Private English Tutor & Tuition Classes in Singapore for Primary and Secondary Students

  1. Singapore English Tutor
  2. Blog
  3. English Tutors

English Tutors

24Aug 2021

Oral Part One

The oral paper has two components: Section A-Reading Aloud and Section B- Spoken interaction

The Two sections are thematically linked

The duration of the paper will be approximately 20minutes, taking into account 10 minutes preparation time.

Section A: Reading Aloud

Students will need to read aloud a short passage and be able to identify the purpose, audience and context of the passage.

Students will be assessed based on:

  1. Pronunciation and Articulation: read a passage with good pronunciation and clear articulation.
  2. Rhythm and Fluency: read with appropriate rhythm and stress to achieve a well-paced, fluent rendering of a passage.
  3. Expressiveness: read with appropriate variation of pitch and tone in order to convey the information, ideas and feelings in a passage.

The text could be in the form of:

  1. Short narrative
  2. News report
  3. Speech
  4. Announcement

Section B: Spoken Interaction

  • Engagement in Discussion: Discuss issues that arise with the examiner stemming from the picture (which is thematically linked to the text in Section A)

Preparation for Oral

  1. Normally you will have about 5 to 10 mins to read the passage (section A-Reading Aloud) and see the visual stimulus (Section B-Spoken Interaction) before the examiner tests you. Use this time wisely for preparation.
  2. Use the first few minutes to read the passage through a few times to yourself for familiarity.
  3. Use the next few minutes to prepare yourself mentally to study the visual stimulus in detail.
  4. The spoken interaction would be related to the visual stimulus given. Use the remaining time to anticipate questions from this section and come up with intelligent responses to them.

Section A: Reading Aloud

  1. Be sure to greet the examiner politely before you begin
  2. Read the passage loudly and clearly. Make sure you read every word.
  3. Read at a measured pace.
  4. Pause at the appropriate points of the passage e.g., full stops, commas, colons, semi-colons, paragraph breaks
  5. Pronounce words correctly by stressing the correct syllables.
  6. Vary the pitch of your voice appropriately as you read so that you would not read monotonously and put the examiner to sleep.

Dos and Don’ts

  1. Even if you are unable to pronounce certain words you don’t know, do not skip the word hoping the examiner won’t notice.
  2. Make smart guesses. If you show that you are making attempts to read the difficult words, at least the examiner knows you have put in effort.
  3. Do not be too contrived or overly dramatic. Do not should. Do not put on a fake accent.
  4. Do not stress every word or every phrase. You need to have an overall understanding of the passage in order to know which parts of the passage should be stressed (e.g., the climax of a narrative) and which shouldn’t.
  5. You may speak with a different tone and pitch for dialogues between people.

17Oct 2016

English Tutors: Parental Expectations 1

A Singapore English Tutor is crucial for the child that is struggling with any element of English.

The role of the English tutor is to provide home lessons and instruction to the student. In order for the tutor to be considered and effective they should be qualified.

What can you expect from a Singapore English tutor?

You can expect complete focus on your child. The English tutor will provide one-on-one English tuition with lessons that are tailored to the child’s requirements. The areas where the child is having difficulties will be the areas that the child focuses on.

The English tutor gives the child the special guidance and instruction that they need. She or he will work patiently with the child, ensuring their understanding and retention, and will accelerate the learning progress. The child is greatly enhanced with the English tutor. Their ability to learn and understand becomes clear and they begin to achieve and master English.

Many children when learning English are shy, inhibited and self-conscious. This gets in the way of their learning ability. Children who have the advantage of an English tutor, benefit greatly. The right tutor does make the difference between the child learning and mastering English.

Children that have the services of a private English tutor feel encouraged and motivated to learn. English is so vital to children today, as it is a language that is the most spoken language in the world. There are so many aspects in the child’s life that will require them to use English. When the child ventures into the world, for instance, he will need English to communicate.

Selecting a tutor should involve your child. The child, after all, is going to be spending a great deal of time with the tutor. The tutor should be passionate about the English language. They should also be trusting and caring.

When you interview the tutor or tutors, you should ask them to do a sample session with your child. By doing this, you will be able to see the techniques which the tutor uses and how well they interact with your child, as well as, how well your child responds to the tutor.

There are many wonderful English tutors and finding one will not be difficult. You do, however, want to find one that gets along well with your child, and does have their credentials. This is extremely important as the education that your child receives will depend on the education of the tutor.

Your child will also be spending a great amount of time with the tutor. Typically, sessions occur a few times per week for an hour or so after school. With a passionate and enthusiastic tutor, this does not make for a long day, but a day that your child will look forward to.

When your child begins to master English, they will begin to soar in their studies and have the confidence that they need in order to receive a high-quality education that will take them through life.

 

Resource Box: Usha is an English Tutor with the passion and the knowledge to help children excel in the English Language.