Test-taking Techniques for

English-Speaking Countries Today (1) – UK

Presented by

Ding Xiaohong

dingxiaohong@beiwaionline.com

Outline

I. Final Exam Focus II. Final Exam Structure III. Exam-taking Techniques for

some Question Types IV. Prepare for the ExamV. Review

I. Final Exam Focus

Final Exam ---- Introduction

Final Exam (80%):---- Form: written

---- Duration: 2 hours---- Content coverage: 50% from

textbook & 50% outside textbook

Final Exam --- Exam Focus

Content Points Time Exam focus

Discourse Manipulation 20%

30

Understanding of discourse rhetoric & ability of reordering sentences/paragraphs according to discourse markers & topic logic

Awareness

of course content

50%

40

Understanding of the key points in the textbooks & ability to recognize & answer Qs on facts and arguments as presented in the tutorial texts

Reading

30%

50

Comprehensive understanding judgment, and manipulation of prose from tutorial texts or related to the themes of tutorial texts

End of Part I

II. Final Exam Structure

Final Exam Structure (1)

Content Item Type Length Source

Discourse Manipulation (30%)

Sentence reordering

About 75-100 words totally Edited texts

from the textbooks

Rematching & reordering 4 jumbled paragraphs (without 1st line)

About 300 – 350 words

Final Exam Structure (2)

Content Item Type Length Source

Awareness of course content

(50%)

T/F About 20 words / sentence

Based on textbook

Blank-filling About 15words

Multi-choice

Composing questions

Definition matching

About 20 words / sentence

About 20 words / explanation

Final Exam Structure (3)

Content Item Type Length source

Reading (30%)

Text 1:

Multi-choice OR T/F/NM

400 - 500 words

Outside textbooks

Text 2: Short answer Qs.

400 - 500 words

textbooks

Text 3: Long answers to form guided summary

400 - 500 words

textbooks

End of Part II

III. Exam-taking Techniques for some Question Types

Exam-taking Techniques for some Question Types (1)

Some questions types: Reordering of jumbled sentences Rematching & reordering of jumbled paragraphs T/F Blank-filling Short answer questions Long answers to form guided summary

Techniques for Question Type 1

Reordering of jumbled sentences ---- Guide

Read through all the sentences first; Recognizing the first sentence is important; Recognize the logic relations between

sentences; If available, make use of the conjunctions; If available, make use of the story sequences; Make use of the key words in each sentence.

Example of Question Type 1---- Question

Example 1: “Reordering of jumbled sentences”

A. Their brother was a failed painter and alcoholic, and two Other sisters died in childhood.

B. As such, they were poor, but educated and respectable.C. Perhaps the most famous literary family in British history

are the Bront sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Ann.D. All four remaining children were tragically to die before

the father.E. They were the daughters of the vicar of a village church in

Harworth in Yorkshire.

Techniques for Question Type 1---Clues

Example 1 (continue)Clues for example 1: (C-E-B-A-D) Recognize that proper names (e.g. Charlotte etc.) appear first in

C --- 1st in order; ‘They’ in E --- 2nd in order, then refer to those names mentioned

first in C. ‘As such’, a logical connector, in B --- 3rd in order,, confirms the

logical connection between family background (E) & children’s education level (B).

Then, ‘their’ in A refer to 3 ‘sisters’ mentioned in C & ‘daughters’ in E.

‘all four children’ in D sums up the characters mentioned earlier, thus the last in order.

Techniques for Question Type 2Rematching & reordering of jumbled paragraph

s----Guide Understand the question requirements; Read through the paragraphs & 1st sentences; Match the 1st sentence with the paragraph; Make use of the 1st complete paragraph given to you; Recognize the logic relations between paragraphs; If available, make use of the conjunctions; If available, make use of the story sequences; Make use of the key words in each sentence.

Techniques for Question Type 2 ---clues

Example 2: ‘Rematching & reordering jumbled paragraphs’

(refer to sample test paper on e-platform for source)http://www.beiwaionline.com/remote/TESTPAPER/enbace1011.htm ‘Topic sentence function’ of 1st sentence in each para

gragh; A clear sequence is the origins of sports; Obvious sequence signals are also available:

the most popular- the next most popular; another influence – a third influence…

Techniques for Question Type 3

T/F ---- Guide Read through the statement; Understand fully the statement; Be familiar with the course content; Check the statement with facts of the tutorial

texts; Make decisions.

Example of Question Type 3

Example 3: T/FThe other mother-tongue languages in Britainare all dialects of English.

You need to ask:What are the mother-tongue languages besides English in Britain? ---- Welsh, Scottish Gaelic & IrishGaelicAre they dialects of English? ---- no, they’re 3indigenous languages

Techniques for Question Type 4

Blank-filling ---- Guide Read through the given choices; Be familiar with the course content; Make use of the context to determine the

type of words for the blank; Choose from the possible choices.

Example of Question Type 4

Example 4: Blank-filling

The post-war_____ to Britain were looking foropportunities for work and _____. Many of them came from the _____ sub-continent. Pakistanis often bought little corner-shops as ____ businesses, which explains ‘paki-shop’ as a new term for ‘corner-shop’, although this is a politically ____ term.

Techniques for Question Type 5

Short Answer Questions ---- Guide Understand fully the questions first; Locate the relevant places in the text; Organize your language ---- Be concise, but

to the point;

Example of Question Type 5

Example 5: ‘Short Answer Questions’ (refer to sample test paper for source passage)http://www.beiwaionline.com/remote/TESTPAPER/enbace1011.htm33. What can you have a literature without?Clues: Locate the place:1st paragraph;

Understand the difference between ‘literature’ & ‘literacy’;

Answer: Literacy

Techniques for Question Type 6

Long answers to form guided summary

---- Guide Understand the questions fully; Locate the relevant place in the text; Be concise, but to the point; Join the answers using the words given.

Example of Question Type 6

Example 6: ‘Long answers to form guided summary’ (refer to sample test paper for source text)

http://www.beiwaionline.com/remote/TESTPAPER/enbace1011.htm38. In the late 1800s, what did Britain’s economy dominate? (join

with next answer, using ‘and’)39. …what did her ships control? (join with next answer, using

‘which’)Clues: Understand the questions & requirements Locate the relevant place – 1st paragraph

Organize your languageAnswer:(38) In the late 1800’s, Britain’s economy dominated the

world (39) and her ships controlled the seas.

End of Part III

IV. Prepare for the Final Exam

Do you really need to prepare?

Do you really need to prepare?If you have learned by doing the tasks in the course and got actively involved in both online and offline study activities (eg tutorials, progress reports and assignments, chatrooms, etc.), you can achieve a satisfying result in your final exam without much pre-exam preparation. The learning process determines the learning product.

Why do you need to prepare?

Then why do you need to prepare?To reinforce what you have learnedTo identify weaknessesTo boost your confidenceTo get familiar with the final exam

Exam Preparation Resources (2)

Unit-based review Helps you focus Helps you review and reinforce what you’ve learned in the

unitUnit-based assessment Monitors your learning process Evaluates your learning result Finds problem if anySample Exam paper Gives you a chance to do a trial run Gives you the chance to study it in detail

Exam Preparation Resources (3)

Course Review ---- Tutorial 9 Helps you focus Helps you review and reinforce the major

themes and ideas Familiarizes you with final exam item types It’s a condensed version of the tutorials

Strongly Suggested!

Exam Preparation Resources (4)

Exercises resulting in a summary of the Core Text

Exercises leading to a review of the major ideas in Extension Texts

Question types you’re going to meet in the final exam

Feedback following the exercises

Then what do you find in Tutorial 9?

How to Review a Unit (1)

General steps in reviewing a unit:1. Check the unit objectives;2. Understand fully the core text & extension

texts;3. Check the e-platform unit review;4. Check your understanding of major

themes against unit self-assessment;5. Solve your problems if any.

Thank you!

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