Flipping the Classroom & CLIL: A Presentation PDF

FLIPPING THE CLASSROOM  What does it mean to “Flip?” What is typically presented in class (i.e. lectures, content, background knowledge, or real life experiences) by a live teacher, students receive at home via a podcast, YouTube video, and/or other online resources.  What does it mea...

FLIPPING THE CLASSROOM  What does it mean to “Flip?” What is typically presented in class (i.e. lectures, content, background knowledge, or real life experiences) by a live teacher, students receive at home via a podcast, YouTube video, and/or other online resources.  What does it mean to “Flip?” What is typically given as homework is done in class with the assistance of the teacher.  THE FLIPPED CLASSROOM IS NOT: Just online videos About replacing teachers with videos An online class Students working without structure Students working in isolation Students spending the entire class online  THE FLIPPED CLASSROOM IS: A means to increase teacher contact time An environment that increases student responsibility Blending of direct instruction and constructivist learning A class where all students are engaged A class where absent students won’t fall behind A class where all students are engaged in their learning  3 KEYS TO A FLIPPED CLASSROOM 1. Homework 2. Lesson Quality 3. Production Quality  ADVANTAGES Using technology to give students “control of their interactions has a positive effect Excellent video lectures are freely/easily available Time for hands-on learning and creative projects  POSSIBLE PITFALLS Filling the void “Flavor of the Month” Technology Teachers have to relinquish some control Broadcasts QUESTIONS AND/OR COMMENTS  CONTENT AND LANGUAGE INTEGRATED LEARNING (CLIL) FROM THE EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE Katarzyna Papaja, PhD University of Silesia in Katowice, Institute of Linguistics  THE LECTURE - PLAN A definition of CLIL An outline and history of CLIL Content learning Language learning The CLIL learner The CLIL teacher CLIL & the European Integration Conclusions www.brainybetty.com 2  A DEFINITION OF CLIL ”Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is a generic term and refers to any educational situation in which an additional language and therefore not the most widely used language of the environment is used for the teaching and learning of subjects other than language itself” (Marsh & Lange, 2000, iii) www.brainybetty.com 3 Three important points (Wolff, 2000): 1.CLIL must not be regarded simply as an approach to language teaching and learning. 2. Within a CLIL framework content and language are learnt in integration. 3. In CLIL another language is used to teach and learn content subjects, i.e. it is the medium of instruction. www.brainybetty.com 4  FIVE DIMENSIONS OF CLIL The Culture Dimension – CULTIX -Build intercultural knowledge & understanding -Develop intercultural communication skills -Learn about specific neighbouring countries/regions and/or minority groups -Introduce the wider cultural context www.brainybetty.com 5  FIVE DIMENSIONS OF CLIL The Environment Dimension – ENTIX -Prepare for internationalisation, specifically EU-integration -Access International Certification -Enhance school profile www.brainybetty.com 6  FIVE DIMENSIONS OF CLIL The Language Dimension – LANTIX -Improve overall target language competence -Develop oral communication skills -Develop plurilingual interests and attitudes -Introduce a target language www.brainybetty.com 7  FIVE DIMENSIONS OF CLIL The Content Dimension – CONTIX -Provide opportunities to study content through different perspectives -Access subject-specific target language terminology -Prepare for future studies and/or working life www.brainybetty.com 8  FIVE DIMENSIONS OF CLIL The Learning Dimension – LEARNTIX -Complement individual learning strategies -Diversify methods & forms of classroom practice -Increase learner motivation www.brainybetty.com 9  AN OUTLINE AND HISTORY OF CLIL 1960s – Canadian experiment (IMMERSION) 1960s – Peace Treaty between Germany and France (bilingual streams in German and French schools). 1990 – Belgium ‘the German bilingual model was the one to follow due to the fact that it was promoting cultural and linguistic partnership and not domination’ (Mäsch, 1993: 156). www.brainybetty.com 10  AN OUTLINE AND HISTORY OF CLIL 1991 – Finland - a legal act was passed making it possible to introduce other foreign languages as mediums of instruction in Finnish schools. 1991 – Holland - the Ministry of Education published a document called “Widening Horizons” which contained some recommendations concerning bilingual education. The main aim of this document was to promote bilingual education by creating bilingual classes and organising international exchange projects between the learners and the teachers. www.brainybetty.com 11  AN OUTLINE AND HISTORY OF CLIL 1992 – Treaty of Maastricht - the right of the European citizens to live and work in any country belonging to the European Union; 1995 – ”The White Papers” (recognition of bilingual education) “It could be even argued that secondary pupils should study certain subjects in the first foreign language learned, as is the case in the European schools” (European Commission, 1995: 47) www.brainybetty.com 12  AN OUTLINE AND HISTORY OF CLIL 1998 - Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe - encouraging the use of foreign languages in the teaching of non-linguistic subjects (for example history, geography, mathematics); 2000 – “Action Plan 2004-2006 – Promoting Language Learning and Linguistic Diversity” - CLIL – a concept supporting ambitious aims of the EU; www.brainybetty.com 13  AN OUTLINE AND HISTORY OF CLIL 2004 – Progress Report “National authorities should encourage a generalisation of content and language integrated learning (CLIL) by defining the standards of teacher qualification and supporting the preparation of appropriate teaching materials” (European Commission, 2004: 23) www.brainybetty.com 14  AN OUTLINE AND HISTORY OF CLIL 2004 – CLILiG (Content and Language Integrated Learning in German); 2004 – CLIL Quality Matrix etc… www.brainybetty.com 15  CONTENT LEARNING IN CLIL A key question: „Will the students manage to learn the content sufficiently well when taught through the L2?” www.brainybetty.com 16  CONTENT LEARNING IN CLIL FINDINGS: “Content learning does not suffer, it rather becomes versatile” (Marsh, 1999:72) Supportive data (Secondary School in Kraków, Poland): about 70% of the learners – good & very good marks (geography & biology) about 15% of the learners – good & very good marks (mathematics) www.brainybetty.com 17  CONTENT LEARNING IN CLIL SUBJECTS: Different subjects (across Europe) Mathematics, biology, geography, physics, history, music, physical education. due to the availability of teachers www.brainybetty.com 18  CONTENT LEARNING IN CLIL POPULARITY OF SUBJECTS IN CLIL: Mathematics – diverse opinions (form of language) Geography & biology – the most popular subjects www.brainybetty.com 19  LANGUAGE LEARNING IN CLIL “Language is a tool for everyday use. These pupils learn by integrating both content and language learning. It’s a more natural way and truer to real life” (Marsh, 1999: 24) www.brainybetty.com 20  LANGUAGE LEARNING IN CLIL 1. How well do the CLIL learners learn the target language? 2. How do the CLIL learners develop their language abilities? - Speaking - Writing - Listening - Reading 3. How do the CLIL learners cope with grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation? www.brainybetty.com 21  LANGUAGE LEARNING IN CLIL When and how do the CLIL learners use their mother tongue during the CLIL lessons? www.brainybetty.com 22  CURRICULAR MODELS Model A: (Teacher-based instruction with continuous use of student pair/group work tasks) Extensive English Language Medium Instruction - Type A Single Focus (the main focus is on content) - Type B Dual Focus (the focus is on both content and language – L2 or L1) www.brainybetty.com 23  CURRICULAR MODELS Model B: (Mostly teacher-based instruction with limited use of student pair/group work tasks) Partial L2 Medium Instruction (Code-switching) - Type A Single Focus (the focus is only on content) - Type B Dual Focus (the focus is on both content and language – L2 or L1) www.brainybetty.com 24  CURRICULAR MODELS Model C: (Mostly teacher-based instruction with limited use of student pair/group work tasks) Limited L2 Medium Instruction (code-switching) - Type A Single Focus (the focus is mainly on content) - Type B Dual Focus (the focus is on both content and language – L2 or L1) www.brainybetty.com 25  CURRICULAR MODELS Model D: (Variant types do not allow for selecting a single type of instructional approach) Specific L2 medium Instruction - Type A (sequence of lessons taught in L1 followed by a lesson conducted mainly in L2) www.brainybetty.com 26  CURRICULAR MODELS - Type B (a lesson mostly taught in L2 but concludes a lesson conducted in L1) - Type C (the materials used in class in L2, the lesson conducted in L1) - Type D (a large portion of the content material acquired earlier in L1, knowledge recapitulated in the form of project work done by the students in L2) www.brainybetty.com 27  THE CLIL LEARNER THE CLIL LEARNER: learns the concepts and schemata of the content subject in a new language. forms original concepts which are not shaped by linguistic items is able to express himself/herself adequately develops high linguistic proficiency develops academic competence develops language awareness is more autonomous than traditional language learner www.brainybetty.com 28  THE CLIL LEARNER “The CLIL learner processes the content more deeply whereas the mother-tongue learner processes the content in a more shallow way. As a result the CLIL learner in comparison to the mother-tongue learner is more successful at school” (Lamsfuβ- Schenk, 2002: 191). www.brainybetty.com 29  THE CLIL TEACHER THE CLIL TEACHER: recognizes the need to change established needs recognizes the importance of learners’ linguistic competence shifts into learner-centred methods adapts his/her content and methods accordingly (code-switching) www.brainybetty.com 30  THE CLIL TEACHER “Idealised competencies” (Marsh, 2001: 78-80) 1. LANGUAGE/COMMUNICATION sufficient target language knowledge and pragmatic skills for CLIL, so as to be a producer of comprehensible input for learners; sufficient knowledge of the language used; 2. THEORY comprehension of the differences and similarities between the concepts of language learning and language acquisition; www.brainybetty.com 31  THE CLIL TEACHER 3. METHODOLOGY ability to identify linguistic difficulties; ability to use communication/interaction methods that facilitate the understanding of meaning; ability to use strategies (e.g. repetition, echoing etc…) for correction and for modelling good language usage; ability to use dual-focussed activities which simultaneously cater for language and subject aspects; 4. THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT ability to work with learners of diverse linguistic/cultural backgrounds; www.brainybetty.com 32  THE CLIL TEACHER 5. MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT ability to adapt and exploit materials; ability to select complementary materials on a given topic; 6. ASSESSMENT ability to develop and implement evaluation and assessment tools; www.brainybetty.com 33  CLIL AND THE EUROPEAN INTEGRATION GERMANY Sixteen federal states each with its own educational and CLIL policy School age: 6 – 18 English at primary school First CLIL French in 1963 in Baden-Württemberg Target languages: English and French Teachers: dual education www.brainybetty.com 34  CLIL AND THE EUROPEAN INTEGRATION THE NETHERLANDS School age: 5-16 English at primary school CLIL target language: 99% English Origins in international education in 1989 50% of the subjects in English Coordination by the European Platform Teachers: single qualification www.brainybetty.com 35  CLIL AND THE EUROPEAN INTEGRATION ITALY School age: 6-18 English at primary school CLIL in mainstream education from 2003 Target languages: English, German, French CLIL in modules 20% of the lessons in English at the start, increasing to 60% Support by teachers of English Teachers: single qualification www.brainybetty.com 36  CLIL AND THE EUROPEAN INTEGRATION FINLAND School age: 7-16 One integrated school type English in primary school CLIL 30% of the subjects CLIL lessons half Finnish and half English Teachers: single qualification Teacher support in networks www.brainybetty.com 37  CLIL AND THE EUROPEAN INTEGRATION HUNGARY School age: 6-17 English at primary school (not compulsory) 1989 – CLIL law (introduced officially into the system of education) Target languages: English, German and Russian First year: intensive preparation for CLIL 60% of the subjects in English Techers: dual qualifactions www.brainybetty.com 38  CONCLUSIONS PROBLEMS? The CLIL learners… The CLIL teachers… The CLIL schools… The society… www.brainybetty.com 39  CONCLUSIONS BENEFITS? The CLIL learners… The CLIL teachers… The CLIL schools… The society… www.brainybetty.com 40  FURTHER READINGS… CLIL Compendium www.clilcompendium.com European Commission – Languages: www.europa.eu.int EuroCLIC: www.euroclic.net Translanguage in Europe: www.tieclil.org Centre for Information on Language, Teaching and Research: www.cilt.org.uk Forum for Across the Curriculum Teaching: www.factworld.info. www.brainybetty.com 41  REFERENCES Alder, B., (2006), Content and Language Integrated Learning. What can we learn from the Sections Europeennes? in Francophonie – the journal for teachers and learners (No 33 Spring 2006), Association for Language Learning, Rugby. Baker, C., (2006), Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 4th Edition, Multilingual Matters Ltd, Clevedon, England. Cummis, J., (1987), Bilingualism, language proficiency and metalinguistic development, In: Homel, P., Palij, M., & Aaronson, D., (eds.): Childhood Bilingualism: Aspects of Linguistic, Cognitive and Social Development. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Dakowska, M., (2005), Teaching English as a Foreign Language, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN Dzięgielewska, Z., (2006), Nauczanie Dwujęzyczne w Polsce, Sowa Druk, Warszawa. Krashen, S., (1981), Second Language Acquisition and Second Language Learning, Oxford University Press, Oxford Marsh, D., Marshland, B., & Maljers A., (1998), Future Scenarios in CLIL, Continuing Education Centre, University of Jyvaskyla, Finland. Marsh, D.,& Marshland, B., (eds.), (1999), CLIL Initiatives for the Millennium, University of Jyvaskyla, Finland. www.brainybetty.com 42  REFERENCES Marsh, D., & Marshland, B., (eds.), (1999), Learning with Languages, University of Jyvaskyla, Finland. Marsh, D., (2000), Using Languages to learn and learning to use languages, eds. Marsh, D., Lange, G., University of Jyvaskyla, Finland. Marsh, D., (ed.), (2001), CLIL/EMILE The European Dimension, Continuing Education Centre, University of Jyvaskyla, Finland. Padilla, A.M., Fairchild, H.H., Valadez, C.M., (1990), Bilingual Education Issues and Strategies, Sage Publications, London, England. Wolff, D., (2003), Content and language integrated learning: a framework for the development of learner autonomy. In: Little, D., Ridley, J. & Ushioda, E. (eds.): Learner Autonomy in the Foreign Language Classroom: Teacher, Learner, Curriculum and Assessment. Dublin: Authentik, 211-222. Wolff, D., (2004), Integrating language and content in the language classroom: Are transfer of knowledge and of language ensured?, Proceedings of the GERAS, Paris: GERAS. Wolff, D., (2005), Content and Language Integrated Learning in HAL, Volume 5, Chapter 21 www.brainybetty.com 43  THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION  !!!!!! www.brainybetty.com 44 English for Specific Purposes  Preview  What is ESP?  ESP and EGP  ESP Family Tree  Brief History  Needs  Needs analysis  ESP Course design  Issues in ESP Course design  What is ESP?  ESP in brief is the use of a particular variety of English in a specific context of use and justified by learners’ needs.  What is ESP?  What distinguishes ESP is learners’ needs.  ESP requires analysing language that is required in the area/profession, conducting students’ needs analysis, conducting interviews with subject matter specialists in the area. Absolute and Variable Characteristics of ESP  Absolute Characteristics  ESP is defined to meet specific needs of the learners  ESP makes use of underlying methodology and activities of the discipline it serves  ESP is centred on the language appropriate to these activities in terms of grammar, lexis, register, study skills, discourse and genre.  Variable Characteristics  May be related to or designed for specific disciplines  May use, in specific teaching situations, a different methodology from that of General English  Likely to be assigned for adult learners  Generally designed for intermediate or advanced learners  ESP vs EGP 1. Learners ESP – working adults EGP – high school students 2. Aims ESP – to meet the needs of particular learners EGP – to improve overall English competence involving a range of skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening, vocab, grammar, pronunciation etc.) 3. Concerns ESP – to design appropriate courses for various groups of learners according to their needs EGP – on vocabulary work, spelling, grammar, pronunciation, language functions  ESP Family Tree  EOP (English for Occupational Purposes)  EAP (English for Academic Purposes)  Brief History 3 main reasons to the emergence of ESP 1. Demands of the world after WW2 - expansion in science, technology and commerce generated a demand for an international language - English became the language of tech and commerce - this created a demand for a generation of learners who needed the language for the specific purposes of tech and commerce - English became big business - The constraints of time and money created a need for cost-effective courses. 2. A revolution in linguistics - While the demands for English was growing, new ideas began to emerge in the field of language. - Linguistics shifted from focus on grammar to focus on communication. - Linguists realised that language varies from context to context and that there are important differences in English for commerce and English for engineering. - They realised that if language varies from situation to situation, it should be possible to determine the features of specific situations and then make those features the basis of the learners’ courses. - This then gave rise to an expansion of research in Eng for Sc and Tech and English for Business. - In short, the English needed by a particular group of learners could be identified by analysing the linguistic characteristics of their specialist area of work or study. - ‘Tell me what you need English for and I will tell you the English that you need’ became the guiding principle of ESP 3. Developments in educational psychology - There were also new developments in the area of educational psychology which contributed to the rise of ESP. - The central importance of the learners and their attitudes to learning. - Learners are seen to have different needs and interests, which have an influence on their motivation to learn and therefore on the effectiveness of their learning. - This supported the development of courses relevant to learners’ needs and interests. - The standard way of achieving this was to take texts from the learners’ specific area of study/work. - The assumption is that the relevance of the English course to their needs would improve the learners’ motivation and make learning better and faster.  The growth of ESP was then brought about by the combination of these three factors: the expansion of demand for English to suit particular needs and developments in the fields of linguistics and educational psychology.  All three factors pointed to the need for specialisation in learning English.  Needs  The concept of needs in ESP can be understood in relations to: a. goal-oriented needs (target needs) b. process oriented needs (learning needs)  Target needs are “what the learner needs to do in the target situation”. What the learner has to know in order to function effectively in the target situation. e.g. A businessman will need to understand business letters, communicate at sales conferences, get necessary info from sales catalogues and so on.  He will presumably need to know linguistic features – lexical, structural, functional, discoursal – which are commonly used in the situations identified.  Learning needs are “what the learner needs to do in order to learn” and includes affective and cognitive factors.  Needs  Necessities - determined by the demands of the target situation, i.e. target needs)  Lacks - the gap between target proficiency and existing proficiency of the learners. What the learners already know, to help decide which of the neccessities the learner lacks.  Wants (learning needs) - what the learners want or feel they need. The learners perception or awareness of the target necessities, their lacks and what they feel they need. - It is possible that the learners’ views may conflict with the views of teachers. Approaches to Needs Analysis  Target Situation Analysis (TSA) seeks to establish what learners need to know in order to function effectively in the target situation.  Learning Situation Analysis (LSA) seeks to establish the pedagogical, methodological, logistical factors which affect decisions about the language learning course.  Present Situation Analysis (PSA) seeks to establish what the students are like at the beginning of their language course, investigating strengths and weaknesses.  Methods of needs analysis  Tests  Questionnaires  Interviews  Observation  Case studies  Course Design  Refers to the process of interpreting information about learners needs for the purpose of producing teaching-learning experiences such as course objectives, timetabling, materials and so on.  Issues in course design There are three issues in ESP course design.  How specific should ESP courses be?  Should the four skills always be integrated?  Are there special methodologies for ESP courses?  ESP Materials  Authenticity is a key consideration in ESP materials  What is authenticity? Textbook vs In-house materials  Advantages and disadvantages  ESP Methodology  ESP vs. EGP methodology  Activities in ESP  Using students’ knowledge  Teacher Well-Being: TEACHER STRESS/BURNOUT SYNDROME  What I Will Discuss  Trends in Teacher Satisfaction, Burnout, Attrition  Why These Trends Are Occurring?  Sources of Teacher Stress  Impacts of Teacher Stress What are some of the rewards of teaching?  AFT Survey (2015)  Non-representative survey of 30,000 Teachers  70% found their jobs stressful I am Enthusiastic About Teaching Start of my career Currently Strongly Agree ]Somewhat Agree Strongly Agree Somewhat Agree Somewhat Disagree Strongly Disagree  What are the Causes and Consequences of Teacher Stress and Well-Being?  Four Main Sources of Teacher Stress & Burnout School Organization: Leadership, Culture and Climate  Relationships: School Leadership  Relationships: Collaborative, collegial environment Teacher among teachers Turnover Principal Turnover Teacher Turnover  Job Demands  High Stakes Testing  Control over Content and Pace of Work  Managing students with behavioral and emotional problems  Working with Difficult or Uncooperative Parents  Work Resources  Low Job Autonomy  Lack of Participation in School Decision-Making and Creation on Realistic Expectation  Teachers report lowest rate of all professions in ”their opinions count at work”  Teacher’s Personal Resources: Social and Emotional Competence  Teacher SEC influences student and classroom outcomes  Teachers with high SEC report more positive affect, enjoyment of teaching, higher job satisfaction, and personal accomplishment  Teachers with better emotion regulation skills reinforce positive student behavior  The Prosocial Classroom: A Model of Teacher Social and Emotional Competence and Classroom and Child Outcomes Healthy Teacher/Student Relationships Teachers’ Social & Effective Student Healthy Social, emotional & Emotional Skills & classroom Classroom academic Well Being management Climate outcomes skills Effective SEL implementation School/Community Context Factors Jennings & Greenberg, 2009 What Are the Consequences of Teacher Stress/Burnout on Students?  The Burnout Cascade Emotional Exhaustion De-personalization Lack of Accomplishment Teacher Stress and Student Stress  Assessed cortisol levels of ~ 400 children and Burnout of their Teachers  Students’ cortisol levels were much higher in classrooms led by a teacher who had reported feeling overwhelmed (high on burnout). Teacher  Cause and effect? Stress Student Misbehavior Teacher Stress Oberle & Schonert-Reichl (2016)  Teacher Stress and Student Performance  Teachers who report greater burnout early in the school year have classrooms with more behavior problems across the year.  When teachers are highly stressed, children show lower levels of both social adjustment and academic performance.  These are longitudinal studies Cause & Effect Are Clear McLean & Connor, 2015 ; Hoglund et al, 2015 Teacher Stress and Teacher Health  Teachers ability to manage stress (at the physiological level as assessed by cortisol) deteriorates across the school year.  Elementary school teachers who have greater stress and show more symptoms of depression create classroom environments that are less conducive to learning  Effects of Teacher Turnover  Higher teacher turnover had a significant negative effect on both math and language arts achievement. Turnover was particularly harmful to lower-performing students.  Creates chaos and lack of continuity for school, students, and families –  Contributes to neighborhood destabilization  Estimated Cost is 7.3 Billion Dollars/Year Ronfeldt, M., Loeb, S., & Wyckoff, 2013  Factors Leading Teachers to Leave Schools or Teaching as a Profession  Occupational support from principals  Interpersonal trust, communication, and collaboration with colleagues  High stakes testing  Lack of job autonomy (which has declined) Factors Leading Teachers to Stay  Principals who effectively lead  High-Quality, comprehensive mentoring support  Engagement in School-Based Decision-Making  Quality, well-supported Professional Learning Communities? Both Children and Adults need Emotion Regulation skills Teachers and Adults need to create Healthy Norms and a Safe Environment Schools need to adopt practices that create shared communities of caring and shared leadership This can include high quality SEL skills, mindfulness skills, expressing caring and gratitude, etc. This requires Principal Leadership  Goal and Process Today 1. Place a Focus on the Needs of Teachers as a Central Problem in Education Policy Related to: Student Success/Achievement Teachers Own Well-Being Costs 2. Hear from Experts on What Are Potential Solutions and Challenges 3. Consider Innovations That Can Be Research-Tested To Create Usable Solutions to Decrease This “Crisis” Matura Exam 2025: English Language Requirements  Introduction to Matura Exam in English » Purpose of the Exam: Assess English proficiency for high school graduates. » Why It Matters: » - Entry requirement for higher education. » - Certifies language skills for professional opportunities. » Structure Overview: » - Written and oral components. » - Different levels (Basic and Extended).  Exam Structure (Written Component) » Basic Level: » - Listening comprehension (multiple-choice, matching, gap-filling, open-ended questions) » - Reading comprehension (multiple-choice and open-ended questions) » - Language use (grammar and vocabulary tasks) » - Short written task (e.g., an email or note) » Extended Level: » - Listening comprehension (multiple-choice, matching, gap-filling, open-ended questions) » - Reading comprehension with advanced texts (multiple-choice and open-ended questions) » - Complex language use tasks. » - Essay writing (e.g., argumentative, descriptive, or opinion-based) » Duration: » - Basic: 120 minutes. » - Extended: 150 minutes.  Exam Structure (Oral Component) » Format: » - Face-to-face interview with examiners. » - Duration: 10-15 minutes. » Sections: » 1. Warm-up conversation (introductions). » 2. Picture-based discussion. » 3. Opinion or situational task (e.g., problem-solving, expressing viewpoints). » Assessment Criteria: » - Fluency and coherence. » - Vocabulary range and accuracy. » - Pronunciation and interaction.  Key Requirements to Pass » Minimum Scores: » - Basic Level: 30% overall. » - Extended Level: 30% overall, with at least 50% in writing. » Skills Focus: » - Reading: Understanding main ideas and details. » - Writing: Structured arguments, clarity, grammar. » - Speaking: Confidence, accuracy, and interaction.  Resources for Success » Official Guidelines: » Books and Practice Tests: » - Cambridge English Exam series. » - Oxford Practice Grammar. » Online Platforms: » - Duolingo, BBC Learning English. » - YouTube channels with English practice materials.  Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them » Time Management: » - Practice timed tasks. » - Prioritize sections in the exam. » Stress and Nervousness: » - Relaxation techniques (deep breathing). » - Familiarize yourself with exam format. » Language Accuracy: » - Focus on common grammar issues. » - Practice speaking with peers or tutors.  Final Reminders » Stay Informed: Regularly check updates from the education board. » Consistent Practice: Daily language exercises improve confidence. » Seek Support: Teachers, peers, and online communities. » Good Luck! Stay positive and believe in your preparation.