BSc:EnglishForAcademicPurposesI

English for Academic Purposes I

• Course name: English for Academic Purposes-1
• Course number: N/A
• Subject area: English for Specific Purposes, English for Academic Purposes, Academic Writing

Course Characteristics

Key concepts of the class

• Academic discourse
• Argumentation in higher education

What is the purpose of this course?

EAP is a 1-year core course in English for Academic Purposes. This balanced course is tailored to meet the English language needs of first-year undergraduate students at the Department of Computer Science (CS) and equip them with the necessary knowledge and communication skills for better performance in CS subjects. This is achieved through enhancing students’ academic reading and writing comprehension skills as well as teaching them to express and support their viewpoints orally and in writing in the manner appropriate in the academic environment.

- What should a student remember at the end of the course?

By the end of the course, the students should be able to remember and recognize

• Academic vocabulary
• Cohesive devices

- What should a student be able to understand at the end of the course?

By the end of the course the students will be able to:

In Reading Comprehension • Read, comprehend and annotate a popular scientific article, identifying main ideas and supporting details • Identify and articulate personal responses to what has been read

In Academic Writing • Select and utilize appropriate paragraph structure and wording for a particular purpose • Utilize tools to avoid plagiarism – paraphrasing, quoting, and citing • Utilize in-text citation and organize a reference list according to a specified referencing style • Self-edit and peer review an academic piece of writing and effectively manage the writing process • Effectively rebuttal the against argument • Outline and write a coherent, concise and well-structured essay

In Verbal Communication • Express and support their points of view individually and as a group during classroom discussions and public speaking • Speak impromptu on a variety of topics • Anticipate questions upon utilizing effective listening skills to ask appropriate and relevant questions to the assigned topic • Efficiently deal with questions and provide well-supported and relevant answers to the audience • Analyze and give constructive feedback and suggestions on peer verbal performance.

- What should a student be able to apply at the end of the course?

By the end of the course, the students should be able to

• Read, comprehend and annotate a popular scientific article, identifying main ideas and supporting details
• Identify and articulate personal responses on what has been read
• Select and utilize appropriate paragraph structure and wording for a particular purpose
• Utilize tools to avoid plagiarism – paraphrasing, quoting, and citing
• Utilize in-text citation and organize a reference list according to a specified referencing style
• Self-edit and peer review of the written production and effectively manage the writing process
• Outline and write a coherent and concise 5 paragraph reading response essay
• Express and support their points of view in a paired and individual academic presentation
• Express and support their points of view in an academic discussion
• Give constructive feedback and suggestions on peer verbal and written performance

Course evaluation

Course grade breakdown

Task	Weight	Task Details
Assignment (1)	20%	Paragraph Writing
Assignment (2)	30%	Reading Response Essay Writing
Assignment (3)	25%	Group Presentation
Assignment (4)	15%	Timely Submission of Assignments throughout the Course
Assignment (5)	10%	Physical or Online* Attendance

Late Submission Policy

This policy will be strictly applied in this course. Should a personal emergency arise that affects your ability to turn in an assignment in a timely fashion, you must contact the course instructor BEFORE the deadline to get a “Late Submission Approval” from the course instructor. Documents that prove the urgency of your situation must be submitted to your instructor, e.g., health reports. Without the “Late Submission Approval”, submissions will be still accepted up to 48 hours late, but with a 15% penalty. No “Late Submission Approval” will be granted after the deadline. The policy applies to graded assignments only.

Cooperation Policy and Quotations

We encourage vigorous discussion and cooperation in this class. You should feel free to discuss any aspects of the class with any classmates. However, we insist that any written material that is not specifically designated as a Team Deliverable be done by you alone. This includes answers to reading questions, individual reports associated with assignments, and labs. We also insist that if you include verbatim text from any source, you clearly indicate it using standard conventions of quotation or indentation and a note to indicate the source.

Grades range

Course grading range

Grade	Default range	Proposed range
A. Excellent	90-100	86,25-100
B. Good	75-89	61,25-86,24
C. Satisfactory	60-74	36,25-61,24
D. Poor	0-59	0-36,24

Resources and reference material

Main textbook:

• The materials are designed from a variety of textbooks and authentic sources to meet the students’ own needs and interests.

Other reference material:

1. Cambridge Academic English Intermediate, Craig Thaine et al., CUP, 2012.

2. Cambridge Academic English Upper Intermediate, Martin Hewings et al., CUP, 2014.

3. Cambridge Academic English Advanced, Martin Hewings et al., CUP, 2012.

4. Academic Writing Skills 1, Peter Chin et al., CUP, 2014.

5. Academic Writing Skills 2, Peter Chin et al., CUP, 2012.

6. Skills for Effective Writing Level 4, CUP, 2013.

7. Skills for Effective Writing Level 3, CUP, 2013.

8. Final Draft Level 3, Andrew Aquino-Cutcher et al., CUP, 2016.

9. Final Draft Level 4, Wendy Asplin et al., CUP, 2016.

10. Writing Around the World: A Guide to Writing Across Cultures, Matthew McCool, 2009.

Course Sections

The main sections of the course and approximate hour distribution between them is as follows:

Course Sections

Section	Section Title	Teaching Hours
1	From sentence to paragraph	18
2	Reading-response essay	18
3	Group Presentation	12

Section 1

Section title:

From sentence to paragraph

Topics covered in this section:

• Sentence structure. Simple, complex and compound sentences
• Coherence and Cohesion. Cohesive devises within sentences
• Paragraph structure
• Writing Process
• Paragraph types - compare-contrast, cause-effect, persuasive paragraphs

What forms of evaluation were used to test students’ performance in this section?

Form	Yes/No
Development of individual parts of software product code	No
Homework and group projects	Yes
Midterm evaluation	Yes
Testing (written or computer based)	Yes
Reports	No
Essays	No
Oral polls	No
Discussions	No

Typical questions for ongoing performance evaluation within this section

1. Write sentences of a particular structure and type
2. Identify and name cohesive devises
3. Outline paragraph. Provide relevant details to support your claim
4. Write paragraphs of particular structure and type, with relevant supporting details

Typical questions for seminar classes (labs) within this section

1. On a quiz, demonstrate your knowledge of paragraph structure and types
2. Write impromptu a well-structured paragraph of a particular type within limited time, using appropriate cohesive devices and providing relevant supporting details.
3. Perform self-editing
4. Perform peer review and provide peer feedback for a piece of writing
5. Elaborate on your personal strategy for improving your writing
6. Write a second draft of your text based on peer and mentor’s feedback

Test questions for final assessment in this section

1. Paragraph Writing

Write 2 well-structured and concise (compare and contrast & cause and effect) paragraphs on the given topics; providing relevant supporting details and avoiding plagiarism.

Section 2

Section title:

Reading-response essay

Topics covered in this section:

• Structure of a basic 5 paragraph essay. Coherence and cohesion between paragraphs
• Plagiarism. Strategies to avoid plagiarism
• IEEE referencing style

What forms of evaluation were used to test students’ performance in this section?

Form	Yes/No
Development of individual parts of software product code	No
Homework and group projects	Yes
Midterm evaluation	Yes
Testing (written or computer based)	No
Reports	No
Essays	Yes
Oral polls	No		Discussions	No

Typical questions for ongoing performance evaluation within this section

1. Outline an essay. Articulate a clear thesis statement with two claims, and provide relevant support for those claims
2. Write introductory, body and concluding paragraphs of the essay.
3. Use paraphrasing, summarising and citations as strategies to avoid plagiarism
4. Use IEEE referencing style

Typical questions for seminar classes (labs) within this section

1. Write introductory, body and concluding paragraphs of the essay
2. Perform peer review of a piece of writing and provide feedback
3. Perform self-editing of a piece of writing
4. Elaborate on your personal strategies to improve your writing, base on self- peer- and mentor feedback

Test questions for final assessment in this section

1. Write a well-structured and concise 5 paragraphs essay with a reference list, providing relevant supporting details and avoiding plagiarism. Use IEEE referencing style.

Section 3

Section title:

Group presentation

Topics covered in this section:

• Presentation structure and strategies
• Public speech vocabulary
• Dealing with QA

What forms of evaluation are used to test students’ performance in this section?

Form	Yes/No
Development of individual parts of software product code	No
Homework and group projects	Yes
Mid evaluation	No
Testing (written or computer based)	No
Reports	No
Essays	No
Oral polls	No
Public talk	Yes

Typical questions for ongoing performance evaluation within this section

1. Outline your group presentation
2. Anticipate questions for QA session
3. Practice your presentation and use appropriate transitional expressions and vocabulary Avoid plagiarism

Typical questions for seminar classes (labs) within this section

1. Practice your presentation and QA session.
2. Perform peer review of a presentation and provide constructive feedback
3. Perform self-evaluation of your video-recorded presentation
4. Elaborate on your personal strategies for improving your public speaking skills

Test questions for final assessment in this section

1. Perform a well-structured group presentation, articulating and supporting your point of view with relevant details. Avoid plagiarism. Answer your audience questions.

Assessment Task (1): Paragraph Writing

Type:

Individual, in-class, and paper/computer-based assignment

Length:

2 paragraphs, each paragraph different type

Rationale:

This task requires you to demonstrate your understanding of the effective paragraph structure (the paragraph head, supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence). In addition, you have to show your ability to develop your paragraph with sufficient explanations and details. Finally, this task will demonstrate your ability to self-edit and revise your own work.

Instructions:

Provide two types of paragraphs (to be announced) on the topic. Know the assignment grading scheme. Refer to the relevant Moodle materials. Consider time for revising and editing your work. Your sentence subjects and verbs should be effective. Make sure that your paragraphs are unified and follow the "known-new contract". Follow the principles of academic writing style and avoid ineffective nominalization, ineffective passive, overgeneralization, wordiness and redundancies.

Duration:

90 minutes

Weight:

20 %

Criterion	A	B	C	D
Task response and avoiding plagiarism (10 %)	In both paragraphs:The student fully responds to all parts of the task, and develops relevant to the purpose, concise, clear and well supported paragraphs. The student also uses one of the following effectively: direct quotations, paraphrasing, or summarizing. The paragraphs provided demonstrate a unity and known-new contract.	In both paragraphs:The student addresses all parts of the task although some parts may be more fully covered than others; presents relevant main ideas but some may be unclear and /or repetitive. The student is mostly effective in using one or all of the following: direct quotations, paraphrasing, or summarizing. The paragraph unity is mostly demonstrated.	In both paragraphs: The student addresses the task only partly; although presents some main ideas but these are limited and not sufficiently developed; there may be irrelevant detail and/redundant words. The student is generally effective in using one or all of the following: direct quotations, paraphrasing, or summarizing. The paragraph unity is generally demonstrated.	In both paragraphs: The student does not adequately address any part of the task; the content irrelevant to the purpose; presents few ideas which are largely undeveloped or irrelevant; provides a wrong paragraph type, not the one required by the task. The student fails to effectively use one or all of the following: direct quotations, paraphrasing, or summarizing. The paragraphs are a set of non-related sentences.
Quality of Paragraph Heads and Concluding Sentences(15%)	In both paragraphs: original topic sentence, reflecting thought and insight; focused on one main idea; appropriate and summative concluding sentence that elaborates the controlling idea of the topic and effectively indicates the closure of the paragraph.	In both paragraphs: clearly stated topic sentence presents one main idea; a concluding sentence that refers to the controlling idea of the topic and/or summaries most ideas, a good indication of the closure of the paragraph	In both paragraphs: acceptable topic sentence presents one idea; acceptable concluding that attempts to refer to the controlling idea of the topic and/or summaries some ideas, an attempt to indicate the closure of the paragraph.	In both paragraphs: poorly attempts to state the topic sentence to present one idea poorly attempts to state the concluding sentence with no clear reference to the controlling idea of the topic, with no indication to the main ideas, poorly attempts to indicate the closure of the paragraph.
Supporting Sentences(15 %)	In both paragraphs: concrete and descriptive examples and persuasive and original supporting sentences with thorough, relevant and qualitative explanations and details.	In both paragraphs: supporting sentences relate to the topic, appropriate explanations and details is included. Good quality, but not sufficient support.	In both paragraphs: explanations and details poorly support the paragraph head topic. The quality of explanations and details is superficial.	In both paragraphs: lack of or irrelevant supporting sentence explanations and details, no attempts made to provide any support.
Coherence & Cohesion(15%)	In both paragraphs: sequences information and ideas logically; there is a clear progression throughout; uses a range of cohesive devices appropriately.	In both paragraphs: arranges information and ideas coherently; uses cohesive devices effectively but cohesion within and/or between sentences may be faulty or mechanical; may not always use referencing clearly or appropriately.	In both paragraphs: presents information with some organization but there may be a lack of referencing and substitution.	In both paragraphs: The student poorly attempts to state a paragraph head to present one idea poorly attempts to state the concluding sentence with no clear reference to the controlling idea of the topic, with no indication to the main ideas, poorly attempts to indicate the closure of the paragraph.
Lexical Resource (15%)	In both paragraphs: The student uses a wide range of vocabulary efficiently to convey precise meanings; produces rare errors in spelling and/or word formation.	In both paragraphs:the student uses only a limited range of structures; attempts complex sentences but these tend to be less accurate than simple sentences; may make frequent and grammatical errors and punctuation may be faulty; errors may cause some difficulty for the reader.	In both paragraphs: the student uses a limited range of vocabulary, but this is minimally adequate for the task; may make noticeable errors in spelling and/or word formation that can cause some difficulty for the reader.	In both paragraphs:the student uses only basic vocabulary and a limited range of words and expressions with very limited control of word formation and/or spelling; errors cause strain for the reader.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy (15%)	In both paragraphs:the student uses a variety of complex structures; the majority of sentences are error-free; has good control of grammar and punctuation but may make a few errors.	In both paragraphs:the student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms; makes some errors in grammar and punctuation but they rarely reduce communication.	In both paragraphs:the student uses only a limited range of structures; attempts complex sentences but these tend to be less accurate than simple sentences; may make frequent and grammatical errors and punctuation may be faulty; errors can cause some difficulty for the reader.	In both paragraphs:the student uses only a very limited range of structures with only rare use of subordinate clauses; some structures are accurate, but errors predominate and distort the meaning; punctuation is mostly faulty.
Academic Writing Style (15%)	The student has followed Academic Writing Style rules. The student has avoided overgeneralization, redundancy, ineffective nominalizations, ineffective passive, charged language and wordiness. The student used effective subjects and verbs.	The student has followed most rules of the Academic Writing Style, though some mistakes have been made. The student has not always avoided overgeneralization, redundancy, ineffective nominalizations, ineffective passive, charged language and wordiness. The student mostly used effective subjects and verbs.	The student has violated many rules of the Academic Writing Style and failed to avoid overgeneralization, redundancy, ineffective nominalizations, ineffective passive, charged language and wordiness. The student sometimes used effective subjects and verbs.	The student is not aware of the Academic Writing Style.

Adapted from: https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/2018-01/IELTS_task_2_Writing_band_descriptors.pdf

Assessment Task (2): Reading Response Essay (RRE)

Type:

Individual assignment

Length:

5/6-paragraph essay

Rationale:

This task prepares you to demonstrate your clear understanding of the RRE structure in which you respond to articles you have read. RRE must have:

   Introductory paragraph with data from the original source (the title of the article and the author’s name), background information on the topic and your opinion (Thesis statement) on the author’s ideas
   Summary paragraph, containing the main ideas of the original article, examples and supporting information, in the order they appear in the source article, without any personal comments
   Body/Response paragraphs, 2-3 paragraphs, explaining your opinion/reaction/feelings to the ideas of the original article. Provide evidence upon defending your opinion and reference the sources you refer to by using the agreed upon (IEEE) citation style; Support your ideas with sufficient explanation, details and examples
   Concluding paragraph, where you give credit to the author of the article, restate your thesis statement, and write a final thought sentence.

This task will help you self-edit and revise your own work, and provide peer-feedback on your colleagues' work.

Instructions:

Familiarize yourself with the assignment grading scheme. Refer to the Moodle materials that are relevant to the RRE module. Consider time for revising and editing your work.

Weight:

30%

Criterion	A	B	C	D
Task Response (Analysis Quality and Structure) (25%)	The essay has all the five paragraphs in accordance with the RRE structure, with clear Introductory and Concluding paragraphs. The RRE summary clearly identifies the author’s thesis and paraphrases the major points in the author’s argument well and shows a sophisticated analysis of the author’s ideas. The response offers clear and concise reasons why the writer may agree or disagree with the author or how this article has increased the writer’s understanding of the topic.	The essay follows the five- paragraph structure of an RRE essay, but the writing may have some flaws and not have clear logic at times. Minor elements of the Introductory and Concluding paragraphs are missing. The RRE summary identifies the author’s thesis and outlines most of the article(s), but a portion of the argument may be missing. Analysis of the ideas is not sophisticated and includes some of the primary evidence that the author has utilized to prove the thesis but may leave out other examples for exploring the thesis. The response develops one or two points very well.	The essay does not follow the five -paragraph structure (the paragraph order is wrong; the conclusion is missing there is a thesis, but it may be faulty), and analysis quality may not be thorough (e.g. the support is irrelevant). In addition, the writing has flaws of organization and does not have clear logic at times. Elements of the Introductory and Concluding paragraphs are missing, redundant, or irrelevant. The RRE summary identifies quite well the author’s thesis and outlines most of the article(s) but may be missing some of the argument. Analysis of the ideas is somehow superficial and includes some of the primary evidence that the author has utilized to prove the thesis but leaves out other examples for exploring the thesis. The response develops one or two points well.	Several paragraphs are missing. There is no thesis statement. The support is not relevant or detailed enough in most parts. The writing has serious flaws of organization, and its logic is difficult to follow. Introductory and Concluding paragraphs are poorly developed with much essential information missing. The RRE summary does not identify the author’s thesis and does not outline most of the articles. The essay lacks clear arguments and uses simple language. Analysis of the ideas is superficial and includes poor evidence of what the author has utilized to prove the thesis. Despite the presence of the Reference List, the essay lacks essential elements and cannot be classified as an RRE.
Academic Writing Style(10%)	The student has followed Academic Writing Style rules. The student has avoided overgeneralization, redundancy, ineffective nominalizations, ineffective passive, charged language and wordiness. The student used effective subjects and verbs.	The student has followed most rules of the Academic Writing Style, though some mistakes have been made. The student has not always avoided overgeneralization, redundancy, ineffective nominalizations, ineffective passive, charged language and wordiness. The student mostly used effective subjects and verbs.	The student has violated many rules of the Academic Writing Style and failed to avoid overgeneralization, redundancy, ineffective nominalizations, ineffective passive, charged language and wordiness. The student sometimes used effective subjects and verbs.	The student is not aware of the Academic Writing Style.
Coherence & Cohesion (25%)	Uses a range of cohesive devices appropriately. Presents a clear central topic within each paragraph.	Uses cohesive devices effectively, but cohesion within and/or between sentences may be faulty or mechanical	Makes inadequate, inaccurate or over- use of cohesive devices. May be repetitive because of the lack of referencing and substitution.	Uses some basic cohesive devices but these may be inaccurate or repetitive. May not write in paragraphs or their use may be confusing.
Use of language 15%	The student appropriately incorporates a range of relevant and precise vocabulary and demonstrates flexibility in word formation and use of collocation. The student uses error-free complex and compound sentences along with simple ones. Has good control of grammar and punctuation.	-Sometimes the vocabulary is irrelevant and imprecise. The student makes some errors in spelling and/or word formation, but they do not impede communication. The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms. Makes some errors in grammar and punctuation, but they rarely reduce overall communication.	The student uses a limited range of vocabulary, and it is often irrelevant to the task. May make noticeable errors in spelling and/or word formation that may cause difficulty for the reader in comprehending the text. Errors sometimes impede communication. The student uses a limited range of sentence structures, attempts to write complex sentences but these tend to be less accurate than simple sentences. May make frequent grammatical errors, and punctuation may be faulty; errors can cause some difficulty for the reader.	Uses only basic/limited vocabulary which may be used repetitively, or which may be inappropriate for the task. Has limited control of word formation and/or spelling, and errors may cause strain for the reader. Errors significantly impede communication. Uses a limited range of sentence structures with only rare use of subordinate clauses. Some structures are accurate, grammatical errors are predominant, and punctuation is often faulty.
Avoiding Plagiarism Strategies(10%)	The student paraphrases information from the article effectively. Any information coming directly from the source is clearly quoted, and there is in- text citation and author tagging	The student has paraphrased the information coming from the original text. The original text information is properly quoted in most cases; there is good in-text referencing and author tags.	The student has tried to paraphrase the information necessary to sustain his/her ideas but has not always succeeded in doing this. In-text referencing is not well done, quotations do not include the full quote and author tags are mainly missing.	Please refer to Cooperation Policy and Quotations in the syllabus.	-	Reference List (IEEE)10%	The Reference List includes all the sources mentioned in the essay. The student formats the reference list in accordance with the IEEE refencing style requirements. No referencing mistakes.	The Reference List includes all the sources mentioned in the essay. The student has made several minor errors in the Reference List.	The Reference List includes all the sources mentioned in the essay. The student has frequent errors in the Reference List.	The Reference List is of a different style. The student has made many errors in the Reference List.

=== Assessment Task (3): Team Presentation

Type:

Teamwork (2-3 students)

Rationale:

This task prepares you to express and support your opinion on a topic of your area of interest which can also be one of your reading response essay topics. You can only choose the same topic but you should select other reference articles to support your argument.

Instructions:

• Select an argument from any source you are interested in as a team. You can choose one of the topics from your research essay • You can work with another colleague who belongs to other groups of your instructor; however, you should stick to the same time slot throughout the module • Work collaboratively, distribute the work equally and manage your time effectively • Express your opinion and support your arguments with evidence • Deal with questions effectively • Familiarize yourself with the assignment grading scheme

Duration:

15 minutes (2 minutes - preparation; 10 minutes - presentation; 3 minutes – Q&A session)

Weight:

25%

Criterion	A	B	C	D
Task Response- • Effort - complexity of thought; • Structure; • Time Management (20%)	The team has fully covered all the requirements of the task by giving an effective public speech through which they demonstrate their ability to clearly articulate their standpoint in response to your topic and support it with relevant, sufficient, and strong evidence. The content is organized logically with smooth transitions throughout the presentation. The argument is clear, logically analysed and properly supported with research-based sources on the subject. Excellent time management of the presentation and Q & A session against the allotted time.	The team has mostly covered all the requirements of the task by giving a generally effective public speech through which they demonstrate their ability to clearly articulate their standpoint in response to your topic and support it with relevant and sufficient evidence. The organization of the content is congruent; transitions are smooth. Opinion on the text read is well expressed but supporting ideas are a bit broad. Good time management of the presentation and Q & A session against the allotted time.	The team has covered some of the requirements of the task. The standpoint may not be clearly articulated. The support is often irrelevant, insufficient, or poor. The organization of the content shows some planning of personal opinion and support of it, but transitions are not smooth. Fair time management of the presentation and Q & A session against the allotted time.	The team has not covered most of the requirements of the task. The standpoint is not articulated. The support is irrelevant, insufficient, or missing. Shows little planning. Introduction, body, conclusion are poorly organized. Poor time management of the presentation and Q & A session against the allotted time.
Communication: Presenting - overall impression - Body language, pace, voice, interaction with the audience(20%)	Moves through their speech at an appropriate pace. Makes pauses at the end of sentences or at significant moments. Speaks clearly and forcefully throughout their entire speech. Consistently maintains eye contact with the audience throughout their speech and with everybody present in the room. Body language and facial expressions add greatly to the message.	Usually moves through their speech at an appropriate pace. Makes most pauses at the end of sentences or at significant moments. Speaks clearly and forcefully throughout most of the speech. Mostly maintains eye contact with the audience throughout their speech, but sometimes with only a part of the room. Body language and facial expressions complement messages.	Maintains appropriate pace only in some parts of their speech. Pauses at the end of sentences are much more for word search than for thought completion. Speaks relatively clearly and forcefully throughout some parts of their speech. Mostly maintains eye contact with the audience throughout their speech, but with limited sections of the room. Body language and facial expressions complement messages.	Moves through their speech too quickly or too slowly. Speech is either very soft or too loud for most of the presentation. As a result, lack of attention from the audience. Little or no eye contact. Body language and facial expressions lack variety and spontaneity.
Questions and Answers (Q&A): Asking questions & Dealing with questions(20%)	During the Q&A session, the student has acknowledged the presentation, set up the context for the question to follow and asked the question. The asking student has demonstrated respect and appropriate academic conduct. The question is closely connected to the presentation topic.Can respond effectively and spontaneously at normal speed. Can present a convincing argument and sustain his/her personal opinion or view. Responds accurately to all questions.	The student has not acknowledged the presentation but set up the context for the question to follow and asked the question. The asking student has demonstrated some respect and appropriate academic conduct. The question is loosely connected to the presentation topic.Can present a convincing argument and sustain an opinion or view. Responds to most questions but sometimes hesitates in his/her answers.	The student has not acknowledged the presentation, has not set up the context for the question to follow. The asking student has demonstrated a lack of respect and appropriate academic conduct. The question is loosely connected to the presentation topic. Can maintain a question-answer session with reasonable accuracy, even when not always finding the appropriate words.	The student has failed to ask an appropriate question to the presenter. Responds with short choppy answers which do not always correspond to questions.
Language vocabulary and grammar range and accuracy, pronunciation, fluency(20%)	IELTS band 6 and above: Is prepared and willing to speak at length, though may lose coherence at times due to occasional repetition, self- correction or hesitation. Uses a range of connectives and discourse markers but not always appropriately. Has a wide enough vocabulary to explain and support their opinion at length and make meaning clear despite some inappropriate descriptions of ideas or personal opinions. Generally, paraphrases successfully. Uses a mix of simple and complex structures, but with limited flexibility. May make frequent mistakes with complex structures, though these rarely cause comprehension problems. Uses a range of pronunciation features with mixed control. Can generally be understood throughout, though mispronunciation of individual words or sounds reduces clarity at times.	IELTS band 5 and 5,5: Usually maintains the flow of speech but uses repetition, self-correction and/or slow speech to keep going. May over-use certain connectives and discourse markers. Produces simple speech fluently, but more complex communication causes fluency problems. Manages to present his/her opinion on the article read but uses vocabulary with limited flexibility. Attempts to use paraphrase but with mixed success. Produces basic sentence forms with reasonable accuracy. Uses a limited range of more complex structures, but these usually contain errors and may cause some comprehension problems.	IELTS band 4 and 4.5 : Cannot present his/her opinion without noticeable pauses and may speak slowly, with frequent repetition and self-correction. Links basic sentences but with repetitious use of simple connectives and some breakdowns in coherence. Is able to talk about the ideas in the article read but can only convey their basic meaning without clearly formulating an opinion on them. Makes frequent errors in word choice. Rarely attempts paraphrase. Produces basic sentence forms and some correct simple sentences but subordinate structures are rare. Errors are frequent and may lead to misunderstanding. Uses a limited range of pronunciation features. Attempts to control features but lapses are frequent. Mispronunciations are frequent and cause some difficulty for the listener.	IELTS band 3 and 3.5: Speaks with long pauses. Has limited ability to link simple sentences. Gives only simply formulated personal opinion and is frequently unable to provide adequate support of it. Uses simple vocabulary to convey the meaning of the read information. Attempts basic sentence forms but with limited success or relies on apparently memorised utterances. Makes numerous errors except in memorised expressions. Presentation is difficult to follow.
Visuals Design (15%)	All visual aids are well-chosen and presented in support of the presentation objective(s). (slides and/or handouts or any visuals students select).	Most visual aids are well-chosen and presented. (slides and/or handouts or any visuals students select).	Minor problems with visual aids. (slides and/or handouts or any visuals students select).	Significant problems with visual aids. (slides and/or handouts or any visuals students select).
Referencing(5%)	The sources are clearly and correctly referred to in both the verbal speech and visuals.	The sources are referred to are missed in either the verbal speech or the visuals.	The sources are mentioned with faulty details in one/both of the verbal speech and the visuals.	The lack of references in both the verbal speech and the visuals.

Criterion	A	B	C	D
Timely Submission, task weight 15%	Timely submits 90%+ of the relevant work to the task.	Timely submits 65%+ of the relevant work to the task.	Timely submits at least 40% of the relevant work to the task.	Timely submits less than 40% of the relevant work to the task.
Attendance	90% +	65%+	40%+	40%-