For the Certificate in Oral Proficiency for the Intermediate Diploma, candidates are required first to deliver a five-minute presentation prepared in advance from a prescribed list of broad subject areas (eg 'education and training', 'travel narrows the mind'), making reference to their target-language country, and answer questions on it for a further five minutes. Presentations must contain facts, ideas, arguments and opinions, and should be delivered rather than read. The second task involves sustaining a position according to a given brief based upon a scenario. Candidates must use the given information to sustain the discussion, use appropriate strategies to put across their argument, and counter opposing points of view.

Candidates are marked on Task 1 for:

1. content of the presentation;
2. discussion - how the candidates handle questions, requests for clarification, counter arguments;
3. accuracy of language and clarity of pronunciation;
4. appropriateness of register, range of structures.

For Task 2 the categories are:

1. content: whether information furnished to the candidate has been understood and relevantly applied;
2. content: whether contributions to discussion are apposite, appropriate to cultural / social norms of the situation;
3. accuracy of language and clarity of pronunciation;
4. appropriateness of register, range of structures.

A mark of 0, 1, 2 or 3 is awarded for each criterion, giving a possible total of 12 for each task.

For the Institute of Linguists' Certificate in Oral Proficiency for Diploma Level, candidates receive a dossier in advance of the test, containing texts in both their native language and the L2, relating to a topic of international or binational, bicultural concern. Together with this they receive a brief explaining the task and its context. As well as highlighting the background of the topic, the L2 materials will throw light on the special interests of the L2-speaking organization and give an indication of the line the "opposition" is likely to take. The materials in the L1, conversely, will give candidates a guideline as to the position they are expected to adopt. On the day of the test, candidates receive a written brief detailing the arrangements for the fifteen-minute face-to-face oral interaction, in which a position is presented, justified, defended, a contrasting position is critically appraised, problem-solving is attempted and an outcome is achieved. The candidate has forty-five minutes in which to review the dossier and prepare specific notes as an aid to arguing the case. The L2 speaker also has a detailed brief with instructions on how to conduct his or her side of the interaction. Typical contexts would be visiting trade delegations, cultural exchanges, development of tourism, conference participation, promotional tours, arranging sports events, twinning and other civil contacts.

Three aspects are considered for assessment purposes:

1. general presentation of background information from dossier;
2. responses to specific questioning;
3. responses to follow-up questions, challenges, counter-argument, unexpected developments in the course of the discussion.

Each aspect is assessed for:

1. relevance, accuracy and completeness of content; b
2. appropriateness of language, register;
3. effectiveness of strategies, confidence, fluency, ability to use interpersonal skills in L2.

(Reproduced by kind permission of the Institute of Linguists)