Action
Activity suggestions for during the Speaking test
One challenge during the mock Speaking test is finding something to give the other learners in your class to do. Here are some ideas you could try.
Pre A1 Starters, A1 Movers and A2 Flyers
Other ideas include:
- Spelling and drawing activities (e.g. PictionaryTM).
- If your learners have access to tablets or smartphones, they can also try some Sing and Learn songs or other online activities.
- Look, say, cover, write, check can help children learn spelling by following these simple steps:
- Study a word
- Say it aloud a few times
- Cover it up with a piece of paper or their hand
- Write the spelling next to the original word
- Check their version to see if they got it right.
For older learners
Learners work in groups to design a board game with questions based on the exam format and any useful vocabulary they have covered in class. You can search for blank board game templates online.
Hand back the Listening and Reading and Writing papers with a copy of the audioscript and answer keys so learners can review their work. Set some tasks with this, for example:
- check any new words in a dictionary and note them in your vocabulary book
- create vocabulary review cards with a picture or definition and example sentence on one side and the word on the other – learners can use these to test each other.
How to mark the test papers
The Statement of Results and certificate
The levels of the exams match the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) levels of Pre A1, A1 and A2. Learners do not receive a score but can earn up to five shields for each paper.
Candidates get a Statement of Results that shows how many shields they got and tells them about their strengths and areas for improvement, and gives ideas on how to improve. They also get a certificate to celebrate their achievement.
Marking the Listening and Reading and Writing papers
You can use the conversion tables below to help you get an approximate idea of how well your learners are doing and identify strengths and areas to work on.
Important note: these conversion tables are for very rough guidance only and should not be used to predict results in a live exam.
Pre A1 Starters
The Reading and Writing paper has 25 questions and each question is worth 1 mark. The maximum score for Reading and Writing is 25.
The Listening paper has 20 questions and each question is worth 1 mark. The maximum score for Listening is 20.
Examples: My learner scores 15/25 for Reading and Writing = 2 shields My learner scores 9/20 for Listening = 1 shield
A1 Movers
The Reading and Writing paper has 35 questions. For Parts 1–5, each question is worth 1 mark.
Part 6 has six questions and is worth a total of 10 marks. The first two questions are worth 1 mark and Questions 3 to 6 are worth 2 marks. The Handbook for teachers has guidance on marking Part 6 and sample answers.
The Listening paper has 25 questions and each question is worth one mark.
Examples: My learner scores 20/35 for Reading and Writing = 2 shields My learner scores 22/25 for Listening = 5 shields
A2 Flyers
The Reading and Writing paper has 44 questions. For Parts 1–6, each question is worth 1 mark. Part 7 is worth a total of 5 marks.
See the Handbook for teachers for guidance on marking Part 7. This includes a description of what learners must do to get one to five shields and example answers at each level. The maximum score for Reading and Writing is 48.
The Listening paper has 25 questions and each question is worth 1 mark. The maximum score for Listening is 25.
Examples: My learner scores 30/44 for Reading and Writing = 3 shields My learner scores 9/25 for Listening = 1 shield
Marking the Speaking paper
The Speaking test is assessed by one examiner using assessment criteria (detailed descriptions of what a learner must do to get a particular grade from 0 to 5). At Pre A1 Starters the criteria are vocabulary, pronunciation and interaction; at A1 Movers and A2 Flyers the criteria are vocabulary and grammar, pronunciation and interaction.
For more information on the three criteria for Speaking, see the speaking assessment pages in the Handbook for teachers.
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