Speaking

LSS2 Speaking Assessment

The speaking assessment is a group discussion and ties into the writing assessment. You will be in groups of 3-4, and the format will simulate a mini-seminar. You will be given a question based on the sources and topic used in the writing assessment which you should discuss together. You will also be asked to individually answer some questions from the examiner before the discussion, as well as possibly afterwards.

Assignment information

The speaking exam in total will be between 15-20 minutes long (it depends on the amount of students in your group). The group discussion will take up most of this time.
You should use the sources from the ETP to support your arguments in the discussion.
You will be able to bring one page of your own notes into this exam. Your teacher will give you more details about this.
Date of the exam: The exam will be in week 23. Check your timetable. Your teacher and coordinator will give you full details nearer the time.
You will have a formative exam in week 17. It is important you take this exam seriously and learn from the feedback.

Learning outcomes

Everything you have studied during your time at the IPC will contribute to your performance on this exam. By the time you take this exam, you will be able to:

demonstrate conversation skills: effective turn-taking, developing conversation, responding to partner, asking follow-up questions
show fluency in monologue and discussion
make points clearly, giving reasons and examples
use appropriate features to structure and give cohesion to responses
show clear pronunciation, with effective use of stress and intonation

What can you do to prepare and improve?

Look back at what you have studied on previous modules. It is important you connect and apply the skills and knowledge you have learnt on other modules.
Attend class, engage with the content, do the homework, use the materials on the VLE and/or Classroom.
You can try and meet people with similar interests through a site such as https://www.meetup.com/ Remember, if you only speak to people in your first language, then your English is not going to improve!
If you do not (yet!) have English speaking friends, then you do still have options. Read this article.
Work on your pronunciation: there are some tips here and here
For exam practice – find classmates and friends to have group discussions with. You can use the various Exam Text Packs from the term to help.
The British Council has a lot of helpful resources, such as here: https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/speaking/upper-intermediate-b2-speaking

How will your work be marked?

In order to produce a strong piece of work, you will need to incorporate the language and study skills that we are covering in class. Specifically:

Content and Argument

Are your arguments relevant?
Are you answering the question?
Do you argue your stance well?
Are you using the texts to support your argument?

Fluency and coherence

Is your speech natural and spontaneous? (don’t try to memorise and rehearse all your arguments! And don’t just read from your notes!)
Do you speak at a good pace? i.e. not too fast and not too slow
Are your ideas logical, organised and understandable?

Interaction

Do you initiate and end your turns appropriately?
Do you ask your partners questions?
Do you listen to what your partners say and respond appropriately?

Grammar, vocabulary and cohesion

Do you try to use a range of simple and complex grammatical structures?
Do you use a range of relevant vocabulary?
Are your ideas connected well using suitable language?

Pronunciation

Can the marker and your partners understand what you say?
Do you use appropriate intonation?
Do you use sentence stress to express meaning and emphasis?

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