Assessing

Speaking

Adapted from http://www.slideshare.net/nairubymata/assessingspeaking-skills

Teaching speaking

What is Speaking?

Speaking is an interactive process of constructing

meaning that involves producing and receiving and
processing information (Brown, 1994; Burns & Joyce,
1997).
According to Kramsch (1986) cited in OMalley and
Valdez (1996) Speaking means anticipating the listener
s response and possible misunderstandings, and arriving
at the closest possible match between intended,
perceived, and anticipated meanings.

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Assessing Speaking
Characteristics of Spoken language
Spoken language is different from written language for many reasons.
One important reason is that it usually has to be understood
immediately whereas written language can be read many times. For
that reason, spoken language has many different features.
Spoken language has the following characteristics (Halliday, 1989, p.
31):
Variation in speed (generally faster than writing)
Loudness or quietness
Gestures - body language
Intonation
Stress
Rhythm
Pitch range
Pausing and phrasing
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Assessing Speaking

Source: Brown, D (2004)

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Assessing Speaking

Source: Brown, D (2004)

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Word and sentence repetition

tasks
Test taker hear: Repeat after me:
beat pause bit pause
bat pause vat pause
I bought a boat yesterday
The glow of the candle is
growing.
Test taker repeat the stimulus.

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Scoring scale for repetition

tasks (Imitative Speaking)
2
Acceptable pronunciation
1 Comprehensible, partially correct
pronunciation
0 Silence, seriously incorrect pronunciation

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PICTURE-CUED STORY TELLING (intermediate level sample)

Source:http://www.google.co.ve/search?
hl=es&biw=1259&bih=573&gbv=2&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=sequenced+pictures+for+story+telling&btnG=Buscar&oq=sequenced+pictures+
for+story+telling&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=s&gs_upl=54413l75052l0l31l30l2l0l0l3l905l6206l0.2.11.4.1.1.1

PICTURE CUED STORY TELLING

(OBJECTIVE: SIMPLE PAST)

Source: Brown, H., 2004. Language Assessment Principles and Classroom Practices.

Assessing Speaking:
Interactive Speaking
Choosing the best test format
Structured
interview

Unstructured
Interviews

ROLE PLAY
Unstructured
role play
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ROLE PLAY
Structured role
play (information
gap)
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Assessing Speaking: Interactive Speaking

Interviews: (stages)

Warm up: 1. small talk

Level check: the test taker
2. answers Wh-questions
3 produce a narrative without interruptions
4 reads a passage outloud
5 Tells how to make something or do something
6 engages in a brief, controlled, guided role play
Probe: The test-taker:

7 responds to interviewers questions about something the test taker doesnt know and
is planning to include in an article or paper.
8 talks about his or her own field of study or profession.
9 engages in a longer, more open-ended role play (e.g. simulates a difficult of
embarrassing situation) with the interviewer.
10 gives an impromptu presentation on some aspect of test-takers field.
Wind down:
11 feeling about the interview, information or results, further questions
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Role Plays

Discussions and conversations

Assessing Speaking:
Extensive Speaking
Oral
Presentations

Retelling a
story

Picture-cued
Story Telling

Translation of
an extended
prose

Source: Brown, 2004

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Oral Presentations
Specify the criterion
Set appropriate tasks
Optimal output
Practical, reliable scoring

ORAL PRESENTATION CHECK LIST

Source: Brown, H., 2004. Language Assessment Principles and Classroom Practices.

Conclusions
Speaking assessment is very difficult.
It is important to determine what criteria to use to

assess whether accuracy or fluency. Such criteria

can be based upon created models or adapted
ones.

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References
Brown, D. (2004). Language Assessment, Principles and Classroom Practices.

Longman
O Malley, M. and Valdez L. (1995). Authentic Assessment for English

Language Learners. Practical Approaches for Teachers. Addison-Wesley Publishing

Company.
Weir, C. (1990). Communicative Language Testing. Prentice Hall.
Bailey, K.M., & Savage, L. (1994). "New ways in teaching speaking." Alexandria, VA:

Teachers of
English to Speakers of Other Languages.
Brown, H.D. (1994). "Teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language

pedagogy.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Regents.
Burns, A., & Joyce, H. (1997). "Focus on speaking." Sydney: National Center for English

Language
Teaching and Research.
Carter, R. & McCarthy, M. (1995). Grammar and spoken language. "Applied Linguistics, 16"

(2),
141-158

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