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OET SPEAKING SUB-TEST

 

General information

Time allocation:

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Approximately 20 minutes.

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Test format and procedure

This sub-test is specific to each profession.

The sub-test is a face-to-face interview where candidates are required to participate in two different role-play situations typical of their health profession area. The details of each role-play are set out on two cue cards. Candidates take the role of the health professional while the interviewer takes the role of the patient or client.

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Parts of the OET Speaking sub-test

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This sub-test is in three parts:

1. Warm-up conversation

This is not assessed.

The purpose of the warm-up conversation is to explain the format of the test and to help the candidate to relax. The interviewer will ask about areas of professional interest, previous work experience, future plans, etc.

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2. First role-play

The interviewer hands the candidate a role-play card which the candidate reads carefully. Any questions are to be asked and answered before the role-play begins. The interviewer will finish the role-play after about five minutes.

3. Second role-play

The above procedure is repeated with a different role-play.

The whole interview is recorded. It is important that the candidate and the interviewer speak clearly so that the assessor can understand everything that is said. Two role-plays are provided to ensure the assessment is fair. The assessment is based on both role-plays.

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Assessment procedure

In the OET, speaking is assessed by qualified, experienced English assessors who have been trained in OET assessment procedures. The assessment is based on the following criteria:

• Overall communicative effectiveness

• Intelligibility (The quality of language that is comprehensible)

• Fluency (Powerful and effective language) = eloquence

• Appropriateness of language

• Resources of grammar and expression.

All recordings are double marked.

 

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THE SPEAKING SUB-TEST STRUCTURE

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In each Speaking test, your identity and profession are checked by the interlocutor and there is a short warm-up conversation about your professional background. Then the role-plays are introduced one by one and you have three minutes to prepare for each. The role-plays take about five minutes each.

Role-plays

You receive information for each role-play on a card that you keep while you do the role-play. The card explains the situation and what you are required to do. You may write notes on the card if you want. If you have any questions about the content of the role-play or how a role-play works, you can ask them during the preparation time.

The role-plays are based on typical workplace situations and reflect the demands made on a health professional in those situations. The interlocutor follows a script so that the Speaking test structure is similar for each candidate. The interlocutor also has detailed information to use in each role-play. Different role-plays are used for different candidates at the same test administration.

 

HOW IS SPEAKING ASSESSED IN OET?

The whole Speaking sub-test is recorded and it is this audio recording that is assessed.

• The Speaking sub-test is marked independently by a minimum of two trained OET Assessors.

• Neither Assessor knows what scores the other has given you, or what scores you have achieved on any of the other sub-tests.

• Your test day interlocutor plays no role in the assessment of your performance.

• OET Assessors’ judgements are targeted and specific, not a general evaluation of candidates’ ability in spoken English.

• OET Assessors are trained to focus on how a candidate responds to the particular task on the day. They apply specific assessment criteria that reflect the demands of communication in the health professional workplace. Remember that OET is a test of English-language skills, not a test of professional knowledge

Candidates who are familiar with the assessment criteria and pay attention to the details of the specific role-play task have a better chance of demonstrating their ability in the key areas. Candidates who use memorised material or merely rely on techniques that worked in other circumstances tend not to perform to their full potential in the test.

Your performance on each of the two Speaking role-plays is scored against nine criteria and receives a band score for each criterion. The nine criteria are seperated into two different segments: Linguistic and Clinical Communicative.

Linguistic Criteria:

• Intelligibility: The impact of your pronunciation, intonation and accent on how clearly your listener can hear and understand what you’re saying

• Fluency: The impact of the speed and smoothness of your speech on your listener’s understanding

• Appropriateness of Language: The impact of your language, tone and professionalism on your listener’s understanding and comfort

• Resources of Grammar and Expression: The impact of your level of grammatical accuracy and vocabulary choices on your listener’s understanding.

Clinical Communication Criteria:

• Relationship-building: The impact of your choice of opening to the conversation and demonstration of empathy and respect on your listener’s comfort

• Understanding and incorporating: The impact of how fully you involve the patient in the conversation on your listener’s understanding and comfort

• Providing structure: The impact of how you organise the information you provide and introduce new topics for discussion on your listener’s understanding

• Information-gathering: The impact of the type of questions you ask and how you listen to the responses on your listener’s understanding

• Information-giving: The impact of how you provide information and check this information is being understood on your listener’s comfort and understanding.

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SPEAKING FAQS

 

CAN I WRITE ON THE ROLE-PLAY CARDS?

Yes, you can make notes on the role-play cards if you want, and you can refer to the card at any time during the role-play. You must return the card to the Interlocutor at the end of the role-play.

 

WHAT IF I DON'T FINISH THE ROLE-PLAY?

Each role-play is designed to elicit an assessable sample of speech which reflects your speaking ability in a health profession context. It is usual for a role-play to come to a natural end at around the 5-minute mark. If this does not happen, the Interlocutor will signal clearly that it is time to conclude the role-play.

There is no penalty for not completing all the elements on the role card. However, the more elements of the role-play you cover, the more evidence you are likely to give of your ability to communicate in spoken English. Use the preparation time to think about which elements of the role-play might require you to explain something in more detail or to ask the patient for more clarification.

 

WHY IS THE SPEAKING SUB-TEST IN THIS FORMAT?

An important part of a health professional’s role is the ability to communicate effectively in speech with patients or clients. The role-plays allow the candidate to take a professional role and demonstrate the ability to deal with common workplace situations.

These situations may include elements of tension which are a normal part of the real-life context: for example, anxious or angry patients, patients who misunderstand their situation, limited time in which to explain instructions.

Having two role-plays provides two separate opportunities to demonstrate spoken proficiency: the two scenarios provide a chance to use different kinds of language, so giving a broader view of the candidate’s spoken skills.

 

WHAT SCORES ON THE LEVEL DESCRIPTORS DO I NEED TO REACH ON THE SPEAKING SUB-TEST?

You should aim to achieve the highest level in the descriptors for each criteria. Test-takers securing grade B will have achieved predominantly scores of 5 out of 6 on each linguistic criteria and 2 out of 3 for the clinical communication criteria.

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