Practice Test Geeks(ACCESS) Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State to State for English Language Learners Practice Test
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Speaking Proficiency Flashcards

7 cards from real ACCESS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Speaking Proficiency flashcards as text

  1. Which of the following is NOT a criterion typically used in scoring ACCESS Speaking responses?

    Answer: Handwriting legibility

    ACCESS Speaking is an oral assessment; handwriting legibility is irrelevant and is not a scoring criterion.

  2. A student responds to an ACCESS Speaking prompt by listing unconnected words without forming sentences. This most likely indicates proficiency at:

    Answer: Level 1 – Entering

    Level 1 (Entering) is characterized by single words, labels, or minimal chunks without sentence-level production.

  3. What is 'language complexity' as it relates to ACCESS Speaking performance?

    Answer: The variety and sophistication of grammatical structures used

    Language complexity refers to how varied and advanced the grammatical structures are, such as use of subordinate clauses and conditional forms.

  4. How does the WIDA framework define 'academic language' in the context of Speaking proficiency?

    Answer: Language used to discuss content-area topics in school settings

    WIDA defines academic language as the language needed to succeed across content areas in school, including speaking about science, social studies, and math topics.

  5. During an ACCESS Speaking task, a student uses transition words like 'first,' 'then,' and 'finally.' This demonstrates proficiency in:

    Answer: Sequential discourse organization

    Using sequence transition words reflects the student's ability to organize speech into a coherent, logical order — a key discourse skill.

  6. Which ACCESS Speaking task type is specifically designed to assess a student's ability to give opinions and support them with reasons?

    Answer: Argumentative/opinion prompt

    Argumentative prompts require students to state a position and provide supporting reasons, reflecting higher-level academic language functions.

  7. What accommodations are NOT permitted during the ACCESS Speaking test for ELL students?

    Answer: Having another student model the response for them

    Allowing another student to model responses would compromise the validity of the speaking assessment by providing unfair scaffolding.