Here candidates are given a text or texts to read aloud, following a few minutes preparation. This is a controversial task. Research suggests it is not conducive to effective language learning (see Module 8, section 8.4.1). With regard to testing, it is very dependent on a candidate's reading ability and, since it can fairly easily be developed through coaching, it would not seem to have much to do with someone's speaking ability. However, it is an easy task to set up and mark, and is very effective in assessing students' pronunciation, intonation and their ability to recognize appropriate stress within and across sentences. In a language with variable stress patterns, such as Russian, it can also serve as a good test of knowledge of stress at word level. Other than for these purposes, it is not to be recommended as an oral assessment instrument as it is susceptible to interference between the skills of reading and speaking. Furthermore, even between native speakers there would be major differences in performance on a task such as this, suggesting it is not the ideal task for FL learners.