English Knowledge and Competences — Inspector Competition (Middle School)

2.1 Paraphrase, summary, quotation: three different things

2.2 A reliable paraphrasing method

1. Read for the idea, not the words. Be able to say the point aloud without looking.
2. Change the vocabulary where synonyms exist, but keep technical terms and proper nouns.
3. Change the structure: active/passive, noun/verb forms (“decide” → “the decision”), clause order, sentence splitting or joining.
4. Compare with the original: same meaning? same strength (“may” vs “will”)? nothing added or lost?

In the wrong version, “widely welcomed” (by many people) became “teachers welcomed”, and “sustained training rather than a single workshop” became “attend a workshop”. Strength and scope of claims must be preserved.

2.3 Summarizing: a five-step procedure

1. Read twice. First for the gist, then to mark the thesis and the supporting points.
2. Find the main idea of each paragraph (often, but not always, the first or last sentence).
3. Discard examples, anecdotes, repetitions, statistics that only illustrate, and the writer’s asides.
4. Combine the main ideas into a short text in your own words, in the order of the original, using linkers (“the author argues… moreover… however…”).
5. Check length, neutrality (no opinion of yours) and accuracy.

Useful reporting verbs, from neutral to evaluative: states, explains, describes, points out, argues, claims, suggests, acknowledges, warns, concludes. Choose according to the author’s stance: “claims” signals doubt; “points out” signals fact.

2.4 Interpreting a text: literal, inferential and evaluative meaning

Clues to implied meaning: word choice and connotation (“regime” vs “government”), hedges (“may”, “appears to”), concessions (“admittedly…, yet…”), irony, rhetorical questions, and what the author chooses not to say. Always ground an inference in a phrase of the text.

2.5 Worked task

Text. “Homework is often defended as a way of building discipline. Yet studies of primary pupils show little relationship between time spent on homework and achievement, and in some cases the time spent with parents correcting it has been associated with tension at home. This does not mean homework is useless: short, well-designed tasks that review what was taught seem to help older learners. The real question is therefore not whether to set homework, but what kind, for whom and how much.”

1. Summarise in one sentence. Model: The author argues that homework’s benefits have been overstated for young pupils but that brief, well-designed review tasks can help older learners, so the debate should concern its type, target and quantity.
2. Paraphrase the last sentence. Model: What matters is not whether homework should exist, but which kind suits which learners and in what amount.
3. Inference. What does “seem to help” suggest? Model: The evidence for older learners is suggestive but not conclusive; the author is cautious.

2.6 Self-check

• Does my paraphrase keep every idea and the strength of each claim?
• Does my summary contain only main ideas, in my own words, with no opinion?
• Can I point to the words in the text that justify each inference?

3.1 Choosing the right representation

3.2 Reading a graph: five questions

1. What is it about? Read the title, the axes, the unit (%, millions, dirhams) and the period.
2. What is the overall picture? The general trend or the main contrast, in one sentence.
3. What stands out? The highest, the lowest, the sharpest change, an exception.
4. What can be compared? Two categories, two periods, a part and the whole.
5. What does it not tell us? Causes are not shown by data alone; the sample or source may be limited.

3.3 The language of data description

Grammar points that cost marks: rise and fall are intransitive (no passive), while raise is transitive; the number of takes a singular verb (“the number of students has risen”), whereas a number of takes a plural verb (“a number of students have left”); prepositions: rise by 5% (the amount), rise to 40% (the new level), from 30% to 40%; compare with / to; “in 2020” but “between 2018 and 2022”.

3.4 Representing information in a different way

This is the card’s phrase for information transfer. The usual directions are:

Inferring cause and consequence. When a text does not state the link, you can infer it, but mark it as an inference (“this may be because…”). Distinguish correlation (two things change together) from causation (one produces the other) and sequence (one comes after the other).

3.5 Worked task

Table. Percentage of lower-secondary learners who report reading for pleasure at least once a week.

1. Overall picture. Model: Between 2015 and 2024 the share of learners who read for pleasure weekly fell steadily, from 45% to 32%, and girls read more than boys in every year.
2. A detail with a comparison. Model: The fall was sharper among girls (15 points, from 52% to 37%) than among boys (11 points, from 38% to 27%), so the gap between them narrowed from 14 to 10 points.
3. Inference marked as such. Model: The data cannot show why reading declined; it may be linked to the growth of screen use, but this table does not test that.
4. Representing differently. Model (one line for a chart title and axes): “Weekly reading for pleasure among lower-secondary learners, 2015–2024 (%)”; line graph with three lines (girls, boys, all learners), horizontal axis for years and vertical axis from 0 to 60.

3.6 Self-check

• Did I state the overall trend before the details?
• Are my numbers correct, with their units?
• Did I keep to the data, and mark any inference as an inference?
• Did I use the right prepositions with rise, fall, increase, decrease and with by / to / from?

4.1 The anatomy of an argument

To identify a standpoint, look for the claim signalled by I believe, it is clear that, we must, the answer is, in my view, should; thesis statements near the beginning or end; and the question the whole text answers.

4.2 Evaluating an argument: a checklist

4.3 Common weaknesses in arguments

Bias is not always a fault of logic. A source may be reliable and yet partial, for example a report by an organisation that benefits from a given conclusion. Evaluation separates what is claimed, how well it is supported and who is saying it and why.

4.4 Justifying your own standpoint

1. State your position clearly in one sentence: “I agree with the author’s claim only in part.”
2. Give two or three reasons, one per paragraph or sentence, each with evidence from the text or from reliable knowledge.
3. Deal with the other side: acknowledge the strongest objection and answer it.
4. Qualify: use precise limits (“in most cases”, “provided that…”).
5. Close with a conclusion that follows from the reasons, not with a new idea.

Language for evaluating and justifying. Stance: I would argue that…, It seems reasonable to conclude…, I am not convinced that… Support: This is supported by…, as the data on… show. Contrast: Admittedly…, yet…; Although…, it overlooks… Limits: This holds only if…, the evidence is limited to…

4.5 Worked task

Text. “A school that bans mobile phones for the whole day will see better results. After our school introduced a ban last year, average marks rose by 4%. Learners who object are simply addicted. Everyone knows that phones are the reason young people cannot concentrate.”

1. Standpoint. Model: Banning phones all day improves results.
2. Evaluation. Model: The only evidence is one school’s rise of 4% after the ban, which may have other causes (new teachers, a different exam, a change in intake); this is a possible false cause and a hasty generalisation. “Simply addicted” attacks the objectors instead of answering them (ad hominem). “Everyone knows” is an appeal to popularity, not evidence. The argument also ignores uses of phones for learning.
3. Justify your own view in three sentences. Model: I accept that unrestricted phone use can distract learners, but this text does not show that a total ban improves results. A rise in marks at one school after a ban does not exclude other explanations, and a policy that allows phones for specific learning tasks might preserve both concentration and benefits. A fair test would compare schools with and without the ban over several years.

4.6 Self-check

• Can I state the author’s standpoint and my own in one sentence each?
• Have I judged the evidence (relevance, sufficiency, quality) and not only the opinion?
• Have I named the weakness precisely rather than writing “it is not convincing”?
• Do I answer the strongest counter-argument?

5.1 Tense and aspect: two different things

Tense places a situation in time relative to now (present or past; English has no grammatical future tense, it expresses the future with modals and other structures). Aspect shows how the speaker views the situation: as a complete whole (simple), in progress (progressive/continuous), or connected to a later reference point (perfect).

5.2 Contrasts that are regularly tested

5.3 Language structures: what “structures” covers

5.4 Worked examples

1. Choose and explain. “By the time the inspector arrived, the teacher ______ the lesson for twenty minutes.” Answer: had been teaching. Why: a point in the past (“arrived”), duration before it (twenty minutes), activity in progress: past perfect progressive.
2. Find the error. “If I would have known about the changes, I would have informed you.” Correction: “If I had known…”. Third conditional: past perfect in the if-clause, would have + participle in the main clause.
3. Choose the best sentence. (a) “The number of failures have fallen.” (b) “The number of failures has fallen.” (c) “A number of failures has fallen.” (d) “The numbers of failures has fallen.” Answer: (b).
4. Transform. Rewrite with the same meaning: “Someone stole my bag.” → “My bag was stolen.” or “I had my bag stolen.” (the second implies it happened to me, also possible).
5. Meaning of the form. What is the difference between “I have lived here for ten years” and “I lived here for ten years”? Answer: the first continues up to now; the second is finished (I no longer live here).

5.5 Self-check

• Can I name the tense and the aspect separately, and say what meaning each adds?
• For each pair in 5.2, can I give a sentence where only one is possible?
• Can I find a mistake in a sentence and say which rule it breaks?

6.1 Definitions in context

A question may ask the meaning of a word or phrase in a given sentence, or ask you to match a word to a definition. The same word has different meanings: "The report was critical" may mean “disapproving”, “vital” or “analytical”, according to context.

1. Read the whole sentence, and the one before and after.
2. Find clues: a definition or synonym nearby (“…, that is, …”), a contrast (“but”, “unlike”), an example, a cause or result, the word’s part of speech and its affixes (un-, -less, -able).
3. Test your guess by substituting it into the sentence: does it fit grammatically and logically?
4. Choose the sense, not the commonest meaning. Distractors often offer the usual meaning that does not fit.

Register, connotation, denotation. Slim and skinny have the same denotation (thin) but opposite connotations. Child, kid and youngster differ in register. Items may ask you to choose the word whose tone suits a formal report.

6.2 Collocations

Collocations are word partnerships that are natural for native speakers and are not predictable from meaning alone: we make a decision but do homework; we say heavy rain but not strong rain.

Method: learn words in chunks, note the verb that goes with each noun, and use a learner’s collocation dictionary for checking. In a gap-fill item, test each option with the neighbouring words aloud.

6.3 Idioms

An idiom is a fixed expression whose meaning is not the sum of its words. Ask: is the meaning literal (spill the beans = reveal a secret) or figurative? Is it formal, informal or slang? In writing for an official audience, many idioms are too informal.

Idioms usually allow little change: you cannot say bite the bitter bullet or kick the pail. A few allow tense and pronoun changes. Blending two idioms is a common error (for example mixing on the other hand and the other side of the coin); check the standard form rather than inventing one.

6.4 Phrasal verbs

A phrasal verb combines a verb with one or two particles, and the meaning is often not literal. Types:

Many phrasal verbs are polysemous: take off means “remove” (clothes), “leave the ground” (a plane), “become successful”. Use context, as in 6.1.

6.5 Self-check

• Can I define a word from clues, not from memory alone?
• Do I learn collocations as chunks (verb + noun), not as lone words?
• Can I separate a phrasal verb correctly with a pronoun?
• Do I know which idioms to avoid in a formal report?

7.1 Language in context: register, tone and appropriateness

The same message changes with who speaks to whom, where and why: field (topic), tenor (relationship) and mode (spoken or written) make up the context.

Appropriateness is not correctness: a grammatically perfect sentence may be inappropriate (“Give me the file” to a senior official). Items ask you to choose the version fitting a context: an email to a head teacher, a text to a friend, a note in a report.

7.2 Speech acts

Following Austin and Searle, saying something is doing something. A locutionary act is the utterance itself; an illocutionary act is the speaker’s intention (to request, promise, warn, apologise); a perlocutionary act is the effect on the listener. “It’s cold in here” is a statement in form, but may be a request to close the window.

Direct and indirect speech acts. A direct act uses a form that matches its function (an imperative to order). An indirect act uses another form (“Can you pass the salt?” is a request, not a question about ability). Politeness theory (Brown and Levinson) explains this by face: requests threaten the hearer’s freedom, so speakers soften them; praise protects the hearer’s image. Discourse markers (well, actually, to be honest, by the way) manage the conversation.

7.3 Cross-cultural communication

Communication problems between people of different cultures often come from differing assumptions about what is polite, direct or appropriate rather than from language errors. Cultural differences are tendencies, not rules; individuals vary.

Good practice for an intercultural exchange: avoid assuming your norms are universal; observe and ask; paraphrase to check understanding; avoid idioms and heavy slang with learners of English; show respect in forms of address; distinguish stereotype (a fixed generalisation about a group) from cultural awareness (a hypothesis to check). Hofstede’s and Hall’s models are influential but also criticised as over-generalising; use them as tools to think with, not as facts about individuals.

English as a lingua franca. Most interactions in English today involve non-native speakers. Intelligibility, clarity and willingness to negotiate meaning often matter more than reproducing a native accent. Teachers should expose learners to several varieties (British, American, Australian, Indian, etc.) without treating one as the only correct one.

7.4 Language awareness

Language awareness is explicit knowledge about language and the ability to talk about it: sounds, words, grammar, meaning and use, and how learners acquire them. For a teacher or inspector it includes:

Corrective feedback. Options include recast (reformulating correctly), explicit correction, elicitation, metalinguistic comment, repetition with rising intonation. Which is best depends on the aim: fluency work calls for delayed correction, accuracy work for immediate correction.

7.5 Worked examples

1. Speech act. A colleague says, “It would be wonderful if the report were ready by Monday.” What is the speech act? An indirect request.
2. Appropriateness. Which is best in an email to a regional director? (a) “Hey, send me the figures.” (b) “Could you please send me the figures at your earliest convenience?” (c) “I need the figures.” (d) “Figures, please!” Answer: (b).
3. Cross-cultural. A participant from a high-context culture says, “That may be difficult.” The speaker from a low-context culture takes it as a possibility. What may be wrong? It may be a polite refusal; the two speakers apply different conventions.
4. Language awareness. A learner writes, “She don’t like it.” Mistake or error? If the learner uses “doesn’t” correctly elsewhere, it is probably a slip (mistake); if the learner consistently drops the -s agreement, it is an error showing a gap in knowledge.

7.6 Self-check

• Can I tell what a sentence does as well as what it says?
• Can I choose an appropriate register for a given reader and purpose?
• Do I present cultural differences as tendencies to check, not as certain facts?
• Can I name an error, give its probable cause and suggest a correction method?

8.1 What a synthesis is

A descriptive (explanatory) synthesis reports how sources agree and differ; an argumentative synthesis uses them to support a position. Read the instruction to know which one is asked, and whether your own opinion is wanted (often it is not).

8.2 Seven steps

1. Read the instruction first: topic, focus, length, audience, whether to include your view.
2. Read each source and note: the thesis, the main points, the evidence, the stance and the author.
3. Build a comparison grid (see below): themes in rows, sources in columns.
4. Decide on a controlling idea: one sentence expressing the overall relationship (agreement, partial disagreement, complementary angles).
5. Plan by theme: each paragraph handles one idea, drawing on several sources.
6. Write in your own words, with attribution and linkers of comparison and contrast.
7. Check: length, accuracy, attribution, no unnecessary detail, no opinion unless required.

8.3 The comparison grid: a worked example

Three short texts on private tutoring (invented for this exercise). Text A (a researcher): tutoring raises marks for some pupils but widens inequality. Text B (a parent association): tutoring is a necessary response to overcrowded classes. Text C (a ministry report): tutoring should be regulated, not banned, and schools should offer free support.

Controlling idea: the sources agree that tutoring answers a real need but differ on whether the main problem is inequality (A), class size (B) or lack of regulation (C).

8.4 A model synthesis

The three sources agree that private tutoring responds to a genuine need, yet they locate the problem differently. According to the researcher, tutoring improves the marks of those who can afford it, but it also widens the gap between rich and poor families. The parents’ association, by contrast, stresses that overcrowded classrooms leave families no alternative, and it calls for smaller classes. The ministry report takes a middle position: it proposes regulating tutoring rather than banning it and offering free support in schools, which would address both inequality and the gaps that push families to pay. Taken together, the sources suggest that tutoring is a symptom of pressures in the school system as much as a cause of unequal results.

What makes it a synthesis: one controlling idea in the first sentence; ideas grouped by theme; sources compared (“by contrast”, “takes a middle position”); attribution; own words; no opinion; a closing sentence that draws the sources together.

8.5 Language for synthesis

Prefer varied reporting verbs and tense consistency: present tense for what a source says (“A argues…”), unless the source is historical.

8.6 Citing sources in a test

In a timed test, name the source by author, title or label (“the second text”) as the instruction suggests. Quote sparingly, and put exact words in quotation marks. Never copy phrases without quotation marks: plagiarism is penalised even in a test.

8.7 Self-check

• Does my first sentence express the relationship between the sources?
• Are paragraphs organised by idea, not by source?
• Is every claim attributed to its source, and in my own words?
• Have I left out my own opinion (unless asked)?
• Is it within the word limit?

9.1 Three genres compared

9.2 Argumentative writing

1. Take a clear position in a thesis sentence. “Schools should teach financial literacy from the age of twelve.”
2. Plan two or three reasons, each in its own paragraph, with a topic sentence, an explanation, and evidence (fact, example, statistic, expert).
3. Include the counter-argument: state the strongest objection fairly and rebut it.
4. Conclude by restating the thesis in different words and drawing the argument together; do not add a new argument.

Model paragraph. The most compelling reason to teach financial literacy early is that habits form young. Pupils who learn to budget at twelve are more likely to avoid unmanageable debt as adults; a longitudinal study of several countries, for instance, linked early financial education to lower borrowing at twenty-five. Critics argue that the timetable is already overloaded. However, a ten-hour module integrated into mathematics would take little time, and the cost of financial ignorance to families is far greater.

Qualities of a good argument: specific, relevant evidence; logical order (often from the strong to the strongest); fairness to the other side; precision of claims; a formal but personal tone (“I would argue”, not “Everyone knows”).

9.3 Descriptive writing

1. Choose a dominant impression (calm, chaotic, welcoming) and select details that support it.
2. Order the details: from far to near, left to right, general to particular, or by importance.
3. Use the senses: sight, but also sound, smell, touch, taste.
4. Show, do not tell. Replace “the market was busy” with details that make the reader conclude it.
5. Choose precise words: “strolled” rather than “walked slowly”; use figures of speech sparingly (simile, metaphor, personification).

Descriptive writing in tests may be a person (appearance and character through actions), a place (spatial order) or a process or object. Use present tense for a scene viewed now, past tense for a remembered one, and stay consistent.

9.4 Expository writing

1. Identify the purpose and the pattern that fits it.
2. Write a clear thesis or statement of purpose telling the reader what will be explained.
3. Develop each paragraph around one idea: topic sentence, explanation, example.
4. Use signposting so the reader can follow (“There are three main causes.”).
5. Remain objective: third person, factual, no emotive language.

9.5 Qualities every marker looks for

This table reflects widely used analytic criteria. The official card does not publish a mark scheme for this test, so the weight of each criterion is unknown.

9.6 Revision checklist (five minutes)

• Does each paragraph have one main idea, stated in a topic sentence?
• Are linkers varied and correct (however is followed by a comma; although is not followed by but)?
• Subject–verb agreement, tenses, articles, prepositions, spelling of common words?
• Any sentence that is too long to follow, any fragment, any comma splice?

10.1 What a proposal is

10.2 Standard structure

In a timed test the sections may be shortened to a few lines each. Use headings; the reader should find what they need at a glance.

10.3 Language of proposals

Grammar point: after propose, recommend, suggest, insist, demand + that, English uses the subjunctive form or should: “We recommend that attendance be monitored” (not “is monitored”). Suggest + -ing is also possible (“We suggest introducing…”), but not “suggest him to”.

10.4 A model (shortened)

To: The Regional Director · From: Inspector of English · Subject: Proposal for a peer-observation programme in lower-secondary schools

Purpose. This proposal recommends a peer-observation programme for English teachers in the region, to improve classroom practice at low cost.

Background. Visits this year showed that most teachers work alone and rarely see colleagues teach. Many requested the chance to observe other classrooms.

Objectives. By June, 60% of teachers in the pilot schools will have observed two lessons and discussed them in a structured meeting.

Action. We propose that each school form pairs of teachers, supported by a one-day training session on giving feedback; the inspector will provide an observation guide.

Timeline and resources. Training in November; observations from December to May; one day of cover per teacher; no additional equipment.

Evaluation. Success will be measured through observation logs, a teacher questionnaire in June and a short report to the Directorate.

Conclusion. The programme builds on teachers’ own interest, uses existing resources and could be extended across the region. We would be grateful for your approval of the pilot.

10.5 Revision plan for all written tasks

1. Reread the task: genre, reader, length, required parts.
2. Meaning: does each paragraph do its job? Anything missing or irrelevant?
3. Organisation: clear opening, logical order, links between paragraphs, a conclusion.
4. Language: check verbs (tense, agreement), articles, prepositions, word choice, spelling.
5. Register: remove contractions and informal vocabulary from formal texts.
6. Practise: write one text per genre each week under time and mark it with the criteria in chapter 9; keep a log of your recurrent errors.

10.6 Sources and limits of this unit

The only official source is the CNEE test card. The language and genre descriptions follow standard reference works in applied linguistics and language teaching, listed below. They were not re-opened one by one for this unit, and cultural dimensions (Hall, Hofstede) are cited as theoretical models, not as facts about any country. No past papers or set texts exist for this test, and the questions in this unit are written from the card’s wording.

• Austin, J. L. (1962). How to Do Things with Words. Oxford University Press.
• Searle, J. R. (1969). Speech Acts. Cambridge University Press.
• Brown, P., and Levinson, S. C. (1987). Politeness: Some Universals in Language Usage. Cambridge University Press.
• Hall, E. T. (1976). Beyond Culture. Anchor Press.
• Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture’s Consequences (2nd ed.). Sage.
• Swan, M. (2016). Practical English Usage (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
• Biber, D., Johansson, S., Leech, G., Conrad, S., and Finegan, E. (1999). Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English. Longman.
• Council of Europe (2020). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Companion Volume. Council of Europe Publishing.