Advanced Supplementary Level

You learn how to: 4 write grammatical English 4 speak in English (for communication) 4 read English for general understanding 4 understand spoken English (through listening)

4 To foster the development of students’ English language skills in order to equip them for tertiary education and/or employment.

The exam will test the ability of candidates to: 4 understand and interpret spoken English as it might be encountered in academic or vocational situations; 4 write clear, concise & grammatical English in an appropriate style; 4 demonstrate both global and detailed understanding of a variety of written texts; 4 understand and use spoken English for practical communications; 4 integrate reading, writing and study skills in the pursuance of task-based/problem-solving act..

4 Four proficiency sections (A-D) which focus on a range of productive and receptive skills 4 weighting 72% 4 A section E which concentrates on work and study skills. 4 weighting 28%

SECTION A - E

LISTENING (18%, 1 hour) 4 tests the ability of candidates to understand, organise and interpret spoken English as used by educated and fluent speakers of English as an international language 4 the content will be appropriate to study and work purposes. 4 The form of presentation may include dialogue as well as monologue. 4 Candidates may, for example, be asked to complete matrices, graphs and sets of notes

WRITING (18%, 1.25 hrs) 4 Tests the ability of candidates to write extended English discourse. 4 Topics will be selected to encourage expository writing, e.g. persuasion, argument, reporting, development of hypotheses, organising of information, etc. 4 a minimum of 500 words

4 Tests the ability of candidates to achieve an ‘in depth’ understanding of an expository text. 4 Skills tested: to identify central ideas, the purposes and assumptions of the writer, to recognise the limiting effects of qualifications and exceptions, to relate cause of effect and evidence to conclusions. 4 MC questions

4 Test the extent to which the systems of the English language have been internalised by the candidates 4 Formats: matching, open cloze, gapped summary etc… 4 Item types may vary from year to year.

ORAL (Exam time: 20 mins) Presentation each candidate will be required to present a brief spoken account of a short written texts lasting from mins Discussion the candidates will take part in a 10- minute discussion the discussion will simulate a study- related or work-related situations where it is assumed there is a problem to be solved or a task to be addressed.

PRACTICAL SKILLS FOR WORK & STUDY ( 28%, 1.75HRS) 4 tests practical communications through simulated work and study situations 4 the set tasks involve:locating and processing information, identifying and solving communication problem, and carrying out communication tasks. 4 test materials: variety of texts in a booklet 4 test items:study skills & reasoning skills, reading skills & writing skills

4 Reading newspapers... 4 help E - enhance reading skills 4 help C - enrich vocab