In the last article in this series, we looked at things you need to keep in mind when answering tasks 1 and 2 on Paper One of the Delta Module One exam. Here, were moving on to task 3. See the Cambridge ESOL website in order to down load a past paper and see a sample question for this task.
Paper One Task 3
If Tasks 1 and 2 of Paper One test your understanding of the concepts involved in EFL, then task 3 moves on to look at how you might apply that knowledge in your lesson planning. It asks you to analyse a given speaking or writing activity in terms of the key subskills it would involve - ie the language items and discourse organisation skills that the learners would need to be able to control in order to carry out the activity successfully. You need both to identify the subskill and give an example or illustration, and it is important that the example should be appropriate to the level of competence which the activity is intended for, and also specific to that activity. In other words, you are being asked to evaluate an activity in terms of whether it would be "doable" by a given group of learners - what language items etc they would need to have covered before attempting the task.
You have 15 minutes for this task, and there are 15 marks available - so notice that we are back to a potential mark a minute. You are asked to identify five clearly distinct language/discourse features, and there is one mark available for each, plus a further two for the example. So you need to take care with your examples, as they carryu the bulk of the marks for this question.
To look at the "traps" that candidates fall into, lets look at a sample question. Based on the information above, how many marks would you award for the following answer? Imagine that the task is to roleplay a meeting where the participants are organising a conference. Each rolecard gives information on one or more of the things which need to be done (book the conference centre, send out the publicity etc) and gives various pieces of information about alternatives and individual preferences. There is also a designated meeting leader who has an overview of all the things to be decided. In the meeting, they have to decide who is going to do what. They are at lower intermediate (B1) level.
1) Structuring the discourse (meeting leader) : Eg Opening - indicating the meeting structure and announcing topics - definition, negotiation and allocation of tasks - summarising decisions - closing.
2) Using modal and semi-modal verbs to express necessity and obligation, and to make recommendations : Eg We need to book the conference centre. / We should send out the information next week
3) Making/Accepting/Refusing polite requests : Eg Joanna, I wonder if youd mind dealing with the catering? / Well actually, I think David would be the best person for that.
4) Suggesting : Eg How about... What about... Why dont we... We could...
5) The participants would need to be able to offer and/or confirm willingness to take on specific tasks, by saying what theyll do.
6) Relative clauses : For the publicity, why dont we contact the people who we used last time?
7) Allocating speaking turns by eg nominating and asking open questions : Anne, why do you prefer the Four Trees Hotel?
8) Self selecting for a speaking turn : Can I say something about the catering?
9) Summarising decisions : OK, so Joanna is going to book the conference centre and David is going to deal with the catering .
Im not a Cambridge examiner, but my comments on the individual points would be :
1) OK. The candidate has identified a speaking subskill and has clearly illustrated it. The layout, with the use of the colon and "Eg" makes it clear which is the subskill and which the illustration. Id give this the full 3 marks.
2) OK. The function is relevant, the language items needed to express that function are stated, and the examples are specific to the context. Again, the layout is clear and the underlining indicates clearly which language items are illustrative of the structures/function indicated. Id again give this point the full 3 marks. However, notice that the candidate has wasted time by giving two examples. The second is not necessary.
3) The function is valid (1 mark), but the exponents chosen to illustrate it (I wonder if youd mind.../Well, actually ) would be beyond the capability of the average learner at this level, so no marks. Joanna, can you deal with the catering? would have been a more appropriate illustration.
4) The function is valid (1 mark), but the examples are incomplete - they are just sentence stems rather than full examples relevant to the specific task, and therefore gain no marks. The candidate could have used the example which was used in (6) here.
5) This is very wordy. The first eight words just eat up time without gaining marks, and if you wrote this phrase for each point youd be writing at least forty redundant words. I dont know how fast you write but at my writing speed thats 75 seconds down the drain. In addition, no concrete example is given here at all, so again just 1 mark for the functional area. Much better to replace this with Offering and/or confirming willingness to take on specific tasks : Eg - OK, Ill phone the printers this afternoon.
6) Relative clauses is not a "key" item for this task - its possible to imagine learners completing it successfully without using relative clauses at all. Its simply a generic feature of language which could crop up in almost any stretch of discourse. No marks for this here. In order for relative clauses, to be "key" the task would have to be one where learners really needed to use it in continuation to fulfill the task. A task necessitating circumlocution strategies would be an example - eg an activity where learners were given of pictures of things they didnt know the names of, and had to buy them in a shop. This would give rise to eg Im looking for the things which you wear on your eyes when you go swimming. Here, I would argue that the ability to use relative clauses really was "key". But in the task were discussing, its incidental.
7/8) Either of these would be OK, but not both. They are really part and parcel of the same generic area - turntaking. Dont split areas which are actually the same - for example in (3) making, accepting and refusing are all part of the area Polite requests, not three individual points. No more than 3 points.
9) Again, valid - but unacceptable here because the point has already been used in (1). Dont repeat yourself - and this is true throughout the exam. Youll only get the marks for a point once, and in this task thats true of both the features and the examples.
And whoops - there are nine points here, and you were only asked for five. You wont be penalised for the extra ones, and if you can get a sixth point down in the time allowed, it may be a useful safety blanket if one of your earlier points is off-track. But any more and youre probably going to over-run the fifteen minutes. If your earlier points are valid you wont pick up any extra marks, but you will waste time that could have been bringing you marks in the next question.
Other criticisms? The points are a bit top-heavy on functions - not necessarily a problem but it could lead you into putting down points which are too "close". Aim for a range of different types of subskill and discourse feature. This list starts well - a discourse feature is followed by a structural/functional area - but it would be nice to have seen a lexical area in there too. Cardinal and ordinal numbers comes to mind : We need a plenary room for five hundred / The conference is from the third to the fifth of September / We need to print about 5,000 leaflets would all be possible examples. Looking for a range of discourse, structural/functional and lexical features will add variety to your list and help avoid the danger of overlap.
This is a task where thinking time pays dividends. Look at the activity from the point of view of discourse, structural/functional and lexical areas, choose the five that seem to you the strongest, and put those down - naming the feature and giving a clear example specific to the task without wasting time on discussion, or introductory/concluding phrases. If you have time, add a sixth point - but then move on. Task 4 awaits - and its a big one!
Sue Swift has been involved with Cambridge ESOL Diploma schemes for over 35 years, both as a tutor and assessor. She currently runs courses for all three modules of the Delta. Whether youre starting from scratch, have done a course before but need a short intensive booster before taking or retaking the exam, or are mainly self-preparing but need a bit of help, click here to see what we have to offer you.
To see the other articles in this series:
Missed some of the other articles in this series? Youll find links to all of them here - just scroll down the page. But if youre preparing for the Delta Module One, dont forget that youll find a lot more information about all the tasks in the exam, with sample questions and answers, plus advice for tackling the questions in the Handbook for Tutors and Candidates and the annual exam reports published by Cambridge ESOL. Click on the link to download them..
And if youre taking the exam this December and need some last minute exam preparation, join us in Milan for an intensive weekend seminar on November 22-23. Numbers are limited to six to make sure you get as much as possible from the programme, but there are still a couple of places left. Full details here.
