W 070 F

1. Introduction to the Proficiency Test

All first -year English majors at Janus Pannonius University have to take a Proficiency Test . The test , which is taken at the end of spring semesters , filters students whether they are allowed or not to continue their studies .If they pass the test , their Language Practice courses and credits become accepted ,and if they fail , they have to repeat the courses .On the other hand , it is some research , that shows which skills students have to progress .There are assigments in it from every field which are needed to become professional in English language . These are a Grammar and Usage Test , a Listening Comprehension Test , a Reading Comprehension Test , and an Essay Writing Test . I would like to stress the importance of the Essay Writing Test . It highlights the students' weakness in essay writing skills and shows what the students have to develop .

Every year in Essay Writing Test there are three colums which the students have to select her phrase from . With the chosen title they have to write a 400 to 450 - word essay . Two cross-markers assess the essays by five categories , which are Accuracy , Focus , Vocabulary , Paragraph Organization and Essay Organization . The markers read the essays separately and make notes for each other , then score them by aggreement . The categories are evaluated 10 points which means total 50 points . 26 out of 50 pass the test . In 1996 the possible titles of the Essay Writing Test were the following :

Discuss how to e-mail a friend
Explain how to listen to a teacher
Analyze how to call a lover
Present evidence on how to fax a parent
Raise doubts about how to argue with a boss
(Horvath , J. The assesment...)
The cross - markers were two tutors of JPTE English Department : Barbara Gonzales and Horvath Jozsef .

2. Method

What I am going to do is to attempt to analyze four essays of 1996 Proficiency Test in Focus and Essay Organisation aspects . The selected essays have similar titles and are scored 29 to 33 points . As a help I used for my essay the Cross-markers' Comments on Proficiency Test Essays , printed by Horvath Jozsef and from the same tutor a study entitled The Assessment of Essay Writing Skills in the First - Year Proficiency Test . By these references I became aquainted with the evaluation of Essay Writing Tests and was able to analyze the chosen essays.

3. Focus on Focus and Essay Organisation

3. Essay 1 . Discuss how to argue with a teacher (29 points)

The first essay was entitled Discuss how to argue with a teacher and scored 29 points out of 50 . It was one of the weakest compositions as the markers ' comment says: "A near - fail " . In the opening paragraph the writer announces three groups of students whether they have the right to argue with a teacher or not . Unfortunatelly there was no any mention about his\ her thesis and where he\she wanted to arrive . The main part of the essay discribes the three groups of students and at the end of the essay there is a summary . As good the form of the essay is , so bad is the focus . Writing about primary schools and pupils attending it the author says that the " little child have a lack of the knowledge to be able to " argue with the teacher . ( Essay 1 . p2 .) The question can be raised how this paragraph connects with the theme . The digression is continuing in the third paragraph . These phrases , what " duty " (Essay 1 . p2 )the pupils have in secondary schools and how they have to distinguish between the importance of the subjects, are not fit into the essay . The only acceptable part about the topic was the one that showed how students should argue in a polite manner . According to the writer the needed elements of polite manner are " normal mood with a right intonation " and " mastered enough for the debate " (Essay 1 .p2). Furthermore , in the case of argument between university student and his tutor the demanded method is " to handle each other as equal partners "(Essay 1. p). These are good observations but not enough explanation of the thesis . The last paragraph does not include any conclusion , or much meaning . But what should the reader expect in two sentences ? If there is neither thesis to devise , there is no conclusion to arrive .

3.2 Essay 2 . Raise doubts about how to listen to a teacher .(31 points)

The score of the second essay was two points higher (31) than the previous one had got and titled Raise doubts about how to listen to a teacher .The biggest mistake which was made that he\ she had forgotten to write down the title of the essay . It lost its form without any title and there was no indention which is replaced by empty lines . In the introduction he\she built up a thesis very well . He\She started with stressing education . He\She thought the higher education " we " had the better " we " lived and that is the reason why people endeavour to be high educated in which the teachers ' assistance is very important . Finally he\she says " quite difficult for the student to find an optimal way of listening " (Essay 2. p2).

The main part is devided into two parts describing how Mr. Active and Ms. Passive listen to the teacher and what doubts can be raised about them . These denominations ( Mr. Active and Ms. Passive ) reflect not only the author' sense of humour but unfortunately his\her chauvinism as well . Mr . Active feels himself to be cleverer than his teacher and he is asking all the time and telling his opinion. Ms. Passive is in silence during lessons but her "big brown eyes " are always on the teacher confusing him . As Mr. Active' exaggerated attention , so Ms. Passive 's always looking "big brown eyes " make the teacher flustered . The author negatives Mr. Active and Ms. Passive and raises a third solution of normal student . Then he queries this third version as well and digress from the topic . As the marker's comment says "Kept forgetting what the essay was supposed to do "(Essay 2 .p3) , the writer lost his attention in the topic and there is no conclusion in the last paragraph.

3.3. Essay 3. Explain how to listen to a teacher .(32 points )

The third essay appears to be more specifying on the topic and titled Explain how to listen to a teacher and score 32 points . Its essay organisation is sufficient , the title and the paragraphs are correct , but its neatness is almost illegible . According to the first paragraph the thesis is about teacher - student relationship from the student's point of view . It is well organized , starting with the student as a listener in this relationship and is about ordinary lessons where all students are in connection with the teacher . The second paragraph seems to emphasize the first one , but it is not necessary . There are some problems in the third paragraph as well . The writer digresses from the topic describing the interests of the teacher and the student. The teacher should impart his knowledge to the student and make the lesson useful . At the end of the paragraph he tells how the teacher should teach to get the student's attention . Only the last sentence shows a view of the topic saying that " pretending to listen " is the most profitable for the student as well as for the teacher .

The second half of the essay is more unified than the first one . The writer expresses his\her opinion how to pretend to listen to a teacher . First of all the gazing eyes are very important . It is a sign of " your curious attention and thirst for knowledge " (Essay 3 .p3). Secondly the student keep in his mind the teachers ' desire and pay general attention to be able to answer . Finally the students have to be in silence and do their privat correspondence in secret . It is a very remarkable approach , but there were some inappropriate details . As a conclusion the writer says that instead of pretending , students should pay real attention to the teacher and profit from the lesson . Pretending is explained along the whole essay and is broken down in the last paragraph and a new thesis appears .

3.4. Essay 4 .Explain how to listen to a teacher . (33 points )

The title of the fourth essay which I have read is the same as the third one : Explain how to listen to a teacher . It scored 33 points . In terms of essay organisation the text is good . How the writer opens the essay shows his\her sense of humour , describing the teachers as a species called TEACHEROUS OUTERSPACEOUS , he finds listening to teachers difficult . Continuing the teachers ' critisism it is written down that teachers have their individualism and their bodies show not as their thoughts are . Furthermore teachers are sensitive and students should be careful not to hurt their "self- esteem ". The focus is not really on listening to teachers but blame them . Continuing the paragraph the author represents the sympathetic student " who attends classes regularly , communicates with teachers out of classroom "( Essay 4 .p3) but his mind is far away from his body . The writer refers to pretending . The conclusion is that if the student does not disturb the lesson and knows the teacher's need , the lesson will be useful and entertaining . The author was able to lead the thesis along the essay , explain the obstacles of listening and make a conclusion from it .

3. Conclusion

Without focus and essay organization a composition cannot be developed . With the lack of these elements essays can not be accepted stylistically .

First of all , not forgeting to write down the title at the top of the paper , the author has to devide the essay into three parts which are an introduction , a main part , and a conclusion in the end . These can include more paragraphs with topic sentences in them . If in a paragraph a topic sentence is developed with further details and thought s , the aim of the essay will be materialized . One problem , mainly in hand-written essays , is that the form of the essay is illegible. At the first glance the reader often meets unreadable paragraphs without indentation or arrows and cancellations . After writing down the draft the author should copy the faultless work . Another problem which appears in most cases that a well - built up essay has no connection with the title . In the case of essays entitled Explain how to listen to a teacher they critisize the teachers and describe boring and useless lessons instead of representing how students listen and how they should listen to their teachers .

What makes essays perfect and professional is planning. An experienced writer conciders what the aim of the essay and what topic would be worthy writing about. Usually, which theme the writer is interested in , is readable for the reader as well. If the author finds a theme or a title, and aims to share his/her opinion with the reader, the essay must be remarkable. The only condition is connection between title and essay.

The title depends on who will be the reading public, too. At these Proficiency Tests the readers were two cross- markers who evaluated the essays by given categories .The writer should provide not only interesting topic or title but proper organization and vocabulary.

In the introduction a thesis has to be set up according to the title. It should be the topic sentence of the paragraph as well as the whole essay. Essay writers tended to omit the thesis and the topic sentences in the paragraphs . Another problem in focusing is digress or further more lose attention in the topic . All the paragraphs should reflect on the topic and the writer should plan what he/she would like to expound in the main part. Explaining the thesis can be much more interesting if the author puts humour and personal experience into his writing. In the last paragraph which is the conclusion of the essay the writer tends to break down the thesis with a sentence: "But it is really not as good as ...." and build up another theory. At the end of the essay the writer should summarize the elements which he collected previously and make a conclusion or a solution of it. The thesis has to be corroborated.