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Author Topic: LOTE oral  (Read 6301 times)  Share 

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2352300

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LOTE oral
« on: October 24, 2017, 05:50:06 pm »
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Hiiii my italian oral is tomorrow and im just wondering what to expect. i hope i dont get a mean examiner, because my friend who does viet got a really mean lady and im wondering how common this is. im already extremely nervous just practicing in my room so idk how i'll do in front of complete strangers. thank you!

K888

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Re: LOTE oral
« Reply #1 on: October 24, 2017, 06:07:23 pm »
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Hiiii my italian oral is tomorrow and im just wondering what to expect. i hope i dont get a mean examiner, because my friend who does viet got a really mean lady and im wondering how common this is. im already extremely nervous just practicing in my room so idk how i'll do in front of complete strangers. thank you!
Hi there! First of all, good luck for tomorrow! I'm sure you'll be fine :) What do you mean by "mean", exactly?

In terms of general procedure of the day:
- You rock up to the place - make sure you get there early - and register at your given registration time. Make sure you have photo ID with you, and bring a water bottle!
- You sit down with the other people doing their oral in the same block of time as you, then you get taken to a room where they explain the rules to you and a bit of the process. You have to leave water bottles and other personal items at this stage, but I'd recommend leaving your items with your mum/dad before you go and register
- You then go sit outside the room you're going to be assessed in for a few minutes, and wait for them to call you in
- Then away you go! Make sure you give the appropriate greeting, then sit down, give your student ID, then they'll start asking questions :)

Examiners are usually pretty good. They might not be outwardly super happy and all that, but generally the examiners are pretty decent - after all, they've agreed to be examiners because they love the language and want to hear what you have been able to learn over your period of studying a LOTE at high school. You're expected to have a level appropriate to that of a high school student, they're not expecting you to be like a native speaker :) If you stumble, they'll probably prompt you to give you a hand, and they're always happy to re-state and rephrase questions if you ask.
You might get examiners that don't ask the questions you perhaps want them to ask (this happened to me), but they're not mean, it's just the luck of the draw unfortunately, and remember that they haven't studied your detailed study (you have!) so will potentially be asking more general questions.
They'll overall be pretty neutral, because they're not allowed to give you an indication of how you went, and remember - they don't know you, so it's hard to interact with you as a friend would when they don't have that relationship with you!

All the best :) The feeling of relief you get after finishing the oral is great.

2352300

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Re: LOTE oral
« Reply #2 on: October 24, 2017, 06:15:57 pm »
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thank you for the reply im feeling a bit less nervous now  :) my friend's examiner kind of pushed at things at the fringes of the detailed study and prodded when she felt that my friend wasn't familiar with a certain topic. so maybe that isn't mean and just standard procedure? some of my friends are planning on just spewing out two minutes worth of memorised content as soon as the first question is asked to take up time. this is very tempting but im not sure if its a good idea? what was your experience/strategies with tackling the oral if you don't mind sharing?  :D

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Re: LOTE oral
« Reply #3 on: October 24, 2017, 06:31:36 pm »
+3
thank you for the reply im feeling a bit less nervous now  :) my friend's examiner kind of pushed at things at the fringes of the detailed study and prodded when she felt that my friend wasn't familiar with a certain topic. so maybe that isn't mean and just standard procedure? some of my friends are planning on just spewing out two minutes worth of memorised content as soon as the first question is asked to take up time. this is very tempting but im not sure if its a good idea? what was your experience/strategies with tackling the oral if you don't mind sharing?  :D
Yeah, like, they want to find out how much you actually know about your topic, and whether you've just memorised a bunch of answers or if you actually know your topic enough to discuss it properly.
You definitely can direct discussion through your answers - if you want them to ask you a certain question because you know you have a baller answer, then talk about something to do with that in your previous answer (provided it relates). To provide a really bad example to clarify:
Q: Do you have any pets?
A: Yes, I have two dogs and a goldfish, but I would like more pets.
Q: Oh, which pets would you like/ why do you want them?
A: blah blah blah
Sorry, I could provide something more specific but it'd be for French and I don't think me talking about the consequences of resistance during the occupation of France in WW2 would be super helpful for you haha ;)

Definitely don't just spurt out a few minutes of memorised content - the examiners will see that from a mile off, and you won't score as highly as you would have if you had have tried your best to specifically answer their questions and maybe offer a few extra observations and opinions, etc. - even if you make some mistakes! Making mistakes is more than fine, and if you pick up your own mistakes and correct yourself, the examiners love that, because it shows that you're aware of what you're saying.

In terms of strategies and my experience, honestly, I'd say that beforehand, just practice with some friends and try to get a good conversation going - ask each other questions, etc. - I found having a casual conversation (not too casual, though - make sure you're still speaking correctly and all that) about my topic a) reassured me about how much I knew, b) how I could answer a question I wasn't expecting, and c) just prepared me overall for going in and speaking.
During the oral, just be there in the moment. The 15 minutes goes so fast, and just try your best to make an impact in that time. Don't sweat the small stuff, and just try to have fun. :) If things don't go to plan, that's ok (they didn't for me!), just try your best to imrovise and adapt! I'd definitely recommend having a few responses up your sleeve for when you haven't got any clue about how to answer a question - stuff like "that's a question I haven't considered before, but..." - giving yourself breathing space is really important, and you'll be surprised about how fast you can think on your feet.

Overall, just have faith in your abilities. You've been practicing for this for months, and you've been studying the language for years. You'll be fine :) In the end, it doesn't end up contributing ~that~ much to your score, so whilst you need to try your best, if you make mistakes and come out of it thinking you've bottled it, it's okay - just work hard for the written exam, and you'll be fine! It's not the be all and end all :)