We will be covering, 'How to prepare for PSLE English Oral?' in a 2 part webinar series. This is the first part and we will be covering, 'Reading aloud passages.' In the next video, we will be covering strategies on PSLE Oral stimulus-based conversation. Below is a breakdown on what the video will cover. Please click on the video above.
The video covers the following:
What examiners expect?
PSLE Oral marking scheme (Reading aloud passage portion)
Use PIPES + exercises to ace PSLE Oral Reading Aloud passages
Commonly mispronounced words
Demonstrate how to read using a sample passage from PSLE Oral reading passages.
In case you need to take a closer look at the materials, we will upload it onto this blog. Please go to the appropriate sections.
HOW TO PREPARE FOR PSLE ENGLISH ORAL?
(Reading aloud)
1. Understand the PSLE Oral marking scheme (Reading aloud passages)
PSLE English Oral Marking Rubrics
This is an example of what typically an examiner would look for.
Marks | 0 | 1 | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
Punctuation | The student failed to address the punctuation pauses. | The student made some pauses for punctuation. | The student addressed all punctuation pauses. |
Expression | The student read the text in a monotonous tone. | The student made some attempts to modulate his or her voice to differentiate between speech and text. | The student was very expressive. He or she differentiated clearly between the text and speech portions |
Articulation | Poor pronunciation of many words. | The student managed to pronounce some words correctly, however, there were still many errors. | Excellent pronunciation. The student managed to pronounce all the words accurately. |
Rhythm | The student reads very slowly. | The student at times reads too fast or too slow. | Excellent and confident pacing. We can understand him or her clearly |
Sound | The student's voice level is too low. | The student's volume fluctuates, making it hard to understand him or her. | The student's voice was at the perfect volume. We can hear him or her clearly. |
Total marks: | /10 | | |
Comments: | | | |
Tips to score full marks for the Reading Aloud section. We created an acronym based on the marking scheme above.
PIPES
We have broken down the different categories Oral examiners look out for into an acronym.
P | PAUSE for punctuation. |
I | INTONATION to express emotions in the right tone & context. |
P | PACING right with confidence |
E | ENUNCIATION - Pronounce clearly. (Words that end with D, S & T.) (Silent letters) (Long vowels vs short vowels) (TH vs T) |
S | SOUND - Right, consistent volume |
2. Use PIPES + exercises to ace PSLE Oral Reading Aloud passages
Punctuation Pauses
There are few punctuation pauses that we mentioned in the video. Please take note on how long you should pause for each punctuation.
Punctuation type / Where to pause | How long to pause |
Commas | 1 second |
Fullstop | 2 seconds |
End of a paragraph | 3 seconds |
Punctuation Type and what to do
Punctuation type | Tone |
Exclamation mark (!) | Use more emotion to express anger, sadness, surprise, disgust, happiness or fear. |
Question mark (?) | Raise the tone of your voice at the end of the sentence |
Speech marks (" ") | Whatever that comes between speech marks are dialogues. Read out with the appropriate emotion. |
Intonation exercises: Speech tags
"Stop it!" I snapped back at my brother. | Take note of speech tags. Speech tags are words that replace 'said'. It indicates to us on how the dialogue needs to be delivered. "Snapped" falls under the category of anger. Therefore, this dialogue needs to be delivered in an angry tone. Students are recommended to scan the reading passage for clues like this. (Tip) Take note of the exclamation mark. This dialogue requires the reader to express more anger. |
“Have you seen it or not?” said Nancy, tapping her foot impatiently. | In this example, no clear speech tag is given. Instead, "said" has been used. The student is recommended to look for contextual clues which we have highlighted in green. "Tapping her foot impatiently" tells us that the character is angry and impatient. Therefore, this dialogue needs to carry an impatient tone. |
PSLE ORAL TIP: Try to pick PSLE Oral reading passages with the above elements. Ensure these passages have a mixture of exclamation marks, question marks and a variety of speech tags. Or you can practice with excerpts from story books that have plenty of speech tags.
Intonation exercises: 6 different emotions
Enunciation: Learn how to pronounce clearly
Enunciation (Words ending with (D, S & T)
D | S | T |
Learned | Learns | Learnt |
Planned | Plans | Plant |
Omitted | Omits | Omit |
Enunciation (Long vowels & short vowels)
Differentiate clearly between short & long vowels when reading the passage. We highly recommend students to try tongue twisters such as - Peter Piper. It is a good exercise right before the Oral exam.
SHORT | LONG |
Fill | Feel |
Sick | Seek |
Pitch | Peach |
List | Least |
Full | Fool |
Pull | Pool |
Enunciation (T vs TH)
Pay particular attention to the difference between T and TH. Watch our video on HOW TO PREPARE FOR PSLE ENGLISH ORAL. The teacher demonstrates how to differentiate between the two. Click on the link on the start of the post.
H | K | W | T | B |
Honest | Knee | Whole | Match | Bomb |
Hour | Knife | Wrinkle | Hustle | Crumb |
Commonly mispronounced words for PSLE English Oral Reading passage
Kindly refer to the video in the start of this post to hear the teacher.
Reading demo by our teachers
There is a portion at the end of the video where we demonstrate how to read PSLE English Oral passages.
How to prepare for PSLE English Oral (Reading) Recap and Tips
Understand what examiners are looking for by using the PSLE English Oral marking scheme.
Use our acronym PIPES
Remember - Punctuation pauses, Intonation exercises & enunciation. Refer to the exercises above
Commonly mispronounced words
Watch the demo video by our teachers. Record and listen to yourself. Use roleplay to create a mock exam scenario.
CHECK OUT OUR PSLE ORAL STIMULUS-BASED CONVERSATION CHEATSHEET
Click on the button below to be directed to download a FREE SAMPLE.
Also, did you know we have an ad-hoc programme called ORAL REVIEW where we prepare students for PSLE ORAL EXAMINATION by creating a mock exam scenarios where we assign scores & give feedback on where to improve? Both reading and Stimulus-based conversation is covered. Each session is 30 minutes. 4 sessions for $160. Kindly whatsapp us to find out if there is availability.
Comments