The Chinese Oral Exam doesn’t have to be a dreaded hurdle. What if you could help your child enjoy the process? For parents feeling the pressure, Vitamin M brings a fresh, engaging approach that makes mastering the Chinese Oral Exam not only achievable but fun.
Founded by award-winning producer Ang Aik Heng and filmmaker Goh Ying Sheng, Vitamin M is driven by a common mission: to bring back the joy of learning Chinese and make it an engaging, natural part of our daily life.
With their diverse expertise in TV production, filmmaking, and teaching experience, they’ve created immersive videos and multimedia content that follow the MOE syllabus, making it easier for kids to connect with the language. This approach has reshaped the way kids learn Mandarin—turning it from a subject burdened by endless memorization into an enjoyable and interactive experience. Vitamin M has been featured on Lianhe Zaobao, Shin Min Daily News, and Mediacorp Radio Capital 958.
In this Q&A, the founders share their invaluable insights and tips for acing the Chinese Oral Exam, drawing from their years of experience in teaching and their deep understanding of what helps students succeed in Mandarin.
1. What are the most common mistakes that cost students marks in oral exams?
In the passage reading, unfamiliarity with reading high-frequency words and recognizing words with multiple pronunciations (多音字) can be costly mistakes.
In the conversation, giving answers that are too short (less than 30 seconds) and using English phrases to replace Chinese vocabulary are also strictly no-no.
2. What should my child do if he/she does not know how to read a word in the reading passage?
There are three common techniques. Either skip the word with stealth and confidence, or the child can take a chance to guess the pronunciation of the word. Finally, the child can also replace the word with another that says about the same meaning and sounds coherent.
3. Does memorizing points and examples help in the conversation segment?
How does a skilled athlete perform at the highest level? By repeating the movements in the mind over and over again. One can look at the conversation segment as a performance of sorts – the more content “ammo” and “examples” you have in your memory bank – the better you’ll get to perform as you feel prepared.
4. What should my child do if they can’t think of enough examples to elaborate on the spot?
First of all, don’t panic. Finish elaborating the example and try to expand on that answer. If the example can be extended into a story of sorts – do it. Support the example with feelings and opinion. And for all you know, as the answer is rolling off the mouth, the forgotten examples will surface! Stay calm!
5. When the examiner prompts questions, does it mean my child’s score will be immediately affected?
There are usually 3 main questions and 3 sub-questions. And if the examiner finds that the child is not expanding on the answers, more questions will follow. Remember, the examiner is here to help your child and not to penalise. But don’t give a one-sentence answer and expect the examiners to help!
6. Is it possible to score full marks in the reading component or even in the oral exam?
The honest answer is – YES! It is possible. But the caveat is that your child is already strong in vocabulary recognition and only needs help to sharpen skills to score full marks for reading. Some students are strong readers but they lack the skills to score. Vitamin M classes deliver all the techniques and provide the needed practice.
7. What tips or techniques can help my child prepare for the conversation segment in the few minutes after watching the video?
In a nutshell, the child needs to decipher from the one-line narration what the theme of the video question is about. From there, start to prepare answers to answer possible questions. There is a boundary to what the examiners can ask – when you practise enough, you will know in the snap of the finger.
8. Is it possible to improve my child’s oral skills in a short period?
If your child is already scoring well for orals, additional preparation in a month, with daily practice will be sufficient.
But if your child is not doing well and not confident, one month is definitely too late to do a major turn around – it will likely get VERY stressful!
9. What is the best way to practice for the oral exam one month before?
For passage reading – try reading out loud the P6 textbook passages – if your child can speed read all the passages without any hiccups, well done!
As for video orals, do check out the videos in the SLS MOE library or test yourself with Vitamin M’s online PSLE Oral Practice Set. A mock oral will also be good to see where your child stands. Practice makes perfect!
10. What are some practical ways parents can help their child prepare and practice for the oral exam at home?
Grab a good English-Chinese vocabulary list or flashcards, and practise with your child. Identify the 20 odd oral topics and converse with your child daily, if not weekly– tease out the content and practice delivery!
BONUS TIPS!
If your child is an introvert and feels nervous during one-on-one situations with a teacher, don’t worry—it doesn’t mean they lack the content. It simply means more practice will be needed for him/her to look confident and score higher on impression points. Just like public speaking, the more they practice, the more comfortable and confident they’ll become. Encourage them, provide nurturing support, and remember that everyone starts somewhere—consistent practice will help them overcome their fear and excel.
If your child is primarily an English speaker, rest assured it’s still very possible for them to excel in Chinese orals. With commitment and consistent effort, 3-6 months of focused preparation will surely put your child in a good position to score better for Chinese Orals. In fact, many students from English-speaking schools score well in Chinese, showing that it’s entirely achievable with the right approach!
Vitamin M is an online Mandarin learning platform that sparks your child’s interest in spoken Mandarin through engaging, interactive multimedia and locally relevant Singapore-based content. Designed to make learning fun and relatable, it helps kids build confidence in speaking Mandarin.
Help your child improve their Chinese oral today! Start here.
Add Comment