:
Although this answer gained credit for the definition, no
example was given by the candidate.
ANAPHORIC REFERENCE is the term used to refer back to other
words in a piece of discourse. For example, in ‘Peter came home
yesterday. He gave me a nice present’, the pronoun ‘He’ refers
back to ‘Peter’ and is therefore an example of anaphoric
reference.
Comment:
This answer gained some credit for the definition though
more information, such as the fact that anaphoric reference
makes a text cohesive, was needed to attract all the marks
available. The example gained credit.
ORDER OF ACQUISITION: The idea that, in the process of
acquiring a language, certain items will be learnt at certain
stages and errors will occur in certain stages until that specific
item the learner is learning has been acquired according to the
natural order. e.g. the third person ‘s’ should not be corrected
because learners will naturally make an error.
 Comment:
This answer gained some credit for the definition though
significantly more clarity and focus (note the unnecessary
emphasis on ‘error’) was needed to attract all the marks
available. The candidate failed to provide an appropriate
example.
The following answers were awarded no marks.
The following answer is written by a Merit level candidate.
ADJACENCY PAIR: Vocabulary teaching process/activity whereby
words are listed on one side and mixed definitions are listed
opposite. The student must link the word with the correct
definition.
ORDER OF ACQUISITION: The manner in which a language is
learnt e.g. listening, mimicing [sic], correction, practice, accuracy.
WORD FAMILY: All words belong to a kind of family or form,
that is, they might be verbs, adjectives, adverbs etc. e.g.
entertainment belongs to nouns.
Comment:
The candidates do not demonstrate an understanding of the
term referred to.
■ Paper 1 Task Three
The following answer is written by a Distinction level candidate.
In order to cope successfully learners would need to be able to
express a range of functions typical of problem-solving group
tasks; for example, they would need to make suggestions as to
how the money should be spent (How about having a DJ?),
provide reasons for their suggestions (A formal dinner is too
expensive), agree with suggestions (Good idea) and disagree with
suggestions (I don’t think that’s a good idea). All of these would
have to be articulated sufficiently accurately for effective
communication to take place. Thus, for instance, suggestions
should be pronounced with a rising intonation and
disagreements with a falling intonation.
Additionally, learners would need to be sensitive to turn-taking,
ideally trying to bring all group members into the discussion
(what do you think?). If misunderstandings occurred, they would
The following answer is written by a Pass level candidate.
need to be able to re-phrase their utterances, perhaps by resorting
to repair strategies/chunks (I mean … , what I meant was … ).
By the same token, they would need to signal their
misunderstanding (I didn’t understand what you said; Could you
say that again?) or check their understanding was correct (Do you
mean beer is cheaper?). Finally, to ensure the task was indeed
achieved, the learners would need to display a certain mastery of
summarising skills in order to ensure everybody agrees/
understands the decisions made (So, we’ve agreed to have … ).
Comment:
The candidate has demonstrated that she has engaged with
the material provided in the exam paper and analysed it in
detail for the subskills and features of discourse learners
would need. She has not merely provided a generic list of
subskills that might be relevant to a number of speaking skills
activities. This is demonstrated by the examples the candidate
has given for each point which are specific to the speaking
skills task itself. In addition, the candidate has provided a wide
range of points and demonstrated an understanding of the
speaking process from the beginning to the end of the
interaction. This response is consistently effective throughout.
• Turn-taking: signalling when you want to speak (‘Okay, well
. . . I’d just like to . . .)
• Turn-relinquishing (‘That’s what I think, anyway’); inviting
someone to speak (‘what about you?’). Important because
this is a group discussion/negotiation.
• Clarification (‘so what you mean is . . .’, ‘sorry could you say
that again’). Important for completion of tasks but also
because learners (because of level) may not understand each
other’s language).
• Repair (‘what I meant was’).
• Making suggestions (How about having a DJ?) and
agreeing/disagreeing (‘good idea’, ‘Mmmm, I’m not so sure
that’s the best . . .’.
• Comparing (‘We could have more food but still pay less’).
• Progressing the discussion and summarising (Anyway,
that’s the food done. What about the . . . ?’ ‘So, do we all
agree?’).
Comment:
The candidate has demonstrated that he has engaged with
the material provided in the exam paper but this is not
consistent throughout the answer. In separating the second
and third bullet points from the first, the candidate has not
gained additional marks as these would be viewed as parts of
one point. Some points made are rather generic to speaking
skills activities (e.g. ‘repair’) and specific examples would have
helped connect these more to the activity under discussion.
However, overall the candidate has provided a good range of
points (discourse and subskills) and shows an awareness of
specific areas learners would need for this activity.
Ss would ideally be able to:
➀ Ask for opinions, e.g. shall we + verb?
have The party / at the office
in a hotel?
snacks?
a buffet?
etc.
➁ Giveopinions, e.g. I think weshould + verb
have the party at the office
snacks
a buffet
etc.
D E LT A H A N D B O O K | MODULE ONE 31
 ➂ Agree, e.g.: I agree! c) Fluency: normal speed of speaking in order not to lose their
I agree with + name listening attention).
➃ Disagree, e.g.: Really? I think we should + verb
I would like to mention all the following functions
Hmm, let’s + verb
a) giving suggestions
have a DJ
have games b) accepting or refusing
etc. c) agreeing and disagreeing
I don’t agree
➄ Act as a chairperson e.g. • Re-state the Q (as printed Comment:
starting ‘Plan a party …’) for the This candidate provided a weak response to the task.
group Although there are a few accurate points in this candidate’s
answer, the examples provided do not refer specifically to the
• Make sure everyone
activity provided in the question. The candidate has failed to
participates:
provide a sufficient range of valid points. A number of points
‘What do you think, ______ ?’
made are far too general (e.g. body language, adequate
• ‘OK, so we want sentence stress, accuracy) and could refer to a wide number
to + verb, right?’ of speaking activities. It is also unclear why ‘body language’
have beer etc. should be a particular issue for learners engaged in this
have karaoke activity. There are no examples in many sections of the
etc. response. It is not clear from this answer that the candidate
➅ Making suggestions ‘why don’t we get the singer?’ has engaged specifically with the activity presented in the

➆ Negotiating (using conditionals) e.g. ‘if we get the champagne, question.

we can’t have the expensive snacks’

Comment:
The candidate has demonstrated that he has engaged with
the material provided in the exam paper through the
examples he has provided. In separating the points 1/2 and
3/4, the candidate has not gained additional marks as these
would be viewed as parts of two points. In point 5 the
candidate does not add to the discussion of subskills the
group would need training in. The candidate has included a
fairly good range of points. However, some of the examples
could be clearer e.g. ‘Shall we + verb’ might be used for
asking for opinions but could equally be used for making
suggestions. This crossover of examples reduced the
effectiveness of the answer.
The following answer is written by a Fail level candidate.
■ Paper 1 Task Four
The following answer is written by a Distinction level
candidate.
a) Features typical of news story.
Organisational + textual features
– Use of ‘punchy’ rhyming words in heading: no / espresso.
Followed by ellipted headline summary.
– Opening paragraph states most eye-catching event, following
paragraphs give details in chronological order.
– Short sentence length paragraphs.
Grammatical features
– Use of direct speech for emotional impact ‘my nerves …’ and
reported speech for factual reporting of statements.
– Variety of verb tenses: present simple, past simple, past perfect,

For completing the task successfully students would need to use past continuous for narrative effect.

the following features of discourse: – Use of subordinate clauses to pre-modify. Unfortunately for…
According to … Although she was …
a) Turn Taking – as ss. will be working in groups this will be
very relevant as they have to ‘announce’ when They Lexical choices
utterances [illeg.] and end by lowering their voices or choosing
36-a-day: compound adjectives save space.
the right moment to take part in the discussion.
17-year-old
b) Body language – at this level ss. will benefit a lot from body
language to convey their ideas (e.g. using their hands and Cohesive devices: linkers (instead, although, despite, not since)
gestures) link paragraphs

b)
Also the following speaking subskills will be needed by the
learners: a Form: Contraction of she + had. Past perfect
a) Adequate sentences stress in accordance with the idea they Meaning: Indicating the earlier of two past actions
want to transmit. guzzled suffered

b) Accuracy – not very frequent grammar mistakes. —x———-x———— ↓ NOW

Pron: Weak, unstressed ? /߈d/

32 D E LT A H A N D B O O K | MODULE ONE
b Form: Subject + past of verb ‘have’ + object
Meaning: Similar to possessive use of ‘have’ used in narrative
form to describe past state
‘I had a huge puffy hairstyle’
Pron: Had not contracted but still unstressed /\d/ where /h/ is
not audible.
c Form: Subject + had to + base verb (passive)
Meaning: Functional use of semi modal ‘have to’ in past ‘had to’
suggesting an obligation. Passive used to suggest action done to
Jasmine rather than by her. In this sense similar to ‘causative
have’.
Pron: /hædt\/ stress on /hæd/ weak /t\/
c)
Form: multi word verb: ‘to get caught out’ Intransitive,
inseparable. ‘Get’ used in the past simple to form the passive
(get + past participle). ‘Get’ used to replace ‘was’ here.
Meaning: To be negatively impacted by a situation of one’s own
making. The ‘get’ passive is often used to refer to accidental
happenings – quite informal.
Idiomatic: always used to describe a negative situation e.g.
caught doing something unlawful, illegal, inadvisable.
Pron: Elision: /˝okaut/
Liaison / Linking: /kaut Haut
Stress on middle syllable: /kaut/
Silent consonants /˝h/
Problems with meaning:
• idiomatic – cannot be worked out from individual components
• multi meanings ‘caught out’ associated with sports such as
cricket
• is not explicit
• literal interpretation ‘caught’ running?
Problems with phonology:
Elided /t/ /˝okautaut/
Liaison between final consonant /t/ and initial vowel /o/ got
caught H out
spelling / sound problem: ‘gh’ silent
d) Form: verb+ -ing (gerund here). In the base from ‘sob’, ‘b’ is
doubled.
Meaning/use: to cry a lot and without control
Form: verb + -ing (present participle) The base form is ‘rocket’
Meaning/use: This is used as an adjective here (to describe
‘temperature’). It’s also a typical collocation with ‘temperature’
(along with ‘soaring’). Meaning increasing quickly.
Form: verb+ -ing. The auxiliary with the past participle
‘despatched’ to form the passive. Also, ‘After’ is followed by the
-ing form.
Meaning/use: The passive is use to emphasise the action (not the
agent).
Comment:
Some parts of the answer are weaker than others but this
candidate has identified and commented on a large number
of the points of relevance in all areas of the question. She has
demonstrated a very developed understanding of the form,
meaning/use and phonology of the items highlighted as well
as a level of insight into features typical of this particular
genre. There is a good range of points under each section of
the answer with appropriate examples. Terminology is
mostly used accurately throughout the response and the
candidate has provided phonemic transcriptions of the
points on pronunciation. She has also identified a number of
problems learners might have with the language in section
c).
The following answer is written by a Merit level candidate.
a)
(1) An eye-catching headline hinting at the content of the article.
(2) Liberal use of complex clauses describing things (17-year-old
waitress, 36-a-day double-espresso habit.
(3) Liberal use of direct speech interspersed within the prose text.
(4) Lots of short (often one-sentence) paragraphs – looks lighter,
easier to read.
(5) The inclusion of expert opinion/advice/findings which
might have a bearing on the case.
b)
1. form: contracted form (’d) forming part of the past perfect tense:
HAD (or ’d) + PAST PARTICIPLE OF MAIN VERB.
meaning: used to refer to an action taking place before another
action in the past. In this context, the symptoms Jasmine was
experiencing were the result of her excessive consumption of
espresso coffee earlier.
pronunciation: /d/ weakly pronounced followed by the
stressed ‘guzzled’.
2. form: ‘had’ for all persons. Past simple form of the
delexicalised verb ‘have’.
meaning: used to convey a state; in this context,
paraphrasable as ‘Tears were streaming down my face’.
pronunciation: weakly pronounced, possible losing this initial h.
/had/
3. form: semi-modal followed by the to-infinitive. The base form
is have + to-infinitive. In the text, this is the past form.
meaning: used to express external obligation, that is,
regardless of the subject’s volition, in the past.
pronunciation: stressed, with the final ‘d’ possibly
assimilating to the next sound ‘t’ → /hæd/ ~ /«hæt\/
c)
Form: past tense of ‘get’ + past participle of the main verb ‘catch’
+ adverbial particle ‘out’. The ‘on’ refers to the prepositional
phrase ‘on this occasion’. The structure has a passive voice feel to
it.
D E LT A H A N D B O O K | MODULE ONE 33
 Meaning/use:
The passive quality may be captured by the gloss ‘Jasmine was
caught out’ where the subject (Jasmine) suffered the action of
being discovered/found wanting (caught out) this time (on this
occasion).
Pronunciation:
‘Jasmine’ and ‘out’ would probably receive the main stress; ‘got’
would probably lose the ‘t’ /˝Å/ and ‘on’ would be linked to the
final ‘t’ in out.
Problems for learners
Meaning:
Learners might fail to see that the structure is passive in
meaning, particularly if they have learnt to equate ‘passive’
with a form of the verb ‘to be’, and therefore wrongly ascribe
the performance of the action (catching out) to Jasmine. Also,
if they do not chunk the underlined part correctly, they might
not make much sense of this segment of text.
Phonology:
Learners might try to stress ‘caught’ and pronounce ‘out’
weakly or possibly fail to make a slight pause between ‘out’
and ‘on’ to mark the division between the chunks ‘got caught
out/on this occasion’.
d)
Form: a gerund formed by adding -ing to the base form ‘sob’.
Meaning/use: ‘Sobbing’ is used as a noun here meaning to cry
without any control.
Form: ‘Rocketing’ is formed by adding -ing to the base form
‘rocket’.
Meaning/use: ‘Rocketing’ is used as an adjective here and is
collocated with ‘temperature’.
Form: ‘Being’ is formed by adding -ing to the base form ‘be’. It is
used to form a passive structure (being + past participle –
‘despatched’).
Meaning/use: The passive is used to make the agent less
important than the action. The action carries the narrative
forward. ‘Her father’ is the agent.
Comment:
Overall, this response is at a Merit level due to the candidate
identifying and commenting on a range of points, most of
which are accurate. The candidate has demonstrated some
insight into the areas she has identified in language analysis
and learner problems. The candidate has also demonstrated
that she has a developed understanding of form,
meaning/use and pronunciation in some sections of the
answer. However, some sections are weaker than others. In
part b), for example, the candidate has not provided
examples of the point she makes.
The following answer is written by a Pass level candidate.
a)
(1) The first sentence starts with the ‘hook’ of telling us that
we’re going to read a story (It is an all too familiar tale:).
34 D E LT A H A N D B O O K | MODULE ONE
(2) At the beginning, a problem is stated in general terms using
present simple, omitting grammatical features such as articles
(‘teenager’ instead of ‘a teenager’) – much like a newspaper
headline.
(3) The headline itself is a play on words: Just say no to espresso.
The cultural reference is to Nancy Reagan’s War On Drugs
campaign entitled ‘Just Say No’.
(4) The text features quotes from the main characters (the girl
and her father), and typically ends with a quote that ‘resolves’
the initial problem stated at the beginning – in this case,
giving advice.
b)
a) Form: Past perfect: She + had + past participle
Meaning: Before she suffered (from hyperventilation, etc.), she
drank too much coffee
?
X X
suffered now
(hyperventilation,
guzzled too sobbing etc.)
much coffee
Pron: contraction of had, so just a soft ‘d’ sound
b) Form: Simple past
Meaning: to have tears streaming down your face
‘Have’ collocates with the phrase ‘tears . . . face’.
We don’t say ‘cry tears streaming . . .’, we use ‘have’.
She could also say ‘There were tears . . . face’.
‘Have’ here means the tears existed.
Pron: No stress on ‘had’, otherwise it’s fully pronounced and
cannot be contracted to ( ’d).
c) Form: past of ‘have to’
Meaning: Used to talk about something that’s very important
to do
Pron: No stress on ‘had’, but otherwise it’s fully pronounced
and cannot be contracted, e.g. to ‘She’d to be sent’.
c)
‘got caught out (on)’ is a phrasal verb, meaning ‘made a
mistake that other people noticed’. ‘On’ goes together with
‘this occasion’ to tell us when. You can just say ‘get caught
out’ without saying when, or use a different time word/
phrase, such as ‘I got caught out yesterday’. It’s informal;
stress should be put on ‘caught’ and ‘out’.
Learners may well have problems with the meaning since
although they may know the meaning of all the individual
words (got, caught, out + on), they won’t be able to deduce the
meaning of the phrase from the individual words.
It will sound strange if learners don’t put the stress on the
right words.
d)
Form: ‘sobbing’ is a gerund made by adding -ing to the infinitive.
Meaning/use: To cry without any control.
Form: ‘Rocketing’ is a gerund formed by adding -ing to the infinitive.
Meaning/use: ‘Rocketing’ is an adjective here to describe
‘temperature’.
 Form: ‘Being’ is a gerund formed by adding -ing to the infinitive.
Meaning/use: After ‘after’, we use the -ing form.
Comment:
Overall, this response is at a Pass level. The candidate has
identified a number of points in each section sometimes
showing some insight. The candidate has demonstrated an
understanding of form, meaning/use. Also, although he has
not included any phonemic transcription, he has
demonstrated some understanding of pronunciation.
However, he has not consistently demonstrated a developed
understanding. He has included only three accurate points
under section b) though he has provided examples for these.
Part c) is weak and the candidate has failed to comment on
form. In addition, some comments on meaning are vague
and not relevant to the language item (‘on’ is not underlined
in the rubric). His identification of learner problems is
accurate but does not cover a range of points.
The following answer is written by a Fail level candidate.
a)
Five features of this text which make it typical as a human
interest story are:
– The first sentence delays giving any specific facts, but does
get us interested
– The piece uses several quotes from the people involved
– It uses phrases such as ‘last night’ to give a sense of
immediacy
– It gives information from an official body connected to the
topic
– It tries to use the story to give advice to the readers
b)
a) This is the past perfect simple tense: had + past participle,
meaning something which happened before another event in
the past. Here, the ‘had’ can always be contracted in the
spoken form and always takes the sound /d/ no matter what
precedes it.
b) This is the past simple of ‘to have’ and in this case it means
‘to have something happening to you’, which suggests that
you are not in control of the situation. When spoken and
unstressed it can be pronounced /\d/ or /æd/.
c) This is the past form of ‘must’ or ‘have to’ and means it was
necessary for something to happen. It is usually pronounced
/hætu…/
c)
Form: Subject + to get caught out + on + this occasion
This means to get into trouble for doing something, probably
something you have done before. It is a phrasal verb and used
informally.
A problem with this meaning is that, while the meaning of
‘caught’ is retained in the phrase ‘caught out’, the meaning of
‘out’ is not. Learners may take it literally to mean someone
was ‘caught outside’. This is a common problem due to the
metaphorical meaning of phrasal verbs.
It is difficult to pronounce due to the consonant at the end of
‘caught’ and ‘out’ and the vowels at the start of ‘out’ and ‘on’
leading to:
/kø… a¨ +\n/
Students may try to pronounce it as it looks:
/ kø… +a¨t Ån/
which sounds slow and clumsy, or overpronounced.
d)
This is the verb + -ing tense, meaning when someone cries in
an out of control way. There would normally be the verb ‘have’
in this sentence but it has been omitted in this case. The word
‘rocketing’ is used in a collocation with ‘temperature’ here and
‘being’ is a verb + -ing structure used in a continuous aspect.
Comment:
Overall, this response is at a Fail level. Some parts of this
candidate’s answer show an understanding of form,
meaning/use and pronunciation but this is extremely
inconsistent across the answer as a whole. There are a large
number of other points the candidate could have
commented on in each language analysis section and when
identifying features typical of the genre of the text.
■ Paper 1 Task Five
The following answer is written by a Distinction level
candidate.
Firstly, the learner writes the text in the form of a letter (Dear
Fiona,) (looking forward to hearing what do you think of it, Best
wishes, Mansoor). This is inappropriate as the question specifies
that a film review is required. However, apart from the
beginning and ending of the text, the vast majority of the text is
on task and fairly appropriate in style and genre. (I’m going to
tell you about the best film I’ve ever seen … )
Secondly, a problem with cohesion occurs with a lack of proper
referencing. Sometimes it is unclear who ‘he’ is referring to (he
start to get on with). Also he refers to the character by his real
name, which confuses the matter even more. A plus point is that
he writes about the film in a logical way – firstly he introduces
the name, where it was made, set, and the general theme. He
then goes on to talk about the plot in more specific detail.
Another strength of this learner’s text is that he/she does make
use of some linking phrases, e.g. Gradually, Although, then.
These cohesive devices help the text to flow somewhat. However,
the poor punctuation also present in this script offsets the linking
phrases greatly. The learner frequently omits capital letters at
the beginning of a sentence, does not capitalise proper nouns and
also makes a few spelling errors (e.g. it’s a Hollywood film,
japanes, Cruse).
The organisation of this text is diminished by the lack of effective
paragraphing and grouping together ideas. It should have been
divided into at least three paragraphs.
D E LT A H A N D B O O K | MODULE ONE 35
 introducing the movie
↓ text does present evidence of good textual organisation. There
plot
↓ tell you about … ), followed by background information (18th
opinion
On the other hand, the learner produces some good turns of
phrase which are appropriate to this style of writing e.g.
‘set in’
‘role of’
‘contains a lot of special effects’
‘plot’
‘recommend’
Although the punctuation in this text is severely marred, the fact
that it is written in a letter format most interferes with
successful communication. It is not clear when the reader first
sees the text that it is a film review. The reader will think it’s a
personal letter and will engage the wrong schema before reading
it. The result will be confusion (at least initially) and this may
well stop the reader. If we cannot infer the intention or purpose
of a text, it is very difficult to engage with it and we do not know
‘how’ to read it. At this level, the learner should be made aware
of different genre and their style because regardless of how
accurate they are and how good their range of vocabulary etc.,
they won’t be able to communicate effectively if they do not
follow rules of discourse/genre. By ‘rules’, I mean the accepted
conventions of a text type in a culture.
Comment:
The candidate has provided three key strengths and three key
weaknesses. She has provided an appropriate example for
each strength and weakness. Her choice of area to prioritise is
clear and her rationale for choosing this area is convincing,
referring to the text, the reader and the learner. In addition,
she has demonstrated particular insight into her chosen area
in section b). This answer would have benefited from a clearer
layout with strengths and weaknesses listed separately.
The following answer is written by a Merit level candidate.
Key strengths
1. Content: Though written in the form of a letter, the text does
hang together and is sufficiently informative (title; setting;
main characters; main storyline) for the reader to have a
general idea of the film. Moreover, the reviewer’s opinion is
clearly expressed and reinforced throughout (the best film I’ve
ever seen, I strongly recommend … , I hope you will enjoy it
as I did).
2. Appropriacy: The style employed is in keeping with the
generic features of film reviews. There is consistent use of the
present simple for the narrative events (the Americans are
much stronger, he start[s] to get on with … , then he
decide[s]) as well as some good use of suitable lexical items (a
film set in the 18th Century; amazing special effects; the plot
is really inspiring).
36 D E LT A H A N D B O O K | MODULE ONE
3. Organisation: Despite being written as one huge block, the
is an opening sentence that introduces the topic (I’m going to
Century; Japanese empire; Samurais), introduction of the
main characters and the basic plot. The text is rounded off
with the reviewer’s positive evaluation of the film.
4. Cohesion: The text is fully cohesive from beginning to end,
making it very easy to follow. In addition to many instances
of anaphoric reference (best film (it’s called; the Samurais →
them), there is evidence of some good use of conjunction both
intersentential (Although the Americans are stronger …
being caught by the Samurais) and as discourse markers
(Gradually he start … ).
Key weaknesses
1. Task achievement: The text is actually a letter to Fiona (the
teacher?) rather than a review for a school magazine. It begins
‘Dear Fiona’ and ends ‘Looking forward to … ’; ‘Best wishes’,
which is incompatible with the requirements of the task.
2. Appropriacy: Though the style is generally appropriate there
are a number of inaccuracies that detract from the overall
quality of the text, namely, the use of wrong verb forms for
the narrative (he start; he decide) and the use of awkward
structures (that don’t prevent that Tom cruse is being caught
by … ).
3. Cohesion: Rather than relying on reference, the student often
repeats the referent so that you find a number of artificial/
awkward sounding sentences (repetition of Tom Cruise,
Samurai(s)).
4. Punctuation: There are rather excessive mistakes for an
upper-intermediate student in this area. These include the
misuse of commas (the best film I’ve ever seen, it’s called … ;
failure to use capital letters ( … the man he killed.
gradually… ; japanes[e]).
In my view, the failure to comply with the task as set out in the
rubric would be the weakness most likely to interfere with
successful communication. After all, a real reader of the school
magazine would probably be puzzled if instead of a film review,
(s)he found him/herself reading a personal letter to/from
(possibly) a perfect stranger.
Comment:
The candidate has correctly identified three key strengths
and two key weaknesses with appropriate examples. In
addition, the candidate has, at times, demonstrated a high
level of insight into how the strengths and weaknesses add to
or detract from the communicative success of the text as a
whole. The candidate has, however, provided more points
than is required in the rubric and included points that are
not asked for (e.g. accuracy of grammar – which does not
particularly relate to ‘appropriacy’). No additional marks are
awarded for these. The candidate has identified an area to
prioritise with a clear and convincing rationale.
The following answer is written by a Pass level candidate. Comment:
The candidate has provided more points than is required in
Strengths: the rubric. Also, the candidate has focused on areas such as
(1) Mansoor used some appropriate vocab quite accurately to vocabulary range and grammatical accuracy that were not
write about a film, e.g. ‘set in the 18th century’, ‘x plays the listed as part of the focus of the task. Therefore no marks are
main character in a (sic) role of’. ‘absolutely brilliant and awarded for these. As a result, he has identified only three
contains a lot of amazing special effects’, ‘the plot is very key strengths and two key weaknesses. However, he has
interesting and really inspiring’, ‘I strongly recommend this provided appropriate examples for these. Although the
film to anyone … ’. candidate demonstrates some insight into how the strengths
add to or detract from the success of the text, this is
(2) His organisation was good – he first identified the film with
inconsistent. The candidate has identified an area to
its title and where it was from, and then summarized the plot
prioritise but his rationale for this is not particularly
in a comprehensible chronological order. Then he described
convincing. Furthermore, part of the area he has identified is
the film with adjectives and finally recommended it.
‘commas’ which is not considered a key weakness.
(3) He has good referencing, e.g. ‘Although the Americans are
much stronger than … don’t (sic) prevent … ’
The following answer is written by a Fail level candidate.
‘ … to help the Japanese with their war … ’
‘to get on with the samurais, then he decided to fight with s w
them’. task achievement – the style of the film review
recommendation, brief is too personal for his genre
(4) He uses good sequencing devices such as ‘gradually he … ’
summary of plot and including of course best wishes.
and ‘then he … ’. His writing is quite compact and his
comments on technical
sentence structure is fairly accurately complex due to his good
points of film
use of the relative clause ‘Tom Cruse … , who came … ’ and
– cohesion – too many run-on sentences
of the connecting word and ‘ … by the samurais and held … ’; each area is in a separate – lack of capitalisation
‘ … brilliant and contains … ’. section of the review – (The last samurai, it’s a
Hollywood film.)
Weaknesses:

(1) Mansoor didn’t exactly follow the instructions. A film review

The lack of punctuation most interferes with successful
is not a letter to a friend and doesn’t include ‘Dear + name’ or
communication. The review is supposed to inspire confidence in
a friendly sign off such as ‘looking forward to … ’ or ‘Best
the reader. When the reader encounters a text riddled with
wishes + name’.
errors, he/she loses respect for the reviewer and stops reading.
(2) He needs to learn about Common Splices, e.g.
• ‘ … I’ve ever seen, it’s called … ’
Comment:
• ‘ … special effects, the plot is … ’
This response is of a Fail standard. The candidate has
He’s joined the two sentences together with a comma instead of
identified one strength and two weaknesses and provided
a semi-colon or dash, or chosen the option of writing 2 sentences
examples for the weaknesses. Although the candidate has
instead of one, or used a connecting word such as ‘and’, ‘but’,
made a few points of relevance and provided examples, there
‘because’.
is a significant lack of appropriate comment. The candidate
Re: his use of commas, he also mistakenly used one here:
has listed some points under inappropriate headings and has
‘ … amazing, special … ’.
failed to understand the meaning of headings (e.g.
(3) He’s inconsistent also with his use of capitals at the beginning ‘cohesion’). In addition, the final paragraph identifies an area
of sentences and for proper names. e.g. ‘it’s a Hollywood film’, to prioritise but the rationale for this choice is unconvincing
‘ … the japanes (sic) empire’ ‘gradually he …’, ‘Tom cruse and not related to the learner (i.e. the writer of the passage).
(sic).
(4) He has several subject + verb agreement mistakes, e.g.
… that don’t’ (doesn’t prevent)
‘ … he start’ (starts)
‘ … he decide’ (decides)
I believe his key weakness is his punctuation. I would work with
him to be more consistent with his capitalisation and use of
commas. Why? Because although these mistakes don’t terribly
interfere with communicating meaning, they are basic English
writing skills. Not using them degrades his other strengths, and
might prevent him from advancing in an English environment.

D E LT A H A N D B O O K | MODULE ONE 37
PAPER 2
■ Paper 2 Task One
The following answer is written by a Merit level candidate.
Positive Points:
As a low intermediate level learner, J would find the PET exam
effective for a number of reasons. Firstly, PET is a proficiency
test. Therefore J would be tested on his general writing skills at a
realistic level without being tied to a particular syllabus. Also, as
the first set of questions tests J’s ability to paraphrase at
sentence level, it could be argued that this might reflect J’s need
to broaden his range of expression when writing to clients.
Similarly, Part 2 of the test, actually writing an e-mail, can be
said to combine construct validity with face validity in as much
as writing e-mails to clients is J’s main goal.
Negative Points:
On the other hand, J might find that the design of Part 1 does not
accurately reflect his context of use. For one thing, its atomistic
approach to eliciting answers fails to address J’s need to engage
in extended discourse, in other words, J’s ability to supply the
missing words is no guarantee he would be able to produce the
whole sentence, let alone a complete text. Seen in this light, this
part of the test could be said to lack reliability. This criticism also
applies, to a lesser extent, to Part 2. The rubric includes a detailed
outline of the content (bullet points) which, I dare say, gives J
excessively generous guidance as to how to go about the task, a
luxury which he is unlikely to have in his work context. Still on
Part 2, given the dissimilarity of topic, one wonders how far J
would be able to transfer the successful completion of the test
task to the topics/context of his professional writing.
Comment:
This candidate has correctly referred to five features of the
test and made an accurate point for each of the features.
There is good balance of positive and negative points. For
each point the candidate makes, she has provided explicit
links to the learner, her context and the stated purpose for
using the test. In addition, for the majority of points made,
the candidate explicitly refers to relevant testing concepts
and mostly uses terminology correctly, although the first
negative point relates to validity and not to reliability. The
candidate received no credit for the first point made as it
makes a broader point about PET and does not relate to the
materials in the sample.
The following answer is written by a Pass level candidate.
I will look at the two parts separately, with reference to this
particular learner and how they suit her needs.
The first part has very little content validity in terms of questions
that test writing skills. These questions could just as easily be in
a ‘Grammar and Vocabulary’ test as that is what they are testing.
In both this and the topic of the sentences, they don’t suit J’s need
to improve her ability to write email and messages at work. They
don’t have construct validity either, as this is not a real-life task.
38 D E LT A H A N D B O O K | MODULE ONE
However, the sentences in Part One are testing her grammar and
vocabulary. This will have a beneficial backwash in improving her
overall accuracy, should she take a course to study for the PET.
The second part is lacking in terms of style and topic required, as
this is an informal email to a friend, rather than a more formal
work-related message.
On the other hand, it has construct validity and beneficial
backwash in that it is a real life task and learning to do this will
compare her ability to write emails at work.
Comment:
This is a strong Pass level response. The candidate has
referred to five features of the test and made an accurate
point for each of the features. He has included both positive
and negative points. While the candidate has referred
explicitly to the learner, her context and the purpose for
which the test is used on a number of occasions, this could
have been more consistent across the points made. The
candidate has referred to relevant testing concepts and used
some terminology, though not always accurately. More
instances of this would have gained more marks.
The following answer is written by a Fail level candidate.
The test is suitable for J in terms of level she is at low
intermediate level and the exercises in part 1 are highly
controlled practice. The exercises will allow J to express herself in
a wider variety of ways in the future.
However, the context is not relevant to her job as a hotel
receptionist.
In part 2, writing an email would be useful to the student, as this
is part of her job, but she is required to write to a friend not to a
customer or client.
Comment:
This is a Fail response due to the fact that it is limited. The
candidate has identified three features of the test and there
are both positive and negative points. He has made reference
to the learner and her context but most comments made are
rather vague and need significantly more specificity to
demonstrate any insight. There is no reference to relevant
testing concepts and testing terminology is not used. Overall,
the test is treated as if it were a practice activity for the
learner.
■ Paper 2 Tasks Two and Three
The following answer is written by a Distinction level
candidate.
Task Two
Exercise 3
Intended purpose:
To expose students to language within context. To allow them to
familiarize themselves with the meaning of the text before
focusing on language.
Key assumptions:
– Language should be taught within a meaningful context rather
than decontextualised
– Grammatical items e.g. verb tenses should not be taught in
isolation: contrasting two features helps with identifying
meaning
– Visuals add to understanding of texts.
Exercise 4
Intended purpose:
To help learners discover meaning by matching verb forms to
meaning (Inductive approach).
Key assumptions:
– Learners can be helped to ‘notice’ if features are made salient
(e.g. by bolding/highlighting)
– Learning is more memorable if there is a cognitive challenge
present in the task
– Learning is more memorable if learners discover/associate
meaning for themselves.
Exercise 5
Intended purpose:
For learners to get an opportunity to repeat target structures in
order to get some initial practice in form v pron.
Assumptions:
– Repetition is important for learning. Hearing good oral models
is essential for production of appropriate stress/intonation
– ‘Listen & repeat’ activities are reassuring for learners and
provide scaffolding required for lowering anxiety (affective filter).
Exercise 6
Intended purpose:
To provide restricted (controlled) practice of the two verb tenses.
Assumptions:
– Consciousness raising activities help learners ‘fix’ form/
meaning in their long term memories
– Learners benefit from explicit focus on form & meaning
– Talking ‘about’ language to a partner helps to clarify concepts.
Task Three
A number of the remaining exercises in the extract have a
vocabulary focus that supports the exercises mentioned above.
Exercise 1 introduces vocabulary students might need when
reading the text in exercise 3. Exercises 1 and 2 introduce and give
initial practice of a set of phrases that might be used in exercises
8 and 10 in which learners practise using the grammar. In these
later exercises, students can choose which of these phrases to use
and this gives them a level of autonomy. Beginning the sequence
with vocabulary and then adding the grammar gives the students
scaffolding they need when asked to use the language later.
Exercises 8 (and to a lesser degree 9 and 10) support the language
work done in the exercises in Task 2 by combining it with
vocabulary/phrases in a personalised context. The personalised
factor has not been particularly present in the earlier exercises.
8 gives support by recycling the grammar but with a focus that
provides new interest for students. In these exercises the focus is
more on communicative ability than on accuracy. In this way the
work done on accuracy in earlier exercises is reinforced while also
giving students another opportunity to practise.
Comment:
The candidate has correctly identified the purpose of each
activity in relation to the purpose of the extract as a whole.
She has commented on six key assumptions about language
learning evident in these exercises and has demonstrated a
high level of insight into the learning/teaching process as
represented by these exercises. The candidate has provided
comments on significantly more than six key assumptions
but no additional marks were awarded for these. The
candidate has accurately and insightfully commented on a
wide range of ways in which the vocabulary focus of the
remaining exercises supports those discussed in Task Two.
The following answer is written by a Pass level candidate.
(a) Exercise 3
Intended purpose:
– set the context for/arouse interest in the reading of the letters (a)
– provide practice in reading for gist (b)
– provide practice in reading for detail (c)
– provide initial exposure to target forms (e)
Key assumptions:
– learners benefit from grading tasks from less to more
cognitively demanding
– learning may be helped by initial exposure to target language
inductively
(b) Exercise 4
Intended purpose:
– draw attention to target forms in context
– provide guidance for the use of the target forms
Key assumptions
– learners benefit by noticing the target language in context
– explicit rules speed up/facilitate learning
(c) Exercise 5
Intended purpose:
– provide controlled oral practice of the target forms
Key assumptions:
– repetition of target language is a useful learning strategy
– oral language work should precede written work
(d) Exercise 6
Intended purpose:
– provide written controlled practice of the target language in a
meaningful context
Key assumptions:
– learners benefit from testing their understanding of how the
target language works in controlled settings
– learners benefit from articulating/sharing their hypotheses
D E LT A H A N D B O O K | MODULE ONE 39

The exercises with a vocabulary focus are 1 and 2.
Exercise 1
– teaches vocabulary for use in exercise 2
– teaches vocabulary to help students when reading the text in
exercise 3
– supports the other exercises because it allows learners to
access the text (where the grammar is embedded)
Exercise 2
– practises the vocabulary taught in exercise 1 in a personalised
way
– assumption: is that students learn and remember language
more effectively if they use it to express personal factors.
Language takes on more meaning for them personally.
Comment:
The candidate has identified six assumptions about language
learning. However, he has not consistently provided an
explanation as to why the authors might consider these
assumptions to be important for learning. When the candidate
has provided comments they are, at times, insightful but this is
also inconsistent. The candidate’s comments in Task Three are
more complete and this has increased the marks scored. They
clearly refer to how the additional exercises support those
discussed in Task Two. The candidate has not identified that
exercise 8 also has a vocabulary focus.
The following answer is written by a Fail level candidate.
Intended purposes:
Exercise 3: provide reading practice
Exercise 4: test students’ knowledge of present simple and
present continuous (positives, negatives and questions)
Exercise 5: students practise pronunciation
Exercise 6: students do a gapfill using the grammar
Assumptions:
3. visuals help learners when they read
4. teacher needs to know what students already know so they
can teach them what they don’t know (test teach test)
5. pronunciation is as important as grammar
6. gapfills are a good way to practise grammar
Vocabulary focus
Exercise 1: the topic of the extract is Job Hunting and these
phrases are a lexical set
Exercise 2: Students practise the phrases in a personalised way
Comment:
The candidate has not identified all the intended purposes of
the exercises in relation to the purpose of the extract as a
whole. Rather, she has identified a purpose that is often limited
to one particular exercise. The candidate has not demonstrated
that she is aware of how the sequence of activities helps
achieve the stated purpose of the extract. The candidate has
identified four assumptions about the exercises (one for each)
but has not explained why the authors might consider them to
be important, which is what the rubric asks for. Many of the
comments made in this section are vague. In addition, the
40 D E LT A H A N D B O O K | MODULE ONE
candidate has not commented on how the vocabulary focus in
the remaining material supports the sequence in Task Two.
Rather, she has identified how two vocabulary exercises relate
to the topic of the extract and to each other. There is very little
evidence of the candidate’s understanding of the principles
informing this piece of material.
■ Paper 2 Task Four
The following answer is written by a Distinction level
candidate.
(a) Each of the teacher quotes provided suggest that:
The use of L1 is inappropriate in a language classroom.
There is no benefit from using L1, other than as a time saving
device.
The expectation is that students use English 100% of class time.
Translation is a ‘lazy’ teacher’s aid.
(b) The teacher would need to:
– negotiate an English only policy with her learners at the start
of a course. This would involve a discussion of the value of such
a policy, linked to the learners’ need for English.
– take on a ‘language monitor’ role & call on learners who
consistently use L1 in class.
– ensure that subject matter brought into class is interesting,
relevant, engaging & of the right level, so that learners do not
feel the need to revert to L1.
– make task instructions absolutely clear so that confusion/lack
of understanding doesn’t force learners to turn to each other for
explanations in L1.
– scaffold her learners appropriately so that learners feel
challenged but comfortable in attempting set tasks in L2.
– incorporate topics that are very familiar to learners so that they
feel like authorities on the subject & therefore confident in
approaching the language associated with the topic.
– raise awareness by discussing theories of learning (risk taking,
immersion theory) & their implications with learners.
(c) Used judiciously, L1 can be helpful:
– to explain tasks to low level learners
– to encourage low level learners to discuss their understanding
of the meaning of a grammatical structure
– to check if the connotation of an idiomatic expression has been
understood
– as a concept checking tool with low levels
– as a way of raising awareness of lexical chunks/collocations
(elicit equivalents in L1)
– as a means of drawing attention to reading/listening sub-
skills and strategies in L1 in order to justify similar approaches
in L2 (e.g. bring in article in L1. Learners skim for gist under
timed conditions). Teacher/students discuss reasons for
successful reading. Attempt similar strategies in article in L2.
– when teacher is aware of existence of ‘false cognate’ and needs to
draw attention to this e.g. bookshop vs. library (Arabic + French)
– when students need to check understanding but do not have
access to enough English
 – when a concept does not exist in L1 e.g. Tense vs. Aspect
teacher can use translation to illustrate the point.
Comment:
This is a comprehensive response covering a wide range of
relevant points. The candidate supports her assertions with
practical illustrations and examples that demonstrate a real
understanding of the issues involved in this task. Part a) is
weaker than the other two parts but the scope of parts b) and
c) gained enough marks to ensure a very high level of
achievement. Many of the comments in parts b) and c)
demonstrate a consistent level of insight in the topic area.
This response is authoritative and convincing throughout.
The following answer is written by a Merit level candidate.
a.
T1 Translation into L1 is negative. It interrupts an approach
where it is believed if learners think in English, they will
be able to speak in English.
Translation anchors learners to their L1.
It is not possible to do direct L2 – L1 translations.
T2 Learners need to be exposed to L2 at all times.
The teacher provides a model for L2.
Increased exposure and acquisition.
Creating an L2 classroom lingua franca aids acquisition.
T3 Many learners will not understand instructions,
explanations – all teacher language – in L2.
Developing listening skills and classroom metalanguage
in L2 are not priorities.
T4 Speaking fluency is a priority.
L2 (English) should be used at all times.
Discussion should be involving and engaging.
b.
– Explanation/discussion of value and agreement to use
English in class, perhaps accompanied by a reward system
e.g. points/goals – stars etc. for using English.
– The teaching/use of relevant classroom language
e.g.‚ – for asking questions (What’s the answer to No. 3?).
– for asking for clarification (e.g. ‚ ‘I don’t understand – can
you explain again?’).
– The teaching and encouragement of
– paraphrasing and defining e.g. ‘it’s what you do/feel etc.
when . . .’ ‘it’s another word for’.
– Techniques whereby learners can ask for help to say what
they want in English e.g. Community Language Learning,
where a discussion is recorded, tape recorder switched off
when L2 – L1 translation is required, then tape recorder is
switched on for L1 translation by student.
– Setting tasks & objectives for speaking fluency which
learners are able to do in English. So for example, rather
than set up discussions which require lexis beyond the
learners’ competence, devise role plays & possibly problem-
solving discussions that require more limited English.
– Pre-teach key language required for speaking activities.
– Appoint monitors in groups whose role is to remind learners
to use English (during discussions).
– T would need to avoid using L1 themselves.
– Bring guests into the classroom who don’t speak sts’ L1
(e.g. visiting family if in sts’ country).
– Ask learners to role play celebrities who don’t speak
learners’ own language.
– Agree on ‘English Only’ times in the lesson.
c.
Sometimes it is useful for learners to see that an apparently
difficult structure in L2 is very similar to one in L1 (e.g. if I
were – se fossi in Italian).
– To raise awareness of differences that learners may not have
noticed e.g. article use in English & Slav. languages.
– In monolingual classes to explain difficult concepts that
requires language beyond the learners’ competence.
– To encourage learners to suggest what they would like to
say in English, but can’t. They say it in their L1, &
translations are provided.
– Similarly, learners might bring texts/songs/poems/slogans
that they have heard/that they like and would like to know
what they mean. Later, the translation can be translated
back into English.
– Concepts for which there is no translation in English.
Comment:
This is a comprehensive response covering a wide range of
relevant points. The candidate often supports her
observations with illustrations and examples that
demonstrate a good (sometimes very good) understanding of
the issues involved in this task. However, in parts b) and c),
the candidate doesn’t always explain why these
roles/procedures and use of L1 might be beneficial and the
convincing nature of what the candidate writes sometimes
suffers as a result. Some comments are at a very high level of
insight but, again, this is not entirely consistent.
The following answer is written by a Pass level candidate.
(a) The first quote is from someone who doesn’t see the connection
between aptitude in L2 and your L1. The second is someone who
feels that use of L1 in class is a bad thing, in that it may distract
students from learning English. The third is someone who believes
in L1 as a tool to give instructions and manage students. Perhaps
they feel that as long as the students do the activities in English,
that is good enough. The final person feels that the whole lesson
needs to be in English and that using L1 doesn’t help students.
(b) There are several different things that can be done, concerning
use of the L1, in order to increase the amount of English in the
classroom:
– For students who use L1 ‘too much’ (Teacher 4) allow ‘L1 time’
or a certain point in the lesson, but only then. Students will
D E LT A H A N D B O O K | MODULE ONE 41
 need careful monitoring and encouragement during other times. The following answer is written by a Fail level candidate.
Also, make sure you set up activities properly – present and
drill the language needed, demo with another student if (a)

necessary. T1 This teacher doesn’t see L1 as something that can be used

to raise awareness of certain features of English. The
– For teachers who use L1 a lot (Teacher 3) spend a lesson on
teacher also probably doesn’t believe that L1 actually
classroom instructions, then gradually introduce them into your
interferes with certain aspects of ESL teaching such as
teacher talk. Have students come up and give instructions from
collocation.
time to time too.
(b) The teacher would need to have a positive attitude towards
Teacher 2 could use their knowledge to do certain activities. One the L1 and respect it as opposed to dismiss it. The teacher
example is a ‘translation dictation’ where you say something in would have to choose very carefully when to use L1 in the
L1, they write it or say it back in L2. classroom. If L1 is used to raise awareness of a particular

(c) There are several times when I believe it is appropriate for grammatical item or vocabulary structure it would be useful.

teacher or students to use the L1: Having said that, if the teacher resorts to L1 every time
someone doesn’t understand they are providing a negative
to make students aware of the differences between L1 and model for their students.
L2 (e.g. no articles in Chinese). One activity is ‘literal
(c) The teacher is translating a collocation.
translation’ where students translate an L2 phrase into L1,
The teacher is providing an awkward example of L1 mirroring
then back into L1, but word for word.
an awkward response produced by a student.
to briefly clarify the meaning of a difficult vocabulary item The Ss is asked to write down the meaning of a particular
when mime, pictures or examples would take too long. grammar structure that wasn’t presented but rather noticed.
The Ss needs only one word to express their communicative
to deal with any disciplinary problems, where the language
purpose.
level is low.
The S. is asking for a translation of a collocation from L1 →
English.
Comment:
The teacher is explaining a culturally sensitive issue.
This candidate has provided a range of relevant points and,
The teacher is providing a context for an idiomatic expression.
at times, supports these with examples that demonstrate a
practical (and partly, theoretical) understanding of the issues
Comment:
involved in this task. Part a) tends to re-assert the positions
The candidate has identified a very few accurate points
expressed by each quote without always exploring the beliefs
across parts a), b) and c) in this answer. In part a), the
informing it. Part b) contains a solid range of roles and
candidate fails to identify the beliefs informing the teachers’
procedures that are practical in nature but the candidate
attitudes but rather rephrases the first quote (and does not
does not often explain why these might be beneficial. Part c)
mention any of the other quotes). The candidate refers to
suffers from a lack of range and number of points though
collocation in part a) but with no clear rationale for doing so.
those included are accurate. The candidate has restricted his
In part b), beyond referring to a ‘positive attitude’ and the
response by referring to the quotes in part b) where a wider
need to ‘choose carefully’, the candidate does not refer to
discussion of roles/procedures is more appropriate.
teacher roles or procedures. In part c), the candidate refers to
a number of instances where use of L1 might be appropriate
but does not explore these in any meaningful way nor fully
explain why they might be appropriate. Throughout the
response, the candidate is vague on most points he makes
and demonstrates very little understanding of the issues
involved in this task.

42 D E LT A H A N D B O O K | MODULE ONE