Speaking Exam. Im going to fail!!!!!!!!!!!

I had my mock speaking exam last week and after memorising a whole presentation my mind went completely blank and i forgot it all, i couldn't do anything else either because i am crap at speaking so i got a U.

My real speaking exam is in four weeks and i need to get my grade up to a C, do you think it can be done?

I REALLY want a grade C in spanish at the very least. i am determined not to fail. My coursework is at a Good B grade. I reckon i could get a C in listening and a B in reading maybe but do you think i hae got enough time. I got a C in my reading mock and a D in listening.

I need reassurance and help on how to revise for speaking.

Reply 1

Morgan141

This might sound a bit stupid but don't panic, just relax and show off what you know :smile:

. If you mess up a bit or you can't answer something your teacher should try to move you on. Oh, and here's a good sentence to learn:-

he olvidado la palabra - I've forgotten the word

If you really do go blank then use that, you should still get marks for fluency (don't quote me on that though).

I don't know which exam board you use but for the questions bit try to learn some key phrases, especially idioms.

Also, are you allowed cue cards? You might find that useful to jolt your memory.

Reply 2

RJA

i wouldn't panic about memorising word for word, just learn about your topic and write a few useful phrases down that you could use. you could then improvise a bit when comes to presenting eg. use lots of connectives etc.

Reply 3

~Kirsty~

don't panic, i started rambling on about Harry Potter in mine and still got a B overall. maybe having a few practice sessions with friends might help.

Reply 4

Kill.Me.Now

God i know just how you feel....i am gonna die in my german speaking exam

Reply 5

free_the_mind

Don't worry to much i had my french speaking exam and i was so sure i was going to do really bad but i got through it. Just go over your presentation before you go to bed a few times( I did!) and keep saying it whenever you get the chance, that way it'll hopefully stay fresh. Again as R.J.A said write some phrases down that you could use and express opinions whenever you can.

Good luck for the exam :smile:

Reply 6

Excalibur

I practice in the shower. :smile:

No really, it does work. :p:

I stick on the questions on the outside of the shower door, then while washing my hair I answer them. I change the question topics each day. I also go through the answers mentally in my head while walking to school. As well as consciously revising for them, just recite them over and over while you're doing something that doesn't require much concentration.

That said, I'm also panicking about my orals, especially the role plays...

Reply 7

Jason_K

I got an A but have been in hospital for 2 months, so i am so worried, its like I know French/Maths/Chemistry/Physics. Just need practice

Reply 8

Twaffy

In my russian exam last year I forgot what I was meant to be saying half way through, but somehow still go an A. So I'm sure you will be fine. I have 3 sets of language orals to do this year (french, german and welsh) if I forget I will just have to blag my way - maybe not in welsh - so try and do that if the worst comes to the worst. Learn the vocab is also a good idea

Reply 9

Comp_Genius

Reply to any question (in Spanish of course): You kidding me? and look at her appearing apparently confused.

Reply 10

NickiM

Tips:
* Write it out and get people to test you
* Put it on tape/mp3 player and listen to it when you go anywhere
* Don't worry in the exam if you miss out a word/it isn't word perfect, just keep going :smile:

Excalibur: With the role plays, get a teacher to give you some past ones. You can also find some general ones which you can practice with online.

Reply 11

RJA

role plays are the easiest part by far, my french teacher says not to elaborate at all in the role play - just give normal generic answers

e.g.
Q: quand est-ce que tu es arrivé?
A: je suis arrivé a six heures ce matin

the hardest part of the role play is the spontaneous bit, when you don't know what you are going to be asked, but the same strategy applies, just turn the question into a generic answer

save all of the complicated stuff for the presentation and conversation

Reply 12

Excalibur

NickiM

Excalibur: With the role plays, get a teacher to give you some past ones. You can also find some general ones which you can practice with online.

Thanks for the good tips :smile:

I'll try and 'borrow' my sister's mp3 player, and if my parents catch me out I'll just say it's speaking exam practice!

Reply 13

Revd. Mike

My best tip is not to worry too much. If you can try and give one good example from all the main tenses (present, past perfect/imperfect, immediate future/future, conditional and maybe one sentence from something fancy like the subjunctive), throw in a couple of idioms and lots of opinions and reasons, you're well on your way to an A*. I passed out for a couple of seconds in my german oral, and I still came out with a good grade!

Best revision tips I can offer:
-Hold conversations with yourself in the language.
-Tape yourself and play it back, this also helps improve your accent.
-If you go to the doctor or the shops or anything, think to yourself "How would I have asked for that in spanish/french/german etc?"
-Try and talk to your parents or whoever in the language, give them a copy of the questions, and even if they don't understand or if they ask you the question in english, it will still help you.
-Most importantly: Don't Panic! Relax, stay calm, revise hard, take regular breaks, and you're on your way.

Good Luck!

Reply 14

rosy123

if you learn your presentation until you know it backwards it will be advantageous to you for the writing exam; last year for my german gcse oral my presentation was on my holiday, and one of the 2 essays in the writing exam was on a recent holiday, and the second one included making a reference to a future holiday, so for both i was able to use lots of sentances and use advanced vocabulary from my oral which helped because i knew it was correct and made sense.

Reply 15

deutschsweetie

I know how you feel hunni .. reli i do ..This year ive got my AS German and French orals and im also reli scared.. trying some calming relaxing techniques... take a good luck charm in if you have one... god knows how i managed to get an A* but i did .. but coz of that im now predicted an A in both at AS.. my french teacher has given up an im losing faith.. for AS i have to do a 2minute presentation.. ive just learnt both of them mostly by heart and im gna add a few hesitations.... then i got 8 - 10 minute conversation.. which im actually going to fail :frown:

but im sure with lots of practice youll come out with a good grade... the only things you can reli revise for langs are lots and lots of vocab... get somebody to test you on the oral topics..... as the one that was chosen for me made me nearly pass out before the exam as i heard my teacher next door saying it onto the tape... plus we had a reli annoying invigilator when we were preparing our roleplays who kept flicking the paper and tapping his pen :angry:

grr lol .. Hope you do really well keep me posted hun.. love C x

Reply 16

GerardT

oh my... speaking tests. My french teacher is of those ones that never get angry or raise their voice, but in a look or a sentence can convey utter annoyance which is even harder to face... Anyway...

our mock speaking was last week, except I didn't know that it was a proper mock, and I didn't know we were expected to learn everything for it. And we do it pairs, and I was paired with the best speaker in the class... so i'm sitting there and I had to read the thing out off the sheet, and he interrupted me and said "you know, you are the first person to have read their presentation....." I wanted to fall into a hole at that point. Or at the point when the guy beside me recited his word perfectly from memory.

Reply 17

Excalibur

GerardT

Aw, that's not nice :frown:

But if that guy can recite his speech by rote, you'd be able to too! Just write it, and take a copy of it wherever you go - and try and remember it on the bus/in the shower/waiting in the queue etc. I always do that, and manage to remember it without consciously sitting down and trying to.

I'm scared about the role plays, because I can't really prepare for them. And the questions. :frown:

Reply 18

NickiM

We're going to the theatre tonight with school, and I'll be testing my friend on her French presentation on the way there. Also, if you listen to it, it can also help, so record it in some way :smile:

Writing down can also help.

Reply 19

panicking202

I am taking my first speaking exam today and prepared everything but I think I will fail because I can not speak spanish very well but I have done brilliantly on my translation, listening and writing !! Uuuurrrg Today is not going to be easy and it puts pressure on me because I'm the first one to do it!!!