Research findings lay bare the challenges facing EAL students when it comes to examinations. Deborah Owen presents some practical preparation approaches and ideas, many of which may benefit all pupils, not only those with EAL

Preparing learners for exams is, of course, a priority for all teachers. However, this can be a particular challenge with learners who speak English as an additional language (EAL) if they are new arrivals who may be unfamiliar with the English education system or are new to English.

Research has demonstrated that:

Two key questions therefore are:

So, how to support learners in gaining the knowledge and skills for success in exams?

Having a well-developed vocabulary in the subject area is vital. Vocabulary-size has been shown to be a key indicator of success for EAL pupils. Cameron (2002) found that EAL students who have had on average 10.5 years in English-medium education showed some gaps in their knowledge of the most frequent words and had more serious problems understanding less frequent words. This has important implications for educational achievement. Exposure to academic language is crucial for increasing the breadth of learners’ vocabulary. Some practical ideas include:

Register now, read forever

Thank you for visiting SecEd and reading some of our content for professionals in secondary education. Register now for free to get unlimited access to all content.

What's included:

  • Unlimited access to news, best practice articles and podcast

  • New content and e-bulletins delivered straight to your inbox every Monday and Thursday

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here