As the year is flying by and the ever so feared oral examination is looming, some might start feeling a little insecure about their ability to hold a conversation for 8 min then a discussion for another 8 minutes or so.

The fear of making mistakes, the horror of not understanding a question or being understood, the horrifying prospect of uncomfortable silences between you and the examiner. That is enough to make anyone's stomach churn....

So let's have a look at the situation and see how we can transform you into a bubbly and chatty expert who seriously wouldn't want to be anywhere else but the exam room!  

Let me first reassure you on a few points:

• Do not learn of feel you must learn by heart answers to the general conversation.

There is a difference between being prepared and well practised and learning by heart. In a oral situation, what you are expected to display is how you can manage a conversation, how you interact, how French can flow from you. I said it a...