Mina Tamura's Blog

We had two assessments in 4th week and will have other two more assessments in 5th week. 

About writhing assessment in 4th week, I think that I did not bad. Before the day of the test, I was a little bit nervous thinking about failing. The practice test was not so bad, but it made me more anxious. I imagined that it was thanks to just the essay question was easy for me, I could come up with logical conclusion soon. I wondered that if essay question would be difficult for me.  On the other hand, I think that I prepared well for writing assessment. I read the texts carefully, took notes with paraphrasing, summarising and images. Moreover, I asked tutors about what I could not understand and be sure. During the exam, I made a good plan and felt comfortable. I made a mistake about time management because of the too much comfortableness. I am not satisfied with my essay even I could plan well because I could not express fully in writing.  Thus I thought that it is dangerous to relax too much.  I will try to be tense moderately.

In terms of listening assessment, I had thought that I did not have something to prepare, because we could not expect the content of the test. However, I was told to practice listening using the resources on moodle, podcast and so on in tutorial. Thus, I got podcast on my phone and tried to listen some of them and lectures on moodle everyday at least 10minutes.  Moreover, based on analysing about practice listening exams, I decided to try to listen to the lecture and understand what speaker is talking rather than to take notes during the exam because even I could write down lots of things, they do not make sense if I do not understand. Especially, understanding example helps me to grasp general idea and answer questions. Thinking back from now, I could listen to the lecture being conscious of this point. However, I noticed that I am poor at listening the worst in four skills during watching a movie. I could understand what characters were saying thanks to English subtitle. The vocabulary used in the movie was not so difficult, but they spoke so fast. That is why I could not  listen. In addition, I awoke  that I could not understand what people talking even I could listen every single word during listening to podcast. Thus I need to train to get used to listen in native English speakers speed and to understand quickly.

In 5th week, we will have reading assessment and speaking assessment. I am not so worried about both of them, because I am not so bad at reading rather than listening and I experienced presentation many times since when I was a high school student. In addition, I read book in English everyday. Unless I will stay up late before the day of the reading test, I do not need to be nervous so much. However, I will go to London on Sunday and Monday. It may be late to come back to my accommodation on Monday. About presentation, we must have enough time to prepare. I am sure that we can make good presentation. Then if practice to perform numerous times, we can also present perfectly. I think that memorising script is essential. Thus I prefer to finish making presentation earlier. The thing that I am anxious is that I cannot decide what I will present in presentation and the time will past during thinking. So I am happy if I could know the theme of presentation.

This week, we had three exams; writing on Tuesday, listening part1 on Wednesday, listening part2 on Friday.

In writing assessment, I tried to be careful not to make same mistakes  as last practice test., especially, introduction and conclusion. However, I did not have enough time to write completely. I spent a hour to plan essay and write introduction and first body paragraph. I thought that I could write better introduction than last one. I included background information and importance of the essay based on reading in introduction. In first body paragraph, I tried to explain each points carefully as using examples from reading. After second body paragraph, I rushed finishing writing because I had only thirty minutes.  for two paragraphs. Thus I am not satisfied with last two paragraphs. I could not write limitation, even though I came up with idea. I learned that I need manage time.

On Wednesday, we had first part of listening test. In the assessment, I tried to listen carefully as much as possible, understand them, and write down quickly not to miss information, because I always missed much information because of taking note in the practice. However, I missed some numbers which were told last part of the lecture. Almost all of us had not expected that important information was introduced in such timing. 

 

 

In third week, we had a tutorial, which we could get advices from our tutors about exams last week. I could pass all of the exams. However, the feedback of writing exam was worse than I had expected. As I wrote the feedback of second week, I thought that I did it well thanks to reading, understanding and paraphrasing the texts. I could answer the essay question and give evidence using the reading of the texts. On the other hand, introduction and conclusion in my essay were too short. Actually, thinking back now, I did not have enough time to consider them during test time. I spent almost all time to plan essay and write body paragraphs. Moreover, I was told that it would be better to break down positive side and negative side of genetic engineering in ethical aspect in different paragraphs. When I was said that first, I thought that I did not have to do because I had intended that I had included three negatives and a positive in a paragraph as I had learned, and made one more paragraph about practical aspects of genetic engineering. However, after Katarzyna explained I was persuaded, it was exactly easy to understand if the paragraph was divided. In addition, I was pointed out the understanding about the author’s opinion. It was said that normal childbirth is dangerous, but ethical and legal way(Mclachlan, 2015).  Then I understood that it insisted that genetic engineering is unethical and illegal way. In the essay, I did not write this explanation but the understanding. When I told Claire it, she said it was better, but not author’s conclusion. I learned that I have to explain in detail and try to use author’s concluding opinion. We have a writing assessment on Tuesday. I try to use that I learned.

There was a practice for listening exam on Tuesday. I could follow what was talking about along slides which were on the handout. However, it was difficult to listen, understand, and take notes at the same time. At first, I wandered why I could not do it even I take notes everyday as preparation for next day through Moodle video. Looking back, I noticed that that is why I always stop these video when I cannot understand and take notes. I decided to try not to stop movies to understand and write down.

We had a practice for writing exam on Wednesday. I was nervous about it because I was told that we cannot know the essay question until the exam start. Thus, I tried to understand the texts as much as possible on Tuesday.  Thanks to the effort, it was not so difficult to write than I had imagined. I learned the importance of preparation.

We practiced the group discussion and gave comments each other on Friday. Natsuki gave me an advice. She said that if I ask questions for members and changing the topic accurately, the discussion may develop. Haruna did it exactly. I will try to observe her and steal her methods.

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