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GCSE English Spoken Language

Hey guys,

I have a spoken assessment for AQA GCSE English. As some of you may know, it is marked out of pass, merit and distinction.

Do any of you have good tips for a successful and high quality speech that could potentially help me receive a distinction.

I do speech and drama as an extracurricular activity and I am on Grade 6. I easily pass them with distinctions but I'm a bit nervous for the English speech.

Thank you !! :smile:
Reply 1
Avatar for Saff.05
Saff.05
10
Original post by rj1.706
Hey guys,

I have a spoken assessment for AQA GCSE English. As some of you may know, it is marked out of pass, merit and distinction.

Do any of you have good tips for a successful and high quality speech that could potentially help me receive a distinction.

I do speech and drama as an extracurricular activity and I am on Grade 6. I easily pass them with distinctions but I'm a bit nervous for the English speech.

Thank you !! :smile:


Hi there, I got a distinction and here is how I managed to achieve it:
1. Make a powerpoint- this will show how devoted you are to your topic and will help develop your topic more helping the teacher to visualise and understand it better

2. Vary your vocabulary- this will give you better chances of getting into those higher ranks

3. Communication- the way you present your speech is key. Make sure to stand up straight- don't touch otherwise this affects your performance and potentially show the uninterested side rather than the passionate side. Eye contact- this is very key. It is sooo important as this is captivate the audience more and show the passion you feel which will bounce off of you.

4. Sound confident- this may sound hard but be light when you speak and be loud. Don't stutter and if you have flashcards, try to summarise it in bullet points than writing out the entire speech onto paper as you constantly be looking down all the time. Also, SMILE!! This is so essential as you come across more friendly and more open.

5. With your speech try and plan it in chronological order, so it flows rather than going from one point in time into another and back to the past.

6. Lastly, do your absolute best. If the topic is something you really enjoy and have a passion about then you will ace it. Also, what is your speech about?
Original post by rj1.706
Hey guys,

I have a spoken assessment for AQA GCSE English. As some of you may know, it is marked out of pass, merit and distinction.

Do any of you have good tips for a successful and high quality speech that could potentially help me receive a distinction.

I do speech and drama as an extracurricular activity and I am on Grade 6. I easily pass them with distinctions but I'm a bit nervous for the English speech.

Thank you !! :smile:

Hi, I'm doing edexcel, but I got a distinction in my one, so hopefully I can still help. 1. pick a topic your confident on and interested in - this will make it easier to write and if you get any questions at the end, your answers will be of a higher quality and more informed. 2. pick what you want the feel of your speech to be - if you want to sound informed and well read on the subject, use lots of statistics and background information that maybe not a lot of people knows, or if you want to make people think, use lots of rhetorical questions or 'put your hand up if...' questions. 3. if you use a powerpoint in the background, try not to rely on it too much, and only put small and brief one line bullet points or images on the slides, because if you rely on the powerpoint too much, it may give the examiner the idea that without the powerpoint, your speech is nothing in quality compared to with the powerpoint. 4. when you're actually doing your speech, no matter how nervous you are, don't let it show. If you seem confident in your speech and yourself, the examiner gets the idea that your speech will be good, even before you start. 5. use high level vocabulary and subject terminology wherever possible, but still make it understandable - e.g. if your speech is about judo, and you're talking about the judo mat, yes, call it the 'tatami', but the first time you call it the tatami, mention that tatami means mat, as not everyone knows Japanese terminology for judo, this way your speech sounds more sophisticated but is also more accessible. 6. when you write your speech, write it in a way that it can be read and spoken - don't use slang and so on, because although they are used through speech, they aren't associated with higher level pieces of writing (unless it relates to the topic, e.g. you're quoting someone or you're talking about the use of slang and use an example) - the speeches are not only marked for how you perform them and your speaking skills, but they're also marked as a piece of transactional writing.
Reply 3
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rj1.706
OP
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Original post by user_5678
Hi, I'm doing edexcel, but I got a distinction in my one, so hopefully I can still help. 1. pick a topic your confident on and interested in - this will make it easier to write and if you get any questions at the end, your answers will be of a higher quality and more informed. 2. pick what you want the feel of your speech to be - if you want to sound informed and well read on the subject, use lots of statistics and background information that maybe not a lot of people knows, or if you want to make people think, use lots of rhetorical questions or 'put your hand up if...' questions. 3. if you use a powerpoint in the background, try not to rely on it too much, and only put small and brief one line bullet points or images on the slides, because if you rely on the powerpoint too much, it may give the examiner the idea that without the powerpoint, your speech is nothing in quality compared to with the powerpoint. 4. when you're actually doing your speech, no matter how nervous you are, don't let it show. If you seem confident in your speech and yourself, the examiner gets the idea that your speech will be good, even before you start. 5. use high level vocabulary and subject terminology wherever possible, but still make it understandable - e.g. if your speech is about judo, and you're talking about the judo mat, yes, call it the 'tatami', but the first time you call it the tatami, mention that tatami means mat, as not everyone knows Japanese terminology for judo, this way your speech sounds more sophisticated but is also more accessible. 6. when you write your speech, write it in a way that it can be read and spoken - don't use slang and so on, because although they are used through speech, they aren't associated with higher level pieces of writing (unless it relates to the topic, e.g. you're quoting someone or you're talking about the use of slang and use an example) - the speeches are not only marked for how you perform them and your speaking skills, but they're also marked as a piece of transactional writing.

Thank you :smile:
Hi, I know that your grade can be either a Pass, Merit or Distinction but is it possible to also get a U or is a Pass the lowest you can get. Also, does your grade affect your qualification or does it not matter?
Original post by rj1.706
Thank you :smile:

Your welcome :smile:
Reply 6
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rj1.706
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Original post by Kyle McNeil
Hi, I know that your grade can be either a Pass, Merit or Distinction but is it possible to also get a U or is a Pass the lowest you can get. Also, does your grade affect your qualification or does it not matter?

I think a pass is the lowest you can get unless you do not do a speech at all. My teacher said that is does not go on your results card but it is a mark that your exam board has to know. I don't think it affects you qualification. Don't take my word for it, ask your teacher or a friend that might now. Hope this helps !
Original post by rj1.706
I think a pass is the lowest you can get unless you do not do a speech at all. My teacher said that is does not go on your results card but it is a mark that your exam board has to know. I don't think it affects you qualification. Don't take my word for it, ask your teacher or a friend that might now. Hope this helps !

as long as you complete the speech you'll get a pass, and most people get merit anyway (even some awful speeches get merit, so don't stress) and you just need to do it so they can give you the gcse, you don't need to do well though
Original post by rj1.706
I think a pass is the lowest you can get unless you do not do a speech at all. My teacher said that is does not go on your results card but it is a mark that your exam board has to know. I don't think it affects you qualification. Don't take my word for it, ask your teacher or a friend that might now. Hope this helps !

Ok thanks!
Reply 9
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Apple5
5
Sorry if this is in the wrong place. I was just wondering how long you should make the speech. Mine is currently 400 words is this too short or would it be okay?
it's really easy to get a distinction in the english orals - nearly everyone in my english class including me got one, and only some people got merit. in the other class, everyone got a distinction
our teachers didnt recommend using a ppt, as then u wldnt make eye contact with the audience - our teacher literaly said no ppts allowed
just make sure you speak clearly and loudly

but also my skl is a grammar one so everyone always gets minimum 6s for everything and everyones target grades are 9s
so idk
Original post by chocolatecake738
Sorry if this is in the wrong place. I was just wondering how long you should make the speech. Mine is currently 400 words is this too short or would it be okay?

Hi,
In my school, the length is dependent on timing rather than word count, so my teacher recommended making the speeches around 5 mins, including the time for people to ask questions at the end, so my speech ended up to be two and a half pages (hand written), or one page(typed up).
Original post by rj1.706
I think a pass is the lowest you can get unless you do not do a speech at all. My teacher said that is does not go on your results card but it is a mark that your exam board has to know. I don't think it affects you qualification. Don't take my word for it, ask your teacher or a friend that might now. Hope this helps !


About it impacting your grade or not, my teacher said it does go on your report card, but its only use is to tell employers and unis etc about you oral communication skills.

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