Topic outline
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Cambridge IGCSE™ / IGCSE (9-1) English as a Second Language (for examination from 2024)Speaking Test Video (Paper 3 Speaking)
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This resource supports the following syllabuses for examination from 2024:
- Cambridge IGCSE English as a Second Language 0510
- Cambridge IGCSE English as a Second Language 0511
- Cambridge IGCSE (9-1) English as a Second Language 0993
- Cambridge IGCSE (9-1) English as a Second Language 0991
Welcome to our step-by-step guide to delivering Cambridge IGCSE speaking tests at your centre. It covers the Cambridge IGCSE English as a Second Language syllabus requirements.This video includes information about what you should do:
- before the speaking test
- during the speaking test
- after the speaking test.
And includes a demonstration of a whole speaking test.
For further examples of specimen speaking tests go to the School Support Hub.
Video transcript
The aim of this video is to support teachers in conducting the English as a Second Language Speaking test. The aim of the Speaking test is to assess language used with the purpose of meaningful communication.The Speaking test is NOT testing how much candidates know about a certain subject and there are no right or wrong answers in this test.
The key to running successful speaking tests in your centre is to be completely prepared.
Let’s start by looking at the structure of the Speaking test.
The total duration of the Speaking test from the beginning of the Introduction to the end of Part 3 should be between 10 and 15 minutes.
Once the Speaking test has begun, the recording must run without any interruptions.
To start the test there is an Introduction which lasts approximately 1 minute. The teacher/examiner welcomes the candidate and reads out the examiner script.
After the short Introduction the Warm-up can begin. Use the Warm-up to put the candidate at ease by conducting a short conversation using the questions provided on the examiner script.
The Introduction and Warm-up are not assessed but they must be recorded.
The next part of the test is Part 1 Interview which lasts between 2 and 3 minutes. The teacher/examiner reads out the examiner script and tells the candidate the topic for the interview.
The teacher/examiner conducts a short interview with the candidate by asking the questions provided on this topic. The questions must be asked in the order listed on the examiner script. Candidates must have the opportunity to respond to each question as fully as they can before moving on to the next one.
To elicit further discussion with the candidate before moving on to another question, use any of the following provided in the Teacher’s/Examiner’s Notes:
- Can you tell me more about…?
- Can you tell me why…?
- Can you explain what you mean…?
- Can you give me any examples of…?
If a candidate has very little to say in response to a question after prompting, move on to the next one.
This part of the test is assessed.
Part 2 of the test is a Short talk which lasts between 3 and 4 minutes and includes 1 minute preparation time.
Each Speaking Assessment card includes a topic and a context. The Speaking Assessment cards must not be shared with candidates before the test.
During the preparation period for the Short talk the teacher/examiner selects a Speaking Assessment card and gives it to the candidate. The candidate then has 1 minute to read the card and prepare for the talk. The candidate can ask questions about the meanings of words and ask for further clarification, but they must not make notes during this period. Encourage the candidate to use the full one minute to prepare for the Short talk. The recording must not be stopped during the preparation time.
During the Short talk the candidate talks on their own about the topic on the card for up to 2 minutes. If the candidate does not start speaking after approximately 15 seconds, prompt the candidate by reading the additional instructions on conducting Part 2 of the test provided in the Teacher’s/Examiner’s Notes.
This part of the test is assessed.
Part 3 is the final part of the test and lasts between 3 and 4 minutes. The teacher/examiner conducts a discussion based on the Short talk in Part 2 using the questions from the examiner script. The teacher/examiner should avoid asking questions on aspects the candidate has already talked about. If the candidate responds at length, it may not be necessary to use all of the questions on the script.
This part of the test is assessed.
Let’s now look at what to do before the Speaking test.
A few weeks before the test you will be sent a copy of the Teacher’s/Examiner’s Notes and a set of Speaking Assessment cards. These cards must not be opened until one working day before the test. These materials must remain confidential and must be kept in a secure place by the centre until the end of the examination period.
Download the Speaking Examination Summary Form and fill in the centre details and candidates’ names and numbers in candidate number order. This form can be found on the Samples Database at www.cambridgeinternational.org/samples
The teacher/examiner is responsible for setting up the examination room correctly.
- The room for the Speaking test must have two chairs with a table or desk between them.
- It should be a quiet room, away from noise and distractions.
- Candidates must be supervised and must not be able to communicate with each other at any point during the test, or whilst entering or leaving the examination room.
- You must display the Notice to Candidates and Candidate Warning poster both inside and outside the room for all examinations.
- Examination conditions must be in place at all times.
Here is a list of what is needed in the examination room:
- A stopwatch or timer.
- Recording equipment with spare batteries or a charger.
- A black or blue pen for marking.
- The Teacher’s/Examiner’s Notes.
- The Speaking Examination Summary Form.
- The Speaking Assessment cards.
Dictionaries are not allowed in the examination room.
One working day before the Speaking tests, open the Speaking Assessment cards and the Teacher’s/Examiner’s Notes. Use this time to familiarise yourself with the topics.
Once the materials have been opened, they must be stored securely whenever they are not being used to prepare or conduct live Speaking tests. You must NOT share this information with anyone and the Speaking test materials must remain confidential until the end of the Speaking test examination period.
Before the tests begin, check your stopwatch or timer and the recording equipment. The recording device must be of good quality so that the candidate can be heard clearly throughout the test. Place the recording device close to the candidate or use two microphones. Check that your recording device is charged or has batteries and that there is sufficient space on the device for the recordings.
This video of the Speaking test is a demonstration of how to conduct the test. It does not provide model candidate answers or show how the candidate achieved marks.
During the test candidates must be examined on their own and the Speaking test must be conducted in English throughout.
Remember …
The teacher/examiner selects one of the Speaking Assessment cards before the candidate enters the examination room.
At the start of each test, begin recording as soon as the candidate enters the examination room. Do not stop or pause the recording at any point during the test.
The teacher/examiner should begin with a clear statement giving the Centre number, Centre name, syllabus details, Examiner name and date followed by the candidate number and name.
Even though Parts 1, 2 and 3 are the only assessed parts of the test, you must record the WHOLE test, including the Introduction, the Warm-up and Parts 1, 2, and 3.
Teacher/examiner:
Centre number: AB123
Centre name: International Centre
Examination: English as a Second Language
Examiner name: Mrs K Feliciani
Date: 1 April 2024
Candidate number: 0001
Candidate name: Natalia Gomez
Speaking Assessment Card D
Hello.
Candidate: Hello.
Teacher/examiner: First, we will start with a short warm-up where I will ask you some questions to find out more about you. This part is not assessed. After the warm-up there are three assessed parts to the test: an interview, a short talk and a discussion.
Teacher/examiner: Where do you live?
Candidate: I’m living in Columbia in the capital of Columbia is Bogotá. Um, near to the centre city.
Teacher/examiner: Can you tell me something about your interests?
Candidate: Um, yes, I really enjoy to learn about everything, so I think I want to study different subjects about the basic knowledge, knowledge, so um I am interesting about the history and philosophy. And also in other hand I, I really enjoy dance and er likes artistic things, sing, dance or theatre as well so um I think that I can do everything that I want. I enjoy, I can do it. I, I really enjoy to learn new things in my life.
Teacher/examiner: What would you like to do when you finish school?
Candidate: Um, I was thinking study first, because I want to study a lot of subjects. So I want to study first history, and then decide then what happen. And also I plan to enter to agency agency of dance, or model maybe. I don’t know, I am thinking, yes.
This is the Marking Criteria for the interview, short talk and discussion.
You will find the Marking Criteria in the syllabus and in the Teacher’s/Examiner’s Notes.
Teacher/examiner: The first assessed part of the test is an interview. I am going to ask you some questions about holidays. Try to say as much as you can for each question. Before we start, do you have any questions?
Candidate: No.
Teacher/examiner: Can you tell me about places where people like to go on holiday in your country?
Candidate: Um, yes. Colombia is so common to do a kind of road road trip in car because it’s beautiful, the view, the landscapes, so there are many er trips, like for example for 10 hours or 12 hours to the city another city. And it’s good because you can er know all the all the country, it’s beautiful, it’s a good experience, it’s cheaper as well. And there um usually people go to the cities that are near to the sea and it’s so beautiful the view there and it’s cheaper so it’s so common in my country too.
Teacher/examiner: Can you tell me about your last holiday?
Candidate: Er, yes, my last holidays was the last year, I went to Paris er with my old sister because they are, she is studying there [unclear]. So I visit her, and was amazing really good, I really like it. And then, after a while, I was in UK after that. Visit all of city all of cities of UK, and was good.
Teacher/examiner: Do you think it is a good idea to go on holiday abroad? Why? Why not?
Candidate: Um, yes. I think depends er what do you want to do in your holidays, and what money you have to travel or not. Um, but if you want to have the complete experience, to know new cultures or to know some different er some different of your daily routine, of your daily holidays, it’s a good idea you can you can learn more and depends um of your money that you have in this moment. But yes it’s a good idea I think.
Teacher/examiner: Why would it not be a good idea to go on holiday abroad?
Candidate: Why not? Maybe it’s expensive. So, you need more time before to plan your holidays before to travel. Um, also you need to know some things er before, about the culture, or countries, or rules in the different country because it’s so different of your life, so you need to be prepare for the new country that you are going to visit because it’s it’s difficult, it’s different, can be another language, so if you don’t er speak the same language, or you don’t know how to work the currency or you know, whatever, it’s important, than you need more time before to plans so maybe.
Teacher/examiner: The second assessed part of the test is a short talk. I will give you a card and you will have one minute to read it and think about what you want to say. You should talk about the points on the card. You can’t make any written notes, but you can ask me if there is anything you do not understand. You may keep the card until the end of the short talk. Here is your card.
Teacher/examiner: You now have up to two minutes to talk about the topic on the card. I will stop you after two minutes, but do not worry if you have not finished your talk. Would you like to start?
Candidate: Yes. Ok. The best way to make it memorable for your friend, um her birthday or his birthday, I think it depends of what kind of friends is you, because it’s a close friend of you, maybe you need to take time to to think about what you want to do for her. Um, of is a friend like, just friend, is doesn’t matter. But also it’s important to know what kind of thing that your friend like it, for example, in my opinion, I don’t like that organise a surprise party because I think it’s more for the guests and not for the people that are in his birthday, so um depends, really depends. Er, if you organise a surprise party you need to do a budget before because you you you gonna spend some, a lot of money in this, and not just in your in your friend, also in the guests of the party so, I think it’s good idea but depends. And also I think a disadvantage of the of the surprise party can become a bad experience because people use this kind of party to do, er to get drunk, and to do bad things, so maybe the person that that are in her birthday is not gonna have a good time a good time and is not idea. So I prefer to give a special gift, I think it’s more memorable because if a if is a good friend of you is a close friend of you, you need to think and you need to to take time time to think about the special gift. Even is a a small things, that doesn’t worry. If you er know your friend and you know let her know that you know your friend and you listen that that small things, small details about her, about her life, about her life, doesn’t matter if a small things. Like I think the most important in the birthday is that you feel another person is special like.
Teacher/examiner: Perfect. Thank you. Can I have the card back, please? Now let’s move on to Part 3 of the test. Now I am going to ask you a few questions related to the topic you have just talked about. This part of the test will last approximately three minutes. Before we start, do you have any questions?
Candidate: No.
Teacher/examiner: Is it better to celebrate special occasions with family or friends? What do you think?
Candidate: Um, it’s better I think with friends, because er it it’s environment that you enjoy more, because your family is people that you used to see every week, every days, and maybe you can have some bad relations with between your family, so in my opinion I prefer like er special occasion with your friend because you choose your friends, you can choose who are your friends, so you can enjoy more, I think.
Teacher/examiner: What is more satisfying: to receive a gift or to give one?
Candidate: Um, for me, it’s more satisfying to give a gift, because you can see the other person happy, and that make me happy to me, like, if you know that the other person are so grateful with you and the other person feel special its make me happy. So yes, I prefer giving a gift.
Teacher/examiner: Some people think that you can only be friends with people who have similar interests to you. Do you agree?
Candidate: Can you repeat the question, please?
Teacher/examiner: Some people think that you can only be friends with people who have similar interests to you. Do you agree?
Candidate: Um, yes I am agree. Um, no I am not agree, sorry. I think that it’s good if you have friends with the same interest um because that makes the sense of the relation friendship, like you can talk about things with them so, doesn’t matter, never mind for me, yes.
Teacher/examiner: Many people think that it is better to go to a shop to buy certain things rather than buy them online. What do you think?
Candidate: Um, I think it’s better go to the shops to to see the quality of the things that you are gonna buy. But in some cases is necessary to do do online cos some things don’t, you can’t find in your country you’re not near from you so it depends that you are necessary.
Teacher/examiner: Can you tell me a little bit more about that? Give me some examples.
Candidate: Um, for example, … I think in the future everything is going to be online, and it can be easier for everyone, but if you don’t taste the the things that you’re going to buy, it’s important also, and also if you need to change it, for example you buy something, but it’s not good, as it’s it’s a wrong, have a mistake with the company you cannot like change the the product. So I think it’s important to still with the stores in the malls or like nowadays.
Teacher/examiner: Well done. Thank you. This is the end of the test. End of recording.
At the end of each candidate’s test:
- Remind the candidate about confidentiality.
- Keep the Speaking Assessment card. The candidate must not take this out of the room.
- Complete the Speaking Examination Summary Form.
- Check your addition of the total marks.
- Check the battery on your recording device.
- Check you have sufficient space on your recording device for the next candidate.
- Reset your stopwatch.
Here are some key points to remember when conducting the Speaking test:
- There are no right or wrong answers to the questions.
- Always appear interested in what the candidate is saying.
- Give candidates the full time allowed for each part of the test.
- You must not indicate how well you think the candidate has done either during or after the test.
Refer to the Cambridge Handbook for instructions on what to do when all of the Speaking tests have been completed and for further information about the administration of the Speaking tests. The Cambridge Handbook is available from our website at www.cambridgeinternational.org
Remember, you must always refer to the syllabus for the correct year of examination and the corresponding Teacher’s/Examiner’s Notes.
