The Second Language test is an oral and aural test designed to assess your ability to communicate in any of the following languages; French, German, Spanish, Italian, Norwegian and Japanese.
The test can be done either over the phone or in person with a member of staff or a trainer. The assessor will be bilingual and/or have a degree in the chosen language to be tested.
If you are on a course and your trainer is one of the nominated language assessors you may do the test if he/she agrees during your course.
The assessment test usually lasts 10 – 15 minutes and there is a charge of £10 per test. Please Note: This amount will be charged regardless of the result. The office will send you a link so that his fee can be paid for online via your Member Area.
The main topics that will be assessed are based around safety, getting to know your clients and teaching.
Within the safety element of the test (which has the most weighting) you should give as much information as you would expect to give in an emergency situation to the emergency services.
This should include a minimum of:
- Where you are on the mountain
- How many people are involved
- What you suspect the injuries are and how they were incurred
- Give your understanding on the scale of gravity
- You should also be able to explain how and where you would contact the emergency services in the event that mobile phone networks were not available
The test will progress to your ability to relay information to any next of kin or contact persons within the resort. This leads on to getting to know a client, which is gaining information relating to understanding what sort of learner they are and creating a pleasant learning atmosphere with your client whatever their age. People are always ready to talk about themselves and their interests and hobbies so you should be able to ask about these and understand their use for your teaching.
The last part of the test will involve you giving instructions on how to use the fundamental elements to create the manoeuvres within the Central Theme. It will also require you to demonstrate your vocabulary relating to the equipment.
The above are just examples of the type of questions you might be asked.
BASI has developed a module to help give students an idea of what they can expect to be tested on during their second language test. Please note, this module is a help-guide to get students started with some of the vocabulary they’ll need to know. However, knowing these phrases alone will not be enough in order to gain a pass and they must be able to hold a conversation with the examiner. To access this module click here