The Interrupted Speech: Interaction over Performance
Ravi's NCEA Level 3 Chinese speaking interaction lasts three minutes. He has memorised a 90-second speech about his school's recycling programme and has practised it six times, so he can deliver it without notes. His teacher, 张老师, has four prompt cards; the fourth is unseen. Forty seconds in, while Ravi is reciting statistics, 张老师 interrupts: 「你们学校做得不错。不过我听说你们那个回收项目去年停过，是吗？」 Ravi did not prepare for this. Later, when Ravi asks about the 10-day Chengdu exchange, 张老师 says: 「费用嘛，那倒不一定，要看人数。」 Ravi cannot tell whether this means the trip may be cancelled or the price may change. He has two minutes left. When nervous, he fills silences with 嗯…… and switches into English. The assessment rewards interaction - responding, initiating and sustaining - rather than a polished monologue.
1. What should Ravi do in the ten seconds after the interruption? Justify your advice with reference to the purpose of the interaction standard.
Read the worked answer
He should abandon the recitation, acknowledge the question, answer briefly with a qualified claim, and then bridge back to the exchange topic.
A workable move: 「老师，您说得对，去年确实停过一学期，因为负责的同学毕业了。不过今年我们换了新的安排，也在招新成员。您觉得这样可行吗？」 This does four things: it accepts part of the premise (对 / 确实) rather than becoming defensive; it gives a reason; it offers an evaluation; and it returns a question, which sustains the interaction.
If he does not know the fact, saying 「这个我不太确定，我回去查一下可以吗？」 is stronger than inventing an answer - it is an honest repair move.
The standard assesses responding, initiating and sustaining, so continuing a memorised speech after an interruption would show preparation but not interaction. The interruption is an invitation to negotiate meaning, and the marks sit in that negotiation.
2. Write two Chinese utterances Ravi could use: one to clarify 「那倒不一定」 and one to politely disagree with a proposed 7am departure. Explain the politeness features of each.
Read the worked answer
Clarification: 「老师，您说的『不一定』是指费用可能会变，还是活动有可能取消？我想确认一下。」
The question offers two explicit interpretations instead of asking a vague 'what do you mean'. That makes it easy for 张老师 to choose, and 「我想确认一下」 frames the request as diligence rather than doubt.
Polite disagreement: 「我明白您的考虑。不过七点出发会不会太早？有些同学住得比较远。能不能改成七点半？」
The sequence matters: acknowledging the other view (我明白您的考虑) gives face before disagreement; 不过 signals the shift; 会不会太早 and 能不能改成 soften the challenge into a question; and a concrete alternative (七点半) makes the disagreement constructive rather than obstructive. The speaker avoids 「不行」 and 「太早了」 as bare judgements. Adding a reason (有些同学住得比较远) turns a personal preference into a shared practical problem.
3. How should Ravi manage the 嗯…… habit and his tendency to switch into English? Give a concrete replacement strategy.
Read the worked answer
He needs a small set of Chinese time-buying devices to replace 嗯……, and a circumlocution strategy to replace English.
For thinking time: 「这个嘛……」「让我想想」「怎么说呢」, or paraphrasing the question back: 「您是问……对吗？」 These keep the floor in Chinese and sound like interaction rather than a stall.
For unknown vocabulary, describe the item instead of naming it: 「就是一种……的东西」「用来做……的」. If he truly must use English, he should frame it in Chinese and continue: 「这个单词我不知道中文怎么说，就是 recycling，意思是回收。」 That is a repair move; a bare switch into English is not.
He should also slow down deliberately and use connectives - 首先, 然后, 不过, 所以 - because these create natural pauses while marking structure. Practising with a recording and counting English intrusions per minute gives him measurable feedback. The goal is not zero hesitation but managed hesitation that keeps the interaction in Chinese.