Task 6 of the Oral Expression is about: describing a graphic and forming hypotheses. Here’s how to respond to the situation correctly.
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Key takeaways
Task 6 tests whether you can describe a graphic and, beyond that, form hypotheses about causes or backgrounds – a more demanding speech act.
You first give the most important data of the graphic and then form justified conjectures about why the development happens.
What matters is a clear graphic description and plausible, linguistically marked hypotheses (“könnte daran liegen, dass …”, “ein möglicher Grund ist …”).
Introduce the graphic and describe the most important development.
Mark the transition to your conjectures.
Form one or two hypotheses about the causes.
Justify your hypotheses plausibly.
Sum up briefly at the end.
A short example in the same format: the situation and a model answer.
Eine Grafik zeigt: Die Zahl der Menschen, die online einkaufen, ist stark gestiegen. Beschreiben Sie die Grafik und stellen Sie Vermutungen über die Gründe an.
Model answer:
Why? The answer first describes the graphic’s development and then forms justified hypotheses about the causes, clearly marked as conjectures – exactly what Task 6 expects.
Eine Grafik zeigt: Die Zahl der Fahrradfahrer in der Stadt ist stark gestiegen. Du sollst die Grafik beschreiben und Vermutungen über die Gründe äußern.
Which sentence forms a justified hypothesis?
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Task 6 also requires hypotheses. Don’t stop at the description.
Use phrases like “könnte daran liegen, dass …” to mark conjectures clearly.
Your hypotheses should fit the topic and be justified.
Justify why you suspect a particular cause.
Describing a graphic and forming hypotheses. Respond to the given situation and use the suitable phrases.
Only short preparation time. Quickly note keywords and a structure, then speak freely into the microphone.
No. The Oral Expression is computer-based – you speak alone into the microphone, and your answer is recorded.
Practice this speech act with various situations, ideally out loud and recorded. A Prepliq mock grades your speaking automatically.
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