ΥΠΟΥΡΓΕΙΟ ΠΑΙΔΕΙΑΣ & ΘΡΗΣΚΕΥΜΑΤΩΝ, ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΜΟΥ & ΑΘΛΗΤΙΣΜΟΥ

ΚΡΑΤΙΚΟ ΠΙΣΤΟΠΟΙΗΤΙΚΟ ΓΛΩΣΣΟΜΑΘΕΙΑΣ

Ministry of Education & Religious Affairs, Culture & Sports

English Language Certification

LEVEL C1 on the scale set by the Council of Europe

MODULE 4 EXAMINER PACK

Period November 2012

ATTENTION This pack is for the Oral Test and should be given to the Examiners two (2)
hours before the test begins. It contains:
 the Interlocutor Frame for C1 – parts 1 & 2
 the test items (i.e., the questions for Activity 1 and the tasks for Activities 2)
 a reminder of potential trouble spots during the exam
 the Rating Scale for C1
Κ Π γ / English Language Exam November 2012

The purpose of the interlocutor frame is to reduce variability in oral examiner speech and to ensure that the test
taking experience is the same for all candidates. Please use it to conduct the exam.

INTERLOCUTOR FRAME FOR C1 LEVEL – Part 1 (Activity 1)

Introducing ourselves – Ice-breaking questions (1 minute for both candidates) [NOT MARKED]
Examiner: Good afternoon. Welcome. Can I have your evaluation forms, please? (Take them and give them to your
co-assessor, making sure you don’t mix up who is who.)
Thank you, please take a seat.
My name is ________ (and) this is my co-assessor ________. S/he will be observing us.
Please speak in English, loudly and clearly, throughout the test. You may ask me to repeat task
instructions or give any other clarifications necessary but only in English. So… What is your name?
(Write it down.) And yours? (Write it down.)
Examiner: (Addressing candidate A) So______ (his/her NAME), what do you do …? / where do you live? / do you have a
lot of free time – any hobbies? etc. (any general questions to break the ice and get to know the candidate.)
Examiner: (Addressing candidate B) And what about you________ (his/her NAME), why are you sitting for this
exam? / what do you do …? / are you very busy at work/school? etc. (any general questions to break the
ice and get to know the candidate.)
Activity 1 (4 minutes for both candidates)
Examiner: Ok. Let’s start with Activity 1. I will ask each one of you an opinion question and you will each have
about two minutes to answer. You must clearly state your opinion and justify it.
Start with candidate A.
Choose 1 question from the ones given below and ask him/her.
Examiner: (When the candidate has finished.) Thank you.
Choose a DIFFERENT (from the one you asked candidate A) question from the one given below and ask him/her.
Examiner: (When the candidate has finished.) Thank you.

ACTIVITY 1: RESPONSE TO AN OPINION QUESTION

Questions more appropriate for younger candidates
1. At what age do you think children should leave their parents' home? Justify your opinion.
2. Why do you think some people buy unnecessary products that they see advertised?
3. Explain what you think the following phrase means ‘When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you
have a thousand reasons to smile’.
4. In what ways can the use of social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter etc) lead to the invasion of your privacy?
5. Why do you think that some students do well in school and others don’t?
6. What do you think is the worst invention of mankind?
7. What benefits other than personal satisfaction could you get by volunteering? Explain why.
Questions more appropriate for older candidates
8. How easily do you think children are influenced by advertising? Explain why.
9. Do you think that money and fame necessarily equal success? Why or why not?
10. Do you think that telling lies can sometimes be justifiable? Explain why you think so.
11. Do you agree or disagree with the saying ‘Promises mean everything, but after they are broken, sorry means nothing’?
Explain why.
12. Do you think ambition is always a good personality trait? Explain your answer.
13. How do you think young people of this generation are different from past generations?
14. What do you think are the necessary qualifications and qualities for the job market today?
Level C1/ Module 4 EXAMINER PACK – PAGE 2
Κ Π γ / English Language Exam November 2012

INTERLOCUTOR FRAME FOR C1 LEVEL – Part 2 (Activity 2)

Activity 2 (15 minutes for both candidates)
Examiner: Now, let’s move on to Activity 2. I will ask each of you to read some Greek texts, which are different,
but in some way related to each other. These texts contain information that you need for a task which
requires you to exchange information with your partner. I will be listening to you while you talk to
each other but I will not take part in your conversation.
When I tell you to begin, you [address Candidate B] ______ (his/her NAME) will open the discussion but,
remember, both of you are responsible for keeping the conversation going.
Select a page from the Candidate Booklet and address candidate B. Hand the booklet to him/her.
Examiner: So______ (his/her NAME), go to page ______ and ______.
Address candidate A. Hand the booklet to him/her.
Examiner: ______ (his/her NAME), go to page ______.
Address both candidates.
Examiner: After you have read your text(s), you will have about 10 minutes to complete the following task. (Choose
and read out the task from the ones below.)
You now have 2-3 minutes to read your text(s) and then, before you start, I will repeat the task for you.
Now, please, start reading.
(Allow 2-3 minutes for the candidates to read the text.) Ready? Now, turn so that you face each other, and I will
repeat the task. (Wait until they turn and repeat the task.) Ok. [address Candidate B] ______ (his/her NAME),
you may start.
Examiner: (When the candidates have finished.) Ok. Thank you.
This is the end of the examination. Have a nice evening.

ACTIVITY 2: ORAL PRODUCTION AND MEDIATION

GET CONNECTED SAFELY (PAGE 6 for Candidate A & PAGE 11 for Candidate B)
TASK 1: Exchange information from your texts and together decide on the two pieces of advice you would give a mutual
friend who has just started using the internet.
TASK 2: Exchange information from your texts and together decide on two pieces of information that novice internet
users are less likely to know.
TASK 3: (for younger candidates) You and your friend are preparing a poster on safe internet use for your school
computer room. Exchange information from your texts and together decide on the most important tips to be
included.

ALL ABOUT THE SEASONAL FLU! (PAGE 7 for Candidate A & PAGE 12 for Candidate B)
TASK 4: Exchange information from your texts and together decide on the four most important pieces of advice you
would give to a friend of yours whose children have the seasonal flu.
TASK 5: Exchange information from your texts and together decide on the most important pieces of information about
the seasonal flu to be included in a poster for your school bulletin board / workplace.

Level C1/ Module 4 EXAMINER PACK – PAGE 3

Κ Π γ / English Language Exam November 2012

TOP TRAVEL MYTHS (PAGE 8 for Candidate A & PAGE 13 for Candidate B)
(Use PAGE 16 for a third candidate –Candidate C– if necessary)
TASK 6: Your friend Mary has never travelled before. Exchange information from your texts and together decide which
two myths you would definitely tell her about.
TASK 7: Imagine you both work in a travel agency. Exchange information from your texts on travel myths and together
decide on the two most interesting myths to be posted on your travel agency’s website.

COMPUTERS ATTACK: FIGHT BACK! (PAGE 9 for Candidate A & PAGE 14 for Candidate B)
TASK 8: Exchange information from your texts and together decide what advice you would give a friend of yours who
works long hours on his/her office computer.
TASK 9: Exchange information from your texts and together decide on the most important pieces of information to be
included in a leaflet for office workers presenting problems caused by sitting too long in front of a computer
screen and their possible solutions.
TASK 10: Exchange information from your texts and together decide which pieces of information about the dangers of
sitting too long in front of a computer screen office workers are unlikely to know.

12 TIPS TO SURVIVE REALITY (PAGE 10 for Candidate A & PAGE 15 for Candidate B)
TASK 11: Imagine you are two friends fed up with your daily life routine. Exchange information from your texts and
together decide which two practices you would both never follow / you would both follow.
TASK 12: Your friend Helen is a working mother who is fed up with her daily routine. Exchange information from your
texts and together decide which four pieces of advice would be most useful for her.

Level C1/ Module 4 EXAMINER PACK – PAGE 4

Κ Π γ / English Language Exam November 2012

POTENTIAL TROUBLE SPOTS DURING THE ORAL EXAM

PROBLEM SOLUTION
…if the candidate is very hesitant, 1. Repeat the candidate’s last phrase with rising intonation.
pauses for too long and produces little 2. Ask a few prompting questions (Is there anything else you’d like to add…?).
output? 3. Try to break down the task into simpler questions.
1. Smile, use body language, facial expressions and intonation to make the
…if the candidate is very nervous/ tense
candidate feel more comfortable.
and has difficulty speaking?
2. If you asked the tense candidate to begin first, switch to the other candidate
and come back to her/him later.
1. Ask if the candidate is alright, if s/he’d like the task repeated.
2. To get the candidate started, ask what information from the Greek text is
…if the candidate does not/cannot take useful for the task.
part in the conversation or cannot 3. If the candidate gets stuck, rephrase what s/he has last said.
continue it 4. If the candidate is still hesitating, turn to the other candidate.
5. If the candidate is still unable to talk, you take his/her place to converse with
the other candidate.
…if the candidate addresses the Interrupt the candidates and tell them to address one another. It is advisable to
examiner instead of the other candidate ask the candidates to turn their chairs a lit bit so that they are facing each other
in activity 2 before you start activity 2.
NOTE:
 Any extra help or guidance (as described above) given to a candidate should be taken into account in the assignment of
the final mark.
 Remember that you are there to assess candidates and not to help them or teach them. It is very easy to slip into the teacher’s
role and supply the candidate with a word s/he is searching for or to complete the candidate’s phrase in order to keep the
candidate going. Avoid providing unnecessary help as much as possible.
 Care has been taken to phrase task instructions using simple lexis and sentence structure. Do not change or add more
information to task instructions.
 If a candidate does not understand a word in the task instructions, you may give a synonym if you are asked to, without
however altering the task instructions.

Level C1/ Module 4 EXAMINER PACK – PAGE 5

Κ Π γ / English Language Exam November 2012

RATING SCALE
OVERALL PERFORMANCE FOR TASKS 1 & 2

PHONOLOGICAL COMPETENCE: INTONATION AND PRONUNCIATION

COMPETENT C1 SPEAKER – 2 MODERATELY COMPETENT C1 – 1
 Clear articulation and fully intelligible pronunciation  Clear articulation and intelligible pronunciation
 Varies intonation to express finer shades of meaning  Clear, natural, intelligible intonation
 Changes sentence stress correctly to give emphasis on specific meanings.  Stress patterns and rhythm fully intelligible

LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE
LEXICAL RANGE AND CONTROL
COMPETENT C1 SPEAKER – 3 MODERATELY COMPETENT C1 – 2 MARGINALLY COMPETENT C1 -1 BELOW C1 LEVEL – 0
 The form and meaning of the words  The form and meaning of the words s/he  S/he makes a few (insignificant)  S/he makes some form and meaning
s/he uses are correct. uses are mostly correct –errors are meaning errors and there are only errors which however do not
 His/her lexical repertoire does not infrequent. minor errors in form. seriously hinder communication.
restrict him/her in what s/he wants to  On some occasions, his/her lexical  His/her lexical repertoire is quite  His/her lexical repertoire is obviously
say. repertoire seems limited for the topic in limited for the topic in question. limited and s/he uses some standard
 Gaps are scarce and overcome by question.  Lexical gaps are generally expressions but not always correctly.
circumlocutions.  Little obvious searching for expressions; few overcome with circumlocution  Lexical gaps which cause obvious
 No evidence of avoidance strategies lexical gaps which are successfully  Strong evidence of avoidance hesitation and circumlocutions which
 Good command and effective use of overcome with circumlocution. strategies. are frequently unsuccessful.
idiomatic expressions and  Limited evidence of avoidance strategies.  Scarce use of idiomatic expressions  No use of idiomatic expressions and
colloquialisms, when required by the  S/he uses some idiomatic expressions and and colloquialisms, when required colloquialisms, when required by the
task. colloquialisms, when required by the task. by the task. task.
GRAMMATICAL ACCURACY
COMPETENT C1 SPEAKER - 3 MODERATELY COMPETENT C1 - 2 MARGINALLY COMPETENT C1 -1 BELOW C1 LEVEL - 0
 Consistently high degree of  High degree of grammatical accuracy  Fairly high degree of grammatical  Mostly correct grammatical structures
grammatical accuracy. which is not always consistent. accuracy. chosen.
 Good command and successful use  Frequent and successful use of complex  Occasional use of complex sentence  Some use of complex sentence
of complex sentence forms. sentence forms. forms which are successfully used. forms but always correctly used.
 Errors are difficult to spot; when they  Errors are rare; when they do occur, they  Errors are quite infrequent and often  Some incorrect grammatical choices
occur, they are successfully are usually corrected. corrected when they occur. but they do not hinder
corrected. communication.

Level C1/ Module 4 EXAMINER PACK – PAGE 6

Κ Π γ / English Language Exam November 2012

APPROPRIATENESS OF LANGUAGE CHOICES

COMPETENT C1 SPEAKER - 3 MODERATELY COMPETENT C1 - 2 MARGINALLY COMPETENT C1 -1 BELOW C1 LEVEL - 0
 Expresses ideas by making language  Ideas are conveyed clearly but  Ideas are sometimes confused  Ideas are somewhat confused because of
choices which are appropriate for the some language choices are because his/her language choices frequent inappropriate language choices
situational context. ineffective or awkward. are not always appropriate. but communication is established.
 Uses appropriate register and makes  Uses appropriate register but  Does not always use fully  Choice of register is inappropriate.
appropriate register shifts if required cannot make register shifts even if appropriate register.
by the situation. required by the situation.
COHESION, COHERENCE OF SPEECH AND FLUENCY
COMPETENT C1 SPEAKER - 3 MODERATELY COMPETENT C1 - 2 MARGINALLY COMPETENT C1 -1 BELOW C1 LEVEL - 0
 Clear, smoothly flowing, well-  Generally smoothly flowing,  Flow of speech is not always  Generally coherent discourse but not well
structured, fully coherent speech. coherent speech, but sometimes not smooth; though talk is coherent, it is structured speech.
 Effective and correct use of well structured. not well structured.  Generally correct use of cohesive devices
connectors and cohesive devices.  Generally correct and appropriate  Use of correct but not always to link utterances and chunks of talk.
 Makes elaborate descriptions and use of cohesive devices and appropriate cohesive devices to link  Though s/he is able to deal with the topic,
narrates when this is required, connectors. utterances and chunks of talk. there is an obvious lack of spontaneity
integrating sub-themes, developing  Expresses him/herself fluently, and  Does not always express him/herself and hesitations or interruptions that
particular topics, rounding off with spontaneously, with almost no spontaneously, while there are some sometimes tire the listener.
appropriate conclusions fluently, hesitations, stuttering etc. hesitations and stuttering which may tire
spontaneously, almost effortlessly. the listener.
ASSESSMENT OF TASK 2
INTERACTIONAL SKILLS
COMPETENT C1 SPEAKER – 3 MODERATELY COMPETENT C1 – 2 MARGINALLY COMPETENT C1 -1 BELOW C1 LEVEL – 0
 Initiates, sustains, intervenes and ends  Initiates, sustains, intervenes and ends a  Initiates, sustains and ends a discussion  His/her skills to initiate and sustain a
a discussion using appropriate discussion using mostly appropriate but his/her conversational strategies are discussion are limited but s/he does
conversational strategies. conversational strategies. somewhat ineffective. participate when initiating moves are made
 Relates his/her own contribution skilfully  Relates his/her ideas to those of his/her  Sometimes his/her ideas are unrelated by the other.
to those of his/her interlocutor and interlocutor and makes attempts to to those of his/her interlocutor and s/he  Can take his/her turn but not always
(counter) argues opinions, positions, etc. contribute effectively to an argument. does not argue points effectively. appropriately or may use an unsuitable
 Interrupts without causing offence, asks  Takes the floor in appropriate ways,  Though s/he participates in the strategy to get the floor.
questions to clarify points and ensures responds appropriately to requests for discussion/argument, s/he does not  Is not systematically concerned with
that his/her interlocutor understands what clarification, makes attempts to help his/her show appropriate initiative to keep it his/her interlocutor and has limited
s/he is saying. interlocutor understand, participate, etc. going. participation in the discussion.
 Accommodates to his/her interlocutor  Makes rather awkward attempts to  Does not always accommodate to his/her  Makes inappropriate/infrequent attempts to
effectively. accommodate to his/her interlocutor. interlocutor. accommodate to his/her interlocutor.

Level C1/ Module 4 EXAMINER PACK – PAGE 7

Κ Π γ / English Language Exam November 2012

MEDIATION
COMPETENT C1 SPEAKER - 3 MODERATELY COMPETENT C1 - 2 MARGINALLY COMPETENT C1 -1 BELOW C1 LEVEL - 0
Depending on the task, the candidates are expected to either: 1. relay in English bits of information in the source text which are relevant to the task in question, or
2. paraphrase / reformulate / summarize the source text.
 Responds to task expectations in fully  Responds to task expectations in a  Responds to task expectations in a  Does not truly respond to task
satisfactory manner, i.e. nearly satisfactory manner , i.e. partially satisfactory manner, i.e. expectations, i.e.
 Relays required information.  Relays some of the required  Tends to translate more than relay  Translates form the source text
 Systematically re-negotiates information from the source text. information from or reformulate the rather than relay information /
information by adjusting  Makes successful attempts to source text. paraphrase / summarize.
effectiveness, efficiency, strategically re-negotiate information  Makes some successful attempts  Makes attempts to strategically re-
relevance to context of situation. by adjusting effectiveness and to strategically re-negotiate negotiate information, but efforts are
 Summarises, paraphrases and/ or relevance to context of situation. information by adjusting relevance unsuccessful.
selects relevant information  Makes successful attempts to to context of situation.  Makes attempts to summarise,
(when this is required by the summarise, paraphrase and/ or  Makes some attempts to paraphrase and/ or select relevant
task). select relevant information (when this summarise, paraphrase and/ or information (when this is required by
is required by the task). select relevant information (when the task), but they are not
this is required by the task). successful.

TEΛΟΣ ΜΗΝΥΜΑΤΟΣ

Level C1/ Module 4 EXAMINER PACK – PAGE 8