Paper 1 task 4 2009 Thanks for changing the format, Kenan! Paper 1 task 4: a: 3/5 Yo approache!

this task "e##: $o ga%e concise !escriptions an! chose a range of re#e%ant feat res, inc# !ing #a$o t, organi&ation, #e'is, st$#e, grammar( Yo #ost some marks )eca se $o nee! to pro%i!e an e'amp#e for each point, e%en if it*s !iffic #t, as in "hat $o sai! a)o t organi&ation, an! )eca se $o nee!e! to i!entif$ a range of tenses rather than simp#$ the past simp#e( +,9 c, ,!: 9 25/35 -oo! e'am techni. e in part ) / #ots of short points( 0n part c, $o can get more marks )$ sa$ing more, partic #ar#$ a)o t the meaning/ se of "o #! in the !ifferent sentences( The same is tr e of ! / make as man$ points as $o can a)o t the meaning of the str ct re/%er) 1so for instance, the meaning of 2atten!* can )e pro)#ematic for some #earners, others might not kno" it*s . ite forma#, or ho" to spe## it etc(3 0*%e paste! the ke$ )e#o" so that $o can see the sort of things $o co #! ha%e sai!( 4otice that sometimes $o !on*t get a mark if $o sa$ something too genera# 1e(g( no mark for 2sing #ar* ) t a mark for 2sing #ar prono n*, no mark for 2%er)* ) t a mark for 2past particip#e*( 5ope this he#ps! This is an enco raging start( -oo! # ck "ith the ne't practice! 6a rence Tota#: 27/40 4a 8 6a$o t

9g( :se of %is a#s/ +ig ;onts/ <atch$ 5ea!ing 15 "e!!ings for the price of 13 8 =rganisation

9g( 6ogica#/<hrono#ogica# or!er of e%ents in paragraphs "ith a )ackgro n! information passage( This is tr e, ) t to get a mark, $o nee! to pro%i!e an e'amp#e 1here, $o co #! mention the se. ence of 5 "e!!ings or something #ike that3( 8 -rammar8 >irect/ in!irect speech

9g( 20 !o* 6ine 32 9g( 2?r ;en#e$ sai! the fi%e ceremonies@* #ines 1815 8 -rammar / narrati%e1past simp#e3

9g( Aimone an! r$an "ante!@ #ine 5 Bct a##$, it*s not C st the se of the past simp#e that*s cre!ite!, it*s the se of narrati%e tenses in genera#, so $o can*t get this mark(

At$#e8 informa#/)roken sentences

9g( 2 got !o"n on one knee* #ine 1, to mean 2propose!*, 2a )ash* #ine 24 to mean 2a ceremon$*( 9g( 2The pair in t rke$* to !escri)e pict re(

4) i =ne goo! one 84 m)er8car!ina# 8 !eterminer 8Dep#ace! 2a*8in!efinite artic#e 8 se! to emphasi&e the n m)er 113 of the e%ent 8?eans n m)er 818

=ne goo! one 8 8 8 8 8 Aing #ar the mark is for sing #ar prono n 1so it*s cre!ite! )e#o"3 Bnaphoric reference to 2"e!!ing* =)Cect Prono n :se! to rep#ace 2"e!!ing*, a!!ing cohesion( Prece!e! )$ an a!Cecti%e 1goo!3

(elision of t), stress (on least and one) 4c /"o #!/ #ines 9811

8 ?o!a# of the con!itiona# sentence 8mo!a# of the main c#a se 8 :se! to ta#k a)o t nrea#/high#$ n#ike#$ e%ents no / it*s act a##$ part of a reporte! str ct re, so the meaning is that of the 21st con!itiona#*, i(e( rea# possi)i#it$( 8 fo##o"e! )$ the )ase form of the %er) /Eo #!/ 86ines 13815 8mo!a# of main c#a se in reporte! speech/in!irect 8 past form of /"i##/ as in !irect speech 8fo##o"e! )$ )ase form of the %er) 1cost3 dont forget to comment on meaning/use in context. /Eo #!/ #ines 34835 8 se! to offer s ggestions/opinions / no, that*s the meaning of recommen!( Ehat it !oes is soften the s ggestion( 8fo##o"e! )$ an a!%er) 1rea##$3 to intensif$ the effect, on#$ comment on the "or! 2"o #!* itse#f( 8fo##o"e! )$ )ase form of the %er) 1recommen!3

4! i /atten!e!/ 8%er) 8reg #ar 8past particip#e of /atten!/ 8!eri%ationa# s ffi' 2/e!* a!!e! to the )ase form of the %er) 8transiti%e 8 se! in passi%e str ct re prece!ing the agent/!oer

8part of re! ce! passi%e str ct re 1"hich "as atten!e!3 no / it*s act a##$ the f t re 1"hich "i## )e@3 8means 2to go an! participate* 4! ii 8De! ce! passi%e forms can )e conf sing for #earners "ho might, in this partic #ar case, might not )e a)#e to i!entif$ the !oer "e## )eca se of the /=)CectF %er)F s )Cect/ or!er( 8#earners might interpret /atten!e!/ as past simp#e form of /atten!/ rather than past particip#e form( 86earners might consi!er the sentence as 2acti%e* rather than 2passi%e*( dont forget to add information as to meaning/use.
a Layout headline followed by body of the text / columns / accompanying photograph / caption / use of different fonts/sizes / first word in capitals / use of dashes short / sentence length paragraphs (e.g. paragraph 1) Organisation first two sentences clarify headline and summarise text (i.e. paragraphs 1 and 2 explain 5 weddings and underlying reason). / Successi e sentences add more detail (e.g. where the weddings will be and who will attend) / problem presented at the beginning with happy end at the end starts off with a home truth (e eryone wants their wedding day to be perfect) ends with an e aluation / a !uote from a participant (i.e. the bride"s ad ice recommending lots of weddings) describes e ents in chronological order / this parallels anecdotal approach to a story (i.e. bac#ground reasons$ se!uence of 5 weddings) one idea per paragraph Grammatical/lexical direct speech / !uotes to pro ide immediacy and comment (e.g. if something goes wrong % #now there"s always another to get it right) reporting structures (e.g. &.decided that$ if their families &&. /$ 'rs (eeney$ )1$ said..) headline language (e.g. ellipsis * 5 for price of 1) clich+s (e.g. grand tour$ 5 for price of 1$ if&could not come..$ &would come to..) use of appropriate range of tenses for presenting a human,interest story (e.g. present simple$ past simple$ present continuous$ will for future) -. candidate must mention 2 examples information dense sentences (e.g. /edding dress number four will be pac#ed off to (lorida&) Style humour (e.g. at least one perfect wedding$ 0misuse" of clich+s from other contexts * grand tour) informal/collo!uial/spo#en because of anecdotal nature (e.g. big bash$ pac#ed off$ chances are)

Content %ncidental information about people in ol ed (e.g. age$ hometown$ names of parents) (acts interspersed with opinions and comments (e.g. 1he grand tour began&.they should then)

Surprise / cryptic element in headline / personalisation in headline (we"re) Shared cultural referencing (e.g. got down on one #nee)

b 1i3 6ook at this e'tract from the te't 1#ines 1833( <omment on the form an! meaning/use of the "or!s in )o#! as the$ are se! in this te't( Everyone wants their wedding day to be perfect and chances are this couple will have at least one good one ... 1ii3 <omment on the phono#og$ of the fo##o"ing: at least one good one 1#ine 33
Form cardinal number determiner / !uantifier followed by ad2ecti e and (singular) pronoun Meaning / use specify/emphasise/state the (minimum) number/!uantity of wedding days / weddings part of the common phrase 0at least 3 numeral" &good one Form pronoun (singular) indefinite ob2ect of sentence pre,modified by a determiner/!uantifier 3 ad2ecti e Meaning / use anaphoric reference to 0wedding (day)" a oids repetition / aids bre ity by replacing 0wedding (day)" / substitution for 0wedding (day)" / helps cohesion does not refer to 0their wedding day" in line 1 but to wedding days in general used to play with words to help light style 0one good one" / play on sounds (ii) 4omment on the phonology of the following5 at least one good one (line )) (ii) honology /t/ in /6t/ glottal/elision/assimilation to /d/ elision of /t/ in /li5st/ schwa / wea# sound /7/ in 0at" assimilation 0one good" /w8gud/$ elision/assimilation/glottalisation 0good one" guw n/ /gubwn/ / / gu9wn/ stress on 0least"/0good"/ first 0one"

c 6ook at the fo##o"ing three e'tracts taken from the te't, a## of "hich contain the "or! would( <omment on the form an! meaning/use of would in each case( So the couple decided that, if their families could not come to the wedding, the wedding would come to them. 1#ines 98113
Form

modal (auxiliary/ erb) would 3 infiniti e without 0to /$ bare infiniti e / base form past form of 0will" reported/indirect speech / reported e ents 1st conditional / bac#shift from 0%f our families can"t..$ wedding will come" / 0will" changes to 0would" not contracted because of written genre Meaning / use future in the past / being used to report e ents real possibility (i.e. 1st conditional) / to express intention/ olition shows determination parallels 0could" in early part of sentence

Mrs Feeney, 31, said the five ceremonies would cost them ,!!!... 1#ines 138153
Form modal (auxiliary/ erb) would 3 infiniti e without 0to" / bare infiniti e / base form past form of 0will" reported/indirect speech / reported e ents (said) / bac#shift from 0..fi e ceremonies will cost" / indirect speech not contracted because of written genre Meaning / use future in the past / being used to report e ents a prediction / expression of certainty (will)

" would certainly recommend having lots of weddings. 1#ines 348353

Form modal (auxiliary/ erb) would 3 infiniti e without 0to/ bare infiniti e/ base form past form of 0will"

fre. ent co##ocation / 1#e'ica#3 ch nk / fi'e! e'pression 1"o #! F recommen!3 non contracte! form often contracte! in speech Meaning / use refers to present time / e'presses h$pothetica#it$ he!ge / softener / #ess !irect / more po#ite / to !istance / more forma# d 6ook at this e'tract from the te't( 1i3 <omment on the form an! meaning/use of the "or! in bold(

(i) Form past participle (of 0attend") regular (*ed) part of a (non defining) relati e clause non,finite part of dependent / subordinate / embedded clause

post,modifier of noun (wedding) ellipsis of relati e pronoun 0that/which" / :educed relati e clause reduced passi e structure / ellipsis of passi e auxiliary (will be) part of a noun clause5 0a beach wedding attended by 'rs (eeney"s father$ ;eter" followed by agent ('rs (eeney"s father) Meaning / use be present at passi e oice forefronting 0beach wedding" formal / written style of structures/ erbs used allows for focus on agent 0'rs (eeney"s father$ ;eter" often used in news reports (to sa e space) gi es additional information about the beach wedding

1ii3 Ehat pro)#ems might #earners ha%e "ith the form an! meaning/useG ...a beach wedding attended by Mrs Feeney.s father, #eter 1#ines 278293
Form past simple and past participle ha e same form here$ so not clear which this is learners not sure how to use/understand ellipsis learners may include passi e auxiliary (...a beach wedding will be attended) learners may use with acti e erb ('rs (eeney"s father attended a beach wedding) learners may use sub2ect pronoun (it) in clause passi e can only be used with sub2ect of clause / learners may attempt with ob2ect complex structure made up of se eral elements so difficult to manipulate accurately Meaning / !se learners confused by ellipsis of relati e pronoun and auxiliary passi e meaning not clear from the structure / confusion with past time 0attend" is a false friend for learners with <atin,based <1s / may confuse with wait / pay attention / attend to learners may not realise 0attend" refers bac# to 0wedding" time reference not clear from non,finite erb learners may use 0attend" in informal spo#en contexts where it is not commonly used in =nglish students may spell 0attend" with only one 0t" problems with collocation with 0attend" e.g. attend to school / some indication of what the problem is

"#$ Candidate performance 1he !uality of answers to this tas# aried widely. 1here were some ery high scores and some extremely low ones. 1his was one of only two tas#s in the exam on which candidates performed worse than in >ecember ?@. 'any candidates gained less than half mar#s$ partly because of inaccurate answers but also because of incomplete answers. 4andidates should be ad ised to ma#e as many points as possible in 1as# A (within the time a ailable) as some wea# answers were ery s#impy in terms of content and number of points made. %n relation to specific points on content5 a Features of human interest story B 1here were !uite a few good answers here with most people able to identify the easier features connected with the layout$ the short / one sentence paragraphs and arious features of language such as the use of direct speech and informal lexis.

B /ea#er candidates relied o ermuch on the isual/layout issues$ for example counting the headline$ the font and the photo as three categories. 1his tendency was much less noticeable than in the >ecember ?@ exam answers$ howe er$ indicating successful exam training. B (eatures generic to all types of articles were not credited$ e.g. the use of lexical chains or cohesi e de ices such as referencing. 4andidates need to ma#e their answers specific to the genre gi en. b at least one good one# B 'ost candidates were able to identify the first 0one" as either a determiner or a !uantifier although se eral were less secure on the second 0one" as a pronoun (candidate uncertainty about pronouns was an issue raised by the >ecember 2??@ paper also). 4andidates were fairly secure on anaphoric referencing and substitution and had ob iously had training in analysis of these types of reference. B %n some cases candidates could not be credited for potentially accurate points as they had not made it clear which of the two 0one"s" they were referring to. B 1he phonological analysis was generally not strong5 on the positi e side$ most candidates were able to identify where the stress could fall and also the presence of the schwa in 0at". Cnswers$ howe er$ often failed to support descriptions with the rele ant phonemic transcription$ for example mentioning the 0elision of /t/" but failing to show this in the transcription. %ndeed often the transcription$ done at the beginning of the answer$ did not demonstrate the feature at all$ e.g. 0at least" written with both /t/s in but gi en as an example of elision. 4andidates need to #now how to transcribe accurately the part of connected speech they refer to and to describe it using accurate terms. 4entres are ad ised to offer training and practice in this$ as well as in the accurate use of terms e.g. elision$ assimilation$ glottalisation. c %ould B 4andidates sometimes did not separate out the three extracts on 0would" clearly enough and should be ad ised to do this$ e.g. by numbering their analyses in order to ma#e it transparent to the mar#er which sentence they are referring to. B C good number of candidates were more exact in their analysis of form this session than in >ecember in terms of identifying 0would" as a modal auxiliary followed by a 0bare infiniti e" (or e!ui alent terminology). B Dowe er$ a significant number tried hard to describe the 0woulds" differently in each extract instead of seeing that the same form was being used. B 'ost candidates were able to identify the use of reported speech in the first two extracts although a number stated it was the 0second" or hypothetical conditional where a clear reading of the text would ha e shown them this was not the meaning being used on these occasions. B 4andidates often analysed the meaning of 0would recommend" as being ad ice$ i.e. identifying the meaning of the main erb rather than the modal. d &attended' B 1his was perhaps the most wea#ly answered part of 1as# A$ possibly because although many candidates recognised that something had been omitted from a passi e or a relati e clause$ they did not #now/use the correct terminology for this feature (ellipsis or reduced passi e / B 1hey also often missed gi ing a basic definition of the word 0attend" or how learners might be confused o er this. B Dowe er$ many people did recognise problems/confusion o er the time frame being alluded to. B Euite a few candidates needed to ta#e more care o er exactly what had been ellipted (i.e. 0will be attended" rather than as they stated5 0was attended"). 4andidates are recommended to5 B ma#e their answers as detailed as is re!uired$ ma#ing as many points as possible$ as indicated in the Fuideline Cnswer B ma#e sure they consistently pro ide the full information re!uired$ including gi ing examples when as#ed for B only comment on pronunciation/phonology in sections where it is specifically mentioned B only comment on learner problems when they are specifically re!uested B layout their answers in list form$ and ma#e it clear what part of the answer they are writing B read the rubric carefully to see exactly what they are re!uired to discuss

B pay attention to words gi en in bold and only comment on them in the way re!uired$ not on accompanying or surrounding words B ma#e use of precise linguistic / technical terms rather than the more simplified terms they might use with students B ma#e use of phonemic script as appropriateG they will not be awarded mar#s if this is not used or not used accurately$ when rele ant Bif the rubric re!uires it$ generalise beyond the specific language gi en in the learner problems section to the area that language is an example of (the rubric will indicate what this is)

"#(#$ )he follo%ing sample ans%er gained *ust under half the mar+s a,ailable for this tas+ $ a% &se of direct speech 'uotation mar(s e.g. )" do* +line 3,% a b% &se of informal language, such as phrasal verb )pac(ed off to* +line , % c% -rganised in short paragraphs in columns +e.g. lines 1.$ . the paragraph is only one sentence% d% &se of ellipsis, adding to the coherence of the te/t +e.g. )0he second* +wedding%, line ,1.

2H

e% &se of pictures with captions describing them. )" really, really do1 0he pair in 0ur(ey*. $b i% 0he first 2one3 is a determiner, it is a numeral +singular% and describes the head of the noun phrase +the second 2one3%. 0he second 2one3 is a pronoun, in the singular. "t is a substitution for the word 2wedding3 used to avoid repetition and increase cohesion within the te/t. ii% 0he first 2one3 would be stressed in order to emphasise one +out of 4 weddings% 5w n 5 0he second one would be wea( 5w6n 5 as it carries less meaning. $c% 0he first 2would3 comes as part of the main clause in a conditional sentence +modified by the 2if3 clause preceding it%. 7ecause the sentence starts with 2decided3 the phrases are constructed as reported speech, so the verbs are 2bac(shifted3. -riginally in direct speech, this would have been a first conditional sentence, using 2cannot3 and 2will. 0he second sentence is also in reported speech, using the modal verb will, bac(shifted to 2would3. 0he bac(shifting denotes distance, due to a shift in the deictic centre from the 2here and now3 to the more abstract 2then3, in terms of time and also space, as the spea(ers are not present. 0he third 2would3 is used as a hedging device to ma(e the phrase 2" recommend3 less assertive, and to 2soften3 it in order to sound more polite. 0his also denotes distance as the situation is hypothetical 8 she is not recommending any particular5real person. $d 29ttended3 is a reduced relative clause, using a non.finite participle +the past participle of attend%. "t is reduced because the clause is describing the sub:ect not the ob:ect of the clause, and it is non.defining. 0he clause is also using a passive construction, although the relative pronoun +which5that% and the au/iliary verb +2be3 in the past simple was% are ellipted. 0he agent is stated using 2by3. ;earners would have problems identifying the passive, and therefore identifying the sub:ect and ob:ect of the sentence. 0hey would also have difficulty identifying the agent, as this is shifted to the end of the sentence )by <* -xaminer's comments on sample ans%er art a 1he candidate"s answer refers to a range of features$ most of the information pro ided is correct and bac#ed up by rele ant examples and there is no repetition of features related to layout. ;oint d) howe er is not specific to the genre$ and a large number of further points relating to organisation$ grammatical/ lexical features$ style and content could ha e been made. arts b(i) and (ii) Cgain$ while the information gi en is accurate$ much rele ant detail which would ha e gained mar#s has not been included. 1he section on phonology ma#es little reference to indi idual sounds. art c 1he answer to this part is not consistent in its references to form and meaning. 1hey need to be discussed for each use of 0would". Cs pre iously$ while the information pro ided is accurate$ it is not comprehensi e. art d

Part 1i3 inc# !es a genera##$ acc rate ans"er foc ssing main#$ on form( -reater !etai# on form an! a foc s on meaning "o #! ha%e gaine! more marks( The ans"er to part 1ii3 is acc rate ) t not comprehensi%e(

/hat to do (or a :ead someone on discourse (loo# in the reading list) and use group brainstorm techni!ues. /e"ll practice this in the writing session and %"ll put up a wi#i for you to carry on and do some more of it. (or b * d /or# your way through 1hornbury"s 9bout ;anguage or ;arrot$ or Iule. %f you don"t ha e access to those$ try any high le el learner grammar practice boo# (%n Jse$ the Kxford series). <oo# at the grammar pro2ects other groups did. /or# on lexis (wee# A). ;ractice tal#ing about phonology * read one introductory boo# and then also see either the ;ronunciation in Jse series of the Deadway ;ronunciation series.