The task used for the assessment was adapted from a sample assessment task called New Neighbours in which students were asked to describe an imaginary day where they spend time with a character from a book they have read or film they have viewed. This particular task was chosen because both Miss Wan and Mr Walker felt that students could use their imagination to work on the task, and the task itself was fairly interesting and suitable for their students' level.

Before the assessment, a number of preparatory activities were undertaken. Students were first asked to imagine the Discipline Master had moved in next door to them. They had to describe an imaginary day they spent with him. This warm-up activity was considered by the teachers to be critical in arousing students' interest in the task and setting the scene for the actual assessment. Following this introductory activity, a number of oral presentation skills were taught, and the students given the opportunity to undertake practice presentations, so they could better prepare for the actual assessment. They were also given feedback on their practice assessment to help them improve their skills. They were then asked to choose a character from another book and transfer the skills they had learnt in the classroom to the actual assessment activity.

Both Miss Wan and Mr Walker felt that the pre-assessment activities were very important as they not only helped build students' confidence in speaking, but also gave teachers an opportunity to see how the students' performance fitted the marking scheme. Mr Walker also stressed that the experience of working in collaboration with other teachers during the first few years of SBA implementation was highly beneficial.

Teacher	Mr David Walker and Miss Mei-yuk Wan
Class	4B
MOI	EMI
Name of Task	New Neighbours ( Click here to view the original sample assessment task.)
Oral text-type	Individual presentation
Type of genre	Non-print fiction	Print fiction
Name of the book	Bridget Jones's Diary	Big Friendly Giant
Description of the pre-assessment activities	Click here to view the detailed work plan from Mr Walker and Miss Wan. 1. Students were asked to imagine the Discipline Master has moved in next door. Then they had to describe and discuss an imaginary day they spent with the discipline master.     To view Mr Walker and Miss Wan talking about the importance of the warm up activity.     2. Students chose an interesting character from the story/film they had read/viewed. 3. The students then wrote a description of an imaginary day with the 'new neighbour' and gave the description to the teacher. 4. Feedback was given to the student on the scripts submitted. Students were reminded not to memorise their script, but just use notes if they needed a prompt.     To view how Mr Walker and Miss Wan helped their students prepare for a more natural presentation.     5. Students were asked to do a practice presentation which was video-taped. Comments and suggestions for improvement were then given to the students.     To view Mr Walker and Miss Wan talking about the importance of guided practice prior to the actual assessment.
Description of the assessment task	Students were asked to present an imaginary day with their new neighbour in front of class. The book/film chosen had to be different from the one used in the practice. Students' scripts were not reviewed by teachers and no rehearsal was conducted prior to the assessment. To view a student presentation. To view a student presentation.
Feedback/Comments regarding the assessment task and trialling experience	To view what Mr Walker and Miss Wan thought about this assessment task and their students' performance .