This week one of my students is taking the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English Exam so I thought this would be a timely reminder:
One thing that some learners find hard to get is that a Cambridge Speaking Exam doesn’t just mark you on grammar and vocabulary. You’re also given marks for pronunciation, discourse management and interactive communication.
In the CPE exam the assessor awards 5 marks for interactive communication (out of 25), while the interlocutor gives an additional global mark (out of 5) for how well you do in the exam, which includes their assessment of how well you handle communication.
In short, you are given quite a good proportion of your mark according to how well you can communicate in English!
First, a positive attitude on the day can really help you. If you can, start by introducing yourself to your partner before you enter the exam room. Get to know a little about them, and use the opportunity to do so in English so you can hear their accent. This will be better than both of you staring at the ceiling for 5 minutes!
What does Interactive Communication involve?
At CPE level more is naturally expected of you than say at FCE (upper-intermediate) level, but the concepts are similar. You need to:
- listen to your partner and respond to what they’re saying
This may seem like common sense but not everyone does this to their full potential.
Responding to your partner doesn’t just mean using your favourite “I agree with you” phrases from FCE. You’re now expected to widen the discussion. For example, this means responding to what you’re partner says, and then adding your own ideas, suggestions, and opinions as part of the discussion.
I’ll repeat: where appropriate, respond to or acknowledge your partner’s thoughts first and then add your response to explore the topic or to find a solution to the problem.
- initiate ideas
In addition to responding to your partner, you also need to start off the discussion or part of a discussion where appropriate. The idea is that you are both taking part and respecting turn-taking.
eg “Let’s start with …. . What do you think?”
- work towards an outcome
Cambridge use this term to refer to your ability to try to explore the topic and ‘work towards negotiating a decision.’
It doesn’t mean you have to reach a decision with your partner, but it does mean you should be using your communicative abilities to answer questions and move the discussion forward.
Interactive Communication DO and DON’Ts
- DO initiate and respond and develop your ideas and opinions
- DO develop your ideas by giving reasons or examples
- DO encourage your partner
- DON’T monopolise the discussion
- If your partner dominates the discussion DO try to use your communicative abilities to interrupt and add your views
- DO your best to answer even if you feel you don’t know much about the topic
- Although I’ve encouraged you to respond to your partner, DON’T interrupt your partner during their 2-minute Long-Turn (part 3 short talk). You will be able to respond for one minute after their talk
- DON’T feel you need to agree with your partner
- DO feel free to ask the interlocutor to repeat the question. However, they cannot re-word it for you
- DON’T worry if the examiner stops you – they have a strict time limit to follow
- In the part 2 discussion DO try to reach a decision towards the end of the discussion, not the beginning!
- DO communicate and enjoy the exam ๐
Finally I’ve mentioned quite a lot about your interaction with your partner, but how you respond to the interlocutor is naturally included in your final mark for this criteria.
Learn English in Prague with me:
David Sweetnam
Prague English Teacher
Engage s.r.o.
david (at) getintoenglish.com
Skype: getintoenglish
Twitter @GetIntoEnglish
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