O Level Chinese Oral Practice: Reading Aloud and Video Conversation with Model Answers

By the end you can

• Mark up a passage before you read it aloud. Use the preview time to mark pauses between meaning groups, tone changes on 一 and 不, light syllables, and characters with two readings.
  我一定不会放弃。 · Wǒ yídìng bú huì fàngqì. · I will never give up.
• Read six original passages aloud. Stories about a school CCA, a grandmother's first video call, a community garden, a phone scam, bringing your own box and a brother going to NS, each with its hard words.
  慢一点儿没关系。 · Màn yìdiǎnr méi guānxi. · Going slowly is fine.
• Get the tricky readings right. Know when 行, 长, 乐, 得 and 着 change their sound, and read 儿化 words as one syllable.
  银行行长长得很高。 · Yínháng hángzhǎng zhǎng de hěn gāo. · The bank manager is tall.
• Answer video-conversation questions in four steps. Give your view, one or two reasons, an example from your own life and a close that links back to the question.
  拿我自己来说，我以前也有这个习惯。 · Ná wǒ zìjǐ lái shuō, wǒ yǐqián yě yǒu zhège xíguàn. · Take me, for example: I used to have this habit too.
• Talk about everyday social issues. Eighteen questions on tuition and rest, phones at the dinner table, volunteering, life online, recycling and healthy habits, each with a model answer, plus a follow-up to answer for a minute.
  我认为这个问题值得关注。 · Wǒ rènwéi zhège wèntí zhíde guānzhù. · I think this issue deserves attention.
• Choose stronger words and openings. Pick connectives like 反而, 不但 and 才 as the models do, swap plain words for 有意义, 陪伴 and 一概而论, and open with a line that answers the question at once.

What’s inside

• The oral: Reading Aloud Without Losing Marks · Video Conversation in Four Steps
• Set 1: Read aloud: Set 1: Practice Makes Progress · Conversation: Set 1: Tuition and Rest
• Set 2: Read aloud: Set 2: Grandma's First Video Call · Conversation: Set 2: Phones at the Dinner Table
• Set 3: Read aloud: Set 3: The Garden Downstairs · Conversation: Set 3: Young Volunteers
• Set 4: Read aloud: Set 4: A Call From 'the Bank' · Conversation: Set 4: News on Our Phones
• Set 5: Read aloud: Set 5: Bring Your Own Box · Conversation: Set 5: Recycling Done Right
• Set 6: Read aloud: Set 6: My Brother Goes to NS · Conversation: Set 6: Healthy Habits
• Two-week plan: Your Two-Week Oral Plan

How to use this book

Six sets, two pages each: a passage to read aloud, then a video conversation. Do one set every two days, record yourself, then play the free audio and compare. The book's plan on page 17 takes two weeks.

1. Before you start: Learn the two skills. Read pages 3 and 4: how to mark up a passage, and the four steps for every conversation answer.
2. Days 1–12: One set every two days. Mark up the passage and read it aloud twice a day. Record one answer a day, with a real example from your life.
3. Every day: Listen back. Note one tone or word to fix tomorrow. Learn two hard words from the passages and use one in your recorded answer.
4. Day 13: The hardest passages. Reread the two passages you found hardest with the audio, and record one question you have not tried yet.
5. Day 14: Mock oral. Preview a passage you have not read for a week, read it once with the timer, then answer one question from another set.

Who it’s for

Singapore secondary students preparing the O Level Chinese oral, reading aloud and video conversation, and teachers who want extra passages and questions for class practice.

Before you start: Chinese at O Level standard. Instructions and tips are in English. The passages and model answers are in Chinese without pinyin, and the hard words from each passage are listed with pinyin and a note on how to read them.

Frequently asked questions

Who wrote the passages and questions?

SayMei wrote all six passages and every video-conversation question, set in everyday Singapore: a school CCA, a flat in Toa Payoh, a hawker centre and NS. They are practice in the O Level Chinese oral format.

Should I memorise the model answers?

No. Each model shows one strong answer. Say your own ideas in your own words, and borrow the models' structure and phrases: a view, a reason, an example from your life and a close.

Is there audio for the passages?

Yes. Every passage and model answer is on the free audio on this book's page, and the QR code in the book opens it. Read and record yourself first, then listen and compare.

Is this workbook free?

Yes. The whole 19-page PDF is free, and you can look through its pages here before you download. There's no card and nothing to pay.

Do I need a SayMei account?

Yes, to download the PDF, and the account is free: sign up with Google, Apple or your email address. With it we email you a copy of the workbook, keep every workbook you download on your account on all your devices, save your place in the free online practice, and you can practise speaking with Mei Lin, SayMei's AI tutor.

How do I print it?

The PDF is US Letter size. On A4 paper, choose "Fit to page" (or "Scale to fit") in the print dialog so nothing is cut off. Print the whole workbook or only the pages you need; colour looks best, and black and white works too.

Can I print copies for my class?

Yes. Print as many copies as you like for your own class or family. To share it, send this page: everyone can download their own copy.

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