The short stories will be written according to the standards as set out by University of Cambridge ESOL Exams for Cambridge English First.
More specifically the story appears as one of the options in the second part of the Writing Exam.
The candidates are aged 13-15, all non-native speakers of English, attending an EFL school for 4-6 hours in the afternoon, after their normal high school hours.
The information below can be found in pages 22 - 27 of the FCE HANDBOOK
The TASK TYPE is described as:
A short story is usually written for an English-language magazine or anthology, or a website. The main purpose is to engage the interest of the reader. Effective answers have a clear storyline which links coherently to the prompt and demonstrates a sound grasp of narrative tense.
STUDENTS should be able to:
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA for short stories will be based on:
CONTENT
COMMUNICATIVE ACHIEVEMENT
ORGANISATION
LANGUAGE
words noun clauses
phrases relative and adverb clauses
basic tenses passive forms
simple clauses. infinitives
verb patterns
modal forms
tense contrasts
More specifically the story appears as one of the options in the second part of the Writing Exam.
The candidates are aged 13-15, all non-native speakers of English, attending an EFL school for 4-6 hours in the afternoon, after their normal high school hours.
The information below can be found in pages 22 - 27 of the FCE HANDBOOK
The TASK TYPE is described as:
A short story is usually written for an English-language magazine or anthology, or a website. The main purpose is to engage the interest of the reader. Effective answers have a clear storyline which links coherently to the prompt and demonstrates a sound grasp of narrative tense.
STUDENTS should be able to:
- Develop a clear and coherent storyline from the prompt sentence.
- Use interesting ajectives, adverbs and expressions.
- Make good use of linking words, particularly time expressions.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA for short stories will be based on:
CONTENT
- Is the reader adequately informed about the events of the story?
- Does the story follow from the prompt?
COMMUNICATIVE ACHIEVEMENT
- Are the conventions of a story used to hold the reader's attention and communicate straightforward ideas?
- Is the scene set effectively?
- Is the action developed with the use of various narrative devices including direct speech and the contrast of short and longer sentences?
ORGANISATION
- Is the text connected and coherent?
- Does it use a variety of linking words (so, and, but etc) to link the elements of the story?
- Is punctuation correct throughout the story?
LANGUAGE
- Is there an appropriate range of lexis appropriate for the story?
- Is the meaning conveyed successfully in both simple and complex structrures?
words noun clauses
phrases relative and adverb clauses
basic tenses passive forms
simple clauses. infinitives
verb patterns
modal forms
tense contrasts