How to Grade Oral English exams
Your students have prepared everything! They’re ready to deliver their Oral English Exams.
Unfortunately, it’s not time for you to sit back and relax just yet. In Part 4 of our Oral English Exam Series, we answer the question: How do you grade them?
The materials are pretty simple. I choose a seat in the middle or back of the room, off to the side, that way I can still see everything that’s going on in my class and control any trouble-makers if I need to. If it’s a conversation exam outside in the hallway, I pull out a chair so I can sit and write comfortably. Speaking of writing, make sure you have a desk or table in front of you so you can write with ease. No one wants to be hunched over their lap, scribbling furiously for an hour or two.
I’ve got a pen that won’t die on me and some paper. You could just have blank pieces of paper for your chicken-scratching notes (see the Tips section of this article) or have a scrap paper with the paper you will actually hand your students. I always like to take my own notes, where I can be messy and think, but give students a neat paper they can actually read with a grade and feedback. You can always just give feedback on a blank piece of paper, but I use feedback forms that I absolutely love. You can download them (in multiple designs) here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Speech-Feedback-Grading-Form-Green-Flowers-Design-4712825
I used to assign points for each category. For example, if I had five categories, then each category was worth 20 points. As students spoke, I would score each category. I did this for about a year before I realized how much time it was taking. I was spending too much time debating between a 15 and 16 to listen to the exact mistakes students were making or taking note of specific vocabulary words they were using. And at the end of the day, I had a lot of math that I would just end up adjusting anyway.
Now, I don’t grade the students in class at all. When they are talking, I am listening. I’m writing down their significant vocabulary choices, grammar mistakes, and making notes about their poise. There in class, I give an overall preliminary grade. I’ll write something like B+ or A-. This is just a guide and can be changed later, once I look back over my notes more carefully. Generally, though, this preliminary grade doesn’t change too much.
When I grade, I’m looking for overall themes as well as individual errors. If I notice a student uses the wrong verb tense 20 times in 2 minutes, then we definitely have a problem. You might not have time to write down each and every mistake, so keep a look out for overall issues.
Once I’ve assigned a number grade, I always write comments as well. It’s absolutely useless to a student to know he got a B+. That just says, “You weren’t horrible, but you weren’t really that good either.” I always write both “Good” and “Improve:” categories on their feedback papers. And be specific as you can! Writing “Improve pronunciation” is practically as useless as a “B+” feedback. Tell them to work on their “th” sound or at linking their sounds.
Tips:
Write in code.
My notes are chicken scratches and are ALWAYS written in cursive. Not only because cursive is faster for me to write, but because your students will undoubtedly try to steal a glance at your paper. They’re all dying to know how they did and how their classmates did. I want to maintain my student’s privacy, as well as be free to write what I really am thinking. I want to be able to write, “He didn’t try” and “We’ve GOT to work on pronunciation” without demoralizing or embarrassing students. These are my notes, for my eyes only. For even more privacy, I don’t actually write B+ or C or A- on my paper. Each letter grade has a number. An A+ is a 1. A is a 2. A- is a 3, and so on. That way, students can’t know their classmates grades if they peek.
Don’t be so rigid with your grading standards.
Some students with a low English ability end up doing better than some higher-level students on an exam because of how much they personally improved. You’ll always have some students with great English who don’t care, haven’t practiced, and can ace the exam. But if they haven’t made any improvement throughout the whole semester, then how well did they really do? On the other hand, if you have a student who has been working hard all semester and has managed to grow from not being able to string together a sentence to making a real conversation, that’s worthy of a high score, in my opinion.
If it’s your first time grading oral exams, don’t get overwhelmed! It may seem like a lot, but once you find a rhythm and routine that works for you, you’ll be able to grade quickly and accurately!
If you’d like to read the previous posts in this series, check them out here:
Part 1: https://www.atlasteaching.com/classroom/5simpleoralenglishexams
Part 2: https://www.atlasteaching.com/classroom/conversationeslexamtips
Part 3: https://www.atlasteaching.com/classroom/esloralexamrubric