How to be a better speaker
- Individual production
- 50%
- Listening
- 30%
- Language & Culture
- 15%
- Portfolio
- 5%
Speaking · Listening · Interaction · Culture
The Speaking
Room.
Comunicación Oral en Lengua Extranjera · 1.º Bachillerato
Find our projects, activities and course information here. Choose a space below to get started.
Explore the course
Our activities and information, together.
Speaking & interaction
Debates
Explore different perspectives. Read a discussion text and develop your own point of view.
Explore debates Speaking activityImprovisation Challenge
Open our improvisation activity and put your spoken English into practice.
Open challenge Opens in a new tab Course informationAssessment & weighting
Find out how the different parts of the course contribute to your grade.
View assessment Class projectThe Elections
The project directory: sessions, party materials and everything we develop during the campaign.
Enter the project Year-long documentaryVoices of English
The full project guide: chapters, checkpoints, research, teamwork and assessment.
Open project guideOur course keeps growing. New projects and activities will have their own place here throughout the year.
Course information · 1º Bachillerato · 2026–27
Assessment & weighting.
Your assessment breakdown for each of the six assessment periods in Comunicación Oral en Lengua Extranjera I.
Language, society & identity
- Oral interaction
- 30%
- Listening
- 30%
- Voices of English
- 20%
- Language & Culture
- 15%
- Portfolio
- 5%
One language, many Englishes
- Individual production
- 50%
- Listening
- 30%
- Language & Culture
- 15%
- Portfolio
- 5%
The story of English
- Individual production
- 30%
- Listening
- 30%
- Voices of English
- 20%
- Language & Culture
- 15%
- Portfolio
- 5%
Culture & communication
- Oral interaction
- 50%
- Listening
- 30%
- Language & Culture
- 15%
- Portfolio
- 5%
Find your voice
- Individual production*
- 30%
- Listening
- 30%
- Voices of English
- 20%
- Language & Culture
- 15%
- Portfolio
- 5%
* Includes a short Q&A.
Course infographic
Open original PDF ↗
Class project · Directory
The Elections.
Your starting point for the elections project. Find the sessions and materials you need as the campaign develops.
Campaign Hub
Our first session: understand your party, develop policies and explore possible alliances.
Open sessionManifesto Launch
Campaign Day 1: choose three priorities, launch your manifesto and defend your ideas. Includes party headquarters and a teacher dashboard.
Open campaign day 1Party infographics
Supporting material · Identity, audience, register and policies for all seven parties.
Find your party →Supporting material · Identity, audience, register and policies for all seven parties.
Step by step
Our sessions.
Open a session to see its instructions and work through the activities with your classmates.
New sessions will appear here as the course develops.
The Elections · Party directory
Meet the parties.
Seven parties, seven perspectives. Open your party’s infographic to read its identity, audience, register and six key policies. Select any image to view it full size.
Digital Tomorrow
Experience Matters
Learning Together
New Generation
Our Community
The Everyday Voice
Working Life
English in action
Less watching.
More talking.
A place for speaking activities, challenges and classroom games.
More activities will be added throughout the course.
Speaking project · First session
Campaign Hub.
Know your party. Defend your ideas. Find common ground.
Work in English, use keywords for notes and respect your party’s register.
- Goal
- Explain your party’s ideas and find common ground.
- Work with
- Your party, then representatives from other parties.
- Timing
- 5-minute meeting rounds · 30-second final statement.
- By the end
- Notes, two new policies, a possible ally and an oral statement.
New GenerationExperience MattersWorking LifeDigital TomorrowLearning TogetherOur CommunityThe Everyday Voice
01Meet your party
Look at your party’s infographic and briefly discuss it together.
- Who do you represent?
- What register should you use?
- What do your six policies mean?
Make sure everyone understands the party before moving on.
02Choose your main idea
Agree on the central idea that represents your party. Then share it with the other parties.
Our party mainly believes that…
03Know your six policies
Discuss these four questions for each of your six policies. Write keywords only.
- WHAT? What are we proposing?
- WHY? Why do we think it is necessary?
- WHO? Who would benefit?
- CHALLENGE? What might another party question or disagree with?
Everyone should be able to explain the policies in their own words.
04Create two new policies
Suggest different ideas, discuss them and reach a consensus on two new policies.
- Do they fit your party’s identity?
- Do they address the needs of the people you represent?
- Can you explain and defend them?
Listen to everyone’s suggestions before deciding together.
05Political speed meetings
Split up and meet representatives from other parties. Each round lasts five minutes. Follow your teacher’s instructions for changing partners.
- Explain your proposals and ask about theirs.
- Find something you agree on.
- Explore a disagreement or a question.
- Discuss whether cooperation could work.
Keep brief notes: Party · Agreement · Problem · Possible cooperation
06Back to headquarters
Return to your party. Everyone reports what they discovered in their meetings.
- Which party could be your best ally?
- Why would that alliance make sense?
- Which policies could you work on together?
Use what you learned in the meetings to reach a group decision.
07Your campaign statement
Finish with a 30-second campaign statement to the class.
- Who are you?
- What do you stand for?
- What should people remember about your party?
Your statement should sound like YOUR party. Use the appropriate register.
Year-long documentary project
Voices of English.
One community · Three chapters · One documentary.
The complete guide to developing your project across the school year.
5 teams3 groups of 5 + 2 groups of 6
3 chaptersEach spans two evaluations
5+ minutesNew material every evaluation
20%In evaluations 2, 4 and 6
Evaluations 1, 3 and 5 are formative checkpoints. Evaluations 2, 4 and 6 complete each chapter and are assessed. Everyone must have an identifiable spoken contribution in every evaluation.
Your chapters & tasks
Open the chapter you are working onChapter 1 · Community & Identity
CHAPTER 1 · EVALUATIONS 1–2
Guiding question: WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE, AND HOW DOES IDENTITY SHAPE THEIR ENGLISH?
EVALUATION 1 · MEET THE COMMUNITY
• Where is the community located? • Who are the people / what defines the community? • What role does English play there? • Which facts are essential before we go deeper? • Why is this community worth following?
EVALUATION 2 · LANGUAGE & IDENTITY
• Age / generation differences • Social or professional variation • Formal vs informal language when relevant • Slang / identity markers that genuinely matter • One concrete example of language expressing identity
By the end of E2, Chapter 1 should feel complete: community + identity, ready to move into how the variety sounds.
Chapter 2 · Voice & History
CHAPTER 2 · EVALUATIONS 3–4
Guiding question: WHAT DOES THEIR ENGLISH SOUND LIKE — AND WHY DID IT DEVELOP THAT WAY?
EVALUATION 3 · HOW THEY SPEAK
• Accent vs dialect — be precise
• 2–3 pronunciation features worth noticing
• Vocabulary / expressions that genuinely matter
• Standard vs local variation
• One short authentic language sample
EVALUATION 4 · THE STORY OF THEIR ENGLISH
• Where did English in this community come from?
• Migration, colonisation, contact or political change
• Which other languages influenced it?
• Link historical causes to features from E3
• Finish by connecting history, sound and identity
E3 and E4 each add at least 5 minutes of NEW material. By the end of E4, Chapter 2 should be complete and coherent.
Chapter 3 · Culture & Communication
CHAPTER 3 · EVALUATIONS 5–6
Guiding question: HOW DO CULTURE AND SOCIAL CONVENTIONS AFFECT COMMUNICATION?
EVALUATION 5 · BEYOND THE WORDS
• Politeness and ways of requesting / refusing / disagreeing • Small talk and conversational expectations • Directness vs indirectness when relevant • Tone, gestures, eye contact or personal space
EVALUATION 6 · WHAT CAN WE LEARN?
• One realistic intercultural misunderstanding • How could it be avoided? • What can outsiders learn from this community? • Build the final conclusion of the documentary • Prepare for the live Q&A / defence
E5 and E6 each add at least 5 minutes of NEW material. Talk about tendencies and conventions — not stereotypes about what “everyone” is like.
Before you submit
Submission checklist
BEFORE EACH CHECKPOINT
Use this before every project checkpoint — formative or assessed.
- We answer the guiding question for the active chapter.
- We added at least 5 minutes of new material.
- We selected the most relevant information — not everything we found.
- Our claims come from reliable sources and the source log is updated.
- Every member has an identifiable spoken contribution.
- Nobody is simply reading a full script.
- The English is clear enough to understand without subtitles.
- Images / clips support the explanation rather than distract from it.
- The segment has a clear beginning, development and ending.
- We checked audio, titles and credits before exporting.
If you cannot tick a box honestly, the chapter is not ready yet.
Checkpoints, assessment & final documentary
What happens in each evaluation?
PROJECT CHECKPOINTS
Every evaluation adds 5+ minutes. Only E2, E4 and E6 are graded as Project Documentary (20%).
≥ 5 MINUTES / EVAL
Add at least five minutes of NEW documentary material in every evaluation.
EVERYONE SPEAKS
All 5/6 members need an identifiable spoken contribution in each evaluation.
SOURCES INCLUDED
Keep the source log updated and credit information, images and external media used.
E1 / E3 / E5: 5+ minutes of progress for formative feedback. E2 / E4 / E6: add 5+ more minutes, complete the chapter and submit it for assessment.
Feedback from each checkpoint should visibly improve the completed chapter.
What will matter in the project?
ASSESSMENT
Project Documentary = 20% in Evaluations 2, 4 and 6.
CONTENT & RESEARCH
Accurate, relevant information supported by reliable sources.
ORAL COMMUNICATION
Clear, natural and understandable spoken English.
ORGANISATION
A segment with a clear purpose, progression and ending.
LANGUAGE & CULTURE
Relevant linguistic / sociocultural explanation for that stage.
TEAMWORK
The group works as one documentary, not separate mini-presentations.
INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTION
Your own spoken contribution is visible and identifiable.
Each assessed chapter should show clear improvement from the previous checkpoint.
Build the final documentary
EVALUATION 6 · FINAL ASSESSED CHAPTER
E6 completes Chapter 3 and the whole documentary. The project counts for 20% of the evaluation.
REWATCH
Review all feedback.
IMPROVE
Correct weak explanations, pronunciation, sources or visuals.
CONNECT
Add transitions between the three chapters.
UNIFY
Make titles, audio, visuals and credits consistent.
CONCLUDE
Record a strong final conclusion.
DEFEND
Live Q&A: be ready to answer without a script.
Final documentary: approximately 30 minutes of polished material + live defence / Q&A of about 5–8 minutes per group.
The final evaluation rewards integration and improvement. You may trim repetition, but the three chapters must remain complete and coherent.
Help when you need it
Start here · team, community & first session
10 strong options · Part 1
CHOOSE YOUR COMMUNITY
Each team ranks its top three choices; the teacher approves the final distribution.
1. Scotland
Scottish English · Scots · Gaelic contact
2. Ireland
Hiberno-English · Irish influence
3. Jamaica
Jamaican English · Creole · identity
4. Nigeria
Nigerian English · Pidgin · multilingualism
5. India
Indian English · multilingual contact · colonial history
Choose a community with enough reliable sources, history, linguistic variation and cultural material.
10 strong options · Part 2
CHOOSE YOUR COMMUNITY
Only five communities will be selected, so groups will not all work on the same topic.
6. Singapore
Singapore English / Singlish · multilingual society
7. South Africa
Multiple English varieties · language contact
8. Australia
Australian English · identity · regional/social variation
9. New Zealand
New Zealand English · Māori influence
10. African American English (USA)
History · identity · sound · social meaning
Your first choice is not guaranteed: the final distribution must keep the five documentaries varied.
Set up the team properly
STEP 1
Five teams: three groups of 5 and two groups of 6.
1 · SHARED SPACE
One folder for research, source log, outlines, recordings, visuals and final exports.
2 · SOURCE LOG
Record every useful source from the beginning. Do not rebuild the bibliography at the end.
3 · FLEXIBLE ROLES
Research, presenting, editing, fact-checking and visuals can rotate between evaluations.
4 · EVERYONE SPEAKS
Every member must have an identifiable spoken contribution in every evaluation.
5 · EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS
No “editor-only” student. You should understand the chapter and be able to answer questions.
Roles organise the work; they do not remove anyone’s responsibility to research, speak and understand.
Your first project session
START HERE
Do not leave class with “we’ll decide later”. Leave with a concrete plan.
1
CONFIRM THE TEAM
Know exactly who your 5/6 members are.
2
RANK 3 COMMUNITIES
Choose your top three options from the approved list.
3
GET APPROVAL
The teacher confirms the final community for each team.
4
CREATE THE SHARED SPACE
Folder + source log + working document.
5
ANSWER 3 BASIC QUESTIONS
Where? Who? What role does English play?
6
SELECT E1 IDEAS
Choose what the audience genuinely needs to know.
7
ASSIGN SPOKEN PARTS
Everyone needs a real contribution.
8
SET A MINI-DEADLINE
Decide what must be ready before the next project lesson.
One community · Three chapters · Six evaluations · One documentary
Research, plan & record
The workflow for every evaluation
REPEATABLE PROCESS
Use the same cycle every time so the project stays manageable.
1
RESEARCH
Find reliable information
2
SELECT
Choose the strongest ideas
3
OUTLINE
Build a clear story
4
REHEARSE
Practise explaining
5
RECORD
Speak clearly and naturally
6
EDIT
Make it easy to follow
7
SUBMIT
Include sources & credits
8
IMPROVE
Use feedback next time
Do not start by recording. A strong chapter begins with a clear idea of what the audience should understand.
Reliable information matters
RESEARCH
The documentary is oral, but the content still has to be trustworthy.
GOOD PLACES TO START
Official institutions Universities / academic projects Museums / archives Reputable media Dictionaries / language resources
CHECK BEFORE USING
Who created it? Is the date relevant? Can the claim be verified elsewhere? Is it fact, interpretation or opinion?
KEEP A SOURCE LOG
Title / organisation Link What you used it for Image / clip source Final credits
Do not build a chapter from one random website, a single TikTok or an AI-generated summary.
Research → understand → select → explain in your own words.
What should 5+ minutes look like?
FROM RESEARCH TO VIDEO
An evaluation segment needs a clear message — not a spoken list of facts.
HOOK
Give the audience a reason to listen.
KEY IDEA 1
Explain one important point.
KEY IDEA 2
Add a second idea that moves the story forward.
REAL EXAMPLE
Use a map, clip, quote, image or language sample.
WHY IT MATTERS
Explain what the audience should understand.
CLOSING / TRANSITION
Finish clearly and lead into what comes next.
The 5-minute minimum is not a target to fill with extra facts: every minute should have a purpose.
The speaking matters more than the editing
ORAL QUALITY
This is an Oral Communication project — the video is the vehicle, not the objective.
ENGLISH ONLY
All spoken content must be in English.
NO READING
Prepare carefully, but do not read a full script.
EXPLAIN
Understand it well enough to explain it in your own words.
BE CLEAR
Pace, volume and intonation must support understanding.
EVERYONE SPEAKS
Every member needs an identifiable contribution.
BE NATURAL
Avoid flat, memorised delivery.
RE-RECORD
If the audio or delivery is weak, record it again.
OWN YOUR PART
Be ready to answer questions about your section.
A beautiful edit cannot compensate for weak spoken communication.
Keep production simple and effective
VIDEO & EDITING
You are not being asked to become professional filmmakers.
CLEAR AUDIO
The voice must always be easy to hear.
READABLE VISUALS
Use titles, maps, images and keywords that can be understood quickly.
SHORT EXTERNAL CLIPS
Only use extracts when they genuinely help explain something.
CONSISTENT STYLE
Use similar titles, fonts and transitions across the three chapters.
MUSIC = SECONDARY
Background music must never compete with the speaker.
CREDITS & SOURCES
Credit information, images and external media at the end.
Simple + clear + coherent beats complicated + flashy + difficult to follow.
Project overview & year roadmap
VOICES OF ENGLISH
COMUNICACIÓN ORAL EN LENGUA EXTRANJERA I
Year-long documentary project
COMMUNITY
IDENTITY
SOUND
HISTORY
CULTURE
One community · Three chapters · One documentary
27 students · 5 teams · 6 evaluations
1º Bachillerato · 2026–2027
The project at a glance
PROJECT OVERVIEW
What you will build across the whole school year.
27
STUDENTS
5 teams: 3 groups of 5 + 2 groups of 6
1
COMMUNITY
The same community / variety all year
3
CHAPTERS
Each chapter is developed across exactly two evaluations
≥5
MIN / EVAL
At least 5 minutes of new documentary material every evaluation
PROJECT WEIGHT: 20% IN EVALUATIONS 2, 4 AND 6
One project developed progressively: E1/E3/E5 are formative checkpoints; E2/E4/E6 complete each chapter and are assessed.
Three chapters across six evaluations
HOW THE YEAR WORKS
Each chapter lasts two evaluations. Every evaluation adds a new 5+ minute segment.
EVALUATION 1
EVALUATION 2
EVALUATION 3
EVALUATION 4
EVALUATION 5
EVALUATION 6
CHAPTER 1 · COMMUNITY & IDENTITY
E1: Meet the Community · E2: Language & Identity
CHAPTER 2 · VOICE & HISTORY
E3: How They Speak · E4: The Story of Their English
CHAPTER 3 · CULTURE & COMMUNICATION
E5: Beyond the Words · E6: What Can We Learn?
Minimum by the end of each chapter: 10 minutes of new material (5+ minutes in each evaluation).
E1 / E3 / E5 = formative development and feedback. E2 / E4 / E6 = completed chapter submission worth 20%. Across the year: at least 30 minutes of documentary material.
One community, three big questions
THE BIG IDEA
Each chapter explores the same community from a different angle. Each chapter contains two evaluation segments.
1
COMMUNITY & IDENTITY
Who are these people — and how does identity shape their English?
E1 · Meet the Community E2 · Language & Identity
2
VOICE & HISTORY
What does their English sound like — and why did it develop that way?
E3 · How They Speak E4 · The Story of Their English
3
CULTURE & COMMUNICATION
How do culture and social conventions affect communication?
E5 · Beyond the Words E6 · What Can We Learn?
All the information from the original guide is available here. Download the PowerPoint above for the original slides.
Speaking · Listening · Different perspectives
Debates.
Open a debate to read the text. Think about your opinion and listen to other points of view.
01Is English slang changing Spanish for the better?
A recent British Council study shows that English is becoming part of the everyday language of Spanish teenagers. Words such as cringe, random, glow up, mood, GOAT and POV are now common in conversations, especially on social media, in gaming and in digital content.
Teenagers do not simply copy English words. They often adapt them to Spanish and give them new meanings or uses. Expressions such as stalkear, trolear, hacer ghosting or estar de chill are examples of this mixture.
According to the study, these expressions can help young people express themselves, build their identity and feel part of a group.
But is this making Spanish richer, or are we using too much English?