Transcript LPAT Briefing Session (English Language)

LPAT Briefing Session
(English Language)
Date:
Time:
Venue:
14 November 2009 (Saturday)
1:00pm - 3:30pm
Queen’s College
Speakers:
Dr Neil DRAVE
1:00pm – 2:20pm
Manager - Assessment Development
(LPAT English Language), HKEAA
Josephine CHEUNG, Sonia KAN
2:45pm – 3:15pm
Language Proficiency Assessment Section, EDB
Rundown
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Aims of the Session
Overview of the LPAT English Language
Outline of the Papers
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Paper 1 (Reading)
Paper 2 (Writing)
Paper 3 (Listening)
Paper 4 (Speaking)
Break (& Question submission time)
Questions (Paper 1 – 4)
Classroom Language Assessment (CLA)
Questions
Aims
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Introduce the Assessment
Introduce each paper, with examples
from recent assessments
Give you some hints about how to do
well
Answer questions
More information in the Handbook for
Candidates
Handbook for Candidates
(+CD, DVD)
Assessment Types
Norm-referenced vs.
Standards-referenced
60
50
40
% Candidates
30
20
10
0
Level 5: 25%
 Level 4: 32%
 Level 3: 7%
 Level 2: 10%
 Level 1: 26%
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70
L1
L3
L5
Paper 1 Reading
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Duration: one hour 30 minutes
3 Reading Comprehension passages
Passages are about 1 page of A4 each
One longer, two shorter (may change from
year to year)
Most require phrases or sentences as
answers
Topics and genres will be of different kinds
Some MC questions (4 options) – blacken the
circle
Rubric
Passage A Please answer the following
questions. You may use words from the
passage or your own words except where
explicitly stated. You do not have to
answer each question in complete
sentences but make sure that your
answers are full enough and coherent
enough for the assessor to understand.
Sample Passage (2008)
Passage B
Making the Cut: China’s Designers on the Rise
Having turned itself into a factory floor for the global
apparel industry, China – through a new generation of
young designers – is repositioning itself to become a force
in creating clothes, not just manufacturing them. The
international fashion industry is paying more attention to
China’s design talent, says Xiao Yan, deputy editorial
director of fashion magazine Elle China. On the world
style scene, though, ‘Chinese designers are still in the
very early stage’, she adds. [continues]
Sample Questions (1)
Question
‘On line 7, “…in the very early stage”. Of what?’
 Answer
Repositioning itself to become a force in creating
clothes [exact words]
OR
Entering the world style scene [exact words ++]
OR
Being recognised by the international fashion
world [paraphrase]
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Sample Questions (2)
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Question
‘In paragraph 1, what metaphor is
used to refer to China as a
manufacturer of clothes for the
world?’
Answer
‘a factory floor’ [exact words]
Sample Questions (3)
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Question
‘According to the paragraph beginning on line 28, in
what kinds of institutions can students study fashion
design in Shanghai?’
Passage
‘Besides universities in major cities, which have
been beefing up their fashion department offerings
over the past six years or so, there are private
academies…’
Answer
Universities and private academies [need BOTH]
Paper 1 Suggestions
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Refer to the text for answers (don’t rely on personal
knowledge or experience)
Copy, summarise or paraphrase information in the
text
If copying, don’t copy too much: only your FIRST
answer (or section) will be marked
Pay attention to the number of marks
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2 marks usually means more than one piece of
information
1 mark MAY mean one piece of information or may
mean that it is two closely linked pieces e.g. Q =
‘Where did the writer find materials in English’ A =
Record stores and second-hand book stores (1 mark)
Make sure answers are grammatical
Paper 2 Writing
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Part 1: Task 1 Composition Writing
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Part 2:
Task 2A Correcting errors in a student’s
composition
 Task 2B Explaining errors in a student’s
composition
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Part 1: Task 1 Composition
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Different text types to write (expository,
narrative, descriptive etc.)
Text input of about 200 words
Word limit – 400 words
Scales and descriptors used to judge
quality of writing
Sample Part 1 Prompt (2008)
Read the following article about contributing to the
community.
Making a Contribution
Bill Gates is more of a philanthropist than a
software developer these days and has left his
job at Microsoft to manage his charity work
through the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation.
[continues 150 – 200 words total]
Sample Writing Part 1 Task (2008)
Task
Write a short speech for your school
graduation ceremony in which you talk
about the importance of contributing to the
community. Describe someone who devotes
some of his/her time and energy to helping
others.
Write about 400 words.
Sample Writing Part 1 Task (2007)
Task
Your Principal has provided HK$2000 to run a
campaign to promote healthy eating in your
school. He is now asking for suggestions on
how best to spend this money.
Write to the Principal outlining some of the
problems with students’ eating habits and
suggesting two ways of using the funds
provided.
Write about 400 words.
Scales and Descriptors
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Scale 1 Organisation and Coherence
Scale 2 Grammatical & Lexical
Accuracy/Range
Scale 3 Task Completion
Scale 1:
Organisation and coherence
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Unity: each paragraph should deal with one
topic only
Coherence: the overall flow/development
should be clear
Cohesion: use cohesive devices such as
conjunctions, referencing and repetition of
key words and phrases wisely - make sure
that connectives aren’t overused
Conciseness: do not write more than is
necessary
Scale 2: Grammatical & lexical
accuracy/range
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Accuracy
 Sentence structure
 Agreement
 Collocation
Variety (complexity, naturalness)
 Vocabulary and phrasing
 Fixed expressions vs. cliché
Scale 3: Task completion
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Read the task instructions carefully
Identify the specific areas to be
addressed
Plan how you will address each for a
balanced piece of writing
Paper 2 Part 1 Suggestions
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Read English texts e.g. opinion pieces
in newspapers
Become familiar with the basic structure
of different types of texts
Increase your vocabulary using a
thesaurus & other tools
Don’t just copy ideas from the prompt –
expand upon them
Paper 2 Part 2
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Task 2A – Detecting & Correcting Errors
/ Problems in a Student Composition
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Task 2B – Explaining Errors / Problems
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Questions are in the Question booklet,
write answers in the Question Answer
booklet
Sample Task 2A
Correcting Errors
Global warming: What can we do?
I think this not good to our planet. (1)
We had to work to stop damaging us
planet. There is much things we may
do (2) to less the pollution like not to
smoke, not drive and not to waste
electricity. [continues]
Task 2A Suggested Answers
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(1) We had to work to
stop damaging us
planet.
(1) Sample only – answer
will be given
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(2) to less the pollution
like not to smoke, not
drive and not to waste
electricity.
(2) to lessen the
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(3) even so my 15years old sister.
pollution, like not
smoking
(3) even my 15-year old
sister.
Writing Task 2B
Sample Questions (1) 2009
Item 17: we celebrated at a very (17) good
restaurant he help prepare the food
There are two errors in this sentence. The first
relates to the need for a/an (a) _________________
‘where’ to tell the reader the location of the father’s
food preparation. The second error is one of
agreement. The subject is ‘he’, which is (b)
___________________________, and so the verb should
be ‘helps’ not ‘help’.
Sample Answers (1)
Item 17: we celebrated at a very (17) good
restaurant he help prepare the food
There are two errors in this sentence. The first
relates to the need for a/an (a) relative pronoun
‘where’ to tell the reader the location of the father’s
food preparation. The second error is one of
agreement. The subject is ‘he’, which is (b)
third person singular, and so the verb should be
‘helps’ not ‘help’.
Sample Questions (2) 2008
Item 17: … polar bear is (17) too cuter
than the panda
There is one error. The writer has
used a/an (a)______________ ‘too’;
however, the (b)_____________
‘cuter’ is sufficient.
Sample Answers (2)
Item 17: … polar bear is (17) too
cuter than the panda
There is one error. The writer has
used a/an (a) modifier
[adverb/intensifier] ‘too’; however,
the (b) comparative (adjective)
‘cuter’ is sufficient.
Paper 2 Task 2 Suggestions (1)
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LPATE for teachers of English
Tasks 2A and 2B, though related, are two
separate tasks
Task 2A
Correct only the underlined and numbered
items
 Do not make unnecessary changes e.g.
‘My mother also likes fastly cars…’
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‘My mother also likes fast cars…’ 
‘My mother also likes to drive cars quickly…’ 
Paper 2 2A/2B Suggestions (2)
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Task 2B
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Refer back to student composition
Be specific e.g. the type of pronoun / conditional
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Revise basic grammatical terminology (‘metalanguage’)
Various answers (‘systems’) are allowed
Grammar book
 easy to use
 from a reputable publisher
If in doubt, put more detail
Spelling is important but mistakes will be
penalised only once
Paper 3 Listening
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Duration: One hour
Pauses included throughout & 10 minutes at the
end
3 or 4 texts e.g. radio discussions, debates,
monologues, podcasts/webcasts
Different topics (not necessarily education related)
Up to 4 speakers & host
Native speakers of English & non-native speakers
Male & Female
‘Normal’ speed for the type of discourse
Complete answers as you listen
Question types (1)
1. Open-ended
How does Carmen send a message to Jeff Orlando?
She writes a message on the notepad and draws a line to his name
[need BOTH parts]
2. Gap-filling in a connected paragraph
Complete the summary below. Use NO MORE THAN ONE
WORD for each answer.
(8 marks)
David believes that the reforms are moving in the right (i) direction
but he is unsure as to whether the new system will really be a
(ii) better alternative.
Question Types (2)
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Filling in blanks in a flowchart
Filling in cells in a table
Filling in gaps in a bulleted list
Multiple choice
Diagram labelling
Figures: e.g. ‘What is the best estimate
of the number of Gypsies in the UK in
2005?’
Exact words: e.g. ‘Wendy feels that a
Feng Shui master should also know
about what?’
Paper 3 Suggestions
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Read upcoming questions
carefully during pauses
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Use background knowledge
(topics, context)
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Grammar ONLY important in
‘one word answer’ section
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Spelling ONLY important for
proper names, job titles &
other ‘fixed’ items, unless the
meaning is changed
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Connie agrees David’s view
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Tourist Management 
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Tourism Management 
David’s
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Board based education 
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Broad based education 
Connie
view 
supports
Paper 4 Speaking
Part
1 (individual)
Task 1A Reading aloud
Task 1B Recount
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2 Group Interaction
Assessment Format
Part 1
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Task 1A Reading
Aloud (prose)
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Task 1B
Telling/Recounting/
Presenting
(monologue)
10 minutes to
prepare for both
parts
5 minutes for
the test (both
parts)
Part 2 Group Interaction
Assessment Format
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5 minutes to prepare in the classroom
3 or 4 candidates in a group
Time limit
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10 Minutes (3 candidates)
13 minutes (4 candidates)
Discuss an education-related topic / situation
E.g. planning something, deciding what to do about
something, reflecting on the past, coming up with a
policy…
Scales and Descriptors
Scale 1.
Scale 2.
Scale 3.
Scale 4.
Scale 5.
Scale 6.
Task 1A Reading aloud
Pronunciation, stress and intonation
Reading aloud with meaning
Task 1B Recounting / Presenting
Grammatical & lexical accuracy / range
Organisation & cohesion
Task 2 Group interaction
Interacting with peers
Discussing educational matters with
peers
Reliability
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All examiners are from HK tertiary
institutions
Two examiners per assessment
Pre-assessment training
During assessment - monitoring by
Chief Examiner
Recording
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Your performance will be recorded
If you agree to sit for the
assessment, you agree to the
recording
Reasons
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Appeals & complaints
Examiner training
Research
Recording Set-up
Suggestions
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Reading aloud
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Read phrase by
phrase, not word by
word
Don’t try to be too
dramatic
Recounting
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How much can you
do in 1 – 2 minutes?
Two or three main
points
Clear structure
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Group discussion
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Conversational style
Don’t try to dominate
Don’t just ask questions
Build upon what others
have said
Refer to your actual
(learning/teaching)
experience if possible
Concluding Remarks
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LPATE is a test for teachers, not a
general English test
It is possible to practice for it
Treat it like a driving test, with certain
skills to be demonstrated under
controlled conditions
Markers and Oral Examiners are welltrained experts who want a fair
assessment
Good Luck!