DIALOGUE CARDS for practice

Hi everyone,
Here's some dialogue cards for you to start getting  some practice. Also you have some  TIPS to do well in the dialogue as well as  the CRITERIA used by examiners in Certificacion in Valencian Community last year.

Card 1A
Card 1B

Card 2A
Card 2B

Card 3A
Card 3B

Card 4A
Card 4B

Card 5A
Card 5B

Card 6A
Card 6B

Card 7A
Card 7B

Card 8A
Card 8B

Card 9A
Card 9B

Some ORAL EXAM FEEDBACK

Here is some advice on how to improve your performance during role plays:

1.-Read the rubric well and get into the character you are playing. Take a pen and make a note of keywords.If it says you and your partner this is a euphemism for a couple. So act as a member of a couple even if it is the first time in your life you see the person in front of you. Get into your role.

 
2.-Start the conversation by stating what the situation is, so that is clear you both understand what you are doing eg. As you know we have just had a medical check up and my results were terrible, so my doctor has recommended a change in lifestyle so I was thinking….

3.-Make sure you interact and ask questions eg What is your opinion on this point? or How do you feel about living in the outskirsts? etc, make comments Hummm quite an interesting idea! or Hum I hadn´t looked at it that way etc and of course take turns don´t take over the whole conversation and react to what the other person is saying: Do you really believe that? or Great I never thought about 
that! etc
4. Don´t talk about all your points at once, but state one and explain or justify your opinion. Illustrate with an example: I have been considering taking up dancing , I did salsa lessons once  and found it really therapeutic, exercising to music. You should try it.

5.-The points in the card are only a guidance you can think outside the box and add other arguments and suggestions.
 
6.- Don´t make the most terrible mistakes:

I am agree or the people is

or else…

Here you can see the criteria we followed last year when we marked your exam.
Take a look so you can see what examiners are looking for.

FROM MONOLOGUE TO DIALOGUE!!!

 Hi everyone!
Time has come! Let's switch to  CERTIFICACION mode!

 The oral exam has two parts: a monologue and a dialogue. You will be able to prepare your parts for about 10 minutes or so in a classroom. You can jot down some thoughts as well but remember you won’t be able to read your notes during the exam. I have mentioned the basics of  what you will be expected  to do in the exam, monologues in particular.However, as it easy to panic about speaking another language I will give you a few more hints. You are not the only ones who have self doubts, check this video



 You see, you speak English  as well as those guys, just be confident and well prepared.

For the monologue, plan some good lines of introduction to impress the examiners and set a relaxed atmosphere, humour is always a good ice breaker but don’ overdo it,  ie:

"My job is to talk to you, and your job is to listen. If you finish first, please let me know."

You have by now been using  in the different pair work or group activities  a lot of excellent structures to negotiate your way in an oral exam, tidy up your notes and come up with a list of good sentences to use:

I would like to point out …Let me start by stating the current state of affairs/status quo….If you don´t mind me saying so,……If I may interrupt …If I may change  the subject…If you can keep a secret…If you see what I mean…If I understand you correctly…Having said that, let’s move on to another side 

of the argument …

 In last year's blog those of you who were with me  in 1st Adv were exposed to a wide variety of structures to use in the oral exams(monologue). This year   not only you'll have to deal with monologues but also prepare dialogues. For this reason,  I've just made a compilation of LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS from the BBC series that I'm certain that  they will be of great help to you all.

The BBC has a great series called How to…? where they go through the language needed in different communicative situations:

How to …. discuss: making suggestions, making a point, disagreeing, expressing uncertainty, ….

How to … instructions, explanations & advice: asking for and giving directions, showing understanding when you are listening to explanations, ….

How to …. good news, bad news: congratulating someone on good news, responding to someone’s bad news, …

How to … conversation: extending a conversation, closing topics, talking about things you like, …

How to … requests, offers & invitations: asking for permission to do something, inviting someone in an informal context, making polite invitations, …

How to … complaints, apologies & excuses: making a complaint, saying sorry, accepting an apology, pointing out the positive …

How to … hello & goodbye : greeting friends, greeting people in more formal situations, introducing people, small talk and follow-up conversations, saying goodbye,…

And if you want to improve your pronunciation follow this advice and check out this good blog from a nice Spanish woman, Iciar, living in London who gives tips on how to get rid of the Spanish accent.

Let’s get talking!