Reading Aloud and Stimulus-Based Conversation constitute the PSLE English Oral exam. Both parts of the exam allow students to think and take notes before they can answer the examiner's question. To achieve good scores, students should demonstrate their oral skills in reading and articulating their thoughts.
Examiners will assess the student's performance based on their demonstration of:
- Self-confidence
- Command of English
- Spontaneity of answers
- Clarity of pronunciation
- Use of vocabulary
- Polite disposition
This article focuses on the Reading Aloud section in the PSLE English oral exam. To ensure your child excels in this exam section, follow the tips suggested in this article.
Gearing Up for PSLE Oral Exam's "Reading Aloud" Section
This section of the English exam is exactly what the name implies. The students read out a given passage in front of an examiner who listens and awards marks based on various criteria. How should students prepare for this part of the oral exam? For starters, they should read through the passage and note down any difficult or unfamiliar words. Before reading the passage to the examiner, students should decide how they plan to pronounce it. Any hesitation, mispronunciation, or repetition of words may not garner full marks.
Intonation is also crucial. For example, if the sentence ends in a question, the student should add a suitable tone of voice and read it correspondingly. That said, they should also take care not to sound extremely dramatic and unnatural.
To excel in the Reading Aloud section needs nothing more than a few minutes of reading every day. Students can practice by reading various passages to themselves or a family member who will correct their mistakes and review their progress.
Another way to make things easy is to use the PEARS checklist. Yes, you heard it right. It's the PEARS checklist.
How to Use PEARS Oral Reading Checklist to Refine "Reading Aloud"
The PEARS acronym stands for:
- P- Punctuation
- E- Expression
- A- Accuracy
- R-Rate
- S-Smoothness
This checklist is simple to use. You can ask your child to read a passage and tick off each criterion as they read. You may also score each on a scale of 1-10, giving both of you a clearer picture of their performance. Try to vary the learning experience by asking your ward to rate themselves with the PEARS checklist.
To get the most from the PEARS checklist, follow these guidelines.
1. Read before "Reading Aloud"
This applies to both the reader and listener. The reader will focus on ticking each criterion and avoiding common errors like mispronunciation. On the other hand, the listener will look for the same PEARS criteria as the student reads on. As your child reads through the various sections, remember that "//" means "at the beginning of a new paragraph".
2. Note the "Areas of Improvement"
It can be quite challenging for the listener (the parent or family member) to note every mistake the student makes as they read. However, noting a few mistakes will be useful enough for the student to improvise. Listeners should ensure there is continuous progress in all aspects that require improvement.
Also Read : Tips to Help Your Child Score Better in PSLE English Oral Stimulus-Based Conversation
3. Read an additional passage
Reading another passage quickly to the first one will require only a few extra minutes. When the student reads an additional passage, it will help listeners capture mistakes more accurately. They can underline or circle the mistakes in the passage and identify areas in which the student needs improvement.
4. Listen to how you read
This guideline will work best if you record your child's reading practice and ask them to listen to it once they have finished reading. Although it may sound strange, listening to a recording of our voices is the best way to identify our speech errors. It will help your child identify their:
- Reading pace (if they are too slow or too fast).
- Emotion and rhythm of the voice.
- Slurs and mispronunciations.
- Issues in fluency and flow of language.
Recording one's voice is a great self-help method for students, especially if parents are too busy to assist them daily.
5. Practise difficult words
Students should be fully geared to encounter some hard-to-pronounce words in the Reading Aloud exam. Your ward can prepare to tackle these words by:
- Listing down the difficult words.
- Looking up the definition and pronunciation of each word.
- Break long words into syllables and pronounce each part.
- Practise the list of difficult words every day.
Train your child to read the word with absolute confidence even if they encounter it in the real exam
What to Expect From PSLE Oral Exam
The average Primary school-goer in Singapore is more likely to be interested in Tik Tok challenges or the latest PS4 games. Unfortunately, they cannot expect reading passages to be based on such topics. The passage topic may be entirely new or refer to something the student has no interest in. The trick is to use the right intonation and read as if the passage is highly interesting. This will help your child obtain high marks in this section. For more help and information,
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