New format new format new format!

Yes Months ago KPM released the new format and everyone is asking me. HOW?

In this post, we try to answer all your questions. hopefully it helps make teaching easier for you parents and teachers out there.

DISCLAIMER:

SINCE THERE’S NO OFFICIAL GUIDELINE FROM THE KPM YET, WHAT I SHARE IS BASED ON WHAT I HAVE READ AND WHAT I LEARNED. IT MIGHT NOT BE 100% ACCURATE BUT IT CAN SERVE AS A REFERENCE IF YOU WISH. 

Old Speaking Paper VS New Speaking Paper

The new speaking paper is nothing like the previous years. As it is aligned with the CEFR, we can see that the new format has similarities with many international speaking tests out there.

OLD FORMAT	NEW FORMAT
Read a text	General questions
Talk about a topic	Talk about a picture story
	Discuss about a topic

Let’s dive straight into the new format.

PART 1

General Questions

This is the part where students answer to some simple questions. e.g. name, age, class, mood, etc.

There should be no mark given from this part. It aims to help student get comfortable when starting the test.

PART 2 (15 marks)

Picture Story

This is a new exposure for our students, students will be assessed in pair but each is given a different picture story to talk about.

How to prepare:

1. As you can see, the pictures are pretty straight forward and we should get our students to get used to some of the languages used in story telling.
2. Learn to notice the little things in the pictures. Many students would lose the opportunities to use the language if they only talk about 1or 2 things from each little picture.

PART 3 (5 marks)

This part involves two students talking to each other, what they are expected to do:

• make a personal choice
• give reasons
• compare and contrast the pros and cons
• agree or disagree
• conclude

This is harder for most students because it not only needs you to have the language to say the things you want to say, it also requires you to think about what makes your choice better? 

How to prepare:

1. Enough language (words) to form your points/arguments.
2. Enough general knowledge to make a decision. (HOTS)

Speaking all comes down to PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Teacher’s job is to guide you through the process but YOU have to be willing to try and make mistakes.

Speaking is where you’re allowed to make so many mistakes and still make sense as long as your message is sent accross. Pay attention to how English speakers form their sentences. Play that in your mind for many times. And try using them in your everyday life. It works magic.

Our e-package offers 6 sets of speaking test that lets you get familiar with the new format. Check it out:

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Best wishes to you!

Grace