Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1198140
maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 8 JANUARY 2020 4 NEWS JAMES DEBONO EXAMINERS have reported "a gradual but steady reduction" in the percentage of candidates who excel in English at Advanced Level over the last few years, but also noted a marked improvement in spoken English. While the percentage of candidates awarded a pass mark (A to E) has re- mained the same as the previous year, the number of candidates awarded a Grade A to Grade C has sharply declined. The report shows that only 37% of stu- dents managed to obtain a grade between A and C in last May's exam compared to 44% in 2018 and 43% in 2017. A total of 743 candidates registered for the English A level exam in 2018. Of those, 9% did not even turn up for the exam. The examiners point out that these re- sults cannot be blamed on the instruc- tion received for the A-Level but must be studied "in the context of the education system and social environment that de- veloped the candidates' English language skills prior to that". "The reduction in A-C percentages makes us question whether enough is being done to allow more students to achieve excellence in English", the report concludes. The major decline from 2018 was in the percentage of candidates who obtained a grade C (29.1% in 2019, that is, 6.4% few- er than the 35.5% of 2018). Nonetheless, while the percentage of candidates obtaining an A or a B (8.2%) in this year's sitting was similar to that of last year (8.1%), the examiners also noted a clear downward trend in performance in the higher brackets over the last five years. This was evident when compar- ing this year's results with the percentage of candidates obtaining A or B in 2017 (11%); 2016 (12.3%); 2015 (14.3%), 2014 (15%). This represents a gradual shift down- wards of almost 7% between 2014 and 2019 in the percentage of candidates achieving an A or a B. There was no change in the total per- centage of candidates who obtained a grade between A and E, that is obtained a Pass in the exam. But the examiners and markers of the different components of the exam re- ported that this year's performance by the candidates was 'average to weak' and that this continues to indicate a downward trend in the candidates' performance in the exam over the last five years. The examiners highlighted a number of problems which include the inaccu- rate use of written English. Many litera- ture essays did not even respond to the question set or attempted "to repackage rehearsed material in ways that are not relevant to the rubric". They also reported "weak to very weak critical skills" and poor descriptive and narrative skills in the language essay component. Candidates speaking fluent English The "only welcome exception" to this trend was the candidates' performance in the oral exams, which was not only generally 'very good to excellent' but also significantly better than that in any of the previous years in which the Oral was part of the Advanced English exam in its cur- rent format. The results in the Oral component showed an increased mastery in speaking skills. All candidates prefer Othello and Owen The exam includes a literature compo- nent. Interestingly, in the Shakespeare section, all candidates sitting for the exam opted for Othello and none chose Julius Caesar or The Tempest. In the poetry section none of the candi- dates chose the works of Emily Dickinson or John Keats. In this case all candidates opted for Wilfred Owen. In the novel section, the overwhelming majority opted for Margaret Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale' and Ian McE- wan's 'Atonement'. None opted for Eve- lyn Waugh's 'A Handful of Dust'. Political essays attract best replies The most popular language essay (cho- sen by 25% of candidates) was 'A moment I will remember for the rest of my life'. Essays in response to this question were, "in the main, chatty and discursive with very few attempts that were above average". The second most popular essay was about the ways technology affects the way human beings communicate (20%). Examiners noted "a general lack of gen- eral and cultural knowledge" which re- stricted the response of the majority to repetitive arguments. The third most popular essay asked stu- dents whether politics should be part of a student's compulsory education (12%). According to the examiners this ques- tion attracted more candidates with criti- cal writing ability than any other. Some students "produced balanced, well-con- structed essays that were full of convic- tion and reason, underpinning strong language skills". The least popular of the eight essays topics was the one with the topic 'The vil- lage feast' which was only chosen by 5% of candidates. Examiners note "steady reduction" in students excelling in English Report finds welcome exception in students' positive performance in oral examination KURT SANSONE MALTA will receive increased support from the European Asylum Support Office this year when dealing with mi- grant reception issues, the agency said. In its operational plan for 2020, EASO will double its support for Malta and oth- er frontline Mediterranean states. The plan was agreed last month and for the first time will see the European agency provide support at reception level through the deployment of Vulnerability Officers to help authorities better man- age migrant arrivals. "EASO personnel will sup- port work on vulnerabil- ity through the deployment of Vulnerability Officers and technical support on recep- tion, including age assessment procedures. EASO will not, however, be involved in direct support for the management of reception centres," the agency said. The agency will continue to support the Maltese authori- ties with ad hoc disembarka- tions and voluntary reloca- tions. In an assessment carried out last year, EASO found that as a result of increased arrivals the Maltese asylum and recep- tion system is facing increased pressure. This has resulted in delays and was straining current ca- pacity and resources across a number of areas, including registration of applications for international protection, first- instance determination and the Dublin procedure, second-instance determina- tion, and reception. According to the Home Af- fairs Ministry between January and October 2019 sea arrivals more than doubled compared to the previous year, with 1,445 migrants recorded in 2018 and 3,115 in 2019. "The volume of applications showed a similar picture, with 1,890 applications for interna- tional protection lodged dur- ing the first seven months of 2019, which was 83% higher than the level recorded during the same period in 2018. Ac- cordingly, the average number of monthly applications in- creased from 148 to 270," the EASO said in its assessment on Malta. The European agency said that up to 2,000 personnel will be deployed in Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Malta in 2020. EASO's operational deploy- ments will double in size, with up to 550 personnel deployed in Greece, 150 in Italy, 120 in Cyprus and 60 in Malta. European asylum agency to double support for Malta The European Asylum Support Office's operational plan for Malta will see the agency offer increased technical support to the authorities when dealing with migrant arrivals