This web page covers the tips for attempting the HKDSE English Language Paper 4 (Speaking). Read this web page thoroughly to prepare yourself for the Speaking Exam. Click the buttons on the menu to start!
1. Reading (Instructions +
Passage) |
2-3 minutes |
2. Identify relevant points
and develop own ideas and elaborate
it with examples / personal experience |
4 minutes |
3. Rehearse what you are
going to say e.g. points |
3 minutes |
Benefits
(+) |
Concerns
(-) |
|
|
1. Response (Active
Listening) +
|
Apart from V-ing
as you've just mentioned... |
2. Own opinion +
|
It can also + VO |
3. Examples / Personal
experience +
|
This reminds me of my
personal experience ... |
4. Specific questions |
Do you have any idea on
X? Do you think it is feasible to V? |
5. Seizing the chance to interrupt
If you need to fill up the one minute, you may also talk
about what advantages your school has which other
schools don't have, or talk about whether you
would recommend your school to primary six students
studying in your district.
Hard
tactics |
Soft
tactics |
Short-term
measures |
Long-term
measures |
Legislation |
Education
/ promotion |
|
|
Aspects |
political / economic / social
(reasons / effects) mental / physical (health) |
Suggestions |
Hard tactics / Soft tactics Soft-term measures / Long-term measures Legislation / Education / Promotion |
Stakeholders |
Country Society Community
Organization School Parents Individuals |
Stance +
|
There are many elements
students will consider when ……. For example, interest, ability, parents’ opinion and so on. But I think interest is the …… (reason + personal experience) |
1-2
reasons +
|
|
Counter-argument |
Of course, I understand some people
may think career path is more important than
interest. But just imagine…… |
Problems |
Examples |
Lexical items |
In addition (‘addiction’), lose
(‘loss’), robot (‘Robert/rabbit’), climb (‘crime’),
snack (‘snake’), healthy (‘heavy’), tours (‘towers’),
raising (‘rising’), soup (‘soap’), choose (‘choice’),
lack (‘lick’), diabetes (‘dibetis’), habits
(‘hobbits’), failure (‘failer’), courteous (‘curtes’),
traditional (‘charditional’), feeling (‘filling’),
beneficial (‘benefical’), email (‘emeel’), youth
(‘yorkf’), tertiary (‘tortury/territory’), definition
(‘defination’), screenwriter (‘screamwriter’), raft
(‘redft’), daughter (‘doctor’), effort (‘edfot’),
gadget (‘getget’), game (‘gam’), career (‘korea’),
penguin (‘pengen’), youth (‘young’), job (‘jog’),
horizon (‘horisong’), tyres (‘ties’) |
Consonant clusters and digraphs
(especially /pr/, /pl/, /bl/, /br/, /cl/, sh/) |
Confusing ‘pressure’ with ‘pleasure’,
blog (‘bog/board’), branch (‘bunch’), shark (‘sark’),
brand (‘band/ban’), clutter (‘cutter/cute-ter’),
proposal (‘poposal’), published (‘pubished’), friends
(‘fans’), classroom (‘cassroom’), waterfront
(‘waterfont’), qualities (‘kalities’), complain
(‘compain’), programme (‘pogram/pogam’) cloned
(‘coned’), debts (pronounced with /b/), think
(‘fing’), place (‘pace’), drama (‘jaama’), shower
(‘sour’), crime (‘kime’), children (‘childen’), try
(‘chai’) |
Word-stress in multi-syllabic words |
luxurious, calculator, heritage,
collaboration, photography, persuade, exhibition,
apprenticeship, internship, tradition, brochure,
character, ambassadors, economic, couponing, tourists,
encounter, skateboarding, tourism, youngsters,
celebrities, motivation, nowadays, subscribe,
advertisement, fascinating, graffiti, infrastructure,
necessity, technological, Switzerland, specific,
advertising, intelligence, economy, resources,
extraordinary, dinosaur, Antarctica, loyalty,
astronomy, military, censorship, simulation,
authority, photography, ugliness, celebrities,
enthusiastic, veterinarian, compulsory, elegance,
astronaut, persuade, women, packets, mature, athletes,
privacy, inequality |
Dropping of final consonants |
because, experience,
service, besides, super-sized,
clothes, nowadays, think |
'ed' endings |
celebrated, marketed,
published, adopted |
Problems |
Examples |
Commonly misunderstood
word(s)/phrase(s) |
countryside, HK’s heartbeat, longevity,
heritage, apprenticeship, street culture, scold, urban
dictionary, e-textbooks, ban, waterfront, appeal to,
compulsory, advertisement, discipline, coupons, rude,
upcycling, measures (n.), endless city, compulsory
military service |
Chinese English |
They are difficult/easy to…, Have
someone said that …, As what you say …, widen their
eye, different country people, use my eyes to see,
foreign country people, There have many people, Some
people are difficult to, I very enjoy it |
Comparative |
more better, more healthier, more easy,
more cheaper, more harder, more easier |
Modals |
can playing, may getting, can making,
they may be can do |
Agreement |
she don't |
Verb 'be' |
I am agree with you, They are lack of |
Transitive verb |
discuss about |
To-infinitive / bare infinitive |
go to shopping, Let us to do, want to
doing, make them to do |
Connectives |
so/so that, Although...but... |
Singular / plural nouns |
People is, many money, childrens, a
children, many information, many experience |
Transitive verb |
discuss about |
Parts of speech |
I feel boring |
Formal structures |
On the other hand, Nonetheless |
Initiating a discussion
Greeting others and
starting the discussion |
|
Defining the task |
|
Stating your first
point |
|
Asking for opinions |
|
Continuing a discussion
Agreeing with a group
member |
When you mildly agree
|
Disagreeing with a
group member |
Showing uncertainty and doubt
|
Starting off a
response |
|
Organizing your
response |
Indicating sequence / order
|
Showing cause and
effect |
|
Showing comparison or
contrast |
|
Filler expressions |
|
Maintaining your point |
Persuading others to accept your
suggestions
Responding to interruptions
Defending your ideas politely
|
Inviting suggestions |
|
Putting forward
suggestions |
|
Elaborating on
suggestions |
Giving reason
Giving details and examples
|
Offering an
alternative |
|
Discussing pros and
cons |
|
Stating preferences |
|
Interrupting politely |
|
Requesting
clarification |
Asking for repetition
Asking for explanation / further information
Checking whether you have understood
|
Making clarification |
Repeating / Rephrasing
Correcting yourself
|
Suggesting a
compromise |
Proposing a compromise
|
Helping others express
ideas |
Asking for ideas and / or opinions
Giving encouragement
Encouraging others to speak up
|
Keeping the discussion on track |
|
Moving on to the next point |
|
What to do when at a loss for words
Asking others for help |
|
Rephrasing what you
are trying to say |
|
Seeking agreement |
|
Going directly into
the summary |
|