Student, potential roommate: Put an ad in the paper about sharing an apartment. (Student may talk about apartment description, roommate description, activities and hobbies, habits and routines, likes and dislikes.)

 

Student, potential employer: You have applied for a job, and you’ve been invited for an interview with the boss (Student may talk about him/herself, habits, activities, work history, schedule. . .)

 

Two friends who have not seen each other for a long time meet by chance and sit down to chat about family, jobs, life . . .

 

Salesclerk, customer: Describe item (house, furniture. . .) , likes and dislikes, colors...

 

Describe your favorite house or apartment. What does it look like, how many rooms, any special features. . . Why is it your favorite?

 

Discuss with a friend what your ideal other half would be like. Include character traits, likes and dislikes, physical appearance. . .

 

You have just met that ideal other half. Tell him/her all about yourself, your background, your life, your family (parents, siblings. . .), describe what they are like physically and talk about their character traits... Tell him/her about the important dates and events in your life.

 

Explain who your best friend is and what he/she is like. Describe in as much detail as possible.

 

You invite a friend to your house for a party you are giving this weekend. Provide the details about the party. However, your friend is a little reluctant to go to the party.

 

You are sitting at a table having lunch. The person you have been dying to meet sits opposite you. He/she is in your Spanish class. Ask him or her whether you are in the same class, whether he/she find the class difficult. Suggest that you should study together. Suggest a date and a time...

 

A friend invites you to a party. Ask what day the party will be held, when it starts, who will be there and what kind of party is it. Accept or decline the invitation and give your reasons why.

 

Parent, teenager: Have your partner play the role of a strict father/mother while you play the role of the teenager who desperately wants to go to a discotheque with a friend. Convince your parent that the person you are going with is just a friend, not a new boyfriend/girlfriend, and that he/she is a respectable person. Also convince dad/mom to give you some money and to let you stay out until 2:30 a.m.

 

Talk about last summer. Tell where you were, whom you saw, how you spent your time etc. . .

 

Talk about things you used to do in the summer with family or / and friends when you were younger.

 

Pictures for elaboration: Tell what is going on in the picture, what the occasion is, what the people are talking about etc . . .

 

Describe some activities that you do, do not do, or should do in the morning, afternoon or evening.

 

Explain who does the necessary chores in your family/ house/ apartment. What are they? Who likes to do them and doesn’t? Explain why?

 

Discuss important dates and events in your life and / or the life of your family. Explain why each day is important and what you do to celebrate it?

 

Describe a typical party or celebration in your family. Explain who plans the party, who the guests are, where the party is and what you do during the party.

 

Describe your ideal vacation. Tell what you did (or what you would do).

 

It is Friday. You and your roommate try to decide what to do this evening. Your roommate wants to stay in the dorm and play cards, but you want to go out. You suggest several activities and finally agree on what to do.

 

	You are at a travel agency in Mexico City and you wish to fly to San José, Costa Rica. - Find out when there are flights to San José. - Indicate whether or not you want a round-trip ticket. - Find out how much a first class ticket costs. - Find out what documents you need and when you have to confirm the reservations.
	Your best friend always seems to be complaining about something. Respond to each complaint s/he has; give advice, express sympathy (or disbelief) etc. . .

 

Discuss your summer plans. Tell if you are going to study, work, rest or visit family and /or friends. Explain what you are going to do during the week and on weekends. Describe any special plans you may have.

 

Describe your worries about money. How do you plan to save money? How do you plan to live in the near future?

 

Discuss the profession you have chosen in as much detail as possible and what are your expectations.

 

Explain your concerns about pollution, the environment. How can we save the Earth ?

 

Tell me about your favorite opera, play, museum or musical. You can choose one of the above.

 

Describe your ideal wedding, ceremony, honeymoon, etc. . . Also describe your ideal spouse.

 

Discuss your relationship with others. Your parents, friends, extended family, boy/girlfriend, boss, co-workers etc . . .

1. Ease of Expression

___ (20) Gets idea across fully; minimal hesitation, false starts; goes beyond the minimum
___ (15) Gets idea across fully, but with substantial hesitation; needs to repeat, be prompted, etc.
___ (10) Gets idea across, but very haltingly and/or needs much intervention from tester.
___ (5) Unable to get idea across. (EXAM ENDS HERE!)

___ (20) Complexity of sentence structure (using pronouns, combining sentences, etc.) is at the level of the course.
___ (15) Student tends to repeat or use "detours" rather than more complex forms that have been studied.
___ (10) Student fairly consistently avoids complex forms in favor of the simplest, possible sentences.

___ (20) Expression is as grammatically correct as can be expected for the level.
___ (15) Grammatical errors are more numerous but do not substantially impair communication.
___ (10) Grammatical errors are numerous and serious enough to noticeably impair communication.
___ (5) Grammar seriously impedes comprehensibility; basic errors are excessive for this level.

___ (20) Knows and uses precise words for the situation and/or is able to paraphrase.
___ (15) Misuses words occasionally; has difficulty paraphrasing when "stuck"; needs prompting on common, high-frequency words.
___ (10) Very limited vocabulary for this level; needs frequent prompting or uses English. Unable to paraphrase when necessary.
___ (5) Vocabulary is clearly inadequate for this level.

___ (20) Pronunciation is very good for the level; does not impair communication. Rhythm and intonation are good for this level.
___ (15) Pronunciation errors tend to be minor and interfere only minimally with comprehensibility, but accent is clearly more "foreign".
___ (10) Pronunciation is fairly weak and impedes comprehensibility.
___ (5) Major errors (e.g., poor vowel/consonant production) are excessive for this level.