The document provides guidance for students taking an English or Chinese language oral examination. It discusses the different sections of the exam, including the reading passage, picture discussion, and conversation sections. For the reading passage, students are advised to practice pronunciation, read the passage multiple times, and read slowly and clearly. For the picture discussion, students should systematically describe the picture in a clockwise manner and discuss all characters and elements. In the conversation section, students should treat it like a conversation rather than just answering questions, and provide comprehensive responses to topics and prompts. The goal is for students to feel confident and do well by following this advice.

2. Reading Passage
The first section is usually the reading passage. You have about five minutes to prepare for
this. They should make ample use of this time.
For the English Language oral examination, they can go through the passage to see when they
should pause, as well as when they should emphasise certain sections. If they also encounter
any unfamiliar words, this is the time when they should practise the pronunciation. If pupils
really do not know the pronunciation, they can make an intelligent guess through the spelling
of the word. It is good to read aloud the passage at least twice so that they will be familiar
with it. When reading aloud to the examiner, do not be nervous. Read slowly and clearly. It is
important to pronounce the words as clearly as possible so that the pupil can be understood
even if the examiner does not have the passage in front of him or her.
Be confident in your delivery.
For the Chinese Language oral examination, grading of the reading is based on 3 factors:
Accuracy
Fluency
Pitch
The key to scoring well for this section requires the pupil to read the passage accurately and
fluently, with the right pitch.

3. Pupils who read the passage quickly seldom score well. Why is this so?
Firstly, the accuracy of their pronunciation and fluency of the language will
be affected. Secondly, the examiner would not be able to understand the
pupil. Hence, it is important for pupils to read at the right pace and pitch.
However, some pupils still have the tendency to read the passage at a fast
pace. The main reason behind this could be their inability to pronounce
certain words in the passage. The common misunderstanding among
pupils is if they read fast enough, the examiner would not be able to spot
the mistakes they make in pronunciation. However, the fact is, not only can
the examiner spot the mispronunciations, he or she can also possibly give
you a lower score for the lack of fluency and pitch in reading the passage.
Thus, pupils should read the passage in a clear tone even if they encounter
words which they cannot pronounce.

4. Picture Discussion
You should first give a general description of the entire
scene, like the venue of the picture. They can move on to
describe the physical appearance of the characters in the
foreground and their thoughts and actions. You can also
give a reason behind why the characters are performing
certain actions. You are encouraged to present their
personal opinions as well.
For example, the character might be littering in a bus stop
while chasing after a bus. You could make an assumption
that the character is chasing after a bus and thus
committed the offence unknowingly. However, it is wrong
to litter in public regardless of the reason. You can then
move on to the characters in the background.

5. It will be good you can link certain characters or things in
the picture together to give a more coherent discussion
about the picture. Do try to discuss the picture in a
systematic manner like in a clockwise manner instead of
just talking about the characters in a haphazard manner.
Try to talk about everything that is given in the picture
and do not ignore certain things or characters.
To do well in this section, you have to be organised in
their description and should be able to explain and
interpret the various situations in the picture. You will also
score well if you use a wide variety of sentence structures
with appropriate vocabulary.

6. Conversation
For this section, pupils will be given a topic to talk about. This topic is usually related to the
picture. Pupils will also receive additional prompts if they appear to have difficulty talking
about the topic. Pupils should treat this section like they are having a conversation with
someone familiar, like their parents or elders. Do not think of it as a question-and-answer
session with the examiner.
When you are asked about a topic, take a moment to organise your thoughts. Try to answer all
aspects of the topic in a comprehensive manner.
For example, if you are asked about your favourite hobby, do not just give a one-word answer.
Explain to the examiner the reason why it is your favourite hobby, how you got started on it as
well as how often you spend time on it.
Pupils will do well if they elaborate their ideas with varied sentence structures and respond
confidently without much prompting from the examiner.
Hopefully, with the use of these pointers, pupils will be able to face the oral examination more
confidently and therefore do well in this section of the examination.