Part 1
Giám khảo
Are there tall buildings near your home?
Thí sinh
No, they are sorry. In Singapore. Yes, they do. You know Singapore? Singapore have a lot of tall buildings since the same people are living with HDB. Living in HDB. So obviously they do.
Giám khảo
Do you take photos of buildings?
Thí sinh
What I was when I first when I first came Singapore I, I took everything I see because everything is so everything is new to me even tall building. So I took a lot even my storage is full cause of the tall buildings photo.
Giám khảo
Is there a building that you would like to visit?
Thí sinh
Yes they are. They are is 1 building I would like to visit. It is located in the downtown. I heard that they on the top of the building. They opened the restaurant which gets there a lot of positive reviews so I would like to go there one day.
Are there tall buildings near your home?
Điểm: 45.0Gợi ý: Give a direct, concise answer first, then add one or two clear supporting details. Avoid repetition and unclear phrases. Pay attention to grammar (subject-verb agreement, pronouns) and sentence structure. Use linking words like "because" or "so" to connect ideas. Limit to 2–4 short sentences.
Ví dụ: Not really — there aren’t many tall buildings near my home because most people live in HDB flats. However, in downtown Singapore there are many skyscrapers, so tall buildings are common in the city centre.
Do you take photos of buildings?
Điểm: 50.0Gợi ý: Start with a clear topic sentence (yes/no or sometimes), then give reasons and a short example. Improve tense consistency and reduce hesitation. Use linking words like "when", "because", "so" to make the story coherent. Keep it to 2–4 sentences.
Ví dụ: Yes, I used to take a lot of photos of buildings when I first moved to Singapore because everything looked new and interesting. For example, I filled my phone storage with pictures of tall towers and historic buildings.
Is there a building that you would like to visit?
Điểm: 55.0Gợi ý: Answer directly (Yes, there is) and give specific information: name or type of building, location, and reason. Fix grammar (subject-verb agreement, article use) and remove unclear phrasing. Use linking words such as "because" or "so". Keep to 2–4 sentences and be specific about why you want to visit.
Ví dụ: Yes, there is one I’d like to visit — a restaurant on the rooftop of a downtown skyscraper. I’ve heard it has great views and many positive reviews, so I’d love to try the food and enjoy the panorama.
× No, they are sorry.
✓ No, sorry.
The student used 'they are' incorrectly; 'they' is a plural pronoun and doesn't fit here. 'Sorry' as a short response should stand alone. Replace 'they are sorry' with 'No, sorry' or 'No, there aren't' depending on intended meaning.
× In Singapore.
✓ In Singapore.
This fragment lacks a verb but in spoken answers 'In Singapore' can be an acceptable short answer if the question asks about location. No grammatical change needed; keep as a location phrase. If a full sentence is required, use 'They are in Singapore' or 'Yes, in Singapore.'
× Yes, they do.
✓ Yes, they do.
This sentence is fine if referring to a plural subject (e.g. 'tall buildings near my home?') but context suggests confusion. No change necessary. If the student meant 'Are there tall buildings?' the typical short answer is 'Yes, there are.'
× You know Singapore?
✓ Do you know Singapore?
The student used intonation to form a question but omitted the auxiliary 'do'. In present simple yes/no questions with 'you' the auxiliary 'do' is required: 'Do you know Singapore?'
× Singapore have a lot of tall buildings since the same people are living with HDB.
✓ Singapore has a lot of tall buildings because many people live in HDB flats.
'Singapore' is singular and requires the verb 'has' not 'have' (subject-verb agreement). 'Since' is misused for cause; use 'because' or 'as'. 'The same people are living with HDB' is ungrammatical: say 'many people live in HDB flats.' Also prefer present simple 'live' for general facts.
× Living in HDB.
✓ They live in HDB flats.
This fragment lacks a clear subject and verb. Use a full sentence: 'They live in HDB flats.' This makes the meaning explicit and matches present simple for habitual facts.
× So obviously they do.
✓ So obviously they do.
This is acceptable if referring back to 'having tall buildings' (they do = there are tall buildings). For clarity, 'So obviously there are.' or 'So obviously this is true.' would be clearer.
× What I was when I first when I first came Singapore I, I took everything I see because everything is so everything is new to me even tall building.
✓ When I first came to Singapore, I took pictures of everything I saw because everything was new to me, even tall buildings.
Multiple issues: missing 'to' after 'came', incorrect tense and form ('see' should be past 'saw'), repetition and word order problems. Use a clear past narrative: 'When I first came to Singapore, I took pictures of everything I saw because everything was new to me, even tall buildings.'
× So I took a lot even my storage is full cause of the tall buildings photo.
✓ So I took a lot; even my storage is full because of the photos of tall buildings.
Use 'because' instead of 'cause' in formal speech. 'Tall buildings photo' should be plural 'photos of tall buildings'. 'Storage is full' is present, but context is past experience; keep present result: 'even my storage is full' is acceptable. Better: 'So I took a lot of photos; even now my storage is full because of them.'
× Yes they are.
✓ Yes, there is.
Question was 'Is there a building that you would like to visit?' The correct short answer uses 'there is' for existence. 'Yes they are' incorrectly uses plural pronoun and 'are' instead of 'is'.
× They are is 1 building I would like to visit.
✓ There is one building I would like to visit.
The student mixed pronouns and verbs ('They are is'). Use the existential 'There is' plus 'one building' for clarity. Use 'one' instead of '1' in spoken/formal sentences.
× It is located in the downtown.
✓ It is located in downtown.
Usage: 'downtown' commonly does not take 'the' when used with 'in' in many dialects: 'in downtown' or better 'in the downtown area' / 'in downtown Singapore' depending on variety. If referring to 'the downtown area', say 'in the downtown area.'
× I heard that they on the top of the building.
✓ I heard that it is on the top of the building.
Missing verb 'is' and wrong pronoun 'they' for singular building. Use 'it is on the top of the building' or better 'I heard that it is at the top of the building.'
× They opened the restaurant which gets there a lot of positive reviews so I would like to go there one day.
✓ They opened a restaurant there which has received a lot of positive reviews, so I would like to go one day.
Pronoun confusion: 'They' as subject is acceptable for 'the owners' but unclear. 'Gets there a lot of positive reviews' is incorrect word order and tense: use 'has received a lot of positive reviews' or 'gets a lot of positive reviews.' Place 'there' correctly after 'restaurant' or use 'there' to indicate location: 'a restaurant there which has received...'. Also combine into one coherent sentence with correct tense.