Component 3: Spoken Language (Non-exam assessment) — Eduqas GCSE English Language
Teaching note checked against the official specification.
Test yourself on Component 3: Spoken Language (Non-exam assessment) with EDUQAS GCSE practice questions.
A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge
Component 3: Spoken Language (Non-exam assessment) explained
Component 3: Spoken Language (Non-exam assessment) covers 8 specification points, including Candidates will be required to complete one… and Achievement in Spoken Language will be….
Read the full explanation
Open a point below for its explanation and revision guidance.
Candidates will be required to complete one formal presentation or speech. They will also be assessed on their responses to questions and feedback following the presentation or speech. Standard English should be a feature of all parts of the candidates’ work in this component. This component assesses AO7, AO8 and AO9.
Component 3 is the Spoken Language non-exam assessment. You must complete one formal presentation or speech, delivered to an audience, on a subject you have prepared. After it, you will be assessed on how you respond to questions and feedback from your audience, so the discussion is part of the assessment, not an optional extra. Standard English should be a feature of all parts of your work in this component, meaning your grammar, vocabulary and delivery should be consistently appropriate and controlled. The component assesses AO7 (presenting information and ideas), AO8 (responding to spoken language, including questions and feedback) and AO9 (using spoken Standard English). Prepare your content, rehearse your delivery and anticipate likely questions so you can answer thoughtfully and build on feedback.
Achievement in Spoken Language will be reported as part of the qualification, but it will not form part of the final mark and grade.
This row is course and assessment guidance, not an assessed answer target. It tells you how Spoken Language sits inside the Eduqas GCSE English Language qualification. Your spoken performance is assessed and the outcome is reported as part of the qualification, so it appears on your record alongside the rest of the course. However, the Spoken Language result does not contribute to the final mark and does not change the final grade. Read the two halves separately: reported, but not counted. A useful method is to write two short sentences in your own notes, one for each half, then check you have not merged them into a single claim. The practical consequence is that you should still prepare and take the Spoken Language assessment seriously because it is reported, while understanding that your overall English Language grade is calculated without it.
Presentations must be formal but may take a wide variety of forms, including talks, debates, speeches and dialogues.
This row is course guidance for the Spoken Language presentation, not an assessed written answer. It sets two ideas that work together. First, the presentation must be formal: choose a register suited to an audience, avoid slang and casual filler, structure your points, and use Standard English appropriately. Second, form is flexible: a talk, a debate, a speech or a dialogue are all acceptable shapes. Read the statement as a constraint plus a choice. The constraint is formality; the choice is which form best carries your material. A practical method is to pick your form first, then check it still allows a formal register. For example, a dialogue can be formal if participants take structured turns and use considered language, whereas a chatty exchange would not meet the formality requirement. Plan, rehearse and deliver accordingly.
Candidates must identify the subject for their presentations in advance and agree with their teacher.
This is centre guidance for the Spoken Language non-exam assessment, not a task you perform under timed conditions. The requirement has two linked parts. First, you choose and identify a subject for your presentation before you begin preparing it in detail. Second, you agree that subject with your teacher, so the choice is confirmed rather than assumed. In practice you might draft two or three possible topics, note why each suits a spoken presentation, then discuss them with your teacher and record the agreed subject. Agreeing early protects you from building a whole presentation on a topic that is unsuitable or unmanageable. The teacher's role is to confirm the subject; the planning and delivery remain yours.
Presentations must be planned and organised. Candidates should be advised that lack of preparation is likely to prevent access to the criteria for the higher grades.
This is centre guidance for the Spoken Language non-exam assessment. It sets two expectations. First, every presentation must be planned and organised, so the content has a deliberate shape rather than being improvised. Second, candidates should be advised that weak preparation is likely to block access to the criteria for the higher grades. In practice, plan a clear opening that establishes the subject, a logical sequence of main points, supporting detail or examples, and a deliberate close. Organise notes or cue cards so you can speak from them without reading aloud. Rehearse aloud, time the presentation and check that each section earns its place. The advice is a warning about consequences, not a fixed mark tariff: it tells you that thorough preparation is the route to being assessed against the higher-grade criteria.
Candidates may use pre-prepared notes, PowerPoint etc to assist them during their presentations but this is not a requirement.
This guidance concerns how you prepare for the Spoken Language presentation. It tells you that pre-prepared notes, slides or similar aids are permitted to support you while you present, but using them is optional. The key word is 'may': the specification allows these aids, it does not demand them. So you can choose to present with a cue card, a short slide deck or brief notes, or you can present without any of these. What matters is that the aid supports your spoken delivery rather than replacing it. If you use slides, keep text minimal and use them as prompts so you maintain eye contact and speak naturally. If you use notes, keep them brief so you are not reading aloud. Decide in advance which approach suits your topic and rehearse with it. Your teacher will confirm how the presentation is organised in your centre.
As part of, or following, the presentation, candidates must listen to and respond appropriately to questions and feedback.
This guidance covers the question-and-response stage of the Spoken Language assessment. It states that, either during your presentation or after it, you must listen to questions and feedback and respond appropriately. Two things are required: listening and responding. Listening means attending carefully to what is asked rather than planning your next sentence. Responding appropriately means giving a relevant, clear answer that addresses the question, and accepting feedback courteously. This may happen as part of the presentation, for example when an audience member interjects, or following it in a question-and-answer exchange. Prepare by anticipating likely questions about your topic and thinking how you would answer them, but do not memorise scripted replies. If a question is unclear, it is appropriate to ask for clarification before answering.
Where the audience is the teacher only, the presentation and dialogue must be designed in such a way that it could have a potentially wider audience than just one person (e.g. it replicates a television interview).
This is centre guidance on how to design a spoken-language presentation when the only live listener is the teacher. The design must still imply a wider potential audience, so the learner should build in conventions that address an imagined public: a named or implied audience, a clear purpose, and a register suited to broadcasting or public speaking. A useful method is to frame the piece as a television interview: the learner presents to camera, a partner or the teacher takes the interviewer role, and questions and answers are scripted to sound like a broadcast exchange. The learner should rehearse the framing so the wider audience is evident in the language, structure and delivery, not merely asserted. The teacher assesses the performance against the spoken-language criteria, not against invented marks.
Your focus
- Deliver one formal presentation or speech to an audience
- Respond appropriately to questions and feedback following the presentation
- Use Standard English consistently across all parts of the component
Show all 24 objectives
- State that Spoken Language achievement is reported as part of the qualification.
- Explain that Spoken Language does not form part of the final mark and grade.
- Distinguish between a reported outcome and a graded contribution when describing the qualification.
- Identify that presentations must be formal.
- Recognise that talks, debates, speeches and dialogues are acceptable presentation forms.
- Select a presentation form and maintain a formal register appropriate to the audience.
- Identify a specific subject for the presentation before detailed preparation begins.
- Secure the teacher's agreement to that subject and record it.
- Explain how the agreed subject will be developed in the learner's own planning.
- Produce a planned and organised presentation with a clear structure.
- Explain how preparation affects access to the higher-grade criteria.
- Rehearse and deliver the organised presentation aloud from cue notes.
- Explain that pre-prepared notes or PowerPoint may be used but are not required.
- Choose a presentation aid, or none, that supports natural spoken delivery.
- Rehearse the presentation in the chosen format so the aid prompts rather than replaces speech.
- Explain that candidates must listen to and respond to questions and feedback during or after the presentation.
- Demonstrate active listening and give relevant, clear answers to questions.
- Respond courteously and appropriately to feedback.
- Explain how a presentation can imply a wider audience even when the teacher is the only listener.
- Design a presentation or dialogue that consistently addresses an implied public audience.
- Rehearse and deliver the piece so the wider-audience framing is evident in performance.
Component 3: Spoken Language (Non-exam assessment) exam tips
Examiner Tips
- 💡Choose a topic you know well so you can answer follow-up questions confidently and expand on points.
- 💡Rehearse the presentation aloud, timing it and checking that your grammar and vocabulary remain consistently Standard English.
- 💡During questions, listen fully, respond directly and use feedback to develop your answer rather than simply repeating your script.
- 💡Write the two claims separately in your notes: reported, and not counted, then check each against the statement.
- 💡When revising the qualification structure, label Spoken Language as non-exam assessment reported separately from the graded components.
- 💡Use this understanding to plan preparation: still rehearse your presentation because the outcome is reported.
- 💡Check any summary you write does not imply the spoken result changes your final grade.
- 💡Choose your form (talk, debate, speech or dialogue) and then check the language stays formal for your audience.
- 💡Rehearse the opening and closing so structure and register are controlled under pressure.
- 💡If using dialogue, plan structured turns and formal wording rather than casual chat.
- 💡Keep a short checklist: formal register, clear structure, chosen form justified by the content.
- 💡Write down your proposed subject in one clear sentence and check it is specific enough to present.
- 💡Discuss the proposal with your teacher early and note the agreed subject so your planning starts from a confirmed base.
- 💡If you are unsure between options, prepare a short reason for each and ask your teacher which is more suitable before committing.
- 💡Build a plan with a clear opening, ordered main points with supporting examples, and a deliberate conclusion.
- 💡Reduce the plan to cue cards with keywords so you can speak rather than read.
- 💡Rehearse aloud at least once, time it, and cut or expand sections so the organisation is clear throughout.
- 💡Decide early whether you will present with notes, slides or no aids, and rehearse in that exact format.
- 💡If you use slides, limit each to a few short prompts so you speak rather than read.
- 💡If you use notes, keep them to cue words so you maintain eye contact and natural delivery.
- 💡Anticipate likely questions about your topic and prepare how you would answer them, without scripting.
- 💡Listen to the whole question before answering, and ask for clarification if it is unclear.
- 💡Respond relevantly and courteously to feedback, showing you have taken it on board.
- 💡Decide early who the implied wider audience is and keep that audience visible in your vocabulary, tone and structure throughout.
- 💡If you use an interview format, script both interviewer and presenter lines so the exchange sounds like a genuine broadcast, not a question bolted onto a speech.
- 💡Rehearse the opening and closing so the wider-audience framing is clear from the first moments and sustained to the end.
Common Mistakes
- Treating the presentation as the whole assessment and neglecting the question-and-feedback stage: AO8 is assessed on your responses, so prepare to engage with questions.
- Sliding into informal or inconsistent grammar and vocabulary: Standard English should feature across all parts of the component, including the discussion.
- Reading a script word for word with no engagement with the audience: a formal presentation still requires clear delivery and interaction.
- Assuming Spoken Language is ignored completely: correct this by noting it is assessed and reported, just not counted in the final mark and grade.
- Assuming Spoken Language marks are added to the written components: correct this by separating 'reported as part of the qualification' from 'forms part of the final mark and grade'.
- Treating this guidance row as an exam question to answer: correct this by using it to understand the qualification structure, not to rehearse a written response.
- Thinking only a solo talk is allowed: correct this by noting debates, speeches and dialogues are also acceptable forms.
- Believing a relaxed or slangy style is fine because the form is flexible: correct this by keeping the formal register requirement in view.
- Treating this guidance as a written exam question: correct this by using it to plan and deliver the spoken presentation.
- Choosing a topic silently and starting full preparation without confirming it with the teacher. Correction: identify the subject and secure the teacher's agreement before detailed planning.
- Treating the teacher's agreement as the teacher writing or planning the presentation. Correction: the teacher confirms the subject; you still plan, organise and deliver it.
- Leaving the subject vague, such as a broad field of interest, so it cannot be clearly identified. Correction: state a specific, identifiable subject that can be agreed.
- Assuming the subject can be swapped at the last moment without discussion. Correction: agree any change with the teacher before continuing preparation.
- Believing that a strong speaking voice alone will reach the higher grades without planning. Correction: plan and organise the content, because lack of preparation is likely to prevent access to the higher-grade criteria.
- Writing a full script and reading it word for word. Correction: plan and organise points, then rehearse speaking from cue cards so delivery remains spoken.
- Treating the warning as a precise mark deduction. Correction: understand it as advice that poor preparation is likely to limit access to higher-grade criteria, and prepare thoroughly.
- Skipping rehearsal and timing. Correction: rehearse aloud and time the presentation so the organisation holds in real delivery.
- Thinking notes or PowerPoint are compulsory: the specification says they may be used but this is not a requirement, so presenting without aids is equally acceptable.
- Reading a slide deck word for word: aids should prompt your spoken delivery, so keep on-screen text short and speak to your audience.
- Overloading slides with full sentences: use brief cues so you keep eye contact and sound natural rather than reciting.
- Assuming the aid itself earns credit: the assessment concerns your spoken presentation, so the aid is only a support tool.
- Treating the presentation as the whole task: you must also listen to and respond to questions and feedback, whether during or after it.
- Ignoring or deflecting a question: respond relevantly to what is asked rather than talking past it.
- Rejecting feedback defensively: accept feedback courteously and respond appropriately.
- Scripting answers word for word: anticipate likely questions but answer genuinely rather than reciting.
- Assuming that because only the teacher is present, the talk can be a private conversation with no wider audience. Correction: design the piece so it reads as if broadcast or delivered to a public audience.
- Treating the television-interview example as a compulsory format. Correction: it is an illustration of how a wider audience could be implied; other public-facing formats may serve the same purpose.
- Writing a script that names a wider audience but delivers it in a flat, private register. Correction: make the language, structure and delivery consistently suit the implied public audience.