How can I perform better in my A Level oral exam?

The oral exam can seem fairly overwhelming, but there are things to do to built your confidence speaking and improve your overall performance. Firstly, make lists of useful vocabulary and good phrases, and divide them into which topic they apply to. Then, practice saying them out loud. When you have an idea of the kind of vocab you will use for each topic, you’ll be able to speak more fluently. Secondly, practice speaking to yourself. It can be about anything and everything! Getting into the habit of speaking the language can really help you to develop your fluency, improve your spontaneous speaking and build your confidence. Finally, don’t spend too long trying to find an exact translation for the word you are looking for when speaking. Sometimes, we either don’t know the word we are looking for in the other language or it is just not coming to us. Trying to plough through and remember the word often creates hesitation which can really affect fluency of delivery. Therefore, try and come up with a different way of saying the word you want to say but are not sure how to say. For example, if you want to say ‘she is a very good tennis player’ but can’t remember the word for ‘player’, a good alternative would be to say ‘she plays tennis very well’. This will help keep your conversation going.