Skills for Life Speaking & Listening Levels 1 and 2 – Phase 2b
Task Description
How long does Phase 2b last?
This Phase lasts seven minutes at Level 1: three minutes for the candidates’ discussion, four minutes for the extension of the topic with the interlocutor.
This Phase lasts eight minutes at Level 2: four minutes for the candidates’ discussion, four minutes for the extension of the topic with the interlocutor and assessor.
What is the purpose of Phase 2b?
This discussion is designed to elicit factual information, personal experience, opinions, wishes, feelings, suggestions, justification and speculation on the theme introduced in Phase 2a. Candidates will be expected to express degrees of agreement or uncertainty, and to sympathise, reassure, persuade and give advice where appropriate.
What skills are being assessed?
Candidates are assessed according to all three strands (Listen and Respond, Speak to Communicate, Engage in Discussion) of the Adult ESOL Core Curriculum. A breakdown of the assessment criteria can be found in Focus on Assessment.
What do the candidates have to do?
In the first part of this Phase candidates are given a topic to discuss, related in some way to the recordings they have listened to in Phase 2a.
At Level 1, candidates are given a list of six areas related to the topic they have been asked to discuss. They are asked to look at the list and give their opinion of the importance of these areas in relation to the topic in question.
At Level 2, candidates are given a more challenging topic to discuss. They are given two statements to consider that are related to the topic, and asked to what extent they agree or disagree with the statements.
Candidates at both levels are prompted as necessary by the interlocutor.
In the second part of this Phase, the interlocutor joins in the interaction and asks further questions in order to widen and extend the discussion. At Level 2 the assessor will also join in the interaction at this point.
Understanding the Task
To understand better how candidates need to approach this task, it may help you to look at and analyse some tasks.
Look at the sample Phase 2b tasks from Skills for Life Speaking & Listening Level 1 and 2 sample papers, and think about what candidates have to do.
Sample speaking and listening Tasks
Sample speaking and listening Tasks
Things to consider
Now look at these questions about the nature of the task and consider your answers.
- Are the topics in Phases 2a and 2b related?
- What is the role of the interlocutor in this phase?
- In the second part of this phase, do candidates speak only to the examiners?