ISE Foundation
ISE Foundation – Basic exam information The ISE (Integrated Skills in English) Foundation (CEFR A2) exam is in four parts and assesses all four skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening. For more detailed information, please download the Guide for Students from www.trinitycollege.com/ISEfoundation.
Reading & Writing Exam format
Time: 2 hours • Task 1 (Long reading) – suggested timing: 20 minutes • Task 2 (Multi-text reading) – suggested timing: 20 minutes • Task 3 (Reading into writing) – suggested timing: 40 minutes • Task 4 (Extended writing) – suggested timing: 40 minutes Exam procedure: The reading exam: In the reading exam, you will complete the following tasks. Task 1 – Long reading: Read a text of about 300 words and answer 15 questions. Questions 1-5 – Title matching Questions 6-10 – Selecting the true statements Questions 11-15 – Completing sentences with a word or phrase from the text Task 2 – Multi-text reading: Read three texts with a total of about 300 words and answer 15 questions. One text is an infographic (diagram, plan, graph, map or drawing). Questions 16-20 – Multiple matching Questions 21-25 – Selecting the true statements Questions 26-30 – Completing summary notes from a bank of options Task 3 – Reading into writing A writing task (70-100 words) using prompts from the three texts in Task 2. You should include the three obligatory content points in your writing. There is space on the paper for planning but no marks are given for these notes. You must use as many of your own words as possible. The writing will be a descriptive essay, an article (magazine or online), an informal or neutral email (or letter) or a review. Task 4 – Extended writing A writing task (70-100 words) using a prompt. You should include the two obligatory content points in your writing. There is space on the paper for planning but no marks are given for these notes. You must use as many of your own words as possible. The writing will be a descriptive essay, an article (magazine or online), an informal or neutral email (or letter) or a review. The texts are simple and factual and talk about these subject areas: Subject areas for Reading & Writing
• Holidays • Shopping • School and work • Hobbies and sports • Food
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• Weekend and seasonal • Home life activities • Weather • Jobs • Free time • Places in the local area • Times and dates • Place of study • The natural world