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The
English Speaking Board (ESB) was founded in 1953 to promote and
assess effective, confident and constructive oral communication
skills for all levels and all ages. The emphasis is very much
on spoken English as a practical and enjoyable life skill, the
focus at the assessment being on the candidate both as a speaker
and as an active listener sharing knowledge and ideas with others.
ESB
offers assessments for adults and children including ESOL; you
may be familiar with the qualification entitled EAL/ESOL
Spoken Communication and Presentation or EAL for Schools.
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Why
are you offering a new qualification? |
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The
need for a new qualification arises from the government’s
policy to improve the basic skills of the population of the UK.
The Skills for Life initiative addresses the literacy
and numeracy needs of the native speaker, and also the language
needs of the many people living in Britain for whom English is
an acquired language. A national curriculum for ESOL, entitled
the ESOL CORE CURRICULUM, was published in 2001. ESB’s former
ESOL qualification (see above) was broadly aligned to this document
in 2002.
The new Skills for Life qualifications contribute to the
Government’s Skills for Life initiative by providing an
assessment of ESOL which is designed around the standards for
adult literacy and the ESOL curriculum. They are designed to cover
the standards and curriculum with sufficient range, breadth and
depth to properly reflect the use of the English language in real
life situations, appropriate to the needs of the client group
mentioned above and the NQF level in question.
ESB
offers its new qualification as a single mode single unit ESOL
qualification. Joint registration with OCNW also offers centres a useful method of all modes assessment.
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Who
benefits from ESB:ESOL Skills for Life? |
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An
ESB candidate for this qualification may be anyone who speaks
English as an acquired language, for example:
•
a member of settled community, including those from the Asian
subcontinent and Hong Kong
• a refugee or asylum seeker
• a migrant worker who works or has settled in the UK for
most of his/her life
• a partner or spouse of learners from all over the world
who may have been settled for a number of years and who need English
to participate in the local community
• a learner who has had part of his/her school education
in Britain but who wants to continue to improve English language
skills to support employment or higher education aims
• an overseas visitor to the UK attending courses which
use the UK ESOL Core Curriculum
• someone under 16 following a specific ESOL/EAL language
programme either within or outside school.
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What
do the candidates have to do? |
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ONE:
Communicating personal
information
Giving and asking for personal information is a function of language
used in everyday life in many different situations. This task
helps put the candidate at ease and provides evidence of the ability
to ask for and give information with increasingly extended responses
and independence and in a wider range of situations as the levels
progress.
TWO:
Communicating information
of shared interest.
Extended discourse is a part of our educational, social, work
and professional lives. At the lowest level, the candidate shares
prepared information, gaining confidence in the ability to communicate
with a listening group. At higher levels the candidate is expected
to give a more organised discourse. Preparing for a talk at any
level can have a positive effect in the classroom: candidates
can plan, research, read and write around their chosen topic.
Candidates are given a choice of tasks. Each requires them to
express statements of fact and use grammar, vocabulary and communication
skills appropriately within structured spoken discourse. At lower
levels this can be very simple, e.g. describing an object, while
at higher levels the candidate might, for example, give a simple
presentation with suitable discourse structure.
THREE:
Communicating in everyday
situations
This task assesses the candidate’s ability to speak and
listen in a variety of situations from simple everyday life (e.g.
telling the time) to problem solving situations (e.g. making a
complaint). These tasks give the candidate the opportunity to
show how he/she can adapt speech to suit the situation and use
an increasing range of phrases, grammar structures, and pronunciation
features to convey meaning appropriately.
FOUR:
Communicating opinions and feelings / listening and responding
The aim of this part of the test is to assess a candidate’s
ability to interact within a group of two or more people. The
candidates listen to a text appropriate to the level, either read
by the assessor or presented on audio-tape or video. The candidates
are then directed by the assessor to discuss the issues raised
in the text. At the lowest levels, the candidates are expected
to show that they have listened and understood by expressing their
own opinions very simply, (e.g. listen to a simple discussion
about the traffic in a city and express own opinion). At higher
levels, the candidates will have a more complex task to perform
involving reasoning and with regard to the formality and purpose
of the situation, (e.g. listen to news items and discuss the issues
raised in one of them).
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I
am using the ESOL Core Curriculum and Skills for Life
materials. How will this qualification fit in? |
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No
additional or special teaching materials are required. The assessment
criteria are designed to assess candidate abilities against the
National Standards as detailed in the ESOL Core Curriculum. A
scheme of work, based on the curriculum, can easily be adapted
to include reference to the ESB assessment. Preparation for the
assessment can be an integral part of teaching and learning.
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Do
you offer levels 1 and 2? |
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ESB offers all levels of Skills for Life assessments, Entry 1 to Level 2. In addition, we offer a Pre-Entry assessment which is fundable under "Other Provision".
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Can
I mix and match this qualification with qualifications
in other modes? |
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You should select a suitable
qualification for your students.
This may mean offering a reading and writing from another awarding
body.
Each student can take any level in any mode.
Awarding bodies are working with QCA to provide a secure APL system. Joint registration with OCNW also offers centres a useful method of all modes assessment.
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When
can I enter students? |
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Qualifications
may be taken at any point in the year and should be booked three
months in advance to guarantee the date of your choice. All assessment
is external, carried out on-site at user centres throughout the
UK and overseas by a trained team of visiting assessors.
Assessment takes place within a participating peer group
as candidate interaction is an integral part of the assessment.
Each session requires a minimum of three and a maximum of six
candidates, to give candidates the opportunity to demonstrate
listening and responding skills as well as competence as an individual
speaker. Each candidate is assessed and awarded a mark for each
section in the syllabus. Every candidate receives a written
report form with results and guidance within five days
of the assessment (UK). All successful candidates receive a certificate,
giving syllabus title and level achieved, within approximately
six weeks.
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Does
the qualification attract LSC funding? |
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Yes.
Each qualification attracts Basic Skills uplift funding. ESB can
provide qualification codes and advice on funding issues
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Assesses
against the ESOL Core Curriculum
******* Each candidate receives a written report
******
Candidates work with a supportive peer group and discuss
/ listen to matters of common interest
Learners draw on cross-cultural differences as they prepare
and give short talks and explore the differences in everyday
functional situations
At entry levels, no literacy is required
Assessors are trained to conduct the assessment in a supportive
and encouraging manner.
The assessment caters for spiky profiles
The assessment has a positive effect on teaching and learning
No specific subject knowledge is required
No specific materials required for teaching and learning
Assessment can be made in any place, at any time |
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If we have not been able to answer all your questions on this
page please ask for the full document or request an information
officer visit:
Please
click here to go to our contact
page to find out how to get in touch...
For online access to ESOL Core Curriculum http://www.dfes.gov.uk/curriculum_esol/ |
