Oral assessments are a dynamic method of evaluating student learning. Unlike traditional written assignments and exams, they allow students to articulate their knowledge, engage in critical thinking, and demonstrate their communication skills in real-time. This resource provides an introduction to oral assessments offering practical tips to implementing fair, inclusive, and effective assessments that promote deep learning.

This resource focusses on implementing oral assessments as an integrated and purposeful assessment of all students in a course. It does not cover the Interview on Assessment procedure used at the University of Newcastle to verify the verify the author of submitted material and provide a quality assurance measure for assessment tasks. Guidance on this type of assessment interview is available in the Interview on Assessment Items Procedure.

Some of the more common types of oral assessments include:

• Presentations: Students present on a prepared topic, which can be done individually or in groups, either live or recorded. This format allows for the demonstration of knowledge and communication skills.

• Interviews: These can be structured or unstructured discussions where assessors gauge a student’s knowledge or skills through direct questioning.

• Simulations: Students demonstrate skills in a controlled setting, such as role-playing a client interaction or demonstrating a practical skill and explaining the process, allowing assessors to evaluate the practical application of knowledge.

• Question and Answer Sessions: These involve direct questioning from instructors or peers, allowing for immediate assessment of understanding and thought processes.

• Case Presentations: Students analyse and present a case study, demonstrating their ability to apply theoretical knowledge to practical scenarios.

• Viva Voce / Oral Defence: A formal oral examination, often conducted at the postgraduate level, where students respond to questions from examiners about their research or thesis.

Oral assessments often do not fit into any one of the above categories, but instead integrate a number of approaches. For example, practical demonstrations of a skill in the medical field including structured or unstructured questions by the marker to gain an understanding of the student’s underlying knowledge. Or a formal presentation followed by a ‘question and answer’ session.

Oral assessments may be linked to submission of a written or physical artefact. For example, in Architecture it is common to present about a model the student developed and then answer critical questions from a panel of knowledgeable reviewers. In other fields students may present a written summary of a case study, treatment plan or business proposal and then engage in a discussion or role play on their written artefact.

For a more extensive list of types of oral assessments see ‘Types of Oral Assessments’ by Elkhoury (2023).

Generate Ideas for Interactive Orals 

Copy and paste the below prompt into copilot to generate ideas for interactive oral assessments. These ideas are derived from the concept that the assessment would run as one-on-one, interactive conversations that simulate an authentic or real-world situation. See Griffith University’s Interactive Oral resource for more information.