Answers and Discussion
- How did you begin this task?
One way to begin this task would be to skim through the passage in order to get a general idea of what it is about, then to read the first statement carefully, and then scan the passage for related material. You could then compare the statement and the passage carefully, to check whether they agree or disagree.
In the case of statements which are ‘not given’, there will usually be an area of text where one might expect the agreement or disagreement to occur, so that it should not be necessary to check the entire passage to establish the lack of information.
- Did you note key words in the statements that you could check?
This will help you to locate the area of the passage containing the answer. Of course, it is also important to think of the meaning of the given statement as a whole.
- Did the key words appear in any part of the passage enabling you to answer the question?
Most probably the passage offered a paraphrase confirming or denying the statement. In the case of a ‘not given’ answer, you probably located an area of the passage dealing with the topic of the statement and were able to establish that nothing was said to confirm or deny the statement.
- Did the areas containing the answers appear in order in the passage?
The areas containing the answers will be in order in the passage, so that students should not need to keep returning to the beginning of the passage to check each statement. Even in the case of ‘not given’ statements, the information that relates to the topic of the statement will occur in order.
- What skills did you use to complete this task?
You probably found that you needed to locate the relevant area as quickly as possible, to distinguish fact from opinion, and to read the passage carefully to check whether it confirmed or contradicted the statement, or whether it did neither.
- How can you help your students to develop these skills?
Practice for this task type could involve scanning exercises concentrating both on speed and accuracy; exercises which make the student aware of the differences between opinion and fact; and easy exercises which accustom the student to the idea of Yes/No/Not Given.
