PAPER 5: Speaking - General tips

PAPER 5: SPEAKING (14 MINUTES) 4 parts in total to speak on – 40 points in total

PAPER 5: Speaking - General tips in the exam

General tips - Part 1

- Kill, Kill, Kill (KKK) (metaphorically speaking) with your very best English.
- Remember it is also a competition and a timed exam.
- Interact well with your partner.
- Don’t dominate your partner(s) (the other candidate(s)) in the exam. You achieve success by showing you can interact well with the other candidate(s) and the examiner.
- Pay close attention and follow the exact instructions/questions the examiner gives you at all times.
- Speak clearly with enough proper intonation, and speak long enough so that the examiner(s) will be able to hear and evaluate your English.
- If you don’t understand a particular question/instruction the first time, ask for the question/instruction to be repeated again. (Could you repeat the question/instruction, please?)
- Show the examiners that you can self-correct. Do not be afraid to do this in the exam. - Show the examiners that you can correct your (3rd candidate) partner’s mistakes, through repeating what is/should be the correct phrase.
- Normally you will go into the exam in pairs, your function is to work well together with your partner. Try not to be negative or work against them. If there is a 3rd candidate (from a different school) in the oral test with both of you (whom you do not know), then apply the first (KKK) rule above.

General tips - Part 2

- It is vital to be familiar with each exact part and step of the exam.
- Prepare well for what is required of you in each part of the speaking test.
- You should be very familiar and know exactly how the exam follows its form and timing.
- Learn to memorise “by heart” particular key phrases that you will definitely need in order to ask for an instruction/question to be repeated (Could you repeat the instruction/ question, please? - Shall we begin? - That’s a good question! - et cetera.)- Learn to show genuine interest when you are listening to your partner speak. Smile also (and a lot)! Nod or shake your head to show interest or agreement!
- Encourage your partner/other candidate to say what they think. Draw them out, so they draw you out.
- Pay attention to what you say yourself.
- Be coherent with your ideas.
- Observe and talk about as many photos as possible. Go to a newsstand and have a look at them!
- When you see new photos think about what it is you would say if you had to talk about them.
- Learn to be spontaneous about what it is you see and how you wish to convey to someone what you feel about it.
- Learn to direct the other person to the area where you are speaking about in the picture.
- Pay attention at all times and be natural with your responses.
- From the time you enter to the time you leave the test centre, ONLY USE ENGLISH! Ok? J
- Once you have been instructed by the oral examiner to stop speaking, STOP speaking. If you fail to follow this instruction, you may be penalised.

In the test:

- Do not worry about the time in the test. This is tightly controlled by the examiners.

- When the examiner raises his/her hand, or says “Thank you!”, stop speaking!

- Stick to what you have learnt during pre-testing.

- Each part of the test is time controlled so do worry if you do not finish your response.

- Follow the instructions of the examiner at all times.

At the end of the test:

- When the examiner has finished asking the required number of questions in Part 4 or the time has come to a satisfactory end, the examiner will then bring to an end the test.

- Once you have been finished the Speaking test, the examiner will tell you both:

      “That is the end of the test. Well done both/all of you. Thank you!”

- Once this happens, you should follow the examiners lead and exchange farewells. Thank them for their time and say goodbye.

- Leave the room quietly.

- No talking or muttering to each other until you’re well outside the testing area.