English Oral

English Oral General Mish-Mash Mark-Time Distribution Component Mark Allocation Time Taken/ Reading 10 m 3 min Spoken Interaction 20 m 7 min Total 30m 10 min Tips and Tricks 1. Greet the teacher and state your name, class and index number, thank him at the end of the examination 2. Remain calm and collected; do not be afraid to pause and gather your thoughts (“May I have a bit of time to think please”) 3. Disposition: Maintain apt eye contact, sit straight, show sincere enthusiasm and interest, smile :), be clear and audible, and treat the examiner like a friend :D Preparation Reading Aloud: 2.5 min ● Note the Purpose, Audience and Context implied in the italicised portion and vary your tone accordingly ● Analyse the Text For: - Sentences which require unique pacing and tone - E.g. lists, excitement, rhetorical questions - Words to be emphasised (see below) - Words with tricky pronunciations - Points where sounds such as “th”and “ed” appear - Awkward and Unpredictable Sentence Structures - The pauses throughout the passage (Generally) - Sentences where chunking is necessary ● Read slightly faster than usual, and note the areas where you trip up - Anticipate the words ahead whilst reading instead of reading them, and note areas where the words/sentence structures differ from your intuition Stress Placement Element to be Emphasised Examples Words with extremities Extremely, Importantly, exhilarated End Consonants “d” in “hid” Long/Short Vowels - Piss vs Peace

- Pot vs Port - Tongue placement for ‘that’ Number-Related Words - Three thousand and two hundred aborted unicorn fetuses - Every Spoken Interaction: 7.5 min Points to Plan 1. 5W1H: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How - Note Unique elements - May be from perspective of participants - Personal Importance 2. Question 1: Feelings towards the Activity - 2 positive and 2 negative 3. Anecdotes and Interesting Opinions you have heard 4. Thematic Vocabulary/Sayings 5. Advantages/Disadvantages (2 each) 6. Problems and Solutions (2 each) 7. Causes (2 each) 8. Possible overarching themes and points for relevant opinion: Spot Patterns/Anomalies - Two should suffice Reading Aloud During the Reading ● Don’t Be nervous, you will not be penalised for an awkward start - Count down from 3 to mentally prepare yourself ● Read at a pace that allows for every word to be enunciated clearly ● If you misread a word, continue reading and do not pause to correct yourself ● Exercise Chunking Spoken Interaction Answering Technique ● Question Format 1. Feelings about activity in the picture/What a participant is thinking - May be asked from the perspective of one of the participants - Thoughts: Ensure that it is not an emotion - Ensure that you describe the picture early in your answer 2. Topic-Based - Opinions on overarching theme - Challenges Faced - Common Saying - Suggestions

3. Topic Based Answering Format: 2PEEL + New Related Idea ● Description: Describe the picture for the first question and highlight key focal points apropos to the question at hand ● Point - Must be logical and answer the question directly - Look at the Issue from different perspectives if the question allows - Be as Honest as possible - Plan your points to be unique ● Example: Personal experience is optimal (Give date and specific details if possible, tell the truth) ● Explanation: Ensure that your evidence links coherently and smoothly to the point ● New Related Idea: Keep to the last to prevent the perception of going off tangent 1. Are the authorities/is the world in general doing enough concerning the issue? 2. What solutions/ideas can be implemented to engender a positive outcome concerning the issue? 3. How can different people groups contribute? 4. What is the root problem behind the issue? 5. Why is this issue important? 6. What are some problems concerning the issue and their solutions? 7. Consider the Past/Present/Future. ● Providing Suggestions - Ideate a slew of problems from which you create suggestions (see Ideation) - Define the win-condition - Use of PERMA (motivations): Positivity, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, Achievement - IFAPS (I’m sorry we need to memo this): Incentive, Fear, Achievement, Power, Society - Go beyond the methodology of your suggestion (i.e. the framework and principles of it) and explain the method (how your suggestion might be carried out) - Give an example on how the method, or a variation of it, succeeded - Ensure a clear link between the method and the goal - Suggestions of Suggestions Personal Encourage others and Be Involved Parental Set an example and educate Creating an Honest and Open environment for Discussion Limit time spent on xxx Schools Education of Youth Community Centre Showcase negative outcome of Actions

Hold Classes Create interest groups Government Punish severely to warn all Ideation: What to do to minimise the awkward pause after you receive the question ● Define Key terms, vary the fields in which the terms are involved - e.g. Health: Physical Health, Mental Health ● Contrast with other the opposition to emphasise the validity of your stance - I.e. to show the health benefits of bacon in breakfast, contrast it with other common breakfast staples to highlight its high protein ● Tackle the question from a Variety of Perspectives 1. Self/Family/Community 2. Government 3. Safety 4. Education/Empowerment 5. Emotions: PERMA 6. Culture/Religion/History 7. Finance 8. Environment 9. Science 10. Ethics - Choose Based on familiarity, information and relevance ● Comment personally on the Question: State its importance and how you personally relate to the question - E.g: This question is critical in this day and age with the advent of technology - E.g. I was wondering about this the other day…/This is something I seriously considered when... ● Comment on the Assumptions of the Question ● Subverting the genre of the first point - E.g. Make foreigners feel welcome through assimilation into local culture, and through platforms to express own unique culture ● PRECAUTIONS 1. Do not ramble on for too Long 2. Signpost clearly to your points 3. Ensure that your point is stated as a clear thesis statement directly answering the question ● Stalling for Time - A pause for 2 seconds is permissible - Repeat the Question - Ask for the question to be repeated - Use rhetorical questions

- Time stalling phrases: “Honestly”, “With all honesty”, “To be honest”, “Actually”, “If this is the case” ● General Tips - Ensure that you listen carefully to the question to answer it in its entirety - Either Agree/Disagree: Consider the converse side after your 2 PEEL - If a sub-question is given, give a simple 2 PEEL - Use connectors - Simple Answers are optimal: Marks will be awarded for your use of the English language as opposed to the depth of your ideas - Use descriptive nouns for people in the picture: “athlete” > the woman in sportswear - Link constantly and consistently Spoken Interaction Questions (2017) DAY 1 1. What do you think the people in this picture are feeling about the art exhibition (two kids running about, two adults looking at art from a distance) 2. Would you be interested to visit art galleries and museums? 3. Some people say that no one should have to pay to visit art galleries and museums, what do you think? DAY 2 Q1: Would you like to take part in such an activity, why or why not? (aerobics in outdoors) Q2: Is exercise for you and your friends important? Q3 Do you think that more should be done to promote exercise in our country DAY 3 Q1. What do you think the lady in the left is thinking about? (picture of a supermarket and the people looki