Preparándose para el examen oral - TIPS FOR THE INTERVIEW!
2. WHICH QUESTIONS TO EXPECT…
Questions
are normally on these topics:
- Your
hobbies
- Your
work or education
- Things you like and things you don't like
- Friends
and family
- Holidays
- Sports
- Future plans
Don't
stress. Politely ask the examiner to repeat it.
Please
could you repeat that?
Could you
say that again, please?
4. USE THE
GRAMMAR OF THE QUESTION IN YOUR ANSWER
Here's a
silly mistake:
Do you
enjoy cooking?
Yes, I
enjoy to cook.
TIP: Why
not use the same grammar as the question in your answer?
Do you
enjoy cooking?
Yes, I
enjoy cooking.
Here's
another example:
Are you
going to go on holiday this year?
Yes, I'm
going to go to Mexico. It's going to be my first time.
You don't always have to do this - English is quite flexible.
But for now, this method
will help you avoid mistakes.
5. DON'T BE
A ROBOT
A short
story to illustrate what we mean.
Once upon a
time, there was a man who wanted to be the President of the United States. He
went on TV to answer some questions. He prepared it very hard and memorized
what he wanted to say.
The first
question came. The man spoke for 25 seconds. All the people who were watching
looked at each other, puzzled. The man hadn't answered the question - he had
just repeated the speech he had learned!
The second
question came. The man spoke for 25 seconds. All the people looked at each
other, surprised. The man had said the same exact thing as before!
For the
third and fourth question, the man gave the same 25 second speech.
That's when
everyone in America decided that this man could not be president. Nobody wants
a robot in charge of the country.
(This is a
true story by the way - the politician's name is Marco Rubio, but now everyone
calls him 'Marcobot'.)
In oral
exams, you shouldn't speak like a robot. So don't write down answers to
questions and memorize them.
Instead,
learn a few keywords and speak naturally, like you would do in your own
language.
6. WHAT ARE
SOME GOOD KEYWORDS?
This is a
conversation I have ALL THE TIME with new students:
What is
your job?
Oh! How to
say it in English?
The first
keyword you should learn is the name of your own job! Don't you think?!
What is
your job?
I'm a
systems analyst.
Then learn
the jobs of your parents, husband/wife, best friend etc.
My mother's
a retired teacher. My father's a clown trainer. My husband is a camel trainer.
You should definitely learn some nice phrases about hobbies.
For example, the phrase 'to
be keen on' means 'to like'.
What are
your hobbies?
I'm keen on
gardening.
How about holidays?
In an entrance exam you should, for example, know the difference
between 'travel', 'cruise', and 'flight' - you could easily use these words if
asked about holidays.
What sort
of holidays do you like?
I'm
actually not too keen on travel, and I really hate flights. I like cruises,
though. That's my favourite.
Get the idea?
As I said before, you're not learning whole speeches, just a few words
you can use at the right time.
7. HOW MUCH
SHOULD YOU SAY?
It's okay to give short answers here, but I don't let my students say 'yes' or 'no'.
Your
answer shouldn't be shorter than the question!
Here are
some GOOD examples:
'Where are
you from, Victoria?'
'I'm from
Germany, from the north coast of Germany."
And:
"And
Edward?"
"I'm
from Peru. I live in the capital, Lima. It's near the coast."
If you
watched the video above, you'll hear Victoria tries to keep talking after
saying 'the north coast of Germany'. The examiner stops her - that was TOO much
detail.
So answer
the question in a simple way, then add ONE extra sentence.
8. HOW TO
PRACTISE
You can practise this with another student (or a friend who speaks some English).
Get them to ask you the questions and - if their English is good enough -
ask them
to give you some feedback.
If you're
lucky enough to live in an area where people speak English, go to a party or
some social event. Every person you meet will ask about your job, where you
live, and your hobbies. The perfect chance to practice!
If you are
studying in a class, ask your teacher to give you ten minutes for a 'speed
dating' session. You sit with another student, ask each other questions for two
minutes, then change partner.
If you're
alone, record yourself using your phone. If you've got a 'study buddy' ask
permission to film. Not enough of my students do this, but the ones that do say
it's VERY helpful. You will notice mistakes and you will be able to ask
yourself questions like 'Did I answer the question? Did I sound like a robot?'
A lot of
teachers encourage their students to write their own questions.
9.
CHECKLIST
Do I sound
like a robot? Record yourself answering simple questions similar to the ones
above and then check:
Were my
answers too short, too long, or just right?
Did I use
my keywords?
Was my
grammar accurate?
10. LET’S
DESCRIBE PICTURES!
