CERT TESOL (1) 2019/20

Assignment: Language Awareness Test

This in-class test paper will be made up of 2 sections:-

Part (i): Language Knowledge – relating to the core systems - grammar,

vocabulary, pronunciation & phonology (50%)

(a copy of the phonemic chart will be provided)

Part (ii): Pedagogic Application – applying the above aspects to practical

teaching contexts and scenarios (50%)

Total time permitted: 2 hours

STUDENT NAME: --------------------- ---------------------------

STUDENT ID NUMBER: -------------------------------

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Part (i) Language Knowledge
A: Grammar (40 marks)
1 Identify the word class (e.g. ‘noun’) of the bolded word: 5 pts

i. The dog ran happily through the large park.

ii. The dog ran happily through the large park.
iii. The dog ran happily through the large park.
iv. The dog ran happily through the large park.
v. The dog ran happily through the large park.

2 Identify the form (e.g. ‘past simple’) of the bolded verbs in the following sentences: 7pts

i. It’s rained. __________________________

ii. I’d never eaten squid before. _________________________
iii. They’ve been here since 1999. ___________________________
iv. Where were you last week? ___________________________
v. Who’s looking after the dog? _____________________________
vi. My train leaves at 4.30. ____________________________
vii. What were you doing at 5.30 yesterday? ________________________

3 Write the passive form of the following ‘active’ sentences. Include the agent only if seems natural. 3 pts

i) People speak Spanish in Ecuador.

ii) Orwell wrote 1984 in the 1940s.
iii) The IT department have updated my computer.

4 The following sentences are examples of which conditionals (0, 1, 2, 3 or mixed)? In the table write 7 pts
your answer in the column on the right.
Answer
a I’ll give you a lift if it rains.
b If you hadn’t been scared of spiders, you could have helped me clear the shed.
c If he recognised me, he would say ‘hello’.
d The video pauses if you press this button.
e If Bob wasn’t so lazy, he would have passed the exam easily.
f You’ll have to take a taxi home if you want to leave now.
g We would have saved money if we had travelled together.

5 Write simple, short exemplary sentences (for elementary level students) to illustrate the following: 14pts

e.g. a proper noun I’ve met the Queen twice.

i) an uncountable noun
ii) a countable noun
iii) an abstract noun
iv) a transitive verb
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v) an intransitive verb
vi) a modal verb
vii) a phrasal (multi-word) verb

6 Look at the following mistakes a learner has made. What grammar issue do they need to study? 4pts

i) The informations in this book is useful.

ii) I went to the Paris last week.
iii) I seed my friend yesterday.
iv) Russia is the bigger country in the world.

B: Vocabulary (20 points)

1 Look at the bolded affixes in the following words. What is their function? 5pts

e.g.. unhappy-> ‘not – makes something negative’

i. reversible ->

ii. introverted ->

iii. darken ->

iv. pianist ->

v. decorator ->

2 Complete the mind map for ‘look’ and ‘take’ (3 more items for each; collocations, chunks, phrasal 6 pts
verbs all ok; give short illustrative phrases in each case). Choose combinations useful for
intermediate students:

after a bus
look (v.) take (v.)

3 Look at the following passage from a recent BBC online news article. Circle three lexical items 6 pts
(collocations or fixed phrases) that learners in an upper intermediate level group would most benefit
from studying.

O2 and Ericsson issue joint apology over data disruption, BBC News

O2 and its mobile network equipment supplier Ericsson have issued a joint apology to the millions of
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customers hit by disruption to its data services. O2 chief executive Mark Evans said the firm would
work with Ericsson through the night to resolve the problems. Mr Evans said Ericsson had given
assurances that a full service would be restored by Friday morning.

4 What type of word formation (e.g. blending) can we see in the following words? 3 pts

i) ad
ii) infotainment
iii) fingerprint

C: Pronunciation (40 marks)

1 Write the following words in normal English script: 10pts

1. əmʌŋ ________________________________________________________

2. fæməliː ________________________________________________________

3. ʃeɪp __________________________________________________________

4. nʌθɪŋ ________________________________________________________

5. rɪðʌm ________________________________________________________

6. vɔɪs _________________________________________________________

7. sɪlæbl ______________________________________________________

8. æʤektɪv _____________________________________________________

9. dɪfθɒŋ _______________________________________________________

10. juːnɪvəsətiː ___________________________________________________

2 Write the following words in IPA (for standard English (BBC) pronunciation): 5pts

1. phrase _______________________________________________________

2. noun ________________________________________________________

3. adverb _______________________________________________________

4. chair _________________________________________________________

5. window _______________________________________________________

3 Transcribe the sentence below using IPA script: 3pts

We need bread, milk and potatoes.

4 Do the following words contain single vowel sounds or diphthongs (label them ‘s’ or ‘d’)? 4pts
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i. rock iii. mean

ii. beer iv. rough

1pt
Look at sound on the table above which has been circled,

i) What name is often given to this sound (don’t worry about spelling)?
ii) Why is it useful to be able to recognise and make this sound? Explain, as though 5 pts
speaking, to a group of intermediate level learners (less than 50 words)

It’s really important to know about this sound because…

6 Mark or underline the stressed syllables in the following:

i. A kilo of sugar 8pts

ii. We made a huge mistake
iii. The classroom is empty
iv. I bought a waterproof watch.

7 Fill in the (two) blank labels in the table fragment below: 2pts

8 Arabic-speaking students often confuse the sounds for /b/ and /p/. What can you tell learners about 2pts
these sounds that might help them to distinguish them in speaking? (bullet point answer OK).
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Part (ii): Pedagogic Application
A: Grammar (40 points)
1. How might you explain the difference in meaning of these three sentences in the
present perfect to a group of pre-intermediate learners? (6 points)

a) He’s lived in London for 17 years.

b) You’ve shaved your beard off!!!
c) I’ve been to China.

2. For each of the examples above, add 1-2 sentences before/after the example, which
clearly contextualise the different uses of the present perfect that you’ve explained
above. (6 points)
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1. Imagine you are preparing a lesson (for intermediate, multi-national students) to

demonstrate narrative past forms.
Write a short, simple story below (about 100 words) to accompany the following pictures.
Make sure the story includes several well-graded uses of the past simple, at least one
example of the past continuous/progressive and at least one example of the past perfect.
Use the story to clearly illustrate the typical functions of the different past forms. (10 points)

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3. Describe in detail how you would convey the difference in meaning between ‘have to’ and
‘don’t have to’ to a group of lower intermediate students. Your description should include
how you would present the structures to learners, how you would practice them in class
and an idea for a production activity. (10 points)

4. Look at the following student errors which all relate to their choice of word class.
Identify both i) the class the student has used ii) the correct form of the word and its
class - with some suggestions for the learner (8 points)

Students should think critical.

Despite its difficult, the exam is quite popular in China.

The engineers need to stronger the column.

His father was too judgement.

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B: Vocabulary (20 points)
1. Imagine the following tricky words (in bold, below) come up during an intermediate,
multi-lingual lesson and require some brief explanation. Suggest one way or strategy
for explaining each word (8 points):

i. The men found a gold nugget in the stream.

ii. I’ve eaten pig’s trotters.

iii. This was a terrific match between England and Wales.

iv. The children leapt into the air with excitement.

2. Look at the list of clothing items below.

trousers T-shirt jacket jeans

scarf trainers hat pullover

skirt blouse shirt boots

socks belt coat dress

suit tie shawl shorts

a) Think of an activity which you feel would help elementary level learners discover the
meaning of these words. Also discuss why you think this activity would be helpful. (4
points)

b) Think of 2 activities which you think would then help learners practise these words,
discussing why you think these activities would be particularly helpful. (8 points)
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C: Phonetics/pronunciation (40 points)

1. a) What is the rule for the pronunciation of regular past tense forms in English to inform
learners? Look at the examples below to help you. (6 points)

walk – walked phone – phoned want – wanted

b) Think of one activity that would help pre-intermediate learners of English practise
this rule. (4 points)
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2. In normal speech the syllables in bold in the sentence below would carry stress, with
overall sentence stress falling on the underlined syllable:

Are Peter and Helen visiting us on Friday?

Moving the main stressed syllable produces different meanings. For each variation
below, provide a brief explanation of the intended meaning and then a natural-sounding
response illustrating the intended meaning. Your explanations should be accessible to
lower-intermediate learners. (15 points)

Sentence Stress Intended meaning (10 Natural response (5

points) points)

Are Peter and Helen

visiting us on Friday?

Are Peter and Helen

visiting us on Friday?

Are Peter and Helen

visiting us on Friday?

Are Peter and Helen

visiting us on Friday?

Are Peter and Helen

visiting us on Friday?
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3. Japanese speakers often struggle to differentiate between the /l/ and /r/ phonemes in
minimal pairs such as fly and fry. Think of two other words, whose only difference in
pronunciation (not necessarily spelling) is the /l/ and /r/ sounds.

Design a 3-stage activity that focuses on (1) recognition, (2) practice and (3) production
(e.g. a short dialogue) of your chosen words. (15 points)

Overall Marks:

(i)

(ii)

Total: %
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PHONEMIC CHART