Professional Documents
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Guide For Teachers - IsE I
Guide For Teachers - IsE I
Contents
Appendices
Appendix 1 — Sample topic form 58
Appendix 2 — Sample Reading & Writing exam paper 59
Appendix 3 — Information on the Speaking & Listening exam 70
Appendix 4 — Suggested grammar for ISE I 73
Appendix 5 — ISE I Task 3 Reading into writing rating scale 74
Appendix 6 — ISE I Task 4 Extended writing rating scale 76
Appendix 7 — ISE I Speaking & Listening rating scale 77
Appendix 8 — ISE I Independent listening rating scale 78
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Foreword
Trinity’s Integrated Skills in English (ISE) exam assesses all four language skills — reading, writing,
speaking and listening. In the ISE exam, all four skills are tested in an integrated way, reflecting
how skills are used in real-life situations.
This guide will:
◗◗ give you a brief overview of the two modules of the ISE I exam — Reading & Writing and
Speaking & Listening
◗◗ offer some practical advice for preparing students for each task in the exam
◗◗ provide some example activities that you can use in the classroom.
For more classroom activities to help prepare your students for ISE as well as the exam specifications
documents see www.trinitycollege.com/ISE
Please note that ISE IV has a different format — see www.trinitycollege.com/ISE for details.
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5
ISE I Reading
& Writing exam
ISE I Reading & Writing exam
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ISE I Reading & Writing exam
CEFR level A2 B1 B2 C1
Task 3 Reading into writing Reading into writing Reading into writing Reading into writing
◗◗ 70–100 words ◗◗ 100–130 words ◗◗ 150–180 words ◗◗ 200–230 words
Please see overleaf for glossaries of reading skills and writing aims for ISE I.
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ISE I Reading & Writing exam
Reading for general ◗◗ Reading texts which are related to your subjects and interests
comprehension
Skimming ◗◗ Reading to get the general meaning of the paragraph, text or infographic
(illustration with text)
◗◗ Identifying the main conclusions in clear signposted texts
◗◗ Recognising general arguments
Reading for gist ◗◗ Reading to get the main idea of the paragraph, text or infographic
(illustration with text)
Scanning ◗◗ Reading to find specific key words or information in a paragraph, in a text
or in an infographic
Careful reading to ◗◗ Reading to understand specific, factual information at the word, phrase
understand specific or sentence level
facts, information ◗◗ Reading to understand important points in a text
and significant points ◗◗ Identifying which information is factual and which information is opinion
◗◗ Identifying which information is key information and which information is
a supporting example or detail
Careful reading to ◗◗ Reading to understand specific factual information at the sentence level
understand specific ◗◗ Identifying the specific information needed
information and its
context
Deducing meaning ◗◗ Guessing the meaning of unknown sentences, phrases and words from
their context
◗◗ Reading to recognise significant points in a text at the sentence level
Summarising ◗◗ Summarising factual information on familiar subjects
◗◗ Gathering information from longer different texts or different parts of a
text to create a simple text summary
◗◗ Collecting short pieces of information from different texts and summarising
them for somebody else
◗◗ Paraphrasing short written texts in a simple way
Summarising ◗◗ Read to understand specific factual information at word, phrase, sentence
and paragraph levels
◗◗ Read to get the main idea of the paragraph, text or infographic
◗◗ Use this information to create a simple text summary
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ISE I Reading & Writing exam
Candidate profile
Reading
A candidate who passes ISE I can understand texts on familiar subjects or those of personal interest.
In task 1 and task 2 they are assessed on their ability to read across several texts and demonstrate a
range of reading skills including skimming, scanning, reading for gist, specific information, main ideas
or purpose, and summarising.
A candidate who successfully passes ISE I Reading can:
◗◗ understand main ideas and specific information/facts in a range of factual and descriptive longer
texts, and infographics on familiar subjects or those of personal interest
◗◗ identify specific information in written texts
◗◗ deduce the meaning of unknown sentences, phrases and words from their context
◗◗ write short summaries of information in the texts.
Writing
In task 3 and task 4, candidates are assessed on their ability to write according to four categories:
◗◗ Reading for writing
◗◗ Task fulfilment
◗◗ Organisation and structure
◗◗ Language control.
A candidate who successfully passes ISE I Task 3 — Reading into writing and Task 4 — Writing can:
◗◗ convey information and ideas on abstract and concrete topics
◗◗ write connected texts on a range of familiar subjects of interest, by putting different short
components into a linear sequence
◗◗ write short, simple essays on topics of interest
◗◗ summarise, report and give opinions about factual information on familiar routine and non-routine
topics with some confidence
◗◗ paraphrase short, written passages in a simple fashion.
These reading and writing profiles are based on the level Independent User, B1, of the Council of
Europe’s Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). The candidate profile above is a
simplified version for quick reference for teachers.
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ISE I Reading & Writing exam
Text Genre: The text is factual and descriptive. It is the type of text that the candidate
sees in their own educational context.
Subject areas for ISE I:
◗◗ Travel ◗◗ Festivals
◗◗ Money ◗◗ Means of transport
◗◗ Fashion ◗◗ Special occasions
◗◗ Rules and regulations ◗◗ Entertainment
◗◗ Health and fitness ◗◗ Music
◗◗ Learning a foreign language ◗◗ Recent personal experiences
Number of 15 questions.
questions
Timing Candidates are recommended to spend 20 minutes on this part of the exam.
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ISE I Reading & Writing exam
Text Genre: The four texts are factual and descriptive. They are the type of texts that
the candidate sees in their own educational context. One text is a mainly visual
representation of information with some writing (for example a diagram, drawing,
map, table taken from a textbook, an encyclopaedia, or an online discussion).
Subject areas for ISE I:
◗◗ Travel ◗◗ Festivals
◗◗ Money ◗◗ Means of transport
◗◗ Fashion ◗◗ Special occasions
◗◗ Rules and regulations ◗◗ Entertainment
◗◗ Health and fitness ◗◗ Music
◗◗ Learning a foreign language ◗◗ Recent personal experiences
All four texts are on the same topic and are thematically linked.
Number of 15 questions.
questions
Completing summary notes from a bank of options (gap fill) (Questions 26–30)
In this section, the candidate completes sentences with a word or phrase taken
from the text (up to three words). Ten possible answers are given, out of which the
candidate selects the correct five. Some useful reading subskills to practise for this
section are:
◗◗ careful reading to understand specific information and its context
◗◗ careful reading to understand specific facts, information and significant points
◗◗ deducing meaning
◗◗ summarising.
Timing Candidates are recommended to spend 20 minutes on this part of the exam.
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ISE I Reading & Writing exam
Task focus This section assesses the ability to produce a narrative, descriptive or instructional
text following the instructions. The target language function that the candidates
are expected to use is to express simple facts and personal opinions in some
detail, coherently.
Timing Candidates are recommended to spend 40 minutes on this part of the exam.
For a sample ISE Reading & Writing exam, please see Appendix 2.
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ISE I Reading & Writing exam
Level: ISE I
Focus: Task 1 — Long reading
Aim: Reading comprehension practice
Objectives: Familiarity with reading comprehensions
Skill: Skimming
Topic: Travel
Language functions: Giving reasons, opinions and preferences, expressing obligation
Lexis: Travel
Materials needed: White board, one worksheet per student and pens
Timing: 1 hour
Procedure
Preparation
Print or copy the worksheet (one per student). Be ready to write the questions below (see point 4 below)
on the board.
In class
1. Explain to the students that they are going to practise some techniques to help them with the
Reading & Writing exam, task 1, reading comprehension of the ISE I exam.
2. Write ‘READING’ in large letters on the board and ask the students to tell you what words they think
of when they see the word ‘reading’. Write some good examples on the board (eg ‘books’, ‘English’,
‘newspapers’, ‘computers’, ‘magazines’, ‘TV’, etc).
3. Explain to the students that there are so many things around us that we read, reading is
really important.
4. Write the following questions on the board:
◗◗ What do you read in [your language]?
◗◗ How fast do you read?
◗◗ What do you usually do while reading?
◗◗ What do you read in English?
◗◗ How fast do you read in English?
◗◗ What would you like to read in English?
◗◗ Why is reading important?
5. Put the students into pairs or small groups and ask them to discuss these questions for around
10 minutes.
6. Ask the students for feedback to the questions. Write some good answers on the board.
7. Now explain to the students that today they are going to work on their reading speed. Tell the
students that this is important as in the exam they will need to read quickly.
8. Explain to the students that in task 1 of the reading exam, students will have to answer five
questions. More specifically, students will have to label the paragraphs with appropriate headings.
Tell the students that this uses skimming technique, which is a speed-reading technique. So, you
read something very quickly and find out information.
9. Give each student one worksheet. Tell the students that they are going to focus today on skimming.
Explain to the students what skimming is.
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ISE I Reading & Writing exam
In class — skimming
This is when you read a text fairly quickly to get the general idea of it and the main points
10. Ask the students to skim paragraphs A–E on the worksheet and to give each paragraph an
appropriate heading. Give the students approximately 15 minutes. Go through the answers in open-
class. Write up the correct answers on the board.
11. Now ask the students to skim paragraphs A–F on the worksheet and to answer the questions. Give
the students approximately 15 minutes. Go through the answers in open-class. Write up the correct
answers on the board.
Extension activity
For students who finish the task early, tell them to ask and answer questions about paragraph F (the
temperature chart), for example:
◗◗ What is the temperature in December in C?
◗◗ What is the average rainfall in January in inches?
◗◗ In their English books, the students can find a text to skim and explain the main points of to
their partner.
Homework
Ask students to practise their skimming techniques in their daily lives. Ask them to find a newspaper
and practise finding the main events as quickly as they can.
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ISE I Reading & Writing exam
Paragraph A
1. Read the text and add an appropriate heading.
2. Answer the questions below.
Heading:
Today, many people prefer to travel independently. Firstly, they decide where they want to go and then
think about the details, such as how long they want to stay, where they want to stay, how they will get
there, how much it will cost, when they will go and what they need to take.
Answer the following questions
1. How do people like to travel these days?
2. What do they decide on first?
3. How many other details are mentioned in the text?
Paragraph B
1. Read the text and add an appropriate heading.
2. Answer the questions below.
Heading:
The time you go depends on what you want to do. For example, if you want to do outdoor activities
such as walking, cycling or canoeing then you need to choose a time when the weather is dry. If you
prefer a more relaxed holiday spent sunbathing and swimming then the weather should not be too hot.
Answer the following questions
1. What does the time you go depend on?
2. What are some examples of outdoor activities?
3. What do you do on a relaxing holiday?
Paragraph C
1. Read the text and add an appropriate heading.
2. Answer the questions below.
Heading:
Most people take too much when they travel, travelling light is the key! Remember you will have to
carry it and heavy luggage soon becomes a nightmare. Take enough clothes (but not too many), a
towel, soap, shampoo and your travel documents and money.
Answer the following questions
1. What do most people take when they travel?
2. What is the best solution?
3. Which six items should you take with you?
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ISE I Reading & Writing exam
Paragraph D
1. Read the text and add an appropriate heading.
2. Answer the questions below.
Heading:
Monalos is a lively, noisy place, suitable for young people and those who do not like peace and quiet. The
information centre is in the main street (number 50, High Street), and their phone number is 324-5698.
They are open every day from 10am to 8pm except Sundays when they are open from 1pm to 4pm.
Answer the following questions
1. What is the address of the information centre?
2. What is their phone number?
3. What time are they open on Fridays?
4. What time do they close on Sundays?
Paragraph E
1. Read the text and add an appropriate heading.
2. Answer the questions below.
Heading: Some interesting
The area covers over 2,000 miles and has around 100,000 inhabitants. The coastline is over 500 miles
long and there are 54 islands, 22 of which are inhabited. The highest mountain is 3,007ft, and the
deepest lake is 700ft below sea level.
Answer the following questions
1. What is the area?
2. How many people live there?
3. How long is the coastline?
4. How many islands do people live on?
5. What is the highest point?
6. What is the lowest point?
Paragraph F
Look at the following temperature chart and find the answers.
Average temperatures and rainfall
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Monalos
C/F 6/43 7/45 9/48 11/52 14/57 16/61 17/63 17/63 15/59 12/5 9/48 7/45
mm 146 109 83 90 72 63 55 22 36 47 120 132
inches 5.8 4.3 3.3 3.5 2.8 2.1 1.8 0.9 1.2 1.6 4.0 5.2
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ISE I Reading & Writing exam
Paragraph A
1. Independently
2. Where they want to go
3. How long they want to stay, where they want to stay, how they will get there, how much it will cost,
when they will go, what they need to take. Six other details are mentioned in the text.
Paragraph B
1. What you want to do
2. Walking, cycling, canoeing
3. Sunbathing and swimming
Paragraph C
1. Too much
2. Travel light
3. Clothes, a towel, soap, shampoo, travel documents, money
Paragraph D
1. Number 50, High Street
2. 324–5698
3. From 10am to 8pm
4. 4pm
Paragraph E
1. 2,000 miles
2. 100,000 people
3. 500 miles long
4. 22
5. 3,007ft
6. 700ft below sea level
Paragraph F
1. 15
2. 109
3. 2.8
4. 63
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ISE I Reading & Writing exam
Level: ISE I
Focus: Task 2 — Multi-text reading
Aims: Read for gist and specific information
Objectives: To think about ‘time’, learn new words about ‘time’, read short texts for main ideas and
read short texts to find true and false information
Skill: Skimming and scanning
Topic: Time
Language functions: Describing past actions in the indefinite and recent past
Lexis: Related to ‘time’
Materials needed: Worksheet, map of the world with time zones, a picture of a sundial, a clock or a
picture of a clock and a picture of the date line on a map
Timing: 45 minutes
Procedure
Preparation
1. Get a map of the world which shows the world divided into time zones and put it on the board.
2. Get a picture of the date line on a map.
3. Draw a picture of a clock or a sundial on the board or show a real clock and a picture of a sundial.
4. Print or copy one worksheet per student.
In class
1. Tell the class that in today’s lesson they are going to read about ‘time’ and that the aim of the lesson is
to read different texts to find out key information about the topic. Tell the class that this is an essential
skill for completing task 2 of the Reading & Writing exam. Tell the students that they will also be asked
to talk about the topic in detail.
2. Now ask the class:
◗◗ ‘How can we find out what time it is?’ Point to the clock.
◗◗ ‘We can use a clock and...?’ The students could respond with, ‘A watch, a phone, the internet, the
radio, the TV’. Write the vocabulary on the board.
3. Ask the class:
◗◗ ‘Did people always have watches and clocks in the past?’ The students might respond, ‘No, they used
the sun/the stars‘ or they might describe some other instrument like a sundial.
4. Show the class the picture of the sundial and write the word ‘sundial’ on the board. Ask the class:
◗◗ ‘How can you tell the time with a sundial?’ [Answer: Because it has hours marked on it and the sun
makes a shadow on the correct hour.]
5. Ask the class:
◗◗ ‘What’s the time in our town/city now?’ Show them the map with the time zones
6. Now ask:
◗◗ ‘Is it the same time in the UK (or USA) now?’ [Answer: No, different countries have different times
and sometimes even different days. Tell the class what time it is in the UK (or USA).]
7. Show the class the date line map and explain that the day changes from one side of the date line to
the other. Tell the class which country is on a different day to the day in your country. Write up ‘time
zones’ and ‘date line’ on the board.
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ISE I Reading & Writing exam
8. Hand out the worksheet (one per student). Tell the class to read questions 1–5 about ‘time’ on the
worksheet. Then tell the class to read the texts and try to find the answer for question 1 only. Give
the class time to read and check their choice of answer with their partner. Check the answer in
open-class. Tell the class that the answer to question 1 is text D. It is about ‘a line that separates two
consecutive calendar days.’ Point to the date line picture again.
9. Tell the class to read and find the answers for the other questions. Give them about 10 minutes.
When they have finished, ask them to check their answers with their partner.
10. Ask the class for the answers and write up the correct answers on the board. ‘2 = A, 3 = C, 4 = B,
5 = D’. Ask the class to show you the line(s) in the text where they found the answers.
11. Tell the students that they are now going to complete exercise 2. Look at number 1 together as a
class. Ask the students to find out if number 1 in exercise 2 is true or false. Then tell the class that
number 1 is true because the time converter can tell you past times.
12. Give the students five minutes to complete the rest of exercise 2. Tell the students to check their
answers with their partner and then write up the answers on the board and check the lines/texts
where the students found the answers.
13. Tell the class that underlining key words and phrases in the text will help them answer the true
and false questions in the exam.
Extension activity
Ask students who finish early to find six new words in the texts and look them up in their dictionaries.
Homework
Find three countries that are in different time zones to your country and also have different calendar
days. Or find three other instruments that can tell the time and describe them. Or find out what people
traditionally do on ships when they ‘cross the date line’.
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ISE I Reading & Writing exam
Text A
Many countries, and sometimes just areas of countries, adopt daylight saving time (also known
as ‘summer time’) during part of the year. This usually means putting the clocks forward by an
hour near the start of spring and putting them back in autumn. Daylight saving was proposed by
Benjamin Franklin in 1784 but it only started seriously in Europe in 1916 to help to conserve fuel,
and energy. Most countries around the equator do not adopt daylight saving time because the
seasonal difference in sunlight is very little.
Text B
Text C
Pre-historic man used to tell the time by the sun and the stars. Later, the sundial, a round disc
marked with hours and an upright stick that makes a shadow on the marks, was used. The
hourglass was also popular in ancient times. The hourglass was made of two round glass bulbs
connected by a narrow neck of glass. When you turn the hourglass upside down, sand particles
inside fall from the top to the bottom bulb of glass.
Text D
The International Date Line sits on the 180º line of longitude in the middle of the Pacific Ocean,
and is the imaginary line that separates two consecutive calendar days. It is not a perfectly
straight line and has been moved slightly over the years to accommodate needs (or requests) of
varied countries in the Pacific Ocean. It bends to include all of Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga and Tokelau
in the Eastern Hemisphere.
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ISE I Reading & Writing exam
Exercise 2
Read the sentences below. Then read the texts again and decide which statements are True and which
are False. Put T for True or F for False against the statements.
1. You can find out what time it was in another city in 1999 if you use the Time Converter.
2. You do not need to move an hourglass to tell how much time has passed.
3. Daylight saving helps people turn off their lights earlier.
4. The international date line curves around countries.
5. Daylight saving began in 1784.
6. The date line is not a real line.
7. Near the equator, daylight saving is useful.
8. You can tell the time on a sundial by looking at where the shade is on the numbers.
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ISE I Reading & Writing exam
Answer key
Exercise 1
1=D
2=A
3=C
4=B
5=D
Exercise 2
1=T
2=F
3=T
4=T
5=F
6=T
7=F
8=T
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ISE I Reading & Writing exam
Level: ISE I
Focus: Task 3 — Reading into writing
Aims: Writing a planned essay of 100–130 words based on three reading texts
Objectives: Finding important information, writing a plan based on given information and writing
an essay step-by-step
Skill: Understanding and identifying specific information, writing notes and formulating an essay
using notes
Topic: Learning a foreign language and essay writing
Language functions: Describing the future, informing and expressing intentions, giving reasons
opinions and preferences
Lexis: Learning a foreign language
Materials needed: One worksheet per student
Timing: 1 hour
Procedure
Preparation
1. Print or copy one worksheet per student.
In class
1. Explain to the class that they are going to learn some techniques to help them with Task 3 — Reading
into writing, of the ISE I writing exam. Tell students that they are going to read three short texts about
learning a foreign language and then write a 100–130 word essay about what they have read.
2. Ask the students about how they feel about learning a foreign language. What do they find easy or
difficult? What are the best ways to learn?
3. Ask the class to read text 1 which offers advice, suggestions, tips and techniques for learning a
foreign language. Give the students three minutes to read the text.
4. Now, with a partner or in a small group of up to four students, ask the students to find and write
down one important word from each of the five points made in the text.
[Possible answers: vocabulary, grammar, apps, friend, films]
5. Now ask the students to remember as much as they can about each point and tell their partner.
6. Now ask the class to read text 2 which shows the different stages of learning to speak a second
language. Give the students approximately five minutes to do this.
7. With a partner or in a small group of up to four students, ask the students to find and write down
some important information from each of the five categories (6 months, 1 year, 1–2 years, 2–4 years,
5 years)
[Possible answers: 6 months — silence: very few words understood or spoken; 1 year — few words
spoken and used; 1–2-years — sentence use; 2–4 years — good sentence use; 5 years — advanced, very
good use of sentences]
8. Now ask the students to do the same with text 3. Find and write down an important piece of
information from each of the five students.
[Possible answers: Pablo — some English every day, Silvia — reading, Tom — Skype, Anna — vocabulary,
Darius — films]
9. Now with their partner or in a small group, ask the students to discuss what they wrote down and
try to remember as much as they can.
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ISE I Reading & Writing exam
10. Now explain to the students that they are going to practise writing notes, then writing an essay
step-by-step, using the texts they have read.
11. Tell the students to read the exam question and discuss exactly what they need to do with their partner.
12. It is important for students to practise how to write a plan and think carefully about the writing
process. With this in mind, work your way through the different exam question stages (on the
worksheet) with the students.
Extension activity
The more advanced students can write the essay by themselves.
Homework
Ask students to research the best ways to learn a foreign language and to write a short essay on the
information they have found.
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ISE I Reading & Writing exam
Text 2
Read text 2 in five minutes. Find some important information from each of the five categories
(6 months, 1 year, 1–2 years, 2–4 years, 5 years) and write it down.
Text 3
1. Read text 3 in five minutes. Find and write down an important piece of information from each
student (Pablo, Silvia, Tom, Anna, Darius).
2. Discuss what you wrote down with your partner or in a small group. Try to remember as much as you can!
Writing a plan
It is important to organise your ideas. You need to spend around 10 minutes writing notes in the box given.
1. Write notes on the first part of the question (spend only three minutes on this).
Describe some of the techniques given to improve your English.
Planning notes:
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ISE I Reading & Writing exam
5. Now write notes on the second part of the question. Spend only three minutes on this
Explain approximately how long it takes to learn a foreign language
Planning notes:
9. Now write notes on the third part of the essay. Spend only three minutes on this:
Suggest how you think students can best improve their learning of a foreign language
Planning notes:
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ISE I Reading & Writing exam
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ISE I Reading & Writing exam
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ISE I Reading & Writing exam
Level: ISE I
Focus: Task 4 — Extended writing
Aims: Writing a planned essay of 100–130 words based on three reading texts
Objectives: Finding important information, writing a plan based on given information and writing
an essay step-by-step
Skill: Understanding and identifying specific information, writing notes and formulating an essay
using notes
Topic: Learning a foreign language and essay writing
Language functions: Describing the future, informing and expressing intentions, describing past
actions in the indefinite and recent past
Lexis: Learning a foreign language
Materials needed: One worksheet per student
Timing: 1 hour
Procedure
Preparation
Print or copy the worksheet. Search online for a map of Europe and pictures of a maypole and dancers.
In class
1. Tell the class they are going to prepare for and practise the writing part of the ISE I exam. First,
they are going to talk about celebrations in summer in Sweden, then they are going to read two
paragraphs and write their own paragraphs like they are expected to do in the exam.
2. Tell the class they are going to read about a celebration that happens in Sweden in the summer.
Show students the map of Europe and ask them where Sweden is on the map. Point to Sweden on
the map. Look at its position in Northern Europe. Ask the class what kind of weather they think
Sweden has. Tell the class that Sweden has many hours of daylight in summer but in winter there
are many hours of darkness because it is so far north. Ask the class what they think Swedish people
might do in the middle of summer when there are many daylight hours. [The students could answer:
‘Go outside for most of the day and night’, ‘eat something special ’, ‘do some sport or play some
special games.’] Put their answers on the board.
3. Give out the worksheet. Tell the class to read the text and see if what they suggested about
midsummer in Sweden is what happens. Get answers from the class about the paragraphs they
have read. [The students could answer: ‘Swedes go outside and sail boats’, ‘they eat special food and
drink, they dance’.] Point to the picture of the maypole and dancers and say, ‘they have some special
belief about girls who are not yet married’.
4. Now ask the students to read the text again and do exercise A. Give them five minutes to do this. In
pairs, get the students to check their answers for exercise A. Then in open-class, check the answers
and write up the correct answers on the board. Teach some new vocabulary, for example ‘bays’,
‘cottages’, ‘spicy’.
5. Ask the students to do exercise B. Give them five minutes to do this. In pairs, get the students to
check their answers for exercise B. Then in open-class, check the answers and write up the correct
answers on the board.
6. Now ask the class which celebrations they have in their country and in which seasons. Write two or
three on the board. Then put the students into groups of four and get them to talk together about
when the celebration is and what they do, eat and drink at each celebration and the reasons why
they like the celebrations or not.
7. Get some feedback and write some of their ideas on the board.
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ISE I Reading & Writing exam
8. Tell the class to look at the first paragraph again and find the verbs that show what people do at the
celebration. Put the answers (‘drive’, ‘sail’, ‘dance’, ‘eat’) on the board.
9. Then ask the class if it is true or only possible that the girl will dream of her husband. Ask the
students what language they can use to say that something might happen in the future but we are
not sure. Put on the board, ‘The girl will dream of her husband if she puts the flowers under her
pillow.’ Make another similar sentence about a celebration in your country, for example, ‘I will enjoy
Carnival a lot if the weather stays calm’.
10. Then ask the class to tell you again and underline which phrases in the second paragraph help us
express our opinion. They should look at the answers to question 6 on the worksheet.
11. Tell the class they have 15 minutes to write 150–180 words about a celebration in a season in their
country. They can use the paragraphs and the language on the worksheet as models. In the first
paragraph they should describe what happens at the celebration. In the second paragraph they
should give their opinion about the celebration.
12. Give the class 10 minutes to write. Then ask pairs to exchange their work and to read their partner’s
work and tell them if they have the same opinion or not.
13. Take in the work for correction.
Extension activity
Students who finish early can write about a second celebration and give their opinions.
Homework
Students can ask their parents or friends in different classes about seasonal celebrations and what
their opinion is about the celebration. They can report back in class.
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ISE I Reading & Writing exam
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ISE I Reading & Writing exam
Answers
1. First paragraph
2. Second paragraph
3. 2, 4, 1, 3
4. Because he/she thinks that families can spend time together, know how their great-grandparents
lived and remember what people used to eat and drink many years ago.
5. Yes, because he/she thinks that the belief about putting flowers under your pillow to dream about a
future husband is silly.
6. I think that… In my opinion… I believe…
7. The girl will dream if she puts… (Subject + will + base verb) if + (present simple)
33
34
35
ISE I Speaking
& Listening exam
ISE I Speaking & Listening exam
36
ISE I Speaking & Listening exam
Level Support
ISE Foundation Topic form with four points
ISE I Topic form with four points
ISE II Candidate may use notes or a mind map
ISE III Formal handout must accompany presentation
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ISE I Speaking & Listening exam
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ISE I Speaking & Listening exam
Intensive, ‘bottom-up’ ◗◗ Listening to find specific key words and facts in simple recordings
listening
Intensive listening — ◗◗ Understanding specific, factual information at the word and/or phrase
in detail to gather as level
much information as ◗◗ Listening for explicitly stated ideas and information
possible
Intensive listening ◗◗ Listening to understand all or most of the information the recording
— for detailed provides
understanding
Extensive listening ◗◗ Listening to get the topic and main ideas of the recording
— for gist, for main
ideas and for global
understanding
Deducing meaning ◗◗ Guessing the meaning of unknown words from their context
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ISE I Speaking & Listening exam
Candidate profile
A candidate who successfully passes ISE I can:
Speaking
◗◗ initiate, maintain and close simple, unprepared one-to-one conversations on topics that are familiar
or of personal interest
◗◗ communicate with some confidence on familiar routine and non-routine subjects or topics of
personal interest
◗◗ express personal opinions and exchange information on everyday topics that are familiar or of
personal interest (eg family, hobbies, work, travel and current events)
◗◗ maintain a conversation or discussion but with some errors
◗◗ describe one of a variety of familiar subjects, presenting it as a linear sequence of points, with
reasonable fluency
◗◗ give detailed accounts of experiences, describing feelings and reactions
◗◗ describe dreams, hopes and ambitions
◗◗ describe events, real or imagined
◗◗ give reasons and explanations for opinions, plans and actions
◗◗ demonstrate a basic repertoire of language and strategies to help keep a conversation
or discussion going
◗◗ repeat back part of what someone has said to confirm mutual understanding and help keep the
development of ideas on course
◗◗ ask someone to clarify or elaborate what he or she has just said
Listening
◗◗ follow clear speech in one-to-one conversations in a generally familiar accent, although they will
sometimes have to ask for repetition of particular words and phrases
◗◗ understand factual information about common everyday topics, identify general messages and
specific details
◗◗ understand the main points of familiar topics, eg work, school, leisure including short narratives
◗◗ follow a clearly-structured lecture or talk on a familiar topic
◗◗ understand the information content of the majority of slow and clear recorded audio material,
eg radio news, on familiar topics or topics of personal interest
◗◗ identify unfamiliar words from the context on familiar topics or topics of personal interest
◗◗ take notes as a list of key points while listening to a simple and clear lecture on a familiar topic
These speaking and listening profiles are based on the level Independent User, B1, of the Council
of Europe’s Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). The candidate profile above is a
simplified version for quick reference.
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ISE I Speaking & Listening exam
Topic task
Task type and format The Topic task is an integrated speaking and listening task. The candidate
prepares a topic for discussion including a topic form with four points,
which they may use as a prompt.
The examiner uses the same form to ask questions of the candidate about
their chosen topic.
The candidate is prompted to discuss their topic by the examiner using the
topic form. The examiner chooses the sequence in which the topic points
are discussed.
Timing 4 minutes
Task focus and The candidate is expected in this task and throughout the speaking exam
language functions to show their ability to use the language functions of the level. These
functions are:
◗◗ describing past actions in the indefinite and recent past
◗◗ describing the future — informing and expressing intention
◗◗ giving opinions and preferences
◗◗ giving reasons
◗◗ describing consequences with (un)certainty
◗◗ expressing obligation
◗◗ asking for opinions
◗◗ asking for information
Examiner role The examiner uses the topic form to pose questions to the candidate. The
examiner will ask questions to elicit the language functions of the level. The
examiner is also expected to interrupt the candidate where appropriate to
discourage recitation and encourage spontaneous conversation.
41
ISE I Speaking & Listening exam
Conversation task
Task type and format The Conversation task is an integrated speaking and listening task.
The examiner selects one conversation topic from a list and asks the
candidate questions to start a conversation about the topic.
Timing 2 minutes
Task focus and language The candidate is expected in this task and throughout the speaking
functions exam to show their ability to use the language functions of the level.
These functions are:
◗◗ describing past actions in the indefinite and recent past
◗◗ describing the future — informing and expressing intention
◗◗ giving opinions and preferences
◗◗ giving reasons
◗◗ describing consequences with (un)certainty
◗◗ expressing obligation
◗◗ asking for opinions
◗◗ asking for information.
Examiner role The examiner uses the list of subject areas and their own test plans to
ask questions and elicit the target language functions of the level (see
sample exam for example stem questions).
Subject areas for ◗◗ Travel
conversation ◗◗ Money
◗◗ Fashion
◗◗ Rules and regulations
◗◗ Health and fitness
◗◗ Learning a foreign language
Assessment This task is assessed together with the Topic task in four categories:
◗◗ Communicative effectiveness
◗◗ Interactive listening
◗◗ Language control
◗◗ Delivery
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ISE I Speaking & Listening exam
For a sample ISE Speaking & Listening exam, please see Appendix 3. You can also view a sample exam
at www.trinitycollege.com/ISE
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ISE I Speaking & Listening exam
Level: ISE I
Focus: Topic task
Aims: To listen to different pieces of music, and then express and request opinions and impressions
Objectives: To formulate a wide variety of questions after listening to pieces of music and to
answer questions relating to pieces of music
Topic: Music
Language functions: Giving reasons, opinions and preferences, describing the future, informing
and expressing intentions, asking for information and opinions
Grammar: Present perfect tense including: for, since, ever, never, just connecting clauses using
because, will referring to the future for informing and predicting
Lexis: Vocabulary specific to the topic of music
Materials needed: Music playing device (mobile phone, MP3, computer, radio, TV, CD player, iPod),
three or more pieces of music
Timing: 1 hour
Procedure
Preparation
1. Prepare three pieces of music to play to students, preferably from a range of music — for example,
pop, rock, classical, heavy metal (on CD, on a mobile phone, computer etc).
OR
2. Ask students to bring in one piece of music to play on their own devices, for example, their mobile
phones, their iPods or their MP3 players.
3. If any students play a music instrument, you could ask them to play a short piece of their favourite music.
In class
1. Write on the board in large letters ‘MUSIC’. Ask for words that the students think of when they see
this word, for example, happy, sad, loud, romantic, pop, CD, money, famous, concerts, party, disco
etc. Write some of these words on the board.
2. Explain to the students that they are going to listen to some pieces of music and to practise
asking and answering questions about them. This will help them to speak more naturally, which is
something that they need to do in this in the topic task of the exam. Tell the students that they will
be using music to help them with their ideas.
3. Write ‘PIECE 1’ on the board
4. Play piece 1. Ask students to listen and be ready to tell everyone their opinion.
5. Ask students questions about the music, for example, ‘Have you ever heard this piece of music?’,
‘When did you last hear it?’, ‘Did you like it? Why/why not?’ (Try to exploit the language requirements
of ISE I).
6. In groups of four, ask students to think of as many questions as they can about that piece of
music using these prompts ‘Do you…? What kind of…? Who is…? Have you ever…? When you were
younger…? If you have a choice, what…? What were you doing the last time you…? What music might
you…? What do you need to..? Do you prefer…?’
7. Ask students to write down 10 questions on a piece of paper.
8. Write ‘PIECE 2’ on the board
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ISE I Speaking & Listening exam
9. Play piece 2. Ask students to listen and be ready to ask and answer questions as above (in number 6).
10. Students ask each other their questions, taking it in turns in their groups of four.
11. Students exchange their question papers (as in number 7) with another group.
12. Write ‘PIECE 3’ on the board.
13. Explain to the students they are going to work in pairs this time so that they can talk to a different
person (a good idea at this stage would be to move students around, so they are working with
different people).
14. Play piece 3.
15. Students ask and answer their questions in pairs.
16. Now bring the class back together as a group. Ask them a few general questions, for example:
◗◗ Which piece of music did they prefer, and why?
◗◗ When is music important?
◗◗ Do people of different ages listen to different music? Why?
◗◗ Did you listen to different music when you were younger?
17. Explain that music is often chosen as a topic for ISE I and four questions need to be filled in on the
topic form. Draw an example of a topic form on the board and ask which questions from this activity
could be used.
18. Ask students to think of their own questions based on a piece of music or a music group they like.
Then, in pairs, practise asking and answering these questions. Explain that the topic part of the
exam lasts for up to four minutes.
19. Finally, ask the students if they enjoyed listening to music in their English class. Did it help to inspire
them to think of questions? Would they have chosen different pieces of music? Why?
Extension activity
The more advanced students can be asked to think of their favourite piece of music and describe it to
the class. While the students are describing their favourite music, the class have to ask questions and
try to guess what it is.
Homework
Listen to a piece of music of your choice and write down some questions about it. Then, practise
answering questions with a classmate or friend. Prepare a piece of music to play to the class and write
down some questions to ask the class.
Also be prepared to tell the class why you chose this piece of music.
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ISE I Speaking & Listening exam
Level: ISE I
Focus: Conversation task
Aims: Introducing students to making conversation in preparation for the ISE I exam and raising
awareness of the language functions of the grade
Objectives: Students will brainstorm aspects of the sample topic of Rules and regulations and
think about how the language functions of the grade can be incorporated
Topic: Rules and regulations
Language functions: This activity is designed to use all language functions specified for ISE I
(see student worksheet)
Grammar: Zero and first conditionals, using if and when, modals such as must, need to, might and
don’t have to
Lexis: Vocabulary connected to the topic of rules and regulations
Materials needed: Blackboard/whiteboard, flipchart or computer with projector to write up
students’ ideas during brainstorming session, student worksheet (one per student) and pens
Procedure
Preparation
1. Read through the stages in the lesson and note down your own ideas about rules and regulations for
the activities.
2. Print or copy one student worksheet per student.
In class
1. Introduce the students to the topic and aim of the lesson. They will be talking about one of the
exam topics — Rules and regulations — and developing conversations using the language functions
specified for the exam.
2. Give out the student worksheet and introduce the class to the functional language requirements of
the exam. Provide examples of the functions and check any necessary grammar.
3. Divide the class into groups of three.
4. The first few activities can be carried out using the class’s first language. Ask groups to think
about a number of questions about rules and regulations. Some examples might be — What rules
and regulations can they think of? Where are such rules found? Are there too many rules and
regulations? Why do people need rules and regulations? Try to encourage students to be creative
with their ideas. You could write some or all of the elicited questions on the board and ask the
students to copy them down.
5. Brainstorm the topic of rules and regulations with the class on the whiteboard and develop
vocabulary ideas. For example, you could discuss school rules, the rules for a sport, or legal
requirements for driving. Aim at developing a list of different ideas.
6. Ask each group to choose one idea and write notes about it. Feedback in open-class to see what one
of the groups has written.
7. Ask each group to choose a different topic related to rules and regulations and discuss. Ask two
members of the group to have a conversation about the topic while the third observes and makes
notes. At this stage, students can still use their first language.
8. Ask the groups to write down key English words and phrases needed in the discussion.
9. Students now continue/repeat the previous conversation using English. Two other students now
carry on the conversation while a new student takes the role of observer.
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ISE I Speaking & Listening exam
10. After all members of each group have practised talking about the topic and acting as an observer,
bring the class together and focus on the ISE I language functions (See student handout). If
necessary review the grammar needed for some or all of the language functions — for example,
present perfect for describing events in the indefinite and recent past or modal verbs for expressing
obligation and necessity.
11. Finally, ask the groups to revisit their conversations about rules and regulations, now using language
from the different language functions.
Extension activity
For students who finish the activities early, divide the members of the group into other groups and get
them to share their ideas with their new groups.
Homework
Set a short writing task — maybe ask students to list rules and regulations for a sport.
To provide regular practice for the ISE exam listening task, repeat this activity with classes regularly
as they prepare for the exam. Each time select a different ISE exam topic.
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ISE I Speaking & Listening exam
48
ISE I Speaking & Listening exam
Level: ISE I
Focus: Independent listening task 1
Aims: Students practise listening to a factual text and completing a form representing notes from
the recording.
Objectives: Students report facts that are partly derived from understanding whole utterances
and partly inferred from content words recognised.
Topic: Special occasions
Language functions: Describing the future, informing and expressing opinions, giving reasons,
opinions and preferences, describing past actions in the indefinite and recent past, expressing
obligation.
Grammar: Present perfect tense, connecting clauses using because, will referring to the future
for informing and predicting, adjectives and adverbials of quantity, expressions of preference,
zero and first conditionals using if and when, past continuous tense and infinitive of purpose.
Lexis: Vocabulary related to special occasions
Materials needed: Whiteboard, paper and pens, recording of audio script or audio script for
teacher to read from, one copy of worksheet per student and copies of audio script for students
who may find the task difficult.
Timing: 45 minutes
Procedure
Preparation
1. Pre-record the audio using three different people speaking if possible. If necessary you can read out
the audio script yourself in class at a normal pace.
2. Print or copy one worksheet per student.
In class
1. Tell the students that they are going to practise listening to a factual text and completing a form
representing notes from the audio, like in task 1 of the ISE I listening exam. Tell them the audio is
about New Year’s Eve.
2. Elicit the date of New Year’s Eve and ask a student how they celebrated it last year. Ask questions to
elicit more information, such as where they spent it, who with, what they ate, what they wore, and
whether they respected any traditions. Write the questions on the board if necessary.
3. In pairs, tell the students to ask each other about their last New Year’s Eve. Encourage them to talk
for five minutes.
4. Tell the students they are going to hear about New Year’s traditions in three different countries. Ask
the students the first time they listen to write the three countries. Play the recording or read the audio
script. Repeat if necessary and then elicit the answers in open-class. Write answers on the board.
5. Give out a worksheet to each student. Ask the students, in pairs, to try to complete as much of
the worksheet as possible from memory. If they don’t know an answer, encourage them to make a
logical guess.
6. Play the recording again and students complete the worksheet. Ask the students to compare their
answers with their partner’s.
7. Go through the answers as a class, repeating any parts of the audio that were problematic.
8. Write the following discussion questions on the board:
◗◗ Which of the three countries would you rather spend New Year’s Eve in? Why?
◗◗ Which of the traditions do you like the most/least? Why?
◗◗ Do you know any New Year’s traditions from any other countries?
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ISE I Speaking & Listening exam
9. Put students into small groups and encourage them to talk for 10 minutes answering the discussion
questions on the board. While students are speaking, write up errors on the board. Once the
students have completed the task, briefly elicit some answers, comment on their progress and then
address the errors.
Extension activity
Students who are able to complete the worksheet after listening just once can be asked to write down
as many extra details as possible during the second listening.
After class
Ask the students to research other countries’ New Year traditions on the internet. Tell the students to
prepare three interesting facts about the country of their choice, which they can then share with the
class in the next lesson.
Examiner rubric:
You’re going to hear three people talk about how the New Year is celebrated in their countries. As you
listen, complete the notes on this worksheet. Write one or two words in each space. The recording is
about one minute. You’ll hear the recording twice. Now you have 15 seconds to read the worksheet.
[Wait 15 seconds] Are you ready?
Audio script
Hanna from Denmark
In Denmark we usually spend New Year’s Eve with friends. A typical dish at New Year is boiled fish. One
tradition is to throw plates at our friends’ doors. If you have a lot of broken plates outside your door it
shows you are very popular. Another tradition is to jump off chairs at midnight.
Jack from the Philippines
In the Philippines, we believe that round objects bring good luck. That is why people eat a lot of round
fruits on New Year’s Eve, such as grapes and oranges. Some people wear clothes covered in circles. We
also throw coins at New Year to increase wealth and prosperity.
Gustavo from Mexico
On New Year’s Eve in Mexico, we usually have dinner at home with the family. We eat twelve grapes as the
clock strikes midnight on the 31st. As we eat each grape, we make a wish for the New Year. Some people
believe that if you carry a suitcase around the block, you will do a lot of traveling the following year.
50
ISE I Speaking & Listening exam
Speaker 1 — Hanna
Country Denmark
Food Boiled 1)
3) chairs
Speaker 2 — Jack
Throw coins
Speaker 3 — Gustavo
Country Mexico
Food 6) grapes
51
ISE I Speaking & Listening exam
Answers
Speaker 1 — Hanna
Country Denmark
Speaker 2 — Jack
Throw coins
Speaker 3 — Gustavo
Country Mexico
Food 6) 12 grapes
52
ISE I Speaking & Listening exam
Level: ISE I
Focus: Independent listening task 2
Aims: To listen for key information and then answer questions about the information
Objectives: To listen for key information, to remember key information, to write down key
information, to repeat key information orally and to ask questions about key information
Topic: Elephants
Language functions: Asking for information and opinions
Grammar: ‘Can’ to express ability, present simple and making questions (especially ‘wh’ questions).
Lexis: Numbers and units of measurement
Materials needed: Two or three pictures of elephants, one worksheet per student, paper and
pens (for students to write their answers).
Timing: 50 minutes
Procedure
Preparation
Find two or three pictures of elephants with tusks from the internet or from a book and put them on
the board.
In class
1. Tell the class that they are going to learn to listen for important information about elephants and
then ask and answer some questions with their partners about the information. Point to the pictures
on the board and ask what the class knows about elephants. For example, you could ask: ‘What kind
of ears do they have?’, ‘Do they have a nose?’ [Answer: Yes, it’s called a trunk] ‘What are the white
things on their faces called?’ [Answer: Tusks] ‘How do they get their food?’, ‘What do they eat?‘ and
‘Where do they live?’
2. Write all new words on the board. Practise the pronunciation of the new words.
3. Tell the class you are going to read them some information about elephants and you will read the
information two times. They must listen for key information.
4. Read the following text quite slowly and emphasise the bold words:
Read: ‘There are two main kinds of elephant... the Asian elephant and the African elephant...‘ Stop
reading and say ‘in this case, two main kinds of elephant’ is key information.
5. Continue reading: ‘Elephants use their tusks and trunks to get food… They use the tusk to dig up
food and the trunk to suck up water. An elephant drinks about 210 litres of water every day… and an
elephant’s trunk can grow to be about two metres long.’ (Repeat the information)
6. Ask the class to tell you one piece of information that they heard, for example ‘two kinds of
elephants’ or ‘drinks 210 litres of water every day’. Then, put the students in pairs and tell them to
write down three other pieces of information that they heard. Once the students have completed
this task, ask the class to give you the key information and write it on the board.
7. Ask the students some questions about the key information you have written on the board. For
example: ‘What do elephants use to get food?’ ’How do elephants get water?’ ‘How much water do
they drink?’
8. Tell the class you are going to read some more information about elephants. Again, they must listen
for key information.
Read: ‘Elephants often live in forests... They eat grasses, fruits and roots... And an adult elephant
can eat about 136 kilograms of food in one day. Elephants can live to be 70 years old. They can hear
another elephant calling through its trunk eight kilometres away.’ (Repeat this information for a
second time).
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ISE I Speaking & Listening exam
9. Tell each student to write down three pieces of new information on his/her own. Then tell the
students to share their information with their partner. Ask the class to give you the new information
and write up more key facts on the board, for example: ‘live in forests’, ‘eat fruit’, ‘eat 136 kilograms
of food’, ‘70 years old’, ‘8 kilometres away’.
10. Write up one question on the board about the information that is on the board: For example:
‘Where do elephants live?’ Then, ask one pair of students to demonstrate, using the question and
the answer on the board. For example, one student asks ‘Where do elephants live?’ and the partner
responds ‘in forests’. Then all the students should practise asking and answering in pairs, using the
information on the board for the answers.
Extension activity
Ask students to read the extra information about elephants on the worksheet. Then ask them to make
questions that would help them to find out this extra information.
Homework
Ask the students to find out three more facts about elephants. Write the questions for the facts
that you can ask your class, for example, fact: Male elephants do not live in a group, they live alone.
Question for the class: Do male elephants live in a group or not?
54
ISE I Speaking & Listening exam
Question:
Question:
3. Baby elephants are about one metre tall.
Question:
Question:
Question:
55
ISE I Reading & Writing exam
Answer key
1. How many toes does each elephant foot have?
2. How heavy is an elephant’s brain?
3. How tall are baby elephants?
4. Where do female elephants live?
5. What do elephants’ ears help to do?/What are elephants’ ears for?
56
57
Appendices
ISE Speaking & Listening exam
Any Name
ISE I Registration no: xxxxxx:xxxxxxxx
Centre: Any Centre Session: 52015
Centre no: xxxxxx Examination date: 21/05/15
Main points
to discuss
about my topic
The information on this form must be presented to the examiner during the examination.
58
Appendix 2 — Sample Reading & Writing exam paper
SAMPLE ISE I
Paragraph 1
Today there are underground train systems in over 40 countries. For example, you can take
underground trains in Paris, New York and Tokyo. Modern underground systems use electric
trains, and they are clean, safe and quiet. They usually arrive on time. There are no traffic jams.
Most people are happy to use them. But the first underground train systems were quite different
from the modern systems we see in big cities all around the world.
Paragraph 2
The first underground trains ran in London in 1863. It was a very busy city and the streets were
full of traffic. There were too many people, horse carriages, houses and buildings. There just
wasn’t enough space above ground, and so people decided to put the trains underground. But
unlike today, there were no electric trains in 1863 and all of the trains used steam engines —
which made power from fire and water.
Paragraph 3
In 1863, all of the trains used steam engines. Because these engines were powered by very hot water
and fire, the tunnels were smoky, steamy, and noisy. People wanted some fresh air, but it was difficult
to get it into the tunnels and stations. The tunnels were dark, too. The train cars and stations were
made of wood, and lighted with gas. Sometimes there were accidents because of fires.
Paragraph 4
Before the London Underground opened, people were very scared about the idea of going into
underground tunnels. Many were afraid of the tunnels full of the smoke, the steam and the noise
from the train engines. And indeed, travelling in the tunnels of the first underground system was
a very noisy, dark, and smelly experience. But on the first day, the new London Underground
carried 40,000 passengers. It was very quick, and the trains ran every 10 minutes. The people of
London fell in love with their new train system.
Paragraph 5
The London Underground had three classes of travel. First class was the most expensive and
most comfortable. Second class was less expensive but still comfortable. Third class was the
opposite of first class. When the London Underground opened, the third class tickets were the
most popular. About 70% of the tickets sold were these cheap tickets for ordinary working
people. Nowadays the prices have gone up, but the underground experience around the world is
definitely cleaner and quieter!
page 2 This exam paper has four tasks. Complete all tasks.
59
Appendix 2 — Sample Reading & Writing exam paper
SAMPLE ISE I
6.
A The stations and tunnels of the first underground system were smoky.
7. B The first underground trains were late because of traffic jams.
8. C There were three types of tickets for the first underground trains.
9. D The first underground trains were built in Paris.
E At first, people were worried about using the first underground trains.
10.
F The first underground train stations were made of wood.
G Ordinary working people could not buy first class underground tickets.
H The ticket prices today are still cheap for ordinary working people.
15. When the London Underground opened, most of the tickets sold were the
60
Appendix 2 — Sample Reading & Writing exam paper
SAMPLE ISE I
As part of your studies you are going to read about rivers. In this section there are three short
texts for you to read and some questions for you to answer.
Which text
16. makes negative comments about the activities of local people and businesses?
17. reports a good news story about recent improvements to a river environment?
18. shares lots of practical ideas from different people about how to improve a local river?
19. calls for more political action and public education to protect a nearby river?
Text A
From: Eva
Sent: 11 November 2014 19:37
To: editor@eveningnews.co.uk
Subject: River Mêle
Dear Editor
The River Mêle causes health problems in the city, so we need to take action. Although the other local
factories have stopped putting waste into the river, the paper factory is still breaking pollution laws,
and should have to pay big fines.
The mud of the riverbed needs to be taken away because it’s polluted with chemicals. Politicians are
scared to say this, because it brings jobs to the city, but it is obvious that the paper company should pay.
Also, people need to be educated: drinks bottles and plastic bags wouldn’t be such a problem if
people reused or recycled them.
Yours
Eva Strauss
Text B
20
Waste from Oxygen (O2) Fish numbers Water birds Rubbish Chemicals from
factories levels in water down 3% down 2.4% up 14% farms in riverbed
up 6.4% down 3.5% up 5.5%
page 4 This exam paper has four tasks. Complete all tasks.
61
Appendix 2 — Sample Reading & Writing exam paper
SAMPLE ISE I
Text C
The city is getting millions from the government to improve the River Lamm! How should it
spend the money?
Paul: I’ve always thought that the river would be great for kayaking so how about a
watersports centre for people to do things like that?
Marcus: It would be great to see people using the river for transport, like in the old days.
Divna: Fear stops a lot of people going to the river! Even a little lighting along the
riverbank would help people to feel safe.
Alex: I’d like to see one of the old factories become a museum of the city’s
industrial history.
Inge: @Alex And some quality waterside cafés would attract visitors too.
Simone: @Divna I agree – security cameras too, to protect people from criminals!
Alex: @Inge Hopefully they’ll close that fast food place – that would mean less litter
on the ground!
Text D
21. A The Big Clean-up and tree-planting projects are improving the
River Vico.
22. B Waste paper and cardboard are causing serious pollution in the
23. River Mêle.
C Some people don’t go to the River Lamm because they are worried
24. about safety.
25. D The water quality on the River Tollen has continued to improve.
E The Big Clean-up Project on the River Vico takes place once a year.
F On the River Tollen rubbish has increased more than farm or
factory pollution.
G Money needs to be raised for improvements to the River Lamm.
H The paper factory near the River Mêle is an important local employer.
62
Appendix 2 — Sample Reading & Writing exam paper
SAMPLE ISE I
Summary notes
The main causes of river pollution:
• industrial pollution, eg waste from factories
page 6 This exam paper has four tasks. Complete all tasks.
63
Appendix 2 — Sample Reading & Writing exam paper
SAMPLE ISE I
You are doing a project on the environment and you need to write a short essay for your teacher
(100–130 words) about the problem of river pollution in a city or town.
Use the information you read in Task 2 (pages 4–6) to:
w describe some problems from river pollution in a town or city
w explain some steps that can be taken to help clean up a polluted river and
w suggest how you think people can be encouraged to look after their local river better.
You should plan your essay before you start writing. Think about what you want to say and make
some notes to help you in this box:
Planning notes
Now write your essay of 100–130 words on the lines below. Try to use your own words as far as
possible — don’t just copy sentences from the reading texts.
64
Appendix 2 — Sample Reading & Writing exam paper
SAMPLE ISE I
page 8 This exam paper has four tasks. Complete all tasks.
65
Appendix 2 — Sample Reading & Writing exam paper
SAMPLE ISE I
When you have finished your essay, spend 2–3 minutes reading through what you have written. Make
sure you have answered the task completely. Remember to check how you made use of the reading
texts, as well as the language and organisation of your writing.
66
Appendix 2 — Sample Reading & Writing exam paper
SAMPLE ISE I
You should plan your article before you start writing. Think about what you want to say and make
some notes to help you in this box:
Planning notes
page 10 This exam paper has four tasks. Complete all tasks.
67
Appendix 2 — Sample Reading & Writing exam paper
SAMPLE ISE I
68
Appendix 2 — Sample Reading & Writing exam paper
SAMPLE ISE I
When you have finished your article, spend 2–3 minutes reading through what you have written.
Make sure you have covered both bullet points and remember to check the language and
organisation of your writing.
End of exam
Copyright © 2015 Trinity College London
69
Appendix 3 — Information on the Speaking & Listening exam
Task 1
Examiner rubric:
You’re going to hear a short talk about an animal called a ‘giraffe’.
You will hear the talk twice. As you listen, write down some notes about what you hear, if you want
to. After, I will ask you six questions on some facts about the giraffe.
Are you ready?
Questions
1. Where do giraffes get water from?
2. How fast can giraffes run?
3. After how long can a baby giraffe stand up?
4. What happens to baby giraffes after 10 hours?
5. How long do giraffes live for?
6. How do you know the age of a giraffe?
Audio script
Giraffes are often five-and-a-half metres tall and not surprisingly, are the tallest animals on the planet.
Their height is useful for eating from trees, but drinking is difficult for giraffes. Fortunately, giraffes do
not need to drink everyday as they get most of the water they need from the plants they eat.
They eat most of the time and often sleep about two hours a day. They can run up to fifty-five
kilometres an hour and are so powerful that they can kill a lion by kicking it.
Female giraffes have babies standing up and so the babies fall one-and-a-half metres to the ground.
They are not hurt by the fall and after only 30 minutes the baby giraffes can stand by themselves.
Amazingly, after 10 hours, the baby giraffes can run around with their mothers.
Giraffes live up to 25 years in the wild. You can tell the age of a giraffe from its spots.
As a giraffe gets older, its spots get darker. They really are beautiful animals. [fade out...]
Answer key
1. From plants/the plants they eat
2. (Up to) 55 kilometres an hour
3. They are standing up
4. They can run around (with their mothers)
5. (Up to) 25 years
6. (By/from) its spots
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Appendix 3 — Information on the Speaking & Listening exam
Notes
w w
w w
w w
w w
w w
Extra notes
71
Appendix 3 — Information on the Speaking & Listening exam
Task 2
Examiner rubric:
You’re going to hear a short talk about science. You will hear the talk twice. The first time, just listen.
Then I’ll ask you to tell me in a few words what the speaker is talking about.
Are you ready?
Turn over your paper. Now listen to the talk again. Write down some notes about what you hear, if you
want to.
Then I’ll ask you to tell me six pieces of information about how children learn to speak. Are you ready?
Audio script
Babies begin to speak at about one year old. To start with they learn words very slowly. For some time
they only know about 50 words mainly words for objects and people, then when they are about 18
months old their vocabulary suddenly begins to grow very fast. They begin to use verbs and adjectives
and they may learn as many as 10 new words every day. Some people say that this is because children
suddenly recognise what a word is, they realise that each word refers to something in the real world.
It is strange that children do not need to hear a word many times. Sometimes they have only heard
it two or three times before they begin to use it. By the time they are six years old, children can use
about 6,000 words and they can understand about 14,000.
Answer key
What the talk is about: How babies learn language/to speak (any broadly similar formulation
is acceptable)
72
Appendix 4 — Suggested grammar for ISE I
Language requirements
Grammar
◗◗ Present perfect tense including use with for, ◗◗ Expressions of preference, e.g. I prefer, I’d rather
since, ever, never, just ◗◗ Zero and first conditionals, using if and when
◗◗ Connecting clauses using because ◗◗ Present continuous tense for future use
◗◗ Will referring to the future for informing ◗◗ Past continuous tense
and predicting
◗◗ Modals connected to the functions listed above,
◗◗ Adjectives and adverbials of quantity, eg must, need to, might, don’t have to
eg a lot (of), not very much, many
◗◗ Infinitive of purpose
73
Appendix 5 — ISE I Task 3 Reading into writing rating scale
4 ◗◗ Full and accurate understanding of the straightforward ◗◗ Excellent achievement of the communicative aim
ideas of all source materials demonstrated ◗◗ Excellent awareness of the writer-reader relationship
◗◗ A wholly appropriate and accurate selection of relevant ◗◗ All requirements (ie genre, topic, reader, purpose and number of
content from the source texts words) of the instruction appropriately met
◗◗ Excellent ability to identify the main conclusions, signif-
icant points and common themes within and across the
multiple texts
◗◗ An excellent adaptation of content to suit the purpose
for writing
◗◗ Excellent paraphrasing/summarising skills of short pieces
of information demonstrated
3 ◗◗ Full and accurate understanding of the straightforward ◗◗ Good achievement of the communicative aim (ie important
ideas of most source materials demonstrated messages conveyed)
◗◗ An appropriate and accurate selection of relevant content ◗◗ Good awareness of the writer-reader relationship (ie appropriate
from the source texts (ie most relevant ideas are selected use of style and register throughout the text)
and most ideas selected are relevant) ◗◗ Most requirements (ie genre, topic, reader, purpose and number
◗◗ Good ability to identify the main conclusions, significant of words) of the instruction appropriately met
points and common themes within and across the multi-
ple texts
◗◗ A good adaptation of content to suit the purpose for writing
◗◗ Good paraphrasing/summarising skills of short pieces of
information demonstrated (with very limited lifting and a
few disconnected ideas)
2 ◗◗ Full and accurate understanding of more than half of the ◗◗ Acceptable achievement of the communicative aim
source materials demonstrated ◗◗ Some awareness of the writer-reader relationship
◗◗ An acceptable selection of relevant content from the ◗◗ Most requirements (ie genre, topic, reader, purpose and number
source texts (the content selected must come from more of words) of the instruction acceptably met
than one text)
◗◗ Acceptable ability to identify the main conclusions, signif-
icant points and common themes within and across the
multiple texts
◗◗ Acceptable adaptation of content to suit the purpose
for writing
◗◗ Acceptable paraphrasing/summarising skills of short
pieces of information demonstrated (with some lifting and
disconnected ideas)
1 ◗◗ Inaccurate and limited understanding of most ◗◗ Poor achievement of the communicative aim (ie difficult to follow
source materials and unconvincing for reader)
◗◗ Inadequate and inaccurate selection of relevant content ◗◗ Poor awareness of the writer-reader relationship
from the source texts (ie fewer than half of the relevant ◗◗ Most requirements (ie genre, topic, reader, purpose and number
ideas are selected and most of the selected ideas of words) of the instruction are NOT met
are irrelevant)
◗◗ Poor ability to identify the main conclusions, significant
points and common themes within and across the multi-
ple texts (ie misunderstanding of the common themes and
links is evident)
◗◗ Poor adaptation of content to suit the purpose for writing
(ie does not use the source texts’ content to address the
purpose for writing)
◗◗ Poor paraphrasing/summarising skills of short pieces of
information demonstrated (with heavy lifting and many
disconnected ideas)
74
Appendix 5 — ISE I Task 3 Reading into writing rating scale
4 ◗◗ Effective organisation of text (ie clear organisation of ◗◗ Good range of range of grammatical items relating to the task
text with ideas sequenced in a linear fashion, the use of with good level of accuracy
paragraphs to separate key themes) ◗◗ Good range of lexical items relating to the task with good level of
◗◗ Very clear presentation and logical development of all accuracy
straightforward ideas and arguments ◗◗ Any errors do not impede understanding
◗◗ Appropriate format throughout the text ◗◗ Excellent spelling and punctuation
◗◗ Effective signposting
3 ◗◗ Good organisation of text (eg appropriately organised into ◗◗ Appropriate range of grammatical items relating to the task with
paragraphs, appropriate opening and closing) good level of accuracy (errors may occur when handling more
◗◗ Clear presentation and logical development of most complex ideas)
straightforward ideas and arguments ◗◗ Appropriate range of lexical items relating to the task with good
◗◗ Appropriate format in most of the text level of accuracy (may contain some circumlocutions)
◗◗ Good signposting (eg appropriate use of cohesive devices ◗◗ Errors occasionally impede understanding but the overall mes-
and topic sentences to address a linear sequence) sage is clear
◗◗ Spelling and punctuation good enough to be followed (punctua-
tion of simple sentences is free from errors)
2 ◗◗ Acceptable organisation of text (ie showed some aware- ◗◗ Acceptable level of grammatical accuracy and appropriacy relat-
ness of the need for structure with new ideas introduced ing to the task, though range may be restricted
in new sentences) ◗◗ Acceptable level of lexical accuracy and appropriacy relating to
◗◗ Presentation and development of most straightforward the task, though range may be restricted
ideas and arguments are acceptably clear and logical ◗◗ Errors sometimes impede understanding
◗◗ Appropriate format in general ◗◗ Acceptable spelling and punctuation
◗◗ Acceptable signposting (eg some appropriate use of cohe-
sive devices and topic sentences to address a
linear sequence)
1 ◗◗ Very limited or poor text organisation which causes the ◗◗ Inadequate evidence of grammatical range and accuracy (may
reader difficulties have control over the language below the level)
◗◗ Most ideas and arguments lack coherence and do not ◗◗ Inadequate evidence of lexical range and accuracy (may have
progress logically control over the language below the level)
◗◗ Inappropriate format throughout the text ◗◗ Errors frequently impede understanding
◗◗ Poor signposting (lacks use of simple cohesive devices) ◗◗ Poor spelling and punctuation throughout
75
Appendix 6 — ISE I Task 4 Extended writing rating scale
4 ◗◗ Excellent achievement of the commu- ◗◗ Effective organisation of text (ie clear ◗◗ Good range of grammatical items relat-
nicative aim organisation of text with ideas se- ing to the task with good level
◗◗ Excellent awareness of the writer-read- quenced in a linear fashion. The use of of accuracy
er relationship paragraphs to separate key themes) ◗◗ Good range of lexical items relating to
◗◗ All requirements (ie genre, topic, read- ◗◗ Very clear presentation and logical de- the task with good level of accuracy
er, purpose and number of words) of velopment of all straightforward ideas ◗◗ Any errors do not impede understand-
the instruction appropriately met and arguments ing
◗◗ Appropriate format throughout the text ◗◗ Excellent spelling and punctuation
◗◗ Effective signposting
3 ◗◗ Good achievement of the commu- ◗◗ Good organisation of text (eg appro- ◗◗ Appropriate range of grammatical
nicative aim (ie important messages priately organised into paragraphs, items relating to the task with good lev-
conveyed) appropriate opening el of accuracy (errors may occur when
◗◗ Good awareness of the writer-reader and closing) handling more complex ideas)
relationship (ie appropriate use of style ◗◗ Clear presentation and logical develop- ◗◗ Appropriate range of lexical items
and register throughout the text) ment of most straightforward ideas and relating to the task with good level of
◗◗ Most requirements (ie genre, topic, arguments accuracy (may contain some circumlo-
reader, purpose and number of words) ◗◗ Appropriate format in most of the text cutions)
of the instruction appropriately met ◗◗ Good signposting (eg appropriate use ◗◗ Errors occasionally impede under-
of cohesive devices and topic sentenc- standing but the overall message is
es to address a linear sequence clear
◗◗ Spelling and punctuation good enough
to be followed (punctuation of simple
sentences is free from errors)
2 ◗◗ Acceptable achievement of the com- ◗◗ Acceptable organisation of text (ie ◗◗ Acceptable level of grammatical accu-
municative aim showed some awareness of the need racy and appropriacy relating
◗◗ Some awareness of the writer-reader for structure with new ideas introduced to the task, though range may
relationship in new sentences) be restricted
◗◗ Most requirements (ie genre, topic, ◗◗ Presentation and development of most ◗◗ Acceptable level of lexical accuracy
reader, purpose and number of words) straightforward ideas and arguments and appropriacy relating to the task,
of the instruction acceptably met are acceptably clear and logical though range may be restricted
◗◗ Appropriate format in general ◗◗ Errors sometimes impede understand-
◗◗ Acceptable signposting (eg some ing
appropriate use of cohesive devices ◗◗ Acceptable spelling and punctuation
and topic sentences to address a linear
sequence)
1 ◗◗ Poor achievement of the commu- ◗◗ Very limited or poor text organisation ◗◗ Inadequate evidence of grammatical
nicative aim (ie difficult to follow and which causes the reader difficulties range and accuracy (may have control
unconvincing for reader) ◗◗ Most ideas and arguments lack coher- over the language below the level)
◗◗ Poor awareness of the writer-reader ence and do not progress logically ◗◗ Inadequate evidence of lexical range
relationship ◗◗ Inappropriate format throughout the text and accuracy (may have control over
◗◗ Most requirements (ie genre, topic, ◗◗ Poor signposting (lacks use of simple the language below the level)
reader, purpose and number of words) cohesive devices) ◗◗ Errors frequently impede understanding
of the instruction are NOT met ◗◗ Poor spelling and punctuation through-
out
76
Appendix 7 — ISE I Speaking & Listening rating scale
4 ◗◗ Fulfils the task very well ◗◗ Understands interventions ◗◗ Uses a good range of ◗◗ Intelligible despite
◗◗ Initiates and responds with little repetition or grammatical structures/ some noticeable use of
appropriately both actively rephrasing lexis to deal with topics at non-standard phonemes
and receptively ◗◗ Identifies factual informa- this level ◗◗ Uses lexical stress and
◗◗ Maintains and contributes tion accurately ◗◗ Shows a relatively high intonation appropriately
to the interaction by elab- ◗◗ Has little difficulty in fol- level of grammatical accu- ◗◗ Speaks relatively slowly
orating their utterances lowing speech at a normal racy and lexical precision with some pausing and
spontaneously conversational rate to deal with most familiar hesitation
◗◗ Says or signals in basic ◗◗ Sometimes responds slow- topics ◗◗ Requires some careful
ways that he/she did not ly to consider examiner ◗◗ Errors occur, but they do listening
follow. These signals are input not impede communica-
always effective tion
3 ◗◗ Fulfils the task appropri- ◗◗ Understands interventions ◗◗ Uses an appropriate range ◗◗ Intelligible despite
ately but may need some repeti- of grammatical structures/ some noticeable use of
◗◗ Initiates and responds tion or rephrasing lexis to deal with topics at non-standard phonemes
appropriately when ◗◗ Identifies factual infor- this level ◗◗ Generally uses lexical
prompted mation though it may be ◗◗ Shows a reasonable level stress and intonation
◗◗ Manages to maintain short on detail of grammatical accuracy appropriately
the interaction, but topic ◗◗ Sometimes needs examin- and lexical precision to ◗◗ Generally speaks slowly
development is some- er speech slowed down deal with most familiar with some pausing and
what dependent on the ◗◗ Responds slowly due to topics hesitation
examiner some uncertainty about ◗◗ Errors are frequent (eg ◗◗ Requires some careful
◗◗ Says or signals in basic examiner input tenses, agreement-mark- listening
ways that he/she did ers) but they do not usual-
not follow — although ly impede communication
sometimes awkward, these
signals are effective
2 ◗◗ Fulfils the task acceptably ◗◗ Understands short inter- ◗◗ Uses an acceptable range ◗◗ Mostly intelligible despite
with support ventions but may need of grammatical structures/ some noticeable use of
◗◗ Acceptably initiates and repetition or rephrasing lexis to manage topics at non-standard phonemes
responds when prompted ◗◗ Identifies some factual this level, but grammatical/ ◗◗ Uses lexical stress and
◗◗ Manages to maintain information, possibly lexical gaps cause some intonation acceptably
the interaction, but topic incomplete noticeable hesitation and ◗◗ Generally speaks slowly
development is overly de- ◗◗ Has difficulty following circumlocution with frequent pausing
pendent on the examiner speech at a normal conver- ◗◗ Shows an acceptable level and hesitation
◗◗ Says or signals in basic sational rate of grammatical accuracy ◗◗ Requires careful listening
ways that he/she did not ◗◗ Responds quite slowly due and lexical precision to deal
follow. Sometimes awk- to uncertainty about input with most familiar topics
ward, and these signals are ◗◗ Errors are frequent but
not always effective they do not usually impede
communication
1 ◗◗ Does not fulfil the task ◗◗ Has difficulty understand- ◗◗ Uses a limited range of ◗◗ Generally intelligible or
even with support ing interventions grammatical structures/ sometimes unintelligible.
◗◗ Does not initiate or re- ◗◗ Identifies some random lexis that is not always ad- Use of non-standard pho-
spond adequately factual information but equate to deal with topics nemes is evident
◗◗ Does not maintain the without an overall context at this level ◗◗ Uses lexical stress and in-
interaction sufficiently ◗◗ Does not follow any ◗◗ Does not show an ade- tonation enough to follow
◗◗ Contributions are inappro- speech at a normal conver- quate level of grammat- ◗◗ Speaks slowly with
priate and/or overly de- sational rate ical accuracy and lexical frequent and noticeable
pendent on the examiner ◗◗ Consistently responds precision pausing and hesitation
◗◗ Has difficulty in resolving slowly due to difficulty in ◗◗ Some or many errors ◗◗ Requires careful listening —
communication problems understanding input impede communication may be difficult to follow
0 No performance to assess (candidate does not speak, or does not speak in English). Also use if no topic is prepared.
77
Appendix 8 — ISE I Independent listening rating scale
4 ◗◗ Identifies and reports all/almost all key information accurately (main points and
supporting detail) (eg nine or more)
◗◗ Shows good understanding of links between key information
◗◗ Responds to questions with promptness
◗◗ Needs no/little repetition or rephrasing of questions
3 ◗◗ Identifies and reports the number of key information points required accurately (main
points and supporting detail) (eg 6 to 8)
◗◗ Shows understanding of links between key information
◗◗ Responds to questions with relative promptness
◗◗ May need some repetition or rephrasing of questions
2 ◗◗ Identifies and reports some key information points accurately (main points and
supporting detail) (eg 4 to 5)
◗◗ Shows limited understanding of links between key information
◗◗ Responds to questions after some hesitation
◗◗ May need some repetition or rephrasing of questions
Constraints
This is primarily a test of listening; the spoken response should be treated as evidence of whether
the message has been comprehended.
Examiners should be guided by each grading criteria equally (ie all four bullets) and by the
following general question:
How good is the candidate’s understanding of the content of the input?
Examiners should avoid judgements based on pronunciation, grammatical accuracy and spoken fluency.
78