Question 1: What factors do you consider important in causing mixed ability?
Every person is different that´s one of the reasons why we have mixed ability groups. Every person has a special reason why they want to learn a new language, beacuse they need it for a diploma, for their job, according to thier likes and dislikes and even to have fun.
1) Personality
2) Attitude
3) Aptitude
4) Motivation
5) Learning Style
6) Previous Knowledge
Question 4 Mixed ability is usually considered to be a problem. But is it? Could there be some advantages to having students of different levels and abilities in the same class?
In my opinion is not a problem to have a mixed abiltiy group, you will always find one and as a teacher you have to learn how to deal with it, and of course it has advantages for example: we can make teamworks with a people with different abilitites and this is what it makes it work, to have differetn ideas, opinions, and different ways to solve a problem, do a project or even answer a difficult exercise.