English Speaking Board (International) Ltd

Category: Learning

  • Easier to use ESB Speech Specifications

    ESB has taken steps to improve its Speech Specifications for 2022 in response to listening to new centres and the information they find helpful. The speech specifications which have been refreshed include Pre-entry to Level 3 (Grade 8) assessments.

    The improvements include:

    • A new page detailing the benefits of improving learners’ oracy skills, the benefits our assessments can have in terms of curriculum design, and the benefits of our group-based assessments.
    • A new page describing the skills and advantages afforded by each section of the qualification including presenting, reading aloud and critical reviews.
    • A link to a sample selection of resources (with more resources to follow as we develop them).
    • An updated page showing how each qualification links to the National Curriculum, with links that direct the reader to the specific segment of the National Curriculum.
    • Clarification on the use of ‘Standard English’ in ESB International assessments.
    • Updated Assessment Overview pages, with clearer, more contemporary and relevant example topics.
    • Updated and simplified information on Assessment and Grading, providing more clarity on weighting, reports and certificates.
    • Our pathways specifications have been redesigned to make them easier to navigate.

    We want to make our assessments as easy as possible to deliver and these Speech Specifications’ improvements should give teachers a clearer starting point as they embark on teaching ESB Speech Assessments to their learners. Our purpose is to support all learners to possess the oracy skills they need in order to achieve their aspirations. Our new Specifications are the first step to giving learners the opportunities to develop and demonstrate their Oracy skills and build their confidence to lead full and productive lives.

    ESB Chief Assessor, Ben Jackson

    The full list of qualifications with new specifications are:

    ESB Pre-Entry Level Award in Speech

    ESB Entry Level Award in Speech (Entry 1)

    ESB Entry Level Award in Speech (Entry 2)

    ESB Entry Level Award in Speech (Entry 3)

    ESB Level 1 Award in Speech (Grade 1)

    ESB Level 1 Award in Speech (Grade 2) – Speech for Employability

    ESB Level 1 Award in Speech (Grade 2) – Speech to Perform

    ESB Level 1 Award in Speech (Grade 2) – Speech to Inform

    ESB Level 1 Award in Speech (Grade 2) – Speech to Connect

    ESB Level 1 Award in Speech (Grade 3)

    ESB Level 2 Certificate in Speech (Grade 4) – Speech for Employability

    ESB Level 2 Certificate in Speech (Grade 4) – Speech to Perform

    ESB Level 2 Certificate in Speech (Grade 4) – Speech to Inform

    ESB Level 2 Certificate in Speech (Grade 4) – Speech to Connect

    ESB Level 2 Certificate in Speech (Grade 5a Drama Focus)

    ESB Level 2 Certificate in Speech (Grade 5b Presentation Focus)

    ESB Level 3 Certificate in Speech (Grade 6)

    ESB Level 3 Certificate in Speech (Grade 8)

    Interested in our Speech qualifications? There is no time like the present, so don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today! Read about the qualifications that we have on offer here, or alternatively if you simply wish to have an informal chat about our qualifications, please contact a member of the Product Development Team at product@esbuk.org.

  • We are recruiting for a Trustee/Director

    Do you share our passion for empowering all individuals to possess the oracy and English Language skills they need to achieve their aspirations?

    We are seeking a dynamic and highly motivated individual to join our Board of Trustees/Board of Directors, ensuring the organisation’s good governance and strategic direction.

    The ideal candidate will have direct experience in government funded education (primary, secondary, Further Education, special schools) as well as a keen understanding of governance.

    For further details about this role and for information on how to apply, please see our advertisement.

    We encourage you to contact our Chief Executive, Tina Renshaw, if you are interested in this position.

    Closing date: Friday the 11th of June.

  • Tributes to Joan Blackham

    One of English Speaking Board’s longest-standing assessors Joan Blackham has sadly passed away.

    Away from ESB, Joan was an experienced character actress working in film, television and theatre alongside household names like John Thaw, Patricia Hodge, Jemma Redgrave and Kenneth Williams. She starred in the original West End production of Calendar Girls and as Eleanor Roosevelt in the film Battle for Sevastopol. She also featured in the hit movie Bridget Jones’s Diary, as well as many, many popular TV series.

    When she wasn’t on stage or in front of the camera, Joan’s other great love was being an ESB assessor. She specialised in assessing learners with Special Educational Needs and was recognised as a true professional.

    Joan’s ESB colleague and friend Bunty Gulliford recalls:

    Joan was born in Wolverhampton in 1946, and later in life became involved with ESB as an assessor. All who worked with her knew what a very dedicated and professional assessor she was. She loved the work and didn’t want to commit herself to any other form of assessing. She was a feisty lady with a heart of gold.

    Her brilliant affinity with learners was very much in evidence just last March when she assessed at a long-standing ESB centre, Foxes Academy, in the seaside town of Minehead. Foxes is an incredibly special place which aims to equip young adults with learning difficulties to find sustainable employment and to live independently.

    Joan Is pictured with John Thaw. They starred together in Home to Roost with Joan playing John’s home help Fiona.

     

    “Joan made quite an impression”, says Bunty.

    The teachers were all delighted and commented on Joan’s dedication and genuine interest in all the learners. All of us who worked with her shall miss her and anyone who met her was a better person for having known her. R.I.P. dear Joan – thank you for your fun ‘WhatsApp’ videos during lockdown, which kept us all so amused. Thank you for your genuine interest in life, truth and humanity! You will be sorely missed.

    ESB’s Chief Executive Tina Renshaw, also fondly remembers Joan;

    I was privileged to spend time over dinner with Joan at our Annual Training weekend in 2019. I so admired her sense of self, her love of her craft of acting but also her absolute and fierce commitment to assessing those who have additional and sometimes significant learning needs.

    “When we were all in the depths of lockdown, I wrote to our assessors offering a poem by Betjeman to nourish our souls. Joan thanked me for sharing a poem new to her and for introducing her to an onomatopoeic word that she didn’t know! That for me was the Joan I admired, open and honest to things new, committed and loyal to things precious to her. Thank you, Joan, for all your work for ESB, we honour your memory and your contribution to our ESB learners and family.

  • ESB Launches New Speech Pathways

    We are delighted to announce that our ESB Level 2 Certificate in Speech (Grade 4) qualification has been updated and you can start booking today! The qualification now gives more options to explore oracy in the classroom. Learners can develop their oracy skills in a way that suits them, playing to their strengths and interests.

    Mr Carl Bennett with the learners of Ellis Guilford who participated in the 2019 ESB Level 2 Certificate in Speech (Grade 4) Pathways pilot.

    We have now implemented the following new Pathways to give greater flexibility to your learners – read about them below:

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    What do Learners and Teachers think of our new Pathways…

    To put our new Pathways to the test, we piloted them in 10 centres with over 300 learners and the results were impressive! These Pathways retain our core values that makes ESB an enjoyable learning experience, but add a new format of assessment with new learning outcomes. For each Pathway, learners improved their oracy skills in almost every category.

    Improves Communication Skills

    Teachers observed that an overwhelming 50% of learners felt that their communication skills had improved after their Pathways qualification, and there was a 44% increase increase in the number of learners who felt they became more competent in delivering short speeches and presentations.

    Boosts Employability

    The Speech for Employability proved a great success with participating schools. 75% of learners left feeling their communications in mock employment scenarios were ‘good’ or ‘very good’ – a dramatic improvement on just the 25% who felt they were at this level before the qualification.

    Mapped to the National Curriculum

    Our Level 2 (Grade 4) Pathways are designed to match the National Curriculum requirements in Spoken English at Key Stage 3 and 4. Teachers from the participating schools saw a dramatic increase in learners achieving the following KS3 criteria: discussing language and meaning, expressing own ideas and high competency in using Standard English competently.

    Personal Development

    The Pathways help teachers deliver Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education, as well as the promotion of citizenship and British values. They also contribute learners’ Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) development. The results prove that ESB qualifications benefit every learner, regardless of ability. In the Speech to Inform qualification, the number of learners who felt they had “bad” communication skills dropped by 50% after they had completed their assessment.

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    • Curriculum for Wales – The Pathways allow learners to meet the Statutory Oracy Requirements at Key Stages 3 and 4.
    • The Irish Curriculum – The Pathways meet the statutory communication related requirements for Language and Literature (English and Media) and Skills and Capabilities at Key Stages 3 and 4.

    We’re really excited to give your learners’ even more choice. They are available to book now!