CONFIDENTIAL 1 LG/ SAMPLE /ELC550

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA

AKADEMI PENGAJIAN BAHASA

ELC 550: ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC WRITING

TEST
SAMPLE 2016

ANSWER KEY

PART A: ANNOTATION (30 MARKS)

QUESTION 1

Reference & Citation 3 marks

Introduction 4 marks
Content 5 marks
Critical Response 8 marks
Language 10 marks
Total 30 marks

REFERENCE 3 Marks

 Citation of Source/ Publisher detail/Publication detail 1 Mark

Belvins, R.(2009). Journal of Developmental Education, 271),36-41.
Retrieved from http://www.edarticle.com/articles/43448/the-
importance-of-teaching-critical-thinking.php#.VAVceZUcSM8 on date..

 In-text citations 2 Marks

(1/2 mark for each appropriate citation / a minimum of 4 citations)
(*Based on APA format)

INTRODUCTION 4 Marks
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Overview of the article

Critical thinking skills are vital to students’ academic performance. 2 Marks

Objective of the article 1 Mark

To inform the importance of critical thinking skills in the education environment
and the ways to enhance them.

Type of Article 1 Mark

Journal Article

CONTENT 5 Marks

Students are expected to paraphrase the following ideas:

 Research suggests that a more in-depth focus on enhancing critical 1 Mark

thinking skills can add academic rigor and increase their scores on
assessments (VanTassel-Baska, Bracken, Feng, & Brown, 2009;
McCollister & Sayler, 2010; Snodgrass, 2011; Tsai, Chen, Chang, &
Chang, 2013).

 By utilising activities to enhance critical thinking, students are better able 1 Mark
to understand why something has occurred as opposed to just knowing
what has occurred.

 Having students examine the information forces them to look at the 1 Mark

information as a process, rather than just facts to be memorised.

 These (examining information and evaluating information and sources)

critical thinking skills will help with reading comprehension and problem- 1 Mark

solving,which play an important role in standardized assessments

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(VanTassel-Baska et al., 2009; McCollister & Sayler, 2010; Tsai et al.,

2013).

 Activities based on critical thinking could be worked into the normal class
hours, without requiring additional class time (Snodgrass, 2011) 1 Mark

 It is also important that any changes to the curriculum be met with training
on the new activities and on how to utilise them to their fullest effect. 1 Mark

 It is important for educators to understand that the role they play in 1 Mark
developing critical thinking is different from the role they play in a typical
classroom setting.

 The educators’ role as facilitators also encourages a peer review process,

and helps students to learn appropriate responses to conflicting 1 Mark

evaluations and opinions (Henderson-Hurley & Hurley, 2013; Tsai et al.,

2013).

 The development of critical thinking skills is not merely for core subjects
such as reading, math, language arts, science, and social studies.  1 Mark

 Kokkidou (2013) suggests that critical thinking can also be developed in

music education by examining musical environment, comparing and 1 Mark

contrasting different eras or pieces of music, and self-evaluation of

performance. 

(Accept any 5 points)

CRITICAL RESPONSE 3 Marks

 target readership : general audience/public/college students
 logical organisation of the article
 reasoning
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 author’s tone or point of view

 author’s use of language
 usefulness of the article
 author’s use of other resources
 strength / weakness of the article
 suggestion to improve the article
(Accept any appropriate responses)

LANGUAGE (10 MARKS)

Mark Descriptors for Language

13 – 15 The essay is competently written. The essay is skilfully paraphrased and
summarised. There appears to be no evidence of plagiarism. There are virtually
no errors in word formation, spelling or use of vocabulary. A wide range of
sentence structures and vocabulary is used eloquently.

10 – 12 The essay is well written. The essay is correctly paraphrased and

summarised. There appears to be no evidence of plagiarism. There may be rare
instances of errors in word formation or spelling, these are not intrusive. There
are occasional minor flaws in word formation or spelling but they do not impede
comprehensibility. The range of sentence structures and vocabulary is adequate
and effective.
7–9 The essay is generally average. The essay is reasonably paraphrased and
summarised. Though there is an attempt to summarise/paraphrase the
contention of the writer, some degree of plagiarism is obvious. There are
occasional minor flaws in word formation or spelling, but they do not impede
comprehensibility. The range of sentence structures and vocabulary is
noticeably limited in range, sometimes causing strain for the reader.
4 –6 The essay is generally inadequate. There is little attempt to paraphrase and
summarise the essay. The range of sentence structures and vocabulary is often
so inadequate that meaning may come through only after considerable effort by
the reader. There appears to be a considerable amount of plagiarism.

1–3 The language used is completely inadequate. There is no attempt to

summarise and paraphrase the author’s contention.The range of sentence
structures and vocabulary is often distorted and they impede comprehensibility.
There appears to be heavy plagiarism.