The Ins and Outs of the English A1 Part 2 Oral

It is very well possible that your own English A1 instructor has sufficiently informed you of all the guidelines regarding the Part 2 Oral (Internal Assessment). In that case, all this entry could hope to do is to add to what you already know. The Part 2 Oral is, conventionally speaking, the oral component that terrifies candidates and causes them to perform less well than expected. This is completely avoidable if the candidate bears in mind the following steps:

1. Always read the given passage from beginning to end. This may seem like a given, but when a candidate is under stress, he/she may neglect certain lines/paragraphs without realising it.

2. You may write on the passage, so DO IT. Plan your oral on the passage itself or on another sheet of paper. Always plan for approx. 10 minutes and not less.

3. When you start delivering the oral, state your name, candidate number, the title and author of the passage. Before you start, place the passage back into the original work. Where does it come in? What comes before and after it? This is crucial as it shows you know the work.

4. Start PARAPHRASING the passage. This part should last no more than 2 minutes. Time yourself. An overlong summary will cost you. You should paraphrase the passage from beginning to end, never skipping a speech (if it is a play), a line (if it is a poem), or a paragraph (if it is a novel). You may of course group speeches/lines/paragraphs together which are (thematically) linked.

5. From this point on, there are several approaches, and it greatly depends on what you are comfortable with (or your teacher may have opted for a particular approach). In any case, you should be structured at all times and your points should not be shallow.

-          Speaker/Narrator/Character

-          Tone & mood

-          Style

-          Language/linguistic, dramatic, poetic devices

-          Theme

This is not a strict order, and you should not attempt to discuss all the listed items. You should be selective and decide which are relevant to your passage.

Some candidates opt for the chronological approach, which means they discuss the passage from top to bottom, commenting on the items as they encounter them on the way down. There is nothing wrong with this approach, as long as you remain structured.

6. Needless to say, you must use the correct literary terms and prove your point by referring to the right place. The recommended structure is: Exact line – literary term – its effect – your explanation.

7. Be prepared for a five-minute discussion at the end of the oral.

8. Be fluent but not too fast. Hesitating for a few seconds is fine, but too many long gaps in your oral will give a poor impression. Remember it is recorded.

9. How to get high scores?

- Familiarise yourself with the assessment criteria. What is  your score for the Part 4 oral presentation? If it is low, you will have to work much harder for this one.

- Read the Part 2 works involved IN DETAIL. Your instructor should have discussed the key passages with you in class.

- Do a mock if you can. It will help tremendously.

- Be confident and have a blast!

Questions? Leave them at the bottom of this entry...