The population in need of tailor-made materials is a group of 15 students –mostly adolescents- who are preparing to sit for the First Certificate in English exam.

The command of their written English is far better than their oral production skills. Extended contributions, together with a natural flow of speech and minimum hesitations are among the requirements of the FCE level. At present, the majority of the class fails to reach or approximate the standard expected. The course book –FCE Expert- chosen by the language school, although exam oriented, is mostly grammar based with sections for writing, reading and listening in every unit.

Most tasks in the course book are closed-ended activities with few opportunities of open discussion. The visuals seem to appeal the students; but the questions associated with them do not always meet the interests of the class. (e.g. discussing activities that they could do as tourists in places they would never want to visit).

Previous Experience

The course started in March 2007. The students are already familiarised with the basic use of a wiki in order to upload their homework and interchange opinions in the wiki's discussions forums. Further readings and supporting materials are suggested through a classroom blog.

Viability

Every student has Internet access at home. The language school has a computer lab with three machines and a projector. Materials will consist of readings, audio recordings and short videos obtained either from printed books or the Internet.

The Skills Assessed

The FCE Speaking Paper

The FCE oral interview lasts 14 minutes. The students are asked to talk with minimum prompting in a variety of tasks that include individual long-turns, two-way discussion and three-way discussion. Students are expected to use a range of vocabulary when talking about topics such as, education, daily life and travel -among others. Communicative skills needed: Turn-taking, not monopolising conversations, giving feedback.

Choosing a Syllabus Type

A modular type of syllabus seems to be the most suitable for the needs. It allows for integration of thematic content with the speaking skills. Different units will deal with materials that will not be presented again; therefore, the flexibility of the modular syllabus is appropriate for the contents. The order of presentation of materials need not be graded, but the materials will be the lesson organiser. The materials will require between 30 to 40 minutes of class time. (Total class duration: two hours).

Expected Outcomes

The syllabus units aim at enlarging the students' vocabulary, fluency and confidence to speak about a variety of topic areas. Students will be able to:

-Answer a compare-and-contrast question for about a minute, with little or no prompts from the teacher.

-Engage in two-way discussions respecting turn-taking and without monopolising the conversation.

-Provide or invite to provide feedback on the opinions they express.

-Make use of expressions that will help them introduce, organise or sum up their ideas.

-Produce a flow of speech with minimum stops or hesitations. Fluency and not accuracy is the target.

-Students will be able to compare, contrast, discuss, justify their opinions, collaborate in making decisions.

Assessment

Students will be paired to participate in oral interviews at the end of units 2,4,6,8 and 10. The first four tests will only focus on one of the four parts of the exam. The last oral interview will integrate all four parts. The materials used for assessment will be either past papers or exam-like model materials.

Syllabus

Materials will be designed for units 3 and 4.

Unit	Theme	Topics	Materials	Assessment
1	House and Home	-Living in a house or apartment -The neighbours
2	Daily Life	-Routines -Weekends
Test				Oral interview Part 1. Answering questions about yourself
3	Education	-Schools today and in the future
4	Languages	-How you can learn languages -Reasons to study languages
Test				Oral interview Part 2. Comparing and contrasting
5	Likes and Dislikes	-Books -Music
6	Travel	-Holidays -Transport
Test				Oral Interview Part 3 Two-way discussion
7	The Environment	-Pollution -Endangered species
8	The Media	-TV -Internet
Test				Oral Interview Part 4 Three-way discussion
9	People	-Character -Appearances
10	Careers	-Getting a job -Skills and abilities
Test				Complete Oral Interview