GCSE English Language
Speaking & Listening Component
9/26/2017
Melanie Reilly

Assessment Criteria

Pass / Where am I?
Y / N / Unsure
Can I speak audibly?
Can I use Spoken Standard English?
Can I express straightforward ideas / information / feelings?
Can I make an attempt to organise and structure my presentation?
Can I make an attempt to meet the needs of the audience?
Can I listen to questions / feedback and provide an appropriate response in a straightforward manner?
Merit
Can I speak audibly?
Can I use Spoken Standard English?
Can I express challenging ideas / information / feelings using a range of vocabulary?
Can I organise and structure my presentation clearly and appropriately to meet the needs of the audience?
Can I achieve the purpose of my presentation?
Can I listen to questions / feedback responding formally and in some detail?
Distinction
Can I speak audibly?
Can I use Spoken Standard English?
Can I express sophisticated ideas / information / feelings using a sophisticated repertoire of vocabulary?
Can I organise and structure my presentation using an effective range of strategies to engage the audience?
Can I achieve the purpose of my presentation?
Can I listen to questions / feedback, respond perceptively and if appropriate elaborate with further ideas and information?

GCSE Speaking and Listening exam

Information about speaking and listening exam taken from the exam board:

‘Students must demonstrate their presentation skills in a formal setting, listen and respond to questions and feedback, and use spoken English effectively.’

Presentation:

The spoken language presentation may take a variety of forms, including:

(a) A speech or talk by a student, followed by questions from the audience or

(b) A formal debate or dialogue, such as an interview where the student is able to prepare extended responses to questions or prompts which have been shared in advance, followed by questions from the audience.

In all cases, the presentation should be prepared and last no longer than 10 minutes.

Audience:

Students must give their presentations to an audience, which must always include the teacher.

The size and the composition of the audience should be determined by the teacher, in discussion with the student.

Now you are clear on the expectations for the test, you need to consider what topic you are going to talk about. This topic should be something you are really interested in and something you are passionate about. If it is something you are interested in / passionate about then you will be able to talk at length.

A particular hobby or interest / Your education and future ambitions / A topic you are passionate about
An aspect of your upbringing, culture or heritage / / A current news story
A significant event / A book you have studied as part of your course and its contextual background / A controversial issue that you have strong opinions on

In the table below, I have decided the order in which I will speak about my points by assigning a number that represents where in my presentation the point will come.

Padua
  1. City in Veneto
  2. University town
  3. Prato del Valle – 2nd biggest square in Europe
/ International school
  1. Mainly Italian students
  2. PET / FCE
  3. IGCSE
  4. Small classes
  5. Valued
/ Living away from home
  1. Home away from home
  2. Live in shared flat with other teachers
  3. Some English comforts aren’t available / some really expensive

  1. Padua – my home town
/
  1. Working in an international school
/
  1. Living away from home

Food
  1. Pasta
  2. Pizza
  3. Gnocchi
  4. Prosecco
/
  1. Food
/
Italy /
  1. Travel
/ Travel:
  1. Love travelling
  2. Went to Bologna and fell in love with Italy
  3. Researched international schools

Cultural differences
  1. Slower pace of life in Italy
  2. Everyone cycles
  3. Outside
  4. Cheaper
  5. Family
/
  1. How the Italian culture differs from the English
/ 7. What the English could learn from the Italians / 8. What I have learnt from the experience
English learn from Italians
  1. Simplicity
  2. Life
/ My own learning
  1. Different educational contexts
  2. Cultural awareness
  3. Made friends in Italy

Now us the table format to extend the ideas that will support each point you wish to make.

Supporting points to develop main idea 1: / Supporting points to develop main idea 2: / Supporting points to develop main idea 3:
Main idea 1: / Main idea 2: / Main idea 3: / Supporting points to develop main idea 5:
Main idea 4: / Your presentation topic: / Main idea 5:
Main idea 6: / Main idea 7: / Main idea 8:
Supporting points to develop main idea 6: / Supporting points to develop main idea 7: / Supporting points to develop main idea 8:

Task:

Mix and match the following language techniques with their definitions.

  1. Emotive words
/
  1. Demonstrating differences in viewpoint.

  1. Rhetorical questions
/
  1. Three phrases or describing words used to emphasise a point..

  1. Personal pronouns
/
  1. Making the reader surprised or horrified.

  1. Catchy phrases or slogans
/
  1. Being-over-the-top to get a point across.

  1. Emotive pictures
/
  1. Little stories to illustrate a point.

  1. Forceful phrases
/
  1. Using words like ‘we’, ‘us’ and ‘you’ to make the writing more appealing.

  1. Statistics
/
  1. Support a point with the views of a professional.

  1. Exaggeration (hyperbole)
/
  1. Words that stick in your mind.

  1. Contrasts
/
  1. Pictures or illustrations that are meant to arouse your emotions.

  1. Short sentences
/
  1. Saying the same word or phrase more than once for emphasis.

  1. Rule of 3
/
  1. Numbers / graphs which provide convincing information

  1. Repetition
/
  1. Making points easier to follow.

  1. Anecdotes
/
  1. Questions that don’t require an answer.

  1. Quote a reliable source
/
  1. Using words like ‘I urge’ or ‘I demand’ for emphasis

  1. Shock tactics
/
  1. Words that arouse emotion.

Look at this example:

‘Hello my name is Charlotte and I am going to talk about why large retailers are killing off the high street and what we can do about it. What do you value more: convenience or community? Shockingly today, 1 in 6 shops throughout the UK today lay empty. Is this due to supermarkets attracting the public with cheap and convenient produce or are smaller businesses just failing to keep up with changing retail habits and consumer needs? In 2009, the retail price paid for milk to farmers was getting lower and lower and this was making small dairy herds non-viable as businesses.’

Within this short opening, a range of linguistic features have been used to engage the audience into the presentation. What techniques will you use in your presentation?

Now, let’s look at how we can vary our tone in order to engage the audience.

Work through this short exercise in varying your tone. To do this, watch this video first:

Now practise with the following sentence:

I didn’t say I like football.

I didn’t say I like football.

I didn’t say I like football.

I didn’t say I like football.

I didn’t say I like football.

I didn’t say I like football.

How does the meaning of the sentence change with the inflection?

Speaking & Listening Checklist

What will you talk about? Give your subject a title and offer a brief description of the subject.

Bullet point at least 6 points you can discuss on this topic. Think about key areas that you would need to tell your audience about so that they can fully understand the topic you have chosen to discuss.

1.

2

3

4

5

6

Give more details for each point.

Identify 5 questions you might be asked and 5 possible responses in which you provide your audience with further information.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Identify 3 questions you might ask to engage them in discussion on your topic (remember you are the expert, not them!)

What the examiners say:

Textual aspects (the order in which spoken utterances are organised and the vocabulary used)

Whatever their chosen topic, the words candidates choose to use and the way in which they structure them will be key to ensuring they achieve the highest mark of which they are capable. Just as assessments in writing require a wide and interesting vocabulary and a sophistication in the way in which a piece is constructed, the same is true of the textual aspects of spoken language. In writing we would be reminding students that they will be making choices about:

  • the individual words they use, ensuring they choose the most powerful for the given purpose
  • the way they construct their sentences, for example, varying length to sustain reader interest
  • the whole text organisation, both within and across paragraphs

The same choices will guide students in the textual aspect of their spoken language presentation.

Interpersonal aspects (how it’s said).

Interpersonal skills are important to ensure audience engagement. In the Marking Criteria bullet points, it is the references to meeting the needs of the audience (bullet 3 in Pass, bullet 2 in Merit) or in effectively engaging the audience (bullet 2 of Distinction) to which the interpersonal dimension most closely relates.

The choices students make about the interpersonal aspect of their performance principally involve thinking about:

  • Use of the voice: variety in pace, pitch, volume, inflection
  • Facial expression
  • Eye contact
  • Gestures
  • Movement