UNIT

Macmillan
English Hub
B1• Intralinguistic Mediation – Speaking 3

Task
A manager in the international company you work for, Mr Scott, is retiring. You and your
colleagues have decided to arrange a weekend break for him in Oxford as a present. Your group
is choosing the hotel. Each member of the group looked at reviews and has to suggest the best
option. Then you will have to decide on one hotel.

Mr Scott will be travelling by train from London, so a central location is preferred. You know he
enjoys good food and likes classic architecture.

Student A (Text 1): You think that price is the most important thing

Student B (Text 2): You think that quality is the most important thing

 Present your choice and explain why you think it is the best option.

Speak for about one minute.

 Discuss and decide which of the options is the best.

Speak for 3–4 minutes.

TEXT 1 (Student A)
1 The Hostel Oxford
8/10 rating
A purpose-built youth hostel, centrally located, a few minutes’ walk from the train station. A functional but
welcoming place, with large rooms and affordable food options. We offer the best value in town.
FROM £14 PER NIGHT

2 Rose Guesthouse Oxford

8/10 rating
Our elegant south Oxford guesthouse is beautifully maintained. It has been in the family since 1978. We
offer a friendly and efficient service and are happy to help with transport to the city centre.
FROM £88 PER NIGHT
3 The Station Grill
8/10 rating
This converted Victorian building offers charm and the best dining experience in town. Our location is
peaceful but centrally located and we are known for our grilled cod.
FROM £142 PER NIGHT
4 The Golden Lion
9/10 rating
A luxury, 40-room hotel in one of Oxford’s most historic buildings. Located next to the oldest university
colleges, we offer both a central location and an award-winning restaurant.
FROM £285 PER NIGHT

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Macmillan
English Hub
B1• Intralinguistic Mediation – Speaking 3

TEXT 2 (Student B)
1 The Bell View Hotel
8/10 rating
Beautiful Edwardian villa in south Oxford, a 45-minute walk to the city centre. Comfortable rooms are big on
personality with original architectural features. Free parking, onsite restaurant and outstanding service.
FROM £65 PER NIGHT

2 The Forbes House Hotel

8/10 rating
Ideal for a short city break, our boutique hotel is located in a converted 17-century house. Spacious rooms,
welcoming staff and within easy walking distance from the city’s university colleges, shops and restaurants.
FROM £169 PER NIGHT

3 Murrayfield Oxford Hotel

8/10 rating
Family-owned, friendly hotel with a beautiful garden and well-equipped, modern rooms. With off-street parking
and a location ideal for business travellers.
FROM £119 PER NIGHT

4 City Centre Backpackers

7/10 rating
A cosy hostel with a big welcome. Central location, friendliest staff, garden and roof terrace. No extras but a great
place to make friends for life.
FROM £16 PER NIGHT

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 UNIT
Macmillan
English Hub
B1• Intralinguistic Mediation – Speaking 3

Teacher’s guide
This activity can be used with lesson Assessment
3.3 Too good to be true but is best Strategies
introduced after the Speaking section. Students will have to make use of different
strategies to perform the mediation task
effectively. In this case, learners will have to:
Lead-in  select or omit information.
Put students into pairs or groups to discuss what  paraphrase information.
information they look for when choosing  use some cultural knowledge (for terms
somewhere to stay. Put their ideas on the board like guesthouse, hostel, Edwardian,
and ask them to rank the features in order of Victorian).
importance. Pre-teach any unfamiliar adjectives in
the examples that are in the reading texts, e.g. The teacher may assess their production by using
cosy probably means small. the rubric provided, bearing in mind the strategies
and descriptors for the level.
For this task:
Lesson notes
 the register should be informal.
1 Ask the students to read the task.
Make sure they understand the context,  the production should reflect the functions
i.e. what their role is in helping Mr Scott, of describing and suggesting/persuading,
his preferences and their priorities. with the appropriate grammar and
vocabulary for the level
2 Give students three minutes to read their
texts individually. Remind them of their  information extracted from the text should
priorities when thinking about the different be adapted to both Mr Scott and the
options. students’ preferences.
3 Allow students time to look back at the
vocabulary for accommodation/facilities on Mediation descriptors (Royal Decree 1041/2017)
Student’s Book page 26.  Mediate between speakers of the target
4 Put students into pairs (Student As paired language or of different languages in
together, Student Bs paired together). Ask habitual (…) situations (…) offering
them to decide on an option that will meet suggestions on possible solutions or ways
Mr Scott’s preferences. of acting.
5 Put students into new pairs (Student As  Summarise short pieces of information
paired with Student Bs). If necessary, pick a from various sources, as well as perform
strong student and do a model of the simple paraphrases of short written
monologue and discussion so students passages using the words and the
understand the speaking order. Students arrangement of the original text.
can then perform the task.  Application of the knowledge, skills and
intercultural attitudes that allow carrying
Reflection out mediation activities in simple everyday
situations: general cultural knowledge;
You can include a follow-up stage that Sociolinguistic conscience.
encourages self-assessment or peer assessment.
 The student knows, can select carefully,
Provide the students with a simple questionnaire.
and apply effectively and with certain
For example:
naturalness, adequate strategies to adapt
Did you think about Mr Scott’s preferences when the texts that must be processed to the
choosing? purpose, the situation, the participants
Did you use the same words from the text? and the communication channel, through
various procedures (e.g. paraphrasing,
circumlocutions, amplification or
condensation of information).

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 UNIT
Macmillan
English Hub
B1• Intralinguistic Mediation – Speaking 3

Oral Intralinguistic Mediation Rubric

PASS
SCORING FAIL PASS TOTAL
WITH MERIT

Range and  Insufficient use of  Sufficient use of the  Wide range of

accuracy vocabulary and vocabulary and the vocabulary and
grammar of the grammar of the grammar of the level
level. level. used.
 Lack of grammatical  Appropriate  Good grammatical
and lexical control. grammatical and and lexical control.
Errors impair lexical control. Very few errors
communication. Errors do not impair occur.
communication.
Coherence and  Unclear and  Clear and coherent  Clear speech and
cohesion incoherent speech speech with overall progression
with insufficient use appropriate though with good use of
of linking limited use of linking linking mechanisms.
mechanisms. mechanisms.
Pronunciation,  A lot of errors in  Pronunciation,  No or very few minor
fluency and pronunciation, fluency and errors in
intonation intonation and intonation are pronunciation,
fluency cause appropriate for the fluency and
difficulties in level, with some intonation.
understanding. errors.
Mediation of the  Does not take into  Selection of the key  Selection of the key
text account the context information taking information taking
and the needs of the into account the into account the
Micro interlocutor in context and the context and the
strategies: selecting needs of the needs of the
 Selection information. interlocutor. Some interlocutor. No
 Summary Relevant points are relevant points might relevant points are
 Paraphrase omitted, and the be omitted, although omitted.
 Streamlining task is not fulfilled. the fulfillment of the  Clearly
 Extension  Unable to task is not hindered. communicates the
 Interpretation communicate the  Communication, with information using all
 Other information using some difficulty, of the micro strategies
the micro strategies the information by required.
required. using the micro
strategies required.
Cultural  Relevant cultural  Any relevant cultural  All relevant cultural
mediation connotations of the connotations in the connotations in the
source text are not source text are source text are
communicated, communicated clearly
impeding although communicated.
understanding. incompletely or with
some omissions.
Register and  The register, length  The register, length,  A very good
task fulfilment and content are not and content are fulfilment of the task
appropriate for the appropriate for the in relation to
interlocutor and/or interlocutor and the register, length, and
the situation. situation. content.
 Unable to mediate  Mediation is carried  Mediation is carried
or significant out with little out with no difficulty.
difficulties doing so. difficulty.

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