A COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE iTEP GRADING CRITERIA

• INTRO
• TABLE OF GRADING SCALE
• INDIVIDUAL SCORES
• CRITERIA FOR SPEAKING AND WRITING.

On the first day of an iTEP preparation class, one of the important things students need to know is how many points they need to get in each individual skill so that they get the grade which they want.  In this article, we are going to look at the marks required in each skill to get the level of proficiency that you want.

First of all, the grading criteria used here has been obtained from iTEP preparation books, an iTEP expert from Ecuador who runs an iTEP preparation and examination center and results from several students who have sat the exam in the recent past. 

From the image above, the scores range from A1 which is the beginner level to C2 also called the mastery level. Another critical observation is that from one level to another there is a difference of 1 so this stresses the importance of putting in the best effort because a variance of 1 can be the difference between a student getting a B2 or a C1.

HOW INDIVIDUAL SCORES ARE CALCULATED

Individual scores are calculated by Getting the points from that skill, divided by the total points, multiplied by 6. 

Mathematically is looks like this.

For instance if you get 19 points in grammar,

HOW MANY POINTS DO YOU NEED IN EACH SKILL TO GET THE SCORE YOU NEED ?

With the exception of Speaking and Writing which are graded qualitatively, other parts of the exam like Grammar, Listening and Reading have well defined grades that can help you understand the number of points you need to obtain the level of proficiency you are looking for.

SPEAKING AND WRITING GRADING CRITERIA

Speaking and Writing are assessed differently when compared with Grammar,Listening and Reading.

Both parts are evaluated using four parameters i.e

a)Accuracy and appropriateness

b)Grammar

c)Vocabulary

d)Development of the idea

Let’s look into what each of these means.

a)Accuracy and appropriateness

The examiner will evaluate whether

1.You have answered the question that has been asked.

2.You have used suitable language required to respond to the questions asked. This is also called register which examines the formality or informality of your response as per the context of the question.

b)Grammar

When the examiner is evaluating your answer with respect to grammar, two things are key

1.Whether grammar has been used correctly

2.Wheter you have used a range of grammatical structures. To get a good score you have to use not only one but a range of different kinds of grammar.

c) Vocabulary

Under this parameter, they will assess your writing or speaking response on three things

1.Whether you have used the required topic specific words to communicate your answer.

2.You have varied your language without too much repetition and redundancy. Variation also means employing both high level and low level words so that your response is clear both to the beginner and proficient user of English.

Important to mention here is that a bit of sophistication is required but without being too complex to the point of confusing the examiner with fancy and flowery language because your answer is assessed based on your ability to communicate.

d) Development of the idea.

This is where the examiner analyses the way your response is crafted. A well developed response should have a beginning, the gist and comes to a conclusion( For Speaking and Writing Part 2)The examiner will evaluate whether

1.Your response has a  clear stand(opinion) on the issues you are discussing.

2.Your answer has a well grounded explanation and example to support your opinion.

3.Your response comes to a clear conclusion after having discussed the topic.

Succeeding in the iTEPexam will be determined by many factors one of them being the ability to have a clear objective about how many points you need to get the level of proficiency that you want and this can only be achieved by having a clear understanding of the iTEP Grading Criteria.