Hedging and turn-taking in a paired speaking task
In a two-minute paired discussion, a B1+ candidate must agree a plan with a partner for a class trip. The examiner notes: the candidate speaks for 70 of the 120 seconds, mostly in monologue; when the partner starts a turn, the candidate talks over her twice; he states his preference as fact ('We will go to the museum, it is the best') and dismisses her suggestion with 'No, that is boring.' He uses no expressions for agreeing, disagreeing politely, or checking understanding. His grammar and vocabulary are strong - he produces accurate past tenses and a range of adjectives - but the interaction criteria are weak. He later says: 'I thought I should show I can speak a lot and use good words.' The exam rewards initiating, responding, and maintaining interaction, not just accuracy.
1. Explain the gap between what the candidate thinks is being assessed and what the interaction criteria reward, using evidence from the transcript.
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He believes speaking is a performance of language - talk a lot, use impressive words - so he maximises airtime and vocabulary. The interaction criteria reward something different: managing a two-way exchange. The evidence shows he is not doing that. Speaking 70 of 120 seconds leaves the partner little room and signals he treats the task as a monologue. Talking over her twice shows he is not monitoring her turn ends. 'We will go to the museum, it is the best' presents a personal preference as a decision, which closes negotiation instead of opening it. 'No, that is boring' dismisses rather than disagrees politely, which damages the collaborative frame the task requires.
His accuracy is genuinely good and will earn credit, but it cannot compensate for failing to initiate appropriately, respond to his partner, or maintain the exchange. The fix is not more grammar; it is a small set of interactive moves - agreeing, disagreeing politely, asking for the partner's view, checking understanding - plus the discipline to leave space. He should aim to speak roughly half the time and to respond to at least three of her points.
2. Give three functional exponents he can learn and a rehearsal activity that builds the turn-taking habit, not just the phrases.
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Exponents to learn (one per function):
- Agreeing and building: 'That's a good point - and we could also…'
- Disagreeing politely: 'I see what you mean, but I'm not sure a museum would suit everyone. What do you think?'
- Checking understanding / inviting: 'Sorry, could you say that again?' and 'What would you prefer?'
Rehearsal - the 50/50 rule. Set a two-minute discussion on a new topic with a timer that beeps every 20 seconds; whoever is not speaking when it beeps must be given the next turn. This physically forces him to hand over and to listen for his partner's turn ends. Pair it with a checklist he ticks after each run: Did I agree once? Disagree politely once? Ask her view once? Speak less than half?
The checklist matters because it converts the phrases into observable behaviours he can self-monitor. Run it three times with different topics; by the third run he should be hitting all four boxes without prompting. Then remove the beeper and check whether the habit holds - if he reverts to monologue, the behaviour is not yet automatic and needs more timed runs.