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| Intensive English | Training & Development | Engliish Language Improvement Program | English For All | Teachers | Students |
| English Language improvment program |
English Language Improvement Program: Additional information for students: About the SPEAK Test (Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit) Only graduate students who have been registered for the test by their department and have a photo ID can take the test. The test takes approximately 30 minutes to complete and is recorded on a computer. You also receive the questions in a printed booklet that you can read during the test. The test consists of 12 questions/speaking prompts. Time is given to think of the response before having to answer. There is no penalty for giving an incomplete response if the speaker is cut off with the next question. No pencils or note taking is allowed during the test. It is designed to evaluate your general language proficiency, so you will be asked questions about topics not necessarily related to your field of study. Typical prompts are a question for directions on a map; describing a graph; discussing ones opinion about a subject; comparing and contrasting two ideas; telling a story based on a series of pictures; making recommendations; giving alternate scenarios; and explaining changes to a schedule. It is important to speak clearly and to answer all of the questions as completely as possible. Responses are rated based on how easily an American undergraduate would understand the responses. Higher scores are awarded to responses that are clear, smooth and not choppy, have clear pronunciation and correct word stress/intonation, have no confusing grammar or vocabulary mistakes, make sense in terms of content, and require little effort to understand. According to ETS (Educational Testing Services), four categories are used to rate responses: functional competence (knowing how to use language for functions such as giving directions); sociolinguistic competence (knowing how formal of language and tone to use in different situations); discourse competence (being able to organize your response logically and use things such as transition markers); and linguistic competence (knowing effective vocabulary and grammar to use; having accurate pronunciation; having smooth delivery; and being intelligible overall). To prepare for the test, be sure you speak English most of the day, practice your grammar/vocabulary, practice speaking without being choppy, identify specific pronunciation issues you should work on, and work on those specifically every day. Repeated practice of the same questions over and over is generally not helpful for the test. More generally, it is useful to practice speaking at length about a variety of topics with different purposes. Click here to see the grading chart/rubric (available starting August 20, 2010).Questions
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| This page last updatedAugust 19, 2010 | |