Written Assessment
Marking Criteria
Written assessment:
Translations
To obtain 70% a student translation will
Have minimal factual distortion
Have with due regard for conventions of genre
Be free of errors in syntax and spelling
To obtain 60-69% a student translation will
Have few factual distortions
Be appropriate in conventions of genre
Be free of substantial errors in syntax and spelling
To obtain 50-59% a student translation will
Have factual distortion which do not impede comprehension
Demonstrate an effort to comply with conventios of genre
Be free of substantial errors in syntax and spelling
To obtain 40-59% a student translation will
Have factual distortion which impede comprehension
Do not generally comply with conventions of genre
Fail to demonstrate due regard for appropriate syntax and spelling
What are …
Distortions: the original meaning is impeded/ altered
Interference: additions to the original meaning
Loss: failure to translate part(s) of original text/ choice of verb tense, mood or vocabulary results in loss of force of the information (meaning) in the original text.
E.g. “o que se deseja mesmo” » “what would be desired”
Literalisms: word by word translation, where the context is not considered. Normally, too literal translations result in distortions or loss of meaning in the target language.
Level of formality: a translation of a more formal or more colloquial text needs to consider the different levels of register as well as the target audience (audience design)
Grammar/ Vocabulary in the target language.
All criteria are going to be considered both qualitatively (e.g. major/minor distortions) as well as quantitatively.
Summary
- accuracy of content
- selection of relevant information
- appropriateness of lexis and register
- grammatical accuracy
- coherence (=deep connections of ideas and concepts)
- cohesion (= surface connectives such as "however")
- appropriate length
e.g. To achieve an award of 70%+ a student should:
avoid significant inaccuracies of content
avoid significant loss of relevant information
avoid irrelevant repetition and exemplification
observe appropriate lexis and register
demonstrate textual coherence
demonstrate textual cohesion
comply with the word length stipulated.
Essay
- Content: organization of text (introduction, body, conclusion); coverage of topics; exemplification; clarity of argumentation
- Grammar: syntax, morphology, spelling, punctuation
- Vocabulary (lexis): range of vocabulary
- Register: appropriateness of level of formality
- Textual elements: Cohesion/Coherence
Oral assessment:
Presentation
- Content and Structure: coverage of topics; exemplification/illustration of arguments; clarity of argumentation
- Grammatical Accuracy
- Vocabulary (lexis): range of vocabulary
- Register: appropriateness of level of formality
- Fluency
- Pronunciation and Intonation
- Communication skills: the ability to engage the audience.
Debate
- Evidence of research: coverage of arguments; substantiation of arguments
- Discourse/Pragmatic skills: appropriate use of argumentative discourse markers (e.g. certo, mas…)
- Communicative strategies: how to interrupt, to introduce your contribution.
- Sequence of discourse: attendingto the evolving interaction, that is the alignment of your contribution (how does it relate to the previous contribution? Is it relevant?)
- Appropriate level of formality
- Language skills: grammatical accuracy; use of relevant vocabulary; pronunciation; fluency.
Role Play
- Language skills: grammatical accuracy; use of relevant vocabulary; pronunciation; fluency.
- Interactional skills: appropriate use of acknowledgment discourse markers (e.g. tá bom, certo, então tá)
- Sequence of discourse: attending to the evolving interaction, that is the alignment of your contribution (how does it relate to your interlocutor’s contribution?)
- Appropriate use of politeness markers in Brazilian Portuguese