PSLE Oral Exam Survival Guide: How to Help Your Child Speak Confidently in Chinese

Introduction: Why Chinese Oral Matters

The PSLE Chinese Oral exam accounts for 25% of your child’s overall Chinese grade — yet it’s often the most overlooked component. Many students feel nervous or “blank out” during the oral, especially if they rarely speak Chinese at home.

The good news? Oral fluency is a trainable skill. With the right strategies and consistent practice, even shy or quiet children can build the confidence they need to do well.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through:

• The latest PSLE Oral exam format (2025)

• What MOE examiners are listening for

• How you can support your child at home — even if your Chinese isn’t strong

• Simple and effective oral practice ideas you can start today

What to Expect in the PSLE Chinese Oral Exam (2025)

The oral paper includes two components:

Component	Description	Marks
Reading Aloud (朗读短文)	Student reads a short passage aloud with accuracy, fluency, and expression	20
Stimulus-Based Conversation (看录像说话)	Student watches a short video and engages in a conversation based on it	30

Important update: The traditional “picture conversation” has been replaced with a video stimulus. Students now watch a short clip with voiceover (around 1 minute) showing a relatable scene —such as helping others, environmental issues, or school events — and then answer oral questions about it.

What MOE Examiners Are Looking For

1. Pronunciation & Intonation (朗读部分)

• Clear articulation

• Accurate tones

• Smooth flow when reading aloud

  
  

2. Observation Skills

• Can the student describe what happened in the video clearly and accurately?

  
  

3. Language Use

• Uses a variety of sentence structures

• Incorporates suitable vocabulary and idioms

• Speaks in complete sentences

  
  

4. Personal Response

• Can the student connect the video to real-life situations?

• Do they express their thoughts, values, or feelings confidently?

How to Practice Chinese Oral at Home

(Even If You’re Not Fluent)

You don’t need to be a language expert to help. Here are practical ways to build your child’s fluency and confidence:

1. Video Practice: Watch, Think, Speak

• Find short, silent video clips (e.g., 30–60 seconds)

• Let your child watch it once

• Ask open-ended questions like:

o “你看到了什么？”

o “这个视频传达了什么信息？”

o “如果你在场，你会怎么做？”

o “你有过类似的经历吗？”

Tip: Use TikTok, YouTube or short clips you film yourself. Everyday scenes work best — helping an elderly person, picking up litter, group work in school, etc.

2. Read Aloud Daily

Encourage your child to read aloud from:

• Chinese storybooks

• Sample passages from past-year papers

• Short news articles for children

Focus on:

• Correct pronunciation

• Punctuation pauses

• Expressive tone

Tip: One passage per day is enough — consistency matters more than length.

3. Record and Replay

Use your phone to record your child’s oral response and play it back together.

•Point out one thing they did well

•Give one area to improve

This builds self-awareness, which is key to growth.

4. Teach a Simple Oral Structure

Help your child organise their thoughts using this 3-part response model:

Step 1: 描述视频内容

Step 2: 说出个人看法/感受

Step 3: 分享相关经历或行动建议

Example:

“刚才的录像中，我看到一个学生主动帮助跌倒的同学。我认为这个行为很值得学习，因为……我以前也有一次在学校……”

This gives their response clarity and depth, and avoids rambling or silence.

5. Make It a Game!

Use oral “challenge cards”:

• “请用‘乐于助人’造句。”

• “说一说你印象最深刻的一次学校活动。”

• “你认为同学之间应该互相帮助吗？”

These can be dinner-time topics or 5-minute quick practice before bedtime.

Bonus: Useful Sentence Starters for Video-Based Oral

用法	句型参考
描述内容	“我看到……” / “视频中发生了……”
表达观点	“我认为……” / “我觉得这是……的好榜样。”
说明原因	“因为……所以……”
分享经历	“我也有类似的经历……” / “有一次我……”
提出建议	“我建议……” / “我们可以从中学到……”

Encourage your child to internalise these patterns so they can adapt to any topic on exam day.

Final Thoughts: Confidence Can Be Trained

Your child doesn’t need to be a natural speaker to do well in Chinese oral — they just need the right support and regular practice.

As the Chinese idiom says:

滴水穿石，非一日之功。

(Even water can wear through stone — it just takes time and persistence.

Start small. Keep it consistent. And remember:

不是孩子不聪明，而是方法出了问题。

It’s not that your child isn’t smart — they just need better strategies.

Need Help?

We offer PSLE Oral Booster Classes where your child will:

• Practice with real video prompts

• Get personalised feedback

• Learn oral strategies and sentence frameworks

• Build confidence in a safe, small-group setting

[Contact us to book a trial class]