FCE - Examination Report Dec 2000 0101.pdf - First Certificate in English - McKill

First Certificate in English

Examination Report

Syllabus 0101

December 2000

CONTENTS

Page

Introduction

Paper 1 - Reading

Paper 2 - Writing

Paper 3 - Use of English

Paper 4 - Listening

Paper 5 - Speaking

Feedback Form

INTRODUCTION

The First Certificate in English examination appeared in its revised format for the first time in

December 1996.

This Report is intended to provide a general view of how candidates performed on each

paper and to offer guidance on the preparation of candidates.

The overall pass rate for Syllabus 0101 was 50.18%

The following table gives details of the percentage of candidates at each grade.

0101

GRADE

PERCENTAGE

0 3.09

10.36

36.73

0 9.46

40.36

Grading

Grading took place during January 2000 (approximately six weeks after the examination).

The five FCE papers total 200 marks, after weighting. Papers 1–5 are each weighted to 40

marks. The candidate’s overall FCE grade is based on the total score gained by the

candidate in all five papers. Candidates do not ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ in a particular paper, but rather

in the examination as a whole.

The overall grades (A, B, C, D and E) are set according to the following information:

statistics on the candidature;

statistics on the overall candidate performance;

statistics on individual items, for those parts of the examination for which this is

appropriate (Papers 1, 3 and 4);

the advice of the Principal Examiners, based on the performance of candidates, and on

the recommendation of examiners where this is relevant (Papers 2 and 5);

comparison with statistics from previous years' examination performance and

candidature.

Results are reported as three passing grades (A, B and C) and two failing grades (D and E).

The minimum successful performance which a candidate typically requires in order to

achieve a grade C corresponds to about 60% of the total marks. Every candidate is provided

with a Statement of Results which includes a graphical display of the candidate’s

performance in each component. These are shown against the scale Exceptional – Good –

Borderline – Weak and indicate the candidate’s relative performance in each paper.

Awards

The Awarding Committee meets after the grade boundaries have been confirmed. It deals

with all cases for special consideration, e.g., temporary disability, unsatisfactory examination

conditions, suspected collusion, etc. The committee can ask for scripts to be re-marked,

check results, change grades, withhold results, etc. Results may be withheld because of

infringement of the regulations or because further investigation is needed. Schools are

notified if a candidate’s result has been scrutinised by the Awarding Committee.

Notification of Results

Candidates’ statements of results are issued through their local centre approximately two

months after the examination has been taken. Certificates are issued about six weeks after

the issue of statements of results. Requests for a check on results may be made through the

local centre within one month of the issue of statements of results.

UCLES produces the following documents which may be of use in preparing candidates for

FCE:

Regulations (produced annually, for information on dates, etc.);

FCE Handbook (for detailed information on the examination and sample materials);

Examination Report (produced after each administration);

4, sample Speaking Test materials, answer

keys, cassette and tapescript for Paper 4, and Paper 2 mark schemes and sample

scripts).

Users of this Examination Report may find it useful to refer simultaneously to the

relevant Past Paper Pack. This, together with further copies of this report, is available from

the centre through which candidates entered, or from

EFL Information

University of Cambridge Local Examination Syndicate

1 Hills Road

Cambridge

CB1 2EU

Tel: +44 1223 553930

Fax: +44 1223 460278

email efl@ucles.org.uk

www.cambridge-efl.org.uk

Feedback on this Report is very welcome and should be sent to the Reports Co-ordinator,

EFL, at UCLES. Please use the feedback form at the end of this report.

Past Paper Pack (available approximately ten weeks after each examination session,

including Question Papers for Papers 1

PAPER 1 - READING

Part

Task Type and Focus

Number of

Questions

Syllabus 0101

Task Format

Multiple-matching

Main focus: main points

A text preceded by multiple-

matching questions.

Candidates must match a

prompt from one list to a

prompt in another list, or match

prompts to elements in the text.

Multiple-choice

Main focus: detail

A text followed by four-option

multiple-choice questions.

Gapped text

Main focus: text structure

A text from which paragraphs

or sentences have been

removed and placed in jumbled

order after the text. Candidates

must decide from where in the

text the paragraphs or

sentences have been removed.

Multiple-matching,

multiple-choice

Main focus: specific

information

As Part 1

Marking

Candidates record their answers on a separate answer sheet, which is scanned by computer.

Questions in Parts 1, 2 and 3 carry two marks each. Questions in Part 4 carry one mark

each. The total score is adjusted to give a mark out of 40.

Candidate performance

In general, candidates coped reasonably with the task formats of the paper. Statistics

showed that the questions in all four parts provided a very reliable assessment of candidates'

relative ability levels.

Part 1, Firework displays to remember

This headings task, focusing on the understanding of the main points in the text, presented

more difficulty than usual for this task type. Question 3 was the easiest, while 1 and 2 were

the most difficult. Good candidates coped reasonably well with these two questions, and

incorrect responses were evenly spread amongst the distractors.

Part 2, The new secretary

This four-option multiple-choice task focused mainly on candidates’ detailed comprehension

and included a reference question. Candidates found it to be the easiest part of the paper on

this occasion. Questions 8, 9 and 15 were generally very well handled, while 11 and 12 were

particularly difficult for weaker candidates. Good candidates had few problems with either

question, and incorrect responses were widely spread.

Part 3, A big hand

This gapped-sentence task, focusing on text structure, proved to be the most difficult part of

the paper, as is frequently the case. Questions 20 and 21 were the most difficult, but the

general level of performance was rather low, with good candidates also experiencing some

difficulty with these final questions.

Part 4, Could you write a best seller?

This multiple-matching task focused on candidates' ability to retrieve specific information from

the text. Candidates performed considerably better on this part than on Parts 1 and 3. As in

the last administration, very few candidates failed to complete all 35 questions, and this is an

encouraging trend. Question 29 was the easiest question, while questions 23 and 27 proved

especially problematic for the weaker group. In 23, there is no mention in B, the most

popular incorrect response, of what proportion of a manuscript should be sent to a publisher.

In 27, it is possible that misinterpretation of the unfamiliar word ‘budding’ in B distracted the

candidates’ attention from the more accessible sentence ‘You need talent, a good publisher

and lots of luck’ in D.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CANDIDATE PREPARATION

Teachers and students should note that no single FCE 1 paper includes all possible tasks or

question types. The FCE Handbook lists all the task types which may appear on the paper.

In addition to specific examination practice, students should be advised to read as widely as

they can, with a range of reading purposes reflecting those sampled in the paper (retrieving

relevant information, getting the 'gist', understanding detail, etc.). Many of the texts for the

Reading Paper are drawn from magazines and newspapers, rather than books, and students

will benefit from being familiar with these types of text.

Specific work on the identification, location and presentation of main ideas would benefit

candidates in Parts 1 and 3.

Focusing on the sequence of tenses in running text and extended noun/pronoun sequences

would also be beneficial, particularly in Part 3 (see Dos and Don’ts).

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