In the Basic Oral Interview, the students are expected to perform at the Intermediate-Low, Mid or High Level, as these are defined by the following tasks/functions, content, context and text type:
NOVICE (1, this includes the three subcategories below the acceptable level)
|
| |
Task/Function: |
The students can produce only formulaic utterances, lists and enumerations |
| |
Context: |
in highly predicable daily settings. |
| |
Content: |
They can talk about common discrete elements of daily life using only the words and phases that they have memorized. |
| |
Accuracy: |
They will make numerous mistakes and may be difficult to understand, even for persons accustomed to non-native speakers. |
| |
Text Type: |
They can merely use discrete words or phrases. |
| INTERMEDIATE-LOW (2-, first acceptable level) |
| |
Task/Function: |
The students can ask and answer standard questions or make simple statements |
| |
Context: |
in a limited number of interactive, task-oriented and social situations. |
| |
Content: |
They can introduce themselves, order a meal, ask directions and purchase items. |
| |
Accuracy: |
They will make frequent mistakes but can generally be understood, with some repetition, by sympathetic interlocutors. |
| |
Text Type: |
The students are beginning to formulate discrete sentences. |
| INTERMEDIATE-MID (2) |
| |
Task/Function: |
The students can ask and answer questions and participate in simple conversations |
| |
Context: |
involving basic communicative tasks in normal social situations. |
| |
Content: |
They can discuss topics beyond the most immediate needs (e.g. personal history and leisure-time activities). |
| |
Accuracy: |
Pronunciation may still be strongly influenced by the first language, but the number of grammatical errors is diminishing.
Although misunderstandings still arise, these speakers can be understood by sympathetic interlocutors.
|
| |
Test Type: |
The students are able to formulate longer sentences and even short series of sentences. |
| INTERMEDIATE-HIGH (2+): |
| |
Task/Function: |
The students can initiate and maintain a simple face-to-face conversation by asking and responding to simple questions |
| |
Context: |
in some informal and a limited number of transactional situations. |
| |
Content: |
They can discuss topics primarily related to themselves and their immediate environment in spite of their still limited vocabulary. |
| |
Accuracy: |
They continue to make mistakes, but they can be understood, with some repetition, by native speakers unaccustomed to non-native speakers. |
| |
Text Type: |
The students speak in discrete sentences, strings of sentences and emerging connected discourse. |
(For higher levels see Speaking Proficiency Rubric.)