JiscMail Logo
Email discussion lists for the UK Education and Research communities

Help for ESOL-RESEARCH Archives


ESOL-RESEARCH Archives

ESOL-RESEARCH Archives


ESOL-RESEARCH@JISCMAIL.AC.UK


View:

Message:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Topic:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Author:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

Font:

Monospaced Font

LISTSERV Archives

LISTSERV Archives

ESOL-RESEARCH Home

ESOL-RESEARCH Home

ESOL-RESEARCH  July 2011

ESOL-RESEARCH July 2011

Options

Subscribe or Unsubscribe

Subscribe or Unsubscribe

Log In

Log In

Get Password

Get Password

Subject:

Re: Re City and Guilds ESOL- and Cambridge

From:

Denise Mullen <[log in to unmask]>

Reply-To:

Denise Mullen <[log in to unmask]>

Date:

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 11:15:31 +0100

Content-Type:

text/plain

Parts/Attachments:

Parts/Attachments

text/plain (157 lines)

Hi,
This question of exam boards rears its ugly head every summer.
I have worked with both Cambridge and C&G.

advantages of Cambridge

very good quality exams
excellent website to support teachers with plenty of downloadable apst apers , audio & practice activities
training pack available with DVD for teachers
teacher as interlocutor with own studnets
no assessment or IV by teachers

disadvantages

contrived activities occasionally
resits can't be scheduled on an ad hoc basis
price


advantages of C&G:

students choose their own topic
flexibility with dates (depending on your institution's staff resources)

disadvantages of C&G:

countless errors in exam papers and assessment packs at entry level
poorly written instructions for interlocutors
poorly phrased questions for candidates in all modes
vague, confusing and sometimes inappropriate assessment criteria at level 1 & 2
conflicting regulations in various editions of the tutor handbook
only 2 official practice papers for entry level & none for level 1-2
no assessor training available from the exam board - not even online
no exam officer trainig
External Verifier not always an ESOL specialist
Time lapse between completing exam and arrival of certificate can be many months- not ideal for Citizenship applications

in addition:
institutions incur all the additional salary and stationary /venue / transport costs of:
admin-printing exam papers & assessment packs
admin-checking these are correct & delivering them
managers-staff training-creation and implementation of & not just for teachers, but also admin
teachers-marking
teachers-internal verification
candidates & teachers-endless signing off of paperwork & filling in feedback forms


Hope this is helpful

Denise





Denise Mullen
ESOL Tutor
Adult Learning Service (Harrogate Rural )
 (office) 01765 645920
 (mob) 07815 563191
>>> NORMA BREWER <[log in to unmask]> 14/07/11 10:40 AM >>>
Why don't you look at Cambridge. ESOL? You can see a lot of information on the website. You can be sure the exams are well researched and sound.As an Oral examiner I have considerable experience of the validity and reliability of the exams.The College/school provides the interlocutor and the Assessor is from Cambridge- so the teachers are not involved in actually assessing the students while still participating in the assessment process and having their own opportunity to make their own (personal) judgement on how their learners have done- although they do not have access to the marking scheme.
Best wishes

Norma [log in to unmask]

--- On Wed, 13/7/11, Dominic Clarke <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

From: Dominic Clarke <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Re City and Guilds ESOL
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Wednesday, 13 July, 2011, 22:26






Hello
The only exams I have ever conducted as an ESOL tutor are the C&G ones so I haveno basis of comparison. That said , I am not impressed by the language errors in the papers, the previously mentioned discrepancies between the candidate papersand the general awkwardness of the instructions on some activities. I believe I havethe most up to date papers , if that really is the case then they are out of date egthey don't give authentic contexts in some cases. I can only hope there are betterexamining boards out there
Regards
Dominic
> Date: Wed, 13 Jul 2011 21:32:09 +0100
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re City and Guilds ESOL
> To: [log in to unmask]
>
> Hi, we are considering a move in the opposite direction - from City and Guilds to Trinity, so I would be really interested in finding out the reasons why you are changing. What experiences did you have with Trinity?
>
> The main reason we are considering moving away from City and Guilds is that the assessments are very time consuming. All modes are assessed by the tutor and IV'ed internally. This places huge demands on us as tutors. In addition, the new rules for speaking and listening assessments require an assessor and a tutor to be present for all entry level assessments, even though they are all reecorded. This is proving very difficult for us this year, as it is over and above our regular teaching commitments.
>
> Another issue with City and Guilds is that there can be discrepancies between the tasks set and the mark scheme. Some of the tasks are also (over-)complicated, which confuses some learners, who then perform less well than they are able to.
>
> On the positive side, the City and Guilds assessments are flexible - they can be taken at any time and there are a number of topics to choose from. Learners can take the full assessment or single modes as and when required. This is helpful for us, because learners can start throughout the year.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
>
> Helen Guezelkuecuek
>
> ***********************************
> ESOL-Research is a forum for researchers and practitioners with an interest in research into teaching and learning ESOL. ESOL-Research is managed by James Simpson at the Centre for Language Education Research, School of Education, University of Leeds.
> To join or leave ESOL-Research, visit
> http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ESOL-RESEARCH.html
> A quick guide to using Jiscmail lists can be found at:
> http://jiscmail.ac.uk/help/using/quickuser.htm
> To contact the list owner, send an email to
> [log in to unmask]
 
***********************************
ESOL-Research is a forum for researchers and practitioners with an interest in research into teaching and learning ESOL. ESOL-Research is managed by James Simpson at the Centre for Language Education Research, School of Education, University of Leeds.
To join or leave ESOL-Research, visit
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ESOL-RESEARCH.html
A quick guide to using Jiscmail lists can be found at:
http://jiscmail.ac.uk/help/using/quickuser.htm
To contact the list owner, send an email to
[log in to unmask]



***********************************
ESOL-Research is a forum for researchers and practitioners with an interest in research into teaching and learning ESOL. ESOL-Research is managed by James Simpson at the Centre for Language Education Research, School of Education, University of Leeds.
To join or leave ESOL-Research, visit
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ESOL-RESEARCH.html
A quick guide to using Jiscmail lists can be found at:
http://jiscmail.ac.uk/help/using/quickuser.htm
To contact the list owner, send an email to
[log in to unmask]




Access your county council services online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at www.northyorks.gov.uk.

WARNING

Any opinions or statements expressed in this e-mail are those of the individual and not necessarily those of North Yorkshire County Council.

This e-mail and any files transmitted with it are confidential and solely for the use of the intended recipient. If you receive this in error, please do not disclose any information to anyone, notify the sender at the above address and then destroy all copies.

North Yorkshire County Council’s computer systems and communications may be monitored to ensure effective operation of the system and for other lawful purposes. All GCSX traffic may be subject to recording and/or monitoring in accordance with relevant legislation.

Although we have endeavoured to ensure that this e-mail and any attachments are free from any virus we would advise you to take any necessary steps to ensure that they are actually virus free.

If you receive an automatic response stating that the recipient is away from the office and you wish to request information under either the Freedom of Information Act, the Data Protection Act or the Environmental Information Regulations please forward your request by e-mail to the Data Management Team ([log in to unmask]) who will process your request.

North Yorkshire County Council.

***********************************
ESOL-Research is a forum for researchers and practitioners with an interest in research into teaching and learning ESOL. ESOL-Research is managed by James Simpson at the Centre for Language Education Research, School of Education, University of Leeds.
To join or leave ESOL-Research, visit
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ESOL-RESEARCH.html
A quick guide to using Jiscmail lists can be found at:
http://jiscmail.ac.uk/help/using/quickuser.htm
To contact the list owner, send an email to
[log in to unmask]

Top of Message | Previous Page | Permalink

JiscMail Tools


RSS Feeds and Sharing


Advanced Options


Archives

March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006


JiscMail is a Jisc service.

View our service policies at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/policyandsecurity/ and Jisc's privacy policy at https://www.jisc.ac.uk/website/privacy-notice

For help and support help@jisc.ac.uk

Secured by F-Secure Anti-Virus CataList Email List Search Powered by the LISTSERV Email List Manager