Autumn-Winter ESB News

ESB: You contribute to the writing of our ESOL International papers, how do you ensure standards are met across all exam papers? JR: I have spent my career writing materials for learners who are at a particular level, so I am experienced at that. ESB publishes lists of grammar, functions and lexis for each level and occasionally, I check on whether a word would be acceptable for a certain level in one of several lists that are available. I think another aspect is that there is one author per paper, which allows for an even spread of language elements across the paper and avoids duplication. What is crucial, however, is the work done, firstly, by the Senior Examiner, who moderates each paper and discusses amendments with me and then by the scrutiny panel, who have the final say about what goes in. So there are several stages to ensure that the examinations are as standardised as possible. ESB: What are your hopes for the future of ESOL? JR: Last year I was invited to open the inaugural conference of the new Scottish branch of NATECLA. It was attended by around 50 practitioners – managers, teachers and volunteers. All knew where they stood in relation to ESOL, what was expected of them, what training and support was available and what were the rights of the learners, thanks to the Scottish ESOL Strategy ‘ Welcoming our

learners’ . It was liberating to meet practitioners who had never known life without a strategy. This is what I hope for the future of ESOL in England. In addition, of course, I hope that there would be enough funding for a wide range of courses, especially those linked to vocational qualifications, and for all learners to be able to afford and access the kind of course they need in order to progress into FE or employment.

To find out more about NATECLA, please visit their website .

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