Markers' Report: Some General Comments on EL Paper (2008)

There were, however, far too many instances of the use of correction fluid, which is expressly forbidden in the Instructions on the Question Paper.

Handwriting continues to pose problems for Examiners in some cases, especially tiny, fine print in pale ink.

The importance of clear, legible handwriting was stressed in the report on this examination last year – it is disappointing to have to reiterate it this year.

Candidates must ensure that quality is not sacrificed to quantity; in both Section One and Section Two of the paper, word limits are suggested and some candidates would do well to observe them more closely.

An essay under 300 words does tend to leave the piece undeveloped in detail and limits the candidate’s opportunity to create interest and to demonstrate a range of linguistic skills.

But… although advised to write between 250 and 350 words, very many candidates wrote far in excess of this, sometimes well over 1000.

Candidates gained little advantage from excessive length and may, in fact, have denied themselves the chance to read over and amend their work if necessary.

More concise writing and succinct expression would focus the situational writing more firmly on task

Quite a few candidates recorded the number of words used, which was in fact significantly greater than the number actually written! Examiners count the number of words if the essay seems short.