1. Past Paper questions
1.1. You are a member of a school team which recently won an important competition. Your Principal is very pleased with the team’s improvement and asks you to write an article for your school magazine about the success of the team. (You can choose any kind of team: for example, debating, quiz, sports etc.) Write your magazine article. You must include the following: • some details about the team and the competition it won • why the team was so successful this year • how team members and the whole school have benefited from this success. Cover all three points above in detail. You should make sure your article is lively and informative. Start your article with a suitable headline.
1.2. Recently, you and some other members of your class were chosen to take part in a festival. Your Principal is very pleased that you took part. He has asked you to write an article for your school magazine about what you did at the festival. Write your magazine article. You must include the following: • details of the festival and where it was held • what you and the other students did at the festival • why you feel taking part was a benefit to you and the other students and to your school. Cover all three points above in detail. You should make sure your article is lively and informative. Start your article with a suitable headline.
1.3. Recently, a foreign student spent one month as a member of your class in order to learn about your country. You decide to write an article for your school magazine about the visit. Write your magazine article. You must include the following: • the student’s name and other details about the student • what the student did during the visit both in and out of school • why you feel the visit was of benefit to the student and to your school. Cover all three points above in detail. You should make sure your article is lively and informative. Start your article with a suitable headline.
1.4. Your class is organising a project to help some people in your community. You decide to write an article for your school magazine to encourage other students to join in this project. Write your magazine article. You must include the following: • details of the people you are helping and why you are helping them • details of the project you are organising • what other students can do to help. Cover all three points above in detail. You should make sure your article is informative and persuasive. Start your article with a suitable headline.
2. Purposes
2.1. to advice
2.2. to inform
2.3. to entertain
2.4. to compare and contrast
2.5. to describe any experience, place, person etc.
3. Focus
3.1. Task Fulfillment: 15 marks
3.1.1. • Good understanding of purpose. • Clear awareness of situation and audience. • Format entirely appropriate. • All required points developed in detail, fully amplified and well organised. • Given information well used to justify personal opinion and interpretation. • Tone and register entirely appropriate.
3.2. Language: 15 marks
3.2.1. • Highly accurate, apart from very occasional slips. • Sentence structures varied for particular effects. • Verb forms largely correct and appropriate tenses consistently used. • Vocabulary wide and precise. • Punctuation accurate and helpful. • Spelling accurate, apart from very occasional slips. • Paragraphs have unity, are linked, and show evidence of planning.
4. Instructions for Exam questions
4.1. 200-300 words
4.2. Time: 30-40 minutes
4.3. 3 Content points covered in body
5. Objectives
5.1. Articulate experiences
5.2. Express thoughts, feelings and imagination
5.3. Use appropriate vocabulary
5.4. Include facts, ideas, opinions
6. Elements
6.1. Eye-catching title
6.1.1. theme of article
6.2. Introduction
6.2.1. define the topic to be covered and keep reader's attention
6.3. Main body
6.3.1. two to five paragraphs in which the three content points are discussed in detail(not bullet form)
6.4. Conclusion
6.4.1. summarizing the topic or a final opinion, recommendation or comment