Oral Presentation

I. An Overview
The test of oral presentation is designed to measure the ability to communicate in spoken
English in the context of the international workplace. The range of ability among English
learners who take the test is expected to be broad. So, both very capable speakers and
speakers of limited ability can take the test. The test is designed to provide information
about the language ability of speakers across a range of language proficiency levels. To
this end, the tasks are organized to support the following claims:
1. The test taker can generate language intelligible to native and proficient nonnative English Speaker.
2. The test taker can create connected, sustained discourse appropriate to the
typical workplace.
The test taker will be given a change to demonstrate the fluency in speaking English
during 10 minutes. The examiner will record the interview.
II. Parts of the Test
There are three parts in this test as follows:
Part 1 (1 2 minutes )
Part 2 ( 2 3 minutes )
Part 3 ( 3 5 minutes )

: Question in interviewing personal data such as name,

address, education, hobby, work experience, etc.
: Question on describing personal opinions toward a given
issue such as a danger of smoking, violence, deforestation,
pollution, etc. justified by simple, logical arguments.
: Question on extended discussion to find the best
arguments toward opinion of the issue presented in the
academic writing and the short ready passage.

III. Linguistic Skills

1. Phonological skills your pronunciation, intonation, and stress will be directly
evaluated in the speaking test. Developing these areas will improve your ability to score
well on the test and will make your speech more comprehensible in everyday
conversation.
2. Grammar Knowledge the speaking test will require you to speak in longer
grammatical form, meaning, and use will help you express yourself clearly. Maintaining
consistent level of accuracy will improve your overall performance on the test and will
also help you communicate in everyday conversation.

3. Knowledge of key vocabulary and useful phrases vocabulary, both in single words
and in phrases, is a key area contributing to scores in each part of the test. This course
provides a selection of high-frequency vocabulary and phrases that are appropriate to the
tasks in the test.
4. Listening comprehension skill some tasks in the test will require you to listen and
respond appropriately. Good listening comprehension skills are important in completing
these tasks successfully.
5. Understanding of organizational convention some of the language tasks in the test
can be more easily completed if you can follow standardized organizational patterns in
English. An understanding of the ways ideas are organized, and of the words and phrases
that are often used to join ideas together, will also help you to be understood in English in
the real world.
IV. Spoken Expressions
Stating an Opinion
In a conversation or discussion, its necessary to state your own opinion or viewpoint
clearly. Here are some expressions people often use to state their opinions:
To express
opinion

strong To express an opinion

If you are unsure what you

think

I really think (that)

In my opinion

Hmm, Im not sure, but

I strongly believe (that)

What I think is (that)

Im of two minds, but

Im sure (that)

I feel (that)

Well, I dont know, but

I cant make up my mind,
but

Stating Disagreement or Changing the direction of a conversation

I understand what youre saying, but

You have a point, but
Thats an interesting theory, but
I see what you mean, but
Yes, I see, but
Well, thats might be true, but

Interrupting
Sometimes it is important to interrupt s speaker to ask or repeat a question about
something that you did not hear or understand. Here some expression to interrupt a
speaker:

Im sorry to interrupt you. What did you say?

Umm, excuse me. Do you mean
Sorry, could you repeat that?
Wait a minute, I didnt catch that
Sorry, what was that?
I didnt hear you. What was that?

Expressing Surprise and Shock

There are many ways of expressing surprise or shock. Word choice and also intonation
affect how much surprise or shock you express. Here are some phrases than can be used:
Mild surprise / Interest

Strong surprise / Disbelief

Shock / Dismay

Really?
Thats interesting
I didnt know that
Huh!
Oh, yeah?
Oh, come on!

Wow, thats amazing!

Thats unbelievable
Thats incredible!
Youre joking!
I cant believe it!
Youre pulling my leg

Oh, no!
Oh, my gosh!
Thats terrible!
Thats awful!
Thats horrible!

Asking for and Giving Examples

In the test, you might be asked for several examples. Its also useful either in daily
conversation or even in a long debate, speech, and discussion.
To ask for examples:
Could you explain in more detail?
Could you give me an example?
Such as?
Could you tell me what you mean?

To give examples:
For example,
For instance,
Such as

Prioritizing or Rank Ideas

We often need to prioritize, rank, or list our different ideas. It is helpful to indicate which
are the most important and the least important ideas when we explain something. Here
are some expressions that are commonly used:
Highest Priority

Also a priority

Lowest priority

Our top priority is

But also important is

Least important is

First and foremost,

Another consideration is

Of least concern is

Above all,

Aside from that,

Paraphrasing
When we paraphrase, we say the same thing in different words. Paraphrasing is useful to
check your comprehension of someones statement. In paraphrasing, it is important to
explain the other persons ideas in your words. Unlike direct and indirect speech, when
you paraphrase, you do not repeat the other persons exact words.

In other words
To put it another way

She means/meant that

He wants/wanted to say that
She is/was trying to say that

Supporting an Argument
When you give an opinion about something, you may need to add support to strengthen
your argument. Here are some expressions people often use before making the next point
that strengthen their argument.
Formal

Informal

Furthermore,
In addition,
Moreover,
Not only that, but also
To give you some idea,
Whats more

And
And another thing,
Besides,
Plus,

Expressing Frustration
Im annoyed by
Im irritated by
Im frustrated with
Im getting fed up with
Ive had it with
Im sick and tired of

bothers me
gets under my skin
drives me crazy
sends me over the edge
drives me nuts

Challenging an Argument
These expressions can be used to challenge an argument or express an opposing point of
view:

Im sorry, but Im afraid youre missing the point

No. I believe thats really not true
So what exactly are you talking about?
What you dont seem to fully understand is
In the case of , this is simply not so
I find this really hard to believe

Asking for and Responding to Opinions

Asking for Opinions
Do you agree that ?
Can you really believe that ?

Responding to Opinions
Im not sure exactly, but
Its hard for me to believe it, but

How do you respond to the fact/opinion Generally speaking, I feel that

that ?

V. Starting Conversation and Keeping It Going

In order to have effective conversation, a good opening, ice breaking, and continuous
stimulus are needed to maintain the conversation. The two ways communication between
the speakers will make the conversation run longer and give many exchange of
information. Here is the outline:

Breaking the Ice

Examples

Introduce yourself

Hi, how are you?

Hello, Im Philip Zimbardo

Comment on something shared

a. Weather
Nice weather, dont you think?
b. Shared situation
Have you ever been here before?
c. Non-controversial news
What a game last night, huh?
Maintaining a Conversation
Ask open-ended and follow-up questions

What brings you to Palo Alto?

What kind of work do you do?

Volunteer information

I run a shyness clinic here in the city.

Listen actively and look interested

Really? You are kidding!

(use eye contact)
(smile or nod your head occasionally)

Change the topic if the conversation is On another topic, did you see ?
dying, or excuse yourself
Excuse me. Id like to get a drink.

Probing for Information and Hesitating to Respond

When you ask people question, they often give you very brief answer. Therefore, you
may need to probe (investigating further) for more information.
When responding, speakers often hesitate in order to plan their response.
Probing Expressions

Hesitating Expressions

One question I have is

And another question
Tell me
Something (else) I was wondering about was
One thing Id like to know is
Another thing Id like to know is
Sorry to keep after you, but could you tell me

Well, actually
Lets see now
Well, let me think
Yes, thats a good question

Reporting and Reacting to News Events

A common topic of conversation among friends, family, and colleagues is the news:
reporting or reacting to it. Here are the examples:
Reporting the News

Reacting to the News

Do you know what I just found out? I Oh, thats terrible. I wonder if
heard that
I cant believe that. Do you know if
Today, I heard on the radio that
Really? I hadnt heard that. Can you tell
Recently, I saw a program on TV that
me

VI. Making Sophisticated Conversation with Argument and Complex Question

A sophisticated conversation is not only telling, reporting, or asking question. The
conversation becomes sophisticated because of the content of the conversation and how
the speakers run the conversation effectively and smoothly. Every speaker has strong
arguments and has the same opportunity or portion to speak in turn.
Framing an Argument
Speakers use special expressions to introduce their main ideas and to frame or focus their
key arguments. Framing your argument makes it stronger and more sophisticated. Here
are some examples:
(Notice that these expressions are more interesting than I think or In my opinion
)

The real question is, if were not doing anything wrong, what do we have to
worry about?
I mean, youd have to agree that when youre in the office, youre not conducting
your private life.
The point I want to make has to do with trust.
Let me just pos a question: shouldnt employees expect a reasonable amount of
privacy at the workplace?

Other interesting phrases used to frame an argument are:

I would say specifically that most employees have nio idea their boses are
snooping on them.
The thing we need to look at is the fact that balancing privacy and security is
really a delicate matter.

Responding to Complex or Controversial Question

Opening Phrases

Follow-up Phrases

Well, theres no simple answer to that

You might say (but you could also say )

Well thats a complicated issue

One way to look at it is (another way )

Hmm thats a tough one

You could think that (but perhaps )