BEST Test of English Proficiency - website

第三部分：整合式寫作
Part III: Writing an Integrated Essay


請依據下列指示寫一篇約120–150字的文章，建議作答時間30分鐘。
Read the following prompt and write a short essay using approximately 120–150 words. You should spend about 30 minutes on this task.

In class, your professor presents the two figures on the next page during her talk on "open-book exams"--that is, exams where students are allowed to bring notes and reference books.

She then gives you an assignment on the following topic:

Should open-book exams be encouraged in universities?

In the assignment, you should write a short essay in which you

1. summarize the main points shown in the two figures;
2. state your own opinion on the topic, using the information from the two figures as well as citing examples from your own experience.

Figure 1. Students' views on open-book exams
Note: The results are based on survey responses from 850 university students.

Figure 2. Professors' reasons for giving open-book exams
Note: The results are based on survey responses from 125 professors.

以下範文獲得B2+，範文末附上具體賞析（請見標號1-3）；另，也提供調整建議，以利全篇文章更為流暢（請見標號4）。​

Students and professors both have their own takes of how open-book exams affect themselves and their views of their benefits of it. ➊On the information sheet are two types of charts. The first one is a bar chart presenting the students' views on open book exams. The second one is a pie chart illustrating the professors' reasons for giving open-book exams.​

Let us talk about the first chart, the student's views on open-book exams. According to this chart, 66% of the students stated that the open-book exam method caused them to lose their time on just looking for answers. Next, 60% of the students feel that by doing open-book exams, it felt like just how much it is relatable to how the real-world experience works. The lowest percentage was that for the increased risk of plagiarism, which only 20% of the students considered a problem. Aside from that, not many students voted for the benefit of the method which is letting the students access deeper knowledge and skills which only 45% students voted for.​

To put into contradictory to students survey result, the professors seems to give most positive results to the reasons why they applied open-book exams as a method to test their students. ➍The highest response which covers 33% of the chart stated that the professors want to promote critical thinking for the students. ➋29% of the response stated that they want to allow students to learn more deeply, while reducing student pressure was the least popular option, at only 13%.​​

In summary, the students view the method as time consuming but could be applied or relate to the real world experience, less on to access their deeper knowledge and skills, while professors view the method to actually access their critical thinking and less on reducing students pressure. What is important as the reason to do so for the professors, it is certainly not too important and applicable for the students.​

➌In my opinion, the open-book exams should be encouraged at the right time and in the right manner. Students should be encouraged to remember and understand concepts and then be tested on how to apply the concepts. This could help them to think critically and become good problem solvers.​

By opening books and taking references and answers from it, students can get the benefit on how the authors view concepts and then analyze it then apply it, giving them more source of information to discover the truth and answers without being limited to what they have had remembered. However, "right manner" means that this method should not cause the students to be lazy and only rely on the book as the source. Only to seek answers without understanding any concepts should not be the goal for this method.​

That is why the method has to be used in an appropriate manner and timing so that students can actually benefit from it.​

賞析：
本作品符合題目兩點要求，能清楚說明圖文內容重點，針對開卷考試的使用時機及目的提供詳盡說明。文章整體通順，連接詞及轉折詞使用恰當。語法雖偶有錯誤，但無礙表達。​

• 清楚陳述圖表資料。
  ➊ On the information sheet are two types of charts. The first one is a bar chart presenting the students' views on open book exams. The second one is a pie chart illustrating the professors' reasons for giving open-book exams.​
• 語法與句型富於變化。
  ➋ 29% of the response stated that they want to allow students to learn more deeply, while reducing student pressure was the least popular option, at only 13%.
• 充分表達觀點，並提出佐證強化論述。
  ➌ In my opinion, the open-book exams should be encouraged at the right time and in the right manner. Students should be encouraged to remember and understand concepts and then be tested on how to apply the concepts. This could help them to think critically and become good problem solvers.

建議：
然而，為讓本作品表達更為流暢、語意更為連貫，文字可再稍作調整，以下舉例說明：​​

• 使用非限定用法的關係子句，須用「逗點隔開」。
  ➍ The most popular response, which covers 33% of the chart, stated that the professors want to promote critical thinking for the students.