CL1 SLAkING

SPEAKING
What is the Speaking sub-test?
The Speaking sub-test is an individual interview that takes around 20 minutes. t is profession specific. You take this
part of the OET using materials specifically for your profession a nurse does role plays for nursing, a dentist does
role-plays for dentistry, and so on.
n each interview, your identity and profession are checked by the interviewer and there is a short warm-up
conversation about your professional background. Then the role plays are introduced, one by one, and you have 2-3
minutes to prepare for each. The two role-plays take about five minutes each.
You receive information for each role play on a card, which you keep while you do the role play. You may write notes
on the card if you want. The card explains the situation and what you are required to do. f you have any questions
about the content of the role-play or how a role-play works, you may ask for clarification before starting.
You are assessed on your performance in the two role plays only. The whole interview is recorded and it is this audio
recording that is assessed; the interviewer is not assessing you.
The interviewer follows a script so that the interview structure is similar for each candidate. He/she also has detailed
information to use in each role-play.
The role-plays are based on typical workplace situations and reflect the demands made on the professional in those
situations. Different role-plays are used for different candidates at the same test administration.
n each role-play, you take your professional role (e.g., as a nurse) while the interviewer plays a patient/client or
sometimes a patient's relative or carer. For veterinary science the interviewer is the owner or carer for the animal.
Remember that the OET is a test of English-language skills not a test of professional knowledge.
#ationaIe
An important part of a health professional's role is the ability to communicate effectively in speech with his/her
patients or clients. The role-plays allow the candidate to take his/her professional role and demonstrate the ability to
deal with common workplace situations. These situations may include elements of tension which are a normal part of
the real-life context: for example, anxious or angry patients, patients who misunderstand their situation, limited time in
which to explain instructions.
Having two role-plays provides two separate opportunities to demonstrate spoken proficiency: the two scenarios
provide a chance to use different kinds of language, therefore giving a broader view of the candidate's spoken skills.
What Speaking skiIIs are tested?
Your performance in the two role-plays is assessed against five criteria:
O ;eraII communicati;e effecti;eness including how well you are able to maintain meaningful interaction
O InteIIigibiIity including pronunciation, intonation, stress, rhythm and accent
O Iuency including the rate (speed) and natural flow of your speech
O Appropriateness including the use of suitable professional language and the ability to explain in simple
terms as necessary; also, how appropriately you use language to communicate with the patient given the
scenario of each role-play
O #esources of grammar and expression including the accuracy and range of the language you use; how
effectively and naturally you communicate
How can I impro;e on each criterion?
;eraII communicati;e effecti;eness
n each role-play, take the initiative, as a professional does
Talk to the interviewer as you do to a patient
Don't expect the patient to lead or to move to the next issue for you do this yourself
Deal clearly with the points given on the role-card, asking questions and explaining as necessary
Link what you say clearly to the purpose of the communication (coherence)
Make sure the patient understands what you are saying and be prepared to explain complicated issues in a simple
way
Remember that you are interacting with your patient, not just explaining to him/her
InteIIigibiIity
Consider each aspect that makes up this criterion: pronunciation, intonation, stress, rhythm and accent
Note what particular sounds or groups of sounds are different in your language and in English there will be some
sounds in English that are not in your language at all
Practice common words that use these sounds (e.g., 'this', 'that' 'father', mother')
Notice how your pronunciation in your language is different from English what is an important feature in English
may not be so important in your language (and vice versa), e.g., the ends of words often show different meanings in
English: 'cut', 'cup'; 'worry', 'worries', worried'
Find out and practice the pronunciation in English of common words and phrases you use in your job although this
vocabulary may not be very common, a professional should be able to use the vocabulary for his/her profession
Work on correct word stress (e.g., 'temporary' not 'temporary') this is often much more important to clear
communication than pronouncing each individual sound in a word correctly
Link words together naturally as well (connected speech) in English there is often no 'space' between words in a
phrase, e.g., 'in_about_an_hour'
Iuency
Aim to speak at a natural speed for the situation
Consider problems for the listener if speech is too slow losing the flow of the argument, feeling frustration while
waiting for the speaker to finish
Consider problems for the listener if speech is too fast being unable to break up the stream of language into
meaningful pieces, feeling overwhelmed
Aim for even speech (not broken up into fragments) reduce hesitation or speaking in 'bursts' of language
Do use pauses to make your meaning clear though, e.g., for emphasis or to separate clearly the points you are
making
Try to avoid overuse of sounds (err, um) and words ('OK', 'yes') to fill gaps while you prepare what to say next
Appropriateness
Practice explaining medical and technical terms and procedures in simple language remember that the English you
know as a professional may be quite different from the English used by patients
Notice what people say in different situations and copy these phrases (checking what they mean first) people
choose what to say depending on the situation (e.g., formal/informal, speaking to a colleague, child, child's parent)
Consider asking questions to check that the patient has understood what you are saying if this seems appropriate to
the situation
#esources of grammar and expression
Demonstrate the accuracy of your spoken English and the range of structures and vocabulary you have
Show flexibility by using different phrases to communicate the same idea
Make sure you can form questions correctly particularly those questions that you often use with patients ('How long
.?', 'When .?')
Work on particular areas that will help you convey meaning accurately:
O articles (the, a/an): 'There's chance of infection' for 'There's a chance of infection'
O prepositions: ' can explain you about asthma' for ' can explain to you about asthma'
O countable/uncountable: 'not much side effects' for 'not many side effects'

Common errors
O ' recommend you that you take this medication twice a day.'
O 'When it happened?' for 'When did it happen?'
O 'not much painful' for 'not very painful' (adj) or 'not much pain' (n)

Do's and don'ts
O Do take time to read through the role-card carefully
O Do ask if you are not sure about something you are not penalized for doing this
O Don't follow a formula for the role-play that may not be appropriate e.g., sometimes you do not need to
introduce yourself because it is clear you know the patient already
O Do practice with another candidate, friend or colleague beforehand so you know what it feels like

How can I heIp myseIf during the Speaking sub-test?
GeneraI
Bring your identification document and a pen to the interview room
Make sure you demonstrate what you are capable of, as assessment is of the performance recorded
Speak loudly and clearly so the assessors can grade your performance fairly using the set criteria
During the identity check and background information stages of the interview, talk naturally with the interviewer use
this time to settle down and feel comfortable in the test situation
#oIe-pIays
Read the role-card carefully and make any notes you want on the card you keep the card during the role-play for
reference
Ask the interviewer during the preparation time if you have any questions about what a word/phrase means, how it is
pronounced, or how a role-play works
Use the notes on the role-card to guide the role-play:
O What is your role?
O What role is your interviewer playing patient, parent/son/daughter, carer?
O Where is the conversation taking place?
O What is the current situation?
O How urgent is the situation?
O What background information are you given about the patient and the situation?
O What are you required to do?
O What is the main purpose of the conversation (e.g., explain, find out, reassure, persuade)?
O What other elements of the situation do you know about (e.g., the patient appears nervous or angry, you
don't have much time)?
O What information do you need to give the patient? (Remember, though, this is not a test of your professional
skills)
Consider how you would act if this was a real situation you met while doing your job
Be ready to start off the role-play yourself the interviewer will indicate that preparation time is over but you need to
begin the conversation
ntroduce yourself if it is appropriate (but not if it is clear that you know the patient already)
Focus on the issue described in the role-play information
Don't take a full history of the patient unless the notes require this
Behave as you do as a professional in real life:
O f you don't understand something the patient says, ask him/her to repeat or explain it
O f you notice a misunderstanding between you and the patient, try to resolve it
O f the patient seems upset or confused, try to find out why
Don't worry if the interviewer stops the roleplay after about five minutes it's time to move on even if you haven't
completed the task

How is the Speaking sub-test assessed?
The Speaking sub-test is scored by experienced assessors who receive ongoing training, monitoring, and feedback
on their performance after each administration of the test.
Assessors listen to the audio recording of each interview and give a score from 1 to 6 for each of the five criteria
listed above using a detailed set of level descriptors to guide their decisions. A score of 6 is the highest for each
criterion. The assessor gives a set of five scores for each roleplay and then decides on a final set of five scores for
the overall performance across the two roleplays. The five criteria are equally weighted in the scoring and analysis
process.
Each candidate's recording is graded by two assessors independently. Neither assessor knows the scores the other
assessor gives or the scores awarded to the candidate for other sub-tests.
The two separate sets of raw scores for each candidate's recording are analysed for the whole group of candidates
taking the sub-test at the same administration. A multi-faceted Rasch analysis of the data is done using FACETS
software (Linacre 1989). This analysis takes account of patterns of assessor behaviour and compensates for
assessors whose scores are consistently lenient or severe.
After the initial analysis, any recordings which have misfitting scores (i.e., which do not fit the pattern expected for the
analysis) are re-scored by a third assessor (again without any knowledge of the previous scores given) and the
statistical analysis is repeated.
The final score for each candidate's recording is therefore not a simple mean average of the two (or three) assessors'
raw scores. nstead, it is a 'fair score', compensating for particular assessors' severity or leniency.




The Sample material
Consistas of
1) Role play cards for 10 health professional areas
2) 2 complete role plays recorded on the audio tape. One involves a doctor & the other a nurse. t is not
possible to provide examples of all professions, but this interview should provide a clear idea of the
procedures used in the interview.

Using the Material
1) Select the relevant role play
2) Copy the information on to 2 cards
3) Take the role of the health professional
4) Ask a friend to play the role of a patient or client
5) Ask another person to play the role of an observer and give feedback on your performance
6) Read the information on the card carefully
7) You have to deal with the case details as outlined on the card by asking & answering questions put to
you by the patient or client
8) Speak as Naturally as possible
9) Remember it is important to be interested in the welfare of the patient and to reassure the patient or
relation of the patient that the treatment being proposed is appropriate
10) Keep to the time of 5 minutes (approximate) in each role play
11) Ask a friend who observed for comments and feedback

Candidate's Card

Dentist Speaking subtest
Setting- Student Dental Service
Dentist-
ET CAND DATE NFORMAT ON & SAMPLE MATER ALS

OE T S A MP L E
Candidate's Card: Dentists
Setting
Student Dental Service
Dentist
This first year student is
This first-year student is taking advantage of the cost-free check-
up which your service offers. You have just done a complete examination of his/her
teeth and extra-oral areas and have found nothing abnormal. There is some
calculus/tartar on the teeth and some inflammation of the gums
Task- Tell the student the good news: no holes (because fluoride in the water). Point out that tartar and
gingivitis are present and explain how to brush teeth

8oleplayer's Card uenLlsLs

Setting- SLudenL uenLal Servlce


DENTISTS -
SPEAKING
SUBTEST
@ SAML
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