This document discusses assessing speaking ability through an oral examination given to 35 first-year high school students in Tomé, Chile with a lower English level. It describes a three-part test to measure vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. The test includes an interview, describing pictures to a partner, and asking about objects/people in a shared picture. Scoring will be done through an analytic rubric from 1 to 4 on indicators of proficiency. The goal is to create a reliable, valid, and authentic assessment considering the students' English level.

1. Assessing Speaking
“Assessing Speaking”
Ingrid Bello Acuña
Paulina Escobar Aguayo
June 04th, 2012

2. Introduction
Speaking is a productive skill which is really difficult to assess because of its
subjectivity. According to the book Language Testing, 1961, p. 239 “The ability to speak a
foreign language is without doubt the most prized language skill,”
In the following assessment we are going to measure an oral performance which
will be taken to a group of 35 students of a 1st Medio from the “Liceo Comercial de Tomé”.
The level of these students is lower. For this reason the following “oral evaluation” has
three different parts whose purpose is to measure vocabulary learnt in class, grammar
(basic grammar structures) and pronunciation, the last item is focus on the pronunciation of
the vocabulary.
In order to test the three previous levels of proficiency (vocabulary, grammar and
pronunciation) we created an analytic rubric which contains four indicators (from 1 to 4).
Finally, the idea of this assessment was prepared the most reliable, valid and
authentic oral performance considering the level of English of the students.

3. Unit 3: How to assess “speaking”
School: Liceo Comercial de Tomé (Public highschool)
Grade: 1st Medio
Level of English: Lower
Test specifications:
 The test’s purpose: To assess speaking, especially vocabulary learnt in class.
 Description of the examinees: Students of 1st Medio from a public highschool
called “Liceo Comercial de Tomé”.
 Test level: 1st Medio.
 Number of section: 1
 Time for each section: 2 or 2 ½ minutes.
 Weighting for each section: 3 different items.
 Target language situation: Level of English “Lower”
 Text- types: Pictures.
 Text-Length: Two pictures for each student.
 Language skills to be tasted: Speaking
 Language element to be tested:
• Vocabulary
• Grammar
• Pronunciation
 Test methods: The procedure to measure “speaking” in this case is firstly through
an interview and then using pictures with which students have to guess what the
correct picture is and also ask for the specific location of different objects and
people.

4. Tasks
Task 1
The examiner introduces him/her and then asks you and your partner to say your
names and spell them. This examiner then asks you questions about yourself, your daily
life, interests, etc.
You must to answer the examiner
(the teacher) 3 questions about yourself.
Possible questions:
• What’s your name?
• How do you spell your name?
• What do you think about the weather today?
• What’s your favourite subject at school? Why?
- Task Orientation: Guided. Students have to speak according to some specific
information. (Name, likes, etc.). The answers are predictable and these have not
many variations.
- Interactional Relationship: One way interaction. The student is asked to
communicate some opinions and maybe the teacher is going to ask him/her for
clarification.

5. - Goal Orientation: There is goal orientation in this case, because students have to
speak someone else, in this opportunity to the teacher.
- Interlocutor status: Balanced. Because the three participant here (both students and
the teacher) know each other.
- Familiarity: In this case the familiarity is high between both students because they
selected their partner and probably they choose a friend. Unlike the familiarity
between students and the teacher which is balanced.
- Topics: Personal information likes and dislikes.

6. Task 2
You each have a chance to talk by yourselves. The examiner gives you a black and
white photograph with a man in 4 different situations (A, B, C and D), but in the same
room. You have to look at and choose one. Then you have to describe the once you choose
and your partner has to guess which is the correct picture (A, B, C or D).
Student “A” must to describe one
of the 4 black and white pictures to
student “B”. Student “B” has to guess
what the correct picture is. (You have 60
second to describe the picture)
A B
C D
Taken from the book: “Language Assessment: Principles and Classroom Practices”, page 158.

7. - Task Orientation: Guided, because although the task is limited and the students
have to answer according a specific picture they can paraphrase some phrases or
words, or maybe use synonyms.
- Interactional Relationship: Interactional, Two ways interaction. Both students
have to communicate each other.
- Goal Orientation: There is goal orientation, because students have to speak
someone else. In this task the students have to communicate each other.
- Interlocutor status: Higher, both are known each other (Student- Student).
- Familiarity: High, because both speakers know each other.
- Topics: Activities at home, elements that a person uses when he/she studies.

8. Task 3
The examiner shows you a picture in which appear different objects and different
people. Both students have to ask each other at least for both the location of 3 different
objects and what 2 people are doing in the picture. Students have to answer with both the
correct location and the correct activity. The examiner is going to give the students an
example of the questions they have to ask to their partner.
You have to ask to your partner for the location of 3 different objects and at least
what 2 people are doing in the picture. Your partner has to answer you and then is the
chance of your partner to do the same. I’m going to give you an example of the questions
you have to ask to your partner. E.g.: Where are the sodas? What is the woman doing?
- Possible questions asked by the students
• Where is the TV?
• Where is the Lamp?
• What is the girl with curly hair doing? etc.
Taken from the book: “Language Assessment: Principles and Classroom Practices”, page 154.

9. • Task Orientation: Closed, because they have to speak according to a specific
information, tenses and words. In this task they have to ask for location and
activities that people are doing. They cannot ask for something else. In addition,
they are given some specific structure they have to follow.
• Interactional Relationship: Interactional, Two ways interaction. Both students
have to communicate each other.
• Goal Orientation: There is goal orientation in this case, because students have to
speak someone else.
• Interlocutor status: High, both are known each other (Teacher- Student).
• Familiarity: High, because both students know each other.
• Topics: Giving specific location and activities.

10. References
 H. Douglas Brown. (2004). Language assessment “Principles and Classroom
Practices”, pages 140-183.
 University of Cambridge. (2003) “Cambridge Preliminary English test”, page 25
 Luoma (2004), “Test specifications”, page 114.