Sprechen / Speaking (mündliche Prüfung)
The mündliche Abiturprüfung in English lasts roughly twenty minutes after about twenty minutes of preparation and is examined by your teacher and a second examiner. Part 1 is a monologue: you present and analyse a prompt (short text, cartoon, statistic, quotation) linked to a course topic. Part 2 is a Prüfungsgespräch in which the examiners probe, challenge and widen the topic while you respond, justify and negotiate. In Schleswig-Holstein a Präsentationsprüfung on a self-chosen topic can replace the oral exam.
Part 1 - the monologue
Use a fixed skeleton so the examiners can follow: introduce the material and the question it raises, state your main point, analyse along two or three aspects, conclude with a clear judgement. Signpost explicitly (“First…”, “What is more…”, “This brings me to…”). Name the source type and date, define the key term in the prompt, and end by answering the task rather than trailing off.
Part 2 - the interaction
- Take up the examiner's point before answering (“You're right that…, but…”), then give reasons and examples.
- Paraphrase when a word is missing: “I can't recall the exact term, but I mean the…” - this counts as a strategy, not an error.
- Disagree politely and hedge (“I see it differently because…”), and keep the exchange going instead of waiting to be rescued.
- Expect the question to widen: have one link to a second course topic ready.
Worked example
Prompt: “Social media has made us more connected than ever.” Task: assess the statement with reference to your course work on media. Reasoning: define “connected” (digitally versus personally), present the strongest case for the statement (global reach, instant contact), then the counter-case (echo chambers, shallow ties, time displacement), and close with a qualified position - “greater in quantity, arguably thinner in quality”. That is a judgement, and judgements earn AFB III marks; a monologue that lists pros and cons without deciding stays at AFB II.
Traps that cost marks
- A monologue without visible structure: examiners cannot credit content they cannot follow.
- Speaking for far less than the allotted time.
- One-word or single-sentence answers in Part 2 - interaction is assessed separately.
- Reciting a memorised text, which collapses at the first follow-up question.
- Long, tangled sentences that lose grammatical control; short accurate sentences with clear connectors score better.
- German fillers (“also”, “genau”) and “actually” used to mean “aktuell”.