Practice makes…?

The aims of this chapter are to present the findings of research conducted on the subject of student perceptions as to what is and isn’t effective pre-oral exam practice. The research indicates what students consider to be beneficial, what they find less useful and their overall feelings about oral assessment, while also highlighting the key differences in what we as teachers perceive as beneficial and what learners actually feel is helpful to them when preparing for a speaking test. Also discussed is the concept of awareness, in terms of the degree to which activities such as presenting grading criteria and grading each other’s speaking practice actually help learners to enhance their performance.