Exam Skills: 5 tips to help you with speaking exams

Rob Speaking exams can fill some students with

dread. But don’t feel stressed; we have some top tips to help you. Firstly, you need to

be prepared so make sure you practise speaking as much as possible a long time before the

exam day. Check how to pronounce words, learn some phrases and find out what the examiner

is looking for. When the real exam arrives, examiner, Mark Shea, has some good words of

advice…

Mark Shea, Examiner You need to remember that the examiner is

not your enemy. It’s the examiner’s responsibility, in an oral exam, to provide opportunities

for the examinees to display their language proficiency, how good they are at speaking.

So the examiner will help you.

Rob So our second top tip to help you with your

speaking exam is to remind you that the examiner is there to help you! They know you’re nervous.

But it’s also good to give yourself the best possible chance as well. Don’t speak too fast

– slow down – take a deep breath and speak clearly. And don’t forget to listen to the

questions and if you’re unclear, ask the examiner for clarification.

But to do this effectively, and to show the examiner how good your speaking skills are,

make sure that you comfortably and accurately use clarification phrases such as “can repeat/rephrase

that please?” or “I didn’t quite catch that, could you repeat or say that a different

way please?”

Sometimes speaking exams are done in pairs or groups – don’t let that worry you

– be friendly to the other candidate and maybe even help them with their speaking.

Language expert, Karen Adams can explain why…

Karen Adams, Language expert This is because it’s important to interact

and show the examiner that you can’t just speak, but you can actually converse with

someone else. Part of your marks will be devoted to the interaction between you and your partner,

so remember to react to what your partner says and to ask questions if it’s appropriate.

Rob So remember in speaking exams, the emphasis

is often on co-operation rather than competition. If you’re confident and friendly you’ll do well.

Good luck!