Forum user “Lsjnzy13” studied Chinese SLA in 2017 (Year 11), and received 97/100 for the oral exam. In this article, they give their top three tips for nailing the oral exam.

Please note: this article is written from a Chinese SLA perspective, and may not apply equally to other LOTE subjects.

  1. Choosing a discussion / detailed study topic

It’s crucial to choose a suitable detailed study topic for your oral exam. A lot of teachers like to make all of their students choose the same topic, but it would be better to choose a topic you are genuinely interested in. Remember, you will be dedicating a large portion of your time into researching this, and doing your detailed study on something you actually want to learn about makes it a much more enjoyable experience.

Also, it’s recommended to choose a topic that hasn’t been done before. Topics like ‘Louis XVI’ for French or ‘dumplings’ for Chinese has been studied by thousands of students, and choosing ‘overdone’ topics could work against you in several different ways. Right off the bat the examiners are much less interested in the topic since they’ve probably heard it a hundred times previously. Examiners are also much more knowledgeable on these ‘overdone’ topics and therefore know what questions students tend to struggle with.

lote oral exam

  1. Preparing for the oral exam

It’s a good idea to start early and have a rough script of your General Conversation by the first few weeks of unit 3. It’s really important that you write a script, and try to memorise the important points as much as you can. Bring it with you everywhere, read over it while you’re on the train, sleep with it next to your pillow (as my teacher liked to say). The script is important as it would be much easier to improvise an answer on the spot when you already have a general idea of what to include in your response.

When writing your script for general conversation, remember to never include one-word or one-sentence responses. Instead, try including examples in all of your answers, which not only makes them longer but also more interesting. Another thing to keep in mind is to avoid overusing long, complicated, fancy words in your script. Examiners can tell when students are deliberately trying to sound more sophisticated, not to mention it also makes memorising your script a lot more difficult.

As for your detailed study script, it’s important to research as much information as possible, even if some details seem irrelevant. It’s not common for examiners to go slightly off tangent during the exam, just to see how broadly you conducted your research. Remember, you are being tested on both the depth and the breadth of your knowledge, so keep both in mind while doing your research.

lote oral exam

Don’t spend all your time writing the script though – practising regularly is what really helps you improve. Try having conversations with different people, not just with your teacher or other students. Your teacher will most likely have a systematic way of asking questions, however things become much less predictable once you’re just chatting to someone you just met (remember this is what the exam will be like – your examiners have no idea who you are, hence they won’t necessarily be asking questions the way you want them to). One thing I found helpful was to go to different Chinese restaurants and try maintaining a solid 5-minute conversation with anyone I see. It can be a little daunting at first, but it works – not just on improving your conversation skills but also with nerves.

  1. On the day

On the day of the oral exam, avoid doing any last minute cramming, as tempting as it may be, and definitely do not make any more changes to your script. Try to spend your morning around others who speak the language, and try not to converse in English – you’ll have plenty of time to do that after it’s over.

Sounds clichéd, but do your best to stay calm and be confident when you go into the exam. Put yourself in the examiners’ shoes – they have to go through this every single day for hours, while in 15 minutes you would be free. So lighten up the atmosphere, even make a few jokes if you want (don’t overdo this though). It’s up to you to make those 15 minutes less stressful for the examiners, because if you do, you will stand out from the other 100 or so students who walk timidly into the room and act as if it’s the last place they want to be in.

Be confident that your information is right. Assessors sometimes ask questions that challenge your information. In these cases, don’t be afraid to correct the examiner (politely!). Don’t forget that you’ve spent a year researching on this topic. You are the expert, not the examiner.

Some final tips, if you happen to make a mistake, correct yourself immediately (you get marked on this). Also, have good manners. While you don’t get marked on this, it leaves a bad impression if you don’t. Smile at both examiners and say good morning / afternoon when you walk in, say thank you before you leave, and remember to push your chair in.

Good luck!