PSLE Chinese Video OralPractice videosFamily & Screen Time · 科技与生活
看录像会话 · Technology & family life
PSLE Chinese Oral video: Family & Screen Time (科技与生活)
A whole family on their phones at dinner — the PSLE Chinese oral clip that hits close to home.
Family and technology (科技与生活) — everyone glued to their phones at dinner — is a familiar PSLE Chinese oral conversation theme. Watch the video clip below, then work through the examiner's questions and follow-ups so your child can practise describing the scene and giving an opinion in Mandarin, exactly as the real exam asks.
What happens in the clip
晚上，一家人坐在客厅里。爸爸低头看手机，两个女儿也各自玩手机，奶奶一个人坐在沙发上用平板电脑。家里很安静，没有人说话。后来，奶奶提着一袋水果走进来，看到大家都在看电子产品，脸上露出了失望的表情。最后，全家人放下了手机，围坐在餐桌旁一起吃饭，奶奶坐在中间讲故事，大家笑得很开心。
In the evening a family sits in the living room, each absorbed in a screen — Dad on his phone, both daughters on theirs, Grandma alone on a tablet. The room is silent; nobody speaks. Then Grandma walks in with a bag of fruit, sees everyone glued to their devices, and looks disappointed. In the end the family puts their phones down, gathers round the dinner table, and Grandma tells stories in the middle while everyone laughs together.
The questions the examiner asks
Q1 · Describe the clip
短片里发生了什么事？请你描述一下。
What happens in the clip? Describe it.
Possible follow-ups
- 你觉得奶奶当时心里是什么感受？ — How do you think Grandma felt at that moment?
- 后来大家为什么愿意放下手机呢？ — Why did everyone eventually put their phones down?
Q2 · Your own experience
你在家里有没有遇过大家只顾看手机、很少聊天的情况？你觉得这样好吗？
Have you experienced everyone at home just staring at their phones and barely talking? Do you think that's a good thing?
Possible follow-ups
- 那你当时是怎么做的？ — So what did you do at the time?
- 你希望家人怎样改变呢？ — How would you like your family to change?
Q3 · Your opinion
我们应该怎样合理使用科技产品，同时也和家人保持良好的沟通？
How can we use technology sensibly while still communicating well with our family?
Possible follow-ups
- 在你家，可以定什么样的规矩呢？ — What kind of rule could you set at home?
- 吃饭的时候要不要收起手机？为什么？ — Should phones be put away at mealtimes? Why?
What a strong answer includes
- Describe question: cover the whole arc — everyone on their screens, Grandma's reaction, and how it changed — not just one moment.
- Personal question: share a real family example and say honestly whether you think it's good, with a reason.
- Opinion question: give two practical family rules (phones away at dinner, agreed screen time) and explain why they help.
The full worded model answer and the AI scorecard are inside the free practice.
How the PSLE Chinese video conversation works
In the current PSLE Chinese oral exam (华文口试), the conversation section (会话) is based on a short video clip (看录像会话). Your child watches a roughly 30-second clip — with light Mandarin narration that points out the theme — and the examiner then asks a few questions about it.
The questions usually move through three stages:
- Describe what happened — retell the clip in your own words, in full sentences.
- Relate it to your own experience — a real example from your own life.
- Give your opinion — what you think should be done, and why.
The examiner will often ask follow-up questions — a quick 为什么？ (why?) or 可以举个例子吗？(can you give an example?). The best answers don't stop at one sentence: they give a reason and a concrete example, and stay in Mandarin throughout. That's exactly what the practice on each clip is designed to build.
Practise this clip — free.
Your child answers the questions aloud and gets a parent-readable scorecard. No card needed to start.
More PSLE Chinese oral video topics
See them all on the PSLE Chinese oral practice videos hub.