The speaking test is divided into two sections: Task A & Task B, groups of 4 usually. Here is the time frame breakdown:
Sit down clockwise, A to D. There will be two examiners for each exam. Once seated, they will check your exam slips and ICs. Handphones, notes, stationery etc not allowed as a pencil, a piece of paper and the question will be placed on the table for each student.
1st minute - just read the question and make a mental note of the words you would like to ask the examiner about. (you should ask the examiner EVEN IF YOU UNDERSTAND the terms to get the right pronunciation and 'borrow' ideas from the examiners. most examiners are very helpful and will give you some ideas if you ask nicely) (say: Excuse me but what is the meaning of ... DO NOT SAY: What means of...? which is horrendous grammar!)
Sit down clockwise, A to D. There will be two examiners for each exam. Once seated, they will check your exam slips and ICs. Handphones, notes, stationery etc not allowed as a pencil, a piece of paper and the question will be placed on the table for each student.
1st minute - just read the question and make a mental note of the words you would like to ask the examiner about. (you should ask the examiner EVEN IF YOU UNDERSTAND the terms to get the right pronunciation and 'borrow' ideas from the examiners. most examiners are very helpful and will give you some ideas if you ask nicely) (say: Excuse me but what is the meaning of ... DO NOT SAY: What means of...? which is horrendous grammar!)
2nd minute - examiners ask all candidates (A-D) one by one if they understand the question or not. (again, make sure you ask about any word/phrases during this time)
2 minutes to write your notes on the blank A4 paper given (tip: divide the paper into 4 sections, label A, B, C and D, then write only in your section. think of three points and for every point give reasons and examples, make sure it's in note form only to avoid reading)
2 minutes for each candidate to present Task A - MUST AGREE WITH POINT GIVEN (advantage for candidate D cos will hv 8 mins to prepare but the point is generally harder to elaborate than candidate A's point, so there are always pros and cons. MAKE SURE YOU SPEAK FOR THE FULL 2 MINS, and it is ok to just elaborate 1 or 2 points well instead of 3 points but not well explained.)
Speak according to this format:
1. Greetings (Good morning to the examinerS and my fellow candidateS, etc.)
2. Repeat situation (Today we are talking about...etc.)
3. Main Point (The point I would like to discuss is... etc.)
4. 1st point (Firstly,.. , This is because,.., Moreover,..., For example,.. , Therefore,... )
5. 2nd point (Secondly,... , This means that,... , Furthermore,... , For instance,... , Thus,...)
6. 3rd point (Finally,... , This is due to the fact that... , In addition, Take for example..., Hence,... )
7. Conclusion (In a nutshell, etc.)
2 minutes to prepare notes for Task B (now you can write notes for all candidate's points, have a ranking system 1,2,3 and 4, 1 is for best choice and 4 for the least favourite, this will help you with your discussion)
1. Greetings (Good morning to the examinerS and my fellow candidateS, etc.)
2. Repeat situation (Today we are talking about...etc.)
3. Main Point (The point I would like to discuss is... etc.)
4. 1st point (Firstly,.. , This is because,.., Moreover,..., For example,.. , Therefore,... )
5. 2nd point (Secondly,... , This means that,... , Furthermore,... , For instance,... , Thus,...)
6. 3rd point (Finally,... , This is due to the fact that... , In addition, Take for example..., Hence,... )
7. Conclusion (In a nutshell, etc.)
2 minutes to prepare notes for Task B (now you can write notes for all candidate's points, have a ranking system 1,2,3 and 4, 1 is for best choice and 4 for the least favourite, this will help you with your discussion)
10 minutes to discuss. In the quarantine room, pre-decide who will do the introduction, and someone to do the conclusion (this person MUST PAY ATTENTION TO THE TIME, as some examiners will NOT ALLOW you to do a conclusion if you go beyond the 10 min timeframe.)
TEST ENDS
TIPS :
YOU MUST MEMORISE THE LANGUAGE PHRASES LISTED BELOW if you want to score a high band.
Make sure you train your brain to think of 3 points with supporting reasons and examples. Always write in point form, not full sentences as 2 mins goes by way too fast!
Use your hands to gesture and explain your points. Marks will be awarded for 3 categories:
1. Task fulfillment - Did you understand the question and give a relevant and mature response?
2. Communicative ability - Did you have good eye-contact, body posture, gestures, cooperation?
3. Language - Do you have good command of the language with extended vocabulary?
Marks are given for Task A and Task B then added and divided to find the average.
LIST OF USEFUL LANGUAGE
TASK A:
1. Good morning to everyone.
2. Good morning I bid to one and all.
3. Good morning to the examiners and all my
fellow candidates.
4. A very good morning I wish to all examiners
and fellow candidates.
5. Today we are talking about…
6. The situation I have been given is…
7. According to the situation…
8. Based on the situation given
9. I have 3 reasons to justify my point.
10. First and foremost,…
11. Firstly,…
12. Secondly,…
13. My second point is…
14. Another reason is…
15. Finally,…
16. Lastly,…
17. Last but not least,…
18. Moreover,…
19. In addition,…
20. Furthermore,…
21. Therefore,…
22. Hence,…
23. Thus,…
24. However,…
25. Other than that,…
26. On the other hand,…
27. Conversely,…
28. Consequently,…
29. Subsequently,…
30. In contrast,…
31. For example,…
32. For instance,…
33. Take for example,…
34. … and so on.
35. … and many more.
36. … and others.
37. In conclusion,…
38. As a conclusion,…
39. In short,…
40. In a nutshell,…
TASK B:
1. Let’s kickstart this discussion by starting with..
2. Allow me to begin…
3. May I begin by saying…
4. I agree with you. (NOT:I’M agree)
5. That’s a great idea!
6. I see your point!
7. That’s an interesting perspective.
8. I like your suggestion.
9. Indeed!
10. I concur with your point of view.
11. I’m sorry but I disagree.
12. I’m afraid I have to disagree with your idea.
13. I don’t see eye to eye with you.
14. That’s not a good idea/suggestion.
15. I beg to differ.
16. I’m sorry for interrupting but…
17. Excuse me, may I interrupt please.
18. Pardon me for interrupting but..
19. I’d like to add something please.
20. May I say something?
21. Could you please hear me out?
22. So what do you think, Candidate X?
23. How about your point of view?
24. Candidate X, what is your opinion?
25. Does anyone agree with me?
26. Why don’t we consider the other points?
27. I don’t understand, can you please repeat?
28. I’m sorry I don’t understand, can you please elaborate again?
29. In conclusion, ALL OF US agree that…
30. To conclude, MOST OF US agree that…
31. In a nutshell, SOME OF US agree that… while the rest prefer…
32. As time is running out, it seems that ALL OF US can’t seem to agree on a single point so…
33. That’s the end of this discussion, thank you.
