Speaking Practice with NTHYKYLDSS

“Self-reflection is the key for improvement.”, and the speaking practice with Heung Yee Kuk precisely provided me with a golden opportunity to polish my speaking skills. Before the practice, I felt quite unprepared for my DSE speaking examination as I felt unprepared for the unknown. In this experience, not only was I given valuable feedback from group mates who are not my school mates and people I know well, but I was also provided with practice advice from them for improvement. An instance, was when I was reminded to speak up as I did not even realise I wasn’t loud enough. To me, this is a very important piece of advice because despite how articulate I am, I won’t be able to impress the markers if they cannot hear me. Another thing I found this experience helpful with was that I got to meet candidates of different English levels. The oral examination is not an individual presentation, instead it is a discussion that requires you to show empathy to your group mates. Hence, as I’ve encountered both strong and mediocre speakers during the experience, I knew how to sustain the conversation in both circumstances. This is particularly important when it comes to group discussion as you won’t want the teachers to view you as an egocentric candidate who isn’t willing to help the weaker ones. This experience has equipped me with additional useful speaking skills and has boosted my confidence.