HS Exam - oral exam info
The oral exam is only for candidates who have received a mark of "5" on exactly one part of the exam.
The dates for the exam can be found on the SZ - Prüfungstermine page.
Please do not ask for an alternative time unless you were either:
a) ill at the time of the oral examination, and produce a doctor's note within two weeks
or
b) studying abroad at the time of the test (or on an internship as part of an official year abroad).
Sorry, but work experience ("Praktikum") is only allowed as a reason if it is required for your studies. Pre-booked holiday cannot be accepted as a reason.
If you cannot take the oral exam for any reason other than sickness or study/ work abroad for your degree, you will receive a ‘5’ (Nicht erschienen) and fail the HF exam as a whole. You may actually prefer this, because if you fail the HF exam you can take it again once (twice if the Lektorat approves your application.).
If you qualify for an oral exam, you will be notified through your Viadrina e-mail account.
If you have an oral exam, it will count as one quarter of your final exam HS (formerly "HF") English grade.
EXAM TIMES AND TOPICS
Oral exams for the winter semster 2023/2024 will take place in August-Bebel-Str. 12 (The Language Centre) on the 28th and 29th March 2024.
You will be sent your individual appointment as well as the topics by e-mail at least week before your examination. You are to choose ONE of the topics and prepare a presentation on it. See more details below.
Important General Information on the oral examination
The total length of the exam is 30 minutes. This includes preparation time of about fifteen minutes and fifteen minutes with the examiners. 15 minutes before your exmainiation, you will be given a text relating to your chosen topic which you can refer to in the exam itself if you wish. However, we advise you to prepare for the topic in advance.
The exam will test the relevance and coherence of what you say, as well as the accuracy and style of your English.
You will have to explain your position on the topic (what do you think?) in a structured way. However, during the exam, the examiners may ask questions which may take you away from your original plan, so you will need to be flexible.
You can use notes in the exam but you cannot read from a prepared script. Because the exam is about communicating with the examiners, you should not memorize a speech.