Practice Test GeeksELL - English Language Learners Practice Test
← All ELL Flashcard Decks

ELL Listening and Speaking Skills Flashcards

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

Read the first 7 ELL Listening and Speaking Skills flashcards as text

  1. What is the key difference between BICS and CALP for ELL students?

    Answer: BICS refers to everyday conversational language; CALP refers to academic language proficiency

    BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills) covers social conversational language, while CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency) refers to the academic language needed for school success.

  2. Why is 'wait time' especially important when working with ELL students during speaking activities?

    Answer: It gives ELL students extra time to process language and formulate responses

    ELL students need additional processing time to comprehend a question, mentally formulate an answer, and translate it into English before speaking.

  3. What is 'interactional competence' in the context of ELL speaking skills?

    Answer: The ability to manage turn-taking, repair, and co-construct meaning in conversation

    Interactional competence is the ability to participate in conversation by managing social rules such as turn-taking, initiating topics, and negotiating meaning with a partner.

  4. Which error correction approach is generally recommended during fluency-focused speaking activities for ELL learners?

    Answer: Providing delayed, indirect feedback after the activity

    During fluency practice, delayed and indirect feedback preserves communication flow and reduces anxiety, making students more willing to take speaking risks.

  5. What does 'oral language proficiency' encompass for ELL students?

    Answer: Phonology, vocabulary, grammar, and discourse skills used in speaking and listening

    Oral language proficiency is multidimensional, including pronunciation (phonology), word knowledge (vocabulary), sentence structure (grammar), and the ability to organize spoken discourse.

  6. Which instructional activity BEST supports academic listening skills in ELL students?

    Answer: Guided note-taking with structured listening guides during content lectures

    Guided note-taking with structured listening guides provides scaffolds that help ELL students focus on key information during academic listening tasks.

  7. What is the purpose of using 'sentence frames' during ELL speaking activities?

    Answer: To provide a linguistic scaffold that supports structured oral production

    Sentence frames scaffold oral production by giving ELL students a grammatical structure to fill in, reducing the cognitive load so they can focus on content.