FCSE 2012-13

Written assessments

FOUNDATION CERTIFICATE OF SECONDARY EDUCATIONUNIT 1 . MEETING PEOPLE

WRITING

• You have been given details of a penfriend and you are going to write your first e-mail to him/her. What you say need not be true.

• DISTINCTION (Level 6)• You might like to include:• your name• your age and birthday• your nationality• information about your family• whether you have any pets or not• what you like doing in your free time.• Add information about:• something interesting you have done recently• and what you are going to do tomorrow.• To achieve a Distinction (Level 6) in this piece of work you must give a

minimum of eight items of information, including at least one opinion. You should refer to the past and the future as well as the present. Each item should contain a verb (ideally a different verb).

Example

Bonjour, je m’appelle Fred. J’ai 15 ans et mon anniversaire c’est le 10 novembre. Je suis anglais(e) et j’habite en Angleterre avec mon père et ma mère. Mon père est amusant et ma mère est sympa. J’ai une soeur qui s’appelle Sue. En plus, j’ai un chat qui s’appelle Loulou. Le weekend, j’aime aller en ville avec mes copains car c’est génial. Le weekend dernier, j’ai joué au golf mais ce weekend je vais faire de la natation.

FOUNDATION CERTIFICATE OF SECONDARY EDUCATIONUNIT 2 . HOME LIFE

WRITING

• Your exchange partner has been asked to do a survey about life at home in the UK. Write to him/her about your home life. What you say need not be true.

• DISTINCTION (Level 6)• You might like to include:• who is in your family• which job(s) you do at home every week• a household job you don’t like• who helps most at home• whether you get pocket money or not• what you do at home at the weekend.• Add information about:• what you did at home last night• and something new you would like to have in your home.• To achieve a Distinction (Level 6) in this piece of work you must give a

minimum of eight items of information, including at least one opinion. You should refer to the past and the future as well as the present. Each item should contain a verb (ideally a different verb).

Example

Bonjour Simon. Je vais décrire ma famille. Dans ma famille, il y a 4 personnes, mon père, ma mère, ma soeur et moi. A la maison, je fais le ménage mais je ne fais pas de linge car c’est nul. Ma soeur fait les lits et moi, je passe l’aspirateur. Je gagne 10 livres par semaine et avec mon argent de poche j’achète des cds car j’adore écouter la musique dans ma chambre les weekends. Hier soir, j’ai regardé la télé mais je préfère jouer à l’ordinateur si c’était possible je voudrais un ordinateur dans ma chambre.

FOUNDATION CERTIFICATE OF SECONDARY EDUCATIONUNIT 3 . EDUCATION AND FUTURE PLANS

WRITING

• You are posting a blog about your school or college. What you say need not be trueDISTINCTION (Level 6)• You might like to include:• what your favourite subject is• which subject you don’t like• what you do at lunchtime• whether there is a uniform or not• your opinion of the other students• how you get to school/college.• Add information about:• when you started foreign language lessons• and what you would like to do after school/college.• To achieve a Distinction (Level 6) in this piece of work you must give a

minimum of eight items of information, including at least one opinion. You should refer to the past and the future as well as the present. Each item should contain a verb (ideally a different verb).

Example

Bonjour Simon. Je vais au collège Oaklands. Ma matière préférée c’est les maths car c’est interéssant mais je n’aime pas l’anglais. Pendant la pause de midi je mange dans la cantine. Au collège, je porte un uniforme. Je porte une chemise blanche, un pantalon et une cravate bleue. Pour aller au collège, je vais en bus. J’ai commencé à étudier le français il y a 3 ans. Après le collège, je voudrais aller au lycée.

FOUNDATION CERTIFICATE OF SECONDARY EDUCATIONUNIT 4 . HOLIDAYS

WRITING

• You are writing a postcard to your penfriend. What you say need not be true.• DISTINCTION (Level 6)• You might like to include:• where you are• your opinion of the place• what the weather is like• what there is to do• an activity you like doing• a description of the food.• Add information about:• what you did yesterday• and where you would like to go for your next holiday.• To achieve a Distinction (Level 6) in this piece of work you must give a

minimum of eight items of information, including at least one opinion. You should refer to the past and the future as well as the present. Each item should contain a verb (ideally a different verb).

Example

Bonjour Simon je suis en vacances à Paris en France. La ville est magnifique! En ce moment, on peut aller à la plage car il fait du soleil. A la plage, j’aime faire de la natation car c’est super. La cuisine française est délicieuse. Hier, j’ai visité la tour Eiffel et j’ai acheté des souvenirs. L’année prochaine, je voudrais aller en Espagne avec mon copain.

FOUNDATION CERTIFICATE OF SECONDARY EDUCATIONUNIT 5 . TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION

WRITING

• Your penfriend e-mails you a survey about travel. Tell him/her about your experiences and opinions. What you say need not be true.

• DISTINCTION (Level 6)• You might like to include:• how you get to school/college/work• whether or not you have a car/bike/motorbike etc• which form of transport you prefer when you go on holiday• who you normally go with• how often you travel by train• any transport you don’t like using.• Add information about:• whether you have travelled abroad or not• and where you would like to go (eg if you won the lottery). To achieve a

Distinction (Level 6) in this piece of work you must give a minimum of eight items of information, including at least one opinion. You should refer to the past and the future as well as the present. Each item should contain a verb (ideally a different verb).

Example

FOUNDATION CERTIFICATE OF SECONDARY EDUCATIONUNIT 6 . LEISURE

WRITING

• You are completing an online application to join a holiday club. What you say need not be true.

• DISTINCTION (Level 6)• You might like to include:• which sports you play• ! a hobby you like• ! whether or not you are a member of a team/club• ! whether or not you play a musical instrument• ! how much TV you watch• ! what you enjoy doing with your friends at the weekend.• Add information about:• what you did at home during the last holiday• and an activity you would like to do at the holiday club. and where you would

like to go (eg if you won the lottery). To achieve a Distinction (Level 6) in this piece of work you must give a minimum of eight items of information, including at least one opinion. You should refer to the past and the future as well as the present. Each item should contain a verb (ideally a different verb).

Example

FOUNDATION CERTIFICATE OF SECONDARY EDUCATIONUNIT 7 . CELEBRATIONS

WRITING

• You send an e-mail to your penfriend telling him/her about your school prom. What you say need not be true.

• DISTINCTION (Level 6)• You might like to include:• when it is• ! a description of the venue• ! who you are going with• ! what you are wearing• ! your opinion of school proms• ! what type of music they normally play.• Add information about:• what you have bought for the prom• and what you are going to do at the prom.• and where you would like to go (eg if you won the lottery). • To achieve a Distinction (Level 6) in this piece of work you must give a

minimum of eight items of information, including at least one opinion. You should refer to the past and the future as well as the present. Each item should contain a verb (ideally a different verb).

Example

FOUNDATION CERTIFICATE OF SECONDARY EDUCATIONUNIT 8 . HEALTH AND FITNESS

WRITING

• You are completing in a medical form for a foreign adventure trip. What you say need not be true.

• DISTINCTION (Level 6)• You might like to include:• your age• ! how fit you are• ! what exercise you like doing• ! whether or not you have any medical problems/bad habits• ! what you prefer to eat and drink• ! a description of your daily routine.• Add information about:• any adventure activity you have done in the past• and what fitness activity you would like to do on the trip.• To achieve a Distinction (Level 6) in this piece of work you must give a

minimum of eight items of information, including at least one opinion. You should refer to the past and the future as well as the present. Each item should contain a verb (ideally a different verb).

Example

Je m’appelle Simon et j’ai 16 ans. Je suis en bonne forme car je fais du cyclisme deux fois par semaine. Aussi, j’aime jouer au foot car c’est génial. Quand j’avais 12 ans je faisais du volley et c’était amusant. Dans le futur, je voudrais faire de la danse car mon ami en fait. En plus, je mange bien car je mange du fruit et des légumes car c’est riche en vitamines et je préfère boire de l’eau car je déteste le coca. Le matin, je me lève à 7 heures puis je mange mon petit déjeuner et je vais au collège.

FOUNDATION CERTIFICATE OF SECONDARY EDUCATIONUNIT 9 . FOOD AND DRINK

WRITING

• Your exchange partner would like you to send him/her an e-mail about your food and drink preferences before you go and stay. What you say need not be true.

• DISTINCTION (Level 6)• You might like to include:• what you normally have for breakfast• ! whether you eat meat or not• ! what your favourite dish is• ! any food you don’t like• ! what you prefer to drink• ! a question about mealtimes in your exchange partner’s house.• Add information about:• whether you have tried any dish from another country or not• and something you would like to cook for his/her family.• To achieve a Distinction (Level 6) in this piece of work you must give a

minimum of eight items of information, including at least one opinion. You should refer to the past and the future as well as the present. Each item should contain a verb (ideally a different verb).

Example

FOUNDATION CERTIFICATE OF SECONDARY EDUCATIONUNIT 10 . REGION AND ENVIRONMENT

WRITING

• You are writing about your ideal place to live. What you say need not be true.• DISTINCTION (Level 6)• You might like to include:• where your ideal place is• a description of the place• what there is to do there• your opinion of the place• what you do not like there• what the weather is usually like.• Add information about:• the best place you have ever visited• and what you would like to have near where you live.• To achieve a Distinction (Level 6) in this piece of work you must give a

minimum of eight items of information, including at least one opinion. You should refer to the past and the future as well as the present. Each item should contain a verb (ideally a different verb).

Example

FOUNDATION CERTIFICATE OF SECONDARY EDUCATIONUNIT 11 . MEDIA

WRITING

• You are writing an article about computers for the magazine at your exchange school. What you say need not be true.

• DISTINCTION (Level 6)• a description of your computer (eg size/colour/make etc)• ! what you think of it• ! what you use it for• ! how often you use it• ! whether you prefer the computer or the television for entertainment• ! what your favourite program/game is called.• Add information about:• what computers were like in the past• and what computers will be like in the future (eg size/speed/activities).• !To achieve a Distinction (Level 6) in this piece of work you must give a

minimum of eight items of information, including at least one opinion. You should refer to the past and the future as well as the present. Each item should contain a verb (ideally a different verb).

Example

FOUNDATION CERTIFICATE OF SECONDARY EDUCATIONUNIT 12 . WORK AND CHOICES

WRITING

• You are writing about a work placement. What you say need not be true. DISTINCTION (Level 6)

• You might like to include:• where you are doing your placement• ! what time you arrive in the morning• ! what you wear• ! what task(s) you do• ! something you don’t like doing• ! your opinion of the boss.• Add information about:• another job you have done• and what your ideal job would be. • To achieve a Distinction (Level 6) in this piece of work you must give a

minimum of eight items of information, including at least one opinion. You should refer to the past and the future as well as the present. Each item should contain a verb (ideally a different verb).

Example