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writing done in class, which rarely works in the candidate s favour. Information about the
target reader and the reason for writing is given in each question to help the candidate, and
this should be borne in mind during classroom practice. Working with past papers in pairs or
groups, where students spend time identifying the reader, the text type, and for Part 1, the
important content points, is all useful preparation.
It is often very instructive for students to work on a second draft of a homework answer. In
this way, the teacher, or fellow students, can make useful suggestions regarding
organisation, language, and content omissions. The second draft can then be compared to
the first, which is not only instructive regarding weaknesses, but also builds confidence.
Part 1
Students must take enough time to read the question, to avoid misinterpreting what is
required. In this session, those candidates who went into  letter of complaint mode ended up
with a low mark, for an inadequate attempt at the task.
It would be useful for time to be spent in class looking at the reformulation of Part 1 notes into
grammatically accurate sentences, written in an appropriate register.
Students should be encouraged to make a plan that includes all the content points, and
should then think carefully about what they can say on each one. Here too, paired discussion
can often lead to more ideas for expansion. Candidates will score higher marks if they can
develop the points in this way.
Candidates often score lower marks because they haven t organised their writing well.
Spending time on paragraphing and the use of linkers is recommended, although students
should try to use linkers selectively, rather than fronting every sentence with one.
It is also worth spending some time in class considering appropriate ways of starting and
ending a letter, referring to past papers. For example, the  letter to editor task will always
require a specific reference to where the candidate read the original article; suitably detailed
opening paragraphs are helpful and have a positive effect. In the same way, candidates who
can produce a natural ending that relates to the given scenario, rather than producing what is
an often inappropriate stock sentence like I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest
convenience will score higher marks.
Part 2
Although candidates are generally well prepared for writing informal letters, more work could
be done on register. Phrasal verbs fit appropriately in letters of this kind, as do many other
informal and friendly expressions. Candidates should be actively discouraged from including
introductory paragraphs that have nothing to do with the task set; these are at best seen as
digression and, at worst, viewed as totally irrelevant.
Stories generally require a range of past tenses to be used and this area can be practised in
class, for example, the use of the past perfect to show time sequence. Fellow students can
be asked to give their opinion about other students stories, in terms of their plot clarity, their
effectiveness in holding attention, their general language range. Here especially, a second
draft approach is often useful.
© UCLES 2001 0101
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For any composition, students should ideally brainstorm their ideas in class, as often they
need to think through an argument, or review what language they need in order to express
their opinions. Planning before writing the answer is also important, to avoid repetition and to
ensure that the argument is presented in the most logical way.
© UCLES 2001 0101
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" DOs and DON'Ts for FCE PAPER 2 WRITING
DO read the question thoroughly and underline important parts.
DO make a plan for each answer.
DO write in paragraphs, whenever appropriate.
DO use a range of vocabulary, even if you are unsure of the correct spelling.
DO check past tense endings, plural forms, and word order in sentences.
DO write clearly, so that the examiner can read your answer.
DO use the extra blank pages at the back of the booklet if necessary.
DON T mix formal and informal language.
DON T  lift too much language from the question paper.
DON T waste time writing addresses for a letter, as they are not required.
DON T answer Question 5 if you haven t read one of the books.
DON T worry if you run slightly over the 180-word limit.
© UCLES 2001 0101
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PAPER 3  USE OF ENGLISH
Part Task Type and Focus Number of Task Format
Questions
1 Multiple-choice cloze 15 A modified cloze text containing
15 gaps and followed by 15
Focus: Vocabulary
four-option multiple-choice
questions.
2 Open cloze 15 A modified cloze text containing
15 gaps.
Focus: Grammar and
vocabulary
3  Key word transformations 10 Discrete items with a lead-in
sentence and a gapped
Focus: Grammar and
response to complete using a
vocabulary
given word.
4 Error correction 15 A text containing errors. Some
lines of the text are correct,
Focus: Grammar
other lines contain an extra and
unnecessary word which must
be identified.
5 Word formation 10 A text containing 10 gaps. Each
gap corresponds to a word.
Focus: Vocabulary
The  stems of the missing
words are given beside the text
and must be transformed to
provide the missing word.
" Marking
Candidates write their answers on a separate answer sheet, which is marked according to a
mark scheme and then scanned by computer.
Questions 1 30 and 41 65 carry one mark each. Questions 31 40 are marked on a scale
0 1 2. The total score is adjusted to give a mark out of 40.
© UCLES 2001 0101
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" Candidate Performance
Part 1, Charles Dickens
Multiple-Choice Cloze
Many candidates had major difficulties with several of the questions in this part of the paper.
In 2, B ( memory ) was a common choice. The presence of  deep before the gapped word
made this incorrect. In 3, all four options were popular choices, suggesting that most
candidates were not really sure of the different shades of meaning in the words  work ,  job ,
 occupation and  employment . The question which proved most difficult in this section was
11 where relatively few candidates chose option A ( found ), the most popular choice being C
( spent ), presumably because  spent time is a well-known expression, even though it was [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]