ECPE Writing: Article

A presentation for teachers preparing students for the ECPE

 Writing
ECPE

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 ECPE: Writing an article

Format - Specifications
Preparation
Tips to share

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 Introduction
The Examination for the Certificate of Proficiency in
English (ECPE) is a standardized, 4-skill English test at the
high-advanced level of the Common European
Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR C2). It is a
secure exam developed by Michigan Language
Assessment and administered by authorized test centers
worldwide.

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 Format-Specs ECPE Writing

ECPE: Writing an article

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 Tasks: 1. Article/Proposal
or
2. Essay
Length: approx. 2 A4 pages
Duration: 45 min.

Writing Format

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 ✓ Evaluate multiple viewpoints
✓ Test taker’s opinion
✓ 3 sources provided (visual prompts); incorporate
at least 1

Writing Requirements

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 Sources (visual prompts) sample:

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 Article sample task:

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 Article sample task:

• situation
• multiple viewpoints
• task instruction
• source instruction

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 Article – Task Breakdown

• There is a situation (that impacts a large number of people)​

• There is reference to multiple viewpoints (what
people think)​
• There is task instruction (who the audience is and
what needs to be discussed - own opinion)​
• There is source instruction (visual information provided)​

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 Article

• Informative​
• Entertaining
• Including writer’s personal voice (humor, feelings, etc.)
• On a concrete topic
• Neutral/Informal register

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Address the reader

Short & long sentences
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Don’t start with Nowadays, in these days, etc.
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 Article – Writing response sample
WE MUST BROADEN OUR IDEA OF WHAT STUDENTS CAN STUDY IN SCHOOL
Let’s imagine three high-school students. The first, ‘Paul’, devours novel after novel in his spare time. The other two, ‘Alice’ and ‘Jim’, while away their free
hours playing video games and binge-watching TV series, respectively. Unlike Paul, Alice and Jim rarely crack a book unless they have a school
assignment to do. Which of these three hypothetical students do you think achieves the highest grades?

Not one paragraph for each source

If your answer is Paul, the bookworm, you could be wrong. The high-flyer is just as likely to be the gamer, Alice. According to the Institute for Education
Research, 60% of young video game fans attain the highest grades at school. Presumably, the same could also be true of high-school students who are
into TV series, like Alice. The bottom line here is that, contrary to popular belief, a preference for certain forms of audiovisual entertainment, such as
video games and TV series, need be no barrier to academic progress. On the contrary, these leisure pursuits seem to be just as conducive to outstanding

Clearly labeled as an external source

academic performance as reading, a pastime usually associated with exceptional scholarly achievement.
This may come as some surprise to opponents of Rosewood High School’s policy of allowing students to write about movies, TV series and video games
– and not just written novels – for their ‘critical review’ assignments. Diehard traditionalists may insist that books are superior in terms of intellectual value
and suitability for scholarly critical analysis. However, given that the academically-inclined are just as keen on movies, series and video games as they are
on books, why should the former be dismissed as inferior from an educational perspective?

not their own example or idea

Personally, I prefer reading to watching series or playing video games, but I readily acknowledge that those media have evolved, even to the point of
being on a par with books in terms of intellectual sophistication and complexity. For example, the storylines of some role-playing video games are not a
far cry from what you’d find in a classic novel. While I remain sceptical about journalist Barbara Rose’s claim that novels are “a dying art form”, she is right
on the money when she says that audiovisual media are becoming “increasingly sophisticated”. These media should be treated as seriously as books,

Paragraphs: example, logical order, supported

and they are just as worthy of being discussed in a critical review assignment for school.
So, let’s all give a round of applause to Rosewood High for giving students the freedom to write their critical reviews about novels…or about movies…or
about TV series…or about video games, as they so wish. I, for one, hope that other high schools will follow Rosewood’s example.
12

Synonyms in the right context

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Reader engagement is important, not pre rehearsed,
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not formulative,
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You can’t get a 0 because scores start at 1

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You can fail a part of the test and still pass because
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aggregate score
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 Are test takers allowed to make a plan/outline?
Of course! Actually, they can write anything they want in the test booklet (it’s not
assessed). They don’t need to bring their own paper.
Are they writing their response in the test booklet?
No, they are given a Writing section answer sheet.
How many words should they write?
Counting words might be distracting and it certainly is unnecessary; that’s why Michigan
Language Assessment does not suggest a particular number of words for ECPE Writing.
Should there be a title?
No!
What happens if a test taker does not finish his/her response?
There are 4 assessment criteria based on which the 2 raters assign their scores. There
are several parameters involved in assessment. Not completing the response does not
mean that the test taker will fail this section. They may get a high score even with an
incomplete response.
Writing FAQs

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 Preparation ECPE Writing

ECPE: Writing an article

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 Assessment Criteria

Task Completion Development Language Authorial Voice

• On topic • Depth of support • Grammatical • Originality
• Organization control • Reader
• Multiple viewpoints
• Vocabulary engagement
• Test taker’s opinion range and usage

• Source integration

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 Preparation objectives (based on assessment
criteria)

Objectives Assessment Criteria

• Relevance to task, consideration of multiple • Task Completion
viewpoints along with writer’s opinion, integration • Development
of at least one visual prompt in the response
• Language
• Development of strong arguments, meaningful
information flow (organization & connection of • Authorial Voice
ideas)
• Demonstration of a good range of grammar and
vocabulary
• Content originality and reader engagement

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Text
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 Integrating the sources

Things to remember Effective use of sources

•The visual information is always relevant to the
topic area
•Only one of the visuals is required but more can be
used (provided they are used correctly!)
•The important criterion for the assessment is how
the source is incorporated in the text and not just
its presence there
•The source can be incorporated without being
necessary to follow any specific conventions
•The visual information used should be
attributed to the provided sources
•The content of the visual information
can be either quoted or
paraphrased
•The content of the visual information
should be integrated meaningfully in
the text

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Text
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 Level expectations

Students should be able to:

• produce clear, smooth, complex responses
• consider multiple perspectives
• distinguish original ideas and opinions from those in sources
• display a variety of organizational patterns
• provide an effective and logical structure
• maintain consistent grammatical control
• convey finer shades of meaning
• use vocabulary accurately
• have a broad lexical repertoire

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 Useful steps for your students

1. Listen to the instructions the examiner gives test takers. 1. Proofread your response
2. Choose the task you feel more comfortable with (you 2. Edit your writing (correct the mistakes (in grammar,
fully understand it – you have some ideas about it – you vocabulary, punctuation, spelling, mechanics)
have the vocabulary to express your ideas).
3. Make sure you’ve darkened the circle that corresponds
3. Read again the chosen task and underline key words. to the task you’ve chosen on the cover page of your
4. Make an outline (plan). Writing section answer sheet.
During-Writing

Pre-Writing Post-Writing
1. Write your introduction:
Describe the task using your own words (paraphrase instead of copying from the task). At
the end of the introduction give the reader an idea of what is going to follow; for
example, you can write your opinion (briefly).
2. Start each main body paragraph with a topic sentence (the summary of the
paragraph).
3. Analyse and support your ideas using examples.
4. Write your conclusion (re-write your opinion, main points you used) and end your
response smoothly (e.g. using a wish)

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 Summary

Teach your students how to write

Expose students to the writing process:
planning, drafting, editing, re-drafting,
submitting
Use Hellenic American Union
publications (The new build up your
Writing and Speaking skills for the
ECPE – Revised 2021 format)
Have your students take mock tests
(under exam conditions)
Give them feedback that helps them
improve!

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 Writing Section:
•6 ALL NEW units
•24 model compositions covering all task types.
•Engaging topics geared towards teenagers and
young adults
•Ample writing practice covering all task types:
articles, proposals, essays
•Focus on understanding and incorporating
information from sources - graphs, figures, and quotes
•Analysis of model compositions accompanied by
tasks focusing on writing techniques to meet the ECPE
writing scoring criteria
•Ample language and grammar practice
•Discussion points to help with brainstorming ideas
•Students will learn to recognize with precision the
different types of composition prompts on the ECPE
writing test and respond to each in an appropriate
way, using the right language, organization, and
content.

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 Thank you

exams@hau.gr

www.hau.gr

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 Hellenic American Union
Center for Examinations and Certifications
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