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Home > Italian > Continuers' Course > How to Approach the Exam > Advice > How to approach the exam: writing

Preparing for the exam
In the exam
What the markers are looking for

 

Preparing for the exam

To prepare for this section of the exam you should:

• read widely in Italian
• learn from your mistakes
• practise regularly.

Read widely in Italian. As you read a wide range of texts and text types you will notice the different features of these text types.

As you read, analyse the different text types. What features distinguish a letter from an essay, an interview from an editorial etc?

Note down interesting phrases, new vocabulary and facts that you will later be able to incorporate into your writing.

Carefully go over work handed back by your teacher. If you don't understand why something has been marked out, ask your teacher. Keep all your work in a folder and read over earlier pieces to see how much progress you have made. Check that you are not still making the same mistakes.

Practise regularly. Write in Italian as much as you can. Correspond with an Italian friend by letter or e-mail. Get into the habit of always planning your work and putting effort into it. When unsure, check words in a dictionary.

Practise writing under exam conditions by giving yourself a time limit in which to complete a task.

In the exam

Read the questions carefully and select the one(s) for which you are best prepared.

Jot down a rough plan of your response. This will help give your writing direction and structure.

Try to include a variety of appropriate and relevant phrases. Avoid regurgitating irrelevant phrases that you have learned off by heart and intend to use regardless of the question.

Avoid copying sections from the reading and responding section of the paper.

Keep your answers accurate and interesting. Avoid being overly ambitious and attempting complex structures that are beyond your level of Italian. Stick to phrases that you can express confidently.

Avoid bizarre or excessively humorous situations. Humour can be very difficult to translate into another language and often falls flat.

Make your cultural references authentic.

Keep to the required word length. If you exceed the suggested length by a significant number of words you will increase your chances of making mistakes. You will also use time that could be devoted to another section of the paper.

Check through your answer at the end. Ensure that you have been consistent with register and that your language is appropriate for the context, purpose and audience. Have a mental checklist of things to look for, for example:

• Have you used correct word order?
• Have you used the correct agreement?
• Have you used the correct verb form?
• Could you use synonyms to avoid repetition?
• Have you used an appropriate level of language for the context?

Never translate word for word from English. Get into the habit of thinking in Italian.

What the markers are looking for

• Content, relevant to the task.
  
  
• Accuracy, knowledge and correct use of grammar and language structures.
  
  
• Range of appropriate vocabulary related to the task/topic.
  
  
• Range of grammatical structures.
  
  
• Ability to follow conventions of text type.
  
  
• Ability to structure and sequence ideas logically and coherently.
  
  
• Level of language appropriate to content, purpose and audience.
  
  
• Fluency, your answer should flow naturally.
  
  
• Authenticity, your writing should read like Italian, not a direct translation from English.