The English Speaking Contest 2012-2013
The English Speaking Contest is annually held by The Asian International School. This contest provides students with a useful forum to enhance their self-confidence, creativity as well as improve their English presentation eloquence in front of a large crowd. The English Speaking Contest consists of 3 round: a class round, a campus round and a school round. Based on their English level in the International English Program, students will compete in one of 3 groups: Group 1 consisting of Starter, Elementary, Pre-Intermediate levels; Group 2 consisting of Intermediate and Upper-Intermediate levels; and Group 3 consisting of TOEFL levels (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced 70 and 80). In the class and campus rounds, students will present on given topic in 4 minutes. In the school round, students will deliver speeches on given topic within 4 minutes and on a randomly selected topic in 3 minutes. The judging criteria includes: Organization, Topic Knowledge, Audience Adaptation, Language Use (Verbal Effectiveness) and Delivery (Nonverbal Effectiveness).
In the academic year 2012-2013, The Asian International School continued to hold the English Speaking Contest for all AHS students from October 15th 2012 to January 19th 2013. The contest provided a useful and active environment for students to improve their English skills, eloquence in front of a large crowd and interest in English.
The English Speaking Contest 2012-2013
The English Speaking Contest consisted of 3 rounds: a class round, a campus round and a school round. The 11 best contestants from the campus round (from Starter to TOEFL levels) continued to show their talents in the school final round. The Panel of Judges included: Ms. Duong Thi Phuong - Executive International Program Manager, Ms. Do Thi Loan - International Program Manager, Dr. Robert John Vernon, Mr. Rodley Paul Anthony and Mr. Wilfredo Meneses.
11 contestants in the final round
The final round of the English Speaking Contest consisted of two parts. In the first part, contestants delivered their speeches on given topics within 4 minutes. In the second part, they drew a topic, watched a short video clip or looked at a picture and listened to the Panel of Judges’ questions. Contestants then had 3 minutes to present their speeches. Their objectives were to give an impressive presentation and answer the Panel of Judges’ questions confidently andconvincingly.
Panel of Judges of the English Speaking Contest 2012–2013
In the first part, contestants were divided into 3 groups: Group 1, consisting of Starter, Elementary and Pre-Intermediate levels; Group 2, consisting of Intermediate and Upper-Intermediate levels; and Group 3, consisting of TOEFL levels (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced 70 and 80).
Group 1 consisted of Starter, Elementary and Pre-Intermediate levels
Group 2 consisted of Intermediate and Upper-Intermediate levels
Group 3 consisted of TOEFL levels (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced 70 and 80)
The topic of this year’s contest was: "If you were asked to send one thing representing your country to an international exhibition, what would you choose and explain why?"
The contestants gave presentations regarding Vietnamese food and traditional costumes such as áo dài, phở, bánh chưng and trống đồng… With good English skills, a natural voice, proper pronunciation and beautiful PowerPoint presentations, the contestants created a confident and active style of presenting as well as made a deep impression on the Panel of Judges.
The contestants’ presentations were lively and beautiful
After the first part was the quiz show which provided a lively atmosphere. Students tried to raise their hands quickly to get chances for answering the questions. The atmosphere became more and more relaxed.
The audiences were raising their hands for answering questions
In the second part, each contestant had to give a presentation on a randomly selected topic. This resulted in a higher difficulty level combined with less preparation time. The students had to make a greater effort, obtain a clear understanding of their topic and decide how to express their ideas logically. Last but not least, they must have a rich vocabulary to show their superiority over the other competitors. All contestants were very confident in giving presentations.They all convinced the Panel of Judges successfully with their good English skills and extensive knowledge and confident styles of presenting and answering questions.
The contestants answered the questions in the second part
While waiting for the final results, the contestants and audience watched some stunning performances of students getting high results in other contests such as the AHS Idol and English Singing Contest, etc. The stressful atmosphere of the contest was wiped out by performers’ amazing dance steps, beautiful voices and jovial spirit. The audience's applause and shouts of encouragement created an exciting and relaxed atmosphere.
Some special performances
After nervously waiting, the contestants were extremely happy when their names were called. With clear and convincing presentations, Nguyen Ngoc Lan Phuong, Cong Hoa Campus, was the first prize winner of Group 1 (Starter, Elementary, Pre-Intermediate levels).
Nguyen NgọcLan Phuong - the first prize winner of Group 1
Vu Thai An from Tran Nhat Duat Campus was truly happy with a bright smile on his face when his name was called for the first prize winner of Group 2 (Intermediate and Upper-Intermediate levels). He was a worthy winner because of his confidence, excellent presentation and reasonable answers that pleased the Panel of Judges.
Happy smiles of Vu Thai An - the winner of Group 2 (first on the left)
The first prize winner of Group 3 -TOEFL levels (Beginner, Inter, Advanced 70, 80) is Khong Quynh Anh from Cong Hoa Campus.
Khong Quynh Anh is smiling happily when her name is called (second on the left)
The English Speaking Contest ended with happy tears from the winners and also slightly sad faces from the other contestants. All the contestants were pleased with the valuable experience and knowledge they gained in each rounds of the contest as well as set their goals to study harder and harder. The AHS English Speaking Contest was a great success that helped students become more interested in studying. Throughout the contest, students had many chances to practice their public speaking, eloquence skills and promote their creativeness and ability of working independently. Furthermore, the contest also discovered English eloquence talents, which has been The Asian International School’s strength. The school then improved these students’ English levels so that they can be confident and successful in national and international speaking contests.
The Panel of Judges and 11 contestants
Students’ feelings:
Vu Thai An from Tran Nhat Duat Campus
“It is my honor to participate in the English Speaking Contest. The contest helped me become more confident when standing in front of the large crowd. It is also an opportunity for me to make friends. I am very happy to be the first prize winner. I’d like to express my thanks to my teachers and friends for their huge support. I will try my best to not disappoint them”.
Tran Hong Hoa from Cao Thang Campus
“I am very happy to take part in the English Speaking Contest. The contest brings me a lot of joy and interesting experiences. I am thankful to organization board for creating a helpful environment for AHS students”.
Nguyen Dinh Bao Chau from Pasteur Campus
“I strongly like the English Speaking Contest because it is a helpful competition which encourages me in learning English better and better. I hope that my school will hold more contests in which we can develop our English studying. Being a second prize winner of the contest is a motivation that makes me study harder in order to take the first place in next year’s contest”.
Bui Thuy Trang from Tran Nhat Duat Campus
“The English Speaking Contest is a wholesome competition in which students can express themselves and gain experience. The contest requires great effort that motivates me to study harder. It is my great honor to take part in the final round and compete with my friends. I am grateful to my teachers for creating an opportunity for me to express my skills and abilities”.
Thai Minh Anh from Pasteur Campus
“It is a helpful contest which makes me more confident and active. Throughout the contest, I have learned many interesting things about our customs, food and culture. I hope that the school will hold more contests for us to widen our knowledge, make friends and learn more from each other”.