Strategies for speaking tests:
corpus-based tips for preparing students
A study of ‘active listening’ strategies
Trinity Lancaster Corpus Research
Gemma Bellhouse, Test Production Manager
Trinity College London
9 April 2017 – BALEAP, Bristol
www.trinitycollege.com
www.cass.lancs.ac.uk
Agenda
•
•
•
•
•
Background to the study
Research Questions
Research Results
Conclusions
Q&A
Learning From Assessment
The ‘Communicative Movement’
What is it?
And what are its goals?
• Practising language functions
• Using realistic, or ‘authentic’ scenarios
• Reflecting real-world use of language
• Encouraging interactive language
• Enhancing impact
Learning From Assessment
GESE: Graded Examinations in Spoken English
Learning From Assessment
The Interactive task, GESE
Candidates are expected to…
• Take responsibility for the direction and
maintenance of the interaction
• Utilise turn-taking conventions to ensure that the
interaction flows and develops naturally
• Relate his or her own contributions closely to
those of the examiner
Learning From Assessment
The GESE Exam - interactive task
To begin the interactive task, the examiner reads a
standardised prompt, for example:
‘I’m amazed at the
high salaries that some
sporting personalities
can command; take
footballers as an
example. It seems very
questionable for a
number of reasons.’
Learning From Assessment
Trinity Lancaster Corpus
• GESE
• 4 tasks
• Grades 6 – 12 (B1 – C2)
• Approx. 200 hours of transcribed spoken data
• Now approx. 3 million words/tokens
• Public in 2018
Picture credit: Inmyownterms.com
Learning From Assessment
What is ‘active listening’?
1.
Back-channelling (listening cues)
Cues such as ‘ah’, ‘um’, ‘yeah’, ‘yes’, ‘uhu’
2.
Backward inferencing (repetitions)
Reprises/repetitions of words or phrases, eg.
Examiner: ‘I kind of dress in the middle.’
Candidate: ‘in the middle uhu’’
Examiner: ‘yeah not too formally and not too casually’
3.
Forward inferencing (Questions)
Common questions using ‘why..?’, ‘what…?’, ‘how…?’,
‘do you..?’
4.
Hesitation markers
Cues such as ‘er’ and ‘erm’ and pauses
(Vandergrift, 1991)
Learning From Assessment
Previous Research by Gablasova, D. (2014)
• Grades 7 & 8
• 28 transcripts from the TL Corpus
1. Listening cues
More continuation signals = higher marks
2. Question
More common questions = higher marks
3. Hesitation
Less hesitation = higher marks
Learning From Assessment
The Study
Who?
• 93 L2 candidates
(speakers of English as a second/other language)
• Marks - 7 Fail, 31 Pass, 40 Merit, 15 Distinction
• Age range from 14-67 years
• 32 male, 61 female
• 6 nationalities (China, Italy, Mexico, Sri Lanka, India, Spain)
What?
• Interactive task in the GESE exam, Grade 10 (C1)
How?
• Trinity Lancaster Corpus
Learning From Assessment
Research Questions
Research Question 1:
Are some listening strategies used more by successful
English language test candidates?
Research Question 2:
Are there patterns or combinations of strategies that
are used by more successful test candidates?
Learning From Assessment
Strategies – what to expect?
1. Listening cues
More continuation signals = higher marks?
2. Repetition
Less repetition = higher marks?
3. Question
More common questions = higher marks?
4. Hesitation
Less hesitation = higher marks?
Learning From Assessment
Strategies – Results
1. Listening cues
More continuation signals = higher marks?
This strategy was found to be used less by more successful candidates
Learning From Assessment
Strategies – Results
2. Repetitions
Less repetition = higher marks?
This strategy was found to be used less by more successful candidates
Learning From Assessment
Strategies – Results
3. Questions
More common questions = higher marks?
This strategy was found to be used less by more successful candidates
Learning From Assessment
Strategies – Results
4. Hesitation markers
Less hesitation = higher marks?
This strategy was found to be used less by more successful candidates
Learning From Assessment
Strategies – Results Summary
1. Listening cues
were found to be used less by more successful candidates
2. Repetitions
were found to be used less by more successful candidates
3. Questions
were found to be used less by more successful candidates
4. Hesitation markers
were found to be used less by more successful candidates
…So what did the more successful candidates do, exactly?
Learning From Assessment
Strategy patterns
1. ‘Interrogation’

Assertive and bold

Frequent questions with some instances of
repetitions/listening cues
2. ‘Interview’

cautious and seemingly passive

using a pattern of a question followed by listening cues
3. ‘Chit-chat’

Seemingly organic strategy orchestration

Various strategies giving evidence of engaged,
original language
Learning From Assessment
Strategy patterns – Results
1. ‘Interrogation’
Example: (Pass)
Candidate: so why do you think erm what why
does he think that it is better to play chess instead
of playing football if he has been playing football for
a little bit for a little bit?
Examiner: no I think the I think the the problem is
er for me should he should be looking at erm
having the boy do both but he perhaps his er he's
holding the boy back from playing sport I don't
know why exactly
Candidate: well and what about the her and what
about his wife? what does she think about this does
she does she believe that it is better to develop her
mental skills by by playing chess? or it is better to I don't know work out by by playing a little bit of
exercise what does she think about this does she
does she believe that it is better to develop her
mental skills by by playing chess? or it is better to I don't know work out by by playing a little bit of
exercise
Illustration by Cat Bio
Learning From Assessment
Strategy patterns – Results
2. ‘Interview’
Example: (Merit)
Candidate: uhu so you think their er function or their
er trib- contribution is too much over emphasised
Examiner: mm mm
Candidate: oh okay
Examiner: yes yes I think they're overvalued
Candidate: uhu
Examiner: in contrast to many other members of
society
Candidate: mm I can understand your opinion erm
but I was still wondering how about your next
generation's opinion? for example your son or your
daughter do they think as well do they think it is
reasonable?
Examiner: well I think it creates ambition
Candidate: mm
Examiner: in in young people
Illustration by Cat Bio
Candidate: ah
Examiner: it crea= it creates a kind of goal I would
love to be a footballer because I would earn a fortune
Learning From Assessment
Candidate: uhu
Strategy patterns – Results
3. ‘Chit-Chat’
Example: (Distinction)
Examiner: well I agree with you I agree that erm
everybody has their worth a-and their value and so on but
when I just think of somebody like David Beckham very
nice guy but he could get something like nine million
pounds from one advertisement on Japanese television
Candidate: yeah
Examiner: advertising chocolate
Candidate: advertising chocolate and underwear
Examiner: you know and you think - well it's - the world
gone crazy really
Candidate: yeah gone crazy you know but what it is
today looks or looks? the industry is looking for goodlooking people so he has the requirements - what can I
say? good for him you know
Examiner: mm
Candidate: it's not you know it's not that I pity myself
cos I dunno myself but if I had the looks why shouldn't I
Illustration by Cat Bio
try? you know like
Examiner: oh yeah I w= I wouldn't say I blame him as
you say
Learning From Assessment
Candidate: “laugh"
Conclusion
No unique ‘winning strategy’ for a communicative test…
Most successful candidates seem to use a
relaxed, engaged, organic, original
orchestration of strategies
So… how can test
candidates practice?
‘Relaxed and sassy’: Gustavo Dudamel,
Leading the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra
Credit: The Telegraph.co.uk
Classroom Activities
Eight different Worksheets for Students (and supplementary ‘Teachers Notes’) can
be found here: www.trinitycollege.com/corpus
Click on ‘Useful Corpus resources’ then ‘Classroom activities for speaking’
Worksheet 1
Worksheet 3
Worksheet 4
Worksheet 5
Feel free to take a look at the samples today!
References
•
Brumfit, C., & Johnson, K. (1979). The communicative approach to
language teaching. Oxford University Press.
•
Gablasova, D. (2014). ‘Areas of difference between more and less
successful candidates in GESE at Grades 7 and 8’. Commissioned report.
Trinity College London.
•
Messick, S. (1996). Validity and washback in language testing. ETS
Research Report Series, 1996(1), i-18.
•
Rost, M., & Ross, S. (1991). Learner use of strategies in interaction:
Typology and teachability. Language learning, 41(2), 235-268.
•
Trinity College London. (2009). GESE Exam Specifications.
•
Vandergrift, L. (1997). The Cinderella of communication strategies:
Reception strategies in interactive listening. The Modern Language
Journal, 81(4), 494-505.
Learning From Assessment
Questions?
Thank you for listening, and enjoy Bristol!
Corpus Links:
http://www.trinitycollege.com/site/?id=3328
http://cass.lancs.ac.uk