Graded Examinations in Spoken English

Sample interactive prompts Intermediate stage (Grades 7-9)

The Interactive phase GESE Intermediate Stage (Grades 7-9)

The purpose of the Interactive phase is for candidates to demonstrate their ability to take control over and maintain the interaction while expressing the language functions of the grade. In the Interactive phase, the emphasis is placed upon the candidates ability to use functional language rather than upon the accurate use of the grammatical structures listed for the grade. In addition to general functions such as requesting information, some of the language functions listed for the particular grade should arise naturally from each task prompt. Therefore, candidates must be able to understand and use the language functions of the grade to take a full part in the exchange. It is important that, once the examiner has set up the situation, the candidate takes responsibility for the interaction by asking questions and commenting on the examiners responses. The interaction will take the form of multiple turns, with the examiners turns being much shorter than those of the candidate. In some cases the interaction may involve role play but the examiner and candidate are free to be themselves so as to create as authentic an exchange as possible. In the Interactive phase, the responsibility for maintaining the interaction is the candidates. If a candidate fails to maintain the interaction of this phase, the examiner will not intervene and take control. In such a case, the phase will not extend to the full four minutes and the candidates performance will not be rated highly. Candidates may ask the examiner to repeat the initial oral prompt if necessary. Those responsible for preparing candidates for the Interactive phase are strongly advised to help them practise: question formations using the grammatical structures of the preceding grades expressing the functions of the grade in a variety of ways holding conversations which naturally result in the use of the language functions of the grade strategies to maintain the flow of conversation taking the initiative and controlling the direction of the conversation.

On the following pages are some SAMPLE interactive prompts for the Intermediate stage. Please note these are samples and will NOT be used in an actual examination. At each Grade, the examiner will introduce this phase by saying: For the next part, I'll tell you something. Then, you have to ask me questions to find out more information and make comments. You need to keep the conversation going. After four minutes, I'll end the conversation. Are you ready?

Grade 7 Sample Interactive Prompts

1. When I was little, I used to do all kinds of hobbies. Now I'd like to find a new hobby which would help me to meet some different people. (Possible functions: describing past habits, eliciting further information and expansion of ideas and opinions, making suggestions) 2. My local college has a wonderful range of courses and I want to do something, but Im not sure which one to take. (Possible functions: eliciting further information and expansion of ideas and opinions, making suggestions, giving advice and highlighting advantages and disadvantages) 3. While I was walking around yesterday evening, I found something which might be quite valuable and Im not sure what to do with it. (Possible functions: eliciting further information and expansion of ideas and opinions, expressing possibility and uncertainty, giving advice and highlighting advantages and disadvantages, making suggestions) 4. I used to enjoy visiting zoos, but then I saw something one day that made me feel differently. (Possible functions: describing past habits, expressing agreement and disagreement, eliciting further information and expansion of ideas and opinions) 5. I saw my neighbours daughter stealing from a shop recently. Im not sure what to do. (Possible functions: making suggestions, eliciting further information and expansion of ideas and opinions, giving advice and highlighting advantages and disadvantages, expressing agreement and disagreement) 6. Though I'd really like to feel healthier, I don't know the best way to start. (Possible functions: eliciting further information and expansion of ideas and opinions, giving advice and highlighting advantages and disadvantages, making suggestions, expressing possibility and uncertainty) 7. It's my niece's/nephew's birthday soon and though I'd like to give her/him a pet, I'm not sure about it. (Possible functions: making suggestions, eliciting further information and expansion of ideas and opinions, giving advice and highlighting advantages and disadvantages) 8. When I first started school I always used to be in trouble, but then I was helped by one special teacher. (Possible functions: describing past habits, expressing possibility and uncertainty, eliciting further information and expansion of ideas and opinions) 9. I haven't heard from a friend of mine who lives in Australia and I'm beginning to get a bit worried. (Possible functions: giving advice and highlighting advantages and disadvantages, expressing possibility and uncertainty, eliciting further information and expansion of ideas and opinions) 10. My nephew, who loves football, spends all his money going to football matches. Now he's asking me for money and I'm not sure what to do. (Possible functions: giving advice and highlighting advantages and disadvantages, eliciting further information and expansion of ideas and opinions)

11. I love my job, though there are times when I think I'd like to do something completely different. (Possible functions: eliciting further information and expansion of ideas and opinions, making suggestions, giving advice and highlighting advantages and disadvantages) 12. I want to explore this area at the weekend but I don't know where to go exactly and which is the best way to travel. (Possible functions: giving advice and highlighting advantages and disadvantages, making suggestions, expressing possibility and uncertainty) 13. My friend, who is an actress, is getting married soon and it's going to be a very unusual wedding. I'm not sure I want to go. (Possible functions: giving advice and highlighting advantages and disadvantages, making suggestions, eliciting further information and expansion of ideas and opinions) 14. My friend's invited me to go to America with his next year, but because of what happened the last time we went on holiday together, I don't know whether to accept. (Possible functions: giving advice and highlighting advantages and disadvantages, eliciting further information and expansion of ideas and opinions) 15. It's often said that life was much better 100 years age, but I'm not sure I agree. (Possible functions: describing past habits, eliciting further information and expansion of ideas and opinions, expressing agreement and disagreement)

Grade 8 Sample Interactive prompts

1. One of my colleagues at work told me she saw our boss stealing something from the office. I dont know what to do. (Possible functions: reporting the conversation of others, persuading and discouraging, speculating, expressing feelings and emotions) 2. I received a really strange phone call yesterday. I was told something that I think might change my life! (Possible functions: speculating, reporting the conversation of others, expressing feelings and emotions) 3. Although I love [the candidates country] and would like to live here, Im not sure it would be possible for a number of reasons. (Possible functions: expressing feelings and emotions, expressing impossibility, speculating) 4. Before my neighbours moved away last week they gave me a box of books which they said they didnt want. I was amazed when I looked in the box. (Possible functions: speculating, reporting the conversation of others, persuading and discouraging) 5. One of my friends told me that she overheard a very strange conversation on the bus the other day. (Possible functions: reporting the conversation of others, expressing feelings and emotions) 6. My friend wants to enter a competition, but says she needs my help. Even though there's a major prize to be won, I'm not sure about getting involved. (Possible functions: expressing feelings and emotions, reporting the conversation of others, speculating, persuading and discouraging) 7. I've seen a flat advertised in the newspaper and have been thinking of moving to a new area. (Possible functions: expressing feelings and emotions, speculating, persuading and discouraging)

8. I was on the train the other day and got into conversation with the passenger opposite. I still cant believe my good luck. (Possible functions: expressing impossibility, reporting the conversation of others) 9. If I hadnt met my best friend, I think my life would have been different in many ways. (Possible functions: expressing feelings and emotions, reporting the conversation of others, speculating) 10. Even though I like to read newspapers, I dont always believe what I read. Especially the story I read this morning. It makes me wonder if they make it all up. (Possible functions: expressing impossibility, speculating) 11. When I came back from holiday, my neighbour told me about some strange things that had happened in the street while I was away. (Possible functions: reporting the conversation of others, expressing feelings and emotions, speculating) 12. My friend went to New York for a holiday last year and he said he loved it. He wants me to go with him this year but I'm not sure if I want to go there. (Possible functions: reporting the conversation of others, expressing feelings and emotions, speculating, persuading and discouraging) 13. One of my old school-friends has been organising a party to meet up with all the people who were in our class at school. I'm not sure if I want to go. (Possible functions: expressing feelings and emotions, speculating, persuading and discouraging) 14. Last week my friend told me about a strange experience shed had recently. I found it hard to believe. (Possible functions: expressing feelings and emotions, reporting the conversation of others, speculating) 15. If Id won the lottery when I was younger, I would have spent the money in a very different way to how Id spend it now. (Possible functions: expressing impossibility, speculating, persuading and discouraging)

Grade 9 Sample Interactive prompts

1. My husband/wife has suddenly announced that when we retire s/he hopes well sell our house and change our way of life completely. (Possible functions: expressing regrets, wishes and hopes, evaluating options, expressing assumptions, hypothesising) 2. I saw an amazing job advertised last year. I wish Id applied for it. (Possible functions: evaluating past actions or course of events, expressing regrets, wishes and hopes, hypothesising) 3. Sometimes I wonder what it might have been like to grow up with lots of brothers and sisters. (Possible functions: hypothesising, expressing assumptions, expressing abstract ideas) 4. I remember talking to some children about whether they should be given weekly pocket money by their parents or have to earn it. They had lots of ideas and interesting reasons. (Possible functions: expressing abstract ideas, evaluating options, paraphrasing, expressing assumptions, hypothesising)

5. It is often said that your school days are the best days of your life. I have very good reasons for disagreeing. (Possible functions: evaluating past actions or course of events, hypothesising, expressing abstract ideas, expressing regrets, wishes and hopes) 6. Sometimes I wish I hadnt been born in the 20th century. Other centuries seem to have been much more interesting. (Possible functions: evaluating options, expressing abstract ideas, hypothesising, expressing regrets, wishes and hopes, evaluating past actions or course of events) 7. Learning a foreign language is supposed to give insights into a new culture, as well as language skills. I wonder if this is true. (Possible functions: expressing abstract ideas, expressing assumptions, paraphrasing, hypothesising) 8. My friend and I both witnessed the same road accident a few weeks ago and remembered what had happened very clearly but we gave the police two very different versions of events. (Possible functions: expressing assumptions, paraphrasing, hypothesising, evaluating past actions or course of events) 9. My uncle's bought an old house and has told me all about how he's re-designed houses in the past. He's asked me to help him with this one but I can imagine some problems. (Possible functions: evaluating options, hypothesising, paraphrasing, expressing assumptions) 10. My cousin's been offered a new job. He says he was given a very strange interview so doesn't know whether to take the job or not. (Possible functions: expressing regrets, wishes and hopes, evaluating options, hypothesising) 11. For the past few years, I've been sent a birthday card with a romantic message, but I've no idea who might have sent them. It was funny at first but now I'm getting concerned. (Possible functions: expressing assumptions, hypothesising, evaluating options) 12. I complained to my boss the other week about my salary and now I'm beginning to wish I hadn't said anything. (Possible functions: expressing assumptions, expressing regrets, wishes and hopes, evaluating past actions or course of events, evaluating options) 13. Ive never believed in telepathy, but something happened the other day which couldnt have been anything else. (Possible functions: expressing abstract ideas, expressing assumptions, paraphrasing, hypothesising) 14. My friends been feeling really upset. She told me she made two bad decisions last year and wishes she could change them now. (Possible functions: expressing regrets, wishes and hopes, expressing assumptions, evaluating past actions and course of events) 15. If I'd taken music more seriously when I was younger, I think I might have been quite a good musician. (Possible functions: expressing regrets, wishes and hopes, evaluating past actions or course of events, hypothesising, expressing assumptions)

Disclaimer: The above materials have been provided to assist teachers with the preparation of learners for the Trinity Graded Examinations in Spoken English. Please make sure you consult the syllabus fully for all requirements of the examinations. Trinity will not accept appeals which cite the use of examination materials in support of the appeal.