Volume 12 - Issue 63
/ March 2023
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http:// www.amazoniainvestiga.info ISSN 2322- 6307
DOI: https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2023.63.03.16
How to Cite:
Tarasiuk, N., Podplota, S., Kaluzhska, L., & Osets’ka, N. (2023). Civil engineering students’ English language lexico-grammatical
competence formation in reading. Amazonia Investiga, 12(63), 175-187. https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2023.63.03.16
Civil engineering students’ English language lexico-grammatical
competence formation in reading
Формування англомовної лексико-граматичної компетентності студентів
будівельних спеціальностей в читанні
Received: March 3, 2023 Accepted: April 29, 2023
Written by:
Nataliia Tarasiuk1
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4514-6911
Svitlana Podplota2
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5184-9907
Liliia Kaluzhska3
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5833-7779
Nataliia Osets’ka4
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9568-7225
Abstract
The current study compared two instructional
approaches to supporting reading comprehension
and lexico-grammatical competence in
instruction of English for Specific Purposes for
Civil Engineering students. The first
instructional approach was structured according
to students’ content domain knowledge, using
sketch construction technical drawings and
information, and included simultaneous learning
of different language structures in each content
topic. The second instructional approach was
systematically structured according to language
domains and included step by step mastering of
various language topics. Both instructional
approaches incorporated principles of a
communicative-cognitive approach, such as
informational transfer and reflection as a
metacognitive strategy. The samples of reflection
tasks exemplify the reflection principle to
showcase students’ robust metacognitive
awareness. Over 6 months, students completed
assignments which embedded the use of one of
the instructional approaches in the spotlight of
above mentioned principles. Results
demonstrated the efficiency of the content
domain approach over that of the language
domain approach. Thus, the content domain
1
Ph.D (Pedagogy), Associate Professor of the Foreign Languages Department, National University of Water and Environmental
Engineering, Rivne (Ukraine).
2
PhD (Pedagogy), Senior Lecturer of the Department of Methodology of Teaching Germanic Languages, Bogdan Khmelnitsky
Melitopol state pedagogical university, Melitopol (Ukraine).
3
PhD (Philology), Associate Professor of the Department of Germanic Philology at Bogdan Khmelnytsky Melitopol State
Pedagogical University, Melitopol (Ukraine).
4
Senior lecturer, National University of Water and Environmental Engineering, Rivne, (Ukraine ).
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approach, which is conceptually similar to
interleaved practice, fosters lexico-grammatical
competence acquisition in reading on the basis of
the sketch construction project.
Keywords: lexico-grammatical competence,
civil engineers, the sketch construction project,
content domain , language domain.
Introduction
The problem of forming foreign language lexical
and grammatical competencies, taking into
account the profession of students, has long been
in the center of attention of researchers studying
the process of learning foreign language
vocabulary by students of non-language
institutions of higher education (Bolton & Jenks,
2022; Bhatia, 2022; Cigan & Kordic, 2013;
Tarnopolsky, 1993). Thus, Tarnopolsky, O.
(Tarnopolsky,1993) explained that whereas
students in language departments focus on
understanding the English language as a
linguistic system, students studying English for
specific purposes in non-language departments
rely on their existing knowledge of their content
domain, and have a more instrumental approach,
seeing English as a tool for achieving their
professional goals. Bolton, K. (Bolton & Jenks,
2022) and Bhatia, V. (Bhatia, 2022) further
emphasized the importance of developing a deep
understanding of English for specific purposes to
allow students to better understand nuances in
professional settings. Relatedly, Cigan, V.
(Cigan & Kordic, 2013) investigated gains in
proficiency of students enrolled in English for
specific purposes classes, and found that
students' level of performance showed more
substantial improvement in lexical as compared
to grammatical competence.
An additional issue is the instructional approach,
and specifically, the communicative-cognitive
approach has been found to be effective in
promoting lexico-grammatical competence for
students of non-language higher educational
establishment. For example, Shamov, A.
(Shamov, 2008) found that using cognitive-
communicative strategies, such as memory,
attention, imagination and cognitive thinking
improved achievement in vocabulary acquisition
of students of German as a foreign language.
Another advantage of the communicative-
cognitive approach is that it fosters self-
regulated learning, as described within the theory
of constructivism (Ruofei & Di, 2022; Xu & Luo,
2022). Self-regulated learning refers to the
learner's own understanding of educational
activity. To achieve self-regulated learning, the
communicative-cognitive instructional approach
highlights several important principles, including
integrated learning, systemacity, functionality,
information transfer, unity of learning, education
and development, authenticity, problematicity,
reflection, improvement of educational process
by the engagement of students into the usage of
metacognitive and cognitive strategies.
The current study focused on 2 main principles
of the communicative-cognitive approach,
namely information transfer, and using reflection
as a metacognitive strategy. From the viewpoint
of Nation, I. and Meng, Z. information transfer
means students' ability to transition from verbal
to visual information and vice versa (Nation &
Newton, 2009; Meng & Zhao, 2015). Such
information transfer is especially important for
civil engineering students, because they are
constantly required to combine verbal
information in the form of general notes with
technical drawings and floor plans. Topanata, J.
and Li, M. distinguish that the metacognitive
strategy of reflection is when students analyze
and assess their own learning and monitor their
progress (Toapanta, 2022; Li & Yuan, 2022).
These instructional principles were implemented
here within the context of actual construction
projects. Construction plans consist of detailed
images, which include commonly used symbols
and terms, accompanied by explanatory text. The
participants in the study had gained experience
during their civil engineering training in
comprehending, correcting and creating such
plans in their native language, Ukrainian. The
English training described here was anchored to
develop students' ability to similarly
comprehend, correct and create such
construction plans in English.
Tarasiuk, N., Podplota, S., Kaluzhska, L., Osets’ka, N. / Volume 12 - Issue 63: 175-187 / March, 2023
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The present study was designed to make a
contribution to better understand optimal
instruction approached, by presenting findings
on how different instructional approaches can
support the developing reading comprehension
of the sketch construction project with principles
of a communicative-cognitive approach in
English by future civil engineers.
We address the following research questions:
1. How is English language lexico-
grammatical competence formed within the
context of a sketch construction project
within two instructional approaches in the
light of such communicative-cognitive
principles as information transfer and
reflection as metacognitive strategies
2. Which instructional approach leads to larger
gains in learning?
The rest of the paper is organized as follows: The
introduction presents and discusses findings of
the English language lexico-grammatical
competence content formation' stages and
groups of exercises with the usage of
informational transfer and reflection as a
metacognitive strategy. The Literature reviews
highlights two instructional approaches for
supporting the formation of the English language
lexico-grammatical competence of future civil
engineers. Methodology includes information
about participants and research instruments.
Results and Discussion present and discuss the
outcomes of the experiment and it is defined if
content domain or language domain approach is
better; highlight controversial issues about the
results of lexico-grammatical competence for
future civil engineers in reading. Conclusion and
limitations present summaries of the research
paper.
Theoretical Framework or Literature review
Several theoretical concepts of English language
lexico-grammatical competence including
lexical and grammatical knowledge, skills and
language awareness have been suggested in the
literature (Almarshedi, 2022; Palangan 2021). I
share the same English language lexico-
grammatical concept but point to the sketch
construction project as the context of its
formation and regarding civil engineers’
professional activity which demands
understanding of construction drawings.
Stages of developing competence have been
outlined by Shatilov, S. (Shatilov, 1986). He has
defined an oriented-preparatory stage, where
students get acquainted with new language
phenomena, followed by a stereotype-situated
stage, where the language skill is repeated by
multiple repetition. The final stage is the
variative-situated stage, when language skills
become more flexible in variable speech
situations. In the current project, we have
adopted this framework and implemented it in
the context of a sketch construction project: The
oriented-preparatory stage is directed at
acquaintance with new language material of the
sketch construction project; The stereotype-
situated stage is aimed at formation of receptive
lexico-grammatical skills on the level of word,
word combination, sentence in small and big
texts of the sketch construction project; The
variative-situated stage is directed at the
formation of lexico-grammatical skills on the
level of unity (the whole texts); In this final stage,
the goal is that students accomplish integrated
speech and reading skills.
In the current study, language exercises were
designed based on the stages outlined above.
Accordingly, four groups of exercises were
developed: 1) Oriented-preparatory stage
exercises focused on building acquaintance with
new language material, by using visual and
verbal supports, including marks of architectural-
constructive elements on the layouts of the sketch
construction project; 2) Exercises for the
stereotype-situated stage were designed to foster
receptive lexico-grammatical skills on the level
of word, word combination and sentence. To this
end, students were now presented with more
elaborate layouts with notes of the sketch
construction project and with linguistically richer
tables and descriptions of the construction
project 3) At the variative-situated stage,
exercises required students to comprehend even
larger text units, including descriptions of the
construction project and stages of
implementation 4) At the final integrative stage,
students practiced different levels of involvement
with the text, including skimming, scanning and
deep reading, based on the specific requirements
of the task at hand.
The suggested groups of exercises correlate with
the stages, which include subgroups of exercises.
A distinguishing feature in the construct of
lexico-grammatical competence for future civil
engineers is that they constantly refer to drawings
while doing tasks with notes for them and vice
versa. This means that the information transfer
principle is constantly evident in each stage. In
addition, reflection was also included after each
exercise and at the end of the group of tasks at
each stage. Thus, reflection tasks, in which
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students analyze and assess the results of study,
followed each exercise when.these reflective
exercises included instructions such as –
“Analyse how well you know the words. Write
down those you don’t know well. Learn them”.
“Compare your words with your partner’s.
Which ones did you miss, which mistakes did
you make? Learn the words”. What grammar
structures are difficult for you to understand?
Another reflection task is repsented in the table 1
after the group of tasks where students monitor
their progress in studying.
Table 1.
Reflection task
I know …
Well
Badly
How to continue progress effectively by the end of the term
How to improve knowledge step by step by the end of the term
I can …
How to continue progress after the end of the
term.
How to improve knowledge after the end of the
term.
Designed as compiled by the authors
Therefore, in the present study the construct of
lexico-grammatical competence is viewed in the
light of such communicative-cognitive principles
as information transfer and reflection as
metacognitive strategies geared towards students
gaining more metacognitive awareness of their
learning and in accord with the stages of skills
formation.
In the current study, we compared two
instructional approaches in order to investigate
which one is the best for civil engineering
students.
When introducing students to language situated
within an actual construction project, there are at
least two approaches to ordering and introducing
topics for study.
Figure 1. Content and language domain instructional approaches with information transfer principles of
communicative-cognitive approach
Designed as compiled by the authors
When introducing students to language situated
within an actual construction project, there are at
least two approaches to ordering and introducing
topics for study. One approach, the content
domain approach, follows the logic of the
construction project, and follows the
instructional stages outlined above within each
content domain. Each construction project
content domain encompasses two main topics:
general characteristics which includes
information about contractor’s duties, zoning
chart (address, numbers of lot, block, zone,
information about bulk and yard, principal use of
the building), building characteristics, design
load schedule (load on roof, attic and floors) and
drawings with notes (plot plan, floor plan,
elevation).
The language domain approach completes each
of the instructional stages across all content
domains, before moving on to a more advanced
instructional stage. In the language domain
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approach, learning is ordered by language
structures (for example, first vocabulary and then
grammatical structures), such that linguistic
content relating to different stages of
construction (for example, floor plan and
elevation), are introduced simultaneously.
Let’s review each of the instructional
approaches. Figure 3 shows the content domain
approach. The same color in the first column
shows that all lexical and grammar information
is studied step by step within one stage. Only
then there is transfer to the next topic. After all
topics are studied, there is consolidation which is
aimed at development of reading comprehension,
particularly vocabulary and grammar in skimmed
reading, scanning and deep reading.
The content domain approach is focused on a
consistent organization of training, which
involves step by step mastering the material of
the first topic 1. «General characteristics of the
sketch construction project» in the oriented-
preparatory, stereotypically-situational and
variant-situational stages, then topics 2.
«Drawings with notes» with the corresponding
sub-themes at the same stages, and then topic 3.
«Sketch construction project» is studied at the
final step. There is successive transfer in the form
of progress check from one topic to another.
Figure 2. Content domain approach
Designed as compiled by the authors
Figure 3 shows the language domain approach.
The same color in the row of the table
demonstrates that vocabulary and grammar
information from 4 topics in each stage are
learned simultaneously. For example, vocabulary
and pronunciation tasks at the oriented-
preparatory stage are done within the topic
“General characteristics' ”, then within
themes “Plot plan”, “Floor plan”, “Elevation”.
Only then another language domain, such as
grammar, is addressed again across the 4
content topics. Parallel organization of training
here means that material at each stage
(orientational-preparatory, stereotypical-
situational and variant-situational) is studied
simultaneously. But there is no grammar
vocabulary balance (1 or 2 grammar forms to 6
lexical units) due to high concentration of
vocabulary within topics at the same time. At the
same time, such dynamic changes of topics
within each stage fosters analytic-synthetic
activity and might facilitate memorization. After
all language domains in topics are studied, this
approach also includes a consolidation stage
which is aimed at development of reading
comprehension, particularly vocabulary and
grammar in skimmed reading, scanning and deep
reading.
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Figure 3. Language domain approach
Designed as compliled by the authors.
Our hypothesis is that the content domain
approach will be more effective, for three
reasons. First, this approach preserves the
grammar-vocabulary balance suggested by
Byrkun, L. (Byrkun, 1993), according to which
the optimal balance is 1 or 2 grammar forms to 6
lexical units . Second, the content domain
approach allows the learners to rely on the logic
of their existing civil engineering knowledge of
the stages of project construction, which they are
familiar with in their native language. Therefore,
it might be easier for learners to easily engage
with the language material by integrating it with
familiar topics. Finally, the current content
domain approach is conceptually similar to
interleaving practice, because grammar and
vocabulary are practiced at the same time. For
example, Nakata, T. demonstrated that within
grammar learning, interleaving practice of
various grammatical structures, has shown
benefits for long-term retention (Nakata, 2019).
So when learners are introduced to the “General
characteristics” section, they study both
vocabulary patterns (for example, N+N, Adj+N)
and grammar patterns (for example, sentences
with “shall” in the meaning of have to). These
patterns are then repeated within the following
topics of the sketch construction project , “Plot
plan”, “Floor plan”, “Elevation”. In contrast, in
the language domain approach, item orders are
more analogous to blocked practice, where
learners practice one skill at a time. Students are
first exposed to vocabulary, with focus on
pronunciation, across the four topics of the
sketch construction project, and only then they
proceed to the next “language block”, namely
grammar patterns, which are introduced in the
framework of these themes.
The main goal of the current study is to examine
which instructional approach, the content domain
approach or the language domain approach, leads
to higher gains in English language lexico-
grammatical competence.
Methodology
Participants
The participants of the experiment were 72 2nd
year civil engineering students enrolled in the
optional course "English language for specific
purposes" . The course included 30 hours of
classroom instruction delivered through English,
and 42 hours of individual work, over 6 months.
Participants were assigned to two experimental
groups, which differed in the instructional
approach used in their classes. Participants were
recruited through announcement to receive
course-credit in the discipline "English language
for specific purposes" for participation. They
gave informed consent to take part in the study.
Research instruments
Participants’ level of English lexico-grammatical
competence was measured using a multiple
choice test. Tai, H. (Tai et al., 2022) stated that
this kind of test has a number of advantages in
testing; for instance, providing scoring reliability
in crowded groups is easier with these tests and
the ability to accommodate a large number of
items allows it to cover critical content in the
subject area along with high content validity.
Similar multiple choice tests were also used
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during the course to assess students’ interim
knowledge and progress check.
The experimental test was conducted in the form
of testing, which was carried out on two topics:
"General characteristics of the sketch
construction project" and "Drawings with notes".
The test included items requiring different levels
of comprehension: single word or sentence,
superficial text reading, detailed reading
comprehension and inference. Each level
accounted for 25% of the final score on the test.
The maximum score on the text was 40 points,
and it included 43 items. Table 2 provides a full
description of test tasks (see also Appendix A for
example test items).
Table 2.
Test tasks
Comprehension Level
Tasks types
Maximum points
Vocabulary: single words, word in
sentence Grammar: isolated structure;
single sentence
ТT (test task) 1–20: (20 test tasks х
0,25 points)
ТT 21–25: (5 test tasks х 1point)
10
Vocabulary and grammar in text,
requiring skimmed reading
ТЗ 26–27: (2 test tasks х 5 points)
10
Vocabulary and grammar requiring
deep reading
ТЗ 28: (1 task х5 points); ТЗ 29–33: (5 test tasks х1 point)
10
Contextual conjecture and inference
ТЗ 34–43: (10 test tasks х1point)
10
Total 40
Designed as compiled by the authors.
The purpose of the experiment was to test the
effectiveness of our methodology for the
formation of future civil engineers English
lexical and grammatical competence in reading,
which is implemented in four stages and the use
of a specially designed subsystem of exercises.
Raw scores on the text were converted to percent
correct. According to Bespalko, V. (Bespalko,
1968), a satisfactory level of achievement,
indicating that students have internalized the
learning, is a minimum 0,7 or 70% accuracy.
Learners’ lexico-grammatical results were
examined at two data collection times
corresponding to two terms of study: at the
beginning of the study year and at the end of it.
In order to ensure reliability, tests were piloted
and marked consistently. The horizontal nature
of the experiment allowed to test the which
instructional approach (content domain or
language domain ) elaborated methodology is
more effective.
The unvariated conditions of the experiment
were: 1) the number of the participants in the
experimental training; 2) the use of the same
subsystem of exercises; 3) duration of
experimental training; 4) tasks of pre- and post-
experimental tests; 6) criteria for assessing the
level of lexical and grammatical knowledge and
skill
The varied condition of the experiment was the
type of instructional approach, as detailed in the
method section.
Results are presented in Table 3. In order to
determine the adequacy of the level of formation
of English lexical and grammatical competence
in reading, we calculated the coefficient of
learning according to the above mentioned
formula of Bespalko, V. (Bespalko, 1968).
Results are presented in table 3. In order to
determine the adequacy of the level of formation
of English lexical and grammatical competence
in reading, we calculated the coefficient of
learning according to the above mentioned
formula of Bespalko, V. (Bespalko, 1968).
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Table 3.
Average indicators of the level of the English language lexico-grammatical competence formation in
reading for students of content domain approach and language domain approach (pre-experimental test/
post-experimental test)
Approaches
Indicators by criteria
Total test
score
Vocabulary: single
words, word in
sentence Grammar: Isolated
structure;
single sentence
Vocabulary
and grammar in text,
requiring skimmed
reading
Vocabulary
and grammar
requiring
deep reading
Contextual
conjecture and
inference
Pre-test
Post-test
Pre- test
Post- test
Pre- test
Post test
Pre-test
Post
-test
Pre-test/
Post-test
Language
Domain
approach
3.58
7.42
3.58
7.3
3.75
7.03
3.39
6.5
14.3
(36%) / 28.3
(71%)
Content
Domain
approach
3.42
8.33
3.4
7.78
3.67
7.8
3.42
7.03
13.92
(35%) / 30.9
(77%)
Designed as compiled by the authors.
The table 3 demonstrates better yielded results
after the study within both instructional
approaches (content domain and language
domain). The learning coefficient in both groups
is above minimum 0,7 (71% in language domain
approach and 77% in content domain
approach). Students who attended classes
structured according to the content domain
approach show better results after all four tasks
have been done. The analysis of individual test
results shows that 24 out of 36 students from the
group with language domain approach have
reached the minimum learning whereas 32
students out of 36 in content domain have
attained this coefficient.
The horizontal nature of the experiment has
allowed to test which instructional approach
(content domain or language domain) is more
effective. To do this, we use the multifunctional
statistical criterion ϕ * - Fisher's angular
transformation, which is designed to compare
two samples by frequency of the effect to ф
researcher. It identifies if there is or there is no
effect of the elaborated methodology. The
essence of Fisher's angular transformation is the
transformation of percentages into the value of
the central angle, which is measured in radians.
A larger percentage corresponds to a larger angle
ϕ, and a smaller percentage corresponds to a
smaller angle ϕ disntiguished by Sidorenko, E.
(Sidorenko, 2002). The effectiveness of
each domain separately has been verified by the
multifunctional statistical criterion ϕ. Having
used the table XІІ of Supplement 1 elaborated by
Sidorenko, E. (Sidorenko, 2002), we have
identified φ, which correlate with percentage
rate in the language domain and in the content
domain instructional groups.
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Table 4.
Comparison of performance on the final test for students in the language domain and the content domain
instructional approaches
Approaches
«There is an effect»
«There is no effect»
Total
amount
of
student
Number of
students
Percentage
rate
φ
Number of
students
Percentage
rate
φ
Language
Domain
approach
24
66,7 %
1,911
12
33,3 %
1,230
36
Content
domain
approach
32
88,9 %
2,462
4
11,1 %
0,679
36
In general
56
16
72
Designed as compiled by the authors.
Thus, the findings of the current study
demonstrate that a higher percent of students in
the content domain approach have reached the
threshold of 70% accurate performance. A
Mann-Whitney rank order analysis of
independent samples indicated that this
difference was significant (U=522, p=.044).
Results and Discussion
The current study examined how different
instructional approaches (content domain and
language domain) can support students’
developing reading comprehension in studying
English for specific purposes. Both instructional
approaches used here included communicative-
cognitive approach principles, such as
informational transfer and reflection. Students
made significant learning gains in both
instructional approaches with the above
mentioned principles.
As we hypothesized, the content domain
approach turned out to be more effective than the
language domain approach. The experimental
verification has been introduced.
The present results, demonstrating the
effectiveness of the content domain approach
implemented here, serve as a proof-of-concept
for grammar-vocabulary balance suggested by
Byrkun, L. (Byrkun, 1993). Specifically, in the
content domain approach implemented here,
students were exposed to approximately 1 or 2
grammar forms for each 6 lexical units, similar to
Byrkun’s study, and indeed this balance led to
greater gains in performance.
The current finding of the efficiency of the
content domain domain approach aligns with
previous research demonstrating that
interleaving practice yields sizeable learning
benefits for long-term retention. For example,
Nakata, T. (Nakata, 2019) established
the benefits of interleaving practice in grammar
learning, and showed that it was more effective
than blocked practice. In the current content
domain approach, interleaving was more
extensive, as students had ample opportunities to
practice grammar and vocabulary
simultaneously. Once again, this interleaving
approach was found to be more effective than the
language domain approach implemented here, in
which students practiced grammar and
vocabulary separately, and only combined these
types of knowledge towards the end of their
course of studies.
The common feature is that in both the current
research, and in and Nakata’s work, students had
a relatively high level of prior knowledge, in
spite of different learning types. The difference is
that in Nakata’s paper students had prior
exposure to target language structures whereas in
our research students had previous knowledge of
the structure and some background information
about the sketch construction project in
Ukrainian.
In addition to the positive impact of balance and
interleaving practice, we propose that a likely
explanation for the efficiency of the content
domain approach is that it can rely on students’
background knowledge of the sketch
construction project. Students’ previous
experience with the sketch construction project
in their native language is complemented with
new knowledge and skills in English. The
familiarity with the content domain can act as a
scaffold for new forms and representations
introduced and English, which can then more
easily be linked to existing conceptual and
structural knowledge. The theoretical
underpinning of the content domain’s
coincidence with interleaving practice is its way
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of usage (multiple skills at once) notwithstanding
the way of learning.
The current study included a limited range of
topics (General Characteristics; Floor plan; Plot
plan; Elevation) within the sketch construction
project. Future research can extend inquiry into
other topics which align with civil engineering.
Further, the current study focused mainly on
reading comprehension. Future work can
examine whether the same principles of
instruction are also effective when examining
students’ development of speaking and writing
skills. Finally, the current approach can be
extended by including additional specific
features related with activities for students
following different courses of study, beyond civil
engineering. By examining these methodological
considerations, research papers could be
expanded further and thus potentially result in a
more in-depth discussion and application of the
English language lexico-grammatical
competence in writing, reading, speaking on ESP
courses.
Conclusion
Our findings suggest that language acquisition
can be more efficient across the same number of
lessons and tasks when English instruction is
tailored to the existing content knowledge of the
future student’s profession with a view to
yielding significant lexico-grammatical gains in
reading comprehension in the English-speaking
professional environment.
Bibliographic references
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Appendix 1
I. Assessment criteria Correctness of understanding lexical units on the word/ word combination/
sentence level
Task type word meaning skills formation
Task 1ª
1. Which of the following words doesn’t mean подвійні двері? (0-0,25 points)
a. sliding door b. bifold door c. double door
Task 1 b
Which of the drawings do this sentence correspond to? (0-1 points)
Provide minimum air space between sheathing and brick veneer.
a. b. c.
II. Assessment criteria Correctness of understanding lexical units and grammar structures on the level of
text (skimmed reading)
Task type word meaning, grammar structure and sentence concept skills formation in the text
(skimmed reading)
Which list of words belongs to the description of interior, exterior and CMU walls in the wall schedule
(from the construction project «Two family residence») ? (0-5 points)
a. Below grade, sheathing, brick veneer, gypsum wallboard, wall type C, brick shelf, siding color, gypsum
board inside.
b. Point of beginning, wind rose, double door, bifold door, brick shelf, siding color, gypsum board inside.
c. Elevation indication, exterior wall, contractor, design load, garage, storage, laundry.
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III. Assessment criteria Correctness of understanding lexical units and grammar structures on the level of
text (deep reading)
Task type word meaning, grammar structure and sentence concept skills formation in the text(deep
reading)
Which of the four concepts (a, b, c) to save costs are relevant for the floor plan below and the demands of
the owner? (0-5 points)
Demands of the owner: 1. The first floor should be smaller than the second floor; 2 There must be more
living spaces; 3. Fireproof building materials should be chosen.
a. Planning concept 1
The location of rooms should be changed. Additional rooms should be added. Two leaves opening doors
should be changed into one leaves opening doors.
Constructive concept 1
Internal walls should be changed in gypsum walls. Floor tile can be changed in parquet.
b. Planning concept 2
One bathroom should be taken away. Two bedrooms should be combined into one. More space-saving
construction of staircase should be made.
Constructive concept 2
Exterior wooden walls in a wall veneered with natural material should be changed in stone and artificial
brick or siding with insulating material and gypsum. For this purpose the first floor plan should be changed
into the plan of framed type.
c. Planning concept 3
Rooms should be relocated.
Constructive concept 3
Exterior wooden walls in a wall veneered with natural material should be changed in reinforced concrete.
IV. Assessment criteria Correctness of contextual conjecture and forecast
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Task type contextual conjecture and forecast skills formation
Fill in the gaps with appropriate words and grammar constructions for the plot plan below. (0-10 points)
The purpose of my presentation is to introduce our new 34. ____ of lake cabin. To start with I will describe
layouts of a construction project. Secondly I 35. _____. If you look at this layout, you will see that the draft
of buildings and personal plots of land are plotted on this plan. Both plot plans have basic lines: property
line, 36. _____ natural gas line, property sanitary line. Elevation part is located to the south for better
lightning in comparison with the lowering of the second plot plan which 37 _____ to the south. Left to the
house is a garage with 38. ____. There is no attached garage on the second plot plan and it is located not
far from the house. Residential building is situated on the plain part of the plot plan on both layouts.
Elevation and lowering are observed on this plot plan. There are new 39 ______ in front of the house while
there are new planters in front of and behind the house on the second plot plan. There is a 40 ____ in front
of the house on the first plot plan in comparison with landscaped areas in front of and behind the house on
the second plot plan. There 41 ____ and rear yards on both plot plans. There is a property shrub in front of
the house on the first plot plan 42 _____ concrete driveway on the second plot plan. In conclusion, there
are the following civil engineering concepts of mine for layouts 43 _____ :