Speaking: Interactive Oral German at SEC Level
What the oral tests
The MATSEC SEC German oral is a live interaction with an examiner. It normally includes a warm-up conversation on familiar topics, a picture-based or role-play task, and questions about opinions, past experiences and plans. It tests pronunciation, fluency, range of vocabulary and structures, and the ability to keep the interaction going.
Core rules
- Answer in full sentences and add a reason or example: “Ich spiele Fußball, weil ich Teamsport mag.”
- Control tenses: present for routines, perfect for past events, werden + infinitive for future, modal verbs for plans and polite requests.
- Watch cases after prepositions: mit dem Bus, in der Schule, zu Hause; and direct/indirect objects.
- Use interaction phrases: “Können Sie das bitte wiederholen?”, “Wie sagt man ... auf Deutsch?”, “Das ist eine gute Frage.”
- For pictures, use location and action phrases: oben links, im Vordergrund, er sitzt, sie trägt; speculate with vielleicht, wahrscheinlich.
Worked example
Prompt: “Was hast du letztes Wochenende gemacht?” Weak answer: “Ich gehe ins Kino.” - present tense, no detail. Strong answer: “Am Samstag bin ich mit meiner Schwester ins Kino gegangen. Wir haben einen Film über ... gesehen, weil sie ... mag. Danach haben wir noch ...” Reasoning: the perfect tense (bin gegangen, haben gesehen) matches “letztes Wochenende”; the time phrase, companion, reason clause and follow-up extend the answer. Note the auxiliary: “Ich habe ins Kino gegangen” is wrong; movement verbs take sein.
Traps that cost marks
One-word answers; reciting a memorized text that does not fit the question; wrong haben/sein in the perfect; using du with an examiner who uses Sie; falling silent instead of asking for clarification; slipping into English.