Unit 1 · Lesson 5
Oral Interaction
The SLE oral test is a 20–40 minute conversational interview. The assessor starts with Level A tasks and progresses based on your answers. It rewards development, structure, and the ability to keep a professional conversation going.
What the assessor looks for
• Fluency — natural pace, minimal pauses
• Comprehension — do you understand the question?
• Vocabulary range — specific, professional words
• Grammar — consistent tense, agreement
• Pronunciation — clear enough to be understood
Level progression in the OLA
Level A: Simple identification, basic description
Level B: Explanation, narration, comparison
Level C: Argument, hypothesis, abstract discussion
The assessor decides when to move up based on your answers.
Key vocabulary and strategies
Flip each card to understand the oral task type or strategy.
SLE Oral: task types & strategies
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French
l'évaluation linguistique orale (OLA)
tap to flip
English
Oral Language Assessment: the current SLE oral format
The OLA flows like a real workplace conversation. The assessor adapts based on your responses: answering well at Level A leads to Level B questions. You cannot jump ahead by guessing.
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Useful oral structures by level
Level A: basic description
- Je m'appelle… / Je travaille comme…
- Mon rôle consiste à…
- Nous utilisons… / Nous travaillons avec…
- Il y a [nombre] étapes.
Level B: explanation & narration
- Tout d'abord… Ensuite… Finalement…
- Il faut que vous… / N'oubliez pas de…
- Par exemple, dans mon équipe…
- La principale difficulté, c'est que…
Level C: argument & hypothesis
- À mon avis, la meilleure approche serait de…
- Ce que je ferais, c'est de… parce que…
- Il faudrait que nous… / Il serait essentiel de…
- D'un côté… ; de l'autre…
- Il faut admettre que… cependant…
Match the pairs
Oral interaction vocabulary
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Click a French word, then click its English match.
Apply your oral strategies
Oral interaction quiz
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The assessor asks: 'Pouvez-vous m'expliquer comment vous organisez votre charge de travail quand vous avez plusieurs priorités simultanées?' This is most likely a Level:
SLE French done.
Take the Unit 1 test, then move on to Unit 2: the French you need for TEF Canada and immigration.