How to ace your oral

Some tips by:Mr Abel Kok

Oral- What to prepare during the 5 minutes?

First things first, you should be preparing for all three parts- reading aloud, picture discussion & conversation (Even though the question is not given, you can make an intelligible guess; relate to past experiences)

You should note the words that you will need to pay special emphasis when you read. Eg. Teach, think, keep, skills, climbed, unbelievable, formidable.

Prepare yourself to read the dialogues well with the appropriate expressions.

Oral- Reading

Your eyes should be reading ahead of what you are reading. This prepares your mind and calms you down as you read.

Read beginning, middle and ending consonant sounds clearly. Eg. –p, -t, -k, -s, -ed.

Respect the punctuation marks. Read with expression (some words need to be

emphasized. Cluster the words together. That is, to read with the

intended meaning of the sentence in mind. Bonus- to look up at times Dramatise the dialogues given in the passage. Eg. In pain,

in anger, etc.

Oral- Reading

Note that you are to respect punctuation marks like full stop, question mark, exclamation mark.

•Agree•He’s a good man

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Oral- Reading

Watch your pronunciation for words like these:Keep, teach, kick, thank you, jotted, snakes, moon, school, movement

Watch your pronunciation for these commonly mispronounced words:

•Comparable, Wednesday, communication

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Oral- Reading

Sam shouted, “Ouch! Why are you pinching me?” Peter replied, “This is to test if this is all a dream.” Both boys left the room with the bag of money hastily. They were deciding if they should keep the money to themselves or surrender it to the police.

Did you read with expressions?Did you pronounce the words correctly?

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Oral- Reading

Susan cowered in the dark corner crying bitterly, “Why must it always be me?” Thomas, the notorious school bully, always picked on her and liked to pull her hair for no particular reason. She decided to report the matter to the teacher once and for all.

Did you try to dramatise the dialogue to get bonus marks?

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Picture discussion

Beginning sentence: This picture depicts a scene at the park.

Use directional phrases, do not point. Eg. In the background, in the foreground, in the middle of the picture, At the top right corner of the picture, At the bottom left corner of the picture. Beside the lady, Next to the boy, …

Present tenses/ present perfect tenses to be used. Choice of words (Language marks) Flaunt what you

have. Avoid using simple words like angry, happy, sad. Instead use similes like as happy as a lark or as mad as a hornet,etc.

Give your personal interpretation. ‘In my opinion’. (Content marks)

Picture discussion

Link the different parts Give details and examples Relate to your own experiences Make a prediction if possible. Eg. Day of the week,

time of the day. Peak or off-peak hours. Ask the examiner to rephrase the question if

necessary. Avoid a deafening silence or awkward moments.

Please the examiners. Do NOT offend them. Do not end off with statements like, ‘In conclusion….’.

Better to say ‘to sum up’ Have a good closure to sum up what you feel about

the picture. Bonus- to look up at times

Picture discussion

Know these useful sentence starters:I think…. Eg. I think it was a joyous occasion. I

think something terrible has happened. I think it is wrong/ right of the…. Eg. I think it is

wrong of the boy/girl to have thrown the litter on the floor. I think it is right of the prefect to have confronted the bully.

In my opinion,…. Eg. In my opinion, the boy should not have kicked the kitten into the drain because this is animal abuse.

Picture discussion Know these useful sentence starters:1. Based on the facial expression,…. Eg. Based on the facial

expression of the man, it must have been painful.2. I hope history will not repeat itself…. Eg. I hope history will not

repeat itself as this will reflect badly on the upbringing of the boy and his parents will be shamed.

3. If I were to be there, I will definitely give the person a piece of my mind.

4. This is an embarrassment to the child’s parents and teachers. I hope he/she will learn from his/her mistakes.

5. I think no one would like to be in his/her shoes at this point of time.

6. I think this will not happen again as the saying goes, ‘Once bitten, twice shy’.

7. I think the teacher should not despair because every cloud has a silver lining.

8. I hope the teacher can forgive the child and let bygones be bygones as I believe he has already learned his lesson and will most probably turn over a new leaf.

Conversation Eye contact Tip: look at the person’s forehead Sentence starters needed. Eg. This reminds me of an incident

when I was in a similar situation. This reminds me of a newspaper article which I have read before. (for more egs refer to next slide)

Giving examples Talk about your feelings, thoughts, Avoid ‘all sorts’ ‘and others’ Always seek clarification when in doubt. Eg. Could you repeat

the question? Could you please rephrase the question? Bonus- if the chance arises, beg to differ or ask a related

question.

Conversation 3 steps to be taken: Give an intelligible response to the

question. Elaborate your stance by giving

reasons, examples. Choose a related example and give

a detailed account of it. Talk about something else related

to what have been shared so far.

Conversation Sentence starters needed. 1.This reminds me of an incident

when I was in a similar situation. 2.This reminds me of a newspaper

article which I have read before. 3.If I remember correctly, …4.I like / dislike to … because