Speaking: Workplace Interaction and Short Presentations
What the Speaking section tests
iTEP Business-Core Speaking measures workplace interaction and short presentations. Raters listen for task completion, fluency, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and coherence. You may be asked to respond to a colleague, give an opinion, describe a process, or present a short recommendation.
Core rules and concepts
- Answer the task first. State your main point in the first sentence, then support it.
- Use a simple frame. Point, reason, example, result. For presentations: opening, agenda, two main points, conclusion, invitation for questions.
- Buy time naturally. That’s a good question. Let me think for a moment. Avoid long um chains.
- Paraphrase instead of freezing. If you lose reimbursement, say getting the money back.
- Manage interaction. Could I finish this point? interrupts politely; Do you mean...? checks understanding; Shall I go on? hands the turn back.
- Keep pronunciation intelligible. Word stress matters more than accent: deVELop, comMIttee, preSENtation.
Worked example
Prompt: Describe a time you resolved a disagreement with a colleague. Response plan: Last quarter, my colleague and I disagreed about the launch date. I asked to meet and we listed our concerns separately. I found that she was worried about testing time, not the date itself. We moved the beta test forward by a week and kept the launch date. The launch went ahead without delays. Reasoning: past tenses match a completed event; the response names the situation, the action (asked, listed, found), and the result. It does not just say we communicated better.
Traps that cost marks
- Giving a one-sentence answer that leaves the task unfinished.
- Reciting a memorized answer that does not fit the prompt.
- Speaking too fast and blurring endings.
- Ignoring a follow-up question because you are still finishing your first point.
- Using formal written phrases such as furthermore or pursuant to in speech.