Practice questions for the SLE English oral test

How to practise with these questions

• Answer out loud, without writing your answer first: notes prepared in advance are banned in the test.
• Aim for 1 to 2 minutes per answer at levels B and C: one main idea, a concrete example, then a conclusion.
• Record yourself and listen back. Note the words you lack, your verb tenses and your hesitations.
• Not working right now? Answer from your studies or your volunteer work: in the test, too, questions can be about them.

Level A: your work, day to day

Simple questions on familiar topics, as at the start of the test. Answer in full sentences, with an example.

1. What did you study, and how does it help you in your work today?
2. Which tasks do you do on your own, and which ones do you do as a team?
3. When you need help with a task, who do you ask, and how?
4. How do you keep up with news in your organization: emails, the intranet, meetings?
5. In what situations do you use English at work?
6. Which skills do you use most in your work? Give an example.

Level B: tell, explain, compare

Tell what happened, explain how something is done or compare two situations. Watch your verb tenses and the order of the steps.

7. Tell me about a task you did for the first time recently. How did you learn to do it?
8. Explain how you prepare your files before you go on leave, so the work can continue without you.
9. Explain how you protect confidential information in your work: documents, emails and conversations.
10. Tell me about a time you had to change your plans at work at the last minute. What happened, and what did you do?
11. Tell me about a misunderstanding at work, such as a message that was misread. How was it resolved?
12. Tell me about a time you worked with another team or organization. How did you share the work?
13. Tell me about a time you had to ask for more time or resources. How did you make your case, and what was the answer?
14. Compare your current job with a previous job or with your studies. What has changed in the way you work?
15. Tell me about a time you had to explain your work to someone outside your field. How did you go about it?

Level C: opinions and hypotheses

Give your opinion and defend it, weigh both sides, and handle hypothetical situations. Level C covers abstract or complex topics, in depth and with ease.

16. If you became your team's manager tomorrow, what would you change first, and why?
17. Some say a person's performance should be judged on results; others, on effort and the way they work. What do you think?
18. Suppose your manager asks you to finish a file very quickly, but you think it needs more checks. What would you do, and why?
19. Some employers are trying a four-day work week. Could it work in your field? What would it change?
20. Is a team better off with specialists in one field or with generalists who can move from file to file? Defend your view.
21. Many experienced people will retire in the coming years. How can an organization avoid losing what they know?
22. In your view, what should an employer do to make a workplace truly accessible to people with disabilities?
23. Public organizations are often said to avoid risk. Is that a strength or a weakness? Give examples.
24. Someone you helped wants to thank you with a small gift. Should you accept it? Where would you draw the line?

What separates B from C in English

Original questions written for OralReady on November 9, 2026. They reuse no content from the PSC's test.