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What are the aims
and main features of the KPG oral
examiner training programme?
The aims of the
Examiner training programme include:
-
helping Examiners develop a
common understanding of the type
of communicative performance
required at each level of
proficiency
-
training them to consistently
follow test procedures and carry
out the oral tasks in ways
instructed so as to get
candidates to perform to the
best of their ability
-
facilitating them to assess and
rate candidates performance in
English accurately and
consistently by applying the
assessment criteria and the
respective rating scales
The seminars
Each year, the
RCeL organises several seminars,
either to train young oral examiners
or to educate former examiners.
Seminars are carried out all over
Greece just before each exam
administration, but also in between
periods. By now, more than 3000
Examiners were trained in assessing
candidate’s oral performance at
A1/A2, B1, B2, C1 levels. Each
seminar takes place with groups of
18-20 people maximum to enable
dialogue, discussion and group work.
For each round of training seminars
a new, tailor made oral examiner
training pack and accompanying
videos with simulations of the oral
test are developed by a group of
experienced teacher educators from
the Faculty of English studies who
are also involved in the design of
the oral test. The oral examiner
training seminars are conducted by
this group and a body of 50
'Multipliers' throughout Greece.
Before each round of training
seminars begins, Multipliers are
invited to a one day seminar in
Athens or Thessaloniki during which
they are informed of the aims,
content and structure of the
training seminar and are trained in
using the seminar materials.
The structure of
the KPG oral examiner training
programme
The training
programme has a series of stages
presented below which all oral
examiners need to go through:
-
Recruitment (applications),
initial screening, inclusion in
database
-
Initial evaluation of oral
performance and induction (applies
once to an applicant oral
examiner)
-
Training seminars (recurrent and
cyclical since the outcomes of
monitoring and evaluation feed
into training)
-
Monitoring of the oral test and
evaluation of Examiners’
performance by multipliers
through specially designed
observation schemes
In designing and
developing the training programme
for KPG Examiners, various
constraints and factors have been
taken into account, making this
programme unique in many ways. These
are:
-
Dealing with a huge number of
applications from EFL teachers
to become oral examiners (to
date, more than 5,500 teachers
have applied). Since there is no
closing date for applications,
every 6-12 months new
applications need to be
processed, included in our
database, and new cohorts of
potential oral examiners need to
be screened and trained from
scratch.
-
Dealing with applications by
individuals with varying
qualifications and varying
degrees of experience in
teaching and testing; all are
eligible to apply and must be
considered as potential oral
examiners and undergo the
training programme. If
individuals are rejected, they
are rejected because a) their
oral performance has been
assessed as unsatisfactory
during the screening process
which takes place during the
initial training seminars, or b)
because they do not
systematically take part in
training sessions they have been
invited to attend, or c) because
they have personally expressed
their unwillingness to continue
with their role as an oral
examiner, or d) because their
performance on the job on the
basis of the observation was
consistently rated as
unsatisfactory.
-
Coordinating a Nationwide
training programme. Our seminars
do not take place in big cities
or designated exam centres. They
take place throughout Greece and
we try to accommodate examiners
who live even in remote areas (islands
for instance). Seminars are
organised in places which are
easily accessible by national
road, making sure that oral
examiners do not need an
overnight stay in order to
attend and that the seminar is
within reasonable driving
distance from their homes.
-
Constantly updating our database
with changes in contact details,
the training record of each oral
examiner and the results of the
observation of oral examiners.
To download
the training
materials and the simulations click
on the links
below
A level
(Training
Material,
Simulation)
B level (Training
Material,
Simulation
)
C level
(Training
Material,
Simulation) |
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