Skills for Life FAQs
FAQs about Skills for Life
Please note — these FAQs are intended to help Skills for Life teachers and exam administrators.
General
- How many Guided Learning Hours are needed to bring candidates up to an appropriate level?
- What details do students have to fill in on the front of their test papers?
- Is there a vocabulary list for the Skills for Life tests?
- What is the pass mark for Skills for Life tests?
Reading mode
- Why aren't answer sheets used in Reading at Entry 1, 2 & 3?
- Are candidates allowed to use dictionaries in the Reading test?
- Do candidates need to answer in full sentences?
- Are candidates penalised for making spelling or grammatical mistakes?
Writing mode
- Are candidates required to produce cursive handwriting?
- Are L1 and L2 candidates allowed to use dictionaries in the Writing tests?
- What happens if a candidate doesn't have space on the question paper to finish their answer?
- Is it acceptable to use email language such as 'u' for 'you' when writing an email, assuming that the context is clearly informal?
- What order do tasks appear in?
- Where tasks are linked thematically in a question paper, are candidates required to refer to one task in their answer to another?
- Where is grammatical accuracy assessed in Skills for Life mark schemes?
- Can learners use correcting fluid in the Writing test?
- Can candidates have rough paper to plan their writing?
- What if candidates write too little/too much?
- Can candidates just use capital letters? Some learners much prefer to write in capitals, and it is much clearer.
- Are candidates obliged to submit plans or rough drafts of their written answers?
Speaking and Listening mode
- Why is there a combined Speaking and Listening test?
- What test materials should centres receive?
- How should centres store test materials, and what should be done with the materials after test sessions?
- Is it possible for centres to order extra sets of the interlocutor training materials?
- What professional requirements are there for potential interlocutors?
- How are interlocutors trained?
- How many tutors need to be trained as interlocutors?
- Are class teachers allowed to act as interlocutors for their own candidates?
- How can a centre run a Speaking and Listening test with an odd number of candidates?
- What are the guidelines for the selection of 'dummy' candidates?
- Can the same dummy candidate be used more than once?
- How can centres ensure that Speaking and Listening test sessions don't overrun?
- At what speed should the interlocutor rubric be delivered?
- How much freedom does the interlocutor have to rephrase and clarify instructions?
- What are the instructions regarding interlocutors' choice of material for the Speaking and Listening tests?
- How are candidates assessed in the Speaking and Listening test?
- What happens if a candidate finishes his/her contribution early in Phase 1b?
- What happens if a candidate does not ask all the questions they are required to ask in the relevant task (Phase 1b)?
- What is meant by a 'formal' presentation at Levels 1 and 2?
- Are candidates allowed to use the paper and pencil provided to note down questions and/or answers during Phase 2a and, if so, can the interlocutor tell them this?
- How does the interlocutor know when a question has been answered correctly in Phase 2a?
General
How many Guided Learning Hours are needed to bring candidates up to an appropriate level?
The QCA estimates Guided Learning Hours for an average learner following an ESOL Skills for Life qualification to be a minimum of 100 hours per mode per level. This is a notional figure for the basis of calculating the substance of whole qualifications based on the adult literacy standards and the ESOL curriculum. It does not imply that the language modes are taught or learned separately.
What details do students have to fill in on the front of their test papers?
For Reading and Writing, candidates are asked to fill in their name, centre number and candidate number. At lower levels, teachers may need to help candidates with this.
Is there a vocabulary list for the Skills for Life tests?
No. The content of the tests is based on the relevant sections of the UK Government's Adult ESOL Core Curriculum, which outlines functional and structural language appropriate to each level.
What is the pass mark for Skills for Life tests?
For the Reading tests at all levels, the number of marks that will be required to achieve a Pass will usually be in the range 65—70%. The number will fluctuate slightly to take into account slightly varying levels of difficulty which are found within the tests. We establish these levels of difficulty through a thorough process of pretesting and measuring the difficulty of each individual item.
Writing and Speaking and Listening are different in that they are criterion-referenced tests. Pass level performance is indicated through candidates showing that they can ordinarily carry out the skills listed in the Adult ESOL Core Curriculum (ESOL CC) for the level of the test they have entered for. For Writing and Speaking and Listening at each level, there are essentially three bands of performance:
- 3 — performance above that required for the level
- 2 — satisfactory performance for the level (ordinarily producing language specified in the ESOL CC for the level)
- 1 — below satisfactory performance
- 0 — insufficient evidence of achievement at the level.
It is better to think in terms of the above three bands rather than percentage pass marks. On the basis of the above, the pass mark could be said to be equal to 66.67% (2 out of 3), but this is misleading as the examiners work with marks within a band in order that candidates and colleges can be provided with more detailed diagnostic feedback by comparing candidate performance in the different sub-skills (i.e. for Writing: text features, sentence features and word features; and for Speaking and Listening: Speak to Communicate, Listen and Respond and Engage in Discussion).
More detailed information on the skills required to pass Writing and Speaking and Listening can be found in the ESOL CC by referring to the skills required at each mode at each level. This is produced in summary form on the Cambridge ESOL website and in the revised handbook. For Writing, sample scripts with commentaries are now available on the website.
Reading mode
Why aren't answer sheets used in Reading at Entry 1, 2 & 3?
The Reading papers at Entry 1, 2 & 3 have non-fixed test formats, and some questions require answers of a sentence or more. For these reasons, OMR answer sheets are not appropriate. Many answer sheets have fairly limited space for open (written) answers, and this requires candidates to have fairly good control of their handwriting which may not be the case with candidates at the lowest levels of Skills for Life.
Answer sheets are used at Level 1 & 2 Reading where there is a fixed test format and only multiple-choice questions.
Are candidates allowed to use dictionaries in the Reading test?
Monolingual dictionaries are allowed in the Reading mode at Entry 1, 2 and 3 only. Bilingual dictionaries are not allowed. At Levels 1 and 2, Reading is assessed through the National Literary Test, which does not permit the use of dictionaries.
Do candidates need to answer in full sentences?
No, short answers are sufficient unless the question specifies writing full sentences.
Are candidates penalised for making spelling or grammatical mistakes?
No, as long as the answer given is recognisable, or communicates the necessary information, candidates are not penalised.
Writing mode
Are candidates required to produce cursive handwriting?
No. Candidates' ability to produce cursive handwriting is not part of the assessment.
Are L1 and L2 candidates allowed to use dictionaries in the Writing tests?
Writing candidates are not allowed any dictionaries. This is because spelling is assessed under the Word mark schemes, and because our intention is to encourage the orchestration of all Writing skills, rather than focus too closely on this one area.
What happens if a candidate doesn't have space on the question paper to finish their answer?
Candidates are not penalised for failing to complete their answer in the space provided. For reasons of practicality, a 4 page booklet is used at Entry level. Centres are required to provide extra paper for candidates to plan and draft answers and to complete their answers if they run out of space. Where candidates require extra paper to complete their answers, this is collected at the end of the test and marked in the normal way.
All Cambridge ESOL material is extensively trialled before use in live tests, and one aim of trialling is to establish that the majority of candidates are able to complete their answer in the space provided.
Is it acceptable to use email language such as 'u' for 'you' when writing an email, assuming that the context is clearly informal?
Yes — candidates can be credited for showing awareness of or adaptation to audience in this way.
What order do tasks appear in?
There is no fixed format in Skills for Life Writing papers, as it was felt that a fixed format would detract from the aim of the tests to reproduce an authentic writing experience.
Where tasks are linked thematically in a question paper, are candidates required to refer to one task in their answer to another?
The themed scenario is designed to help candidates at Entry 1, 2 and 3, and not as a tool for penalising them. Though there may be a theme to help candidates through the tasks, each task, when marked, is free-standing. Candidates are assessed (in Text focus) on whether or not they have completed the stated task in the rubric. They are not penalised for failing to link any task to any other.
Where is grammatical accuracy assessed in Skills for Life mark schemes?
The structure of the Skills for Life (Writing) mark schemes allows raters to focus on grammatical accuracy within Sentence focus. Therefore, a candidate who has problems with accuracy should be able to make up for these by achievement in the Text and Word focuses.
It should, however, be noted that if lack of grammatical control leads to a breakdown in communication, this will of course have an impact on the mark awarded in Text focus, but, assuming that the intended audience's understanding of the message is not impeded, the Text focus mark will not be affected by poor control of grammar.
Can learners use correcting fluid in the Writing test?
Candidates are asked not to use correcting fluid, but to make corrections by crossing out. This will of course be disregarded by examiners in awarding the mark.
Can candidates have rough paper to plan their writing?
Yes — centres are required to provide this — it may be used for planning, and if candidates are unable to complete their responses in the space provided, it can be used to continue their answers. In this latter case responses submitted on, or partially on rough paper would be marked as normal.
What if candidates write too little/too much?
Candidates are given guidelines about how much to write, but this is to help them in planning their writing. Output length is not assessed and is considered only as a function of task realisation in the Text focus assessment. In other words, a candidate who writes considerably less than the guideline but still covers the requisite aspects of the task will not be penalised. Similarly, a candidate who writes considerably more than the guideline will only be penalised if the answer contains irrelevance or would have a negative effect on the intended audience. However, it should be noted that the aim of the tests is to gather evidence that a candidate has achieved the level in Writing skills. For example, in a particular task at E2, we might be looking for evidence of control over past tenses and correct use of vocabulary related to food. If a candidate writes considerably less than the guidelines, this evidence is unlikely to be forthcoming. A primary aim of the large-scale trialling sessions routinely held is to establish that both suggested output length and suggested timing is realistic.
Can candidates just use capital letters? Some learners much prefer to write in capitals, and it is much clearer.
Candidates are not penalised for any particular style of handwriting — there is no obligation, for example, to use cursive handwriting and the exclusive use of capitals is acceptable.
Are candidates obliged to submit plans or rough drafts of their written answers?
The Adult ESOL Core Curriculum requires students to be able to show they can plan, draft and revise their writing (Wt/E3.1, Wt/L1.1, Wt/L2.1). However, these Basic Skills standards are difficult to test fairly. One reason for this is that a highly proficient writer would not necessarily need to produce a written draft in order to complete a simple writing task. A number of the Basic Skills Standards descriptors in the Adult ESOL Core Curriculum have a teaching, rather than a testing, focus and those mentioned above are a good example. Where this is the case, evidence of achievement is gathered by looking at the end result — in this case if a text is coherent and well organised, it is likely that it was well planned.
Speaking and Listening mode
Why is there a combined Speaking and Listening test?
This is to reflect the Adult ESOL Core Curriculum which integrates the two skills, as well as to satisfy QCA accreditation requirements. Although the test includes a short Listening task, listening skills are assessed throughout the test (e.g. through a candidate's ability to listen and respond to instructions), again reflecting the standards, level descriptors and component skills in the Adult ESOL Core Curriculum.
What test materials should centres receive?
Centres are sent a fixed number of Speaking and Listening test materials based on the number of entries they have. These materials are confidential and must be kept securely between test 'sessions'. Please note that there are no Candidate booklets for Entry 3.
For Entry 1 and 2 each interlocutor requires:
- 1 x Assessor and Interlocutor booklet (this contains the CD on the inside back cover)
2 x Candidate's booklets.
For Entry 3 each interlocutor requires:
- 1 x Assessor and Interlocutor booklet (this contains the CD on the inside back cover).
For Levels 1 and 2 each interlocutor requires:
- 1 x Assessor and Interlocutor booklet (this contains the CD on the inside back cover)
2 x Candidate's booklets.
How should centres store test materials, and what should be done with the materials after test sessions?
All Speaking and Listening packs must be stored securely at all times. After test sessions, centres retain the packs in secure storage for future sessions and do not return them to Cambridge ESOL. Cambridge ESOL will issue instructions concerning the disposal of Speaking and Listening materials packs from time to time.
Is it possible for centres to order extra sets of the interlocutor training materials?
Yes. If a centre requires additional packs these can be requested from ESOLDespatch@CambridgeESOL.org by quoting your centre number and the number of materials you require. It is not necessary to have one pack per interlocutor as they can be stored securely and shared by a group.
What professional requirements are there for potential interlocutors?
The Minimum Professional Requirements for Skills for Life Interlocutors can be found on the Cambridge ESOL website or in the interlocutor training pack.
How are interlocutors trained?
All centres should receive an interlocutor training pack which needs to be worked through one or two weeks before the test session.
The pack consists of:
- an introductory letter
- a set of guidelines
- a video
- sample materials
- a Minimum Professional Requirements for Interlocutors sheet.
The materials focus on three main areas; a general introduction to the Speaking and Listening test, level-specific information including a full-length test, and general interlocutor skills. Trainees should refer to the guidelines for instructions on how to use the materials.
Interlocutors can work on the materials individually or as a group. The group approach is recommended where possible as it allows the group to discuss issues/questions and to share their experience and knowledge.
Cambridge ESOL will also contact centres from time to time to invite interlocutors to training events.
How many tutors need to be trained as interlocutors?
It is recommended that initially a small group of people train to act as interlocutors. It should be remembered that it is better from the candidates' and interlocutors' point of view to have interlocutors who train, gain experience and become very familiar with running tests, than for a large group of interlocutors to be running only a few tests each. Having fewer personnel changes during the test day can also help timetabling.
When a core group of interlocutors has been established at a centre, those with experience can support new interlocutors through their preparation.
Are class teachers allowed to act as interlocutors for their own candidates?
This is allowed for Skills for Life, but it is not necessary for all class teachers to train as interlocutors. In most cases, it is likely that the interlocutor will be somebody known to the candidates but they do not have to be the class teacher.
How can a centre run a Speaking and Listening test with an odd number of candidates?
Where there is an odd number of candidates for the Speaking and Listening test, the final test will still use a paired format, but a non-assessed 'dummy' candidate will need to be provided to accompany the final candidate.
What are the guidelines for the selection of 'dummy' candidates?
There is no group test format so a non-assessed dummy candidate should be on stand-by for the last test at each level.
Guidelines for the selection of non-assessed dummy candidates, in order of preference:
- A) someone at the appropriate level for the test who is not taking an SfL S/L test, or
- B) a candidate who has already taken an SfL S/L test at the next level up, or
- C) a candidate who has already taken the SfL S/L test at the same level.
In options B) and C) above the candidate acting as the non-assessed dummy should have completed their own test first, and in option C) care must be taken to ensure the candidate does not repeat any tasks/materials in the second test.
If you have problems finding suitable dummy candidates please contact Cambridge ESOL for advice.
Can the same dummy candidate be used more than once?
It should only be the case that a dummy candidate is needed for the last test of a session, so it should not usually be necessary to have more than one dummy candidate available for any level. However, in a large centre where the same level is being tested on a number of days, more than one may be needed. In this case it is not ideal to use the same dummy candidate more than once, but it is possible. If the same dummy candidate is required to sit the test more than once the interlocutors must be informed so that a different set of materials is used in the second test.
How can centres ensure that Speaking and Listening test sessions don't overrun?
Detailed guidance on timetabling can be found in the Skills for Life Centre Guidelines 2005 on CentreNet (requires CentreNet login). In order to keep a session to time it is important that the flow of candidates and their allocation to test rooms is smooth and there are no delays between tests. It is also vital that the interlocutors ensure the test itself is kept to time. Tips and advice on how to do this are included in the interlocutor training materials, and timings are shown clearly on test materials.
It is essential that tests are of a standard length so that all candidates have the same opportunity and same test experience.
At what speed should the interlocutor rubric be delivered?
When delivering the rubric, the key elements to bear in mind are the speed and pitch of delivery appropriate to level, and the need for natural-sounding speech. Therefore, as a guide, delivery for Entry tests should be at the slower end of the normal range, with stress and intonation that supports meaning. Delivery at Levels 1 and 2 should be in the middle of the normal range, again with stress and intonation to support meaning.
How much freedom does the interlocutor have to rephrase and clarify instructions?
At all levels, much of what the interlocutor has to say is scripted, especially when setting up the tasks. This is to make sure that candidates are asked the same questions, and that the test is fair to all. Interlocutors must use, and stick to, the scripted parts of the interlocutor rubric.
Sometimes, even though the instructions have been delivered clearly, a candidate will not understand what to do. In this situation the instruction should be repeated slowly and broken down into manageable chunks if appropriate.
If a candidate asks about the meaning of a word or particular prompt, answer using language appropriate to the level.
In some phases, prompts are provided for use if the interaction between the candidates breaks down or does not develop. In this case, it may be necessary for the interlocutor to adapt the prompts provided in order to take account of how the candidates' interaction has developed. If a prompt needs to be adapted it should be at the appropriate language level according to the Core Curriculum.
The main point interlocutors should keep in mind when responding to any type of question is that it should be done succinctly and using language appropriate to the candidate's level. Similarly, any contributions to bring a task back on track should be as brief as possible.
What are the instructions regarding interlocutors' choice of material for the Speaking and Listening tests?
Interlocutors should use the full range of materials, in as equal proportion as possible given the number of candidates, mixing the combinations of Phase 1 and Phase 2 tasks to ensure maximum security.
However, it is part of the interlocutor's role to familiarise themselves with the materials before the tests to ensure there are no tasks that are inappropriate for any of their particular learners/candidates. Interlocutors should not choose materials which would be unsuitable for candidates, because of either the sensitivity of the topic (e.g. family) or the unfamiliarity of concepts due to the candidates' backgrounds. Tasks should not be considered 'inappropriate' for any other reason.
How are candidates assessed in the Speaking and Listening test?
Assessment criteria are based on the Core Curriculum.
For the Listening section, paraphrasing of words in the text is possible. Candidates should not summarise large sections of the text, but should instead only give relevant information. Usually only two or three words are required for each answer.
What happens if a candidate finishes his/her contribution early in Phase 1b?
The interlocutor should first wait a short time to ensure that the candidate is not formulating thoughts before beginning to speak again. If the candidate does not continue, the interlocutor should move on to the next stage of the test. Allowing a long period of silence to develop is off-putting for both candidates. At Levels 1 and 2, this is specified in the interlocutor rubric.
What happens if a candidate does not ask all the questions they are required to ask in the relevant task (Phase 1b)?
The interlocutor can ask 'Do you have any more questions?' If they don't, then the interlocutor should move onto the next stage of the test.
What is meant by a 'formal' presentation at Levels 1 and 2?
Candidates are expected to moderate their language and style of delivery to suit the task of giving a presentation. Each candidate is given a set task with bullet points of ideas for content and time to prepare (during the test). Assessment takes into account areas such as discourse markers, logical and organised arguments, and the use of complete sentences as opposed to fragments of language. It is not expected that candidates need to imagine themselves outside the test situation but more that they use their linguistic resources to adapt to the particular task in this phase.
Are candidates allowed to use the paper and pencil provided to note down questions and/or answers during Phase 2a and, if so, can the interlocutor tell them this?
Yes. Candidates can use the paper and pencil at any time during the test. The test rubric at Levels 1 and 2 includes the direction 'You can make notes if you wish' as part of Phase 2a. This will also be included in the Entry 1, 2 and 3 frames from 2006 and it is therefore acceptable for interlocutors to add this during tests at Entry 1, 2 and 3 until that time.
How does the interlocutor know when a question has been answered correctly in Phase 2a?
The interlocutor should accept the response given by the candidate, whether accurate or not. It is not the interlocutor's role to make a judgement.
