Explain Assessment of speaking skills.

Assessment of speaking skills involves evaluating a learner's ability to communicate orally in a given language. This assessment focuses on various aspects of spoken language proficiency, including pronunciation, fluency, vocabulary usage, grammatical accuracy, coherence, and appropriateness of language in different contexts.

Key methods for assessing speaking skills include:

1. Conversational Interviews: Conducting one-on-one or group interviews where learners engage in spontaneous conversations on familiar topics. This assesses fluency, communication strategies, and interactive skills.

2. Presentation Tasks: Assigning learners to prepare and deliver presentations on specific topics. This assesses clarity of expression, organization of ideas, and effectiveness in delivering information to an audience.

3. Role Plays or Simulations: Providing scenarios where learners take on different roles and engage in interactive role plays. This assesses communicative competence, adaptability, and ability to use language in context-specific situations.

4. Structured Tasks: Using specific tasks such as picture description, story retelling, or problem-solving discussions. This assesses vocabulary range, grammatical accuracy, and ability to convey meaning effectively.

Assessment criteria often include language accuracy, fluency, coherence, pronunciation, vocabulary usage, and interactional strategies. Assessors may use rubrics, checklists, or rating scales to provide detailed feedback and evaluate learners' progress in spoken language development. Regular assessment and targeted feedback help learners identify areas for improvement and guide instructional planning to enhance speaking skills.