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Study Guide

Field 122: German CST
Presentational Speaking

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Directions for Presentational Speaking Assignment

For the Presentational Speaking section of the test, you will record a spoken response to an assignment presented on-screen.  start bold You must respond to the assignment in the target language. end bold 

The assignment will be displayed on the next screen and the screen timer will count down the allotted preparation time (refer to the upper right corner of the screen to monitor the preparation time remaining).  start bold You may take up to 12 minutes to review the assignment and prepare your response. end bold  Please note that you are not required to take the entire 12 minutes; however,  start bold if you choose to advance to the next screen to start your response before the preparation time is over, you will not be able to go back. end bold 

When the preparation time is complete, the screen will automatically advance, and you will record your response to the assignment. Do NOT begin speaking until the screen advances and you see the recorder presented on-screen. A tone will indicate when to begin speaking and the status on the recorder will show Recording.  start bold You may take up to 3 minutes to record your response. end bold  A sample of the recorder appears below.

recorder

 start bold You will have three minutes to record your response. end bold  Monitor your time by referring to the timer, which will count up from 00:01 to 03:00. Bars will appear with the sound of your voice to indicate that recording is in progress.

When your recording time is over, the status will change to "Complete," indicating the conclusion of the assignment.

recorder showing the recording is complete

You will automatically be advanced to the next screen. DO NOT click the  start bold Next end bold  button unless you have finished recording your response with time remaining and wish to move to the next screen.  start bold If you advance to the next screen with recording time remaining, you will not be able to go back. end bold 

Your response will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

Your response will be evaluated on the criteria above, not on the position you take. In your response, you must use your own words. With the exception of appropriately identified quotations and paraphrases from the passage, the response must be your own.

You may use the erasable notebooklet provided to take notes; however, start bold you will be scored only on the response that is recorded in the exam. end bold You will have only start bold ONE end bold opportunity to record your response. Be sure that your microphone is in a downward position near your mouth before you begin speaking.

Select the  start bold Next end bold  button to continue.

Sample Presentational Speaking Assignment

Competency 0004 
Presentational Speaking

start italics [The examinee will see on screen and hear the following directions:] end italics

start bold You may take up to 12 minutes to review the assignment and the passage provided and to prepare your response. Then, the screen will automatically advance and recording will begin. The assignment and the passage will remain on the screen during recording. You may take up to 3 minutes to respond to the assignment. You will be told when the preparation time is over and the recording is about to begin. Begin reviewing the assignment and preparing your response now. end bold

start italitics [The examinee will see on screen ONLY:] end italics

Schadet der übermäßige Gebrauch der Medien den Jugendlichen

Imagine that you are addressing an audience of educated adults. Speaking in German, respond to the question above. In your response, you must:

In your response, you must use your own words. With the exception of appropriately identified quotations and paraphrases from the passage, the response must be your own.

start italics [The examinee will see on screen ONLY:] end italics
start bold Passage from an article published in the magazine Spiegel Online Schulspiegel: end bold

Kinder und Jugendliche, die viel Zeit vor dem Computer oder Fernseher verbringen, haben weniger Lust auf Schule als ihre Altersgenossen. [...] Unter den Schülern, die täglich sechs Stunden oder mehr vor dem Bildschirm sitzen, sei jeder Fünfte unzufrieden mit seinen Leistungen in der Schule, heißt es in dem Papier, das am Mittwoch vorgestellt wurde. Bei Schülern, die weniger als zwei Stunden jeden Tag vor Computer oder Fernseher verbrachten, war nur jeder Zehnte nicht glücklich mit seinen Noten.

Laut den Machern der Studie lassen sich diese Ergebnisse verschieden deuten: "Diejenigen, die Schwierigkeiten in der Schule haben, könnten versuchen, sich mit hohem Medienkonsum abzulenken", schreiben sie. Es sei aber ebenso denkbar, dass sich übermäßiger Medienkonsum negativ auf die Schulleistungen auswirke.

Für die Studie wurden 5840 Schüler zwischen 11 und 18 Jahren befragt. Sie gingen auf berufs- und allgemeinbildende Schulen in sieben Bundesländern. Die meiste Zeit verbringen Schüler von Haupt- und Realschulen und Regionalen Schulen mit Fernseher, Computer oder Musik. Dort liegt zum Beispiel der Anteil derer, die drei oder mehr Stunden täglich fernsehen, bei fast 40 Prozent – und ist damit mehr als doppelt so hoch wie an Gymnasien.

Je älter die Schüler werden, desto mehr beschäftigen sie sich mit den Medien TV, Computer und Musik, wobei Kinder und Jugendliche über alle Altersstufen hinweg am häufigsten Musik hören.

Studie zur Mediennutzung: Jugendliche mit Schulfrust sehen mehr fern. http://www.spiegel.de/schulspiegel/wissen/studie-zur-mediennutzung-jugendliche-mit-schulfrust-sehen-mehr-fern-a-818470.html SPIEGEL ONLINE 29.02.2012

start italics [After 12 minutes of silence, the examinee will hear:
"Your preparation time is now over. At the conclusion of these directions, the screen will automatically advance and recording will begin. Begin speaking when you see the recorder presented on the next screen. Prepare to begin speaking now."] end italics

start italics [If examinee clicks "Next" before the preparation time is over, the following warning appears in a pop-up:
"You have chosen to begin speaking before your 12 minutes of preparation time has ended. If you click "Yes" below, the screen will advance and recording will automatically begin. Are you sure you want to begin speaking now "] end italics

recorder

 start bold  start uppercase DO NOT end uppercase  click the Next button unless you have finished recording your response. end bold 

 start italics [After 3 minutes of recording, the status on the recorder will change to "Complete" and the examinee is automatically advanced to the next screen.] end italics 

Sample Strong Response to Presentational Speaking Assignment

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[Note: In the transcript below, there are two-dot and/or three-dot ellipses. Two dots indicate that the speaker paused. Three dots indicate that the speaker omitted text when quoting from the article.]

Ich glaube ohne jeden Zweifel, dass der übermäßige Gebrauch der Medien den Jugendlichen schadet. Schule macht es möglich, dass Kinder und Jugendliche eine bessere Zukunft haben können.. Leider behindert Gebrauch der Medien ihre Bildung.

Der Autor des Artikels beschreibt die Ergebnisse von einer Umfrage von fast 6000 Schüler. Daraus wurde festgestellt, dass Schüler mit einem sehr hohen Mediengebrauch sich weniger wohlfühlen in der Schule als Schüler, die weniger Zeit vor dem Computer oder Fernseher sitzen..Die Forscher wissen nicht, ob Kinder Schwierigkeiten im Unterricht haben, gerade weil sie so viel Medien konsumieren, oder ob sie so viele Medien konsumieren, um sich von der Schularbeit abzulenken.

Ich finde, dass der Zusammenhang zwischen Fernsehen, Computergebrauch, und schwachen Leistungen in der Schule sehr einfach zu sehen ist. Die Schularbeit selbst erfordert oft, dass die Schüler einen Computer nutzen. Sie forschen im Internet und schreiben mit Hilfe eines Computerprogramms, wenn sie zum Beispiel einen Referat schreiben. Dadurch können sie leicht abgelenkt werden.

Während Fernsehen und Computergebrauch leicht ist und Spaß macht, sind Hausaufgaben schwer und bereiten selten das Gefühl der „Instant-Belohnung”. Diese technologischen Geräte benötigen nur wenig Konzentration, aber die Schule viel mehr. Weil diese Geräte ständig erhältlich sind und Spaß anbieten, fällt es den Jugendlichen in unserer Zeit schwierig, in der Schule hohe Leistungen zu bringen.

Note: The sample strong response for the presentational speaking assignment is an example of a response that a candidate might record. While the sample response demonstrates effective presentational speaking skills, it could contain typical errors that candidates may produce when speaking in the target language. Please see the rationale below for more details.

Rationale for Sample Strong Response to Presentational Speaking Assignment

The response effectively communicates clear and logically sequenced ideas, delivered with a consistent flow of speech, few pauses, intelligible pronunciation, and appropriate intonation. The candidate establishes a clear position on the issue presented in the question and effectively supports the established position with relevant information from the passage, as well as his or her own relevant ideas and examples. Overall, the response demonstrates a strong engagement with the passage.

The response uses the candidate's own words and effectively uses a range of vocabulary and idiomatic language, as well as a style and sociolinguistic conventions that are appropriate for the assignment. The candidate effectively uses a range of appropriate grammatical constructions, time frames, and sentence structures. Errors are minor and do not interfere with comprehensibility. Examples of such errors include the omission of a dative plural ending on a dative plural noun ("von fast 6000 Schüler" instead of "von fast 6000 Schülern"), non-idiomatic usage ("Schule macht es möglich" instead of "[D]ie Erziehung/[D]ie Bildung macht es möglich"), uneven use of adjective endings (speaker fails to decline the adjective "viel" in the first use of "so viel Medien konsumieren," but places the adjective in the appropriate plural accusative declination in the subsequent use of "so viele Medien"), and lack of subject-verb agreement ("[W]ährend Fernsehen und Computergebrauch leicht ist und Spaß macht" instead of "[W]ährend Fernsehen und Computergebrauch leicht sind und Spaß Machen").

Performance Characteristics for Presentational Speaking Assignment

The following characteristics guide the scoring of responses to the Presentational Speaking assignment.

APPROPRIATENESS The extent to which the response uses the candidate's own words, demonstrates engagement with the provided passage, establishes a position on the issue presented in the question, and uses language, style, and sociolinguistic conventions appropriate for the assignment (task, context, and specified audience)
SUPPORT The extent to which the response supports the established position with information (appropriately cited details, quotations, and paraphrases) from the provided passage and the candidate's own ideas or examples
FLUENCY The extent to which the response communicates clear and logically sequenced ideas delivered with a consistent flow of speech, intelligible pronunciation, and appropriate intonation
GRAMMAR The extent to which the response uses a range of appropriate grammatical constructions, time frames, and sentence structures
VOCABULARY The extent to which the response uses a range of appropriate vocabulary and idiomatic language

Score Scale for Presentational Speaking Assignment

A score will be assigned to each response to the Presentational Speaking assignment according to the following score scale.

Score Point Score Point Description
4 The "4" response demonstrates effective presentational speaking skills.
3 The "3" response demonstrates generally effective presentational speaking skills.
2 The "2" response demonstrates partially effective presentational speaking skills.
1 The "1" response demonstrates ineffective presentational speaking skills.
U The response is unscorable because it is inaudible or unintelligible, merely a repetition of the assignment, not related to the assignment, not primarily in the target language, or not of sufficient length to score.
B There is no response to the assignment.