How to improve your fluency score in the OET Speaking Subtest.
Practising for the OET speaking test is essential if you are to demonstrate the higher-level skills needed for a score of 350/500. Fluency is a critical part of the linguistic score for OET Speaking.
In this post, you’ll learn:
What fluency means
How fluency connects to the three other linguistic criteria
Ways to practice building fluency
What does the OET assessment criteria say about fluency?
Most people will say something involving the speed of speech. The description for the top level of fluency on the OET speaking test mentions both speed and hesitation.
‘completely fluent speech at normal speed’
‘any hesitation is appropriate and not a sign of searching for words or structures’
This is what is needed to achieve a score of 350/500:
‘fluent speech at normal speed with only occasional repetition or self-correction’
‘hesitation may occasionally indicate searching for words or structures’
In other words, you can produce sentences that are understandable at a natural speed and it is okay to hesitate a little.
Looking at the level just below a B, we have
‘uneven flow, with some repetition, especially in longer utterances’
‘searching for words, which does not cause serious strain’
‘delivery may be staccato or too fast/slow’
You can pause and take time to find the right word or structure, but this time should not cause strain. Also, it is possible to go too fast and lose marks on fluency. Why? The flow of speech is too fast for the patient to follow.
So what is fluency…?
Fluency is speaking at a natural pace for the patient or relative so that you both feel comfortable.
Fluency comes from being able to recall and use the right language for the message at the time you need it.
Fluency is the sum of having the right language resources plus the skill to deliver at a natural pace.
Fluency is not simply ‘going fast’.
How does fluency connect to the other linguistic assessment criteria?
As we’ve seen, fluency results from knowledge of the spoken language and the skill to produce the appropriate words at a natural pace. It matters because you build trust between you and the patient or relative when you speak naturally. (We’ll explore the clinical communication skills, relating to how a healthcare professional talks with a patient or relative, in another blog post.) There are three other OET criteria for linguistic skills, which account for 18/39 points.
1. Intelligibility
This means that your words can be understood without strain for the listener. Many people associate this with ‘having an accent’ or ‘strange pronunciation’. The OET intelligibility puts this simply as ‘pronunciation is easily understood’.
Note that ‘sounds like a native speaker’ or ‘sounds British/American/Australian’ is not what is stated. The OET test was developed for healthcare professionals around the world, not just for Australia where it was developed.
To achieve a score of 350+ on the OET speaking, you do not need to lose any first language accent but you do need to be intelligible, which is another way to say ‘people can understand what you are saying’.
A key feature of natural speech is called ‘prosody’. Let’s look at how it appears in the OET speaking assessment criteria for intelligibility.
For a score of 6/6:
‘prosodic features, stress, intonation, and rhythm are used correctly’.
This means that you emphasise the right parts of a word and the right words in a sentence.
Example: ‘COMFT-able’ not ‘COM-FOR-TA-BLE’.
You will also know which parts of English words can be neutral or even de-emphasised.
When you sound intelligible, the conversation will flow without the other person needing to stop and ask you to repeat yourself because of a misunderstanding. Being understood will help you feel calmer in the test. Being calmer leads to more fluency.
2. Grammar and expression
For a score of 6/6, OET ask for you to have
a wide vocabulary
the ability to use grammar accurately and flexibly
A wide vocabulary will help you to not only speak but to process and comprehend what the patient or relative is saying. You need to be able to do lots of different things in a conversation.
For example, explain, find out, explore, persuade, reassure.
The other skill the OET assessors are listening for is use of idiomatic speech. This means that you can use phrases and chunks of language, eg.
‘feel out of sorts’
‘be down’
‘prop someone up’
One of the great things about learning language in ‘chunks’ is that you will be producing more syllables per second.
There are also fixed phrases:
‘How can I help you?’
‘What brings you in today?’
‘May I ask you some questions?’
There are also phrases which start off a sentence:
‘I’d like to highlight…
‘You need to know…’
‘I advise against…’
Can you fill in rest of these phrases?
A strong command of grammar means that you can express yourself fluently, without needing to stop and think about things like word formation.
3. Appropriateness of language
The OET criteria mention using ‘entirely appropriate register, tone and lexis’ for the situation. Let’s look at one of these: tone. Tone is defined in the Cambridge dictionary as
a quality in the voice that expresses the speaker's feelings or thoughts, often towards the person being spoken to:
tone of voice
I tried to use a sympathetic tone of voice.
It wasn't so much what she said that annoyed me - it was her tone.
The tone is very much about the relationship between the healthcare professional and their patient or relative. The focus in healthcare systems in the English-speaking world is on patient-centred care. This means considering the individual’s needs and feelings. Medical school students are instructed to ‘treat the patient, not the disease’. Patients will have all kinds of feelings about what you are saying as well as their own perspectives. To ensure the highest quality of healthcare, the healthcare professional must show an attentive and caring demeanor. For you as a healthcare professional performing the speaking subtest, you need to be able to focus outside yourself, including the anxiety you have about the test.
Remember: fluency is about ‘a natural pace’.
Here ‘natural’ simply means you find a midpoint between your speaking pace and that of the patient.
You take into account their feelings and energy levels and adjust your speed appropriately. Also, you want your voice to reflect the emotions they are going through, to show empathy and concern. You cannot do this if you are focussed only on speed or getting the words out. Silence and pauses are critical.
Fluency links to the other assessment criteria in the OET speaking subtest.
Having a wide vocabulary and knowledge of everyday English means that you feel more at ease in the test.
Grammatical knowledge helps you construct accurate sentences. Accurate sentences express your meaning efficiently, and there are fewer pauses due to misunderstandings.
Being able to form the sounds of English (pronunciation) will give you confidence that what you say will be understood by the other person. You will not need to repeat yourself because you were unclear
Speaking with the right intonation helps your meaning come through clearly and you sound confident.
How can I improve my fluency?
Rather than thinking of fluency as more than ‘being faster’, combine fluency practice with one of the skills we have discussed.
Intelligibility + fluency
Read aloud from an English website or book.
Record yourself and listen to the recording.
Shadowing.
Listen to someone speaking English and speak at the same time
Watch the position of lips, mouth and jaw muscles of people speaking in English. Try to mirror their movements.
Grammar and expression + fluency
Read aloud from a healthcare-related website.
Learn words by hearing them in sentences.
Appropriateness + FLUENCY
Watch dramas and documentaries dealing with healthcare topics
Use your phone’s note and dictation function to make a vocal diary.
Conclusion
Fluency is much more than speed. Fluency will naturally improve when you build other linguistic skills such as intelligibility, grammar and expression, and tone. Getting comfortable with using English and hearing yourself speak will help you feel like English is something familiar. This familiarity with the sound of your own voice using English can also help you feel comfortable, thus building trust and rapport.
If you would like to practise speaking English and actionable feedback with a caring and patient tutor, please contact me.