Past event II

LAKMA Exam SIG in cooperation with Baltic Examination Board organised a seminar„Common Features of the Assessment Criteria of PTE General and State English Exam (VBE)“, which took place in Klaipėda „Vėtrungės“ Gymnasium on November 10th, 2014. Presentations were given by Pearson Test of English (PTE) General Assessor Trainer Marija Klečkovska and Baltic Examination Board Chairperson Eglė Kesylienė. 100 teachers of English representing Klaipeda and its region educational institutions actively participated in the event.

The seminar focused on the assessment criteria of different parts of the examination, mainly on its writing assignment. Various practical tasks were given to the participants to analyze how the content of the spoken part of the examination could help to prepare students for VBE Spoken test, how these two exams are different and how the assessment criteria are similar. The participants also had to evaluate some of the candidates’ papers  in order to see the alignment of the descriptors to CEF. The final session was based on some practical tips and ideas on how the examination tasks could be integrated into the lesson.

Later, the case study on the preference for international exams was presented based on the research data collected from authorized test centres in Lithuania. The advantages of international certification were discussed as well as recommendations provided on how students can benefit from that.

Rotas bookshop offered an impressive selection of teaching materials and Pearson Education contributed with very valuable prizes for raffle. The participants were awarded with the certificates and gave very positive feedback for the  organisers of the event.