The purpose for this method is to test ability not quiz the students on reciting something from a text book. The only exam where a student cannot cheat nor cram the night before. If a student has not practice in the class activities he/she will find this to be difficult but a student who has been active during the school semester won't have any problems.

  1. This task is based on students asking you the teacher/examiner questions rather than students answering yours.
  2. Students have to form more questions based on your answers so spontaneity and thinking in English is the task.
  3. Most oral exams require students to answer questions which they need to study a text book for information thus the student just recites word for word. They memorize the text like a machine, go into a trance and relay the information.
  4. One student whose English was quite good told me that examiners ask questions that require a wrong or right answer but oral exams should only be based upon ability not knowing certain stuff. This exam focuses on ability of listen, think and respond as it is a task of communication and nothing else.

How to do this.

This is a task of police investigating a murder and you are the suspect to be interrogated. On the second link are four topics which you will pick at random. Example you are the frightened eyewitness who has witnessed everything and knows who the murderer is. Because of fear of the murderer coming after you and you tell the students in the group utter lies. They will have to try to figure out whether you are lying because you killed the victim or saw who actually did it.

The five minute exam.

The other reason for this method is to cut down on time and this task is meant to be active so you can evaluate a good student or a not so good student. A good student will be very active and you really don't need to spend a long time doing this. A not so good student will be less active and ask very weak questions. This process is just to extinguish the good from the bad.

Formality.

Most universities want students to pass an exam and if you have been teaching students for a semester you will know already who is good or not. So the reason for this is just a formality to determine this and by the end of a semester you will know what type of score you would give to each student even before they start the exam.