THE C.O.B.E.

- (iTest)
•Computerized
•Oral
•Bagrut
•Exam
Ellyn Marciano 10 /2020 1
 Guidelines for Teachers:
IMPORTANT NOTE!

There are now differences in the assessment criteria and module

numbers for 4 and 5 pointers, so make note of these differences.
Semel She’elon 4 points: 16487 5 points: 16587
Semel She’elon for the PILOT E COBE: 4 points 16486, 5 points
16586 *(Note: For part C, in the pilot, clips include speaking).
The 2019 simulation is available and downloadable from the ministry site, but
be aware that there have been some changes in the exam and it is not entirely
up-to-date. (For one thing…there are fewer questions in each question set).

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 Guidelines for Teachers:
• This presentation is NOT meant to be shown to students in its entirety! Please use as a RESOURCE
and present to your students whatever you feel will be helpful for them. It is NOT recommended to
send this entire presentation directly to your students.

• Focus on VOCABULARY and general responses to a variety of question types. It is not useful or
possible for students to memorize answers to all the questions.

• It IS useful for students to know the structure of the exam and Alfie’s instructions ahead of time. This
will help to reduce stress at the time of the exam.

• It IS useful to give students as much practice as possible with speaking and recording their answers to
a variety of questions from the 10th grade.
(My personal recommendation is to send question clips to students for practice. Ask them to answer
only 2 questions from the set. For weaker students, choose two questions that you have practiced
with. For more advanced students, ask them to choose two questions to answer.)

The expectations in this presentation are GENERALIZATIONS of what students will be expected to
do. For a complete and detailed TOS, please refer to the official ministry Table of Specifications.
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COBE = 20% of your English Bagrut Grade

•20% = Oral Bagrut (COBE)

• 27% Module E* (5 pts) or C (4 pts)
• 26% Module F (5 pts) or D (4 pts): Literature
• 27% Module G (5 pts) or E* (4 pts)

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 THE
E
ABO NTIRE E

THE EXAM HAS 3 PARTS... UT 1

will 0-
XA M
15 M SHOU
com have 3 INUTE LD TAK
plet S
e an 0 minut but yo
d se e u
E
nd t s to
POINTS / TIME WHAT YOU WILL BE he t
est.

EXPECTED TO DO
PART A 25 (2-3 MINUTES*) Listen to and answer questions
about FAMILIAR TOPICS and
*for listening AND answering EVERYDAY SITUATIONS:

PART B 25 (1-2 MINUTES)* Answer questions IN DETAIL about

your project
*points will be deducted for speaking
for less than 1 minute

PART C 25 Watch a clip and answer

questions about it
25
(4-5 MINUTES to listen and record
answers)
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PART A –
ANSWERING QUESTIONS ABOUT FAMILIAR, EVERYDAY TOPICS
• YOU WILL BE PRESENTED WITH TWO TOPICS
• CHOOSE ONLY ONE TO TALK ABOUT
• YOU WILL HAVE 2-3 MINUTES TO LISTEN TO THE
QUESTIONS AND GIVE YOUR ANSWERS

E MINISTRY LIST OF POSSIBLE TOPICS F

EXAMPL OR PART A
-

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IN PART A - You will be expected to…
UNDERSTAND KEY INFORMATION AND QUESTIONS
ABOUT FAMILIAR TOPICS and…
• EXPRESS OPINIONS AND PREFERENCES
• DESCRIBE PERSONAL EXPERIENCES (REAL OR IMAGINED)
• EXPLAIN WITH DETAILS AND EXAMPLES

AN EXAMPLE

These are GENERALIZATIONS of what students will be expected to do.

For a complete and detailed TOS, please refer to the official ministry
Table of Specifications.
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 SOME POSSIBLE TOPICS FOR PART A
Click on a picture to hear sample questions.-

ADVERTISING ROLE MODELS SCHOOL DAY BEING FAMOUS SCHOOL SUBJECTS

GETTING AROUND FREE TIME FRIENDSHIP SCHOOL TRIPS MUSIC

PRACTICE WITH VOCABULARY AND MORE TOPICS … *Makif School wix site; Natalia Pinchevsky Skripochnik
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 SOME POSSIBLE TOPICS FOR PART A
Click on a picture to hear sample questions.

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE GAMES SUMMER VACATIONS MY HOMETOWN RESPECT

COMPUTERS AND
GETTING THINGS DONE KNOWING LANGUAGES VOLUNTEERING CELLPHONES TEACHERS

PRACTICE WITH VOCABULARY AND MORE TOPICS … *Makif School wix site; Natalia Pinchevsky Skripochnik
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PART B – Answering questions about your PROJECT
These are GENERALIZATIONS of what students will be expected to do. For a complete and detailed TOS, please
• You will
refer turn
to the inministry
official your Table
written project according to your teacher’s
of Specifications.
instructions. Only your teacher will see and assess this work.
• You will NOT be allowed to bring any written or pre-
recorded material to the exam!
• You should know your topic well enough to:
• EXPLAIN, give examples, thoughts, opinions
• GIVE specific FACTS about your topic
• REFLECT on the work you did and what you learned.
These are GENERALIZATIONS of what students will be expected to do. For a complete and detailed TOS,
please refer to the official ministry Table of Specifications.
*IMPORTANT NOTE!
Even if you are NOT asked specifically about your project topic, you should begin with a sentence or two that states what you topic is
about.

MINISTRY LIST FOR POSSIBLE TOPICS FOR PART B 11

PART B - Here are some sample questions
you may be asked about your project.*
NOTE! You will HEAR
the questions and you
will SEE key words only!

NOTE! Some question

sets do not specifically
ask you about your
topic. You should still
state what your topic is
at the beginning.
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PART C – WATCH A CLIP AND ANSWER TWO
QUESTIONS ABOUT IT.

SOME SAMPLE CLIPS AND TIPS FOR PART C *

From the REED googlesite; Adele Raemer
IN PART C YOU WILL BE EXPECTED TO...
• FIRST QUESTION: SECOND QUESTION
• REACT • MAKE SUGGESTIONS
• DESCRIBE IN SEQUENCE • GIVE OPINIONS / ORIGINAL
• GIVE DETAILS IDEAS
• EXPLAIN

These are GENERALIZATIONS of what students will be expected to do.

For a complete and detailed TOS, please refer to the official ministry
Table of Specifications.

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WHAT WILL THE EXAM LOOK LIKE?
An animated character, ALFIE will give you instructions along the way
and tell you what you will need to do for each part.

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1. Alfie gives you general instructions for the exam.

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2. YOU WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO RECORD A FEW
SENTENCES ABOUT YOURSELF FOR PRACTICE

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3. BEGIN PART A -
Choose ONE set of questions to answer
LISTEN TO BOTH SETS OF THEN CHOOSE ONE SET
QUESTIONS. THIS WILL TO ANSWER.
TAKE ABOUT 20 YOU MUST ANSWER ALL
SECONDS EACH. OF THE QUESTIONS IN
THE SET!

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4. GO ON TO PART B -
Answer questions about your project.

NOTICE THAT YOU WILL

NOT SEE THE ENTIRE
QUESTIONS IN WRITING.
BUT YOU WILL SEE KEY
WORDS THAT WILL HELP
YOU.

More practice with question

s and vocabulary from
Makif School wix site
5. GO ON TO PART C-
WATCH A VIDEO CLIP AND THEN ANSWER TWO QUESTIONS ABOUT
WHAT YOU SAW.
*You will NOT have a choice. YOU MUST ANSWER BOTH QUESTIONS!

R ACTER
CH A
THE ES YOU R
GIV IONS FO
RUCT
INST PART C.

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HERE IS AN EXAMPLE of a CLIP
*Notice that there is NOT a lot of talking.

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 HERE ARE TWO QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT BE
ASKED ABOUT THE CLIP YOU SAW.
NOTE* YOU WILL SEE KEY WORDS, BUT NOT THE WHOLE QUESTION.

● YOU MUST ANSWER BOTH QUESTIONS. GIVE DETAILS, OPINIONS, THOUGHTS, PREDICTIONS.
● YOU WILL HAVE ABOUT 4 - 5 MINUTES TO WATCH THE CLIP AND ANSWER BOTH QUESTIONS
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 NOTICE!
THE FIRST QUESTION MAY FOCUS
MORE ON DESCRIBING WHAT YOU
SEE:
“LOTS” TYPE OF QUESTIONS.
NOTICE!
THE SECOND QUESTION MAY
FOCUS MORE ON YOUR IDEAS,
PREDICTIONS, THOUGHTS:
“HOTS” TYPE OF QUESTIONS.

CLICK HERE TO PRA

CTICE THIS PART WI
THS MORE EXAMPL
ES
● YOU MAY GO BACK AND WATCH THE CLIP AGAIN.
● BUT NOTE! YOU WILL LOSE POINTS FOR RECORDING MORE THAN TWO STOPS/FILES.
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More Practice from COBE 2020 Winter SKIP PRACTICE

Mr. Bean: Trying to Cheat on an Exam

Describe the events in the clip. 

How does the man who tries to cheat feel at the end? Explain in detail.

How do both men feel during the test?

What do you think happens after the clip ends? Answer the questions with
detailed explanations.

Mr. Bean - Police Chase

Describe the events in the clip. 
Why is the ending surprising? Explain in detail.
Why do you think the man acts as if he has a gun? 

What do you think the police officers think at the beginning of the clip
and at the end of the clip? Answer the questions with detailed
explanations.
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More Practice from COBE 2020 Winter SKIP PRACTICE

Mariza – The Stubborn Donkey

Describe the events in the clip. 

Were you surprised by what the donkey did at the end? Explain in detail.

How does the music help the man and the donkey?

What do you think the man will do the next time the donkey doesn't want to
go up the hill? Answer the questions with detailed explanations.

Molly – The Fish

Describe the events in the clip. 

How does the black cat feel at the end? Explain in detail.
Why do you think the cat helps the fish?

Where do you think the fish's life would be better? Answer the questions
with detailed explanations.
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More Practice from COBE 2020 Winter SKIP PRACTICE

On Wednesdays – Lady Goes Shopping

Describe the events in the clip. 
In what way was the ending unexpected? Explain in detail.

Why do you think the old lady goes shopping every Wednesday even
though she doesn't have money to buy anything? 

How do you think Liana, the cashier, feels when the old lady leaves?
Answer the questions with detailed explanations.

Play-Off
Describe the events in the clip. 
How does the man feel at the end of the clip? Explain in detail.
Why do you think it is so important for the man to succeed in the game?

How do you think the girl's success influences the man? Answer the
questions with detailed explanations.

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More Practice from COBE 2020 Winter SKIP PRACTICE

Snack Attack
Describe the events in the clip 
In what way was the ending unexpected? Explain in detail.

Do you think the age difference affects what happened in the clip?

What do you think the old lady learns from the events in the clip?
Answer the questions with detailed explanations.

Piece of Cake
Describe the events in the clip
How does the man feel at the end of the clip? Explain in detail.

How does the man feel when he sits down to eat?

Why do you think the woman shares her food with the man?

Answer the questions with detailed explanations.

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More Practice from COBE 2020 Winter SKIP PRACTICE

Baggage
Describe the events in the clip.

Was the ending surprising? Explain in detail.

How do the boy's feelings change from the beginning to the end of the clip?

Why do you think the boy doesn't buy the new bag?

Answer the questions with detailed explanations.

Coin Operated
Describe the events in the clip.

What is surprising about the end of the clip? Explain in detail.

How do you think the boy's feelings change during the clip?

What do you think the boy learns about life? Answer the questions with detailed
explanations.

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More Practice from COBE 2020 Winter SKIP PRACTICE

Belly Flop
Describe the events in the clip 
In what way was the ending unexpected? Explain in detail.
Why do you think the girl with the black hair continues diving and
doesn't give up?

How do you think the girl with the black hair feels at the end of the
clip? Answer the questions with detailed explanations.

Warbie and Yarma

Describe the events in the clip.

What is surprising about the end of the clip?  Explain in detail.

Why do you think it's hard for the old man to take a picture of the bird?

Why do you think it's so important for the old man to take a picture of the
bird? Answer the questions with detailed explanations.
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More Practice from COBE 2020 Winter SKIP PRACTICE

Mr Indifferent
Describe the events in the clip 

What is surprising about the end of the clip? Explain in detail.

Why do you think the man is happier after he changed his behavior?

What do you think happens after the clip ends? Answer the questions with
detailed explanations.

Pip (Dog School)

Describe the events in the clip 

How do you think the dog feels at the end of the clip? Explain in detail.
Why do you think the dog wanted to be in the school?

How would the story be different if the dog were big and tall?

Answer the questions with detailed explanations.

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More Practice from COBE 2020 Winter SKIP PRACTICE

Broken Arrow
Describe the events in the clip 

How does the father feel at the end of the clip?Explain in detail.
How does the girl help her father win the competition?

What do you think the father learns from this experience?

Answer the questions with detailed explanations.

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 You can go through the whole
practice 2019 simulation again
HERE

You can go directly to the Israel Ministry of Education,

English Inspectorate site for links to this an other resources.

CLICK HERE to go to the Inspectorate site, Computerized

Oral Exam page.

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 YOUR GRADE FOR THE EXAM...
You will be graded for each part of the exam as follows:

Part A: (Question 1) = 25%

Part B: (Question 2) = 25%
Part C: (Question 3) = 25%
(Question 4) = 25%
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FOR EACH ANSWER...(*note emphasis on content for 4 pointers!)
CRITERIA 4 POINTS 5 POINTS

TOPIC DEVELOPMENT 60 % 50 %
(CONTENT)
SPEAKING CLEARLY AND FLUENTLY 10 % 15 %

VOCABULARY, EXPRESSIONS, CHUNKS 20 % 20 %

LANGUAGE 10 % 15 %
(GRAMMAR / STRUCTURES)

Complete detailed rubrics, accompanying charts and TOS > 35

 POINTS WILL BE TAKEN OFF FOR...
• ANSWERS THAT ARE INCOMPLETE
• TOO MANY STOPS / FILES (MORE THAN 2)
• PART B ONLY, ANSWERS LESS THAN ONE MINUTE

YOU WILL GET A 0 FOR…

• ANY QUESTIONS YOU DON’T ANSWER
• AN EMPTY FILE
• MORE THAN 8 FILES FOR ONE ANSWER
• USING FOUL LANGUAGE
• USING ANY LANGUAGE THAT IS NOT ENGLISH
 GOOD LUCK! PRACTICE!!!
• DATES ARE SET BY THE MINISTRY AND CANNOT BE CHANGED!
• YOU MUST COME ON YOUR ASSIGNED DAY!!! NO AIDS ALLOWED
• THE 4 AND 5 POINT EXAM IS THE SAME:
YOU WILL BE GRADED ACCORDING TO RUBRICS FOR YOUR LEVEL (4 or 5 p
oints)
based on the “CAN-DO” LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT STANDARDS.
• YOU WILL GET A PRACTICE SIMULATION TEST AND A SCHOOL GRADE.

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Your teachers will inform you of any changes in the requirements,
dates, or format of the COBE that may be implemented as a result
of the COVID19 pandemic restrictions.

In the meantime…practice, and STAY WELL!

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COBE 2021
RESOURCES
Israel Ministry of Education, English education.gov.il/english
GUIDELINES Inspectorate site. Chief English
Inspector: Tziona Levy

COBE 2021 Israel Ministry of Education, English https://docs.google.com/document/d/17Z57D

GUIDELINES Inspectorate site X9yY43WL9k5RBVChSSL8O_sjyE_/edit

COBE 2019 C.O.B.E. computerized bagrut exam: https://storage.cet.ac.il/ExamsViewer/Spoken

simulation English/016487/2019/sim/Day1/Ver1/instructi
ons.htm

Beverly Chazan National Counselor, COBE https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1T0M

058-490-2765 2O6yexjFYO5GXiWmC1rE9nQNxMfERLVnq
Beverly’s COBE Hotline LGFr2R8/edit#slide=id.p

Magen Grades
XL file
Exel file for calculating grades for
matkonet and tasks using COBE rubrics 4 POINTS 5 POINTS
Criteria values for 4 and 5 point level
Makif School https://nataliaps0.wixsite.com/english-well/ite
Website “English Well” Makif Ramot Be’er Sheva, st 39
(wix.com) Natalia Pinchevsky Skripochnik and staff