Feeling stressed over Irish and French orals :/

Lollipop95

Hey guys! My orals are at the end of this month and I'm beginning to feel really stressed out by them because I know how much they contribute to the overall grade. It's not so much that I won't know what to say when I get asked a question, I am worried that the examiner will ask me a question and I won't have a clue what they're on about I do ordinary level in both subjects and while I think I'm quite decent at written work when it comes to speaking I am really not confident and conscious of what I say.. I think it's a lot to do with nerves! Does anyone have any tips on how I can feel less nervous going into the exam? Thanks!

d1234

Hi Lollipop! I think that it's fair to say that you probably without a doubt aren't the only one in this situation, especially at this time of year. Many students are like yourself in that you know your content well but are unsure of what to do if something out of the blue comes up. My tip would be for both subjects between now and then is to simply think as much as you can in both of those languages. Simple stuff like ou est mon billet? or cad a dhéanfaidh mé amarach? Nothing complex - just simple. Keep practicing also and speak to as many people as you can. If 3 people ask you 3 simple questions everyday that's 90 questions. There are other things which you could do such as clubs, radio etc. which may improve your confidence. I would also recommend that on the morning of the exam, totally immerse yourself in the language - sit down with a friend and talk as much as you can without any sheets or notes and see how you get on. Best of luck and I'm sure if you keep up the good work that you'll do great!

Try not to stress too much, you probably know a lot more than you think!!

Do your Irish/French teachers practice talking in class? This is really helpful so if you can, you could ask them if you could all try having a conversation about yourselves and or hobbies, or about the recession. We do this a lot in German, but we barely utter a word in Irish and that's why Im not as confident with that language!

Think of all the important words you know in, lets say, French and make sure you can say it in Irish too! Talk to yourself in the mirror for 5 minutes every evening, record yourself on your phone, watch Youtube videos etc. Even though it might feel like hours, its a very very short oral and it'll all be done before you know it. Make your answers as detailed as you can, for example if they ask if you play sport you could say yes, name the sport and then talk about a day when you all went away on the bus and won the final and jumped around and screamed and got Supermacs and went home and went out to the pub and danced all night and it was the best day ever etc etc etc

Good luck!