Sample Materials Guide 2012
ContaCt InformatIon
All correspondence and mailings should be addressed to: Cambridge Michigan Language Assessments Argus 1 Building 535 West William St., Suite 310 Ann Arbor, Arbor, Michigan 48103-4978 USA Phone: +1 734.647.0456 Fax: +1 734.763.0369
[email protected] www.CambridgeMichigan.org
© 2012 Cambridge Michigan Language Assessments®
Table o Contents Introduction...................................................................... 2 Contents of the Sample Materials ................................. 3 How to Take the Sample Writing & GCVR Sections ..... 4 Scoring the Sample Writing & GCVR Sections ............. 5
GCVR .......................................................................... 5 Writing ......................................................................... 5 Interpreting Your Scores................................................. 6
Grammar, Cloze, Vocabulary, and Reading (GCVR) Section ........................................................... 6 Writing Section ............................................................ 6 Passing the ECPE Overall ........................................... 6 Important Points to Note ............................................ 6 Appendix 1: Writing Section Scoring Rubric................. 7 Appendix 2: Sample Essays & Comments .................... 8
Introduction The main purpose o the ECPE 2012 Sample Materials and this accompanying guide is to amiliarize examinees with the Examination or the Certicate o Prociency in English (ECPE). It also gives examinees the opportunity to test themselves to see whether their English is at the level required or the actual exam. Some examinees take the ECPE beore they have reached the standard required to pass. We hope that this sample test will help examinees to better judge their preparedness or the exam. Examinees who intend to take the ECPE should use this guide t o complete the sample writing and GCVR sections, mark it themselves, and see whether their scores are sucient or them to attempt the exam itsel. It must be noted, however, that the score received on the sample materials do not guarantee that the same standard will be reached during an actual ECPE administration. These materials should be read in conjunction with the ECPE Information Bulletin . This guide includes instructions on how to take and score the sample writing and GCVR sections.
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Contents o the Sample Materials Format and Content of the ECPE 2012 Sample Materials Section
Time
Description
Writing
30 minutes
Examinees write an essay based upon one o two topic choices.
75 minutes
Grammar (multiple choice) An incomplete sentence is ollowed by a choice o words or phrases to complete it. Only one choice is grammatically correct.
40
Cloze (multiple choice) Ater reading a passage rom which words have been removed, examinees must choose one o our words that best lls a missing word slot in terms o grammar and meaning.
20
Vocabulary (multiple choice) An incomplete sentence is ollowed by a choice o words to complete it. Examinees must choose the option that best completes the sentences in terms o meaning.
40
Reading (multiple choice) Four reading passages are ollowed by comprehension questions. Examinees choose the correct answer rom the printed answer choices.
20
Grammar Cloze Vocabulary Reading
NUMBER OF ITEMS
1 task
Further inormation about the ormat o the ECPE can be ound in the ECPE Information Bulletin .
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How to Take the Sample Writing & GCVR Sections It is important to take the sample test under proper test conditions. You should take the test in a place with a table and chair that is quiet and ree rom distractions. Please allow at least three hours o uninterrupted time. Do not take a break between sections.
4.
Turn to the general instructions on page 3 of the test booklet. Read the instructions or completing the answer sheet and make sure that you understand them. Fill out the answer sheet according to the instructions.
Additionally, when you take the sample test you should ollow these steps.
5.
Turn to the grammar, cloze, vocabulary, reading (GCVR) section instructions on page 5 of the test booklet. Read the instructions and make sure that you understand them.
6.
When you are ready, turn to the GCVR section on page 6 of the test booklet and begin answering the questions. Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet. Please note that you should begin at number 51 on side 2 o the answer sheet.
7.
Stop writing after 75 minutes. Do not change any o your answers ater 75 minutes.
8.
Read the Scoring the Sample Writing and GCVR Sections portion of this guide. Follow the instructions or checking your answers against the answer key (included with the sample test materials) and example essays (included in this guide).
1.
Gather the test materials:
a. the sample test booklet b. an answer sheet c. a piece o paper or the writing section d. pencils e. a timing device such as a clock or stopwatch 2.
Turn to the writing section on page 1 of the test booklet. Read the instructions careully and make sure that you understand them. Once you have read the instructions you may read the essay topics and begin writing. You should write your essay on a separate piece o paper.
3. After 30 minutes, stop writing. Do not reread your essay or change your essay ater the 30 minutes has ended.
Please note that if you allow yourself longer than the time allocated for each section, you will not get a true picture of your ability.
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Scoring the Sample Writing & GCVR Sections When you have nished taking the sample writing and GCVR sections, you should have a completed answer sheet with one answer per question and a completed essay or the writing section. You now need to score the writing and GCVR sections. Please ollow these steps.
Writing 1.
This guide includes the writing section scoring rubric and ten sample essays, two at each band on the ECPE writing scale.
2.
Read your essay and then read each o the sample essays and the comments that accompany each sample.
GCVR 1.
For each GCVR item, you should have only lled in one answer on the answer sheet.
3.
Compare your essay to the sample essays and decide which sample is the closest to yours.
2.
Compare your answers with the answer key. I your answer matches the answer key then award yoursel one point. I your answer does not match the answer key do not award yoursel a point.
4.
The score o the sample which is closest to yours is your score or the writing section. You should ask a teacher to review your writing and to conrm that you have chosen the right band score.
3.
Add up all o your correct answers in the GCVR section. This is your GCVR section score.
5.
4.
Read the Interpreting Your Scores section o this guide or an explanation o what your sample GCVR score means.
Read the Interpreting Your Scores section o this guide or an explanation o what your sample essay score means.
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Interpreting Your Scores When the ECPE is taken under examination conditions, the listening section and the grammar, cloze, vocabulary, reading (GCVR) section are scored by computer using Item Response Theory (IRT). This method ensures that the ability required to pass a section, or to receive a high score, remains the same rom year to year. IRT scores are not the same as number-right scores, but there is very high correlation between number o correct answers provided and the IRT scores.
Writing Section
Grammar, Cloze, Vocabulary, and Reading (GCVR) Section
Passing the ECPE Overall
Scores 90 and above: I you have strictly ollowed the instructions or taking the sample test, you are likely to pass the GCVR section o the ECPE under examination conditions. Scores 78 – 89: You have a chance o passing the GCVR section o the ECPE under examination conditions but you may benet rom more lessons or more practice beore you register or the examination.
I you have strictly ollowed the instructions or taking the sample test and your writing meets the criteria o at least a C on the ECPE writing section scoring rubric, then you have a chance o passing the ECPE writing section under examination conditions. I your writing meets the criteria o at least a B on the ECPE writing section scoring rubric, then you are likely to pass the ECPE writing section under examination conditions.
Examinees who pass three sections with a Low Pass (or higher) and receive no less than a Borderline Fail in one section will be awarded an ECPE certicate. I you are able to meet the standards described above then you are probably ready to take the ECPE.
Important Points to Note 1.
Although the sample materials are designed to be similar in diculty to the ECPE and will give you a reasonable idea o how you should expect to score on the exam, there is no guarantee that your score on the sample materials will be the same as the score you receive when you take the ECPE.
2.
The writing section scores you receive when you take an ECPE under examination conditions are determined by raters trained and certied according to standards established by Cambridge Michigan Language Assessments. It is possible that when you review your own writing perormance, the scores assigned might be dierent rom those that would have been assigned by certied raters and examiners.
Scores 77 and below: You are unlikely to pass the GCVR section o the ECPE under examination conditions and should spend more time improving your English beore taking the examination.
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Appendix 1: Writing Section Scoring Rubric RATING A Honors
RHETORIC • Topicrichly,fully,complexly developed • Organizationwellcontrolled, appropriate to the material • Connectionissmooth
B
• Topicclearlyand completely developed, with acknowledgment o its complexity • Organizationiscontrolled and shows appropriateness to the material
GRAMMAR/SYNTAX
VOCABULARY
MECHANICS
• Flexibleuseof a wide range o syntactic (sentence level) structures; morphological (word orms) control nearly always accurate
• Broadrange, appropriately used
• Spellingand punctuation errors are rare and insignicant
• Bothsimpleand complex syntax adequately used; good morphological control
• Vocabularyuse shows fexibility, is usually appropriate
• Spellingand punctuation errors are inrequent and not distracting
• Bothsimpleand complex syntax present
• Adequate vocabulary, but may sometimes be inappropriately used
• Spellingand punctuation errors sometimes distracting
• Vocabulary may be limited in range, and is sometimes inappropriately used to the point that it causes conusion
• Spellingand punctuation errors are requently distracting
• Pervasiveandbasic errors in sentence structure and word order cause conusion
• Incorrectuseof vocabulary causes conusion
• Basicvocabulary words regularly misspelled
• Evenbasicwords may be misused
• Problemswith subject-verb agreement, tense ormation or word ormation
• Mayshow intererence rom other languages
• Littleornocontrol over sentence boundaries
• Fewproblemswith connection
C
• Topicclearlydeveloped, but not always completely or with acknowledgment o its complexity • Organizationgenerally controlled; connection sometimes absent or unsuccessul
• Forsome,syntax is cautious but accurate, while others are more fuent but less accurate
• Anyinappropriate vocabulary does not conuse meaning
• Inconsistent morphological control
D
• Topicdevelopmentusually clear but simple and may be repetitive • Attemptstoaddress dierent perspectives on the topic are oten unsuccessul
• Morphologicalerrors are requent • Simplesentences tend to be accurate; more complex ones tend to be inaccurate
• Overrelianceon preabricated language and/or language rom the prompt • Organizationpartially controlled
E
• Topicdevelopmentmaybe unclear and/or limited by incompleteness or lack o ocus • Mightnotberelevantto topic • Connectionofideasoften absent or unsuccessul
• Spellingand punctuation errors regularly cause conusion
• Evenbasicsentences are lled with errors
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Appendix 2: Sample Essays & Comments On the ollowing pages are ten sample ECPE writing section essays. Each essay is ollowed by sample examiner comments.
Essays 1 through 5 are responses to Prompt 1:
Essays 6 through 10 are responses to Prompt 2:
Prompt 1
Prompt 2
In some countries the government places a limit on the number o children a couple can have, while in other countries the government oers economic incentives to a couple to have more children. Why do governments establish population policies like these? What eects do these policies have? Discuss, and give specic examples to support your views.
There is no universal denition o the word adult . Dierent cultures, religions, legal systems, and individuals have varying ideas about when a person becomes an adult. What actors do you think dene adulthood? Support your opinion with specic reasons.
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Essay 1
Rating: A
The number o children a couple can have is limited in some countries whereas in other countries, couples are oered economic incentives to have more children. The reason why these policies exist are mainly or the situation o the national economy o each and every country. Countries which are underdeveloped and lack major necessities or their people, such as employment, education, health, basic sanitation and ood, just to name a ew, try to limit the number o their population using limits on how many children a couple can have and in some cases placing heavy fnes on those who do not comply with these limits. This way, i they manage to reduce their population, they might be able to oer a better living standard or their people. On the other hand, countries which are highly developed and advanced, usually can oer all the major necessities to their people in abundance. Thereor, these countries seek to boost their economies even higher by trying to increase the number o people who are employed and pay taxes, the number o people who seek better education and pay or it, and as you can imagine rom the examples, a signifcant increase in the population can be interpreted as more income or the governments, resulting in a much stronger economy. This is why these governments oer economic motives to young people to have as many children as they can, because they know that, even though they might be paying a small price to increase their population, they will be receiving a lot more rom this increase in the uture when these new members o society will be a part o the economy. Examiner Comments on Essay 1 This composition is an A-level essay.The language is controlled well and it develops the topic well. These strengths make up or the occasional weakness in word choice. • Topicfully,complexlydeveloped • Organizationwell-controlled,appropriateto the material • Connectionissmooth The writer selects low requency conjunctions and uses them appropriately to indicate expansion or elaboration o a point (e.g., “and as you can imagine rom the examples . . .”; “just to name a ew . . .”). • Flexibleuseofawiderangeofsyntactic(sentence level) structures; morphological (word forms) control nearly always accurate There is a wide range o syntactic structures used: “these countries seek to boost their economies even higher by trying to increase the number o people
who are employed and pay taxes, the number o people who seek better education and pay or it, and as you can imagine rom the examples, a signicant increase in the population can be interpreted as more income or the governments, resulting in a much stronger economy.” • Vocabularyuseshowsexibility,isusually appropriate and does not confuse meaning Word choice lacks polish in a couple o areas: economic “motives” was used instead o economic “incentives”; and “living standard” in place o “standard o living.”
Although word choice is not always appropriate, this weakness is ameliorated by the other strengths, resulting in this essay being awarded an A.
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Essay 2
Rating: B
It is true that special population policies exist in each country. In some countries, the government tries to restrict the number of children a couple can have, by enacting suitable laws, while in other countries the government gives economic incentives so that more children are born. This situation may be quite contradictory but there are reasons why this happens. Firstly, in the countries where the government tries to limit the population, there is pressing need to do so. These countries are usually overpopulated or highly-populated and in most cases, the national economy of each of these countries experience problems. In such places, there are many births every year, each family has many members and the economy of the country is unable to handle this situation and afford everything for these children (education, health services, etc.). In addition, except for the poverty that usually dominates in such countries (for example India), there is a high rate of unemployment, as well. Hence, it will not only be difcult to raise children, but it will also be difcult for these children to make ends meet later in their lives. Hence, the government tries to limit the number of births and most times, this try is effective and efcient. The number of the members of a family is dwindled, so we have smaller families (usually with 2 parents and one or 2 children). On the other hand, there are the governments which give economical incentives to couples in order to give birth to more children. In this case, as well, there is vital need to do so. These countries, which are underpopulated, usually experience demographic problems. This means that the elderly far outnumber the young. This is followed by economic problems as well. There are fewer people who work thus many work-positions are empty and rarely lled, as there are not enough young people to work. Hence, they need to augment the number of children, the number of future employees who will help to boost the economy of the country. Of course, these measure are quite effective, maybe due to the economic benets provided. The fact is that in these countries families become larger and are made out by more members. On the whole, the number of births should be controlled in each country for its own good. In some countries, they will need to dwindle the rate of births and in others to augment it, but in both cases they promote their cause with suitable policies. Let us hope that the number of births in each country will be as wanted and expected. Examiner Comments on Essay 2 This composition is a B-level essay. The topic is thoroughly developed and the writer addresses both sides o the issue. The ideas are generally connected together clearly or the reader. • Topicclearlyandcompletelydeveloped • Organizationiscontrolledandshows appropriateness to the material • Fewproblemswithconnection Connectors are somewhat mechanical: “Firstly,”; “In addition”; “Hence”; “On the other hand . . .” • Bothsimpleandcomplexsyntaxadequatelyused; good morphological control
• Vocabularyuseshowsexibility,isusually appropriate There is some evidence o idiomatic language (e.g., “make ends meet”; “pressing need”). • Anyinappropriatevocabularydoesnot confuse meaning Sometimes word choice is inappropriate (e.g.,“to dwindle the rate o births and in others to augment it”) but the reader can understand the gist.
Overall, the essay is well developed. It has some idiomatic expressions, but it is otherwise written in relatively simple language. The vocabulary choices are usually appropriate, but not sophisticated.
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Essay 3
Rating: C
Many governments nowadays are believed to get involved in the couples’ decision of how many children they are going to have. However this policy can be separated into two different attitudes. Some governments put a limit on the number of offspring in family, while at the same time in other countries governments encourage the children’s birth. To begin with, overpopulation is considered to be a major problem for some countries and consequently governments try to deal with it. A known example of this situation is China. It’s generally acknowledged that its population increases more and more so as to be considered as a threat. For that reason, couples are obliged to have only one child. With this measure people’s freedom is limited because they don’t have the right to decide about their family. However this solution seems to be the only one effective for solving the problem. Overpopulation leads to overconsumption and overproduction. In this way our planet deteriorates as the natural sources decrease in an extremely fast way and what is more, we should not forget the consequences of this situation which are very harmful for the environment. As a result, many families face phychological problems from the fact of being prohibited to have more than one children. On the other, in some countries where the birth rate is quite small governments push parents to have more children by offering many economic benefits. It’s true that in contemporaries societies families face financial problems and this deters them from having more kids. Apart from money parents lack available time as well in order to be with their family. In such a case, governments realize that their nation may someday become extinct and ‘try’ to prevent this and create a balance between the low births and the high rate of life expectancy. It’s a common phenomenon in some countries the elderly to outnumber the young people. To sum up, this governments’ policy is implemented in two completely different ways. However, this involvement doesn’t seem to be quite ethical but it’s the only possible solution for countries to deal with their current and future hazards. Examiner Comments on Essay 3 This composition is a C-level essay. The essay is on-topic, but the author’s views are not completely developed and an argument is never clearly established. • Topicclearlydeveloped,butnotalwayscompletely • Organizationgenerallycontrolled • Bothsimpleandcomplexsyntaxpresent • Forsome,syntaxiscautiousbutaccurate,while othersaremoreuentbutlessaccurate Sometimes, the language lacks precision o expression (e.g., “decrease in an extremely ast way”). The writer also makes some grammatical mistakes in this essay, including some run-on sentences. But these errors do not impede meaning: “In such a case, governments realize that their nation may someday become extinct and ‘try’ to prevent this and create a balance between the low births and the high rate o lie expectancy.”
• Inconsistentmorphologicalcontrol There are some morphological problems (e.g., “many amilies ace phychological problems rom the act o being prohibited to have more than one children.”) • Adequatevocabulary,butmaysometimesbe inappropriately used The writer has a broad range o vocabulary (e.g., “ospring”; “overconsumption”; “deteriorates”; “phenomenon”). Nonetheless, there are several instances where the vocabulary is used inappropriately (e.g., “couples are obliged to have only one child”; “it’s the only possible solution or countries to deal with their current and uture hazards”; “it’s true that in contemporaries societies . . .”).
Overall, this is a C-level response due to the shortcomings in topic development, inconsistent morphological control, and inappropriate use o vocabulary. ECPE 2012 Sample Materials Guide
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Essay 4
Rating: D
Nowadays, there are so many countries all over the world. Every each country hase a sum of problems to deal with in order to have a good Function. Such problems can be financialy, environmental, political and so many others. A common problem that many Asian and African countries face is the big number of population. As long as I know at least China and some other Asian goverments have place limit on the nulmber of children a couple can have. In specific, a Chinese couple can have only one child. These restrictions have been placed by the goverments in order to minimize the number of population in their country. All these children that are born have the need for a home to stay and for food! But, already, these countries, have a big populations and the most of the people are living under bad and unhealthy circumstances. In conclusion, these countries had no other option but to put these limits. On the other hand there are some countries that don’t have big population and even more their population is consisted, mostly from elder people. So, these countries don’t have enough people to work and this results to a bad finance situation. Moreover, the governments have to give retirements to their elder populations. Due to that fact the government of these countries offers economic incentives to a couple in order to motivate them have more children. The goverments target is to raise the population and so add the workforce. In this way, these countries can have better financials. In my opinion, the goverments that offers incentives, of which one is my country Greece, can motivate people have more children and that is good for the country for the reasons I have already told. But for the goverments that put limits on how many children can I couple have, I cannot agree, I think it’s unfair. Everyone has the right to choose of how many members his family can be consisted of. This right shouldn’t be banned. Examiner Comments on Essay 4 This composition is a D-level essay. Topic development is simple and limited. Word order causes conusion, but ater close reading, meaning can still be retrieved. There are many grammatical errors throughout. • Topicdevelopmentusuallyclearbutsimple • Organizationpartiallycontrolled • Morphologicalerrorsarefrequent For example: “Such problems can be nancialy”; “a bad nance situation”; “their population is consisted”; “In specic” • Simplesentencestendtobeaccurate;more complexonestendtobeinaccurate The areas o syntactic inaccuracy include subject/ verb agreement (e.g., “China and some other Asian governments have place limit on the number o
children a couple can have” ; “governments that oers incentives”) and word order (e.g., “…these countries had no other option but to put these limits”). • Vocabularymaybelimitedinrangeandis sometimes inappropriately used to the point that it causes confusion For example: “big population,” “elder people,” “countries can have better nancials”
Overall, the language limitations present in this composition are typical o a D-level essay.
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Essay 5
Rating: E
In our days there are many countries in all over the world which face to a problem of reducing the population. On the other hand there are countries like China which has rapidly increasing of population. For this reason each country receive measures to solve the problem. On the one hand there countries like Greece and I think the majority of European countries which offer economic incentives to a couple to born more than one child in order to increase the population. On the other hand there are countries like China, Indian and other countries specially in Asia and in Africa which the government places a limit on the number of children a couple can have because in these countries a couple often has 4 or 5 children. The majority of families which has many children has economic problem and they are very poor. In my opinion should the countries which attemp problem of reducing to give motives to a couple to borm more children in order to succeed the aim, because after years the order may be more than younger. In countries like China should firstly learn young people to be more mature and not to born such children and if it is necessity to place limit on the number of children. To conclude, I advocate the opinion that there are experts who should find a solution in each country and to give their knowledge not only in the government but specially to young people, to a young couple. Examiner Comments on Essay 5 This composition is an E-level essay. The text is quite conusing and a lot o eort is required to try to understand the writer’s intended message. • Topicdevelopmentmaybeunclearand/orlimited by incompleteness or lack of focus • Connectionofideasoftenabsentorunsuccessful • Pervasiveandbasicerrorsinsentencestructure and word order cause confusion Many sentences are almost impossible to understand: “In my opinion should the countries which attemp problem o reducing to give motives to a couple borm more children in order to succeed the aim, because ater the years the order may be more than younger.”
• Evenbasicsentencesarelledwitherrors There are numerous syntax problems (e.g., “there are many countries in all over the world which ace to a problem”; “there are countries like China which has rapidly increasing o population”). • Vocabularymaybelimitedinrangeandis sometimes inappropriately used to the point it causes confusion
Every sentence in this essay contains errors. It takes a great deal o eort on the reader’s part to discern meaning. Thereore, this is an E-level essay.
• Problemswithsubject-verbagreement,tense formation or word formation
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Essay 6
Rating: A
Youngsters all around the world are looking orward to the moment when they will be able to make their own decisions in lie and act without needing permission rom their parents. But the age ater which a person is considered adult varies a lot, depending on the country where you grow up and your nationality. In Greece an adolescent is considered as an adult once he enters his eighteenth year o age. In other countries around Europe this threshold is slightly higher or lower. In tropical countries, isolated tribes have a tradition o celebrating their children’s “entrance” into adulthood once they are about the age o ourteen, or even ten, which is surprisingly early based on our own criteria. Consequently, we can’t determine exactly the borderline between adolescence and adulthood-all the above are just or typical reasons. As ar as I am concerned, being an adult is all about independence and maturity. So, these should be the “requirements”, in order to call somebody so. I you really want to grow up, then you need to ask yoursel whether you possess certain qualities. When a person, especially a boy, enters adulthood he usually leaves his parents’ home and sets out to live his own lie. This requires that he be independent. He will need to make his own decisions in lie, concerning anything, rom the most trivial to the most meaningul things, such as getting married and having children. Furthermore, we will need to be able to survive on his own, which means being able to maintain a household. Although most boys and girls might still be going to college, when they enter adulthood, some may have chosen to end their studies and thereore it will be necessary to them to fnd a job and make a living. All these require a lot o selknowledge, maybe even courage. Making decisions also requires some undamental education, which will provide you with adequate judjement o what is going on around you and what your position should be in specifc occassions. It is thereore understandable that age is o no importance. You may be considered as an adult, because you’r eighteen or older, but a younger person than you could be much more capable o “surviving” on his own. Examiner Comments on Essay 6 This composition is an A-level essay. The composition is richly developed with supporting examples. • Topicrichly,fully,complexlydeveloped • Organizationwell-controlled,appropriatetothe material • Connectionissmooth • Flexibleuseofwiderangeofsyntactic(sentence level) structures; morphological (word forms) control nearly always accurate The writer uses a broad vocabulary that is directly relevant to the topic (“adolescence”; “threshold”) The use o ormulaic phrases (e.g., “maintain a household”; “end their studies”; “enters adulthood”) and other idiomatic language (e.g., “age is o no importance”) demonstrates linguistic resources similar to those o an educated native user o English.
• Broadrangeofvocabulary There are grammatical errors—e.g., “to them” instead o “or them”—but these are minor and inrequent. • Spellingandpunctuationerrorsarerareand insignicant
Overall, this essay is representative o an A-level response.
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Essay 7
Rating: B
Nowadays the information available to young people through television, internet, newspapers, magazines is enormous, especially in the Western World. The exposure of children and young people to enormous amounts of information makes them more knowledgeable, curious to try different things and willing to enter the adult world sooner than our parents maybe did or wanted. Different Countries have varying ideas about when a person becomes an adult. For example in Greece you are given the rights of adulthood when you turn eighteen years old. That means that you have the right to vote, to join the army, consume alcohal, get a driver’s licence. In Britain the system is different, they allow you to do different things at different ages. On the whole though you are considered an adult when you turn sixteen. My view is that what denes adulthood has to do with personality traits such as sense of responsibility, problem solving skills, ability to be independent, ability to cope with stress. Furthermore, knowledge, skills, life experience are important as well. There are of course many adults that don’t possess the aforementioned traits but nevertheless they are adults. There is no denying that the older one gets the wiser one becomes. To conclude there should be a balance between knowledge and emotional maturity. Below the age of sixteen I feel that the emotional maturity is lacking. At the age of 18 up to the age of 21 young people tend to have a better balance between life experience and emotional maturity and can make better and wiser decisions. Examiner Comments on Essay 7 This composition is a B-level essay. The response is directly relevant to the prompt but the topic development is not rich or complex. The supporting examples consist o listing specic traits and providing general views rather than giving a denite opinion. • Topicclearlyandcompletelydeveloped
• Vocabularyuseshowsexibility,isusually appropriate The composition demonstrates a good range o vocabulary, although some words and expressions are overused showing some limitation in word choice (“enormous”; “wiser”; “emotional maturity”).
• Organizationcontrolledandshowsappropriateness to the material
• Spellingandpunctuationerrorsarerareand insignicant
• Fewproblemswithconnection For the most part, the essay has a smooth connection, yet paragraph our gives statements that almost appear contradictory to points made in the previous paragraph: “There are o course many adults that don’t possess aorementioned traits but nevertheless they are adults. There is no denying that the older one gets the wiser one becomes.”
Although the essay shows sucient evidence o advanced language resources, the inconsistency i n connection, limitations in word choice, and lack o sophistication make it a B-level essay
• Bothsimpleandcomplexsyntaxadequatelyused; good morphological control Other than the occasional missing conjunction (and), the writer demonstrates good control over grammar and syntax.
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Essay 8
Rating: C
Nowadays, countries in all over the world do not have the same definition for the word “adult”. It varies from country to country. In some regions it has got a serious and important meaning, but in others it is minor. What factors define this meaning, adulthood? To begin with, in different cultures people do not become adults in the same age. For example, in european countries people are supposed adults when they reach the age of eighteen years old. In this age, one is able to get married, to vote, and generally to do things and take decisions that are to be taken into consideration from the government and other public domains, no matter how mature he is. Whereas, in other non-civilised countries people are faced as adults when they are ready and mature enough to take on serious decisions. Furthermore, as far as I am concerned people should be defined as adults when they are decisive, when they know what they want to do in their own life, when they are independent and do not depend on their parents so as to live. In other words, those who are ready to handle their lives seriously. Also, people in the age of eighteen are not well-developed mentally, so this supposition that adulthood begins at the eighteen is only a theory because pratically does not exist, only in some exceptional cases. To sum up, the meaning of adulthood varies from country to country and from culture to culture. But one thing is sure, that someone becomes an adult when he feels it, when has self-confidence and he is sure for himself, he does not become when he reaches a certain age. Examiner Comments on Essay 8 This a C-level essay. The response addresses the prompt directly. It is simply organized, with moderate development that is typical o a C-level composition. • Topicclearlydeveloped,butnotalwayscompletely orwithknowledgeofitscomplexity • Organizationgenerallycontrolled;connection sometimes absent or unsuccessful At times, the reader has to reormulate in order to interpret the writer’s intentions (e.g, “In this age, one is able to get married, to vote, and generally to do things and take decisions that are to be taken into consideration rom the government and other public domains, no matter how mature he is”).
• Forsome,syntaxiscautiousbutaccurate,while othersaremoreuentbutlessaccurate For example, the writer repeatedly uses t he wrong preposition in the phrase “in the same age.” This should be “at the same age.” • Adequatevocabulary,butmaybesometimesbe inappropriately used Some basic words are used incorrectly (e.g., “are aced as adults”) but the misuse does not cause conusion or the reader.
Overall, the response is easy to read and is relevant to the prompt, but the argument is insuciently developed to warrant more than a C.
• Bothsimpleandcomplexsyntaxpresent
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Essay 9
Rating: D
A matter of considerable controversy is the issue of whether a person become an adult. Every country define a person to come of age when the factors that play a really important role is the religion, the legal system of the country, the culture. To begin with, for me, one main factor that define a person as an adult is the age. For example, I believe that when a person become eighteen year’s old, has already finished the school and have received some basic education and have mature enough to take decisions for its life. Moreover, a person when is eighteen year’s old have a legal paper which offer to him or her the opportunity to take part to every social events like voting for the goverment. In addition, it can take a driver’s license and this shows that is really mature and with critical mind. Secondly, one other major point that I claim that has great value is the maners with which communicate it with the other people in society. For instance, until this age the person has passed many experiences at school, in family and also its parents must have taught it to communicate with the fellowmen with compromise and friendlyness. Thirdly, a person have to have respect to his or her religion, cultures, goverment and to be a good model of citizen. An adult ought to be serious, responsible for his or her actions and must receive the all forms of punishments when he or her break the law. Moreover, a very major factor is to have a job and earn the money on himself or herself and not depend to his or her family. To sum up, the factors what I mentioned are playing a great importance for someone to become and adult, like seriousness, maturity, education, manners, and having his or her own money to survive in the modern world. Examiner Comments on Essay 9 This composition is a D-level essay. • Topicdevelopmentusuallyclear,butsimple • Overrelianceonprefabricatedlanguageand/or language from the prompt The rst line begins with incorrect use o scripted language: “A matter o considerable controversy is the issue o whether a person become an adult.” Furthermore, the language o the rest o the rst paragraph is taken directly rom the prompt. • Organizationpartiallycontrolled The connectors used are quite mechanical (“To begin with”; “Secondly”; “Thirdly”; “Moreover”; “To sum up”) but the composition is generally well organized. • Morphologicalerrorsarefrequent • Problemswithsubject-verbagreement,tense formation or word formation Meaning is retrievable, but at times requires conscious reader eort (e.g., “I believe that when a person become eighteen year’s old, has already
nished the school and have received some basic education and have mature enough to take decisions or its lie.”). • Vocabularymaybelimitedinrangeandis sometimes inappropriately used to the point that it causes confusion The writer does not appear to have the lexical resources to express their meaning concisely and precisely (e.g., “it can take a driver’s license and this shows that is really mature and with critical mind”). • Mayshowinterferencefromotherlanguages For example, incorrect use o the pronoun “it” in place o he or she or “its” in place o his or her.
The main weakness o this response is the lack o syntactic control. Almost every sentence contains an error. Although the errors do not usually prevent the reader rom deriving meaning, the cumulative eect has a negative impact on the reader, making this a D-level essay. ECPE 2012 Sample Materials Guide
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Essay 10
Rating: E
It is a prevalent and undeniable fact that different cultures, religions, legal systems and individuals have different ideas when a person becomes an adult. Thus, they have to deal with sometimes insurmountable problems. In this way, the word "adult" for people from different countries must be changeable. As a consequence, a person that is 18 must be considered as one adult from one country but not for other. But what factors define adulthood? On the one hand, I think that one child would be adult if he/or she had the basic education. By saying, having done at least 12 year of education. So he or she must have the right knowlge and communicated with other people. Furthermore, he or she can define the right and the wrong know what he do. Of course, the most important is the education of their parent but and friends. Not only do parent have something for their children in the side of education but and goverment should not give permission to children up to one age. I wouldn't fail to mention, that we should work as a whole for solving this situation and not having negative affect To cut the long story short, it is a personal view for define if one children is or not adult, but I think education. It's up to us as a whole to do something. Examiner Comments on Essay 10 This composition is an E-level essay. It is consistently dicult or the reader to derive meaning rom the composition because o preabricated chunks o language placed incorrectly throughout the essay. • Topicdevelopmentmaybeunclear • Connectionofideasoftenabsentorunsuccessful • Overrelianceonprefabricatedlanguage Connectors are oten used inappropriately (e.g., “It is a prevalent and undeniable act that . . .”; “As a consequence”; “On the one hand”; “Thus, they have to deal with sometimes insurmountable problems”; “To cut the long story short”).
• Problemswithsubject-verbagreement,tense formation or word formation For example: “So he or she must have the right knowlge and communicated with other people.” • Evenbasicsentencesarelledwitherrors The awkward use o scripted language and poor control o syntactic structures causes conusion.
Overall, the writer does not have sucient language resources to convey his or her point o view in this composition, thereby making this an E-level essay.
• Pervasiveandbasicerrorsinsentencestructure and word order cause confusion
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