image asset 6 1

Oral: Top 5 Misconceptions During Stimulus-Based Conversation

With the prelims and PSLE Oral looming ahead, we are starting to prepare the children for their oral examination. Today’s post seeks to answer 5 Misconceptions During Stimulus-Based Conversation that children and parents have. During my conversations with parents and children, I realise that these 5 Misconceptions During Stimulus-Based Conversation often create unnecessary fear and are even stumbling blocks for children. Let’s see what they are today!

Misconception #1: The longer the answer, the better it is.

Why it is untrue: If an answer is long but irrelevant to the question or topic, it does not reflect the child’s understanding and answering of the question. Take the following as an example:

Q: Have you made any of the following desserts before? Tell me more.
(based on a stimulus that showed different types of desserts)

A: Yes, I have tried making the cupcake before. Last year, I was at my grandmother’s home and my aunty taught my cousins and me how to make cupcakes. We used flour, sugar, chocolate and a big mixing bowl to place all the ingredients in. However, we started playing in the kitchen and my aunty chased us out of the kitchen.

After we were chased out, we went to the garden and I saw some snails. I picked up a snail and…

At this point, I interrupted the child and proceeded to ask the child if the snail is going to be related to the making of the cupcakes. The child gave me a cheeky smile and answered no. I praised him for his effort as we both knew that he had made some good points at the beginning and was trying very hard to extend his answer about the making of the cupcake. However, it is also true that the details he was adding in later are not relevant to the question.

In some children’s attempt to lengthen their answers, they must be aware that the details added or the new topic initiated should be related to the question. They should also be able to make a link back to the question very smoothly and easily at the end of the sharing. With a good link made to the original question to show the relevance, the details in the developed (or long) answer will then serve to to help the child score.

Misconception #2. As long as my answer is long and interesting, I will do well.

Why it is untrue: As much as an engaging conversation that is interesting and relevant does capture the examiner’s attention, it is important to remember that the language used to express this answer is of equal importance. I remember how a child had provided interesting experiences and responses but was penalised rather heavily due to his usage of Chinese and Singlish during the examination. It was really an area which I wish he had been more careful in.

Looking at the assessment objective (AO) for the PSLE Oral examination, you will see that:

assessment objective (AO) for the PSLE Oral examination

Source: http://www.seab.gov.sg/content/syllabus/PSLE/2016_PSLE_Subject_info/0001_2016.pdf

Some important language features to take note of include:
1. using the correct tenses and subject-verb agreement, (My mother say… should be My mother says/said…)
2. using a wide range of vocabulary (sad, crestfallen, devastated etc.)
3. standard English (No slangs or switching to other languages except for names of food e.g. Nasi Lemak)

You may wish to use the Blare Conversation Checklist to take note of these language features during your practice!

Misconception #3: I must always agree when answering yes/no questions.

Why it is untrue: There is actually no standard answer that is given for each question stating points that you must mention in order to score points during the examination. Do not be pressured into thinking that you must always agree with what the question is asking about.

Hence, for a yes/no question that asks you for your opinion (e.g. Will you wish to take part in this event?), what is more important is for you to give an opinion which you are confident in developing as an answer. At times, by agreeing with the question, you may realise you do not have much to say to support why you chose that option. On the contrary, by disagreeing, you may find it easier to support that decision.

Another route which you can take is to discuss both opinions, weighing the pros and cons before sharing your decision.

Misconception #4: I must make up stories if I do not have the relevant experience.

Why it is untrue: There are other ways that you can share stories and experiences. Some children have the impression that the story must involve them and thus, they must create unreal experiences. The problems with this are that some children are uncomfortable to do this (I have a child who was very distraught and told me that he did not wish to lie.) and for some children, the stories which are created tend to lack logic.

Instead of spinning stories and creating these unreal experiences, what you can do instead:

1. Relate experiences of family and friends.

2. Relate stories which you have read about (in stories or the newspaper etc.) or watched (in videos and movies etc.)

3. Think about a hypothetical situation. Express what you will wish for if you have not had the experience. (E.g. Have you kept a pet before? Tell me about your experience.)

Child A: No, I have not kept a pet before. (…and the response ends there. This is definitely not what we hope for.)
Child B: Although I had not kept a pet before, I have always wished to be able to keep a dog. (Child went on to discuss why he/she would like to keep a dog and what he/she thinks keeping a dog would require him/her to do.)

Misconception #5: If the examiner asked me a lot of questions, I must have done poorly.

Why it is untrue: There is a set of questions (usually 3) which each examiner is required to ask each candidate. Depending on the child’s response, examiners have the flexibility to ask all or most of the questions and prompts or ask fewer questions if the examiner has heard enough to assess the candidate.

Sometimes, when an examiner asks more questions maybe that he/she just wants to hear more to give a better assessment of you. There are situations too when examiners may ask more questions that are related to the child’s response simply because he/she is engaged by what the child has shared. As a candidate, as long as your responses are relevant and developed (not just two or three lines.), do not worry if your examiner has asked more questions. If the examiner is smiling and seems interested, you should know that you are engaging him/her and that is always a positive thing.


I hope that with the above 5 Misconceptions During Stimulus-Based Conversation are clarified, you will be more confident in your answers and be aware of what makes a good answer. Fire away in the comment section or drop us an email if you have any other queries or requests for topics that you would like to see us do a blog post on!


 

LilChatterboxPSLEEnglishOralCourse

The Lil’ Chatterbox Course

If you are still looking for a way to do better for your oral and need a structured approach to craft your answers in the stimulus-based conversation section, we are happy to share with you that our online oral course, “Lil’ Chatterbox” is now available!

Other than our compilation of vocabulary, you will also be getting the videos to walk you through our simple yet effective framework to answer the SBC questions as well as the Oral Workbook consisting of 9 practices with model answers. Find out more about this essential PSLE English oral course here now.

Group 48 15 1
Mrs Chew

With her passion to create relevant and easy-to-understand materials for the lil’ ones, Mrs Lily Chew works alongside her team of teachers to design the Lil’ but Mighty curriculum. Constantly looking at best educational practices and thinking of ways to improve the curriculum, Mrs Chew finds pure joy in unlocking creative and different ways of helping each child achieve his or her personal best.

Have something to share? Drop us a comment below!

Leave a Reply

Share

Other related posts

Creative Writing | 3 Easy Steps to Write Your Own Haiku!
Verbs: More than Just Action Words! | Part 3: Changes in Verb Forms
Ketchup on English! – is, are, was and were!
Audience In Visual Text | Visual Text Comprehension
Exploring Points of View (POV) in Composition Writing
Metaphors For? | Part II – Implied Metaphors
10 Beautiful Vivid Verbs to Boost Your Writing and Oral! | Primary School English
Metaphors For? | Part I – An Introduction to Metaphors
3 Family-Friendly Shows on Netflix (Educational & Entertaining)!
Verbs: More than Just Action Words! | Part 2: Tenses
2021 Father’s Day Contest Winners
Verbs: More than Just Action Words! | Part 1: Subject-Verb Agreement
10 Beautiful Words You Can Use in Narrative / Descriptive Writing | Secondary School
Ways To Create A Well-Rounded Character | Creative Writing
Understanding Purpose-Related Questions in Visual Text Comprehension
How Playing Video Games Can Improve Our English (With Practical Tips for Parents!)
Primary School Composition | Onomatopoeia – What’s That?
2021 Mother’s Day Contest Winners + Our Founder’s Journey (Mother’s Day Special)!
Composition Revision: Using Your 5 Senses in Your Writing
How to Create A Dynamic Piece of Writing Using Idioms
Ketchup on English! – Subject-Verb Agreement
Punctuation Marks: Colon Vs. Semicolon
4 steps to Create Suspense
That Simile Though 2 | Using Stronger Similes
Mastering Cooking & Baking Vocabulary: Boost Your Writing with Essential Kitchen Jargon
PSLE ORAL | Compiled Prelim 2021 Oral Topics + Questions!
If you’re looking at getting recent PSLE Prelim Oral topics and practice questions, this will be an excellent resource for you!
5 Steps to Convert a Newspaper Article into a Cloze Passage
I would like to share with you 5 steps on how authentic articles can be transformed into cloze passages easily. Read on here!
PSLE English | Oral Conversation: Free SG50 Sample Practice + Model Answers
In this blogpost we will be touching on the oral stimulus-based conversation topic of National Day and SG50! Read on here!
PSLE English | Oral Conversation: Filling your Story with Details Easily + Free Revision Cards
By simply using the 5W1H, your children will be able to lengthen their stories (hence, the conversation!). Read on here!
PSLE English | Situational Writing: Q&A + Formal vs Informal Writing Comparison Chart
To aid you in your situational writing revision, here is a comparison chart that shows the differences between formal and informal writing!
PSLE English Tips | Oral: Stimulus-Based Conversation Checklist
To help my children handle the Stimulus-Based Conversation examination, here are some instructions again about using the checklist!
A Little Encouragement | DIY Motivational Bookmark (Easy to personalise too!)
A bookmark with a quote to motivate is also a chance for them to see the power of words and how words can mean more than what they seem.
Situational Writing: Step-by-Step Guide + Free Revision Card
I believe a walkthrough on the process of doing situational writing is in order. Here are the requirements for content and language!
I Love Reading | 5 Ways to Motivate Reluctant Readers
One of the most important ingredients necessary for a child or anyone learning English is the habit of reading. Get motivated to read now!
PSLE English | Printable Ultimate Grammar & Synthesis Summary
Today, we are sharing two lists of essentials in our Ultimate Grammar and Synthesis Summary Printable. Download them free here!
How Well Do You Know Your Past Participles?
While we are familiar with the past, present and future tenses, the little less known but equally important tense is the past participles.
Primary Composition Writing | Starting Sentences with Introductory Clauses
Today, we'll be revising the use of sentence starters to help you create variety in your sentence structures. Read on here!
The Sentence Train | Lower Primary English
Today, we are going to learn what makes up a sentence. It will come in handy when you do the word order activity in school! Read on here!
PSLE English Tips | Oral: Reading Checklist
This Oral Reading Checklist can be used by children when they practise reading on their own. Download it now!
Language of COVID | 10 Words Added to the Dictionary
Using Personification to Show, Not Tell!
Expressing Character Feelings Too! | Using Show-Not-Tell (Part 2)
How to Choose a Book to Read: 8 Ways
How to Dress Up A Boring Paragraph | Creative Writing
Ketchup on English! – Halloween Special: Prepositions of Time!
Ketchup on English! – Verbs Are Not Just Action Words!
Expressing Character Feelings | Using Show-Not-Tell
Which Picture Should I Use? | Choosing the Best Picture to Use for Composition!
Oral: Reading Passage | Long Vowels – Have You Been Reading Your Vowels Correctly?
Previous
Next

Like what you are reading?

Subscribe now to receive news and tips hot off the press!

shape icon 06
shape icon 05