What 4ES1/03 assesses
An optional recorded interview between the student and an interlocutor, based on task cards supplied by Pearson, and marked by Pearson. It is certificated separately on its own 9–1 scale and adds no marks to the ESL grade. Part 1 is an introductory interview (2–3 minutes), Part 2 is a student talk (1 minute of preparation, then 1–2 minutes) and Part 3 is an extended discussion (5–6 minutes).
- Time: 9–12 minutes
- Marks: 40
- Weight: Endorsement of Pearson Edexcel 4ES1 (Specification, Issue 2 (December 2016); first assessment June 2019)
- How it is assessed: External
- Who takes it: Optional
What the examiners reward in 4ES1/03
Speaking
- Communicate clearly and appropriately in spoken English across an interview, an individual talk and a discussion (assessed only in the optional, separately endorsed Paper 3)
Listening
- Interpret and respond to information heard in a range of spoken contexts
This is one of the objectives. The 4ES1 overview lists the full set.
Speaking marks reward communication and interaction. This means keeping talk flowing without long hesitation and using accurate grammar and clear pronunciation. It also means drawing on a range of vocabulary and sentence structures, not a handful of safe ones.
The assessment values a student who develops ideas with reasons, examples and opinions. It also values one who listens and responds naturally in the discussion, taking the conversation somewhere. Good work sounds prepared but not scripted.
The student owns the topic well enough to say more when asked and to handle a question they did not expect. We teach your child to build and structure a topic. We also teach them to signpost and extend their points and to practise thinking aloud in English.
In this way fluency, accuracy and range grow together rather than one at the expense of another.
For more detail, see 4ES1 speaking in the syllabus.
Preparing for Pearson Edexcel 4ES1 Paper 3? The paid trial hour can start with a timed look at that paper.
Question types we practise for 4ES1/03
- ESL speaking: discussion: Developing and structuring ideas in a spoken discussion. Skills guide · annotated model response · practice
Where marks are lost on 4ES1/03
Preparing a speaking topic: Memorising a script. The talk sounds flat and collapses when a question interrupts it. Read the full guide.
The ESL speaking test (0510 and 0511): what to expect: One-sentence answers that make the examiner do all the work. Read the full guide.
Preparing for 4ES1/03 with us
A teacher practises the 4ES1/03 speaking format with your child in live conversation and gives feedback on each answer. See English as a Second Language tuition for how a session runs.
4ES1/03 is reported separately from the 9–1 grade of Pearson Edexcel 4ES1. Check the current arrangement for your exam year with your school or the board.