(MUSIC)
Hello, I'm Pilar
and I'm going to discuss real examples of oral exams
for the B1 level of English.
In this presentation you will listen to some real examples
and I'm going to explain why they fail or pass.
Let's start.
These are some typical errors. I'll play the recording and stop
when I see a point you should listen to.
I thinks it's better to...
(INAUDIBLE)
Did you hear "I thinks" instead of "I think"?
Let's carry on.
With a partner because is more...
flexive for... some people.
For example, I can move the other city
Again, "I can move the other city"
instead of "to another city".
And let's finish with this. Let's listen a bit more.
I thinks (INAUDIBLE)
I can change...
apartment...
apartment more...
better for my (INAUDIBLE) for example.
You have some examples of hesitation in there
or false starts.
Don't worry about them.
If you make a mistake, you can start again
as in your own language, it's not a problem.
That's proof of your high level.
Correcting yourself.
The reason for this fail is more grammatical than anything.
Let's listen to the second one.
I will going to the police...
Did you hear "I will going to the police"
instead of "I will go to the police"?
I will going to the police and I writing...
to "denunce".
Again, at the end, she says "to denunce".
"Denunce" doesn't mean anything, she wanted to say "denunciar".
"To denounce".
The problem is grammatical
and the pronunciation is not good enough
but the main problem for this fail
is that the text was rather short, it lasted about six seconds.
Be careful with this
and make sure your recordings are at least one minute long.
When you start speaking, you might make mistakes
but as you carry on you get less nervous and improve.
We need more than six seconds to value how you communicate.
On a more positive note, let's see other recordings.
Let's hear them, rather.
When I was younger, I used to...
go to the cinema with my boyfriend
and I used to go to the mountain too.
To walking, to go for a walk
and... I used to...
go with my friends to the festivals
or to a music concert or...
to enjoy the night.
(INAUDIBLE)
That's a good example.
This exam shows that intonation is not perfect
pronunciation could be improved
but those problems don't mean you're going to fail.
Now the positive aspects.
The student shows fluency and self-correction, as I said.
She's actually correcting herself.
Making sure she goes back to the beginning of the sentence
to put it right.
And when she's thinking, hesitating and making noises
she produces sounds in English
she never goes into Spanish.
Let's listen to the second example of a pass.
Advantages and disadvantages of renting an apartment.
I think it depends on your own situation.
If you live in a place, in a city... forever
I think is better...
buy a house.
because you can decorate the house as you want
and I think is a...
could be an inversion for the future
but if you have not too much money
and if you are in a city because you are working there
or not for a long time
is better to rent a house.
I think that's enough.
There are mistakes, such as "is better buy"
instead of "to buy", and "inversion", not "investment"
but the student speaks fluently and uses different vocabulary.
Positive points.
Exams don't have to be perfect, but should be proof of your level.
As a summary, very briefly
the most important points are
remember to organise your thoughts.
You have a minute after the question to organise your thoughts
and prepare an answer.
You can take notes if you prefer
but don't write a complete answer
because any exam that is read is automatically a fail.
Speak slowly and give yourself time to think what you're saying
correct yourself and put thoughts into sentences.
Answer the questions fully, don't make short answers
of six or seven seconds.
Give yourself a minute to prove your good level
of competence.
Be careful with intonation, with pronunciation
and with grammar.
Try to make sure you do the test as well as possible.
Correct your answers as you go on, as you advance
through the speech, that's not a problem.
It's actually good proof that your level is high enough
and you realise your own mistakes.
And never speak Spanish.
If you hesitate, make sure you use words or sounds in English
Never go into Spanish.
As a summary, listen to your test before you send it
and if you prefer, you can record it again
but remember that you never get the same one twice
but you have another chance of starting from the beginning
if you feel insecure.
The last piece of advice I'll give you
it's essential to practise as much as possible
with friends, with your teacher, listening to English every day.
And, before you do the test, try the mock exams first.
Make sure your camera works and the sound is correct
In our recordings, the sound was poor at times
so marking these tests becomes very difficult
so make sure all those things are going to help you
and give a good impression.
That's all I have to say.
Thank you and good luck.
Subtitles: Tomás Costal.