With the oral exams inching closer, now is the perfect time for students to focus on keeping calm, learning the phrases that could get them extra points, and remembering the joys of learning a second language.
Katie Lenehan, Spanish and French Teacher at the Dublin Academy of Education
TikTok handle: @mslenslanguages1
1. What are your top tips for calming the nerves before an oral exam?
Remember that the examiner's job is to give you marks. Every examiner is listening to what you say to try find a way to give you marks based on your communication, grammatical structures, breadth of vocabulary and pronunciation. You don’t 'lose a mark’ every time you make a mistake.
Try to stay away from other students on the day of the exam. All you’ll do is catastrophise the situation and convince yourself that you haven’t done enough, which is never the case. Focus on the preparation and the studying that you have done, and be kind to yourself.
2. What are the essentials to brush up on in the final days? What checklist should students go through?
You should have the basics absolutely nailed. Yourself, your family, your school, your area and your hobbies should make up about seven minutes of content so that you minimise your time to be asked more challenging questions.
My full checklist I give students:
- Myself - personality, looks, hobbies, skills
- My family - description, jobs, rules, chores, sibling fights, relationships
- My daily routine
- My area - location, house, problems, facilities, changes you’d make, shops
- My school - location, type, facilities, problems, rules, subjects you study
- The Leaving Cert - points system pros and cons, problems for LC students, changes you’d make, LC reform, the countries of the languages you study and whether you have ever been there, the culture, the people, the language and why you picked it
- College - do you want to go, how many points you need, how many years is your degree, will you do erasmus, why do you want to study that course, etc.
- Future plans - dream job, plans to travel
- Health and problems for young people - exercise, gym, mental health and leaving cert stress, social media, alcohol, drugs, vaping and smoking
- Technology - screentime, social media, pros and cons of phones, Yonder pouches
- Easter weekend plans
- Summer plans - last summer and this summer
- Role plays (where applicable)
- Document for French (optional)
3. What exactly are examiners judging?
In French, it’s broken down as follows:
- Communication (30 marks - 7.5% of LC grade)
- Grammar/structure (30 marks - 7.5% of LC grade)
- Pronunciation (20 marks - 5% of LC grade)
- Vocabulary (20 marks - 5% of LC grade)
In Spanish, it’s broken down as follows:
- General conversation (70 marks) - 10 minutes of a chat where an examiner will take your communication, grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary into account
- Roleplay (30 marks) - a four-part situation where students prepare three of five roleplays and have to respond accurately to the examiner. Each of the four parts is marked out of six (24 marks total). The roleplay ends with a random question that is relevant to the situation that is also marked out of six marks. Students must answer this question with a full sentence and a correctly conjugated verb to get these six marks.
4. Any phrases or tips to go the extra mile/earn extra points?
- Try to avoid sounding monotone.
- Engage with the examiner where possible.
- Learn two or three complex sentences to show off some more impressive grammatical elements like the subjunctive, the conditional, and the past tenses.
5. Best ways to practice?
- Make sure you practice out loud, so you get used to how the language actually feels to speak
- Some great apps are Anki, Crazam, Memrise and Babbel
- The best podcast to listen to is Coffee Break French or Coffee Break Spanish
Some great TikTok accounts are:
@mslenslanguages1 (cough cough)
@sdpgaeilge for Irish
@annainbarcelona for Spanish
@franglaiswithmaddie for French, Spanish and Italian
6. What do you personally enjoy most about language?
How much it benefits me as a person! I love how much cultural awareness comes with learning a language, and how much it helps me with understanding others. It’s also handy when it comes to travelling so you get the best deals and the best food.
7. What are the greatest benefits to students having a second language?
The world of work is so competitive today because so many students are going to college and getting Masters, not even just a degree. Having a language can help you to stand out in an interview, and it is such a useful skill to have in the global market.
8. Your favourite phrase in your chosen language?
French: ‘Petit à petit, l’oiseau fait son nid’ - Little by little, the bird builds its nest (kind of like slow and steady wins the race, but way cuter!)
Spanish: ‘La sobremesa’ - A word in Spanish used to describe the conversations that happen at the dinner table, when everyone is finished eating and there is still food on the table but nobody wants to start cleaning up yet.
Bea’s Spanish Class
TikTok handle: @beas_spanish_class
1. Top tips for calming the nerves?
The night before, go over the main points but don’t try to cram everything. Trust what you already know. On the morning of the exam, make sure you arrive early to get settled, bring a bottle of water with you and, before you go into the room, slowly breathe in and out a few times to relax your nervous system.
2. What to brush up on in the final days/checklist to go through
Make sure you have covered all the topics you could be asked. Rehearse your answers out loud with a friend or a teacher and ask for feedback. If you struggle with the pronunciation of certain words, make sure to practice them thoroughly.
3. If someone is really struggling, are there basics to focus on to get them through?
If you struggle, focus on your verb tenses: present, past and future, as they always test those. Ensure that your adjectives (describing words) are gendered and numbered (male, female, singular and plural) to the noun.
Don’t be afraid to give short answers, but make sure that you include relevant vocabulary to the question asked.
4. What exactly are examiners judging?
Examiners not only want to test your knowledge of Spanish but also the way you interact with them. If you have learnt certain answers off, try to conceal that by speaking at a regular pace. Use intonation to convey emotions and emphasis. Eye contact and body language are key too.
5. Any phrases or tips to go the extra mile / earn extra points?
Use fillers and idiomatic expressions to enhance your speech, such as ‘bueno or pues’ - well; ‘claro or sin lugar a dudas’ - of course, absolutely; ‘Lo pasé bomba - I had a great time’; ‘Tengo muchas ganas - I look forward to it’.
Use the subjunctive to achieve a H1: ‘No creo que sea verdad - I don’t think it’s true’; ‘Si fuera la presidenta/Si tuviera la oportunidad - If I were the president, If I had the chance…’.
6. Best way to practice?
Meet with a friend and speak only in Spanish with them. Research about language exchange sessions in your area or ask a native Spanish speaker to help you practice. And of course, follow my TikTok page for tips and tricks!
7. What do you personally enjoy about the language?
Learning a language also means learning about the culture, the people and their traditions. Besides, it is very rewarding when you are watching a show or you listen to music in Spanish and you can understand what they say!
8. What is the greatest benefit to students having a second language?
Having a second language opens doors to more work opportunities. It improves your self-confidence and self-esteem and it is extremely helpful when travelling abroad.
9. Your favourite phrase in your chosen language?
¡Voy a comerme el mundo! - I’m going to give it my all / I am unstoppable!
Colin O'Donavan, Founder of the Stillorgan Grind School
TikTok handle: @StillorganGrindSchool
1. Top tips for calming the nerves?
Remember that even if you make mistakes, you can still score 100%. You are not expected to be fluent, and even native speakers of your language will make grammatical errors. Spoken language has a lot more room for error than written language. Don't look at the Oral exam as a formal interview. Look at it as a casual conversation. This mindset was very helpful for me.
2. What are the essentials to brush up on?
Language can be separated into two categories: grammar and vocabulary.
In the oral exam, you are trying to show off everything you have learned over the course of five or six years. For grammar, this means showing at least one example of each tense. Past, present, future with lots of bonus points for the conditional and subjunctive.
For vocabulary, filler words are key. These are the words you use in between sentences.
For French, "bon" ("well"), "en fait" ("in fact"), "Donc" ("so").
For Spanish, "bueno" ("well"), "en realidad" ("in fact"), "Entonces" ("so).
These filler words are frequently used by native speakers and will impress the examiner.
3. If someone is really struggling, are there basics to get them through?
If you are struggling, focus on the simple things and get them right. Make sure you can talk about yourself, your interests and most importantly, your plans for the future. This is one of the most common areas of conversation in the oral exam. By doing that, you will be sure to use all of the tenses.
4. What are the examiners judging?
Examiners are not expecting you to be perfect. They will be primarily judging you based on the overall flow of the conversation. That doesn't mean you have to be talking constantly. In fact, pausing to think about your answer, while using some of the filler words mentioned above, is a key part of natural, fluid conversation. Otherwise, there is always a significant proportion (20%) of your grade given to pronunciation. For French and Spanish, good pronunciation of the letter "r" will give you marks here.
In French, the "r" sound comes from the throat and I found the best practice was repeating the word "très" (very). For Spanish, rolling the "r" is done with the tongue, and can be practiced using the word "rapido" (fast).
5. Any phrases or tips to go the extra mile/earn extra points?
If you are going for the H1 and you want to distinguish yourself from the pack, extra examples of difficult tenses, some idioms, and key buzzwords on more complicated topics will make you stand out. You only have fifteen minutes. Leave nothing out on the pitch and give them your best.
6. Best way to practice?
Practising spoken language is very simple, speaking as often as you can. For both my French and Irish Oral I attended weekly clubs; French was held by a teacher in my school, and a "ciorcal cainte" was hosted in my local library. So, by the time I was doing my actual oral exam, I had already done it a thousand times.
TikTok can be helpful, there are plenty of creators like myself making short-form videos that people can save in folders to watch later. If you don’t have facilities like these available to you, find one other person who wants to do well, and start chatting. It might be embarrassing at first, but your grade will thank you in the end.
7. What do you personally enjoy most about languages?
Languages give an insight to culture. I find French to read and sound almost like luxury, like fine wine. Spanish is quite musical and exciting, which matches the experience I have with the people there. Irish is quite poetic but can also be quite heavy in tone. We see this in the poetry and short stories we learn for the leaving cert. I think this stems from our past, one of national hardship. Language lets us feel that.
8. What is the greatest benefit to students having a second language?
Practically, I have found language very useful abroad. One example was when my phone, wallet and passport were stolen in Barcelona. I had no access to money and no way of contacting anyone. Although I am ashamed to say it, I had to beg for €2 from a kind elderly woman, explaining to her that "lo perdí todo", I had lost everything. Languages give you access to another world and can come in handy when you least expect.
9. What is your favourite phrase in your chosen language?
Very simply, "enchanté" ( or "enchantée" if you are speaking to a woman) meaning "nice to meet you". Looking very similar to the word "enchanted", it rolls very nicely off the tongue and can be used in both a formal and informal setting.
Don’t hesitate to greet your examiner when you walk in the room. Try to get a smile out of them. This will put you at ease, and help remind you that this is just a friendly chat, not an interrogation.
