The ECPE Speaking Section lets test takers demonstrate their ability to ask and answer questions; orally explain and paraphrase written descriptions of people, places, or things; provide recommendations; negotiate a decision; present a position or decision; and justify a position or decision. The five stages of the test build on each other; as the test progresses, the linguistic and interactional demands become increasingly more challenging.
Here are some articles/vocabulary to study on various topics (Click on the links below):
Vocabulary chunks to learn from this article are highlighted in bold :
STEM education goes beyond school subjects. It gives a skill set that governs the way we think and behave. Merging science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM education helps us to solve the challenges the world faces today. Let’s see what STEM means in the global context and how it influences the development of our society.
Preparation of STEM Experts Who Can Make a Difference
STEMeducation gives people skills that make them more employable and ready to meet the current labor demand. It encompasses a whole range of experiences and skills. Each STEM component brings a valuable contribution to a well-rounded education. Science gives learners an in-depth understanding of the world around us. It helps them to become better at research and critical thinking. Technology prepares young people to work in an environment full of high-tech innovations. Engineering allows students to enhance problem-solving skills and apply knowledge in new projects. Mathematics enables people to analyze information, eliminate errors, and make conscious decisions when designing solutions. STEM education links these disciplines into a cohesive system. Thus, it prepares professionals who can transform society with innovation and sustainable solutions.
The STEM approach to education fosters creativity and divergent thinking alongside fundamental disciplines. It motivates and inspires young people to generate new technologies and ideas. With a focus on practice and innovation, students get to learn from inquiry-based assignments. STEM education gives an understanding of concepts and encourages knowledge application. To keep it short, its aim can be formulated in two simple actions: explore and experience. Students are free to exercise what they learn and embrace mistakes in a risk-free environment. Project-based learning and problem-solving help learners to form a special mindset. Its core is in flexibility and curiosity, which equips learners to respond to real-world challenges.
STEM-Enhanced Teamwork and Communication
STEM education prepares the world for the future. It is based on teamwork and the collaboration of professionals from different disciplines. As a STEM student, you do not need to be an expert in each particular subject. You rather acquire a mindset that enables you to become a part of a highly qualified workforce, which functions in collaboration. Teamwork brings a significant increase in productivity, work satisfaction, and profitability.
Active engagement of experts from diverse fields will drive change in our society. STEM education exposes students to effective interdisciplinary communication. Scientists research and experiment, offering the team discoveries. Technology experts provide gadgets that can make the work of the team more effective. Engineers help to solve challenges by designing and running platforms that enable change. Mathematicians analyze information to eliminate mistakes and provide precise calculations. Our world is continuously changing. The only way we can be ready for its challenges is through communication and collaboration.
Collaborative experience also helps to broaden the impact of STEM education. Working with local experts and our international colleagues, we can promote our values and move towards a single purpose. This way, we improve communities, offering new educational and employment opportunities. Such open access to world-class experience is possible only when we combine our knowledge and capabilities.
Social Awareness
There is a high demand for STEM skills in society. STEM education enables people to make informed decisions within the discussed subject areas. Moreover, STEM awareness is necessary for any job as most industries are more or less connected to science and technology: from an essay writing service and college to a paper company. Thus, such education will allow children to grow into active citizens who can speak up in STEM discussions with sound knowledge of the subject.
STEM awareness promotes interest in a range of exciting careers. Currently, some STEM occupations are understaffed. For example, according to the projections, the U.S. will need 1 million more STEM experts in the near future. Besides, one of the goals of STEM initiatives is to encourage broader participation of women and minorities in the STEM workforce. This allows us to bridge ethnic and gender gaps. We need the engagement and participation of schools, policymakers, parents, students, and educators. This is the only way to continue technological and scientific progress.
Sustainable Solutions to Challenges
STEM subjects are focused on providing solutions to the concerns society has today. Human history had seen years of thoughtless exhaustion of natural resources. Such a lack of environmental education led to numerous challenges. These issues affect the health and well-being of all living organisms on our planet. Our environment needs protection. Thus, sustainability became one of the most urgent aspects studied by STEM disciplines.
The youth is more worried about climate change than the older generation. As statistics show, 70% of young people aged 18 to 34 worry about global warming. STEM education can answer their questions. It can teach them how to find the necessary solutions for sustainable development. Education is a powerful tool that ensures the rise of a STEM-literate society. Well-educated community members can find ways to work in a competitive world. They will use sustainable practices that do not harm nature. In the bigger picture, economic and social progress is tightly connected to the environment. We need to work our way to a sustainable future. Yet, it is possible to accomplish only with STEM skills, experiences, and a multi-disciplinary approach.
To Sum Up
The world we live in is changing, and we must keep pace with it. STEM education changes society by offering learners a new mindset and skills valued in any profession. They allow young people to be flexible, look for patterns, find connections, and evaluate information. Besides, STEM education raises social awareness. It communicates global issues to the general public. Therefore, STEM opportunities move us to a knowledge-based economy and enhanced sustainability literacy.
Functional Language for all 5 stages of the ECPE Speaking test
Stage 2
Student A
Ok let me tell you about my two options
Let’s see…
First, there is …..
It says here….
It also says that…..
The only drawback is ….
That’s all the information I have about the ……..course
Now let me tell you about the other option…
So those are my options, Which one do you think sounds best?
Student B
Well, If I were you, I’d go for the first option you told me about, the…….
Stage 3
Student A
So we need to make our final choice of who we’re going to recommend for the position of….. The candidate/option I chose is…. And the one you chose is… So let’s compare the two
Let’s look at their qualifications… / the location / the price / the facilities
I see what you are saying… but we shouldn’t attach too much importance to academic credentials alone..
The way I see it sometimes (experience)_ can be just as crucial as ,,,,,
Do you think …… is something we should consider when choosing ……
Both of them…..
…… is better at…. This is something we should take into consideration when choosing ….because….
One difference is…
We need someone who is………
So it looks like we’ve decided that …. is our final choice right
It’s a tough choice though, isn’t it?
Planning Stage 4 ( two minutes given – this part is not scored )
Talk together to decide which two bullet points (reasons) each one of you is going to cover and help each other with ideas of how you are going to justify these reasons (supporting details)
Decide who is going to start the presentation. Don’t forget an introduction (Student A) and a conclusion (Student B)
Stage 4
Student A
After careful consideration, we have come to the conclusion that….is the most suitable…. for …….
or
My partner and I were impressed by this option for a number of reasons…
The first reason why we believe X would be the best option is.. This would mean that…. It would benefit our company …..
Equally important is the fact that this…..
A second factor that played a role in our decision is …..
Another advantage is the fact that… More specifically……
And now my partner (name) will continue with 2 more points in favor of…. or
Student B
Apart from the points that ..(your partner’s name)…mentioned there are two other reasons why we selected……
A third factor that played a role in our decision was that ….. what this means is that…..
OR
One more reason why we believe X would be the best choice is…. By this, I mean that…
We also considered it important that……
A final reason is that…. This would certainly be an asset for … OR
The final point we took into account when making our decision was that….
We believe it is important that …. should/can
As we all know…..
We, therefore believe that for all these reasons, the fact that …a …b… c… d… X would certainly be the best choice for… OR
So those were the main reasons that my partner and I would like to recommend that you choose …….. for ….
Stage 5
I understand your concern regarding…..
I do understand what you mean….
It might seem as a problem but the way we see it is…..
That is certainly a potential drawback of this option, I would say, however…. We could…. for example…..
Vocabulary in Chunks 
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