Final Report On The Initial Test Held in Partners' Institutions PDF

PE-MC-EAE
Promoting English as Means of Communication in European Adult Education

2013 - 1 - ES - GRU06 - 73300
FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST
Istituto Statale d'Istruzione Superiore "Buonarroti - Fossombroni", Arezzo - ITALY

Liceul Tehnologic de Servicii "Sfantul Apostol Andrei", Ploiesti, ROMANIA
Centre de Formaci d'Adults Josepa Massans i Dalmau, Tarragona, SPAIN
nn Teknik ve Endstri Meslek Lisesi, Istanbul, TURKEY
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INDEX
INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................5
1.
FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST - AREZZO, ITALY ...........................................7

1.1.
PLACE OF ENGLISH IN SCHOOL CURRICULUM......................................... 7
1.2.
AGE OF THE STUDENTS .............................................................................. 7
1.3.
YEARS OF STUDYING .................................................................................. 8
1.4.
EXTRA CLASSES .......................................................................................... 8
1.5.
SIMPLE READING A ...................................................................................... 9
1.6.
USE OF ENGLISH B.................................................................................... 9
1.7.
USE OF ENGLISH C ................................................................................. 10
1.8.
USE OF ENGLISH E.................................................................................. 11
1.9.
USE OF ENGLISH F .................................................................................. 11
1.10. READING D ............................................................................................... 12
1.11. LISTENING G ............................................................................................ 12
1.12. WRITING H ................................................................................................ 13
1.13. CONCLUSIONS USE OF ENGLISH ............................................................. 14
1.14. CONCLUSIONS ABOUT EXERCISES ......................................................... 15
1.15. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................... 16
2.
FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST - PLOIESTI, ROMANIA ................................18

2.1.
PLACE OF ENGLISH IN SCHOOL CURRICULUM....................................... 18
2.2.
AGE OF THE STUDENTS ............................................................................ 18
2.3.
YEARS OF STUDYING ................................................................................ 19
2.4.
EXTRA CLASSES ........................................................................................ 20
2.5.
SIMPLE READING A .................................................................................... 20
2.6.
USE OF ENGLISH B.................................................................................. 21
2.7.
USE OF ENGLISH C ................................................................................. 22
2.8.
USE OF ENGLISH E.................................................................................. 23
2.9.
USE OF ENGLISH F .................................................................................. 23
2.10. READING D ............................................................................................... 24
2.11. LISTENING G ............................................................................................ 25
2.12. WRITING H ................................................................................................ 26
2.14. CONCLUSIONS OF THE EXERCISES......................................................... 28
3.
FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST - TARRAGONA, SPAIN ................................32

3.1.
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 32
3.2.
3.3.
3.4.
3.5.
EXTRA CLASSES ........................................................................................ 35
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3.6.
3.7.
3.8.
3.9.
3.10.
3.11.
3.12.
3.13.
SIMPLE READING A ................................................................................. 36

READING D ............................................................................................... 37
USE OF ENGLISH B, C, E, F ..................................................................... 37
CONCLUSIONS USE OF ENGLISH ............................................................. 38
LISTENING G ............................................................................................ 39
WRITING H ................................................................................................ 40
CONCLUSIONS OF THE EXERCISES......................................................... 40
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................... 41
4.
FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST - ISTANBUL, TURKEY .................................43

4.1.
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 43
4.2.
4.3.
4.4.
4.5.
EXTRA CLASSES ........................................................................................ 44
4.6.
SIMPLE READING A .................................................................................... 44
4.7.
USE OF ENGLISH B.................................................................................. 45
4.8.
USE OF ENGLISH C ................................................................................. 46
4.9.
USE OF ENGLISH E.................................................................................. 46
4.10. USE OF ENGLISH F .................................................................................. 47
4.11. READING D ............................................................................................... 47
4.12. LISTENING G ............................................................................................ 48
4.13. WRITING H ................................................................................................ 48
4.15. CONCLUSIONS OF THE EXERCISES......................................................... 50
5.
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS ..........................................................................................52
ANNEX: TEST ......................................................................................................................57

REPORT AUTHORS .............................................................................................................61
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INTRODUCTION
The aim of this project is to compare different ways of teaching English as a foreign language in
adult education in all partner countries and to try to improve the teaching methodology in each
institution participating in the project.
A research is being carried out in every partner country in order to compare teaching methods,
techniques, materials and to provide information about the way English as an international
language is taught to adults.
In order to get a general idea about the English level in adult education across Europe, a test
was designed by the English teachers from the four partner institutions involved in the project.
The aim of this initial test, covering the main language skills (except speaking, because of
implementation problems), was to collect data and information about the students level of English
in adult education in Europe. This test has tried to assess language level from a communicative
point of view (conversations, dialogues, registers, etc.) and we have tried to avoid traditional
grammar exercises. It follows the goal of the project, since we try to promote English as means of
communication among European adults.
Each partner country contributed to the creation of this test which was prepared, assembled,
checked and shared on Google drive. Then the test was carried out in two groups of students in
every partner institution and corrected by teachers involved in the project.
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Once corrected, the data and information collected have been carefully examined and
processed and all coordinators from every European institution have written a final report on the
results achieved by their students.
During the project meetings and based on the test results and final reports, the coordinators and
teachers of English involved in the partnership have drawn some general conclusions regarding
how English is taught in their institutions and countries1. In this way the purpose of our test was
reached because the conclusions from here will represent the starting point in the next level of our
project: designing the teaching materials for adult classes.
Throughout this report we are going to compare results as being representative of our own countries, even if we are
conscious that the sample data is not statistically significant and that one sole institution cannot cope with the broad
reality of a whole country. The purpose of this project is to study, compare and improve the ways English is taught in
our four institutions that are under different educational policies and different social, cultural and economical realities,
each institution setting itself up as representative of its country.
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1. FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST - AREZZO, ITALY
This final report shows the results achieved by the 24 adult students tested.
1.1.
PLACE OF ENGLISH IN SCHOOL CURRICULUM
In Italy English language is a compulsory school subject and part of the curriculum from Primary
school to Secondary school.
Most courses have three English lessons a week but the number of lessons may increase in
some courses as Tourism. The expected level of English at the end of Secondary school is B2.
Most state schools offer students the opportunity to get a certificate in English language (PET
FIRST certificate Trinity), and they usually organize courses in the early afternoon to prepare
students to take these exams.
1.2.
AGE OF THE STUDENTS
AGE
25%
G1 (18-24 years) = 13 students

54%
G3 (35+ years) = 6 students
21%
The age of the students involved in adult education is mainly between 18-24 years. During the
last few years the students age has lowered and this is the common trend in adult education in
Italy. Some of the students attending the courses simply failed at school, some had to get a job and
earn a living while others had problems of different kinds, such as family problems and illnesses.
At the moment, mainly due to the economic recession, most students attend our courses
because are unemployed and they need re-qualification and to get new skills. So our adult courses
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represent the second chance for these people who couldnt follow the normal route towards the
diploma which may help them to find a job in the future or improve their position.
1.3.
YEARS OF STUDYING
4%
YEARS OF STUDYING
46%
Y3 (0-2 years) = 1 student
50%
Y6 (3-6 years) = 12 students

Y7 (7+ years) = 11 students
Thanks to the introduction of the English language as a compulsory school subject in all primary
schools in 2004, the number of years in which students are taught English in state schools
increased from 0-5 to 10-13 and most children are nowadays involved in activities in English
starting from kindergarten.
As a consequence, young adult students have studied English longer and have a higher level of
English than old adult students who have studied English fewer years and interrupted their studies
long time ago.
1.4.
EXTRA CLASSES
EXTRA CLASSES
21%
Yes = 5 students
No = 19 students
79%
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In Italy there are only private courses of English for adults organised by language schools, but
they are expensive and not everyone can afford them, this explains the number of 19 adults out of
24 who have never attended extra classes of English.
Adult students realise that English is a language which can be very expensive if it is not learned
at the right time while being students in primary and secondary school.
1.5.
SIMPLE READING A
(ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS ACCORDING TO THE PROMPTS)

8%
READING A
4-5 points = 17 students
21%
71%
The results show that the majority of students (71%) can understand a written text and answer
questions properly. Some of them made mistakes in using the past simple and only two got 0-1
points.
USE OF ENGLISH B
1.6.
17%
USE OF ENGLISH - B
8 points = 20 students
83%
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Matching questions with the correct answers proved to be a very easy task for 20 adult students,
12 of them are under the age of 24, and 8 older. Their results can be explained by the number of
years they have studied English at school.
Among the 4 students who got 6 points, 1 is younger than 24, 1 is between 24 and 40, 2 are
older than 40.
1.7.
USE OF ENGLISH C
USE OF ENGLISH C
17%
83%
Arranging the lines in the correct order to make a dialogue was a difficult task for only 4
students, 2 of them are 32 years old.
The other 20 students had no mistakes no matter their age, which showed that the dialogue was
not difficult. Making a reservation in a restaurant is a common subject usually present in our
English text-book and the expressions used are part of the basic vocabulary: Id like to, make a
reservation, fully packed, looking forward to seeing you.
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1.8.
USE OF ENGLISH E
USE OF ENGLISH E
29%
71%
Completing the instructions about how to watch a movie with the given imperatives was a task
which 17 students did correctly.
Although the task was easy, 7 students failed to match the imperatives with the correct contexts
and this shows that they couldnt understand the written sentences and that the meaning of the
imperatives was a challenge even though imperatives belong to the basic vocabulary.
1.9.
USE OF ENGLISH F
USE OF ENGLISH F
46%
54%
In this task students had to understand the meaning of some sentences and of some polite
expressions and to match them in order to create more polite sentences. The task was completed
correctly only by 11 students while 13 had difficulties, getting less than 3 points.
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1.10.
READING D
13%
READING D
29%
58%
Students are used to this kind of task in their English classes so they are usually well trained in
reading skills which imply not only a comprehension of the text but also using grammar structures
properly. 14 students answered questions correctly or with small mistakes proving that their
reading comprehension is at the expected B1 level.
Only 3 students didnt complete the task properly proving that they neither understood the text
nor answered the questions accordingly.
1.11.
LISTENING G
4% LISTENING G
21%
4 points = 1 student
75%
This exercise consisted of an audio text at B1 level which students had to listen to twice and
then they had to answer 4 questions based on the text in order to prove that they understood the
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oral message. The last question was the one which was the most difficult in the students opinion
because they had to understand some details they were listening to in the text and many of them
didnt manage to select all or the correct ones.
5 students managed to write 2-3 correct answers and only 1 of them had no mistake. On the
other hand, there are 18 students who got the minimum number of points proving that they have no
listening skills at B1 level.
The listening skills havent been developed enough during the school years and this is due to
the fact that teachers dont use enough listening exercises, audio texts or videos during the English
lessons.
1.12.
WRITING H
WRITING H
33%

46%
21%
Only 8 students got 8 - 10 points at this exercise which means that they have developed writing
skills in English at B1 level.
11 students got very low marks at this exercise and 7 of them didnt write anything so they got 0
points. This means that they have no writing skills at all.
5 students got an average of 5 points at this exercise, which means that they managed to
express their basic ideas in a poor way and with grammar mistakes.
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1.13.
CONCLUSIONS USE OF ENGLISH
Exercise B
Exercise C
Exercise E
Exercise F
Average
Maximum
results
20 students
83%
20 students
83%
17 students
71%
11 students
46%
17 students
71%
Minimum
results
0 students
4 students
17%
7 students
29%
13 students
54%
6 students
25%

25
Students number
20
20
20
17
17
15
13
11
10
Maximum results
Minimum results
5
0
0
Exercise B
Exercise C
Exercise E
Exercise F
Average
The biggest percentage of maximum results was obtained at exercises B and C (83%). These
types of exercises are familiar for students and they manage to solve tasks at A2 level.
The biggest percentage of minimum results was obtained at exercise F (54%) and this means
that adult students are not familiar with using modals and specific expressions of politeness.
The smallest percentage of minimum results was obtained at exercise B where no students got
the minimum and this leads to the conclusion that students have a good understanding of written
messages at level A2 due to the fact that this is a type of exercise students are generally familiar
with.
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1.14.
CONCLUSIONS ABOUT EXERCISES
Writing H
Listening G
Reading D
Reading A
Use of
English
B, C, E, F
Maximum
results
8 students
33%
1 students
4%
14 students
58%
17 students
71%
17 students
71%
Minimum
results
11 students
46%
18 students
75%
3 students
13%
2 students
8%
6 students
25%

20
18
17
18
Students number
16
17
14
14
11
12
10
Maximum results
Minimum results
6
3
4
1
0
Writing H
Listening G
Reading D
Reading A
Use of English
B, C, E, F
- Writing is the only part of the test where almost half of the students got the minimum results
(46%) and one third of the students got the maximum results (33%), which means that students
find difficulties in writing and to build a text even though it is a guided task.
- Listening is the part where more than half of students got minimum results (75%) and the
smallest percentage of the maximum results. This means that listening exercises are not used very
often with students. Now English teacher are trying to develop better listening skills.
- Reading is the part where more than half of students got maximum results (58%) and 13% of
them got the minimum ones. This type of exercise in which students have to answer questions
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based on a written text is very common to all students because it is widely used during the English
classes.
- Simple Reading A is the part in which about three quarters of the students got the maximum
results and there was also the smallest percentage of minimum results (8%). Its a type of exercise
students are familiar with and the level of difficulty of the task is medium.
- Use of English is the part in which about three quarters of the students got the maximum
results and a one third got the minimum results. Teachers use these types of exercises more often
with their students compared to other types of exercises.
1.15.
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS
The main objective of young and adult students participating in this research and attending
evening classes at state secondary school is to get a diploma which will allow them to find a job or
to improve their current working position.
The students who decide to join evening classes are always highly motivated because coming
back to school is their own choice. They all have different life experiences and backgrounds but
they realize how important it is being educated and getting new skills such as learning English as a
foreign language.
Since our school is a technical business school and the two courses for adults are Accounting
and Social Services, students in the fourth and fifth classes study the micro-language that is
business English and English for social services.
Students who took part in this research proved that studying English for 12 years in school
doesnt necessary mean that at the final state exam all students have a higher level of English. On
the other hand, they also proved that with English taught only a few years (as it used to be until
some years ago) its impossible to reach the highest level some students can reach after studying
12 years. The conclusion is that introducing English as a compulsory subject in every year of
primary and Secondary school curricula was a very good choice because it gives students the
opportunity to develop their English skills and to reach the level of intermediate English speakers.
Younger adult students generally develop a higher level of English while older adults who
interrupted their studies 15-20 years ago and studied English only for few years have difficulties in
learning a foreign language.
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- The most developed students skills are at use of English and reading (the maximum results at
these exercises reach 71% of the students) due to the fact that in general teachers use mostly this
type of exercises during the English classes.
- The writing skills are less developed than use of English and reading because they are the
most difficult type of exercises in a foreign language due to the ability and knowledge involved.
Young adults are generally better at writing than older adults because they have studied English
longer at school.
- The listening skills of students are the least developed because teachers dont ask students to
carry out enough listening tasks and dont use audio recordings for developing students listening
skills.
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2. FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST - PLOIESTI, ROMANIA

2.1.
Every specialism in my post-secondary school has English as a part of the curriculum, therefore
students have this subject no matter what they study for (general nurse, lab assistant, nutritionist,
tourist guide, stylist or event organizer). Nevertheless, English is not a main subject there because
on the whole it is studied only 60120 hours divided in 1 or 2 semesters (out of 36 semesters).
There are not courses just for studying English, but courses students attend to get a diploma in
one of the specialism areas from above, the foreign language is only part of the general curriculum
and its aim is mostly to familiarise students with vocabulary and specific terms from the domains
they are preparing for (English for Specific Purposes) and to help them improve their
communication skills in a foreign language.
2.2.
AGE OF THE STUDENTS
AGE
25%

13%
62%
The age of the students shows the percentages of the students involved in adult education: the
biggest number represents adults who continue their studies at the post-secondary level right after
the high-school graduation and before getting married or having children 62%; the smallest
number represents adults who attend school in the period of time when they usually start up their
family and have children 13%; a bigger percentage than the second one represents the adults
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who are 35 years or more (only 3 of them are the oldest: 45 - 53 years), already have family and
children and decide to continue their studies for their career or a new job 25%.
None of them attend school for learning a foreign language or as a hobby after retirement. They
are here because they want to graduate a specialism and get a diploma which may help them in
preserving their current job or in finding a job in the future.
2.3.
YEARS OF STUDYING
Due to the changes in the curriculum that happened in the past 20 years, the number of years
for studying English in primary and secondary school increased from 0-3 to 12-13, therefore the
age for starting studying this language has decreased and nowadays children are involved in this
activity starting from kindergarten.
YEARS OF STUDYING
15%
63%
22%

That is why older adult students have studied English fewer years and younger adult students a
bigger number of years, which leads to the conclusion that younger adult students have a higher
level of English than the older ones.
On the other hand, there are also cases in which younger students have no English skills
acquired during their studies, for instance the lowest results of this test (27-35 points) were
obtained by 3 students younger than 24 years old.
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2.4.
EXTRA CLASSES
10%
EXTRA CLASSES
Yes = 6 students
No = 54 students
90%
The 6 students who have attended private classes of English are as follows: 2 of them are older
than 40 years and they did this because they need English to keep their jobs; the other 4 are
younger than 24 years and they understand how important a foreign language is for their career.
In Romania, except the short courses organised by the local community for the unemployed
citizens (and which are not regarded as reliable because adults dont get visible results in
improving their English skills after attending them), there are only private courses of English for
adults organised by language schools, but they are expensive and not everyone can afford them,
this explains the percentage of 90% adults who have never attended extra classes of English.
Adults know that English is a language which can be very expensive if it is not learned at the
right time while being students in primary and secondary school.
2.5.
SIMPLE READING A
13%
READING A
32%
55%
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The one who got 5 points (no mistakes) is 36 years old and studied English only for 4 years.
8 of the students who got 4-5 points (less than a half) are younger than 24 years old, and the
rest of them (11) are older than 25.
All the 8 students who got 0-2 points are younger than 24 years, which means that even if they
have studied English for a longer period of time, their language skills arent better.
There are difficulties at understanding not only the written text, but also at answering questions
with given information. Plus, it was difficult for students to understand the written task and to
answer the questions as if they were somebody else.
Using Past Simple was a tough challenge for students because most of them knew in general
what was expected from them to answer, but they didnt express that information correctly in the
correct tense. Either they answered shortly in one-word sentence, or they made mistakes in using
the past forms of the verb to be or in using the other verbs in the Past Simple.
2.6.
USE OF ENGLISH B
7%
USE OF ENGLISH - B
20%
40%

33%
Matching answers with the correct answers proved to be very hard for 7% of the adult students,
all of them being under the age of 24, which shows that they werent able to reach A2 level at least,
although they had studied many years of English in school.
73% of the students got 6-8 points which show that the task was easily attainable for them at B1
level and of them 43% represent students younger than 24 years and 30% represent students over
24. This means that more than half of the students who got maximum points at this exercise are
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younger than 24 and their results can be explained by the number of years they have studied
English in school.
The questions and answers where students made mistakes more frequently are the following:
What do you do?/ Im a hairdresser; What are you doing?/ Im listening to music. This shows
that students are not very sure when using tenses although its about Simple Present and Present
Continuous. Apart from using tenses, they found difficult to understand the meaning of some given
questions and answers although they were everyday language.
2.7.
USE OF ENGLISH C
USE OF ENGLISH C
13%
87%
Arranging the lines in the correct order to make a dialogue was a difficult task for 8 students, 7 of
them are younger than 24 years and have studied English longer than the older ones.
The other 52 students had no mistakes no matter their age, which showed that the dialogue was
not difficult. Making a reservation in a restaurant is not an unusual subject and the expressions
used are part of the basic vocabulary: Id like to, make a reservation, fully packed, looking
forward to seeing you.
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2.8.
USE OF ENGLISH E
USE OF ENGLISH E
20%
80%
which 48 students did correctly. 12 had difficulties in solving it and 8 of them are younger than 24
years, which means that they didnt reach at least A2 level of English although they have studied
this foreign language more years than the old ones.
The task was easy, the students had only to match the imperatives with the correct contexts and
the failure of the 12 students shows that not only understanding the written sentences was difficult,
but also the meaning of the imperatives was a challenge for them although both sentences and
imperatives belong to the basic vocabulary: choose, switch on, enjoy, press, put, Enjoy
your movie, Press the button PLAY.
2.9.
USE OF ENGLISH F
USE OF ENGLISH F
25%
67%
8%
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Rewriting the phrases in a more polite way using the given expressions was a task completed
correctly by 40 students. 15 students had difficulties and 13 of them are younger than 24 years,
which means that many years of studying English didnt help them to increase their level of
English.
Practically they had to understand the meaning of some sentences and of some polite
expressions (Shall I, Would you mind, Theres been a slight misunderstanding, Can you,
Could you) and to match them in order to create more polite sentences.
2.10.
READING D
READING D
23%

12%
65%
The text was at B1 level and it had a specific vocabulary and basic grammar structures at
different tenses. Answering the questions supposed reading comprehension of the text and of the
questions as well. Moreover, the answers implied not only complete sentences with certain
structure and correct tenses (grammar structures) from the questions, but also choosing from the
text the right parts.
39 students managed to answer correctly or with small mistakes at the questions based on the
given text related to earthquakes prediction proving that their reading comprehension is at the
expected B1 level and that they have the necessary communication skills to answer those
questions.
14 students didnt complete the task satisfactorily, proving that they neither understood the text
nor answered the questions accordingly. 8 of them are younger than 24 years, which means that
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even if they have studied English for a longer period of time, their linguistic skills havent developed
enough to reach B1 level.
2.11.
LISTENING G
LISTENING G
21%
37%

42%
This exercise consisted of an audio text at B1 level which students had to listen to twice and
then they had to answer 4 questions based on the text in order to prove that they understood the
oral message. The last question was the one which was the most difficult in the students opinion
because they had to enumerate some details they were listening to in the text and many of them
didnt manage to select all or the correct ones.
37% of the students managed to write 3-4 correct answers and 7 of them had no mistake. On
the other hand, there are 13 students who got the minimum number of points proving that they
have no listening skills at B1 level.
The number of students who got the maximum results and those who got the minimum ones are slightly
equal in terms of age, which proves that listening is a skill which hasnt been developed enough during the
school years no matter if students had English as a subject for a longer or a shorter number of years. This
can be explained by the fact that teachers dont use listening exercises, audio texts or videos during the
English lessons due to the lack of logistics in the first place.
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2.12.
WRITING H
WRITING H
18%
45%
37%
One of the 11 students got maximum 10 points at this exercise and she is 20 years old. The
other 5 students who got 9 points are between 19 and 34 years old, which means that mostly
young students have developed writing skills in English at B1 level. This could be explained by the
fact that they studied longer and more recently than the other adult students.
27 students got very low marks at this exercise and 21 of them didnt write anything so they got
0 points. This means that they have no writing skills at all and expressing themselves in a foreign
language is beyond their achieved abilities. 14 out of 21 are younger than 24 years old which
means that the majority of those who have no writing skills studied English many years in school
and yet with no results.
22 students got an average of 5 points at this exercise, which means that they managed to
express their basic ideas in a poor way and with mistakes concerning the tenses and the main
grammar aspects of the language. There are also mistakes at the level of the text structure
concerning the construction of an email and the coverage of all the aspects from the task.
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2.13.
Exercise B
Exercise C
Exercise E
Exercise F
Average
Maximum
results
24 students
40%
52 students 48 students 40 students 41 students

87%
80%
67%
68%
Minimum
results
4 students
6%
8 students
13%
12 students 15 students 10 students

20%
25%
16%

60
52
48
Students number
50
41
40
Maximum results
40
Minimum results
30
24
20
15
12
10
10
4
0
Exercise B
Exercise C
Exercise E
Exercise F
Average
- The biggest percentage of maximum results was obtained at exercise C (87%) where students
had to arrange the lines of a dialogue in the correct order and the second biggest percentage of
maximum results (only 7% difference) was obtained at exercise E (80%) where students had to
match the imperatives with the sentences given in order to establish some instructions. These
types of exercises are familiar for students and they manage to solve tasks at A2 level.
- The biggest percentage of minimum results was obtained at exercise F (25%) where students
had to rephrase some sentences in a more polite way using modals and expressions. This means
that adult students are not familiar with using modals and specific expressions of politeness,
therefore more focus should be placed on during secondary education.
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- The smallest percentage of minimum results was obtained at exercise B (6%) where students
were supposed to match questions and answers from two different columns. This leads to the
conclusion that students have a good understanding of written messages at level A2 due to the fact
that this was a type of exercise generally used in school.
2.14.
CONCLUSIONS OF THE EXERCISES
Maximum
results
Minimum
results
Writing H
Listening G
Reading D
Reading A
11 students
18%
27 students
46%
22 students
37%
13 students
21%
39 students
65%
14 students
24%
19 students
31%
8 students
14%
Use of English
B, C, E, F
41 students
68%
10 students
16%

45
Students number
41
39
40
35
30
27
25
22
20
15
Maximum results
Minimum results
19
11
13
14
8
10
10
5
0
Writing H
Listening G
Reading D
Reading A
Use of English
B, C, E, F
- Writing is the only part of the test where almost half of the students got the minimum results
(46%) and the smallest percentage of maximum results (18%), which means that students find
difficult to express themselves in writing and to build a text according to the task because it is a
complex requirement based on minimum vocabulary and grammar knowledge.
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- Listening is the part where almost half of students got medium results (42%), a fifth of them got
the minimum results and one third of the students got the maximum results. Listening exercises are
not very common because they are not used very often. In the past years teachers have started
using them more often not only because they understood the importance of developing the
listening skills of their students, but also because they have now the necessary logistics and audio
recordings to use during the lessons.
- Simple Reading A is the part in which one third of the students got the maximum results, more
than half got the minimum results and there was also the smallest percentage of minimum results
(14%). This proves that it is a common type of exercise very familiar to students and the mistakes
theyve done show their poor learning of grammar structures and a medium level of difficulty of the
task.
- Reading is the part in which more than two thirds of students got maximum results and a
quarter of them got the minimum ones. This type of exercise in which students have to answer
questions based on a written text is very common to all students because it is widely used during
the English classes.
- Use of English is the part in which more than two thirds of students got the maximum results
and a small percentage (16%) got the minimum results. Teachers use these types of exercises
more often with their students, therefore its easier for students just to apply some grammar rules
using the example given rather than listening to and understanding an audio text, communicating
their own thoughts and ideas or deciding what vocabulary and grammar structures to use at some
point.
2.15.
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS
Students who took part in this research are young or old adults who attend the courses of the
post-secondary school in their attempt to get a diploma at graduation which will entitle them to find
a (better) job easier or to be able to keep the one they have currently. They represent the adults
who want to continue their education after graduating high school without going to the university
from different reasons: lack of financial possibilities to attend a university, lack of intellectual
abilities, their failure in passing the Baccalaureate exam, their wish to prepare themselves for a
certain job or qualification (several types of nurses, tourist agent, stylist, nutritionist, event
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organizer etc) in order to find a job quickly or to open their own small business. Some of them
(especially the young ones) dont have the Baccalaureate exam, but the Romanian legislation
allows them to attend a post-secondary school provided that they manage to pass the
Baccalaureate exam till their graduation (in 2-3 years time).
The increasing number of years in which English is taught in school has 2 major consequences:
there are young adults at graduation who manage to develop a higher level of English, but at the
same time there are also young adults whose level is next to zero contradicting all the possible
predictions about English becoming a mandatory subject in school. The causes for not acquiring a
minimum level of English at all skills are multiple:
the lack of interest in learning a foreign language
the intellectual difficulty encountered
the lack of ambition to develop a future career
the great number of students in a classroom (usually 30-33 even more) which is not suitable
for learning English placing teachers in the impossibility of teaching at high standards
the lack of basic logistics (modern technology and software, computer, audio CD, laptop,
speakers, projector, internet connection, textbooks, the possibility of photocopying writing
materials, dictionaries etc.)
teachers have too many students in a school year to be able to follow closely their personal
development progress at English (possibly 280 300 or even more)
not all teachers are interested in their continuous in-service training for improving their
teaching skills and being up to date with all the modern methods of teaching
Students who took part in this research proved that studying English for 12 years in school
doesnt necessary mean that at graduation all students have a higher level of English. On the other
hand, they also proved that with English taught only a few years (as it used to be until some years
ago) its impossible to reach the highest level some students can reach after studying 12 years.
The conclusion is that introducing English as a mandatory subject in every year of primary and
secondary school curriculum was a very good idea because it gives the possibility to those
interested to develop their English skills to the extent of being able to reach the level of
intermediate English speakers.
At the post-secondary level English is a mandatory subject taught intensively in one (general
nurse, lab technician, chemists assistant) or two semesters (tourist guide, stylist, event organiser).
Teachers and students focus on specialized vocabulary for the specific areas and on the
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improvement of the English skills required on the labour market of their specialism, but there are
difficulties encountered because in a group of 30 students, everyone has a different level from very
low (the majority) to possible B1 (only very few or maybe none).
- The most developed students skills are at use of English and reading (although the maximum
results at these exercises dont reach 70% of the students) due to the fact that in general teachers
use mostly this type of exercises during the English classes.
- Listening skills are less developed than use of English and reading due to the lack of basic
logistics, this being a fact that all teachers have to face more or less. On the other hand, students
have listening skills better developed than the writing skills and it may be explained by the fact that
teachers use English when they communicate during the lessons forcing students not only to try to
understand but also to interact in English responding to the tasks and rarely they use personal
devices with audio recordings for developing students listening skills.
- The writing skills of students are the least developed because it is the most complex type of
exercise at a foreign language due to the abilities and knowledge it requires from students and in
general young adults are better at writing than the older adults, this being explained by the fact that
the first had English as a school subject for much more time than the second.
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3. FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST - TARRAGONA, SPAIN

3.1.
INTRODUCTION
This test has been carried out into two groups: CFGS (16 students) and GESO (20 students).
What is CFGS? We call CFGS, which stands for Cicles Formatius de Grau Superior, a single
year course that prepares students to take an exam that will allow them to enter High Vocational
School. This exam consists of 2 parts, a common part with 4 separate exams (Catalan, Spanish,
English and Maths) and a specific part with 2 exams that vary according to the Vocational studies
they want to access (so they can choose among subjects such as Chemistry, Geography,
Psychology, etc.). All the students must go through the common part and the specific part can be
validated by proving working experience on the field of the vocational studies they want to follow.
As far as English is concerned, the exam is only a written exam with 3 parts: a reading
comprehension activity, grammar and use of language multiple choice questions and a writing task.
At our school, this year, we have two morning groups and one evening group. More than 30
students are registered in each group but a lower rate is attending regularly the classes. This test
was carried out in one of these groups.
What is GESO? It stands for Graduat en Educaci Secundria Obligatria (Compulsory

Secondary Education) and the students attending this Education are students who failed to get
their Secondary Diploma when they were teenagers and realise they need it, either to study further,
either to find a job, either to improve their working position. GESO is divided into two years, and
students have to pass 18 modules. According to the course they reached when they where at
Secondary School, they can access the second year and get the diploma in only one year at
school. This school year we have 5 GESO groups: 2 first years morning and evening and 3
second year groups morning, afternoon and evening-. This test was carried out in the morning
second year group.
This test has been carried out in the morning group of second year of GESO because in the first
year they dont start English until the third term. Some of the students of this second year group
(about 20%) are students coming from the first year and have studied English for three months at
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the end of the first year. Nevertheless, the vast majority of them are studying English for their first
time in adult education.
3.2.
All the students who have answered this test have English as a part of broader curricula and
most of them have no interest in learning a foreign language. Their only motivation is to pass the
exam to attain the diploma they are looking for.
As already written, CFGS students have English as a part of the final common exam. This
English exam consists of 3 parts: a reading comprehension activity, grammar and use of language
multiple choice questions and a writing task. In order to prepare students to pass this exam, they
are taught English once a week in a two-hour session. Because of the very specific goal they are
pursuing (to pass the exam) and because of the exam (no oral interaction part, no listening part) in
the classes we work mainly with their reading/written abilities.
On the other hand, GESO students have to pass, at least, 3 English modules. At our school we
have a 3-month module at the end of the first year, and then two modules on the second year (first
and second term). We teach them two hours a week and they have one hour a week of individual
work, mostly done through exercises and activities on the Moodle platform. These GESO courses
try to put emphasis on the main five skills: reading, writing, listening, speaking and interacting.
Besides these groups, we have English courses at our school. We teach three levels from
beginner to pre-intermediate and some of the eldest students who have never studied English
before are suggested to attend these courses to reinforce their learning process. However, as
stated before, these students usually have many things to cope with (family, work and other
personal duties) and they usually can't (or don't want) to attend these extra classes.
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3.3.
AGE OF THE STUDENTS
AGE
14%

61%
25%
The diagram with the age of the students shows the percentages of the students involved in
adult education: the biggest number represents young adults that come to the school immediately,
or a short while after they quit a secondary school (61%). Six of these students are only 18, the
minimum age they can access adult education. Students under 18 and over 16 can only come to
an adult school if they prove to have a special situation: either they are an elite sport person or they
have a working contract that doesn't allow them to attend a normal secondary school. None of the
students in these groups is under 18. Only 14% are over 35 (the oldest one being 41 years old)
and they tend to be people who already have family duties and work experience. Most of them
come back to school because they have lost their job or they realise how important education is to
improve their working position.
All the students taken into account in this report have English as a compulsory subject inside a
broader curriculum and they don't attend the school for the pleasure of learning a foreign language.
3.4.
YEARS OF STUDYING
YEARS OF STUDYING
14%
53%

33%
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Due to the changes in the curriculum that started 20 years ago, the number of years in which
people study English in Primary and Secondary school increased from 0-3 to a minimum of 6,
therefore the age for starting studying this language has decreased. Even if it's not compulsory to
teach English until the last stage of Primary school, most of the schools start teaching it earlier,
even at nursery level. This is why older adult students have studied English fewer years than the
younger ones. Actually, some students aged thirty or more have never studied English because
French was the most common language taught as a foreign language in Spain until the late
eighties.
3.5.
EXTRA CLASSES
EXTRA CLASSES
53%
Yes = 17 students
47%
No = 19 students
According to our students answers, nearly half of them have attended extra English classes.
Nowadays, in Spain, most of the people have realised how important is to speak foreign
languages, namely English, and how bad is our average level of English compared to other
European citizens. People are very self-conscious and ashamed of their English level and try to
seek for solutions outside mainstream education: private language school, extra classes, etc.
Some of the students have attended private extra classes, but some of them got the chance, as
well, to attend English courses offered at a low price by city councils, labour department and so on.
There's a short majority (53% of the interviewed students), who have never attended extra English
classes. It is explained, on one side, but their lack of interest for the foreign languages, but a social
and economical factor can explain this figure as well: private classes are expensive and English is
not a big worry in some microcosms.
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3.6.
SIMPLE READING A
14%
READING A
36%

50%
Even if a large majority of students could understand and answer simple questions (64% (14% +
50%)), none of them got a 5 out of 5, so there's nobody who can understand perfectly an easy and
simple text. We have to consider that most of them (50% out of the total) don't understand
completely a simple text. They can grasp some ideas but don't have a well-developed reading
comprehension ability. And, even worse, 36% of the students have serious problems to understand
and answer simple questions, 7 of the last have got a 0 in this section. It means, among other
things, that they have not elicited a single right answer. None of this 36% of students have got a 0
as a final mark, but most of them have only been able to guess some of the grammar section.
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3.7.
READING D
8%
READING D
17%

75%
Probably this reading comprehension task is the exercise with a higher level of difficulty (B1).
Students had to understand not only the text, but also the questions. Results from our students
prove to be very poor: only 8% of them answered the exercise correctly (more than 6 points (out of
8)) and a vast majority (75%) didn't reach the pass mark (4 out of 8).
On the one hand, at this point of the exam most of the students gave up trying to answer the
exercise. Nearly half of them (42%) got a 0, most of these last having left blank the exercise. On
the other hand the text proves to be too difficult for them: they don't understand the words, neither
the questions.
3.8.
USE OF ENGLISH B, C, E, F2
USE OF ENGLISH - B, C, E, F
19%
39%

<10 points = 14 students
42%
We consider all the results from the Use of English as a total, we will prompt comments on individual activities as
necessary when developing the analysis.
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With these data we can see that most of students (61% (19%+42%) have a relatively good
knowledge of use of language), in other words, that they know how to deal and answer the more
traditional grammar exercises (matching exercises, put lines in order, etc.). Even if the focus of
these exercises tried to be communicative (dialogues, register and so), they are the sort of
exercises that require more academic skills and can be guessed on a higher degree.
Another thing that must be highlighted is that none of our students got the top mark (23 points)
and neither of them got a 0. The highest mark is a GESO student with 22/23, followed by two
CFGS students with 21. The lowest mark is 1/23 points obtained by one of the students. It is to
worry that nearly 40% of the students got less than 10 (out of 23 points). On the one hand, these
marks show their disarray and laziness when completing the task; on the other hand some of these
low results prove, as well, how low their level is and this low level is, perhaps, one of the reasons
for their disarray and laziness.
3.9.
Exercise B
Exercise C
Exercise E
Exercise F
Average
Maximum
results
13 students
36%
2 students
6%
8 students
22%
5 students
14%
7 students
19%
Minimum
results
9 students
25%
27 students
75%
28 students
78%
30 students
84%
23 students
65%

35
Students number
30
30
28
27
23
25
20
15
10
13
9
8
5
Maximum results
Minimum results
0
Exercise B
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Exercise C
Exercise E
Exercise F
Average
Pag. 38 of 61
The only activity where the maximum results figure is higher than the minimum results figure is
exercise B, where 36% of the students got the top mark while only 25% of them got a mark under 3
(out from 8). It is a matching activity with very easy questions.
3.10.
LISTENING G
LISTENING G
11%
89%
As in the previous exercises, these results show the disarray and lack of interest of our students
to complete the tasks. Actually half of them (50%) got a 0 and none of them got 3 points or more.
We cannot ignore that this disarray is caused by lack of motivation (they don't mind the results
achieved in this exam), but, as well, that this lack of motivation is caused by lack of self-confidence
and their low level of English. We cannot attribute these results to tiredness since the listening was
played and completed at the beginning of the exam, even if this exercise is the second last.
Our students are usually afraid of listening exercises and, before starting, they say that they are
unable to understand anything. It isnt a positive attitude to the exercises and they give up before
starting. It happened the same when they were presented this fragment of a real audio guide, after
ten seconds they complained and a vast majority decided that it was too difficult for them and left
this activity blank.
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3.11.
WRITING H
14% WRITING H
86%
Probably, the results of this exercise are the more desperate of all since 72% of the students
didn't even try to complete the task (26 of them got a 0) and 86% of the students got 0-2 points. All
the GESO students gave up at this point and none of them completed the exercise but, as well,
17% of the CFGS students, who will have a writing part at the official exam, gave up trying and
didn't write a single word. Among those who tried, the highest mark was a 6 out of 10 and only 5
students got more than 3 points.
These results prove that students have not acquired any previous writing ability in their previous
years of learning and that they don't know how to start dealing with this kind of tasks.
3.12.
Writing H
Listening G
Reading D
Reading A
Use of English
B, C, E, F
Maximum
results
0 students
0 students
3 students
8%
5 students
14%
7 students
19%
Minimum
results
31 students
86%
32 students
89%
27 students
75%
13 students
36%
14 students
39%
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35
32
31
Students number
30
27
25
20
13
15
10
Maximum results
Minimum results
14
7
5
3
5
0
0
Writing H
Listening G
Reading D
Reading A
Use of English
B, C, E, F
- Writing, listening and reading tasks prove to be very difficult for our students since a vast
majority of them (over 75% in all cases) got the minimum results and none of them attained the
maximum results, except for reading. In the difficult reading exercise 8% of the students got the
maximum results, while 14% of them attained these results in the simple reading.
- Use of English is the part where more students got the maximum results (19%) and where the
figures for the minimum results are the lowest (39%), even if it is still a high percentage of students.
We can explain these figures because this sort of exercise is the one that has been used most in
their previous learning process and which they are more used to.
3.13.
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS
It is obvious that the level of English of our students prove to be quite low.
On the one hand, we have to take into account that most of these students have failed in the
ordinary system of the education: GESO students didn't get the secondary diploma when they were
young and most of the CFGS students arrive to our school after having tried (and failed) with
Baccalaureate, after having been studying a low technical degree at a vocational school or after
having been working and out of the educational system for a while. So, we have to take into
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account that a wide percentage of these students (especially in the first group) have learning
difficulties and problems not only in learning a foreign language, but, with their first language as
well.
On the other hand, these results prove that there is no relationship between the hours they have
spent in English classes (86% of them have studied, at least, 3 years of English), and their level of
English. It is hard to believe that after three years of learning English they fail to answer exercises
at A1 level, such as the simple reading, but they fail. They cannot be considered true beginners
since they have attended English classes but their level of English is under A1. The causes for not
acquiring a minimum level of English are multiple: motivation, ways of teaching, ways of learning,
no ambition, low self-esteem, etc.
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4. FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST - ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Final report on the initial test held in Istanbul, Turkey 43 adult students interviewed
4.1.
INTRODUCTION
We have applied this test to our 43 students who study in ICT department. They study English 2
hours a week. There are two different groups of students who took this exam. One of them have
just started school in September 2013. And the other group is a second grade.
4.2.
Students study English 2 hours a week. The foreign language is only part of the general
curriculum and its aim is mostly to familiarize students with vocabulary and specific terms from the
domains they are preparing for and to help them improve their communication skills in a foreign
language.
4.3.
AGE OF THE STUDENTS
7%
AGE
28%
65%
66% of the students are between 18-24 years. This group of students has the biggest
percentages of involved students. Most of these students are going on their studies to get their
post-secondary diploma. Almost none of them is married and there are some of them who are
working. 28% of students are between 25-34 years and 6% of them are over 35. Some of these
students are married and have children. Moreover almost all of them are working. They are coming
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to school to get the diploma so that they may have a better position in their work, or they may run
their own business.
They are coming to our school to graduate and get their diploma. Their aim is not to learn a
foreign language.
4.4.
YEARS OF STUDYING
2%
YEARS OF STUDYING
56%
42%
Due to the changes in the curriculum, nowadays children start to learn English when they are at
second grade.
4.5.
EXTRA CLASSES
5%
EXTRA CLASSES
Yes = 2 students
No = 41 students
95%
The students who have attended private classes of English are as follows: one of them is 17 and
the other one is 28 years old.
4.6.
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SIMPLE READING A
Pag. 44 of 61

READING A
56%
44%
None got 5 points.

24 of the students who got 2-4 points (11 students) are younger than 24 years old, and the rest
of them (13 students) are older than 25.
Almost all of the 19 students who got 0-2 points are younger than 24 years, only one of them is
older than 25.
There are difficulties at understanding not only the written text, but also at answering questions
with given information. The students had difficulty in using Past Simple. They generally used short
answers.
4.7.
USE OF ENGLISH B
USE OF ENGLISH - B
23%
33%
19%
25%
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When it is compared to the other parts, this is one of the easiest part of the exam; most of the
students (33 students) got higher than 3 points
4.8.
USE OF ENGLISH C
USE OF ENGLISH C
14%
86%
Arranging the lines in the correct order to make a dialogue was a difficult task for 37 students.
The other 6 students had no mistakes (only one of them is younger than 24 and the other 5
students are older than 24). And 5 students got 0 point. They couldn't give any correct answer.
4.9.
USE OF ENGLISH E
USE OF ENGLISH E
21%
79%
which 9 students did correctly. 16 students (nearly half of them) had difficulties in solving it. And 34
students got 1-3 points. There were some unknown words for students.
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4.10.
USE OF ENGLISH F
USE OF ENGLISH F
5% 5%
90%
Rewriting the phrases in a more polite way using the given expressions was a task completed
correctly only by 2 students (they are younger than 24). And only 2 students got 4 points (they are
older than 25). They had really difficulty in rewriting the given phrases in a more polite way. The
students couldnt understand especially these phrases Theres been a slight misunderstanding
and would you mind
4.11.
READING D
READING D
16%
84%

The reading text has specific vocabulary which may be difficult for students to understand.
Therefore they were not capable of answering the questions. And the text was B1 level. There
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arent any students who got higher than 5 points and we can conclude that the students level is not
B1. Their level may be A1 or A2.
12 students didnt complete the task, and they got 0 point. It may be because of their insufficient
grammar and vocabulary background.
4.12.
LISTENING G
Because technical problems, listening part cant be applied.
4.13.
WRITING H
WRITING H
19%
81%
There arent any students who got higher than 5 points. And 35 students (almost all of them)
didnt write anything and got 0 point.
The students have serious problem in expressing themselves in writing. Using different
structures is difficult for them. They are capable of using basic vocabulary and grammar structures
in writing.
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4.14.
Exercise B
Exercise C
Exercise E
Exercise F
Average
Maximum
results
14 students
33%
6 students
14%
9 students
21%
2 students
5%
4 students
10%
Minimum
results
10 students
23%
37 students
66%
16 students
37%
39 students
90%
26 students
60%

45
Students number
39
37
40
35
30
26
25
Maximum results
20
15
16
14
10
10
Minimum results
6
2
5
0
Exercise B
Exercise C
Exercise E
Exercise F
Average
- The biggest percentage of maximum results was obtained at exercise B (33%), in this part
students had to match the questions with their answers. The second biggest percentage of
maximum results was obtained at exercise E (21%) where students had to match the imperatives
with the sentences given in order to establish some instructions.
- The biggest percentage of minimum results was obtained at exercise F (90%) where students
had to rephrase some sentences in a more polite way using modals and expressions. It shows us
that adult students are not familiar with using modals and specific expressions of politeness.
- The smallest percentage of minimum results was obtained at exercise B (23%) where students were
supposed to match questions and answers from two different columns. We can conclude that students find it
easy to understand a written message. In that type of activity students dont have to use their knowledge in
order to create sentences with correct grammatical structure.
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4.15.
Writing H
Listening G
Maximum
results
0 students
Minimum
results
35 students
81%
Use of English
B, C, E, F
Reading D
Reading A
0 students
0 students
4 students
10%
36 students
83%
19 students
45%
26 students
60%

40
36
35
Students number
35
30
26
25
Maximum results
19
20
Minimum results
15
10
4
5
0
0
Writing H
Listening G
Reading D
Reading A
Use of English
B, C, E, F
- Writing is one of the part of the test where almost all the students got the minimum results
(81%) and the smallest percentage of maximum results (0%). According to this, it can be said that
it is really difficult for students to express themselves in writing and they are not able to create
sentences correct both semantically and grammatically. Their knowledge of grammar and
vocabulary is not sufficient to make sentences.
- Listening. Because of the technical problems, listening part cant be applied.
- Simple Reading in part A no one got 5 points. They generally preferred to give short answers
which shows that they were not good at using Simple Past structures.
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Pag. 50 of 61
- Reading is one of the part in which no one got maximum results and almost all got minimum
ones (83%). The reading text has specific vocabulary which may be difficult for students to
understand. therefore they were not capable of answering the questions.
- Use of English is the part in which 4 students got the maximum results. However this part of
the exam is the one in which students got their best results. It may be because teachers use these
types of exercises more often with their students, therefore its easier for students just to apply
some grammar rules using the given example.
4.16.
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS
Students taking part in this research are adult students. They come to our school in order to get
a post-secondary diploma. Because of being a vocational one, our school gives them a chance of
running a business with that diploma. They are adult students who had to give up their studies
because of failure or need of working. And they attend our courses to finish their studies. After that
they may want to go on their studies at university or they may have a better position in their job.
The students are not able to acquire a good level of English even though they have been
studying it for years. The reasons for that may be:
they are not very interested in learning a foreign language, because they do not have any
opportunity to use it outside of the class
the methodology and materials used in adult education is not suitable for them
the number of the students in a class
the classes do not the have necessary technological devices which can be used in teaching.
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Pag. 51 of 61
5. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS
The results on the initial test present a general picture of the English language level of adult
students in the four countries: Italy, Romania, Spain and Turkey.
AVERAGE STUDENTS PASS EXAM
YES
49%
51%
NO
On average, 51% of all the students tested in the four countries passed the exam.
Arezzo
ITALY
79%
Ploiesti
Tarragona Istanbul
ROMANIA
SPAIN
TURKEY
82%
28%
14%
The final reports on the initial test show that 82% of the Romanian students obtained the best
results, followed by the Italian ones, then by the Spanish and the Turkish students. There is a clear
fracture between Romania and Italy and Spain and Turkey. In the former two countries about 80%
of the students got a pass mark, while in the latter two countries this figure falls to less than 30%.
These data are to reflect, because something is not working well in these last educational systems,
specially compared to the Italian and Romanian ones. Results reflects not only the failure in
teaching English in adult education but, as well, the failure in teaching English in the previous
years, since the tests were carried at the beginning of the school year and some of these students
were at their first year in adult education.
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AVERAGE STUDENTS PASS EXAM
18%
high results
medium results
low results
37%
45%
On the average, across the four countries, 51% of the adult students who did the tests got
positive results, with the highest percentage (45%) with medium results, 37% with low results and
only 18% with high results.
Significant differences can be observed across the four countries, mainly between Romania and
Turkey, where 77% of the students got low results.
STUDENTS PASS EXAM
High results
Medium results
High results
AREZZO
PLOIESTI
17%
7%
40%
53%
83%
TARRAGONA
ISTANBUL
3%
23%
33%
64%
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77%
Pag. 53 of 61
MINIMUM RESULT AT WRITING H
86%
100%
81%
% STUDENTS
80%
60%
46%
46%
40%
20%
0%
Italy
Romania
Spain
Turkey
Writing is the part of the test where Spain (86%) and Turkey (81%) got the minimum results.
Italy and Romania have both quite a negative percentage (46%), too.
This means that students find difficult to write and build a text, even though it is a guided task,
because they lack minimum vocabulary and grammar knowledge.
MINIMUM RESULT AT LISTENING G
100%
89%
75%
% STUDENTS
80%
60%
21%
40%
20%
0%
Italy
Romania
Spain
Turkey
The listening skill wasn't tested in Turkey but, except for 21% of Romanian students who got the
minimum results, the majority of Italian (75%) and Spanish students (89%) got the minimum
results, which means that listening exercises are not used very often and that the listening skill
should be better developed in all countries.
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Pag. 54 of 61
MINIMUM RESULT AT READING D
75%
100%
% STUDENTS
80%
60%
30%
24%
40%
13%
20%
0%
Italy
Romania
Spain
Turkey
As regards reading, the percentages of minimum results are in general quite low with the
exception of Spain where 75% of the students prove to have serious problems in reading.
MINIMUM RESULT AT READING A
100%
% STUDENTS
80%
45%
60%
36%
40%
20%
8%
14%
0%
Italy
Romania
Spain
Turkey
The smallest percentages of minimum results were obtained at reading A, showing that students
manage to read at A1 level. However, 45% of the Turkish students and 36% of the Spanish
students got minimum results in simple reading.
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Pag. 55 of 61
MINIMUM RESULT ON USE OF ENGLISH B, C, E, F
100%
% STUDENTS
80%
54%
60%
39%
40%
25%
16%
20%
0%
Italy
Romania
Spain
Turkey
Use of English is the part of the test where the Turkish students got the highest percentage of
minimum results (54%), followed by the Spanish students (39%).
The results show that adult students are generally familiar with these types of exercises and
they manage to solve tasks at A2 level.
However, new and suitable materials, as regards both content and topics, will be designed and
all the four skills will be covered. Failure in the test cannot be attributed to lack of formation but,
mainly, to a non adequate way of approaching English language to these students. This is the
reason why new materials will try to develop topics close to their interests, and we will try to create
materials that foster mainly writing and listening skills. Reading and speaking wont be forgotten but
we will try to create material that complements our current curricula and textbooks and that enables
students to improve their communicative skills in English.
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Pag. 56 of 61
ANNEX: TEST
Answer these questions (pupil's language):
How old are you?
How long have you been studying English at school/high school?
Have you studied English somewhere else? When? Where?
A. Read the information and complete the dialogue. (5 points)
Name: Mark Potter
Place of birth: Chester
Education: started school in 1986 and finished in 1999
Degree from Hull University in 2003.
Working experience: 2004: manager for a company in Hull. 2006: manager in a company in Bristol.
A: Where were you born?
B: ____________________
A: When did you graduate?
B: ____________________
A: Who did you work for?
B: ____________________
A: Did you move from Hull?
B: ____________________
A: Where did you move to?
B: ____________________
B. Match a question in column A with a suitable response from column B (8 points)

A
1) What do you do?
B
a) No, I never go there
2) What do you usually do at weekend?
b) Its warm and sunny
3) What are you doing?
c) Im a hairdresser
4) Do you ever go to the disco?
d) Im listening to music
5) Whats the weather like?
e) I go out with my friends
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Pag. 57 of 61
C. Put the lines in order to make a dialogue. (5 points)

___ Hello, this is Paradise Restaurant. Can I help you?
___ Sure. Thats possible. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow evening.
___ Thats fine. Can I make a reservation for 7 oclock tomorrow?
___ Im sorry, we are fully packed at the moment. What about tomorrow?
___ Yes, please. Id like to reserve a table for 7 oclock today.
D. Read the text and answer the questions. (8 points)

Earthquake Prediction
Can earthquakes be predicted? Scientists are working on programs to predict where and when an
earthquake will occur. They hope to develop an early warning system to save lives. Scientists who
do this work are called seismologists.
Earthquakes are the most dangerous and deadly of all natural events. They occur in many parts of
the world. Giant earthquakes have been recorded in Iran, China, Guatemala, Chile, India and
Alaska. These earthquakes measured about 8.5 on the Richter Scale. The Richter Scale was
devised by Charles Richter in 1935, and compares the energy level of earthquakes. An earthquake
that measures a 2 on the scale can be felt but causes little damage. One that measures 4.5 on the
scale can cause slight damage, and an earthquake that has a reading of over 7 can cause major
damage.
How do earthquakes occur? Earthquakes are caused by the movement of rocks along cracks, or
faults, in the earths surface. The fault is produced when rocks near each other are pulled in
different directions. The best known fault in North America is the San Andreas fault in the state of
California in the United States.
The nations that are actively involved in earthquake prediction programs include Japan, China, the
Soviet Union and the United States. These countries have set up stations in areas of their
countries where earthquakes are known to occur. These stations are ready for warning signs that
show the weakening of rock layers before an earthquake. Many kinds of seismic instruments are
used by these places to watch the movements of the earths surface. One of the instruments is a
seismograph. It can follow vibrations in rock layers thousands of kilometres away. Tilt metres are
used to record surface movement along fault lines. Seismologists use gravimeters to measure and
record changes in local gravity. The scientists also check water in deep wells. They watch for
changes in the water level and temperature which are signs of movement along faults.
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Pag. 58 of 61
What are scientists who work on earthquake prediction called?

Where did the two biggest earthquakes of the world take place?
Write two of the instruments scientists use to predict earthquakes.
When and by who was the Richter Scale devised ?
What is it used for?
What are earthquakes caused by?
What happens when rocks near each other are pulled in different directions?
E. Complete the instructions about how to watch a movie with the imperatives from the box.
(5 points)
choose
enjoy
switch
on
press
put
1)__________ your TV and DVD player

2)__________ the movie you want to see
3)__________ the DVD into the DVD player
4)__________ the button play
5)__________ your movie.
F. Read the direct phrases, then write them in a more polite way. Choose from the box (5
points):
Shall I - Would you mind - Could you...
Theres been a slight misunderstanding - Can you wait a minute
Sit down, please
take a seat?
You are wrong. Im not the head waiter.
. Im not the head waiter.
Move to another table.
moving to another table?
Do you want my help?
help you?
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G. Listen to the audio and answer the questions. It's a fragment of an audiowalk in Cullera's
town centre (http://www.audioguiasonline.com/en/audioguia_cullera-en_160.html ). (4 points)
In which bank of the river Jcar is situated Cullera?
When was Escolaica founded?
Why is Escolaica important?
Name three things that you can find in the Avenue:
H. You are spending a holiday abroad. Write an e-mail to your English friend. In your e-mail
you should tell him/her: (10 points)
if you are having a great time or not

what you are doing
what the weather is like
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REPORT AUTHORS
Monica ANDREI
Liceul Tehnologic de Servicii "Sfantul Apostol Andrei"
Kemal AKTA
nn Teknik ve Endstri Meslek Lisesi
Maurizio BONATESTA
Istituto Statale d'Istruzione Superiore "Buonarroti - Fossombroni"
Yolanda CABR SANS

Centre de Formaci d'Adults Josepa Massans i Dalmau
Alessandra GATTESCHI
Istituto Statale d'Istruzione Superiore "Buonarroti - Fossombroni"
Rafael GUINOVART BELLMUNT,

Nazan GVEN
Francesca JAUM SANS

Yildiz SALIH
Kezban Sevda YIYIT

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Pag. 61 of 61

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PE-MC-EAE

Promoting English as Means of Communication in European Adult Education

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

Istituto Statale d'Istruzione Superiore "Buonarroti - Fossombroni", Arezzo - ITALY

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST - AREZZO, ITALY ...........................................7

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST - PLOIESTI, ROMANIA ................................18

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST - TARRAGONA, SPAIN ................................32

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

SIMPLE READING A ................................................................................. 36

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST - ISTANBUL, TURKEY .................................43

GENERAL CONCLUSIONS ..........................................................................................52

ANNEX: TEST ......................................................................................................................57

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

1. FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST - AREZZO, ITALY

PLACE OF ENGLISH IN SCHOOL CURRICULUM

AGE OF THE STUDENTS

G1 (18-24 years) = 13 students

G3 (35+ years) = 6 students

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

Y6 (3-6 years) = 12 students

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

(ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS ACCORDING TO THE PROMPTS)

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

8-10 points = 8 students

0-2 points = 11 students

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

CONCLUSIONS USE OF ENGLISH

CONCLUSIONS USE OF ENGLISH

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

CONCLUSIONS ABOUT EXERCISES

CONCLUSIONS ABOUT EXERCISES

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

2. FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST - PLOIESTI, ROMANIA

PLACE OF ENGLISH IN SCHOOL CURRICULUM

AGE OF THE STUDENTS

G1 (18-24 years) = 37 students

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

Y3 (0-2 years) = 9 students

Y6 (3-6 years) = 13 students

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

(ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS ACCORDING TO THE PROMPTS)

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

3-5 points = 12 students

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

6-8 points = 39 students

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

2-3 points = 25 students

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

0-2 points = 27 students

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST

CONCLUSIONS USE OF ENGLISH