Tips:

1. Read the passage at least twice.

2. Pronounce the words carefully. Read word

endings such as ‘ed’, ‘s’, ‘t’ and ‘th’ clearly.3. Pause slightly at the appropriate places,

that is, punctuations.

4. Try to pronounce difficult words by syllables.

5. Read expressively.

7. Read at an appropriate pace.

8. Articulate the words clearly.

9. Stress the correct syllables.

6. Read with confidence.

Passage 1

Swish…went the spade as Mr Goh, the enthusiastic gardener, dug into the ground. Mr Goh enjoyed pottering about in his garden.

Cling! Suddenly, he hit something hard. He dug it out and found that it was a muddy and dirty bowl. He threw it into his neighbour, Mr Brown’s garden. It hit Mr Brown’s head!

“Ouch!” shouted Mr Brown. Just then he heard someone giggling over the wall. “Hey! Who’s throwing things into my garden? I have a bump on my head!” shouted Mr Brown. There was no respond from his neighbour. He then picked up the bowl which had landed in the thick grass in his garden.

“It seems to be sort of an antique,” he mumbled to himself. He was also an antique lover and appreciates the beauty of any antique.

He polished the bowl and took it to an antique shop the next day. The shopkeeper told him that the bowl was a priceless treasure from the Ming Dynasty. He wanted to buy it from Mr Brown. Mr Brown was surprised and elated that he had earned a fortune.

Passage 2

Richard was on his way home from school and was deep in conversation with his friend. Richard talked animatedly and gestured wildly with his hands. He was talking about an incident that happened in school.

“How could everyone accuse me of being clumsy and unobservant? He demanded. “Jane’s leg was sticking out

from under the chair! That’s why I tripped and fell!”

“What’s more …”

“Help!” Richard screamed.

He had been talking so much that he did not notice the uncovered manhole in the ground. His friend had tried to warn him but he just kept on talking.

“Help Me!” he screamed, his voice echoing from inside the hole.

Luckily the hole was not too deep and Richard managed to climb out with his friend’s help. His friend burst out laughing. Richard was very embarrassed. He quickly said goodbye to his friend and hurried home.

Tips:

1.Study the picture to get a general idea of the scene.

2. What is the picture about? Where is it set?

3. Identify the number of focal points. Describe the picture in a systematic way.

4. Do not name the characters.

5. Speak loudly, slowly and clearly.

6. Maintain eye contact as much as you can.

7. Use the Simple Present and Present Continuous Tenses.

8. Give your opinion and suggestions about the incidents, actions and people in the picture.

9. Use appropriate vocabulary to describe how the people look and their feelings.

10. Do not point at the picture with your fingers.

11. Talk about the picture in a continuous manner.

Suggested response

• This is a crowded MRT station packed with commuters.• It is likely to be the end of a school or work day as people on the train look

relaxed.• A group of three school girls are sitting in front of the train door. They are playing

a game of ‘Five Stones’. I think they should not be sitting in front of the door as they are obstructing the way. People will have difficulty moving in and out of the train.

• A helpful and courteous boy is giving up his seat to a Malay lady who is carrying a child in her arms. I think this is the right thing to do because this is a form of showing compassion to others.

• Two mischievous boys are playing on the pole of the train. They have left their schoolbags strewn around them. This is a very dangerous thing to do as they may fall and hurt themselves badly. Their belongings could also cause others to trip and fall.

• I believe the old man holding on to the other pole thinks likewise as he is waving his hands to ask them to stop what they are doing.

• A man standing near the right train door is closing his eyes. He is engrossed in the music that he is listening to through his headphones, oblivious to what is happening around him.

• In my opinion, we should respect one another when we are using public transportation. We should be mindful of our actions for the safety of everyone.

Tips:1.The examiner will ask you a question to start the conversation.

2. Do not give just a “Yes” or “No” response but go on to explain your reason without having the examiner to prompt you repeatedly.

3. Maintain eye contact with the examiner during the conversation.

4. Try to converse in the present tense / present continuous tense.

5. Elaborate on your ideas by specific examples.

Practice 1:

Do you think the computer is an important invention? Why?

Additional Prompts:

Do you have a computer at home?

What do you use it for?

Practice 2:

Why do you think it is good to have more parks in Singapore?

Additional Prompts:

What are the activities that you can do there?

Why are parks important?

Reading Passage

One hot blazing afternoon, while I was walking home, a huge dog suddenly appeared from behind me and started chasing me. I was horrified! I gave a ear-piercing scream, thinking that the dog was going to attack me.

“Argh! Help!” I shouted at the top of my voice. The huge dog pounced on me and I fell to the ground. For that split second, I thought it was all over for me. I froze and was gripped by fear. To my astonishment, the dog did me no harm. Instead, it started licking my cheeks and wagging its tail playfully. I realized that it only wanted to play with me. Fear finally subsided within me. I was extremely relieved.

After a few minutes, I regained my composure. I hugged and patted the dog. The owner of the playful dog came to apologize to me. He explained that the dog had wandered off when he was talking to a friend. What a day it had been!

More Practice….

Picture Discussion

Suggested Pointers for Picture

• This picture shows _____________ .

• Some commuters are ______________________. Others are seated. A young girl has kindly offered _______________________________ . I think that it is ___________________________________________ .

• An Indian woman wearing a sari is chatting on her mobile phone while two children are ______________________ near her. I think that children should not________________ because________________________ .

• A train has arrived at the platform and it looks _____________ . Many commuters are alighting and others are waiting to board the train.

• A teenage boy has dashed out of the train and he is running _____________________ . He almost knocked down a woman carrying two bags of groceries. She seems to be _______________ .

• I think that he should not _____________________________________ .