What Is The OET Speaking Sub-Test?
The OET speaking segment lasts about 20 minutes and consists of two role plays. These are tailored to the candidate’s job, so the scenarios will be similar to those you could encounter at work. The interlocutor (the person who plays the role of the patient, relative, or carer) does not evaluate your performance; instead, the test is recorded and forwarded to OET, which at least two assessment team members grade. In this blog, we have discussed the OET speaking subtest join Oet Training In Chennai to learn more about OET.FITA Academy provides essential training with a hundred per cent placement for the students.
Before the test, the interlocutor will inquire about your work and background. Because this section isn’t graded, it’s a fantastic time to get acquainted with your surroundings and rehearse speaking English, so you’ll be more at ease when the role plays begin.
Assessment criteria
Although the format of the speaking sub-test remains unchanged, the manner of assessment has evolved. There will be nine criteria instead of five: four linguistic domains of Intelligibility, Fluency, Appropriateness, and Grammar and Expression Resources, and five new communication criteria to replace the former criterion of Overall Communicative Effectiveness. Here’s a quick rundown of what examiners look for in these areas.
Linguistic criteria
1)Intelligibility
This is a measure of how easy your speech is to comprehend, and it involves sound pronunciation, stress (the importance you give to sounds inside a word and syllables inside a phrase or sentence), and intonation (the “music” of speaking – how your voice rises and falls). The impact of your accent on your intelligibility will also be considered by the examiners. This does not imply you should try to eliminate your accent, but you should be aware of any aspects of your speech that may make it difficult to hear.
2)Fluency
This entails speaking naturally and at an average rate, with few pauses and fillers (nonverbal noises like um and ah, or words like like and you know). The best technique to improve your fluency is, predictably, practice. The more you speak English, whether at work or in social settings, the more at ease you’ll feel when you’re tested. If you can stand it, you should also record yourself from time to time so you can hear how you sound and improve on your weak points.
3)Appropriatness Of Language
This criterion evaluates your ability to adapt your words to the role-play situation. Remember that language aims to communicate; to do so, you must use language that expresses your meaning without confounding the person you speak to. This entails balancing technical jargon with language that a non-professional may understand (also known as lay language). It would help if you also evaluated how urgent the situation is and the patient’s mood. The information on the role card will assist you in making these predictions.
4)Resources Of Grammar And Expression
This relates to the variety and accuracy with which you employ grammar and terminology. It’s critical to strike a balance between correctness and fluidity: if you focus solely on removing errors, your speech will be slow and awkward, but if you focus solely on fluency, you’ll make many preventable mistakes. Listening to recordings of oneself might also help in this situation. Please list your most common errors and focus on reducing them with each practising session.
Thus the OET speaking sub-test has two criteria for clearing the exam. One of the criteria is assessment, and the other is linguistic criteria. The linguistic criteria have four categories: Intelligibility, Fluency, Appropriatness of language and Resources of grammar and expression. Thus to clear the OET speaking sub-test, one has to pass the above two main criteria.