Original post by user_5678Hi, 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.