Your child takes part in an assessed conversation and gives a presentation. This shows they can interact and develop ideas in spoken English. We build fluency, accuracy and confidence in online 1-to-1 lessons.
What OxfordAQA 9280 assesses in speaking
OxfordAQA 9280 assesses speaking as a non-exam assessment. It is a spoken task conducted and recorded by the centre rather than sat as a written paper. It gives your child the chance to show spoken interaction in English.
This is typically a short presentation on a topic, followed by an assessed conversation that grows out of it. The focus is on communicating and interacting effectively: speaking clearly, responding to what is asked, and developing ideas beyond one-word answers. Because it is centre-conducted, the result can be carried forward for the lifetime of the specification.
We prepare your child's skills and confidence, not a script to memorise. For the exact format, timing and marks, please check the 9280 qualification page or the current OxfordAQA syllabus. Arrangements can change.
The skills that earn the marks
The speaking assessment rewards a candidate who interacts, not one who simply answers. Good speaking keeps going. It gives reasons and examples, uses connecting words to link ideas, and turns a short reply into a developed point.
Strong candidates listen to the question and respond to what was actually asked. They ask for clarification when they need it and keep the conversation moving. Accuracy still counts: clear pronunciation, controlled tense and agreement, and a range of vocabulary.
Even so, a fluent, developed answer with a small slip beats a hesitant, faultless single word. We teach your child to plan a presentation with a clear shape and to expand answers with reasons and examples. We also teach a steady, confident pace.
A teacher can turn Speaking in OxfordAQA 9280 English as a Second Language into clear, practised skills. The trial hour shows how.
How we teach it
Your child works one-to-one with an experienced English teacher who teaches to this board's papers. We start from your child's own work and practise under exam conditions. See English as a Second Language tuition for how a lesson runs.
Question types & skills in this section
Each has its own method page with an original annotated model:
- Speaking (ESL): OxfordAQA ESL speaking: an assessed conversation and presentation; building fluency, accuracy and the ability to develop ideas.
Papers, marks and word guidance can change between syllabus versions. Confirm the structure for your child's exam year with the school or the board's official syllabus, linked below.