The Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) English oral exam can be a daunting and nerve-wracking experience for many students. However, with the right preparation and practice, students can become more confident, perform well, and even ace their PSLE English oral exam! After all, the oral component is a way to nudge the students’ English AL score to a higher grade.
Prepare your child for success in the PSLE English oral exam with these essential tips and strategies. Learn how to maximize preparation time, structure responses effectively, and access model answers for practice. Help your child gain confidence and achieve full marks in the Stimulus-Based Conversation component. Start preparing today!
PSLE English Oral Exam: Tips for Success
The PSLE English grade of your child includes a 15% weightage for the English Oral examination, which comprises two major sections – Reading Aloud (10 Marks) and Stimulus-Based Conversation (20 Marks). Prior to meeting the examiners, students are only given five minutes to prepare for both sections.
We understand that students find the Stimulus-Based Conversation immensely challenging. Hence, we have compiled some useful tips to help students achieve full marks in this component of their Oral examination. In this article, the students will learn how to maximise their preparation time, structure their responses, and get model answers that they can revise and practise at home. Let us go ahead and dive into these essential strategies.
Preparation Time:
1. Analyse the Visual Stimulus (Typically a picture or a poster)
Visual stimuli are often used in the PSLE to assess students’ media literacy or their ability to interpret and analyse visual information. Recognising the elements of the visual stimulus which are the Title, Subtitle and Organiser’s aim or Objective can provide important context for interpreting it and answering the questions that follow. By understanding the visual stimuli accurately, students can demonstrate their ability to discern and synthesise information, and make informed responses. Therefore, it is crucial to pay attention to these details as failure to interpret and analyse the visual stimulus would lead to inaccurate responses.
Let’s take a look at the visual stimulus for the 2022 PSLE Day 1 Oral – Stimulus Based Conversation.
2. Predict the Questions
By predicting the questions, students can prepare relevant and well thought of responses that address the key points of the questions, leading to improved confidence and less anxiety. This can help them perform better and more calmly during the exam. Students may predict questions by directly relating it to the visual stimulus’ content. In essence, the first question during oral exams is standard and straightforward so it would most likely be – ‘What is the poster about?’ or ‘Would you like to take part in this kind of activity?’ The second question is closely related to the first question. It is somehow a follow up question to the first question such as ‘Have you ever experienced…’, ‘Tell me about a time when…’, ‘Have you tried…’, ‘Can you recall a time when…’ and others. The third question may not be directly linked to the first and second questions, although more generalised, the question would still fall under the same theme.
From the given visual stimulus above, let’s try to predict the possible questions that the examiners might ask. Then, let’s compare them to the questions asked during the 2022 PSLE Day 1 Oral – Stimulus Based Conversation.
Prediction 1: Would you like to take part in this recycling project?
Prediction 2: What other things can we recycle?
Prediction 3: What are the benefits of recycling to the environment?
PSLE Stimulus Based Conversation Questions:
Question 1: Look at the poster, Would you participate in this recycling activity?
Question 2: Besides shoes, what kinds of things can you donate or recycle? Why?
Question 3: Do you think it is important to take care of the environment? Why/ Why not?
Notice that the first predicted question is directly related to the objective of visual stimulus while the other two predicted questions are more fluid and generalised based on the theme? This is how students should try to predict the question which would then help them come up with their possible responses.
After predicting the questions, students should think of their personal experiences and general knowledge related to the stimulus, which they can use during the conversation. This would show that they have a good grasp of the topic and are able to communicate effectively in a variety of contexts. They may also use the Question Words (5W1H) to come up with feasible answers and provide relevant details that support their responses.
Conversation Time: Master the Peel Structure
Now that students know what to say, here’s how they can deliver and present their responses in a well structured and organised manner.
The PEEL structure is an acronym that stands for Point, Elaborate, Evidence, and Link. It is a helpful framework for structuring students’ answers to questions, ensuring that their responses are well-organised, clear, and persuasive. The PEEL structure helps students to address the key points of the question and avoid going off-topic. By starting with a clear point, providing an explanation and evidence to support it, and linking it back to the main question, they stay on track and deliver a well-organised response.
Model responses:
Now, let’s try to answer the PSLE Oral Questions using the PEEL structure.
Evidence: According to a report by the United Nations, over 24 billion pairs of shoes are produced every year, and most of them end up in landfills or incinerators, contributing to environmental pollution. However, by recycling shoes, we can reduce waste and the carbon footprint of shoe production. Moreover, recycled shoes can be used to make durable and cost-effective sports surfaces for running tracks, playgrounds, and other sports facilities.
By following these tips and putting in some effort, students can prepare well for their PSLE English oral exam and perform their best on the day of the exam.
