This document provides guidance for oral exam preparation. It discusses key aspects of student performance to focus on, including task achievement, fluency, and linguistic resources. Descriptors for different performance levels - fail, pass, and above average - are provided. Sample exam tasks like interviews, presentations, negotiations and discussions are shown. Suggestions are given for how to help students practice, including showing task types, scales, doing mock exams, and making practice fun and engaging. Strategies to teach students how to handle challenges in exams are also listed.

1. GETTING READY FOR THE ORAL EXAM
How to make the most of it
October 20th, 2018

3. WHAT ARE THE MAIN ISSUES WE FACE?

5. WHAT ASPECTS OF STUDENT
PERFORMANCE SHOULD I FOCUS ON?

7. TASK ACHIEVEMENT FLUENCY
LINGUISTIC
RESOURCES
Coherence
Extent
Flow
Hesitation
Linguistic competence
Prompting
Pronunciation
Range
Relevance

8. TASK
ACHIEVEMENT
FLUENCY
LINGUISTIC
RESOURCES
Coherence
Extent
Relevance
Flow
Hesitation
Prompting
Linguistic
competence
Pronunciation
Range

9. FAIL PASS ABOVE AVERAGE
1. Frequent hesitation, repetition and self‐correction. Still, the candidate manages to communicate and interact on
his own.
2. Good ability to communicate and interact at required speed and rhythm. Speech flows naturally with only
minimal hesitation and/or self‐correction.
3. Good range of structures and vocabulary. Very few errors within the expected linguistic competence of the
candidate. Foreign accent may be present but sounds, rhythm and stress are clear enough to be understood (by a
native speaker).
4. Limited range of syntactic structures and vocabulary. Frequent errors but the candidate generally makes
himself/herself understood. Foreign accent generally strong.
5. Overall effectiveness in carrying out each task. Candidate makes relevant, coherent and extended contributions.
6. Some tasks dealt with adequately– others not. At times, ideas may not be easily understood because
contributions are not clear or large enough.
7. Too much hesitation and repetition impede natural flow of speech. Candidate requires permanent prompting and
assistance.
8. Unable to deal with the tasks because contributions are minimal, irrelevant and/or incoherent.
9. Virtually no use of syntactic structures or vocabulary areas expected at this level. A large number of errors making
students difficult to understand. Foreign accent so strong that you feel a native speaker would not understand.

10. FAIL PASS ABOVE AVERAGE
•Too much hesitation and
repetition impede natural flow
of speech. Candidate requires
permanent prompting and
assistance.
•Unable to deal with the tasks
because contributions are
minimal, irrelevant and/or
incoherent.
•Virtually no use of syntactic
structures or vocabulary areas
expected at this level. A large
number of errors making
students difficult to understand.
Foreign accent so strong that
you feel a native speaker would
not understand.
•Frequent hesitation, repetition
and self‐correction. Still, the
candidate manages to
communicate and interact on his
own
•Limited range of syntactic
structures and vocabulary.
Frequent errors but the
candidate generally makes
himself/herself understood.
Foreign accent generally strong.
•Some tasks dealt with
adequately– others not. At
times, ideas may not be easily
understood because
contributions are not clear or
large enough
•Good ability to communicate
and interact at required speed
and rhythm. Speech flows
naturally with only minimal
hesitation and/or
self‐correction.
•Good range of structures and
vocabulary. Very few errors
within the expected linguistic
competence of the candidate.
Foreign accent may be present
but sounds, rhythm and stress
are clear enough to be
understood (by a native
speaker).
•Overall effectiveness in carrying
out each task. Candidate makes
relevant, coherent and extended
contributions

13. •How do you help students get exam practice? How
often do you do that? How much time do you
spend doing exam practice? What do you prioritize?
•In your opinion, how engaged do students feel by
doing exam practice? What factors affect their
engagement?

15. CAN YOU IDENTIFY THE TASK TYPES?

16. INTERVIEW TASKS
PRESENTATION TASKS
NEGOTIATION TASKS
DISCUSSION TASKS

17. • WORK IN PAIRS. WRITE DOWN FIVE QUESTIONS
YOU WOULD ASK SOMEONE YOU’VE JUST MET
• WHAT DID YOU DO DURING THE WEEKEND?
• WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR NEXT WEEKEND?
INTERVIEW TASKS

18. Source: Jones, C & B. Goldstein (2015) Eyes Open 4 CUP

19. NEGOTIATION TASKS

20. There is a boy next to the cow
The boy is wearing a striped T-shirt and shorts
There is a hen near the tree
There are four chickens
There are four ducks
There is a _______ next to ________
The _____ is wearing a ______________ and __________
There is a __________ near the tree
There are __________ chickens
There are __________ ducks

21. Source: http://catalogue.pearsonelt.com.ar/PDF/Speakout/Speakout-Students-UpperIntermediate.pdf
DISCUSSION TASKS

24. How would you teach your students to cope with these situations?
What linguistic patterns or strategies would you teach your
students in such cases?
1. They don’t understand what they have been asked to do.
2. They didn’t hear what somebody said.
3. They don’t know the correct word for something.
4. They can’t think of anything to say about a picture.
5. They are in the middle of speaking when their mind goes blank.
6. They disagree with an opinion expressed by another candidate
or by the interlocutor.
7. They feel that another candidate is talking too much and not
letting them say anything
8. They realize that they have made a mistake and want to correct
it.

25. EXPRESSING MY OPINION
What I think is …
It seems to me that …
If you ask me …
My view is …
I really can’t see why …

26. AGREE & DISAGREE
I was thinking the same.
Exactly!
Sure!
I’m not so sure.
Don’t you think…?

30. Train for test types
Discuss general exam skills
Do practice tests
Have fun
Ignore the test

31. Show task types
Show marking scales
Give students
training

33. • Adding an element of competition
• How long can you talk about a picture?
• How many possible questions can you ask?
• How many words can you associate with a topic?
• Students create their own exercises
• Students as examiners / assessors
• Etc

36. http://bit.ly/2bw1hvP