How to Prepare for the English Language PSLE – Preparing for Your Child’s Oral Examination (Part 2)
Last week, we shared some insights into acing your child’s PSLE English Language Oral Examination (Click HERE to read “PSLE English Oral Exam Tips Part 1”). As the examinations draw near, it remains important for your child to continue working on their oral examination skills to prepare adequately for all facets of the PSLE English Language paper. We started this two-part series to help you and your child navigate the perilous waters of the Oral Examination component. Today, we will dive into the second part of Oral Examinations – the dreaded Stimulus-Based Conversation!
Stimulus-based Conversation, as the term suggests, requires your child to understand, plan, and present a response to a given question based on a given stimulus (i.e. something to trigger a discussion). The stimulus usually comes in the form of an image (e.g. an advertisement or a poster) with various information that can be gleaned from it. The examiner will then ignite a discussion by asking specific questions (or follow-up questions) depending on the flow of the conversation. All this may sound daunting, especially since a conversation seems like something that is out of your child’s control. However, with proper planning and a mindset approach, your child can ace this component as well.
Today, we will share three tips on how your child can plan their way through their stimulus-based conversation.
💡 Tip #1:
Identify the Question Types
The first aspect is the preparation phase – this can take place even before the examination. Your child should be able to understand the various, broad categories of questions that they may get. This will help guide them to craft relevant answers – both in terms of structure and content. Beyond this, it allows them to maintain the conversation fruitfully and appropriately.
While the list of question types can be heavy, we focus on four main types of questions – Normative/Opinion-Based Questions, Personal Experience, Hypotheticals, Problem-Solution:
- Normative/Opinion-Based Questions, as the name suggests, are questions that aim to obtain your child’s opinion about a topic. This tends to be a “WHY” question, requiring your child to unpack reasons and present them in support of their opinion on a structured and relevant manner.
- Personal Experience Questions are more straightforward. They require a sharing of your child’s experiences, i.e. something that your child has gone through. Instead of a general story, encouraging your child to dwell into their memories and present one as a personal experience, sharing will go a long way in satisfying this question.
- Hypotheticals are your “IF” questions – they provide an imaginary or mock context to see how your child would respond in that situation. This requires your child to understand the context and the values associated with it. For example, the question, “If you find some money on the floor, what would you do?”, is in the context of finding something that does not belong to you. The associated value to this may be integrity or honesty. Understanding both the context and values associated can help your child craft the best answer.
- Problem-Solution Questions are similar to Normative/Opinion-Based questions, save that they focus on problem-solving in a scenario. One of the oft-neglected aspects when answering this question is the evaluation of the solution offered. Encourage your child to evaluate and unpack their proposed solution for a more persuasive answer!
Understanding the question types will help your child to build their answering framework before the examination itself. Instead of panicking on the spot when faced with the question, they will be able to categories the type of question and respond effectively and relevantly.
💡 Tip #2:
Go In-Depth – Give Insights
Building on the question types, one aspect for your child to consider is the general ability to go in-depth no matter the type of question. Naturally, as this is a conversation exercise, the aim is to have a full and fruitful conversation with the examiner. This means a twin focus in the quality and quantity of the answers given, depending on the type of question.
The former focuses on the relevance and accuracy of the answers given in moving the conversation forward. This requires your child to choose their words purposefully to engage the question given to them directly. The latter ensures that your child goes beyond a one or two-word answer (e.g. a Yes-No response), allowing for more points for the examiner to assess. Keep a balance between both aspects to deliver the best response!
💡 Tip #3:
Engage in a Conversation, Not a Presentation
As a final note, encourage your child to enjoy the process! As difficult as this may sound, remind your child that this is ultimately a conversation, and people will remember the positive, engaging conversations in their lives. In the same vein, an engaging conversation will go a long way in ensuring better grades for your child for the Oral Examination component. Try to avoid a presentation style of speaking and help your child adopt effective body language and eye contact habits (e.g. maintaining sustained eye contact during the conversation or having clear articulation). Remember – it is a conversation and not a presentation!
*** But not SO casual… ***
Final Thought:
Ace that Oral Examination!
This two-part series aims to be a long-lasting guide for you and your child to refer to as your child prepares of their Oral Examination. While one of the various components of the PSLE English Language paper, the Oral Examination component remains important, for both the grade aspect and its relevance in your child’s future interactions. The skills they develop in preparing for the Oral Examinations will put them in good stead for the future workplace as well. With that, we wish your child all the best for their up-coming Oral Examinations!
Here’s how we can help…
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