The document provides tips for preparing for the oral examination, including preparing to read aloud by practicing pronunciation of difficult words, reading with expression, and dramatizing dialogues; when discussing a picture, trainees are advised to use descriptive language and directional phrases to describe the scene and give their personal interpretation; and for the conversation portion, trainees should make eye contact, have sentence starters ready, give examples, and seek clarification if needed.
2. 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, form
idable.
Prepare yourself to read the dialogues well with the
appropriate expressions.
3. 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.
4. Oral- Reading Lets apply
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?
5. Oral- Reading Lets apply
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?
6. 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)
7. 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
8. 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.
9. Conversation
Eye contact Tip: look at the persons forehead or in-between
the eyebrows.
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.
10. 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.
11. 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
12. Conversation
Have you been to a concert before?
Yes, I have been to a concert before. This reminds me of the last
concert that I have attended last year. It was Taylor Swifts first
concert in Singapore and it was held at Singapore Indoor
Stadium.
OR
No, I have not been to a concert before but given the chance, I
will definitely seize the opportunity to go. This is because I have
heard from many of my friends that going to concerts can be
fun.
If I could go to a Taylor Swift concert, I would be in seventh
heaven. I can imagine that the atmosphere would be ecstatic.
I think Taylor Swift because of the wonderful lyrics found in her
songs. I could relate to the words very easily. Moreover, she has
a wonderful voice to begin with.