ACTFL OPI (Speaking) Exam

[Elliott Jones]

I recently discovered the ACTFL OPI exam, which is a speaking exam for many popular languages, including Mandarin.

 

The Exam

 

The ACTFL OPI is a proctored phone call lasting between 15 and 30 minutes.

 

There is also an OPIc (computerized exam) but I know nothing about it and am not interested.

 

ACTFL, if you were not familiar already, consists of 11 levels, from Novice to Distinguished, although the OPI (speaking) exam only goes up to Superior (CEFR C2).

 

 

Why ACTFL OPI is Better than TOCFL Speaking and HSKK

 

The reason this exam stands out to me as having some value, is that unlike the TOCFL band C exam and the HSKK Advanced exam, the ACTFL OPI exam does not require you to read any questions, therefore your speaking grade is not held back by your reading ability.

 

For me personally, this is a big sell, because with the TOCFL, I have been limited to level 4 (CEFR B2), despite my actual speaking ability being somewhere between C1 and C2, purely because my reading ability is still stuck at around B2. I want to get some kind of certificate to prove my C1/C2 speaking proficiency, and until I can improve my reading, the ACTFL OPI exam is my best shot.

 

Mock Exams

 

There are no official ACTFL OPI mock exams, as far as I know, but there are some Chinese teachers who have been trained in the ACTFL standard who offer unofficial mock exams. I found one such teacher on a website called Cafetalk. I don’t know if she is comfortable with me posting her link directly here, but if you search for “ACTFL Chinese” on the site, you will find her. She is extremely knowledgeable about ACTFL, so I highly recommend her if you want to do a mock test.

 

My Mock Exam

 

In my exam, we spoke for the full 30 minutes at least, and I think it was actually more like 45 minutes. I have heard that this can happen in the real exam too. With ACTFL OPI, the questions get harder and harder until the examiner thinks you aren’t able to answer anymore and then the test ends, so the longer the test goes on for, the higher result you are likely to get.

 

There were two parts of the exam that were particularly hard and memorable:

 

• In one question, somewhere around the middle of the session, after I had mentioned that Taiwan’s summer is too hot to do many activities, she asked me what the government could do to cool Taiwan down. This question kind of stumped me, purely because I couldn’t think of any reasonable solution for bringing down Taiwan’s temperature… In the end, I talked a bit about the typical ways governments abroad are trying to stop global warming, e.g., adoption of EVs, and then went on to explain why many of these are not suitable for Taiwan.

 

• Another question involved me explaining a recent news event that caught my attention, and I happily explained the UK’s recent election and how the electoral system works (or should I say doesn’t work!) there. That was easy, but her follow up question was a bit of a bigger challenge: roleplaying. I had to pretend that I was a politician who just won a seat in my local constituency and give a 3 minute victory speech to my constituents. I managed to do the whole 3 minutes, but stoping to think about what I actually wanted to say to my imaginary constituents probably hurt my score a little. Ultimately, I think I could have answered this one better, and roleplaying is definitely something I need to practice before I do the real exam.
   

The next day (today), she got back to me with the feedback on the mock exam:
 

Quote

Strengths:

 

Fluency: Elliott spoke with a natural flow, using appropriate pausing and intonation with minor tone variations that did not impede comprehension. He maintained extended turns, participate actively in discussions, and effectively articulated comparisons between different circumstances.

 

Accuracy: His speech was generally accurate with minimal grammatical errors. He demonstrated a good command of complex sentence structures, including conditionals, passive voice and aspectual particles.

 

Vocabulary: Elliot displayed a wide range of vocabulary, including idiomatic expressions and nuanced terminology, particularly in the context of political discourse. He use language precisely to convey his thoughts and perspectives with clarity and sophistication.

 

Pronunciation: Elliott had a good command of pronunciation, making it easy to understand his speech. He was able to produce a variety of sounds accurately with minimal minor variations that did not affect listener comprehension.

 

Interactive Communication and Task: Elliott actively participated in the conversation, answering questions appropriately and demonstrating strong interactive communication skills. He effectively expressed his observations and delivered narration with precise terms, demonstrating a clear understanding of the task and the context.

 

Areas for Improvement:

 

Precision: While generally accurate, Elliott occasionally used minor imprecision in his language, such as the occasional use of imprecise vocabulary or the omission of connecting words. These instances, while infrequent, suggest a slight room for improvement in achieving the highest level of precision.

 

Complexity: While capable of using complex structures, Elliott could further enhance his speech by incorporating more sophisticated language and discourse features. This could include organizing his speech with a clear introduction, body and conclusion at a paragraph-length speech on a larger scale topics that are no longer part of his everyday experiences.

 

Fluency in Spontaneous Speech: While generally fluent, there were occasional instances where Elliot needed a brief pause to search for the right word or to formulate his thoughts. To further enhance his fluency, he could focus on improving his ability to generate and express ideas more spontaneously, potentially through increased exposure to native-speaker conversations related to topics he is less familiar with, and practice in impromptu speaking.

 

Recommendation:

 

Elliott has demonstrated a strong foundation in oral proficiency. With continued practice and exposure to Mandarin Chinese, focusing on the use of advanced connecting words, phrases and discourse patterns, he can further refine his fluency, accuracy and complexity in his spoken language.

 

Now I know where I stand and where to improve, I plan on practicing a lot and then taking the real ACTFL OPI exam sometime in the next few months, with the aim to get Advanced High (C1). Has anyone else taken the ACTFL OPI exam? If so, how did it go and what advice do you have for those taking it for the first time?

[Jan Finster]

Thanks for this great writeup. 

 

Is this test recognised by employers or universities or is this largely for personal feedback? 

 

The questions do not sound too technical (eg related to current events like Israel-Gaza etc). Did you feel comfortable understanding the interviewer or was it challenging nevertheless? 

 

The feedback on fluency as defined as impromptu speaking is a bit dubious imo. You can be very fluent but still pause to gather your thoughts or even to consider which words or way of phrasing fits best. I would see the latter as a strength. 

 

Well done anyway. How long have you been studying and/or living in Zh/Tw? 

[Elliott Jones]

On 1/20/2025 at 6:12 PM, Jan Finster said:

Is this test recognised by employers or universities or is this largely for personal feedback? 

The test that I took was just an unofficial mock by a teacher who has lots of experience with ACTFL, but the actual exam and the certificate that it would provide is very well recognized in the US. I believe even some states require it for teachers of a particular language. I took this mock for personal feedback as I prepare for the real exam.

 

On 1/20/2025 at 6:12 PM, Jan Finster said:

Did you feel comfortable understanding the interviewer or was it challenging nevertheless? 

No issues understanding the interviewer, but that’s because I’m comfortable with her accent as she’s from Taiwan. If I had an examiner from the mainland in the real test, I imagine it would be slightly harder.
 

On 1/20/2025 at 6:12 PM, Jan Finster said:

Well done anyway. How long have you been studying and/or living in Zh/Tw? 

Roughly 10 years learning, although I’ve never gone to a class, and 9 of those years were spent living in mainland China and Taiwan.