How do you prepare and deliver a formal spoken-language presentation that earns the AQA endorsement?
Using spoken Standard English and an appropriate register for a formal presentation (AO9), including controlling formality, vocabulary and grammar for the audience and purpose of the talk.
How to use spoken Standard English and the right register for the AQA GCSE English Language Spoken Language endorsement: controlling formality, vocabulary and grammar to suit a formal audience and purpose (AO9).
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What this dot point is asking
The endorsement requires you to use spoken Standard English throughout, in both the presentation and the questions. AO9 rewards using Standard English effectively and choosing a register appropriate to the formal context. The transferable skill is controlling formality, vocabulary and grammar so your spoken language fits the audience and purpose, the spoken counterpart of matching register in writing.
What Standard English means
So "we were going" rather than "we was going", and avoiding slang such as "gonna" or "innit", while keeping your natural accent. The endorsement is about register and grammar, not pronunciation.
Match the register to a formal context
Pitch the formality to your audience and purpose, just as you match form and audience in viewpoint writing. The same register-awareness you use in writing transfers directly to speech.
Keep it natural
Formal does not mean robotic. Aim for clear, grammatical, slang-free speech that still sounds like you. Over-formal, scripted delivery undercuts both AO7 and AO9, so practise speaking in a controlled but natural register. The goal is the register of a confident speaker addressing a serious audience, not the stiffness of someone reciting. Common non-standard forms to convert in advance include "we was" to "we were", "could of" to "could have", and double negatives ("didn't do nothing" to "didn't do anything"), since these are the grammar slips that most often pull a register down.
Try this
Q1. Does using Standard English mean changing your accent? [2 marks]
- Cue. No; it means using conventional grammar and vocabulary without slang, while keeping your natural accent.
Q2. Name two things to avoid to keep a formal register. [2 marks]
- Cue. Slang and fillers such as "gonna", "like" or "you know"; keep complete, grammatical sentences.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AQA 20199 marksSpoken Language endorsement (Component 3), spoken Standard English. Throughout your presentation and the questions that follow, use spoken Standard English and a register appropriate to the formal context. (Assesses AO9.)Show worked answer →
This models the AO9 strand, teacher-assessed and reported as Pass, Merit or Distinction. A Distinction-level candidate uses accurate, conventional grammar (for example "we were", not "we was"), avoids slang and fillers, and pitches a formal but natural register to the audience, sustaining it through both the talk and the questions. Assessors reward consistent Standard English and a well-judged formal register; they place frequent slang, fillers, or non-standard grammar lower. Accent is not assessed: AO9 is about grammar, vocabulary and register, not pronunciation.
AQA 20214 marksExplain what spoken Standard English means and identify two features of speech a candidate should avoid to maintain a formal register.Show worked answer →
A short knowledge question. A strong answer explains that spoken Standard English is the widely accepted form with conventional grammar, free of slang and non-standard dialect forms, and that it does not require changing your accent. The two features to avoid should be precise, for example slang ("gonna", "innit") and fillers ("like", "you know"). Assessors reward the clear definition, the point that accent is not assessed, and accurate identification of features that break a formal register rather than vague advice to "speak properly".
Related dot points
- Preparing and delivering a formal spoken presentation for the Spoken Language endorsement (AO7), including selecting and organising content, sustaining a clear talk and using effective delivery techniques.
How to prepare and deliver the formal presentation for the AQA GCSE English Language Spoken Language endorsement: selecting and organising content, structuring a sustained talk, and using delivery techniques such as pace, eye contact and emphasis (AO7).
- Listening and responding to questions and feedback after the presentation (AO8), including understanding what is asked, answering with developed points and handling unexpected or challenging questions.
How to handle the question-and-answer part of the AQA GCSE English Language Spoken Language endorsement: listening carefully, answering with developed and relevant points, and dealing calmly with unexpected or challenging questions (AO8).
- Identifying tone, mood and register in a text and explaining how a writer's choices create them, across fiction and non-fiction reading questions and for comparison of perspectives.
How to read tone, mood and register for AQA GCSE English Language: telling the three apart, identifying them from a writer's choices, and using them to analyse effect and compare writers' attitudes across both papers.
- Using a range of ambitious vocabulary accurately and spelling correctly for clarity, purpose and effect (AO6), including choosing precise words and securing accurate spelling under exam conditions.
How to build vocabulary and secure spelling for AQA GCSE English Language: choosing precise and ambitious words for effect, spelling accurately under exam conditions, and balancing ambition with control, the second half of AO6.
- Writing non-fiction to present a point of view for the Paper 2 Section B task (AO5 and AO6), including matching form, audience and purpose, building an argument and using rhetorical devices and accuracy.
How to tackle the non-fiction writing task on AQA GCSE English Language Paper 2 Section B: matching form, audience and purpose, structuring a persuasive argument, deploying rhetorical devices for AO5, and securing the 16 accuracy marks for AO6.
Sources & how we know this
- AQA GCSE English Language (8700) specification — AQA (2015)