English Language Paper 1 Marking Scheme

Dearest Double Agents,
If you are wondering why you were awarded the dismal marks for your classified compositions, refer to the remarks in the relevant band below, which corresponds to your marks, to find out what your composition lacked and how you could have improved it.

Section One [30 marks]

You are advised to write between 350 and 500 words on one of the following topics.
At the head of your composition, write the number of the topic you have chosen.

1 Should sport at school be compulsory for all students? (exposition, argumentative)

2 Write about an occasion when cooking for the family at home produced some unexpected results. (narrative/recount)

3 It is said that young people should always respect and obey those older than themselves. Do you agree? (exposition, argumentative)

4 Describe your ideal home and explain why you think it would be the perfect place to live. (mixed genre, exposition ie. Discussion and explaination)

5 Dressing. [open = argument (eg. University dress code), discussion (eg. How people are judged according to how they dress) ]



Section One (Free Writing) - 30 Marks
BAND DESCRIPTORS FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF WRITING IN SECTION 1

27-30 marks

• Apart from very occasional slips, the language is accurate. (mechanics, language)
• Sentence structure is varied and demonstrates the candidate’s skill to use different lengths and types of sentences for particular effects. (mechanics, language)
• Verb forms will be largely correct, and appropriate tenses consistently used to sustain a logical progression of events or ideas. (mechanics, language)
• Vocabulary is wide and precise. (mechanics, language)
• Punctuation is accurate and helpful to the reader. (mechanics, language)
• Apart from very occasional slips, spelling is accurate across the full range of vocabulary used. (mechanics, language)
• Paragraphs have unity, are linked, and show evidence of planning. (organization)
• The topic is addressed with consistent relevance; the interest of the reader is aroused and sustained. (content)
• The tone and register are entirely appropriate to the topic. (style)


23-26 marks

• The language is accurate; occasional errors are either slips or arise from attempts to use ambitious structures or vocabulary that may be imperfectly understood.
• Sentences show some variation of length and type, including the confident use of complex sentences to create some natural fluency.
• There may be occasional slips in verb forms or tense formation but sequence will be consistent and clear throughout the piece.
• Vocabulary is wide enough to convey intended shades of meaning with some precision.
• Punctuation is accurate and generally helpful.
• Spelling is nearly always accurate.
• Paragraphs show some evidence of planning, have unity and are usually appropriately linked.
• The response is relevant and the interest of the reader is aroused and sustained through most of the composition.
• There is evidence of a genuine effort to achieve an appropriate tone and register for the topic.


19-22 marks

• The language is mostly accurate; errors that occur will not mar clarity of communication.
• Sentences may show some variety of structure and length, although there may be a tendency to repeat sentence types and ‘shapes’, producing a monotonous effect.
• There may be errors in irregular verb forms but control of tense sequence will be sufficient to sustain a clear progression of events or ideas.
• Vocabulary and idioms are mainly correct when they are simple; mistakes may occur when more sophistication is attempted.
• Punctuation is generally accurate, although errors may occur when more difficult tasks are attempted e.g. the punctuation of direct speech. Sentence separation is correctly marked by punctuation
• Spelling of simple vocabulary is accurate errors may occur when more ambitious vocabulary is used.
• The composition is written in paragraphs which may show some unity, although links may be absent or inappropriate.
• The composition is relevant and will arouse some interest in the reader. There may be an impression of lack of originality and/or some evidence of lack of planning.
• The tone is usually appropriate to the topic, although there may be slips of register with some unsuitable vocabulary or idiom.


15-18 marks

• The language is sufficiently accurate to communicate meaning. There will be patches of clear, accurate language particularly when simple vocabulary and structures are used.
• There may be some variety of sentence length and structure but the reader may not be convinced that this variety is for a particular purpose.
• There may be errors in verb forms and tense consistency which cause some uncertainty in the sequence of events or disturb the ease of communication.
• Vocabulary is usually adequate to convey intended meaning, although it may be insufficiently developed to achieve precision. Idiom may be uncertain at times.
• Punctuation will be used but may not enhance/clarify meaning. Some sentence separation errors may occur occasionally.
• Simple words will be spelt accurately, but more complex vocabulary may show some spelling weakness.
• Paragraphs will be used but may lack unity or coherence.
• A genuine attempt has been made to address the topic, but there may be digressions or failures of logic and there may be occasional irrelevance. Compositions may lack liveliness and interest value.
• The tone may be uneven.


11-14 marks

• Overall meaning is never in doubt, but the errors are sufficiently frequent and serious to hamper precision and may slow down speed of reading.
• Some simple structures will be accurate but a script is unlikely to sustain accuracy for long.
• Errors in verb forms and tenses will sometimes confuse the sequence of events.
• Vocabulary may be limited; either too simple to convey precise meaning or more ambitious but imperfectly understood. Some idiomatic errors are likely.
• Simple punctuation will usually be accurate, but there may be frequent sentence separation errors.
• Simple words will usually be spelt correctly, but there may be inconsistency, and frequent mistakes in the spelling of more difficult words.
• Paragraphs may lack unity or be used haphazardly.
• The subject matter will show some relevance but the incidence of linguistic error is likely to distract the reader from merits of content.
• The tone may sometimes indicate that the candidate recognises the nature of the topic but only inconsistently.


7-10 marks

• There will be many serious errors of various kinds throughout, but they will be of the ‘single-word’ type, i.e. they could be corrected without re-writing the sentence. Communication is established, although the weight of error may cause ‘blurring’ from time to time.
• Sentences will probably be simple and repetitive in structure.
• Frequent errors in verb forms and haphazard changes of tense will confuse the meaning
• Vocabulary will convey meaning but is likely to be simple and imprecise. Errors in idiomatic usage will be a significant feature.
• Punctuation will be haphazard and may be completely absent in some parts.
• Spelling may be inconsistent
• Paragraphing may be haphazard or non-existent.
• There may be evidence of interesting and relevant subject matter but the weight of linguistic errors will tend to obscure or neutralise its effect.
• There may be some recognition of appropriate tone for the genre


3-6 marks

• Sense will usually be decipherable, but some of the errors will be multiple, i.e. requiring the reader to re-read and re-organise before meaning becomes clear.
• There are unlikely to be more than a few accurate sentences however simple, in the whole composition.
• The content is likely to be comprehensible, but may be partly hidden by the density of the linguistic errors.


0-2 marks

• Scripts are almost entirely, or entirely impossible to recognise aspieces of English writing
• Whole sections make no sense at all
• Where occasional patches of relative clarity are evident some marks
should be given
• The mark of 0 should be reserved for scripts that make no sense at all from beginning to end.


Note on Section 1

Short Work:
Work under 350 words will penalise itself.
Work under 150 words cannot score more than 20 marks.


Section Two [30 marks]

Begin your answer on a fresh page.
You are advised to write between 250 and 350 words for this section.
You should read the information carefully and plan your answer before beginning to write.

You are the pen-pal of the teenage members of the Smith family, who live in London. The Smith family consists of:
• Mr. John Smith (aged 45) – a business man and keen golfer.
• Mrs. Anne Smith (aged 40) – an art teacher, who likes visiting craft markets.
• Sam Smith (aged 16) – a student, who is interested in animals and birds and loves sport of all kinds.
• Lucy Smith (also aged 16, Sam’s twin sister) – a student, who enjoys beach holidays and loves shopping.
• Mr. Ben Jones (aged 65, Anne’s father) – a retired history teacher, who spends his time reading and gardening.

You have received a letter from your friends, saying that the family cannot agree on where to go for a holiday which will suit them all.

Write a reply to your friends, describing what your country has to offer to each of
them to provide an ideal family holiday.

Your letter must cover the requirements of all five people in detail.

You should suggest a programme of activities that they will all enjoy.

Set your letter out correctly, in clear, accurate English and in a friendly tone to welcome them to your country.





Section 2 (Situational Writing) — 30 marks

The 30 marks are allocated as follows:
• Task Fulfilment 10 marks
• Language 20 marks

BAND DESCRIPTORS FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF TASK FULFILMENT IN SECTION 2

Note:
Addressing the required points is only one factor in the award of the Task Fulfilment mark – candidates should be awarded the mark which best fits the performance as a whole, as follows:

9-10 marks
• The response shows a good understanding of the purpose of the task.
• There is a clear awareness of situation and audience.
• The format is entirely appropriate for the task and situation.
• All the required points are addressed in detail, fully amplified and well organized.
• The given information is well-used to justify personal opinion and interpretation.
• The tone and register are entirely appropriate for the topic.

7-8 marks
• The response shows an understanding of the purpose of the task.
• There is an awareness of situation and audience.
• The format is appropriate for the task and situation.
• All required points are addressed but not always developed in detail.
• The given information is organised to support personal opinion.
• There is evidence of a genuine effort to achieve an appropriate tone and register for the topic.


5-6 marks
• The response shows some understanding of the purpose of the task.
• There is some awareness of situation and audience.
• The format is generally appropriate but may not be completely so.
• Most of the required points are addressed but not developed.
• The given information may not be logically used to support opinion.
• The tone is usually appropriate to the topic although there may be slips of register with some unsuitable vocabulary or idiom.


3-4 marks
• The response shows only partial understanding of the purpose of the task
• There may be some confusion as to situation and audience
• The format may be inappropriate for the task and situation.
• All of the required points may not be addressed.
• Information may be used irrelevantly
• The tone may be uneven

1-2 marks
• The response shows misunderstanding of the purpose of the task.
• There is confusion as to situation and audience
• There is little evidence of an attempt to adopt a specific format
• Not all of the required points will be addressed.
• Information is misunderstood or irrelevant

NB:
A mark of 0 should be given only when:
• The response is totally incomprehensible;
• The candidate has merely copied out the question or parts of it at random;
• The question is not attempted at all.


BAND DESCRIPTORS FOR ASSESSMENT OF LANGUAGE IN SECTION 2

18-20 marks

• Apart from very occasional slips the language is accurate.
• Sentence structure is varied and demonstrates the candidate’s skill to use different lengths and types of sentences for particular effects.
• Verb forms will be largely correct, and appropriate tenses consistently used to sustain a logical progression of events or ideas.
• Vocabulary is wide and precise.
• Punctuation is accurate and helpful to the reader.
• Apart from very occasional slips, spelling is accurate across the full range of vocabulary used.
• Paragraphs have unity are linked, and show evidence of planning.
• The topic is addressed with consistent relevance; the interest of the reader is aroused and sustained.


16-17 marks

• The language is accurate; occasional errors are either slips or arise from attempts to use ambitious structures or vocabulary that may be imperfectly understood.
• Sentences show some variation of length and type including the confident use of complex sentences to create some natural fluency.
• There may be occasional saps in verb forms or tense formation, but sequence will be consistent and clear throughout the piece.
• Vocabulary is wide enough to convey intended shades of meaning with some precision.
• Punctuation is accurate and generally helpful.
• Spelling is nearly always accurate.
• Paragraphs show some evidence of planning, have unity, and are usually appropriately linked.
• The response is relevant, and the interest of the reader is aroused and sustained through most of the composition.


13-15 marks

• The language is mostly accurate; errors that occur will not mar clarity of communication.
• Sentences may show some variety of structure and length, although there may be a tendency to repeat sentence types and ‘shapes’, producing a monotonous effect.
• There may be errors in irregular verb forms but control of tense sequence will be sufficient to sustain a clear progression of events or ideas.
• Vocabulary and idioms are mainly correct when they are simple; mistakes may occur when more sophistication is attempted.
• Punctuation is generally accurate, although errors may occur when more difficult tasks are attempted, e.g. the punctuation of direct speech. Sentence separation is correctly marked by punctuation.
• Spelling of simple vocabulary is accurate; errors may occur when more ambitious vocabulary is used.
• The composition is written in paragraphs which may show some unity, although links may be absent or inappropriate.
• The composition is relevant and will arouse some interest in the reader. There may be an impression of lack of originality and/or some evidence of lack of planning.


11-12 marks

• The language is sufficiently accurate to communicate meaning. There will be patches of clear, accurate language, particularly when simple vocabulary and structures are used.
• There may be some variety of sentence length and structure but the reader may not be convinced that this variety is for a particular purpose.
• There may be errors in verb forms and tense consistency which cause some uncertainty in the sequence of events or disturb the ease of communication.
• Vocabulary is usually adequate to convey intended meaning, although it may be insufficiently developed to achieve precision. Idioms may be uncertain at times.
• Punctuation will be used but may not enhance/clarify meaning. Some sentence separation errors may occur occasionally.
• Simple words will be spelt accurately, but more complex vocabulary may show some spelling weakness.
• Paragraphs will be used but may lack unity or coherence.
• A genuine attempt has been made to address the topic but there may be digressions or failures of logic and there may be occasional irrelevance. Compositions may lack liveliness and interest value.


8-10 marks

• Overall meaning is never in doubt, but the errors are sufficiently frequent and serious to hamper precision and may slow down speed of reading.
• Some simple structures will be accurate, but a script is unlikely to sustain accuracy for long.
• Errors in verb forms and tenses will sometimes confuse the sequence of events.
• Vocabulary may be limited, either too simple to convey precise meaning or more ambitious but imperfectly understood. Some idiomatic errors are likely.
• Simple punctuation will usually be accurate but there may be frequent sentence separation errors.
• Simple words will usually be spelt correctly, but there may be inconsistency, and frequent mistakes in the spelling of more difficult words.
• Paragraphs may lack unity or be used haphazardly.
• The subject matter will show some relevance but the incidence of linguistic error is likely to distract the reader from merits of content.

6-7 marks

• There will be many serious errors of various kinds throughout, but they will be of the ‘single-word’ type, i.e. they could be corrected without re-writing the sentence. Communication is established, although the weight of error may cause ‘blurring’ from time to time.
• Sentences will probably be simple and repetitive in structure.
• Frequent errors in verb forms and haphazard changes of tense will confuse the meaning.
• Vocabulary will convey meaning but is likely to be simple and imprecise. Errors in idiomatic usage will be a significant feature.
• Punctuation will be haphazard and may be completely absent in some parts.
• Spelling may be inconsistent.
• Paragraphing may be haphazard or non-existent.
• There may be evidence of interesting and relevant subject matter, but the weight of linguistic errors will tend to obscure or neutralise its effect

3-5 marks
• Sense will usually be decipherable but some of the errors will be multiple, i.e. requiring the reader to re-read and re-organise before meaning becomes clear.
• There are unlikely to be more than a few accurate sentences, however simple, in the whole composition.
• The content is likely to be comprehensible, but may be partly hidden by the density of the linguistic errors.


0-2 marks
• Scripts are almost entirely, or entirely impossible to recognise as pieces of English writing.
• Whole sections make no sense at all.
• Where occasional patches of relative clarity are evident, some marks should be given.
• The mark of 0 should be reserved for scripts that make no sense at all from beginning to end.


Notes on Section 2:
Short Work:
The Task Fulfilment mark should be awarded in the normal way. Work under 100 words cannot score more than 10 marks for Language.