Test of Oral Communication
The oral Norwegian test (level A1-B2) tests how well you speak Norwegian. The test is taken in pairs, so that two candidates take it together. The oral test is also called Test of Oral Communication.
You must choose a level
When signing up for the oral test, you need to choose a level. You can choose between these levels:
- level A1-A2 (the easiest level)
- level A2-B1 (intermediate level)
- level B1-B2 (difficult level)
On the oral test, you can get a lower result than the level of the test you have chosen. You may also get a higher result.
If the examiner thinks that you have a chance of getting a higher level than the test you signed up for, you may get an extra question from the level above.
If you are taking Norwegian classes, you should ask your teacher for advice on which level to choose. You may complete this self-evaluation form (in Norwegian) and show it to your teacher (Word).
If you are not taking Norwegian classes, you can use the online tool Nivåvelger (in Norwegian) to help you find the best test for you (choose "muntlig" at the top of the page).
Studying examples of oral tasks at different levels (in Norwegian only) and practicing these yourself may also help you choose the right level. You may also read about what characterises the different language levels.
You will speak alone and with another candidate
You will normally take the test with another test-taker (another candidate). This is called “paired exam”.
There are some individual tasks, where you will speak alone. One of the tasks is a conversation, and you will speak with the other candidate.
What does the test measure?
The oral test tests only how well you speak Norwegian, not your knowledge of the topics in the test. The tasks in the test are about topics that all adults are familiar with, such as family, school, and work.
The oral test tests:
- if you can give a comprehensible answer to the task questions,
- different aspects of the language you use: fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar.
Task types in the oral test
Introduce yourself briefly
- This is an individual task.
- Introduce yourself. You decide yourself what information to include.
- This task is always the same.
- You will speak for 1-2 minutes.
Describe a picture
- This is an individual task.
- You will see a picture with several people and various things happening. You will talk about what you see in the picture and what the people are doing.
- You may be asked follow-up questions.
- You will speak for 2-3 minutes.
Have a conversation about a topic
- This is a conversation task. Two candidates will speak with each other.
- The examiner asks a question about an everyday topic, such as school, leisure, job, family, food, the weather, etc.
- You may be asked follow-up questions.
- You will speak for 2-3 minutes.
Talk about a topic
- This is an individual task.
- The examiner will ask you a question about an everyday topic, such as school, leisure, job, family, food, the weather, etc.
- You may be asked follow-up questions.
- You will speak for 2-3 minutes.
Talk about a topic
- This is an individual task.
- The examiner will ask you a question about an everyday topic, such as school, leisure, job, family, food, the weather, etc.
- You may be asked follow-up questions.
- You will speak for 2-3 minutes.
Have a conversation about a topic
- This is a conversation task. Two candidates will speak with each other.
- You will be asked a question or given an issue to talk about.
- You may be asked follow-up questions.
- You will speak for 5-7 minutes in all.
State your opinion on a topic and give reasons for your views
- This is an individual task.
- The examiner will ask you a question or give you an issue that you give your opinion on.
- You must give reasons for your views.
- You may be asked follow-up questions.
- You will speak for 2-3 minutes.
State your opinion on a topic and give reasons for your views
- This is an individual task.
- The examiner will ask you a question or give you an issue that you give your opinion on.
- You should give reasons for your views.
- You may be asked follow-up questions.
- You will speak for 2-3 minutes.
Exchange opinions on a topic and give reasons for your views
- This is a conversation task. Two candidates will speak with each other.
- You will be asked a question or given an issue that you will talk about and exchange views on.
- You should give reasons for your views.
- You will not be asked follow-up questions.
- You will speak for 5-7 minutes in all.
Take a position on an issue and defend your views
- This is an individual task.
- The examiner will give you a statement, and you will agree or disagree and give reasons for your position.
- The statement will be read out, and you can read it yourself. Then you can have a few minutes to reflect and note key words.
- In this task, you will first talk independently about the statement for 2-3 minutes. Then the examiner will ask follow-up questions for 2-3 minutes.
- You will speak for 4-6 minutes in all.
The test takes less than half an hour
The oral test lasts approximately 20-25 minutes. This means that the test will be over within half an hour.
A rater decides your test result
The oral communication test is assessed by a rater, who is present at the test centre during the examination.
The examiner also takes part in the assessment, but the rater decides the result.
Both raters and examiners are trained in language assessment, so that they know how to evaluate an oral test.
Raters base their results on an assessment form which describes the levels A1-B2.
If you should want to, you have the right to see your evaluation form after getting your result. You can then see which level you were given for different aspects of your language (fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar). The test centre will store the assessment form for a year after the test. You can contact the test centre and ask for a copy of the form.