GENERAL PERFORMANCE On the whole the candidates showed a positive performance. The majority of the candidates were able to fulfill the required tasks. The answers given by the candidates showed clearly that they understood the requirements for all the constructs. They were able to express their ideas confidently, give reasonable justifications and produce creative elements in their sentence construction. Nevertheless, a considerable number of candidates were unable to express themselves effectively due to poor command of the language. GENERAL PERFORMANCE OF CANDIDATES ACCORDING TO THEIR GROUPS High Achievers Candidates in this category used the language proficiently and confidently. They constructed a variety of sentences with new ideas and advanced vocabulary. They wrote interesting and impressive answers which attracted the attention of the readers. They hardly made grammatical and structural errors. Average Achievers The candidates in this category were able to express their ideas using simple and compound sentences correctly in their writing. Even though they made attempts to write complex sentences, errors occurred such as omission of words, spelling and grammar. Due to limited vocabulary, there were little creativity and new ideas shown in their writing. Straight forward and simple answers were given in all three sections instead. Vocabulary used was insufficient to support meaning. Candidates had the tendency to use the same structures and ideas. Low Achievers The candidates were lacking in vocabulary and proficiency in the language, so they were unable to construct even simple sentences. This led to multiple errors and their sentences were incomprehensible. They applied direct lifting and their sentences were distorted. They used direct translation in their answers because of mother tongue influences.