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Section 7: Sample Interpersonal and Presentational Speaking Assignments
Languages Other Than English (LOTE) French (610)

Directions for the Interpersonal and Presentational Speaking Assignments

This section of the exam consists of three assignments that measure different aspects of your speaking ability in the target language. This section lasts approximately 15 minutes and consists of the following tasks:

  1. Presentational Speaking: Integrated Skills
  2. Express an Opinion or Make an Oral Presentation
  3. Simulated Conversation

For each assignment, you will be given specific directions, including the amount of time allowed for preparation and speaking. Answer each question according to the directions. You may use the erasable notebooklet provided to write notes or organize your response; however, you will be scored only on your recorded oral response.

Be sure to speak naturally and appropriately in the target language when responding to the speaking assignments. There are no prescribed answers to these assignments; however, each response needs to follow all task directions. Say as much as you can until the response time is over or until you feel you have provided a thorough response.

Sample Interpersonal and Presentational Speaking Assignments

Presentational Speaking: Integrated Skills

For this assignment, you will complete a task related to the passage you read in the Presentational Writing: Integrated Skills section.

First, you will have 1 minute, 30 seconds to read the directions and review the passage again. Then, you will hear a prompt describing a task related to the passage. You will then be prompted to begin preparing your response and will have 2 minutes to prepare your response.

When the preparation time is complete, you will be prompted to begin speaking. You will have 2 minutes to complete your response in the target language. You should respond as fully and as appropriately as possible. The response you provide during the specified response time will be automatically recorded.

When the response time has ended, you will automatically be taken to the directions screen for the next assignment. You will not be able to return to previous questions.

Assignment 1

L'article suivant intitulé « Pour apaiser la guerre des places de stationnement, le parking partagé » a été écrit par Kamal Azzouz et publié sur le site Web www.rtbf.be en 2014.

Durant des années, Fabienne vivait un enfer quotidien. Celui de trouver une place de stationnement en début de soirée dans son quartier de la commune de Schaerbeek. Après une longue journée de travail, Fabienne nous explique que c'était la guerre des nerfs : « Depuis cinq ans, cela devient vraiment de plus en plus compliqué. On cherche, on cherche, on cherche… Parfois après une heure, j'appelle mon mari et il vient prendre le relais. Ça donne envie de fuir de Bruxelles ! »

Mais depuis peu, Fabienne profite du concept de parking partagé dans lequel s'inscrit la commune. L'idée, c'est de mutualiser des emplacements en fonction des heures d'occupation. Et donc de donner deux vies à une même place pour le plus grand bonheur des riverains.

Le parking partagé, c'est le fonds de commerce de Julien Vandeleene, fondateur de la société BePark : « On propose une solution de parking pendant un horaire qui est complémentaire. Du coup, on ne propose pas les mêmes tarifs qu'un tarif complet. On est globalement 50 % moins cher. »

De plus, cette société surfe sur la vague du smartphone grâce à une application. Vandeleene nous explique comment le système gère les entrées et les sorties du parking : « On vient adapter notre propre technologie au système d'accès actuel. On a des systèmes de monitoring, d'alerte car les personnes doivent partir le matin. Donc il faut respecter un règlement. L'objectif, c'est que cela fonctionne bien tant pour le propriétaire que pour l'utilisateur. »

Dans les grandes villes comme Bruxelles, trouver une place est un véritable parcours du combattant. Pourtant des emplacements libres en début de soirée, il y en a un peu partout en ville.

Premier exemple, les parkings des immeubles de bureau. Edouard Herinckx, un promoteur immobilier, a tout de suite adhéré au principe du partage : « Les collaborateurs des différentes entreprises quittent les bureaux aux alentours de 18 heures. Et donc, bien entendu, le parking reste vide la plupart du temps la nuit. L'idée était de mettre à disposition des riverains ou à d'autres personnes qui sont dans le quartier à ce moment-là comme les clients des restaurants dans le coin. »

Que dire des parkings des grandes surfaces systématiquement désertés les soirs et les dimanches. Les riverains d'un quartier saturé de Forest apprécient sans doute la démarche de Jean-Paul Mottard : « Il nous semblait important de rendre service à tous ces voisins qui sont nos clients. D'un autre côté, l'aspect financier n'est pas négligeable pour nous. Donc c'est du win-win. »

Used by permission

Speaking Assignment

Imaginez que vous travaillez à Bruxelles et que chaque jour, vous devez vous déplacer en voiture. Dans quelles circonstances utiliseriez-vous le parking partagé ? Pourquoi ?

  • Donnez votre opinion sur le sujet proposé.
  • Employez des exemples précis pour soutenir vos idées.

Express an Opinion or Make an Oral Presentation

For this assignment, you will be presented with a situation and asked to give your opinion or propose a solution. First, you will have 15 seconds to review the directions and the situation presented on-screen. You will then hear the topic for the task and have 2 minutes to prepare your response.

When the preparation time is complete, you will be prompted to begin speaking. You will have 2 minutes to complete your response in the target language. You should respond as fully and as appropriately as possible. The response you provide during the specified response time will be automatically recorded.

When the response time has ended, you will automatically be taken to the directions screen for the next assignment. You will not be able to return to previous questions.

Assignment 2

« Si tu veux vendre quelque chose, il vaut mieux parler la langue de ton client. » Les dirigeants mondiaux ainsi que tous les citoyens ont intérêt aujourd'hui à pouvoir communiquer avec des interlocuteurs parlant d'autres langues. D'après vous, en quoi l'acquisition d'une langue étrangère pourrait-elle être un outil important dans la vie professionnelle moderne ?

  • En vous référant au vieux proverbe cité ci-dessus, expliquez et défendez votre opinion.

Simulated Conversation Assignment

For this assignment, you will participate in a simulated conversation in the target language. On the first screen you will see instructions for the assignment and hear a scenario for the conversation. You will have 30 seconds to read the outline of the conversation presented on-screen. The shaded lines reflect a sense of what you will hear during the conversation, while the other lines reflect general ideas about what you will be expected to say.

When the 30 seconds of preparation time is complete, the exam will automatically advance to the next screen and the audio portion of conversation will automatically begin. You will not be able to pause, stop, or replay any portion of this audio.

You will have five turns to participate in the conversation. Each time it is your turn to respond, you will hear a tone and have 25 seconds of silence to respond to that portion of the conversation. A tone will indicate when to end speaking and then the conversation will continue. You should participate in the conversation as fully and as appropriately as possible. The responses you provide during the specified response times will be automatically recorded.

When the final response time has ended, you will automatically be taken to the next screen. You will not be able to return to previous questions.

Assignment 3

"Imaginez que vous avez déposé votre candidature pour un poste à l'étranger. La responsable du programme de travail vous téléphone."

The text below is a script that would be heard and not seen.

Scoring Rubrics

Scoring Rubric for Presentational Speaking: Integrated Skills

Score General Description Features/Dimensions
Task Completion Topic Development Language Use
3
High		 A response at this level is characterized by most of the following features/dimensions:
  • Fully addresses and completes the task
  • Directly relates to the topic; topic well developed
  • All or almost all supporting details or examples are appropriate and effective
  • Clearly demonstrates a high degree of understanding of the content in the text
  • Demonstrates high or mid-high degree of control of a variety of structures; a very few grammatical errors occur with no evident patterns
  • Varied vocabulary appropriate for the content used with precision
  • High level of fluency
  • Very good pronunciation
  • Well-organized, generally coherent response
  • Register is appropriate (accurate social and/or cultural references included)
2
Mid-High		 A response at this level is characterized by most of the following features/dimensions:
  • Addresses and completes the task
  • Relates to the topic
  • Most supporting details or examples are well defined
  • Demonstrates a moderate degree of understanding of the content in the text
  • Demonstrates a moderate degree of control of a variety of structures; some grammatical errors occur
  • Appropriate vocabulary with occasional errors such as making up words or code-switching
  • Moderate level of fluency with occasional hesitance; some successful self correction
  • Good pronunciation
  • Organized response with some coherence
  • Register is usually appropriate (generally accurate social and/or cultural references included)
1
Mid-Low		 A response at this level is characterized by most of the following features/dimensions:
  • Addresses and completes the task
  • Moderately relates to the topic
  • Some supporting details or examples are vague or not well defined
  • Demonstrates a low degree of understanding of the content in the text
  • Demonstrates a lack of control of a variety of structures; frequent grammatical errors occur
  • Limited vocabulary, frequent errors such as making up words and code-switching
  • Low level of fluency with frequent hesitance
  • Fair pronunciation with interference from another language
  • Disorganized response with little coherence
  • Register is inappropriate (inaccurate social and/or cultural references included)
0
Low		 A response at this level is characterized by most of the following features/dimensions:
  • Partially addresses and/or partially completes the task
  • Minimally relates to the topic
  • Most supporting details or examples are irrelevant or not effective
  • Demonstrates a poor degree of understanding of the content in the text
  • Demonstrates a lack of control of numerous structures; numerous grammatical errors impede communication
  • Insufficient vocabulary; constant interference from another language
  • Poor fluency with labored expression
  • Poor pronunciation, which affects comprehension
  • Disorganized response with no coherence
  • Minimal to no attention to register (inaccurate social and/or cultural references are included)

Scoring Rubric for Express an Opinion or Make an Oral Presentation

Score General Description Features/Dimensions
Task Completion Topic Development Language Use
3
High		 A response at this level is characterized by most of the following features/dimensions:
  • Fully addresses and completes the task
  • Directly relates to the topic, well-developed treatment of the topic
  • All or almost all supporting details or examples are appropriate and effective
  • Demonstrates high or mid-high degree of control of a variety of structures; a very few grammatical errors occur with no evident patterns
  • Varied vocabulary appropriate for the content used with precision
  • High level of fluency
  • Very good pronunciation
  • Well-organized, generally coherent response
  • Register is appropriate (accurate social and/or cultural references included)
2
Mid-High		 A response at this level is characterized by most of the following features/dimensions:
  • Addresses and completes the task
  • Relates to the topic
  • Most supporting details or examples are well defined
  • Demonstrates a moderate degree of control of a variety of structures, some grammatical errors occur
  • Appropriate vocabulary with occasional errors such as making up words or code-switching
  • Moderate level of fluency with occasional hesitance; some successful self correction
  • Good pronunciation
  • Organized response with some coherence
  • Register is usually appropriate (generally accurate social and/or cultural references included)
1
Mid-Low		 A response at this level is characterized by most of the following features/dimensions:
  • Addresses and completes the task
  • Moderately relates to the topic
  • Some supporting details or examples are vague or not well defined
  • Demonstrates a lack of control of a variety of structures; frequent grammatical errors occur
  • Limited vocabulary; frequent errors such as making up words and code-switching
  • Low level of fluency with frequent hesitance
  • Fair pronunciation with interference from another language
  • Disorganized response with little coherence
  • Register is inappropriate (inaccurate social and/or cultural references included)
0
Low		 A response at this level is characterized by most of the following features/dimensions:
  • Partially addresses and/or partially completes the task
  • Minimally relates to the topic
  • Most supporting details or examples are irrelevant or not effective
  • Demonstrates a lack of control of numerous structures; numerous grammatical errors impede communication
  • Insufficient vocabulary; constant interference from another language
  • Poor fluency with labored expression
  • Poor pronunciation, which affects comprehension
  • Disorganized response with no coherence
  • Minimal to no attention to register (inaccurate social and/or cultural references are included)

Scoring Rubric for Simulated Conversation

Score General Description Features/Dimensions
Task Completion Topic Development Language Use
3
High		 A response at this level is characterized by most of the following features/dimensions:
  • Fully addresses and completes the task
  • Responds fully to all or almost all of the parts/prompts of the conversation
  • Responses relate directly to the topic and include a well-developed treatment of all or almost all the elements in the thread of the conversation
  • Demonstrates high or mid-high degree of control of a variety of structures; a few grammatical errors occur with no evident patterns
  • Varied vocabulary appropriate for the content used with precision
  • High level of fluency
  • Very good pronunciation
  • Well-organized, generally coherent responses
  • Register is appropriate (accurate social and/or cultural references included)
2
Mid-High		 A response at this level is characterized by most of the following features/dimensions:
  • Addresses and completes the task
  • Responds to all or almost all of the parts/prompts of the conversation
  • Responses relate to the topic and include most elements in the thread of the conversation
  • Demonstrates a moderate degree of control of a variety of structures, some grammatical errors occur
  • Appropriate vocabulary with occasional errors such as making up words or code-switching
  • Moderate level of fluency with occasional hesitance; some successful self correction
  • Good pronunciation
  • Organized responses with some coherence
  • Register is usually appropriate (generally accurate social and/or cultural references included)
1
Mid-Low		 A response at this level is characterized by most of the following features/dimensions:
  • Addresses and completes some parts of the task
  • Responds to most parts/prompts of the conversation
  • Responses relate moderately to the topic and include some elements in the thread of the conversation
  • Demonstrates a lack of control of a variety of structures; frequent grammatical errors occur
  • Limited vocabulary, frequent errors such as making up words and code-switching
  • Low level of fluency with frequent hesitance
  • Fair pronunciation with interference from another language
  • Disorganized responses with little coherence
  • Register is inappropriate (inaccurate social and/or cultural references included)
0
Low		 A response at this level is characterized by most of the following features/dimensions:
  • Partially addresses and/or partially completes the task
  • Responds inappropriately to some parts/prompts of the conversation
  • Responses relate minimally to the topic and include few elements in the thread of the conversation
  • Demonstrates a lack of control of numerous structures; numerous grammatical errors impede communication
  • Insufficient vocabulary; constant interference from another language
  • Poor fluency with labored expression
  • Poor pronunciation, which affects comprehension
  • Disorganized responses with no coherence
  • Minimal to no attention to register (inaccurate social and/or cultural references are included)