Abstract:

The present paper focuses on revealing and analyzing the peculiarities of texts for reading based on international ESL exam demo-papers. In particular, the authors aim at covering the linguistic features of the texts in question. The topic is relevant to be researched in-depth as very few works offer the thorough scientific study of academic discourse in which exam discourse is considered as its component. As a result, it will make possible to study texts of the British certified English exam from the linguistic point of view, which, in turn, will help to improve and facilitate training of students for the international ESL exam in reading.

In the article the authors provide the accurate description of the English academic discourse and give the structural up-to-date analysis of texts for reading from international ESL exam demo-papers.

The current research is carried out in terms of cognitive-pragmatic approach. The authors use the methods of discourse analysis and the descriptive research method.

The results of the analysis reveal that texts for reading from international ESL exam demo-papers can be referred to as micro-texts. They are characterized by such features as integrity, coherence, semantic completeness and independence, conciseness, situational awareness, communicative and pragmatic function. Moreover, these texts serve as the main accessible criterion to see in proper perspective if there is the candidate’s understanding of complete texts in certain speech situations.

The authors conclude that British exam discourse has some specific character that includes national and linguo-cultural aspects. This idea is proved by a number of verbal and non-verbal markers which are systematically organized. All this is taken into account when compiling or selecting texts for the international ESL exam and when training students for taking the exam.

Thus, the conducted extensive research highlights that the exam type of the text is to be considered as a special type of micro-texts which have its particular system and linguistic construction. The results of the study can be used in the process of training students for the exam, formative assessment of students’ progress in reading, in students’ unsupervised study and self reflection.

Keywords:

Academic discourse, micro-text, demo-paper, international ESL exam.