Assignment C - Part 1
An Evaluation of Cutting Edge Advanced
Use the checklist from unit 10 ('Evaluating course book material') to write a general evaluation
of the book.
You won't be able to comment on all items as you only have one unit and the contents but say
as much as you can.
This must be presented as a coherent essay, not just a list.
Then say whether you personally would like to use the book with an advanced class and why or
why not - this is just your opinion, so there is not a right or a wrong response to this part.
You do not need to refer to the class described for Part 2 of this assignment.
Write 300 - 500 words.
The main function of this essay is to evaluate and give an opinion on the course book
"New cutting edge advanced" written by Sarah Cunningham, Peter Moor, Jane
Comyns-Carr. This book is one of the most widely used books in the world by foreign
speakers of English with an advanced level of English who want to improve the
language in all its disciplines. It provides an all-round practical knowledge of
grammar, skills, vocabulary, and real-life practical functional language.
This book is suitable for both young and elderly adults regardless of their nationality.
It consists of ten units, each of them includes specific and interesting vocabulary as
well as interesting content for language improvement. All these units seem to me to
be very complete, useful, and suitable for an advanced level of the target language.
In addition, each unit includes cultural lessons, which are ideal for this book to be
addressed to the different cultures of the world and not only to speakers of a specific
language, thereby making the lessons much more interesting and dynamic. Another
advantage of this book is that the instructor can be flexible and teach through a
variety of teaching styles; for example, she can use an oral method, a group
discussion method or even a peer method which allows students to help each other
work through some of the exercises.
In brief, this book is one of the best and most efficient books for learning English.
The listening exercises are very appropriate according to the level, providing very
accurate related questions. It also contains a wide variety of writings where students
can practise through different type of texts such as articles, emails, business letters
or biographies. Being also remarkable that the book contains practical exercises and
explanations about pronunciation, intonation, word stress and information about
the different varieties of English.
© 2020 The TEFL Academy. All rights reserved. 1
, Assignment C - Part 2.i
Authentic Text
Check the Class Description and Notes on Part 2 on the assignment platform before you begin.
The text should be 500 - 700 words long. (4-5 minutes for listening texts).
In this document, provide a copy of the reading text or a transcript of the listening text you have
chosen.
Ensure the text is referenced, and if you have selected a listening text or video, provide a link.
If you choose a reading text, you can shorten and/or adapt it slightly.
Please supply a copy of the original and your adapted version.
If you have adapted the text, briefly explain the decisions you've made about changing the text
in section b) of the essay.
Highlight 12 vocabulary items (words or phrases) which would be useful to pre-teach.
Ethical dilemma: Who should you believe?
You’re sitting on the couch watching TV, when you hear a knock on the door. The police have
just arrived to arrest your spouse— for murder. This accusation comes as a total shock. In your
experience, your partner has always been gentle and loving, and you can't imagine them
committing a grisly murder. But the evidence is serious: their fingerprints were found on the
murder weapon. Your spouse insists they're innocent. “I know it looks bad,” they say, “but you
must believe me! If you don’t, who will?” Should you believe your spouse, even though the
evidence against them looks damning? Take a second to think what you would believe in this
situation.
This dilemma is part of what philosophers call the ethics of belief: a field of study that explores
how we ought to form beliefs, and whether we have ethical duties to believe certain things. The
question here isn't about what you should do, such as whether you should find your spouse
guilty in a court of law. After all, you wouldn’t be on the jury in their trial! Rather, it’s about what
you should believe to be true. So, what factors should you consider?
Perhaps the most obvious is your evidence. After all, to believe something is to take it to be
true. And evidence is, by definition, all information that helps us determine what's true. From
this, some philosophers draw the conclusion that evidence is the only thing that ought to
determine what you believe. This view is called evidentialism, and a strict evidentialist would
say it doesn’t matter that the accused is your spouse. You should evaluate the evidence from a
neutral, objective point of view. Taking the perspective of an unbiased third party, your judgment
© 2020 The TEFL Academy. All rights reserved. 1
An Evaluation of Cutting Edge Advanced
Use the checklist from unit 10 ('Evaluating course book material') to write a general evaluation
of the book.
You won't be able to comment on all items as you only have one unit and the contents but say
as much as you can.
This must be presented as a coherent essay, not just a list.
Then say whether you personally would like to use the book with an advanced class and why or
why not - this is just your opinion, so there is not a right or a wrong response to this part.
You do not need to refer to the class described for Part 2 of this assignment.
Write 300 - 500 words.
The main function of this essay is to evaluate and give an opinion on the course book
"New cutting edge advanced" written by Sarah Cunningham, Peter Moor, Jane
Comyns-Carr. This book is one of the most widely used books in the world by foreign
speakers of English with an advanced level of English who want to improve the
language in all its disciplines. It provides an all-round practical knowledge of
grammar, skills, vocabulary, and real-life practical functional language.
This book is suitable for both young and elderly adults regardless of their nationality.
It consists of ten units, each of them includes specific and interesting vocabulary as
well as interesting content for language improvement. All these units seem to me to
be very complete, useful, and suitable for an advanced level of the target language.
In addition, each unit includes cultural lessons, which are ideal for this book to be
addressed to the different cultures of the world and not only to speakers of a specific
language, thereby making the lessons much more interesting and dynamic. Another
advantage of this book is that the instructor can be flexible and teach through a
variety of teaching styles; for example, she can use an oral method, a group
discussion method or even a peer method which allows students to help each other
work through some of the exercises.
In brief, this book is one of the best and most efficient books for learning English.
The listening exercises are very appropriate according to the level, providing very
accurate related questions. It also contains a wide variety of writings where students
can practise through different type of texts such as articles, emails, business letters
or biographies. Being also remarkable that the book contains practical exercises and
explanations about pronunciation, intonation, word stress and information about
the different varieties of English.
© 2020 The TEFL Academy. All rights reserved. 1
, Assignment C - Part 2.i
Authentic Text
Check the Class Description and Notes on Part 2 on the assignment platform before you begin.
The text should be 500 - 700 words long. (4-5 minutes for listening texts).
In this document, provide a copy of the reading text or a transcript of the listening text you have
chosen.
Ensure the text is referenced, and if you have selected a listening text or video, provide a link.
If you choose a reading text, you can shorten and/or adapt it slightly.
Please supply a copy of the original and your adapted version.
If you have adapted the text, briefly explain the decisions you've made about changing the text
in section b) of the essay.
Highlight 12 vocabulary items (words or phrases) which would be useful to pre-teach.
Ethical dilemma: Who should you believe?
You’re sitting on the couch watching TV, when you hear a knock on the door. The police have
just arrived to arrest your spouse— for murder. This accusation comes as a total shock. In your
experience, your partner has always been gentle and loving, and you can't imagine them
committing a grisly murder. But the evidence is serious: their fingerprints were found on the
murder weapon. Your spouse insists they're innocent. “I know it looks bad,” they say, “but you
must believe me! If you don’t, who will?” Should you believe your spouse, even though the
evidence against them looks damning? Take a second to think what you would believe in this
situation.
This dilemma is part of what philosophers call the ethics of belief: a field of study that explores
how we ought to form beliefs, and whether we have ethical duties to believe certain things. The
question here isn't about what you should do, such as whether you should find your spouse
guilty in a court of law. After all, you wouldn’t be on the jury in their trial! Rather, it’s about what
you should believe to be true. So, what factors should you consider?
Perhaps the most obvious is your evidence. After all, to believe something is to take it to be
true. And evidence is, by definition, all information that helps us determine what's true. From
this, some philosophers draw the conclusion that evidence is the only thing that ought to
determine what you believe. This view is called evidentialism, and a strict evidentialist would
say it doesn’t matter that the accused is your spouse. You should evaluate the evidence from a
neutral, objective point of view. Taking the perspective of an unbiased third party, your judgment
© 2020 The TEFL Academy. All rights reserved. 1
