Feedback: Level 4 Groups 4 & 6
Students have been assessed on four separate criteria: grammar, fluency, pronunciation and vocabulary.
1. Zahra Moheb Pour
Zahra was easygoing and conversational and made a really good effort. She used some good phrases such as ‘burn calories’ and ‘we should wear’, and also showed the ability to correct herself at times when she noticed a mistake. However, her answers sometimes seemed a little confused, for example in Question 3 when she lost track of what she was saying and in Question 8 when she told me what she wears to exercise. She showed a good knowledge of vocabulary though, and did very well in telling me her daily routine. Just remember the phrase ‘get dressed’, rather than ‘dressed my clothes’. And try to avoid using the past tense in Question 13, as the question asks about possibilities rather than something that has happened in the past.
2. Sodabeh Kazemi
Sodabeh’s answers were very solid throughout and she spoke with confidence and with fluency. She should try to avoid one word answers and back up her responses where possible – for example, in Question 1, it is better to explain why she doesn’t think she’s a couch potato rather than just say ‘no’. Also take note that Question 2 refers to people in general, not about you as an individual. Otherwise, Sodabeh did very well and answered questions succinctly and efficiently. Her answer to Question 11 was particularly strong. Try to avoid using the past tense in Question 13, as the question asks about possibilities rather than something that has happened in the past.
3. Mohsen Akramzadeh
Whilst Mohsen successfully and accurately answered most questions, his manner of speaking was a little stilted. He should try to volunteer a little more information to help the conversation flow more naturally. Having said that, he made a good attempt and his answers to Questions 11 and 12 in particular were very good. Mohsen should take care with his tenses in Question 13 – “people be unfriendly” and “flight be cancelled” are not grammatically correct. Instead, say “people might be unfriendly” and “the flight might be cancelled”.
4. Mohamad Hadi Sadeghi
Mohamed spoke confidently and fluently. He often volunteered extra information, which enhanced his answers. For example, I liked his answer to Question 3: “I’m busy, but if I have enough time, I…” It was also good that he gave examples of clothing for Questions 8 and 9. His answer to Question 10 was particularly strong, as he mentioned that whilst attitudes to clothing are conservative in Iran, he thinks that they are more liberal in big cities than in more rural areas. His answer to Question 13 was a little messy, however, with tenses frequently getting mixed up. A good effort over all.
5. Shabnam Kajavshekan
Shabnam is the only student to have admitted to being a couch potato. Her answer was refreshingly different from the other students’. I was particularly impressed with sentence structures such as “Some people exercise to….., some people to…..”, and phrases such as “To tell you the truth…”, which added a natural quality to the conversation. She also included a conditional tense in Question 12 – “If it’s near the sea…” which was good. One thing to remember - it’s “I watch TV all of the time” not “all of the time I watching TV” (Question 1). Take an extra moment to think through your answer first.
6. Monireh Khosravi
Monireh answered questions fluently and succinctly, although she was able to offer extra detail where necessary. I was particularly impressed by her vocabulary, as she used more uncommon words and phrases such as “some people exercise to control stress” and “relaxing with a soothing massage”. Her answers to Questions 11 and 12 were particularly strong and she suggested many things she likes to do on vacation. I suggest using ‘might’ or ‘could’ to answer Question 13 better.
7. Elahe Rahimzadeh
Elahe used some good phrases such as “I hardly ever watch TV” to make her answers sound conversational and natural. She answered all questions fluently and eloquently. She answered Questions 5 and 6 very well, using adverbs of frequency such as ‘generally’, ‘usually’ and ‘sometimes’ to good effect. She also gave good examples in answer to Question 12, showing a good knowledge of vocabulary related to physical activities. I suggest using ‘might’ or ‘could’ to answer Question 13 better.
8. Hamid Reza Arshi
Hamid looked as though he was trying to read from notes at times, which I am not sure he was supposed to be doing! However, this affected his fluency somewhat, and the conversation frequently sounded stilted and hesitant. Having said that, he showed a good knowledge of vocabulary, and I was impressed with his answer to Question 2 – that people exercise in order to “control their weight” and to “strengthen muscles, heart and bones”. He used adverbs of frequency such as ‘every morning’, ‘always’ and ‘usually’ to good effect, and I liked his use of the phrase “I hope to visit…” in answer to Question 11. Hamid should take note that Question 13 is asking about possibilities – not something he has experienced in the past, although he did successfully use more uncommon examples of problems such as the air conditioning not working and the sink being clogged.
9. Shabnam Jalali
Shabnam spoke calmly and confidently throughout and answered all questions well. She answered Question 5 using phrases such as ‘and then…’, ‘after that….’ ‘I usually…,’ which avoided her answer sounding too repetitive, which can sometimes happen. She often supported her answers with good examples. She is the only student to have told me Iran doesn’t have a dress code, which is contradictory from what everybody else told me and makes me wonder if she understood the question correctly. She did very well in Question 13, answering that “people may be unfriendly”. Well done.
10. Amir Alizaeh
Amir spoke confidently and conversationally. His use of the word ‘around’ was good – e.g. “I come home around… o’clock” – it sounds less precise and more natural than using ‘at’ for everything. He used a good comparative sentence for Question 8 – “I prefer casual clothes because they are more comfortable than formal clothes”. He also displayed a good knowledge of vocabulary by giving good examples in his answers to Questions 11 and 12. He can improve his answer to Question 13 by using ‘might’ and ‘could’ – e.g. “the food might not be very good”.
11. Mahshid Delpazir
Mahshid spoke calmly and confidently and answered all questions very well, showing a good understanding of the questions and using a good selection of vocabulary. She could improve her mark by volunteering a little extra information to add more detail to her answers. This would not only make her responses more interesting and natural, but would also give her further opportunity to show her skills. She made some good suggestions for activities in Question 12.
12. Narjes Dehghan
Narjes spoke confidently and answered all questions fluently. She showed a good understanding of the questions and used a good selection of vocabulary and adverbs of frequency. Her answer to Question 10 was well-structured: “Because Iran is an Islamic country…” She also spoke eloquently on the subject of vacations. However, she needs to be careful not to mix her tenses so much in Question 13 – sometimes she used past tense, sometimes present tense.
13. Mohamad Ali Khorshidi
Mohamad Ali answered all questions fluently and well. He scored consistently well across all four marking criteria. His answers were succinct at times, but he offered extra information and examples to enhance his answers where necessary. Take care with these small grammatical points: I dress in sweatshirt and jeans; I have to dress conservatively. Try not to end a list with “and et cetera”, as this sounds unnatural in spoken English. Otherwise he did well, and I liked the use of the phrase “the ……. wasn’t what I expected”.
14- Mona Valipour
Mona used a colloquial phrase “I’m crazy about” to good effect, establishing a causal, conversational tone early on. She made some excellent suggestions as to why people exercise, such as to forget their problems and to be happy, as well as to be stronger and more energetic. Several of her answers were full of detail. I was particularly impressed with Question 8, in which she elaborated on her answer to include Question 10 and described what types of clothes would be suitable in particular situations. She suggested some good examples of activities in Question 12. I suggest using ‘might’ or ‘could’ to answer Question 13 more successfully.
15- Samra Nazari
Samra performed incredibly well. She seemed quietly confident and answered all questions calmly and intelligently. Her answers were never short of extra detail, and she frequently enhanced her statements with supporting examples. Her answer to Question 8 was particularly impressive: “In Iran it’s [the] rule when we go to work we should wear smart clothes. We should wear….. When we wear casual clothes, it’s considered disrespectful”. In her answer to Question 8, she also covered Question 10 and showed a good understanding of relevant vocabulary. I suggest she uses the words ‘might’ and ‘could’ when talking about possible problems in Question 13, instead of talking about past experiences. In Question 14, she demonstrated the ability to correct herself.
16- Saber Azarion
Saber spoke confidently and quite fluently throughout. He was also quite conversational, which made our conversation sound more natural. His answer to Question 3 was structured well: “I don’t have any free time for exercise because I’m very busy, but if I have free time, I….,” but it’s worth remembering that staying healthy isn’t just about exercising, and he could have told me some other ways he tries to stay healthy – for example, eating or avoiding certain foods or not smoking. His answers to Questions 8 and 10 were also similarly well-structured. However, he seemed less confident when talking about vacations and his answers to Questions 11-13 were weaker and more hesitant than his previous answers. Maybe this is a topic he can work on more in future.
17- Moham Amir Tasmim Ghatei
Moham spoke confidently and showed good understanding of the topics discussed. In Question 1, he talked at length about why he is not a couch potato, giving me examples of the things he does in order to prove his point. He gave me further examples of the sport he does in Question 7. His answer to Question 10 was clear and well-structured. His answer to Question 12 was somewhat unusual, but it showed his understanding of a range of vocabulary.
18- Hasan Borzo
Hasan instantly showed his understanding of the word ‘couch potato’, not just by giving reasons why he is or he isn’t one, but by telling me its synonym, ‘lazy’. His answer to Question 2 was well-structured: “Everyone has a reason. Some exercise for relaxation… Some for……” Question 10 was also well-structured. He began by explaining that Iran, as an Islamic Republic, has a conservative dress code and that “The Government says you can’t wear…..,” which I thought was a well-thought out sentence. Hasan didn’t seem to fully understand Question 13, however, as he told me “I don’t have any problems. My last vacation was wonderful,” instead of telling me some things that could go wrong.
19- Azam Keshavarzi
Azam started well in Question 1, but she seemed to lose confidence as we proceeded. She seemed to understand the questions ok, because she always began her responses quite confidently, but she tended to lose momentum and tail off towards the end of her sentences. Perhaps she was nervous or perhaps she felt under-prepared. Azam would score higher marks if she improved on her fluency. The content of what she said was largely acceptable, but her hesitant speech affected the quality of her performance over all.
20- Afsaneh Borzo
We had some sound problems during Afsaneh’s interview, which made hearing my questions more difficult for her. She seemed calm and confident despite the sound issues, however, and maintained a conversational manner throughout. She gave full answers and elaborated a lot, sometimes answering more than one question at once without being asked because of the natural progression of her speech. Her fluency was particularly good. However, she did not seem to fully understand Question 13, as she told me her last holiday was boring, but did not tell me any possible problems that might happen during a vacation.
21- Nader Vaseghi
Nader answered the questions very fluently and often volunteered extra information to make his answers more interesting and personal. His answer to Question 1 in particular was good: “No. I used to be, but not any more…” He answered Questions 5 and 6 very well, and he also displayed a good knowledge of vocabulary relating to outdoor sports in Question 11. In Question 13, he used a mix of tenses: “it was bumpy”, “people are unfriendly”. When talking about possibilities, Nader should use words such as ‘might’ and ‘could’ to indicate this.
22- Sara Salahi
Sara answered questions with competence and fluency. She used some good colloquial phrases such as “I hardly ever,” which made her speech sound conversational and natural. She showed a good knowledge of vocabulary in Questions 11 and 12, but she should take more care with Question 13, which sounded a little confused. Sara should try practicing the use of the words ‘might’ and ‘could’ – e.g. “the weather might be terrible”. She should also practice enunciating her words more to improve her score for pronunciation.
23- Mojdeh Esfandiari
Mojdeh seemed calm and collected throughout and made a very good attempt. She spoke very fluently without hesitation, but she may do better to take a little more time to formulate her answers before she speaks, as it was her word order and tenses that largely brought down her score. Take care with the verbs in sentences such as “I have to cover my head. I have to wear a scarf”– NOT “I have to covering head. I have to wearing a scarf”.
24- Raziyeh Maher
Raziyeh did very well. She gave considerate answers to questions and often provided additional information to enhance her answers. Her answer to Question 1 naturally merged into Question 2 and a little bit of 3. In her answer to Question 4, she kept repeating the words “I should”, as in “I should eat….”, “I should exercise….,” which I felt was unnecessary, as she was telling me her health habits rather than giving instructions. She spoke very eloquently about clothing and dress codes in Questions 8-10. She should take care to improve her answer to Question 13, however, as it wasn’t quite what I was asking for.