THE OPI/OPIc SPANISH TEST AT “ADVANCED-LOW” LEVEL EXPLAINED.

By Dr. Willem Steenkamp

ABSTRACT: The OPI/OPIc Spanish test at “Advanced-Low” Level explained – see the Spanish Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI/OPIc) assessment criteria and CAN-DO statements of “performance indicator” tasks, so that candidates can know what broadly to expect regarding likely test questions, tasks and role-play themes. We also explain which parts of grammar (the preterit and imperfect) and what lexis to focus on, plus what examiners are looking for when they assess candidates. Concrete and practical guidance to ensure optimal exam prep. Includes links to top free resources.

KEYWORDS: OPI, OPIc, Oral Proficiency Interview Spanish, Advanced-Low, Can-Do statements, proficiency criteria.

Read time: 17 minutes

1. A BIG DILEMMA WHEN PREPPING FOR THE OPI/OPIc – NO OLD EXAM PAPERS!

   
   

The OPI/OPIc Spanish test at “Advanced-Low” level is to many candidates a bit of a mystery. Firstly, because it is very different from typical school or college 2^nd language exams. Secondly, because they often struggle to find resources that concretely explain what they should expect at their desired level – particularly, about what kind of question or oral task they likely will be confronted with.

This article offers practical guidance on the “what” that you will encounter at “Advanced-Low” level (likely topics and grammar), plus the “why’s” of the assessment process, as well as our Top Tips for best preparing yourself.

One of the first things any OPI/OPIc candidate will notice when browsing through the excellent guidance material put out by the ACTFL (American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages – overseer of the tests) is the following kind of official statement, usually repeated in different ways: The OPI is proficiency-based. It assesses the ability to use language effectively and appropriately in real-life situations. It assesses spontaneous unrehearsed language. Because the ACTFL OPI is designed to assess spontaneous unrehearsed language ability, neither the ACTFL nor LTI (the company organizing the tests on behalf of the ACTFL) provide practice materials.

Therefore, the only material one will find in those very helpful guidelines made available by the ACTFL and LTI, relate to the format of the exam (in both of its two versions – the OPI by phone, and the computer-based OPIc) as well as info about its organizational practicalities.

Therefore: NO OLD OR MOCK EXAM PAPERS TO PRACTICE ON.

We here at DELEhelp have also covered the format and practicalities of the OPI/OPIc in quite some detail in previous posts on this BLOG. We even offer a free, comprehensive Workbook specific to these oral proficiency tests (see below), in which the format and practicalities are addressed. Therefore, this new post will not go into those OPI/OPIc formats and practicalities again but will instead focus on those “missing dimensions” most students so dearly wish to be informed about. Which all revolve around: WHAT WILL THE EXAMINERS BE ASKING ME, AND HOW WILL THEY ASSESS ME?

What will I likely be asked to speak about? What sort of themes are typically touched upon in the prompts and tasks? How much weight will my strength (or weakness) in grammar carry? Ditto for my (perhaps) less-than-large lexicon? Versus my coherence and fluency? Must I dedicate my prep time primarily to guided oral practice, or rather to mastering verb conjugation? Or is there some judicious equilibrium to be found between brushing up on vocab and grammar, versus assiduously practicing actual conversation so as to internalize the ability to speak fluently, coherently, and accurately?

Which elements of lexis and grammar should I focus on, to achieve certification at “Advanced-Low” level? So as not to keep you in undue suspense about the grammar part – at “Advanced-Low” level, it’s the past tenses, particularly the imperfect and preterit, plus practicing the ability to maintain with consistency a given tense while speaking.

As regards expanding your lexicon, it’s above all the connectors, also known as link phrases” or transitional words. This focus on the connectors is essential to your fluency and the coherence of your discourse. The other focus of your lexical preparation should be on the vocabulary / terminology related to your personally preferred topics (referring here to hobbies, sports and interests) that you will be indicating at the start of your test as what you would like to speak about – these you will select from the ample list provided at the start of the OPI/OPIc, either on-screen or requested of you by your telephonic interviewer during the initial warm-up. Because this list does not change, you should select your preferences right from the word go in your preparation, and then focus your subsequent lexical prep on mastering the words, expression and terminology associated with those choices.

Much more about the appropriate grammar and lexical prep will follow later in this article

If you haven’t read our earlier blogposts explaining the OPI and oral proficiency, here are links to some of our articles which i.a. inform about the interview format as well as the basics of effective preparation:

https://delehelp.org/the-oral-test-is-the-top-priority-in-spanish-language-exams/ (in this latter, look particularly at sections 3.2 and 3.3, about effective oral practice and having a diagnostic done of your strengths and weaknesses, so that you can design an appropriately focused study plan).

Here’s a reminder that DELEhelp also offers a free OPI/OPIc workbook, as well as a free one-hour online exploratory conversation via Skype/Teams, Zoom or WhatsApp (with no resulting obligation). This conversation, with myself and conducted in English, is an opportunity for you to ask your questions about the OPI/OPIc as such, about how best to prepare, and – if you wish – about our bespoke one-on-one coaching. This free online conversation is aimed at helping you to understand and best prepare for your test interview. More info about this offer is available on our Excellentia Didactica website https://www.edele.org, where you can get the contact form with which to request the free workbook.

Now, back to the objectives with this particular blog post. Because many candidates for the OPI/OPIc need certification of their Spanish at minimum “Advanced-Low” level (ILR scale 2, CEFR scale +- B2) for employment purposes, this article will focus on explaining the assessment criteria used to score you, as well as the communicative competency (proficiency) expectations or “benchmarks” that are associated with that particular level. We will also provide concrete guidance about what speaking topics you may expect typically to encounter, as based on the “CAN-DO” statements for this level. (Because most of the official guidance material to which we will provide links in this article in fact cover the broader “Advanced” level in al its sub-levels, this article will help candidates not only with “Advanced-Low”, but equally with the entire “Advanced” level, should you be aiming higher).

So, why aren’t there any “old exam papers” to be had? Firstly, it’s true that the ACTFL/LTI purposely do not make available official practice materials, so as to maintain the “spontaneous unrehearsed” nature of the interview. Secondly, because this is an interactive test interview that unavoidably will take its own unique course as the conversation unfolds (whether by phone or with the computer avatar) it is in any case well-neigh impossible to be exact about which specific questions or themes you should expect to come up in yours – after all, every interview is uniquely configured individually (i.e., yours for you alone, on the day), based upon the areas of interest that you will indicate at the start of it as being your personal preferences.

That said, all is not lost – based on years of practical exposure plus our familiarity with not-so-easy to find background documentation, we will try and do the next best thing in place of giving you (non-existent) old exam papers to work through. We will share here with you the essence of what we have come to know and understand about the OPI/OPIc at “Advanced-Low” level, hopefully giving you a more concrete insight into what you can expect.

2.  WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW, TO BE ABLE TO PLAN YOUR TEST PREP?

A prep plan is like a road map. Exactly as you would need for plotting a route on a map, you have to be clear about your departure point, and then you also must have clarity about the coordinates of your destination. In this case, your departure point is your current level of Spanish – more specifically, your existing strengths and weaknesses. This needs to be properly established at the outset, by means of a diagnostic performed by a knowledgeable person (such as a DELEhelp coach). This can be done informally, through conversation.

The destination you aspire to reach is, of course, to arrive at level “Advanced-Low” (at a minimum). Its “coordinates” are contained in the descriptions of the elements of communicative competency that you need to master, in order to be certified as having arrived at that level.

Your prep plan then, logically, needs to focus on your identified weaknesses, because it is by rectifying them that you will be able to demonstrate the level of oral proficiency that your desired destination requires.

As said, a DELEhelp coach can and will diagnose (free) your starting level strengths and weaknesses, when and if you sign up with us for personalized exam prep coaching.

As regards the “coordinates” of your desired destination (i.e., of arriving at a certification of “Advanced-Low” or above), it is precisely the goal of this article to inform you about what that required level of communicative competency entails. We will explain this with reference to the official “proficiency benchmarks” and “performance indicators” for the level (the “performance indicators” relate to specific tasks – contained in a CAN-DO statement for the level).

We will also address the four assessment criteria. One of which is “accuracy of language use”. This includes assessing how correctly your discourse conforms to the set patterns of the Spanish language – i.e., its grammar. As promised, we will indicate to you in more detail what this criterium entails regarding which tenses you need to prioritize for this level, which not so much – in addition to where your priorities should lie when it comes to expanding your lexis (meaning: vocabulary, technical terminology, expressions, collocations and idioms).

Also as promised, we will guide you about what kind of topics you likely may be asked to speak about (i.e., communicative tasks likely to be set in your test interview). This will primarily be based upon the listed “performance indicators” in the CAN-DO statement for level “Advanced-Low” regarding the four types of communication tested (being interpersonal, presentational, interpretive, and intercultural communication).

To make all this high-sounding theory a bit clearer, I’m now citing here already concrete examples of two actual such tasks that you are indeed officially expected to be able to perform, when engaging in interpersonal communication (tasks which may well feature in things such as your role-play simulation during the test interview). These tasks or “performance indicators” come from the official NCSSFL-ACTFL list of CAN-DO statements for “Advanced-Low”:

• “I can negotiate with a customer service representative the return of an item I purchased in order to receive a refund”;
• “I can interact with the hotel staff to request a room switch”.

Having informed you about these “assessment criteria”, “proficiency benchmarks”, and “performance indicators”, this t evidently needs to be complimented with practical, real-world proven guidance on how best to prepare yourself to meet these challenges. Which is what we also will be doing, sharing with you our Top Tips for Test Prep, plus providing links to useful free resources that can help you in your preparation.

3.  HOW DOES THE ACTFL DESCRIBE PROFICIENCY AT LEVEL “ADVANCED-LOW”?

Obviously, the best place to first go look what constitutes oral proficiency in Spanish at level “Advanced-Low” is the ACTFL itself.

When you receive your certificate attesting to the fact that you are level “Advanced-Low” proficient, you will see that the certificate conveniently sets out (for the benefit of employers and the like) what standard of communicative skills someone at that level is supposed to be capable of.

What is says, is the following: “Speakers at the Advanced-Low level are able to handle a variety of communicative tasks, although somewhat haltingly at times. They participate actively in most informal and a limited number of formal conversations on activities related to school, home, and leisure activities and, to a lesser degree, to those related to events of work, current, public, and personal interest or individual relevance. Advanced-Low speakers demonstrate the ability to narrate and describe in all major time frames (past, present and future) in paragraph-length discourse, but control of aspect may be lacking at times. They can handle appropriately the challenges presented by a complication or an unexpected turn of events that occurs within the context of a routine situation or communicative task with which they are otherwise familiar, though at times their discourse may be minimal for the level and strained. Communicative strategies such as rephrasing and circumlocution may be employed in such instances. In their narrations and descriptions, they combine and link sentences into combined discourse of paragraph length. When pressed for a fuller account, they tend to grope and rely on minimal discourse. Their utterances are typically not longer than a single paragraph. Structure of the dominant language is still evident in the use of false cognates, literal translations, or the oral paragraph structure of the speaker’s own language rather than that of the target language. Advanced-Low speakers contribute to the conversation with sufficient accuracy, clarity, and precision to convey their intended message without misrepresentation and confusion, and it can be understood by native speakers unaccustomed to dealing with non-natives, even though this may be achieved through repetition and re-statement. When attempting to perform functions or handle topics associated with the Superior level, the linguistic quality and quantity of their speech will deteriorate significantly.”

In other words, do not fear that you have to demonstrate a level of mastery and eloquence equal to that of literary giants such as a Pablo Neruda or a Gabriel Garcia Márquez!

Always keep in mind as well (and organize your prep around) the fact that the OPI/OPIc generously allows you to select and state your personal areas of interest about which you would prefer to speak, around which your test is then configured. Know that these are also not “gotcha” interviews. They’re not trying to catch you out – these tests are intended to be realistic and practical, simulating everyday, real life communicative situations. They aim to afford you the opportunity to showcase your competency at getting your message across in Spanish.

In the oral, the essential criterium is whether the meaning of your message can be unambiguously understood by those listening to you.

When you sit down for your test interview, what should be uppermost in your mind is to COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE.

This isn’t a school exam, so don’t be overly fixated on grammatical correctness (however important that remains). Prioritize your fluency, coherence, and on actually accomplishing the set tasks. Engage with your interlocutor, as in natural conversation. Make yourself / your message understood by using whichever rhetorical mechanisms necessary (such as describing a thing, if its actual name temporarily escaped you). The overriding objective of the test is to holistically assess how proficient you are at getting your message across in a manner that ensures that its meaning is clear and unambiguous.

A key practical consideration to always keep in mind is that – from the interviewer’s perspective – his/her most important objective (the job they’re being paid to do) is to elicit from you samples of speech that’s sufficiently substantial so as to be capable of being assessed. This is in practice their most important function, since a recording is always made which the 2^nd examiner then evaluates). You therefore absolutely need to speak long enough to each question or prompt, to establish a sufficiently ample sample capable of being evaluated. They need to hear enough from you, to enable them to perform what are called “level checks” and “probes” (the former establishes the height of your “floor”, in other words, the highest level at which you can consistently function adequately, whereas the “probes” that your interviewer will be doing, are designed to ascertain at which stepped-up level the candidate can no longer sustain performance).

“Yes” or “No” or very brief responses will, therefore, definitely not cut it. They need to hear enough so that they can be satisfied that you can coherently, accurately, and fluently string together sentences into paragraph-length discourse. The surest way to fail is to not give them a substantive-enough discourse to permit assessment.

If you have not yet done so, you should prioritize looking up the detailed ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines by clicking on this link:

4.  F.A.C.T. – THE FOUR ASSESSMENT CITERIA

As is the case with the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) upon which the OPI is based, there are four main criteria when the oral proficiency of a candidate (also called his/her communicative competency), is assessed. These criteria essentially have the same thrust in both the CEFR and OPI, because they are aimed at assessing real-world ability to communicate – i.e., to get one’s message across in a manner permitting that its meaning can be readily and clearly understood, without ambiguity. In the case of the OPI, these criteria are identified with the acronym FACT, and are composed of Function, Accuracy, Content and Context, plus Text Type.

Function: OPI examiners assess a candidate’s ability to successfully complete the communicative tasks assigned by the interviewer (as based on the functions outlined in The Guidelines). Can the candidate perform generic tasks such as, for example, asking questions; narrating stories; describing places, people, events and the like; and persuading others or supporting opinions? At “Advanced-Low” level, this includes narration and description utilizing the major tenses (past, present and future but focusing particularly on those forming the past – the preterit and imperfect). Also important is the ability to deal effectively with complicated situations that unexpectedly crop up.

Accuracy: The litmus test for accuracy is the extent to which a speaker succeeds in making the intended meaning of his/her message clearly understood – at “advanced” level in general, that means to be understood by native Spanish speakers who are not accustomed to hearing non-native speakers such as the candidate. Message comprehension is significantly impacted by accuracy in pronunciation, use of the appropriate word or phrase, and by the extent to which the discourse produced conforms correctly to the patterns of the language (i.e., grammar – an inaccurate conjugation can indicate a totally different time-frame for an event than that which the candidate actually had in mind). Other considerations which affect the overall comprehensibility of the speaker’s message are his/her fluency, as well as what is known as pragmatic competence (the ability to adjust one’s language use so as to be appropriate in relation to the applicable audience, setting and/or context) plus sociolinguistic competence (ensuring appropriateness to societal and cultural norms).

Content & Context: This assesses how broad the range is of themes and topics that a candidate can discuss. Are the responses being given by the candidate, to the point and on topic, and are they appropriate to the context of the prompts? Put simply, do they answer the question and/or do the accomplish the task? At “Advanced-Low” level, the topics that a candidate will be expected to be able to discuss will be of a personal and general interest nature (i.e, not in the professional domain, or of selective interest to but a few). It will deal with concrete matters (i.e., not hypotheses and “irreal” stuff). The contexts (settings) will be mostly informal, with only some formal situations.

Text type: How substantial (long) is the messaged language a candidate can produce and how well is its presentation organized (coherence)? For the “advanced” level, the guideline criterium is that it should be paragraph length discourse which needs to be seamlessly internally connected. It must demonstrate organized structure as well as linked flow that facilitates transition between sentences. This is achieved by means of using connectors. In other words, the paragraph-length discourse cannot consist just of a disjointed series of free-standing staccato-style sentences; the use of so-called linking, transitional or connecting words and phrases are important and the rigorous practice of their use during prep should therefore be a priority – our DELEhelp Workbooks on lexis will i.a. provide you with a comprehensive list of these connectors.

The four assessment criteria outlined above are applied together, holistically, to determine the candidate’s overall level of performance. The proficiency rating awarded is based on how well all of the criteria were met as an inter-related combine. The candidate’s discourse is measured in a very practical, real-world related manner, assessing the actual outcome achieved. What is effectively asked, is: did the outcome produced constitute a clear transmittal of understandable meaning, thus signifying competent communication?

To sum up, about the assessment criteria (looking also at how these are elaborated in the foundational CEFR) the four keys to oral proficiency are to be able to present your thoughts coherently, fluently, with sufficiently ample lexis, and with sufficient accuracy in your language use, thus permitting your meaning to be clearly understood.

Such fluent, coherent, lexically ample and linguistically accurate discourse is simply not achievable through book study alone. The OPI/OPIc does not primarily test what you abstractly KNOW about Spanish (the basic knowledge required, is assumed). What is being tested is your CAN-DO proficiency at actually communicating competently in Spanish in real-world settings. That kind of practical and realistic performative proficiency can only truly be acquired through expertly guided practice, practice, and more practice of one’s actual conversational ability. Because you need to internalize the necessary spoken language proficiency (in the same way that toddlers do not “study” their mother tongue, but acquire it through constant practice). To understand what modern science has shown us about how we humans actually acquire languages, also as adults, please have a look at this DELEhelp blog post:

You can also watch it as a video on YouTube (where DELEhelp has its own channel). To view the video, CLICK on the IMAGE BELOW.

5. WHAT ABOUT GRAMMAR? WHICH TENSES ARE IMPORTANT FOR ADVANCED-LOW?

I know that – beyond the above theory – most candidates want to know two concrete things: what kind of topics and themes will they likely be asked to speak about, and how good must their command of grammar be? The first question we will come to in a moment, when we will look in some detail at the official CAN-DO statements for the “Advanced-Low” level. Since we are presently dealing with the assessment criteria (to which grammar relates because of resorting under “accuracy of language use”), we will now first deal a bit more extensively with the required level of grammatical proficiency and what that amounts to in practice.

It is important to always keep in mind (particularly when allocating time in your prep plan) that grammar as such is just one component of but one criterium, namely accuracy. It is therefore easy to see that it would not be an appropriate prep strategy to focus all of one’s time and energy upon devouring grammar handbooks (unless, of course, your grasp of grammar happens to be way below standard). That said, it remains self-evident that accurate use of grammar is very often critical to being correctly understood, as well as to one’s ability to coherently construct paragraph-length discourse. Plus, mastery of grammar remains key to the capacity to narrate and describe events in an understandable manner, particularly when the story that you are telling is meandering through different time frames, or plays out in the past.

It is also logically evident that, what differentiates the progressing levels of speaking proficiency from each other, is largely the increased level of sophistication in the use of grammatical constructs as one steps up from “novice” through “intermediate” to “advanced” and eventually to “superior”.

Therefore, when we remind you that grammar is “but one part of just one assessment criterium” whilst at the same time also stressing the importance of grammar in presenting understandable discourse, what we are trying to say is that you need balance in your prep. Unlike with school or college exams (where knowledge of the rules of grammar is key) in the OPI/OPIc you will be tested on much, much more – in fact, three more criteria – with emphasis not just on what you know about grammar, but above all on what your tongue actually can produce.

So, apart from an emphasis on assessing your proficiency at making presentations and narrating about the past (the preterit and imperfect), what other grammatical constructs are deemed important for obtaining an “Advanced-Low” grading? As mentioned before, it’s also important to be able to maintain with consistency the tense you are using through-out a given piece of discourse. For example, by not appearing to be jumping around between tenses through mis-conjugating successive verbs within one time-bound discourse (for example, by using the contextually incorrect endings actually belonging to another tense than the one appropriately supposed to be in use).

What about the Subjunctive Mood? Since the official guidelines state clearly that you will be expected to narrate about concrete matters (i.e., not hypotheses, for example) it is logical that mastery of the Subjunctive is not yet vital for success at “Advanced-Low” level. However, some correct use of it in appropriate settings will be seen as a bonus point, so that it is advantageous to have internalized through practice, a few key common usage phrases in the Subjunctive which you can judiciously sprinkle into your discourse when apt.

Given the foregoing it stands to reason that, as much as it needs to be stressed that one should not be focusing one’s prep exclusively on grammar (because of the preponderant weight of the other assessment criteria), one of the surest ways of not achieving an “advanced” grading is to be continuously committing basic errors in grammar which inhibit comprehension. This will cause you to fail to demonstrate the level of command and sophistication in your use of the Spanish language that’s consummate with “advanced” level. Especially since grammar errors are by their nature quite jarringly noticeable to native speakers such as to your examiners (or, for that matter, by yourself when you listen to some non-native English-speakers failing to conform to the regular patterns of the language of Shakespeare).

The amount of time and effort to be dedicated to grammar during your prep will, in the end, be determined largely by your diagnostic – if you are totally poor at grammar, then obviously your coach will have to focus much more on it than would be the case for someone already largely proficient in that department. (Regarding the diagnostic, it is important to understand this needs to be an ongoing process allowing for constant evaluation and adjustment in your prep as you progress – in other words, not just a once-off at the outset).

Part of our free DELEhelp sample material that we make available to prospective students, are two additional workbooks which provide essential background for Spanish exam prep: one entitled “De-mystifying Spanish Grammar” (explaining how Spanish grammar relates to that of English) and the other dealing with the origins and history of Spanish (in the next segment you will see how important “intercultural awareness” is deemed to be, as reflected in the official proficiency benchmarks for the OPI/OPIc).

When you ask for our free in-house Workbook #8 on Acing the OPI (using the convenient contact form on our www.edele.org website) you will automatically receive these two workbooks as well, entirely free and without any obligation to sign up with us.

6.  WHAT WILL YOU LIKELY BE ASKED TO SPEAK ABOUT?

Back now to that other perennial question – the one regarding what you will likely be required to speak about during the OPI/OPIc test. As said before, the ACTFL does not make available practice material similar to “old exam papers” (such as do exist, for example, for the DELE Spanish exam). This is for two reasons: firstly, to maintain “spontaneous and unrehearsed” testing, and secondly, because of the practical reality that each test is individually and uniquely configured on the day, for the particular candidate (whether it be the OPI by phone, or the OPIc where you engage with the digital avatar, Ava).

Nevertheless, there are three important means of getting an advance indication of what you may be asked to talk about in the narrations, presentations and role-play that your test will consist of. These are: (1) your privilege of pre-selecting topics of interest to you personally (and, conversely, topics that are formally prohibited); (2) the official CAN-DO statements regarding the “performance indicators” for level “Advanced-Low”, meaning the tasks that you are expected to be able to perform at that level; and (3) the expertise and experience of a seasoned test prep coach, who will share with you his/her accumulated insights.

6.1 Identifying your personal interests: The OPI/OPIc differs from the Spanish exams offered by the Instituto Cervantes of Spain (the DELE and SIELE) in that the OPI recognizes that a candidate’s true oral proficiency can only be accurately assessed if the discourse engaged in is about topics which the candidate has some interest in and thus knowledge of (by contrast, the DELE / SIELE are “one size fits all” exams, where the topics are pre-determined for all, without taking account of the individual candidate’s personal preferences and interests).

At the start of your phone interview, as well as at the outset of the OPIc engagement via computer, you will be asked to identify your personal (1) hobbies and interests; (2) preferred sports and physical activities; and (3) the type of vacations and travel that you like to do. As you can see by accessing the OPIc online demo, the range of options from which to select are very extensive indeed. This so-called “background survey” is described by the ACTFL as follows: “The Background Survey is a questionnaire which elicits information about the test taker’s work, school, home, personal activities, and interests. The survey answers determine the pool of prompts from which the algorithm will randomly select topics for the speaking tasks.”

As said, you can see what this looks like in the OPIc by accessing the ACTFL/LTI’s demo test available free online: https://opicdemo.actfltesting.org/systemcheck (The OPI by phone works on the same principle).

What this personalized method permits, i.e. of uniquely configuring a test for each individual (in accordance with his/her own personal preferences and interests), is that you as candidate can largely pre-determine what topics you are likely to be asked to speak about. It is, therefore, advisable that you familiarize yourself with this system and straight away, at the start of your prep, already pre-select the topics that you would like to be asked about. Doing so right at the very outset when you start preparing will enable you to focus your preparation (especially as regards lexis) on those topics you’ve identified.

The following topics are officially “off limits” in any oral proficiency interview, as per the official instructions that every interviewer receives and must adhere to:

Do NOT ask any candidate questions regarding any of the following: Age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, sexual preference, marital status, health, political viewpoint.

Highly controversial topics (volunteered by the candidate) must be handled with sensitivity. Testers should avoid discussions of such topics when the topic appears to make the candidate uneasy or the direction of the discussion may be misinterpreted by the candidate. Topics that fall into this category include some of the following: Abortion, gun control, racism, immigration laws, corporal or capital punishment, homosexuality, religion, war, political point of view, etc.

ILR Testers are asked to restrict the content of OPI to the discussion of topics related to candidate’s educational background, work experience, and interests etc. It is critical during the Warm-Up to have the candidate tell the tester what topics are of interest to them.

6.2 The CAN-DO statements: The ACTFL, together with the NCSSFL (National Council of State Supervisors for Languages) have developed a set of official CAN-DO statements of “proficiency benchmarks” plus “performance indicators” (the latter define the tasks that candidates are expected to be able to perform proficiently at the different levels of the OPI/OPIc). This detailed list for the “Advanced” level (all its sub-levels) can be downloaded as a 16-page .pdf, by clicking on the link below:

This document is essential reading for candidates. Since it is i.m.h.o. essential that you study the original yourself, I will not copy it here (it being also very long and detailed). To illustrate its scope and thrust, I will quote here extracts from it, demonstrating its importance and utility. You will find that many of the role play scenarios typically employed in the test interviews will be derived from this list, especially from the segment on “interpersonal communication”.

The recommended manner in which you should use this list in your prep is to check whether you can adequately perform each task listed (ideally, undertaking this with an experienced coach, who can help assess and provide corrective guidance). The ones you have trouble with, should obviously then become part of your prep “to do” list.

The NCSSFL/ACTFL list of CAN DO statements for the OPI/OPIc covers each of the main levels plus their sub-levels, and addresses these “proficiency benchmarks” and “performance indicators” (i.e., tasks) in terms of a general statement of required ability for each level, plus then specific statements for each of the four forms of communication being tested – being intercultural, interpretive, interpersonal and presentational communication.

In the case of “Advanced” level, the general statement of proficiency reads: I can maintain spontaneous spoken, written, or signed conversations and discussions across various time frames on familiar, as well as unfamiliar, concrete topics, using series of connected sentences and probing questions.

Below are some of the CAN-DO statements, serving here to give you an idea what they look like – it is important to consult the original. Notice how most of them will oblige you to make use of the past tenses.

Examples – interpersonal communication (Advanced-Low):

• I can maintain conversations by providing explanations and comparisons of preferences, opinions, and advice on familiar and concrete academic and social topics using a few simple paragraphs across major time frames.
• I can exchange information about changes teenagers experience going from middle to high school.
• I can participate in a conversation to identify current and past examples of challenges immigrants faced.
• I can discuss with others the preparations that have been done and need to be done for an upcoming play or presentation.
• I can discuss with a friend on the phone a problem I am having and come up with solutions.
• I can discuss important historical events and their connection to the present.
• I can discuss online how musical preferences of young people have changed from generation to generation.
• I can contribute to an online discussion about a current social issue.
• I can negotiate with a customer service representative the return of an item I purchased in order to receive a refund.
• I can interact with my supervisor to request time off from work and explain why I need the time.
• I can discuss with a friend how and when I am going to replace an item that I borrowed and then lost.
• I can interact with the hotel staff to request a room switch.
• I can discuss with the rental agent what happened to a rental car.
• I can exchange messages with a friend to explain why I had to cancel a planned activity.
• I can negotiate with an online agent the release of information needed for a college application.
• I can make a presentation describing the highlights of a recent or upcoming family event.
• I can describe a social, cultural or political event that occurred or will occur in my community.
• I can talk about an unexpected complication during a recent trip or excursion and present advice on how to resolve such a situation.
• I can make a presentation describing certain health and fitness trends and the results of those trends.
• I can give a short presentation describing the rise and fall of certain popular or historical trends over time.
• I can promote an art or music event by presenting and elaborating on its social or artistic value.
• I can present the main issues related to topics of public health or safety and support my viewpoint on this issue with related evidence.
• I can present and provide a rationale for the importance of certain classes, college majors, or training programs, citing trends over time.
• I can present an outline of the arguments for or against a position on a social issue, including its historical background.
• I can create and present an infomercial promoting an event, a service, or a product.
• I can discuss preferences for candidates in a local election based on their positions on various community issues.
• I can exchange opinions on the pros and cons of different study abroad programs to enhance a future career.
• I can discuss the effects of lowering the drinking age on binge drinking.
• I can have a conversation with my peers about performance-based grading vs. seat time.
• I can discuss laws related to texting while driving.

Examples – presentational communication (Advanced-Low):

• I can explain the reasoning behind a school, work or community project or policy, including the reasoning behind it.
• I can present a summary of the results of an action plan for a club or work group and the future steps to be implemented.
• I can present a comparison of current and past traditions related to social events such as homecoming, graduation, marriages, or funerals.
• I can make presentations about special opportunities such as internships, study abroad, or job openings.
• I can explain the process for creating or updating a website or blog.

Examples – interpretive communication (Advanced-Low):

• I can understand short presentations about famous people in history.
• I can follow the details of televised promotions for upcoming programs.
• I can identify the events of a travel writer’s most recent trip as recounted in a podcast.
• I can understand the main points of a recorded short story.
• I can understand a talk about a student’s study abroad experience.
• I can understand the moral lesson expressed in a fable.
• I can understand the details that motivated the main character to commit a crime in a mystery.
• I can identify the historical values expressed in an epic poem.
• I can understand the main points of a science fiction short story.
• I can understand the reasons for a character’s transformation in a chapter of a graphic novel.
• I can understand the discussion about the remodeling of a room between an interior designer and a customer.
• I can understand the feelings expressed by friends about their parents or relatives.
• I can understand a couple’s plans for their wedding and honeymoon.
• I can follow a video conferencing session where participants are talking about a planned environmental project.
• I can understand a conversation where friends express their concerns about an upcoming election.

Benchmarks – intercultural communication (Advanced levels)

• I can demonstrate awareness of subtle differences among cultural behaviors and adjust my behavior accordingly in familiar and some unfamiliar situations.
• I can converse comfortably with others from the target culture in familiar and some unfamiliar situations and show some understanding of cultural differences.
• In my own and other cultures I can explain how a variety of practices within familiar and social situations are related to perspectives.
• In my own and other cultures I can explain some diversity among products and practices and how it relates to perspectives.

7.  TIPS & LINKS

7.1 Top Tips: In conclusion, what are the top tips we can give you for your OPI/OPIc test preparation aimed at achieving at least “Advanced-Low” certification?

First and foremost, keep in mind that this is a test of speaking ability. Oral proficiency requires that the lexis and patterns of the language be largely internalized (meaning, that you can speak Spanish without consciously having to think about grammar, vocabulary and the like – in the same way, therefore, that you reflexively speak English). This is the manner that toddlers acquire language – by observation (reading and listening) and by guided practice of conversation.

The more you can listen to spoken Spanish (telenovelas, podcasts, audiobooks and the like) the more it will settle into your subconscious. Words, patterns of expression, pronunciation… Realistically, most of us can only dedicate limited time to actively working on our Spanish test prep. But, if we use all the audio-visual means available today to have Spanish going in the background for as much of the day as possible, you will be surprised how much this exposure will aid you.

Nevertheless, expertly guided conversation practice remains the core means for acquiring proficiency at being fluent, coherent and accurate. For this, you need expert feedback, to correct you and to ensure that you are not internalizing the wrong way of speaking. This practice-based approach will familiarize you with what to expect during the test interview. The experience and confidence so gained will stand you in good stead with, for example, the role-plays (which you and your coach will have simulated many times).

Make sure that the coach you choose employs the correct methodology when it comes to your conversation practice with him/her. Because of the importance of gaining fluency and coherence, it is key that you not be interrupted when you speak (many maestras have the unfortunate tendency to try and correct while you’re in full flow, which distracts you from your message and seriously impedes developing coherence and fluency). The optimal method is to record your discourse and afterwards go over it, giving you the first shot at identifying and correcting your errors. That way, you are not interrupted, and the coach will also have sufficient time to properly explain needed corrections.

Candidates usually have a working knowledge of Spanish and a basic ability to express themselves when they arrive at aiming for “Advanced-Low” certification. This is indeed a valuable basis to have, but in terms of properly planning your prep it brings into play the old adage of: “you don’t know what you don’t know”. It is well-neigh impossible to self-diagnose, and the online “level tests” available are incapable of assessing your speaking ability. Since you absolutely must know what your prep should be focused on, it is very advisable to have an expert diagnoses done of your strengths and weaknesses at point of departure.

It is evidently important to familiarize yourself as much as possible with the format and procedures of the OPI and OPIc. Part of that should be to select, as early as possible, the topics of personal interest which you intend to identify and present at the interview, so that your prep can be focused on that from the word go – especially the relevant vocabulary and terminology.

As you approach the interview date (having ensured that you know the format and procedures and have practiced adequately for the oral test), please make sure that you get sufficient rest – you need to be brain-fresh and alert when you do the actual interview.

Because the interview is not an old-style school or college language exam (that tests your abstract knowledge), but focuses on your real-world ability to perform in conversation (your CAN-DO proficiency to actually speak) you find yourself in a position more akin to that of an athlete, rather than a student. Just as an athlete benefits from warm-up before stepping up to perform, you could benefit from arranging with your coach that you have a quick “warm-up” session just prior to your test appointment, so that you can be locked into a Spanish frame of mind (as well as being relaxed).

Above all, focus yourself mentally on the need to COMMUNICATE. To ENGAGE, to CONVERSE, to SMILE (even if no-one can see you). Prime yourself consciously to reach out and truly engage with your interviewer as conversation partner. With the right communication-focused mind-set, this is indeed also possible to achieve with the OPIc avatar (as well as being a very necessary self-conditioning to maintain).

Listen carefully what you are asked, be sure that you understand the question or task, then take a moment to organize your thoughts so as to be coherent – remember that properly structured discourse almost invariable will consist of an introduction to the subject at hand, followed by presenting a body of proof, and rounded off with a conclusion.

Should you at any time realize that you’ve made a mistake, don’t let that freeze you up or disrupt you. It is regarded positively if you do quickly self-correct, in an easy natural manner without fuss.

Even though you will not be in the physical presence of your interviewer (or have a human being at the other end of the conversation, if you’re doing the OPIc) it is important for the right mind-set that you remind yourself to smile, relax, and to positively “lean into” the conversation. Your manner of sitting is actually quite important – shove your backside as far back into your seat as possible so that you naturally will lean somewhat forward and thus mentally and physically into the conversation. This posture will also open up your diaphragm, enabling comfortable breathing. Don’t slouch back in the seat, even if no-one can see you; it will negatively affect your mind-set by inhibiting you from truly engaging with the interviewer, as well physically hindering your breathing.

Do not over-think issues. You won’t have time and, furthermore, it will negatively affect your fluency. Rather trust your instincts – which is what the “internalizing” practice was designed to cultivate. If in doubt, your instincts will more than likely come up with the right word or language use pattern, long before you can figure it out by trying to recall and apply abstract theory.

Just relax, be confident in your preparation and in yourself, and engage and converse as naturally as possible with the interviewer, giving him/her (or the avatar) those sufficiently ample samples of your Spanish-speaking abilities that they need in order for them to be able to properly assess your proficiency in the beautiful language of Cervantes.

7.2 Links to useful video clips and guides:

If you want to listen to what “Advanced-Low” level paragraph-length responses to typical discursive tasks ideally should sound like, visit the free video clips available from the University of Texas, Austen:

The University of Texas at Austen’s Spanish Proficiency Exercises is a compilation of brief video clips in which native speakers of Spanish from various locations throughout Latin America and Spain demonstrate various language tasks (see their site index for different OPI “Advanced” level exercises).

The ACTFL’s Familiarization Guide for the OPIc can be downloaded here: OPIc_Familiarization_Guide.pdf

LTI, the company managing the tests on behalf of the ACTFL, has ample information on their website about the OPI (the via phone version) which can be accessed here:

Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) – Online Language Test

Our new DELEhelp YouTube channel can be accessed here:

(24) DELEhelp – YouTube

Thanks for reading this and buena suerte with your OPI prep!

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