Directorate of National Examinations

Subject : English Language – Grade 9

Test Specifications

2009

Kingdom of Bahrain
Grade 9 English
Test Specifications
2009

Contents

Page
1.0 CONSTRUCT 3
Test Purpose 3
Test Level 3
Balance of Marks 4
Relationship with the National Curriculum 4
Relationship with Teaching and Text Books 4

2.0 PAPER 1 WRITING 5

Overview 5
Skills Objectives 5
Writing Test Specification 6
Writing Test Format 6
Question 1 Mark Scheme 7
Question 2 Mark Scheme 8

3.0 PAPER 2 READING 11

Overview 11
Skills Objectives 11
Reading Test Specification 12
Reading Test Format 12

4.0 PAPER 3 LISTENING 13

Overview 13
Skills Objectives 13
Listening Test Specification 14
Listening Test Format 14

The details in this document are correct at the time of publishing, but may be subject
to change as a result of ongoing efforts to ensure the quality of the examination
product. Please ensure you refer only to the most current version.

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Grade 9 English
Test Specifications
2009

Construct
Test Purpose
To provide a reporting mechanism for schools and the ministry on the English
language proficiency of pupils at the end of Cycle 3 in the Bahraini English Language
National Curriculum, with reference to the English language learning goals and
international level of proficiency described in the Curriculum.

As a general principle, we believe grammar, or language knowledge, is integral to

performance in a second language and is a key assessment aim at this level. In
particular, candidates will require sufficient knowledge of language, both lexical and
structural, to enable them to respond in an informed way to the tasks on the Writing,
Reading and Listening Papers. While the emphasis in every task will be on meaning
and communication, students who have knowledge of how language is used to
achieve effect or express meaning will be strongly placed to perform well in this
examination.

Test Level
The Grade 9 examination level is designed to be comparable to the level described in
the Common European Framework as Threshold, Level B1.

For example, drawing on what is expected at Grade 9, a language user at this level
can:

Speaking/Listening
 talk at some length about themselves, their daily needs and areas of interest
in both rehearsed and spontaneous conditions
 identify the topic and main points of a discussion when it is articulated in
standard speech
 understand and extract the general idea and specific information from
recorded passages dealing with less familiar topics
 understand a limited range of accents

Reading
 employ independently the skills of skimming and scanning appropriately to
facilitate understanding of a text
 understand both stated and implied meaning and lines of argument in texts
related to personal interest

Writing
 write a variety of text types such as informal and formal letters and emails,
stories, reports and essays, and show an awareness of audience, style and
register

Balance of Marks
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Grade 9 English
Test Specifications
2009

The skills papers are equally weighted to produce a final total for each student.

The allocation of marks in the parts of the skills papers is shown in the table below:

Part
Skill 1 2 3 4
Writing 33.3% 66.7%
Reading 25% 25% 25% 25%
Listening 25% 25% 25% 25%

Relationship with the National Curriculum

These examinations reflect the requirements of the curriculum in terms of what
learning a foreign language involves as well as the expected outcomes as identified
in the curriculum.

The learning outcomes to be assessed are described in the Curriculum. Language

learning is seen as cumulative and these examinations are based on aspects of
language which will have been learnt up and including that in Grade 9.

The use of language, topics and lexical fields targeted in the Grade 9 assessment
materials are designed to be appropriate to the description in the Curriculum as well
as the international standard of English as a Second Language, at this level.

Students learn language when they are involved in meaningful and purposeful
activities which require them to communicate using the language. Tasks in these
examinations therefore identify the intended audience where appropriate as well as a
reason for completing the task, most specifically in the writing examination. The
purpose of these examinations is to focus on communication and outcomes, and on
what learners can do with the language rather than on what they know about the
language. Therefore grammar is not tested directly but indirectly through the writing
tasks as well as through the processing that the students need to do in order to
successfully complete the reading and listening tasks.

Relationship with Teaching and Text Books

The subject matter of the teaching materials, and hence of the assessment materials,
is designed to be in accordance with the philosophy and general aims of education in
the Kingdom of Bahrain. The choice of text book for the level is made by the
Curriculum Directorate.

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Grade 9 English
Test Specifications
2009

Overview
Duration 45 minutes

Format Students read and answer on the question paper.

Skills Objectives
The language objectives have been grouped under skills headings, but it is
recognised that these are interrelated.

Writing

W1 Write a transactional letter/email in response to given input on

a topic of personal relevance.

W2 Write a short piece of continuous prose, such as a story, a

report or an essay, based on given input, demonstrating
appropriate context and organisation.

W3 Show awareness of audience, style and register.

In addition to assessing lexical and structural knowledge as a key skill in the writing
tasks, the need for grammatical accuracy / range including lexical range will be built
into the marking criteria.

Writing Test Specification

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Grade 9 English
Test Specifications
2009

Skill Question Skill Description

Objective
Writing 1 W1, W3 Candidates will be required to write a transactional
letter/email in 60-80 words. The task will comprise 3
functions, for example, describe/explain/justify etc.

2 W2, W3 Candidates will be required to write 100-120 words

of continuous prose, in response to given input .

Writing Test Format

Question Task Type Text length

1 Letter/email writing Compulsory letter/email question. Candidates will be

required to write 60-80 words.

2 Continuous prose Compulsory writing task. Candidates will be required to

write 100-120 words. Each year, the task will require
candidates to write one of the following: a story, a report or
an essay. Students will not be given a set of tasks to
choose from.

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Grade 9 English
Test Specifications
2009

Mark Scheme

Examiners mark the Writing Parts 1 and 2 following coordination sessions which set
the standard and ensure the correct application of the mark schemes. The live mark
schemes may be expanded, revised or amended as required from one session to the
next.
Candidate performance is to be assessed at the Grade 9 level.

There is no penalty for over-length responses, but digression (or failure to address
the content points) is penalised according to the mark scheme.

Question 1

The mark scheme is divided into bands; there are two marks available within each
band.

Markers should first decide which band the piece of writing fits into best, and then
refine and adjust the mark further by deciding whether the performance merits the
top mark within the band.

Marks
10  All 3 content points successfully addressed within the
9 specified length/number of words.
 Message is communicated effectively at Grade 9*
level (B1).
8  3 content points adequately addressed within the
7 specified length/number or words.
 Message is generally communicated effectively at
Grade 9* level (B1), but with some errors which may
hinder communication.
6  3 content points addressed
5  Message partially communicated, errors hinder
communication

OR

 2 content points addressed

 Message is generally communicated effectively but
with some errors which may hinder communication
4  1 or 2 content point only addressed
3  Message is inadequate
2  Little relevant content
1  Message is unclear and does not communicate the
required information
0  Completely irrelevant content
 Message is incomprehensible and possibly illegible.

* Please refer to the curriculum document for a description of the Grade 9 level.

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Question 2: The Story
Examiners should begin by looking at the Task Achievement criterion first and decide on a mark for this before considering the other three criteria. A mark
should be given for each of the four criteria, which are then added up to get the complete mark for each candidate. To allocate marks 2 and 4, examiners
should consider the descriptions for marks 1 and 3, and marks 3 and 5 and decide how far the candidate’s performance falls between the two sets of
descriptions. Candidates may have a very flat profile, scoring 3 marks for each of the criteria for example, or may have a very ragged profile, scoring
higher marks for some criteria and lower marks for others.

Band 0 1 2 3 4 5

Task Fails to gain reader’s interest Reader’s interest sustained despite Reader’s interest sustained
Achievement Fails to address storyline occasional strain throughout
prompted by initial sentence Attempts to address the prompted Fully addresses the prompted
Insufficient sample at Grade 9 level/completely

storyline but does not wholly storyline

incomprehensible and/or illegible/irrelevant

succeed

Combines aspects of bands 1 and 3

Combines aspects of bands 3 and 5

Lexical Range Very limited evidence of Satisfactory evidence of vocabulary Wide range of vocabulary
vocabulary at Grade 9 level at Grade 9 level appropriate at Grade 9 level
Vocabulary is used Vocabulary is appropriate for the Vocabulary is fully appropriate to
inappropriately task with occasional errors the task

Grammatical Repetitive, simplistic structures Satisfactory range of structures at Wide range of structures at Grade 9
Range marred by basic, frequent errors Grade 9 level is present with some level with few or no errors
Little attention paid to spelling noticeable errors Spelling and punctuation is mostly
and punctuation There are some spelling and accurate throughout
Lack of control impedes punctuation errors The story is communicated
communication The story is communicated despite successfully through effective use
errors of structures
Organisation Writing is lacking in organisation Writing is generally well organised Writing is effectively organised and
and Incoherent in places and coherent coherent
Coherence Requires effort from the reader Basic linking devices used Linking devices used to effect for
Requires some effort from the Grade 9 level
reader Requires no effort from the reader

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Grade 9 English
Test Specifications
2009

Question 2: The Report

Examiners should begin by looking at the Task Achievement criterion first and decide on a mark for this before considering the other three criteria. A mark
should be given for each of the four criteria, which are then added up to get the complete mark for each candidate. To allocate marks 2 and 4, examiners
should consider the descriptions for marks 1 and 3, and marks 3 and 5 and decide how far the candidate’s performance falls between the two sets of
descriptions. Candidates may have a very flat profile, scoring 3 marks for each of the criteria for example, or may have a very ragged profile, scoring
higher marks for some criteria and lower marks for others.

Band 0 1 2 3 4 5

Task Fails to address the requirements Addresses the requirements of the All requirements of the task are
Achievement of the task task but does not wholly succeed addressed
Fails to present required Attempts to present the required All required information is presented
Insufficient sample at Grade 9 level/completely

information clearly and concisely information but does not succeed clearly and concisely
incomprehensible and/or illegible/irrelevant

fully

Combines aspects of bands 1 and 3

Combines aspects of bands 3 and 5

Lexical Range Very limited evidence of Satisfactory evidence of vocabulary Wide range of vocabulary appropriate
vocabulary at Grade 9 level at Grade 9 level at Grade 9 level
Vocabulary is used Vocabulary is appropriate for the Vocabulary is fully appropriate to the
inappropriately task with occasional errors task

Grammatical Repetitive, simplistic structures Satisfactory range of structures at Wide range of structures at Grade 9
Range marred by basic, frequent errors Grade 9 level is present with some level with few or no errors
Little attention paid to spelling noticeable errors Spelling and punctuation is mostly
and punctuation There are some spelling and accurate throughout
Lack of control impedes punctuation errors The report is presented successfully
communication The report is comprehensible through effective use of structures
despite errors
Organisation Writing is lacking in organisation Writing is generally well organised Writing is effectively organised and
and Incoherent in places and coherent coherent
Coherence Requires effort from the reader Basic linking devices used Linking devices used to effect for
Requires some effort from the Grade 9 level
reader Requires no effort from the reader

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Grade 9 English
Test Specifications
2009

Question 2: The Essay

Examiners should begin by looking at the Task Achievement criterion first and decide on a mark for this before considering the other three criteria. A mark
should be given for each of the four criteria, which are then added up to get the complete mark for each candidate. To allocate marks 2 and 4, examiners
should consider the descriptions for marks 1 and 3, and marks 3 and 5 and decide how far the candidate’s performance falls between the two sets of
descriptions. Candidates may have a very flat profile, scoring 3 marks for each of the criteria for example, or may have a very ragged profile, scoring
higher marks for some criteria and lower marks for others.

Band 0 1 2 3 4 5

Task Fails to address the requirements Attempts to address the All requirements of the task are
Achievement of the task requirements of the task but does addressed
Fails to present a clear not fully succeed Discussion is clear and concise and
Insufficient sample at Grade 9 level/completely

discussion and the conclusions Discussion may be confused in there is a comprehensible conclusion
incomprehensible and/or illegible/irrelevant

reached is unsatisfactory places and/or the conclusion is reached

Combines aspects of bands 1 and 3

Combines aspects of bands 3 and 5

unclear
Lexical Range Very limited evidence of Satisfactory evidence of vocabulary Wide range of vocabulary appropriate
vocabulary at Grade 9 level at Grade 9 level at Grade 9 level
Vocabulary is used Vocabulary is appropriate for the Vocabulary is fully appropriate to the
inappropriately task with occasional errors task
Grammatical Repetitive, simplistic structures Satisfactory range of structures at Wide range of structures at Grade 9
Range marred by basic, frequent errors Grade 9 level is present with some level with few or no errors
Little attention paid to spelling noticeable errors Spelling and punctuation is mostly
and punctuation There are some spelling and accurate throughout
Lack of control impedes punctuation errors The essay is presented successfully
communication The essay is comprehensible through effective use of structures
despite errors
Organisation Writing is lacking in organisation Writing is generally well organised Writing is effectively organised and
and Incoherent in places and coherent coherent
Coherence Requires effort from the reader Basic linking devices used Linking devices used to effect for
Requires some effort from the Grade 9 level
reader Requires no effort from the reader

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Paper 2 Reading
Overview
Duration 60 minutes

Format Candidates read and answer on the question paper.

Skills Objectives
The language objectives have been grouped under skills headings, but it is
recognised that these are interrelated.

Reading

R1 Identify and understand the main ideas and details of texts in a

variety of text types such as articles, reviews and brochures.

R2 Identify and transfer key information from a text to another

format such as notes or a table.

R3 Understand implied meaning, personal opinions, attitudes and

ideas (e.g. advice, recommendations).

R4 Employ the skills of skimming, scanning and reading for detail

and information appropriately to facilitate understanding of a
text at word, sentence and whole text level.

G1 Recognise the appropriate grammatical and lexical item for a

given context.

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Grade 9 English
Test Specifications
2009

Reading Test Specification

Skill Part Skill Objective Description

Reading 1a & R1, R4, G1 2 x 5 item 4-option MCQ lexical cloze tasks
1b including initial examples, focusing on a selection
from the following: verbs, phrasal verbs, idioms,
collocations, fixed phrases, prepositions,
appropriacy of vocabulary items, etc.

2 R1, R4 Multiple matching reading exercise for specific

information and detailed comprehension. Matching
exercise with five items (including an initial
example) in the form of descriptions of people to
match to seven short texts.

3 R1, R3, R4 Text followed by 5 x 4-option MCQ questions,

including an initial example. Questions to test
comprehension of detail, main ideas, attitude,
opinion, implied meaning.

4 R1, R2, R4 Note completion. Candidates will be required to

complete brief notes (under a supplied heading or
headings) relating to a text printed in the question
paper. 10 items, including an initial example.

MCQ = multiple-choice question

Reading Test Format

Part Task Type Text length

1a & 1b 2 x 5 item cloze 2 x unrelated texts of 115-130 words each, from

tasks with 4- different sources, each with five gaps. Candidates
option MCQs must choose one word or phrase from a set of four to
fill each gap.

2 Matching For each of the descriptions of people, 25-35 words.

For each of the texts, 40-50 words.

3 4-option MCQs Text of 290-320 words.

4 Note completion Text of about 390-420 words.

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Grade 9 English
Test Specifications
2009

Paper 3 Listening
Overview
Duration Approximately 45 minutes

Format Candidates listen to a series of recordings while looking at the

question paper. Each recording is heard twice.

Voices A range of adult (including young adult) voices, styles of

delivery and accents will be heard in each Listening paper to
reflect the various contexts presented in the recordings, as
appropriate to the level of the test takers.

Skills Objectives
The language objectives have been grouped under skills headings, but it is
recognised that these are interrelated.

Listening

L1 Listening for detail (informal contexts and typical daily

situations) and responding through objective questions (e.g.
indicating a place on a map).

L2 Listening for detail and writing down key information.

L3 Demonstrating general comprehension, for example of

attitude/opinion/agreement, or by identifying the topic of a
conversation (informal contexts and typical daily situations).

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Grade 9 English
Test Specifications
2009

Listening Test Specification

Skill Part Skills Description

Objective
Listening 1 L1 Short recordings (three or four sentences), some
involving two speakers, tested mainly by visual
material (pictures, line drawings, etc.). The 8 items
share a common context, and include an initial
example. For example, a series of brief exchanges
which all take place between people in a train station
/ school / airport / restaurant / home / etc.

2 L1, L2 An exercise testing listening for detail based on a

longer spoken text involving two speakers (interview
or prompted monologue). Candidates listen and
complete 8 sentences. Initial example included.

3a & 3b L1, L2 A factual monologue. Candidates listen for specific

information and complete gaps in notes printed on
the question paper. Initial example included.

4 L1, L3 An informal conversation between two people/friends

(male and female) testing factual information, detail,
attitude, opinion. Candidates answer 6x3-option
MCQs. Initial example included.

Listening Test Format

Part Task Format

1 M/F dialogue snippets, 2-3 turns per snippet

8 x 4-option MCQs with visual input
Each dialogue is 70-80 words long.

2 M/F dialogue (450-500 words)

8 sentence completion items

3a & 3b M/F monologue (450-500 words)

8 form-filling, note-taking, or table completion items

4 M/F dialogue (450-500 words)

6 x 3-option MCQs

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