Tasks Matter! Insights from a Design-Based Research Project on Oral Communication Exams in the Secondary EFL Classroom

This chapter presents findings from a practice-led and design-based research project on oral communication examinations in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom in Germany. The study was conducted in close collaboration with English teachers at a secondary school in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. To illustrate the processes within the project, the development and implementation of a design principle for oral assessment tasks and an exemplary task are outlined. The initial problem analysis found that the assessment tasks used in the OCE were inappropriate for testing learners’ oral competences and that there was little continuity between the types of tasks used in class and in the exam. A new task design was developed for a Year 11 EFL course in close alignment with the preparatory teaching unit. It was modelled on real-world genres of oral communication by simulating an editorial board meeting in which groups of three learners per exam were asked to collaboratively plan a podcast episode. The evaluation of the intervention showed a shift in candidates’ communication, which was confirmed by both teachers and learners.