PSLE Oral SBC | 3 Common Mistakes to Avoid During Oral Question 1

Hi everyone! I'm Ms Jocelyn from Lil' but Mighty. In this video, I will be sharing with you three things to avoid doing when it comes to answering the first question of the stimulus-based conversation.  As we all know by now, the first question of the SBC will typically be a directly-linked question based on the stimulus itself. In other words, students are expected to draw details from the stimulus to support their responses. Sounds easy and straightforward, right? However, there are some common mistakes that students should avoid if they want to secure as many marks as possible. Let's take a look at the three mistakes made by a student, Jo, who is attempting to practise for her oral examination.   Look at the picture. Will you take up this promotion for the cup noodles? Why or why not?   Student Jo: “I would love to take up this promotion for the cup noodles because I love noodles. I think I’m quite good at cooking instant noodles too. Once, I tried cooking cup noodles with extra ingredients like bacon and mushrooms, and my parents absolutely loved the meal I had prepared!" Here's the first mistake she made. She failed to use the details presented on the stimulus. Instead, she went straight to talk about her personal experience and thoughts. Hence, she did not actually manage to answer the question about the poster itself. She could have improved on her answer by using the information given to draw a direct link between her response and the stimulus. Student Jo: “Ahhh. Let me try it again. I would want to take up this promotion for the cup noodles because it is convenient to cook, quick to eat and has a delicious seasoning powder with chicken bits. Furthermore, I can get 5 at just $3.00!” Now... Jo used the details from the stimulus. What went wrong? This time round, she was only reading the details listed on the stimulus without giving any personal response or explanation. As such, her answer lacked development. Think about it, will the examiner be able to award you marks just by having you read what they can read on their own? I don’t think so.  Therefore, add in a personal response to each detail by explaining what you think or feel about the detail or in this case, how each detail makes Jo want to buy the noodles? If Jo says that she wants to buy the noodles because she only needs to add hot water to it, she may add on that she can cook it by herself and would not need to trouble her parents. Can you see how the detail has an explanation added to it now?  Student Jo: “Huh... Let me try it again. I would not want to take up this promotion for the cup noodles because I don’t think that it is a healthy option. The special seasoning powder that comes with it may contain a high amount of MSG, which makes it unhealthy for regular consumption. Therefore, I would not want to purchase the noodles even with the promotion.”    This is the third mistake commonly made by students - choosing the option that is not as easy to develop compared to the other. For instance, if it is a yes/no question, some children may choose to say “no” when saying “yes” would allow them to use the details and explain more easily. It is good to be honest but do remember to be exam smart as well! As we can see from Jo's response, she did not manage to expand on her answer well or even use relevant details from the stimulus effectively. Therefore, it is extremely crucial for students to choose the easier answer to develop, preferably the one that will help them fulfil the requirements of the assessment. In this case, the easier direction would be to talk about how effective the promotion is.  All in all, I have listed three common mistakes that students should learn to avoid when it comes to answering the first question of the SBC. Keep these three pointers in mind:  1) Use details from the stimulus to back up response  2) Add in an explanation or personal response to the detail used 3) Choose the direction of response that is easier to develop.