Version 2







August 1998



Paul Fournier, Coordinator (André-Grasset)

Keith Boeckner (Limoilou)

Margaret Chell (Ahuntsic)

Lydia Froio (Maisonneuve)

Julia Lovatt (Saint-Félicien)

Ines Wilde (Lévis-Lauzon)





Language is tougher to evaluate than math or physics as, unlike these subjects, language yields many possibilities that are correct. The job of ESL teachers is made even tougher as in addition to determining which possibilities are correct, we must also consider what is acceptable, however incorrect, at each level of instruction. The one-page format prescribed by the Ministry of Education to describe the objectives and standards does not offer, in the view of many teachers, as much guidance as they feel they need. To supplement the Ministry's prescriptions, the sub-committee agreed on the ideas presented in this document in the hope that this work in progress will help teachers ask the right questions when their departments work on grids.

This document stems from a motion that was adopted unanimously at the January 16, 1997 meeting of the Comité d'enseignants d'anglais (langue seconde). The motion reiterated some recommendations made at the March 29, 1996 meeting (See the minutes for details.) Originally, our assembly was hoping for a handbook that would contain guidelines for the interpretation of the objectives and standards. After each assembly, I tabled our recommendation at the Comité-conseil de la formation générale (two representatives from the Ministry; five directeurs des études; two conseillers pédagogiques; and the four coordinators representing the formation générale teachers).

Our recommendation was rejected both times, always for the same reasons: 1) the Ministry simply refused to fund any guide pédagogique, as previously published ones usually ended up gathering dust rather than being used in the colleges; 2) the directeurs des études underscored that evaluation has always been and must remain a local concern, and as such no guidelines should be made available to teachers.

At our last meeting (January 30, 1998), the assembly once again noted "qu'il est essentiel d'arriver à un consensus entre les collèges, ainsi que parmi les collègues de chaque collège quant à l'interprétation des standards et objectifs."

At last, when I presented (February 1998) the idea to Comité conseil not as guidelines but rather as a "discussion" that would help the appropriation under the activités d'appropriation that the Ministry was willing to fund, the Comité conseil agreed that we would be doing something worthwhile. The Ministry thus funded two days of meetings of the sub-committee that was elected last May (some members were unable to attend, one substitute was added). In such a short time, the committee was able to work only on three courses, (currently known as 104, 101 and 102) and only on the writing component. The committee hopes that this work in progress will eventually be expanded upon to include all courses and more skills.

This document first presents a few ideas that the committee put in common, including an attempt to define the difference between high school English and college English. The document then presents for each level what our group has deemed representative of what a student should be able to do to deserve to pass. For each level, we have included written assignments, some of which are in the committee's view clear passes or clear fails, some of which are any teacher's nightmare, the borderline cases. Our judgment follows each composition.



This document, although funded by the Ministry of Education, is not an official document. The contents are not to be seen as guidelines.

This is a document by us and for us.



The document has two purposes:

These two considerations guided the work of the committee.



-Consult the French department at your college to look at their evaluation and writing format. See what can be linked to what you do.

-Give your evaluation criteria beforehand so that the students know what to expect and get used to editing and following guidelines.

-Allow the use of a dictionary and a grammar book.

-Do the final task in class.

-Allow preparation beforehand at the higher levels (102-103).

-Link your evaluations to what was done in the course (e.g. responding to a video or to texts).

-We teach in college, therefore, challenge the students to think. Assign tasks that require:

The task should require the students to use some of the verb tenses listed under standard 4.2.



Standard 4.1 Rédaction d'un texte clair et cohérent d'environ 200 mots, constitué de phrases complètes, sur un sujet familier.

-The overall message is understandable.

-One or two sentences may be unclear.

-The text sticks to the subject at hand, using relevant material.

-Almost all sentences are complete sentences.

-Appropriate paragraph organization should be encouraged but may be lacking. However, appropriate paragraphing must be mastered by the end of the formation propre course.

-"Familier" refers to material with which the students became familiar through course work and does not mean that it should be restricted to personal experience.



Standard 4.2 Application satisfaisante du code grammatical et orthographique avec une attention plus particulière à quelques modals et à des temps de verbe parmi les suivants: simple present et present continuous, simple past et past continuous, future.

-Frequent grammar and spelling mistakes.

-About half of the verb tenses listed are used correctly, although "to be" and "to have" are probably the most common ones.

-In borderline cases, check if some weaknesses can be compensated for by strengths.

-Some attempt to use English structures rather than translating structures from other languages. (e.g. my father's car instead of the car of my father; correctly used forms I have no talent for playing music)

104 SAMPLE 1

My friends are very important for me. The people important, to be listening to my problems, my feeling, my joy and pain. Are there when I have to need. Together they do the activity who we to permit from other to amuse and of to past good time. I have always somebody reliable who I can't to rely. With my friends, I talk of school, the job, my boyfriend... The summer, my friends and me, go in a campsite. The swimming, bicycle, volley-ball and beach, it' s very fun. When a friend to need help, the other friends are to its help. For my part, I find that the friends. Are very important for the fast as much as the old man in the life. We have need of friends for several reason. So they aren't present the friends, the person alone will have the problems on the occasion, because she not have person for itself distract. I consider the friends like something of very precious. (167 words -- 150-175 assigned)

COMMENTS: FAIL

Too many incomplete sentences.

Five or six of the sentences are relatively unclear.

The end of the session is almost here and I liked to talk the general points of cegep and secondary school

During a cegep, I found less difficult to study because I was not more prepare and I am studying in something that like. But the session request all our concentrate because this is more difficult than secondary school.

Also, I would like to talk the secondary school. During my youth I liked to go to secondary school because I could study or not study and I succeed always my courses. In addition, the secondary school is the better time because the evening you may to go out after studying whereas, in the session of the cegep you may to go out but the next day, you tired and we have going to a difficult to past a day.

This short text describes very well what my general points about the school. As you can see, a school will go fast and I am better to enjoy it as much as possible. (172 words)

COMMENTS: Borderline

The teacher should go back to work done during the year to make a decision.

Is it normal for a person who entertain people that he earn more than a person who save life? For me, it is very ridiculous that a baseball player earn more than a doctor for three things. First, to be a doctor, you have to do a lot of study. A baseball player have just to be able to run, catch and hit a ball with a bat. Everybody would be able to do this if they practice every days. Also, the job of doctor is to save life and cure people who are disease. The only aim of baseball player is to entertain people like other athletes in all sports. What is more important. To won the World Series or to operated and save a person who having an accident? The last point is the work hours. A doctor will be work ten hours with no breaks time when he do an operation and a baseball player work five hours but he don't active all the time. He are sat one time of two and when a ball comes to him, sometime he run or sometime he walk to catch them. He don't spen a lot of energy during a night of work. Finally, I know that a baseball player stop his career earlier than a doctor but he have no reason to earn more because his job are less important. (232 words)

COMMENTS: Borderline Pass

Verb forms are a problem. Good job of comparing ideas, good transitions, but no paragraphing. Teachers can ask themselves: Would this student gain anything by repeating the course? Does he have what it takes to pass the second course?

I can't live without a music in my mind, it's one of the more important think in my life, unfortunately I have no talent for writing or playing music.

For me the music each music correspond with a way of life. My favorit music correspond with the Saint-Germain-Les-Prés period, It's Brel, vian, Greco period. For them the life was loving, freinds around a cofe or a beer in a café till the end of the night. Unfortunatly this epoch is dead whit them, but not their music.

For each moment in my life and for all the situation I have a favorite type of music. For exemple the jazz with a good dinner, the folk-song of the 70's to drink a beer with freinds, the new-age to relaxing at the end of a working day etc.

The must interesting in the music are the facility you can have to trip what you want, discovered a new artist is like a trip in a new country or in a new place you never go. (178 words)

COMMENTS: Pass, in spite of the amount of French seeping through.

101 (Writing evaluation based on 300 words.)

The task should allow for a logical development of ideas and some measure of analysis. It should not merely be a description or a narration. It should lead the students to use a variety of verb tenses.



Standard 4.1 Rédaction d'un texte clair et cohérent d'environ 300 mots.

-Each key idea is easily understood although some sentences might not be understandable.

-The use of vocabulary is generally appropriate but there may be some errors.

-The topic is logically developed.

-The text is organized in paragraphs.

-Some transition markers are used, almost all of them correctly.



Standard 4.2 Application convenable du code grammatical et orthographique avec une attention plus particulère à quelques modals et à des temps de verbe parmi les suivants: simple present et present continuous, simple past et past continuous, present perfect, future.

-In general, among the verb tenses listed, the right verb tense is used in the right context.

-It would appear that the original requirement of no more than 1 mistake per 10 words is a valid indicator of the level. Among the ideas we agreed on:

For other mistakes, determine your own policy.

-If the number of mistakes exceeds the limit, see if there are compensating strengths.

101 SAMPLE 1

Recently, a poll have proved that several new drivers, who was beginning on the road, was imply in many cars accident. The main cause of their accidents, may was the lack of driving experience on the road. Consequently, the minimum age for new drivers, to obtain their learner's permit, should not be lowered to fourteen years old.

First, many cars accident imply several young drivers. The lack of driving experience was probably the main cause of their accidents. Most of the new drivers have not drive a car before, so they are more able to take risks on the road, eventhough sometimes they beleived that they was enough good to take the risk.

Second, for all of these reasons, I beleive that the minimum age for new drivers, to obtain their learner's permit, should not be lowered to fourteen years old. If many cars accident imply several new drivers, it will be a really big mistake to put younger drivers on the road.

In brief, the minimum age for new drivers, to obtain their learner's permit, should really not be lowered to fourteen years old, if we just don't want to have more accidents on the road than now.

(199 words - 200 assigned)

COMMENTS: Clear fail

Budget cuts to education

People who frequent shcool want to have a good education. Unfortunately the government cuts the budget in education. Since then, there's been a lot of disadvantages in education center.

First of all, students have less resources in school. For example, if a college needs new computers or needs the internet, they'll probably not get it because the government don't invest anymore in that king of project. So students don't have the information they want, on the other hand, they don't have the marks they could have because there's not enough information in their school.

Another disadvantage is that the teachers aren't as free as students wants. Before the government cuts, students had the possibility to see their teachers when they wanted to see them. But now, they are less disponible because the government pay them for six hours of free time so the teachers are available just in that six hours. For example, if you want to see your teacher the Monday morning because it's your only free time of the week and he isn't disponible, there's a good chance that you won't see him because he won't be paid for that. He can see you but he isn't obligeted to do it.

In conclusion, this budget cuts has a bad effect on almost every students. They don't have the resources they need and for that, they don't get the marks they wanted. It's sad because most of them work hard in school.

(243 words - 200 assigned)

COMMENTS: Borderline towards Pass

Look at work through the year.

Today, it's pratically impossible to don't know what it is. Most people can talk a minimum about that. It's Internet. Internet is not a new invention. It began approximately in 1960. Now, this system help a lot of students to make homeworks or searchs and gives the opportuniti to shy people to communicate.

First of all, Internet is a good way to search informations. For thousands of students, this potential world gives millions kinds of topics. For example, a student is working at home or in a CEGEP on a geography search but he can't find information about China. He only has to switch on a computer and he can go in all library around the world. Morevover, the Internet gives the chance to see what other students made about the China for their own homeworks.

Secondly, Internet gives the chance to shy people to communicate, to speak or to meet new friends. For a shy person, it's easy to make that because nobody can see him. When people are talking, we said they are "chatting" in a "chat". A chat is the place where people are speaking. In this chat, people can tell what really they think. They are no limits. However, many person don't tell the truth.

In conclusion, the Internet is a good thing. It gives all information we want and it gives the chance to meet people. The Internet is going to be in all housses in the world. I hope that.

(246 words - 200 assigned)

COMMENTS: Pass

In spite of the unclear start, which was an awkward attempt at drawing the attention, the composition is well-organized.

-The task should be intellectually demanding enough to allow students to defend a point of view; compare and contrast ideas; or analyze a problem. It should go beyond unsupported expressions of personal preference.

-It is preferable to assign some preparation before the final task (written or audio-visual documentation).



Standard 4.1 Texte clair et cohérent d'environ 400 mots comportant au moins trois idées distinctes liées logiquement entre elles.

-Each key idea is easily understood and almost all of the supporting ideas are clear.

-There is some variety in the choice and use of vocabulary and idiom.

-Occasional mistakes in vocabulary do not impede intelligibility.

-Each of the ideas is logically developed and supported with relevant information such as scientific or historical facts, studies, statistics, or quotations from suitable sources.

-Transition markers are used appropriately.



Standard 4.2 Application convenable du code grammatical et orthographique.

Standard 4.3 Utilisation généralement correcte des temps de verbe exigés par le contexte.

-There is a reasonable degree of accuracy. Although the proportion of mistakes may not significantly be lower than in 101, many errors come when more complex structures are used (e.g. computer's science teacher). Most errors due to mother tongue interference do not impede comprehension (e.g. the use of articles).



"Take more time for yourself, you look tired..." we heard this sentence frequently since the explosion of the baby-boomers on the work market since the late 1980. It is now a fact of our lives. In the developped countries (G7), people have less time to relax and to take care of theirself. The time is running out in our world. To be wealthcare, we have to be productive, on time with an agenda and a cell phone... We should slow down our life rhythm and think about this society who is freak about time. Technologies don't realy save time. It is just a tool that the humain gives him to accelerate his work; by doing this, we are blinding the real and great life.

First of all, the advencement of technologies was at the base to help our work and communication. But the intention of first inventors of new technologies and communication was not to see our society accelerate and have augmentation of cancer cause by stress at works or hard attack. This therm, stress, haven't exist before those new developpement. Yes it have bring us some help in our work, but it was not necessary because the bad side of this evolution is that we have new problems now. Has an example a young student at university or at cegep have to get a course in computing if he wants to put chances on his side. It is a new reality, technologies are part of essentiels skills to get a job. It will help you in your job but not necessarily good for your life habits.

Secondely, I think, in this way, that it's a typical cause and effect problem. On one side, we have grate development who help us to perform and evoluate, but it cleary affects the new generation and the culture who is getting down. Young kids who have the choice between watching television, playing "Nintendo" or reading a book, most of them will take the first choice. This new reality affects the young generation because she is less imaginative, creative and interest to hand work. Computer, internet, television, don't require a lot of work. Yes we have more diversity but the human contact and the quality of our life is less then it was.

Thirdly, in the 20th century, with the cold war, we assist to a real technologic development competition; they were only thinking about the good effect. There are also thinking that people would have more time for theirself and their family but it have gon the opposit way and our society is living at 140 on the highway and we don't know were are we going. That is not a very good effect...

In conclusion, the technologic developpements gave us some beautiful things, but it is all artificial we don't care about the tradition, old work, nature, calm and good life quality. Time is now a question of minutes and seconds It should be more a question of life time...I hope those idea will stay alive. (504 words)

Score on TCALS 98: 73

Secondary 5 English: 80%

COMMENTS: Fail. Good thinking but grammar, spelling and vocabulary need work.

Lack of time

Is lack of time a misconception used by people who will find the time to do what is of interest to them? In our actual society, there is so many things to do and everyone around you are all so in a hurry that you always have to do these things as soon as possible. It can't just be an invention, people really don't have time anymore.

First of all, the young people have to go to school every weekdays, so that takes the majority of their time. Then, once you're an adult, you still have to go to work every weekdays. Just with this, it takes a lot of time during the life of someone and that means less time to do something else. Overall, once you're done with your whole day and you're at home, you still have work to do. In addition to this, a person has to go to bed earlier to be able to get up in the following morning and to be on form to be able to do what she has to do at school or at work, so that's mean that she can't do all the thing she would like to do during the evening.

Secondly, once you're an adult, you have a lot of things to do. You have to get a job because you have all the bills to pay, you often have children and they take the rest of your free time because they always need the attention of their parents because they are too young to do everything by their own. Even for a student, this problem can happen. A lot of student have to work to have some money to be able to pay their college or university or even to pay their housing. But for these student, who have to study in the same time and to do homework, the time goes really fast. With all these things to do, no matter if someone is young or old, there's nothing surprising about the fact that people says there is a lack of time in their life. Anyway, those people usually don't even have the time to do what is of interest to them. They pass all their time to work, to give their attention to their kids and to raise money for their own living and for their family.

We may conclude in saying that we live in a society that don't have time anymore. Everything has to be done too fast and everyone is in a hurry. Lack of time is a real problem and the only way we can do something is by convince people that we have to take our time to live our life correctly and maybe more slowly. (457 words)

TCALS 98: 70

Secondary 5 English: 80%

COMMENTS: Fail.

Not enough ideas: repetitive and overlapping, as such composition lacks coherence as well.

The society has been thrue a lot of changes in our actual century, there has been the wheel, electricity, the whole informatic world and many more. Many people think that technology can save our time but some believe that it makes us work a lot more.Technologie has a positive impact and a negative one at the same time.

First of all, technology can save people's time in their work , therefore the productivity of the workers in the factories is better, due to the machinery, because it takes less time to do a lot more of work that if there was not any machinery . Technology can also save time when there is some polls ; computers can quickly have the results just by pushing a button. It is also very necessary in the comptability.

Second of all , technology can make the society work more . Many domains in the technology is new , as a result of work offered in the research . The raise of work opportunity in the communication has increased during the last decade , therefore many compagnies has become bigger . Technology has also offered work in the schools by needing new computer's science teachers.

Third of all , technology has a positive impact and a negative impact at the same time .The computer can help the students with their school's work by offering Internet, CD-ROM, etc. But it can have a negative impact because the students can have less of tendancy to go to the library to take an encyclopedia or some books to do their work , it is also very easy to cheat for their homework , consequently the students become more lazy. Althougt the technology can save people's time , it can also take away people's work , for example employers will replace their employees by machines to rehauss their productivity , as a result of unemployment because all the employees are replaced by a machine .New technology can also have a negative point because of the fraud , for example a lot of it is done by the computer , buggler can still some credit card's numbers consequently many people don't trust the technology completely . Fraud is also done with the cellular phones. It also has a high risk of errors , for example computers can do a lot of errors with comptability , inventary , etc.

To conclude, technology has been very important in our decade , we have heard of something new every week. It can save time our time , make us work more and has a negative and positive impact at the same time. Who knows what the inventorss will offer us in twenty years to save our time ? (434 words)

TCALS 98: 78

Secondary 5 English: 85%

COMMENTS: Borderline, most teachers see it as a Fail.

No vocabulary research has gone in (looks like an assignment done at the last minute). The introduction tells the reader that the wheel was invented in the 20th century. No apparent focus in the arguments retained. The idea of fraud is hard to link with the topic. Look for redeeming features in previous work to see if course = Pass.

What limits should there be to made-to-order babies?

On year 2000's eve, researches in modern science have reached new levels of discovery which represent a small view of what futur years will come with. Effectively, with technology that allows selection before fertilisation, scientists might be tempted to design babies with pre-determined characteristics. Of course, this new biological discovery may seem to be the cure to many problems in our present society, but, what limits should there be to made-to-order babies?

First, I must say that scientists should use this process to illiminate important genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis, muscular distrophy, haemophilia and many others. To begin with, stopping the development of genetic deseases would, without any doubts, bring to human race a better life quality. In fact, for many families, young and old people, the stress often caused by these kinds of life confrontations would probably tend to diminish a lot by using that new science discovery. Also, the illimination of genetic deseases would certainly drop help care costs such as drugs and hospitalisation costs. As a result, the government and the entire population would have more money to invest in other important fields such as poverty and environmental problems. Therefore, I think scientists should not go further than this step.

Secondly, I believe we should never start letting parents choose the sex of their children and this, for many good reasons. Actually, starting to choose this important human aspect would probably unbalance the fifty-fifty distribution of men and women population. Unfortunately, that let us thinking that the birth rate, on a long period of time, would considerably decrease due to the lack of a specific sex. Consequently, the situation would probably change radically the life habits and needs of the population which maybe means more expenses for the governments.

Last of all, I think that pre-determining the characteristics of someone should never be an occasion to touch or change physical and intelligence aspects of human race. In fact, starting to choose what we want our progenitures to be like (hair and eyes colour, intelligence...) would probably create a total uniform society, where people would perform equaly and look like the same. In fact, we would begin to act just like robots and automatons. As a result, that wouldn't let any place for hazards and surprises in our everyday life.

In conclusion, I would say that our society isn't ready yet to use the discovery which can pre-determined human characteristics such as the sex, physical and intelligence aspects. In fact that would let us with a very boring world. However, I still think that using it in a proper way like the illimination of genetic deseases would be very good for our society. (452 words)

TCALS 98: 78; Secondary 5 English: 93% COMMENTS: Pass.