Oral Examination
The Oral Examination tests spoken interaction and production in everyday German. You may be asked to introduce yourself, talk about family, school, hobbies, holidays and plans, describe a picture or sequence, and handle a short transactional situation. The examiner assesses communication, range, accuracy and pronunciation.
Core rules and concepts
- Answer in full sentences, then add one detail or reason. One-word answers limit your range.
- Use the present tense for routines and the perfect tense for past activities: Ich habe Fußball gespielt; Ich bin nach Spanien geflogen.
- Learn question forms so you can ask back: Was machst du gern? Wie war das? This shows interaction.
- Use connectives such as weil, aber, dann and deshalb to link ideas and extend answers.
- Pronunciation matters: practise ü, ö, ch and final -e. Clear, understandable German earns credit even with small errors.
Worked example
Question: „Was hast du in den Ferien gemacht?“ Answer: „Ich bin mit meiner Familie nach Spanien geflogen. Wir haben dort viel gebadet.“ Reasoning: fliegen takes sein in the perfect because it expresses movement: ich bin geflogen. baden takes haben: wir haben gebadet. mit meiner Familie is dative feminine. The answer gives two activities and a place, so it is developed.
Traps that cost marks
- Giving one-word answers or reciting a memorised text instead of listening.
- Using the wrong perfect auxiliary: „Ich habe nach Spanien geflogen“.
- Using du with the examiner; use Sie unless invited otherwise.
- Speaking so quietly or quickly that clear sounds are lost.