ISE II Collaborative Task Activity (Pair Work)

The ISE II collaborative task (and ISE III) is a curious one. it seems to surprise teachers as much as it does students. Keep your students asking questions, reacting to the answers and trying to make natural what seems so unnatural. Trinity’s intentions are good here. Imagine a friend at a bar who has a problem and they are confiding in you. That’s what you need to replicate. This ISE II Collaborative Task activity will help you do that.

Situations for this part of the exam include problems and dilemmas. You normally have to offer an opinion and give advice. It’s the candidate’s responsibility to keep the conversation going, so after the examiner reads the first prompt, they will take a step back and let the conversation flow.

Candidates have to ask lots of questions. In four minutes, the challenge is to build a complete picture of the situation in order to offer the best advice possible. Be careful not to solve the problem too quickly or give advice without all the information.

Finally, the ISE II collaborative task activity is trying to replicate real life, so there’s no need to be excessively formal. Sometimes it’s a challenge to think of the examiner as a friend, but that’s exactly what candidates should be going for here.

You can find more ISE II speaking tasks here.

The Materials

This ISE II collaborative task activity contains 3 sets to practise the exam in pairs. For each one your students will need to plan a back story and take on the roles of examiner and candidate. Let them have fun with it, but make sure they stick to the 4 minute time limit!

EXAM PART: Speaking

EXAM SKILLS: Asking for further information, giving opinions, giving advice

TOPIC: N/A

TIME: 30 minutes

PREPARATION: One copy of each worksheet, cut in half for each pair of students