Basic Level Test - Business 01

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During this speaking test, you will be asked to complete five tasks. For each task, you will receive a score. After the test, your teacher will give you a final score.

Exercise 1

Read Aloud

Read aloud the words and sentences below. You will have 1 minute to read all the words and sentences.

Task 1

buy
sell

own
boss

work
office

cost
pay

money
bill

Task 2

advice
credit

debt
loan

bank
teller

increase
decrease

income
growth

Task 3

Her friend gave her some great advice.
He got a loan from the bank.
The company’s revenue increased.
She found the office empty when she went to work.
They own a shoe store downtown.

Score Descriptions

0 points: No answers were given.
1 point: The task was not completed on time. Frequent pronunciation, stress, and intonation mistakes, as well as hesitations and self-corrections were noticed.
2 points: The task was not completed on time. Many pronunciation, stress, and intonation mistakes, as well as hesitations and self-corrections were noticed.
3 points: The task was completed on time. Some pronunciation, stress, and intonation mistakes, as well as hesitations and self-corrections were noticed.
4 points: The task was completed on time. Few pronunciation, stress, and intonation mistakes, as well as hesitations and self-corrections were noticed.
5 points: The task was perfectly carried out with no difficulties or mistakes.

Exercise 2

Read Aloud

You will have 1 minute to read the text below silently. After that, you will have 1 minute to read it aloud.

Women’s Entrepreneurship on the Rise

Women entrepreneurs are getting more help and resources from governments, universities, and corporations — including money.

The number of women-owned businesses in the U.S. increased 44 percent from 2001 to 2011. Raising capital is a major problem for startups because they need money to grow. Yet women in the U.S. own 38 percent of U.S. businesses, or 9.1 million companies.

More organizations are providing funding for women-owned startups and introducing them to investors. Technology is another factor driving women’s entrepreneurship. Tools like Skype, social media, and web programs that share documents help. It is now easier and cheaper to work globally for both men and women entrepreneurs.

Lastly, experts say great innovations come from anyone — no matter the gender.

Score Descriptions

0 points: No answers were given.
1 point: The task was not completed on time. Frequent pronunciation, stress, and intonation mistakes, as well as hesitations and self-corrections were noticed.
2 points: The task was not completed on time. Many pronunciation, stress, and intonation mistakes, as well as hesitations and self-corrections were noticed.
3 points: The task was completed on time. Some pronunciation, stress, and intonation mistakes, as well as hesitations and self-corrections were noticed.
4 points: The task was completed on time. Few pronunciation, stress, and intonation mistakes, as well as hesitations and self-corrections were noticed.
5 points: The task was perfectly carried out with no difficulties or mistakes.

Exercise 3

Questions

Your tutor will ask you 3 questions about the article above. You will have 3 minutes to answer all the questions.

Score Descriptions

0 points: No answers were given.
1 point: Not all the questions were answered. Answers were incomplete or wrong. Many pronunciation, intonation, or stress mistakes were noticed.
2 points: Most or all questions were answered, but a few answers were not complete or correct. Frequent pronunciation, intonation, or stress mistakes were noticed.
3 points: Not all the questions were answered, but the answers given were complete and correct. Some pronunciation, intonation, or stress mistakes were noticed.
4 points: All questions were answered correctly and completely, but a few minor pronunciation, intonation, or stress mistakes were noticed.
5 points: The task was perfectly carried out with no difficulties or mistakes.

Exercise 4

Describe a Picture

Describe the image below. You will have 30 seconds to prepare, and 2 minutes to describe the picture. The questions are provided as prompts.

What do you see in the center?

How would you describe the surroundings?

Why do you think these people are gathered here?

Why do you think the woman is standing up?

Score Descriptions

0 points: No description was given.
1 point: Not all the prompts were used and the description was very brief. Frequent grammar and vocabulary mistakes, pronunciation difficulties, and hesitations/self-corrections were noticed.
2 points: All prompts were used, but the description was not detailed. Many grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation mistakes, as well as hesitations and self-corrections were noticed.
3 points: The prompts were used and the description was somewhat detailed. Some grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation mistakes, as well as hesitations and self-corrections were noticed.
4 points: The description was very detailed. Few grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation mistakes, as well as hesitations and self-corrections were noticed.
5 points: The task was perfectly carried out with no difficulties or mistakes.

Exercise 5

Questions

Your tutor will ask you 3 questions. You will have 2 minutes to answer each question.

Score Descriptions

0 points: No answers were given.
2 points: Not all the questions were answered. Answers were not detailed. Frequent grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation mistakes, as well as hesitations and self-corrections were noticed.
4 points: Not all the questions were answered, but the answers were detailed. Many grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation mistakes, as well as hesitations and self-corrections were noticed.
6 points: All questions were answered in detail. Some grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation mistakes, as well as hesitations and self-corrections were noticed.
8 points: All questions were answered in great detail. Few grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation mistakes, as well as hesitations and self-corrections were noticed.
10 points: The task was perfectly carried out with no difficulties or mistakes.

Final Score

0-5 points: Most or all tasks were left unanswered. (Level 1)
6-11 points: Frequent pronunciation, intonation, and stress mistakes occurred. Frequent vocabulary and grammatical mistakes, as well as hesitations and self-corrections were noticed. (Level 2)
12-17 points: Many pronunciation, intonation, and stress mistakes occurred. Many vocabulary and grammatical mistakes, as well as hesitations and self-corrections were noticed. (Level 3)
18-23 points: Some pronunciation, intonation and stress mistakes occurred. Some vocabulary and grammatical mistakes, as well as hesitations and self-corrections were noticed. (Level 4)
24-27 points: Few pronunciation, intonation, and stress mistakes occurred. Few vocabulary and grammatical mistakes, as well as hesitations and self-corrections were noticed. (Level 5)
28-30 points: All tasks were perfectly carried out with no difficulties or mistakes. (Level 6)

Parts of this lesson are based on:

An article by Mary Gotschall. Publisher: Voice of America.