how to teach speaking for exams

Katherine Andrade

One-to-one testing Paired testing

Advantages

Authentic opportunities for

interaction

Increases the range of of task

types.

Enables 2 examiners:

interlocutor -assessor

Marking is more objective (2 examiners)

Interview tasks

Presentation tasks

Negotiation tasks

Discussion tasks

• Lower levels: Less than 10’

• Advanced levels: Only 20’

Purpose: Settle the candidates (starting point) Test their ability to provide general personal

information.• Everyday

topics

• Levels

• Paired interviews

Lower-level question:Where are you from?

Higher-level question:Looking back on your education up to now, is there anything you would like to change?

Paired interview: Ask each other about:Future plans/ reasons for learning English

Ability to speak at length (1-3’) on a prescribed topic.

Visual prompt Verbal prompt

Discuss a given situation in order to reach a decision (negotiating skills).

One-to-one testing/ Paired testing

Speculate about a situation.

Make suggestions Discuss alternatives Find differences Put items in order

Final and more complex task (open-ended questions) Direct intervention of the interlocutor Ability to articulate opinions and beliefs

Speaking abilities at their best!

Example

Exam procedureLevel of performance required

Examiner behavior

Conduct of paired testing

Recording of speaking exams

Discourse management

Fluency

Coherence

Interactive communication

Turn-taking

Initiating & responding

Grammar & vocabulary

Grammatical items

Lexical forms

Pronunciation

Production of individual

sounds

Control of prosodic features

Standardize the conduct of exams.

Classroom practice Examiner scripts Putting learners in the

interlocutor’s role.

Negotiating in English in the classroom Awareness raising in the features of paired-task performance

Real context example

Teacher’s model

Students’ example

Students’ practice

Skills in managing interaction

Interview tasks

• Turn-taking• Function cards

• Asking & responding to interview questions

Discussion skills

• Topics

• Express opinions

• Debates

Sustained speaking

tests

• Regular practice

• Listening with full attention

Talk about pictures

• Express oneself

tentatively

• No general knowledge is

measured

Individual sounds

Stress

Intonation