AFLTA DISTRICT AND STATE CONTEST JUDGING RUBRIC
EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING
Student’s name:
Level (Circle one):
Target Language:
Teacher Letter:
___________________________________________
Elementary
Intermediate Advanced
Heritage
_______________________________
__________
Instructions to judges:
1. Please take a few moments to familiarize yourself with the pictures you have been given and with this rubric
before listening to the first student. This is a competition, but with the overall purpose of helping students to
improve in and become more enthusiastic about their target language.
2. Please allow only one student at a time to enter the room. Take the rubric and verify the student’s name, level,
language, and letter. Do not judge any student who is not wearing a name tag.
3. When you are ready, please ask the student to proceed. Use the rubric below to give your honest professional
opinion of the student’s presentation. If a student hesitates for more than a few seconds following a question
or does not have a response, please ask another question or give a prompts. Students will eventually see their
results, so please feel free --though not obligated-- to provide encouraging comments and advice to help them
improve.
4. For District Contests only: Please keep in mind that we are hoping to send approximately half of today’s
competitors on to state competition. This is in no way a mandate, as some groups may have an unusually high
number of students who deserve to move on --or to be eliminated. It is merely a basic guideline to keep in
mind. Students will need a score of at least 15 in order to advance to state competition.
5. After all students have competed and the allotted competition time window has elapsed, please select the top
three students from your group. Each component of the rubric is initially weighted equally. In the event of a tie
for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place, however, the components are arranged in order of importance to AFLTA, with
pronunciation being the first tie-breaker to consider, content the second, etc. Please do not allow a tie in the
top three spots. Use your discretion to choose the winner. Please give your results to the messenger stationed
outside your room, so that they can be processed.
Results to be filled out by the judge(s):
Pronunciation:
Content:
Responses:
Presentation:
Embellishment:
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
Total Score:
__________
Did this student rank 1st, 2nd, 3rd? If yes, please indicate which:
__________
Comments:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Judge Signature(s): _____________________________________________________________________
SPEAKING
Student’s name:
Level (Circle one):
Target Language:
Teacher Letter:
___________________________________________
Elementary
Intermediate Advanced
Heritage
_______________________________
__________
Results to be filled out by the judge(s): Circle performance levels demonstrated.
4 (Distinguished)
3 (Advanced)
2 (Proficient)
1 (Honorable Mention)
Pronunciation
Student impresses judge with
consistently correct
pronunciation. There is
excellent control over the
correct pronunciation during
the conversation.
Student uses mostly
correct pronunciation,
though a few errors
may occur. There is
competence and good
control over correct
pronunciation.
Student sometimes uses
correct pronunciation, but also
makes many errors. Though
comprehensible, there is only
fair control over correct
pronunciation.
Student seldom uses correct
pronunciation. The
presentation may or may not
be comprehensible, but there is
only weak or poor control over
correct pronunciation.
Content of Initial
Description of
Pictures
Student impresses judge with
consistently relevant
descriptions/narrations of the
pictures/events, as well as
excellent control over use of
appropriate vocabulary for the
situation.
Student uses mostly
appropriate
vocabulary, though a
few errors may occur.
In spite of some
hesitation, there is
competence and good
control of the
language.
Student sometimes uses
appropriate vocabulary, but
also makes many errors.
Though comprehensible, there
is only fair control over
language.( Any student
requiring multiple prompts
from judge in order to continue
should be automatically placed
in the “2” or “1” category.
Student seldom uses correct
vocabulary and only exhibits
weak or poor control over
language for the situation.
There are very few
comprehensible/correct details
about the pictures/events.
Response to
Questions
Student impresses judge with
consistently relevant answers
to questions and excellent
control of the language.
Student uses mostly
appropriate
vocabulary and
responses, though a
few errors may occur.
In spite of some
hesitation, there is
competence and good
control of the
language.
Student sometimes uses
appropriate vocabulary, but
also makes many errors.
Though comprehensible, there
is only fair control over the
language in answering
questions. (Any student
requiring multiple
restatements of questions or
other prompts from judge
should be automatically placed
in the “2” or “1” category.)
Student seldom gives correct
responses to questions.
Answers may or may not be
comprehensible, and the
student exhibits only weak or
poor control over language for
the situation.
Presentation/
Expression
Student impresses judge with
excellent use of intonation
and expression, indicating a
deep comprehension of the
conversation and confidence
in speaking.
Student uses
intonation and
expression in a
competent way,
demonstrating good
comprehension of the
conversation and some
confidence in speaking.
Student uses intonation and
expression effectively, but may
make some errors, which
reflect only a basic
comprehension of the
conversation and has minimal
confidence in speaking.
Student is mostly unable to use
intonation and expression
effectively during their
presentation, indicating
incomplete comprehension of
the language necessary for the
conversation.
Embellishment/
Range of
Vocabulary
Student impresses judge with
extensive use of vocabulary
that would be considered
advanced for the student’s
level.
Student demonstrates
adequate use of levelappropriate
vocabulary. More
advanced vocabulary is
expressed, but with
doubt or difficulty.
Student uses mostly level
appropriate vocabulary. There
is not much, if any, vocabulary
that would be considered
advanced for the student’s
level.
Student is unable to use
vocabulary that would be
considered level-appropriate.
The student does not attempt
to use advanced vocabulary.