Compiled Prelim 2022 Oral Topics + Questions

Greetings from the Lil’ but Mighty headquarters! I am Ms Quek, and today, we’ll be looking at a compiled list of Prelim 2022 Oral Topics!

I am sure that those of you in Primary Six are in the midst of oral preparation now. Hence, I am excited to share a list of compiled oral topics and questions that schools had tested in the recent preliminary examinations. This list was collated based on our students’ sharing. If you are looking for additional Prelim 2022 Oral topics or questions to practise with, this resource will be for you!

Do bear in mind that this compilation does not come with the actual stimulus so it may be difficult to practise Q1 since this question is directly linked to the stimulus and will require the student to reference details from the stimulus in his/ her answer. However, you can still refer to Q2 and Q3 as these questions are not directly linked to the stimulus.

While looking at the range of topics and questions, we also noted some interesting points which we will share with you below.

3 Points Noted in Prelim Oral

1. Range of topics tested

There were quite a few schools which tested on perennial topics that are universally accessible to students such as:

• Eating habits / Health
• Activities in School
• Personal Traits and Values

As mentioned in a previous blog pot, the selection of topics is usually those which are accessible to a 12-year-old. This is what we see in PSLE too. Hence, it would be useful to spend some revision time thinking about the possible areas that might be tested for such topics.

For example, there are many activities related to school. The brainstorming that I might do as revision might look like this (either mentally or written out on paper):

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After thinking about these possible areas (and more!), I would then try asking myself some questions to see what kind of meaningful points can be shared. This is so that I am prepared for a wide range of questions.

Besides the common topics, there were also some current topics that were tested. These included:

• Environment / Recycling
• Mental Health / Stress Management

At first glance, such topics may look inaccessible to students. However, the slant of questions tested aimed at experiences that a student would likely have. For example, on the topic of mental health, schools asked about the ways that one does to relax. Thus, for every question asked, students will do well to stay calm and think about how their own experiences or knowledge can help them to answer!

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2. New Q1 type – Adapted from PSLE 2021

This year, a few schools tested stimulus-linked questions (Q1) phrased in this way: “Look at the picture. Are you like the person in the picture? Why or why not?”

This trend came as no surprise to us as such a question type was tested in PSLE 2021! Thus, it may be useful for you to practise answering such questions.

However, how do we handle such questions? Let’s take a look at one such question and how two different students answered it. (Remember that this is Q1, a stimulus-linked question!)

Which student’s response addressed the question better? I am sure you can tell that it is Goh Ri La’s! To handle “Are you like the person in the picture?” questions better, we can do the following:

• Identify 2-3 critical behaviours displayed by the person in the picture

Remember that you are dealing with Q1, a stimulus-linked question! Hence, using stimulus (picture) details is essential.

• Relate the behaviours to yourself — Are you like or unlike the person?

Use the connectors “Like the person, … / Unlike the person, …” to relate the behaviour displayed by the person in the picture to yourself.

When answering, use the 2-3 details from the picture and share how and why you are like or unlike the person. You can even share short examples to support your answer!

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3. Q2/Q3 – Questions asking for opinions (Do you think…?)

During the preliminary examinations, several schools tested questions that required a student to share his or her opinion. For example:

• Do you think that the Internet is a good source of information?
• “Wearing second-hand clothes can help to save the environment.” Do you agree with this sentence?

In stimulus-based conversation, one of the assessment objectives is to assess whether the student is able to express their personal opinions clearly and effectively:

Here are some tips to help you answer questions asking for your personal opinion:

• Give a direct answer by first stating what your opinion is.
• Share 2-3 reasons why you hold that opinion.

Make sure to use helpful connectors like “Firstly, … / Secondly, … / Lastly, …” to organise the reasons.

However, how do we come up with so many reasons? You can brainstorm by looking at the topic from these angles:

• The pros and cons of the issue
• How it relates to you (eg. personal strengths / weaknesses / personality/ age group)
• The current situation that you are in / the world is in

Let’s take a look at how Goh Ri La (model student) might answer an opinion question!

I hope the above observations and examples have been useful for your revision! During the oral examination, stay calm, listen to the question, and always keep it in mind when answering it! We are all behind you!

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Need a last minute boost before your PSLE Oral Examination? Why not check out our Oral Self-Paced Online Course – Lil’ Chatterbox? 

Lil’ Chatterbox

1. Find out essential tips and key points to excel in reading and stimulus-based conversation

2. Learn our unique and easy-to-apply framework to tackle SBC questions

3. Practise with the Lil’ Chatterbox Workbook that includes 10 SBC exercises with model answers using our RASE strategy!