The O Level English Oral exam can be daunting for many students. Whether it’s a fear of speaking in front of an examiner or simply not knowing how to express your thoughts clearly, you’re not alone. The good news? Most of these challenges can be overcome with the right strategies and sufficient practice!
To help you prepare for your upcoming O Level English exam, let’s take a look at some of the common issues our students face and our English tutor’s advice on how to fix them!
This is one of the biggest worries that students have about the oral exam. Unlike the composition questions where you have some options to choose your topic, the oral exam does not provide any options. What if you are not familiar with the topic? What if my mind blanks out?
Our tutor’s advice:
Read widely, including news articles and opinions pieces. You want to have a broad exposure to hot topics of today, such as topics revolving around environment, education, technology, community, and so on. A good list of topics to start with would be past year oral topics – we have provided two examples below to get you started!
We love doing this regularly in our O Level English tuition classes. Each week, the tutor brings in a different topic for students to discuss. We encourage students to dig into different perspectives – read the comments section, forums, podcasts with experts, interviews with laypeople. Share their own thoughts with their classmates.
Make one-page summary sheets for each topic that outlines a few of these different viewpoints. Also, build a list of personal examples that you can use in your responses for each topic. That way, you have a strong bank of topics, vocabulary, and examples that will cover you for the exams!
While most students have no problem bantering with their classmates, they struggle when it comes to speaking in a more formal and one-to-one setting, where every aspect of their speech will be scrutinised. The issue can be twofold: not knowing what ‘good speaking’ sounds like, and a lack of practice.
Our tutor’s advice:
Firstly, listen! Get used to how standard English sounds, through podcasts, news reports, or public speeches. Pay attention to how speakers pace themselves, pronounce words, and structure their ideas.
Then, get practising! We find it helpful to record yourself as you practice. This way, you can review your own speech with fresh eyes and notice any awkward pronunciations, poor pacing, or distracting habits like using too many filler words. You can also practice with a friend or your tutor to get feedback from someone else.
When students are too nervous or run out of things to say, they can go on a rambling spree just to make up the time given. But this will cost you points because it reflects a poorly structured answer!
Our tutor’s advice:
Use a framework to plan your answer. A helpful one that most teachers teach is PEEL: Point, Explanation, Example, Link. Keep each answer to about 2 to 3 points, focusing on presenting a good answer rather than an unnecessarily long one.
Fight the urge to keep talking nonstop. You CAN give yourself moments to pause and think – as long as it is not too long. You could also practice with a timer so that you get used to what 1 to 2 minutes feels like when speaking.
The oral exam might be anxiety-inducing for some, but most of the issues can be overcome with practice! By tackling each challenge with a clear strategy, you’ll walk into the exam room more confident and capable. If you need more targeted help for oral, do consult your secondary school tutor in these coming weeks before the exam!
At our tuition classes in Future Academy, we are gearing up to be in full swing for revision for O Level students! Beyond English oral, we will also be working on the written paper skills like essay techniques and more. It’s not too late to join us just yet – come if you need a boost to get yourself ready for the O Levels!
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