The document outlines an oral assessment task for two students to evaluate their English communicative competence. It includes details on the test specifications, two-part speaking task, rubrics, piloting of the task with students, and proposed improvements. The task requires students to first individually compare and contrast two job photos, then together discuss four photos and come to an agreement on the most dangerous job. Issues with vocabulary and fluency emerged during piloting, but students' performance was considered good given their experience and education. Improvements include showing all photos at once and acknowledging format limitations of public schools.

1. Speaking Task
Diego Ulloa Iglesias.
Assessment in English Communicative Competence (EVA0602-1)
Mrs. Roxanna Correa Pérez
June 7th, 2012.

2. Outline
1. Test specifications ………………………………………………………………………………… 2
2. Speaking task ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 5
3. Pictures ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6
4. Goal Orientation …………………………………………………………………………………… 8
5. Rubrics …………………………………………………………………………………………………. 9
6. Piloting …………………………………………………………………………………………………. 10
7. Improvements ………………………………………………………………………………………. 12
8. Appendix (Results) ……………………………………………………………………………….. 13
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3. 1. Test specifications
Students speaking ability
Test’s purpose
Description of the Both students (X and Z) are in 4th grade high school (public school)
examinees
Test level Intermediate
This oral test is divided into two sections.
In the first section the performance is individual where each student (X
Number of sections
and Z) has to compare and contrast two pictures and in the second section
/ papers
both students (X and Z together) have to come to an agreement.
In the first section every single student (X and Z) has 20 seconds to look at
the photographs and then 1:30 minutes to compare and contrast them.
Time for each
In the second section both students (X and Z together) should come to an
section / paper
agreement that should take no more than two minutes.
Weighting for each A total of 40 points; every single section contains 20 points.
section / paper
SWBAT compare and contrast some photographs by using the vocabulary
Target language acquired in previous lessons such as: on the other hand, as well as, while,
situation unlike, too, etc.
Photographs about different types of job.
Text – types
Four photographs.
Text length
Language skill to be Oral ability.
tested
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4. Communication
Language elements Fluency
to be tested Pronunciation
The task is divided into two sections.
1st Section:
Teacher – Student X: what you have to do first is to look at these two
photographs that show two different jobs. Once I’ve finish talking, you
have 20 seconds to look at these two photos and think about all the
necessary information to complete this first stage of the task and then you
have one minute and a half to compare and contrast these two photos by
using the vocabulary learned in your previous lessons as much as you can
and also those key words that help you to make of this task a good
comparison and contrast.
Teacher – Student Z: what you have to do first is to look at these two
photographs that show two different jobs. Once I’ve finish talking, you
have 20 seconds to look at these two photos and think about all the
Test tasks necessary information to complete this first stage of the task and then you
have one minute and a half to compare and contrast these two photos by
using the vocabulary learned in your previous lessons as much as you can
and also those key words that help you to make of this task a good
comparison and contrast.
2nd Section:
Teacher – Both students (X & Z): Finally, you two have to think of and
discuss about what the most dangerous job among these four
photographs is. You can use personal experience or any other resource
that could support your opinions. Both of you have 2 minutes to talk
about this and come to an agreement; remember that if there is no final
agreement in your discussion you two will be assessed with fewer points.
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5. Students speak individually in the first part, about two different photos.
Students speak together in the second part about four photos and a final
Test methods
agreement is compulsory required.
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6. 2. Speaking task
Two photographs about jobs will be shown to both students having 20 minutes to think about
what they will say about those photos. Then they should compare and contrast those photos
presented by using the vocabulary learned in previous lessons; this cannot take more than 1:30
minutes for students to answer.
In a second stage, students will have to discuss and finally come to an agreement in no more than
two minutes. It will be about the 4 photographs—those two shown to the first student and the
other two presented to the other student, where they will discuss about which of them the most
dangerous job is by giving opinions based on the vocabulary acquired in previous lessons.
Both students will be assessed with the same criteria but individually.
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7. 3. Pictures
(Student X)
6

8. (Student Z)
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9. 4. Goal Orientation
4.1 Oral test (1st part)
Guided
Task orientation Comparing and contrasting two different photographs showed by the
test-taker.
Interactional Non – interactional (individual performance)
relationship
Goal orientation There is no goal orientation (individual performance)
High
Interlocutor status Both students know the test-taker and both of them know each other
too.
High
Familiarity
Both students know each other.
Topics Two photographs about different jobs.
4.2 Oral test (2nd part)
Guided
Task orientation Coming to an agreement based on the photographs showed by the test-
taker.
Interactional Interaction by coming to an agreement in pairs.
relationship
Goal orientation There is goal orientation through an agreement.
High
Interlocutor status Both students know the test-taker and both of them know each other
too.
High
Familiarity
Both students know each other
Topics 4 different types of dangerous jobs.
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10. 5. Rubrics
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11. 6. Piloting
The task was accomplished by two students from 4th grade secondary school. It was taken
in an open space but noise was not an issue there. These students were almost at the
same level of English because of the quality of their answers and the vocabulary used
when being assessed.
Concentrating on the first part of the task, student X and Z produced English language but
some issues were present there. Fluency was the most noticeable one and this could be
supported by a sort of attack of nerves when trying to begin comparing and contrasting
the photos and also by the lack of vocabulary according to the topic; for instance, student
Z could not explain the second job (building contractor) at first, but he reflected on that
for a moment and then tried to explain with other words that he was a kind of engineer.
Student X, on the other hand, was kind of relaxed but reacted by defining what the jobs
were about separately without comparing and contrasting at first, but at the end of the
first part of the task he started to introduce some connectors such as “like” and “while”.
Both students X and Z accomplished the first part of the task in the due time.
As far as the second part is concerned, both students used an appropriate vocabulary
most of the time by using some connectors that reflect knowledge about comparison and
contrast, but the lack of vocabulary interfered as an issue here again. The final goal in this
part of the task was mainly that both students would come to an agreement on what the
most dangerous job was, but the test-taker had to remind them—after the due time for
the second part of the task, that they should finish by coming to an agreement so it was
accomplished in 10 minutes extra out of the due time.
To sum up, the task was appropriate for both students X and Z in terms of vocabulary
needed according to the topic that they should know about because “dangerous jobs” is
one of the topics that belong to the first semester of a fourth-grade student at that
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12. particular school. On the other hand, it is probable that the lack of use of connectors to
compare and contrast the photos showed was because they were never taught those but
surely because they had never been assessed in that way: two students in front of
photographs where they have to compare and contrast them and even less come to an
agreement with a classmate because the only way they had been tested orally was by
short interactions previously planned such as dialogues, or short oral presentations such
as singing a song.
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13. 7. Improvements
Based on the performance of both students X&Z and the test-taker, the improvements are
the following. First, both students’ performances were good considering the type of
school where they are studying at and the level of English test-taker expected from them.
After accomplishing the oral test both students and test-taker discussed about the results
of the performance and, taking students’ viewpoints about their results it is worth to say
that they did a good work considering that they had never been in that situation because
their only types of oral tests were short dialogues, dissertations about famous people and
some pieces of songs they had to perform in front of the class. Other thing that is worth to
say is that the vocabulary they have is mainly got from English songs they usually listen to
combined with that learned in class.
Secondly, based on the test-taker performance, students pointed out that, in the last part
of the task, the photographs should have been shown the four at once. This is a point less
for the test-taker because he should foresee that issue, and make a presentation in which
all the four photos were clearly seen by the students instead of showing them separately.
They also pointed out that the test applied was good in terms of preparation and
coherence with what they should know (vocabulary), but not in terms of context: both
students pointed out that that type of English test could not be accomplished successfully
in any Chilean public school because they are not prepared to do it due to the format
where oral skills are not that important as grammar.
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14. 8. Appendix
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15. Name: …………………………………………………
Total Score: ………………………………………...
Rubric for the 2nd part of the task
Unacceptable Poor Good Excellent
(1) (2) (3) (4)
The student has a clear lack of The student shows little ability to The student shows ability to interact The student shows great ability to
clarity in the message given, so interact and communicate the with his classmate with little interact with his classmate with
he makes the interaction and message, so it causes some problems problems to communicate the clarity so the message given is
Communication
agreement difficult to be to agree with his classmate in the message, although the agreement understood. The final agreement
accomplished. end. could be accomplished in the end. could be accomplished with no
difficulty.
The student shows little The vocabulary used by the student is The vocabulary used by the student The vocabulary used by the student
knowledge about comparison appropriate for the task but limited: is appropriate for the task: he uses is appropriate for the task: using a
and contrast and also uses he uses little adjectives and some adjectives and connectors that clear variety of adjectives and
Vocabulary inappropriate adjectives and connectors, so the message is clear make the message coherent most of connectors that make the message
connectors, so the message is but he shows little knowledge about the time. coherent and show clear
not clear most of the time. comparison and contrast. knowledge about comparison and
contrast.
Hesitation and pauses make The speech of the student is full of The student has little problem with Hesitation is not a problem when
the message unintelligible and hesitation and pauses when hesitation when communicating his communicating his ideas, so the
Fluency
his ideas are not well- communicating, so their ideas lack of ideas, but these are well-connected connection of these makes clear
connected at all clear connection. most of the time. the message given.
There is a clear problem with L1 Problems with pronunciation are The message can be understood L1 does not interference in the
interference in the foreign clearly present so the message though some little problem with L1 foreign language, so the student
Pronunciation
language, so the message cannot be understood most of the interference in the foreign language. expresses his ideas with no
cannot be understood. time. problem of pronunciation.
Observations:
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

16. Name: …………………………………………………
Total Score: ………………………………………...
Rubric for the 1st part of the task
Unacceptable Poor Good Excellent
(1) (2) (3) (4)
The performance of the There is a sort of connection among The student’s performance of The whole performance of
student of comparing and his ideas but it is hard to understand comparing and contrasting is comparing and contrasting is
Communication contrasting lack of coherent the message most of the time understood by connecting his ideas clearly understood by connecting
connection, so the message is because the connectors are not with some appropriate connectors his ideas with appropriate
clearly not understood. appropriate. most of the time. connectors.
The student shows little The vocabulary used by the student is The vocabulary used by the student The vocabulary used by the student
knowledge about comparison appropriate for the task but limited: is appropriate for the task: he uses is appropriate for the task: using a
and contrast and also uses he uses little adjectives and some adjectives and connectors that clear variety of adjectives and
Vocabulary inappropriate adjectives and connectors, so the message is clear make the message coherent most of connectors that make the message
connectors, so the message is but he shows little knowledge about the time. coherent and show clear
not clear most of the time. comparison and contrast. knowledge about comparison and
contrast.
Hesitation and pauses make The speech of the student is full of The student has little problem with Hesitation is not a problem when
the message unintelligible and hesitation and pauses when hesitation when communicating his communicating his ideas, so the
Fluency
his ideas are not well- communicating, so their ideas lack of ideas, but these are well-connected connection of these makes clear
connected at all clear connection. most of the time. the message given.
Observations:
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………