aziende>nuovo esame sew - Spoken English for Work
examinations

Candidate profile
The Spoken English for Work examinations are open to anyone aged 16 and above whose first language is not English. Candidates will either be preparing to enter the world of work or already be working. The SEW examinations are intended to assess a candidate’s oral skills in communicating in English in a working environment. The examinations are not profession-specific, although candidates can choose to talk about their job if they wish. The examination content covers a wide range of subject matter and tasks which arise in a variety of real-life working situations. Candidates are assessed on their language abilities and not their knowledge of specific professions. It is assumed that candidates will have studied general English before embarking on these examinations.

Framework
This suite of four examinations is designed for speakers of languages other than English and sets realistic objectives in listening to and speaking with other English speakers in a work context. The suite takes the learner from an elementary level of proficiency (SEW 1) to an advanced level of proficiency comparable to that of a highly proficient speaker (SEW 4).
The progress is marked by:
• greater linguistic demands categorised under grammar, lexis and phonology
• increasing evidence of the use of communicative skills and the expression of functions
• an increasing degree of independence which allows the candidate to initiate and take control of
the interaction.

The four SEW levels
At SEW 1, the examination starts with a telephone conversation between the examiner and the candidate.The candidate is provided with a written prompt and, after a brief preparation time, telephones the examiner to discuss and resolve the issue outlined in the prompt. After this the candidate goes to the examination room to meet the examiner and proceed to the Topic discussion. In this phase the candidate introduces a work-related topic of their own choice, which will be related to one of the topic categories listed in this syllabus. The examiner directs the discussion using the points prepared by the candidate. Then the examiner moves on to the Discussion phase, selecting one subject area for discussion from the list provided in this syllabus. Examinations at SEW 1 have been mapped to the Independent User level B1 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

At SEW 2, the examination starts with a telephone conversation between the examiner and the candidate. The candidate is provided with a written prompt and, after a brief preparation time, telephones the examiner to discuss and resolve the issue. Following directly on from this is the Interactive task, also conducted over the telephone. The Interactive task is initiated by an oral prompt from the examiner and then the interaction is maintained by the candidate. Once these tasks have been completed the candidate goes to the examination room to meet the examiner and proceed with the examination. The candidate initiates and maintains a discussion on a topic of their own choice, which will be related to one of the topic categories given in this syllabus, on a work-related subject. The examination ends with a discussion on one subject area selected by the examiner from the list provided in this syllabus. Examinations at SEW 2 have been mapped to the Independent User level B2.1 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

At SEW 3, the examination also begins with a telephone conversation between the examiner and the candidate. The candidate is provided with a written prompt and, after a brief preparation time, telephones the examiner to discuss and resolve the issue. The Interactive task is also conducted over the phone and follows on directly from the Telephone task. The Interactive task is initiated by an oral prompt from the examiner and after that it is the candidate’s responsibility to maintain the interaction with the examiner. Once these tasks have been completed the candidate goes to the examination room to meet the examiner and proceed with the examination. The candidate makes a presentation of a topic of their own choice on a work-related subject, related to one of the topic categories provided in this syllabus, after which the examiner and the candidate discuss points raised in the presentation. The final phase of the examination is a discussion on one subject area selected by the examiner from the list provided. Examinations at SEW 3 have been mapped to the Independent User level B2.3 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

At SEW 4, the examination starts with a telephone conversation between the examiner and the candidate. The candidate is provided with a written prompt and, after a brief preparation time, telephones the examiner to discuss and resolve the issue. The Interactive task is also conducted over the phone and follows on directly from the Telephone task. The Interactive task is initiated by an oral prompt from the examiner and after that it is the candidate’s responsibility to maintain the interaction with the examiner. Once these tasks have been completed the candidate goes to the examination room to meet the examiner and proceed with the examination. The candidate makes a formal presentation on a topic of their own choice, which will be related to one of the topic categories provided in this syllabus, after which the candidate initiates a discussion with the examiner on the presentation. The examiner will ask the candidate to clarify and expand upon points made in the presentation. The examination ends with a discussion on one subject area selected by the examiner from the list provided in this syllabus. Examinations at SEW 4 have been mapped to the Proficient User level C1 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

SEW 1	SEW 2	SEW 3	SEW 4
13 minutes	20 minutes	23 minutes	27 minutes
Telephone task	Telephone task	Telephone task	Telephone task
	Interactive task	Interactive task	Interactive task
		Topic presentation	Formal topic presentation
Topic discussion (examiner-led)	Topic discussion (candidate-led)	Topic discussion (examiner-led)	Topic discussion (candidate-led)
Discussion	Discussion	Discussion	Discussion