Oral Exam Tips 10 Powerful Mantras to Boost Your Speaking Confidence

By WR!TERS@WORK

The PSLE oral exam may be a daunting hurdle for many primary school English students. Have you heard the term “self-fulfilling prophecy”? It means to dwell on an unpleasant or unwanted outcome so much that the dreaded event comes to pass.

Exam anxiety can lead students down that path. If you dwell on your fears or inadequacies for long enough, they can become your inner voice and mantra. Hence, if you’re directing your energies toward those negative outcomes, you might self-sabotage your oral exam confidence. Therefore, we strongly advise students to build up a good repository of content knowledge to ensure that they know what to say, and they need to know how to say it in a convincing and confident manner. A great part of doing well in your oral exam is having the speaking confidence – this comes from a lot of practice and from believing that you have the ability to do well in your exam.

Mantras are something you recite to yourself before you go for your PSLE English oral exam to help you gain confidence and calm down. Reciting mantras can be comforting for some people, and if it helps you recite mantras before you go for your exam, you can do so to boost your confidence. Remember – confidence comes from within, and doing something that you feel comfortable with before going for your exam can help you calm yourself down.

Here are some mantras to boost your speaking confidence:

1. I can learn to speak effectively.

2. Most nervousness doesn’t show.

3. My message matters to the examiner.

4. I am prepared and ready.

5. The less I think about the situation, the better I’ll be.

6. The examiner will be listening for something of interest, to give me marks.

7. I am knowledgeable and can handle the unexpected.

8. If I don’t know something, I will learn it in time.

9. What an opportunity to take my oral exam!

10. I am here to pass my oral exams.

Here at WRITERS AT WORK, our teachers are preparing our students to face the changes in the PSLE English syllabus taking place in 2025. One of the relevant changes will fall on the oral exam paper – it will be significantly harder for students to score marks. For example, the drawings students have to analyse will be replaced by real-life pictures, which are more difficult to contextualise and assess. As such, our dedicated team of teachers have prepared a syllabus to reflect these changes and prepare our students to tackle whatever may come.

Doing well in your oral exam is a combination of several skills – students not only need to have the requisite content knowledge, but also the speaking style which is eloquent and confident. Students typically get very little practise for the oral exam, as this is one of the aspects of the English curriculum which is often overlooked. For students who need more practice and confidence built up over time, WRITERS AT WORK  can help them build their content knowledge and pick up good oral exam habits in time for the actual PSLE English oral exam!

Master the English Language with WRITERS AT WORK

English is a compulsory subject which all students must undertake. However, mastering the English language is not something which happens overnight – it takes consistent practice and effort to learn the nuances of the language. Students must read more and practice writing to gradually improve. Cramming for a language subject nearer to the exams is an impossible feat. After all, Rome was not built in a day! Attaining such a skill will have positive implications for not only your child’s education in school, but also employment prospects in future.

At WRITERS AT WORK, we are committed to providing the smoothest learning experience for your child sitting for their English exams. With our carefully curated methods of teaching your child how to write well, your child will learn how to present their thoughts and arguments in a coherent and concise manner. WRITERS AT WORK reinforces your child’s language skills and provides a strong foundation for their academic success, keeping up with all aspects of their progress both inside and outside of the classroom to nurture them holistically. For more information about how WRITERS AT WORK makes a difference, feel free to explore our website and watch our YouTube videos!

If you are interested in our primary English tuition and secondary English tuition in Singapore, WRITERS AT WORK has expanded to 8 convenient locations. To find the nearest location that suits your needs, please explore our options. If you have any inquiries regarding our range of programs or class schedules, please feel free to contact WRITERS AT WORK!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is Creative Writing Good for Kids?

Creative writing is good for children as it teaches them how to use their imagination. Children have a vivid imagination and will enjoy coming up with different storylines and characters. Through the use of creative writing, children can express themselves using the English language, which is also good for their emotional development and maturity.

2. What are Good Creative Writing Topics?

A good start is to write about what you know. Students can start by writing about things that are familiar to them, such as school or family. Then, students can move on to more complex topics, requiring them to use their imagination about events which would be unlikely to happen in real life, such as a fairytale or an adventure story. Older students can write descriptive essays about being in a situation or about more abstract concepts, such as regret.

3. How to Begin a Story?

A good story should have just the right amount of exposition to illuminate the setting and the characters for the reader without giving away the entire plot. The story should begin where it is relevant, and the general gist of the situation should be outlined. The writer should know how to move the plot along from where they start easily, and the story should flow logically.

4. What are the Basic Steps in Creative Writing?

A good first step would be to plan out the story – it is important that the story follows a Plot Curve which has a logical sequence of events and a clear conclusion. The main and supporting characters should be clear – there should not be a whole village of characters – just enough to further the plot. Moreover, the central conflict of the story should be clear.