EPE SAMPLE - ORAL EXAM

Vorstudienlehrgang der Wiener Universitäten

1150 Wien

Bei der mündlichen Prüfung werden Ihnen zwei Themen aus dem Themenpool genannt, Sie wählen eines davon und erhalten
einen Impuls, über den Sie mit Ihrer Prüferin / Ihrem Prüfer ein etwa siebenminütiges Gespräch führen.

Im Anhang finden Sie zwei Beispiele für Bildimpulse und Beispiele für Fragen, die Ihnen gestellt werden. Es dürfen keine
Wörterbücher verwendet werden.

Für die Beurteilung der Sprechperformanz werden folgende Teilbereiche bewertet:

 task achievement (task addressed and expanded; clear and convincing arguments)

 fluency & interaction (tempo; connected ideas; ease of expression; effective turn-taking; productive pauses - lack of hesitation)

 range of spoken language (vocabulary & structures)

 accuracy of spoken language (lexical & grammatical control; pronunciation; intonation)

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 TOPICS EPE

1. family, friends and relationships

defining friendship • number of friends • qualities of a true friend • kinds of friendship • childhood friendship • adult
friendship • work husband/work wife • circle of friends • friend or acquaintance
how to make a relationship work • what being in a relationship means • online dating • first love • true love • being
single • depiction of romantic love in film
definition of family • forms of family (nuclear families, extended families, single parents, same sex families) • changing
family structures • having children • parenting styles • functions of family • working parents • stay-at-home parents •
maternity and paternity leave • divorce

2. hobbies, free-time activities and (celebrating) special events

traditions (Christmas, New Year, birthdays, etc) • having a good time • being on holiday • spending a holiday • gap year
• graduating from university • personal achievements • special moments • student parties
e-readers • future of books • reading habits • choosing a book • favourite book • genres • what makes a good book •
book vs film • fiction versus non-fiction • classics • educational aspects of reading • fairy tales • poetry • benefits of
reading • libraries • book clubs • stress prevention • sports and exercise • extreme sports • team sports

3. nutrition and health

food pyramids • fast food • restaurants and eating out • food delivery services • healthy living/ lifestyles • school
lunches • being on a diet • plant based nutrition (vegetarians - fruitarians – vegans) • food industry • food additives •
eating disorders • fighting world hunger • alternative food sources • effects of food production on the environment •
smoking • food addictions • food allergies • stress relief • sports and exercise • GM (genetically modified) food

4. homes and living; countries, cities, home towns

types of housing • moving out of your family home • city vs country life • living in remote areas • back to nature •
house vs home • renting vs buying • dream house • green houses • tiny houses and micro apartments • student
accommodation • living on your own vs living in a dorm/ shared flat • smart homes • suburban areas • megacities •
cities of the future • urbanization • outdoor spaces historic cities • modern cities • urban planning • moving and
relocating • mobile living • differences between students‘ home towns and Vienna

5. shopping/ consumerism
shopping for happiness? • shopaholics • second hand products • ethical clothes • sustainable shopping trends •
alternative shopping • online shopping • purchase decisions • marketing and marketing strategies • supermarket secrets
/ supermarket tricks • bargains • spending/saving/ earning money • (fixed) expenses

6. world of work, jobs

different working places • working conditions • working environments • types of work • payment/ salary •
qualifications, competences and skills • work experience • internships • blue / white collar • manual labour versus office
work • employment/ career chances • unemployment • personal skills (strengths and weaknesses) • job application/cv •
job interview • job descriptions • equal rights/opportunities of men and women • gender equality • diversity
management • outsourcing • brain drain • working teenagers • jobs of the future • work and health • work-life-balance •
stress management (burn-out prevention)

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7. education, university and language learning
knowledge vs skills • teaching methods • flipped classroom • teacher centred learning • student centred learning • fixed
mindset vs growth mindset • language learning techniques • home-schooling • coeducation • public and private schools
• comprehensive school • school uniforms • standardized testing • schools now and then • British, US American and
Austrian school system • modern technologies at school • student exchange • language trips • lifelong learning •
motivation • gap year • studying abroad • applying for university • student loans • university fees • school and personal
development • jobs and professions for young people • summer jobs • working as a teenager • money and job
satisfaction • volunteering • jobs and family life • future career
language acquisition • how to learn a new language • traditional versus new/ digital methods • the perfect teacher • the
perfect student • the perfect classroom • the perfect school • online learning/ tutoring • learning apps • using a
language outside the classroom • mnemonic-techniques • learning by doing • (coping with stressful) exam situations

8. media and communication

types of media (traditional vs. modern, social) • role of media today • media use today • young people and the news •
watching TV - consumption and opinions of young people • reality shows and docu-soaps • film – genres, forms of
consumption • film industry • fiction vs. reality in films, shows • surveillance and the media – identity and privacy •
celebrities • paparazzi • newspapers (tabloids and broadsheets) • English as a global language • means of
communication in the past and present • influences of modern technologies on communication • advantages and
disadvantages of smartphone communication • intercultural communication • social networks • cyber bullying

9. travel, tourism, means of transport

different means of transport • means of public transport • rush hour, traffic jams • commuting to/ from work •
alternative forms of transport • carbon footprint • different types of tourism • positive and negative aspects of tourism
• problems of mass tourism (over-tourism) and solutions • gap year • eco-tourism • sustainable tourism • planning a trip
• trends in the tourism industry • target groups for various forms of tourisms • marketing in tourism • (favourite)
holiday destinations • traveller versus tourist • sustainable travel • Austria as a tourist country • tourism and the
economy

10. future plans, future trends and future dreams

modern technologies and their role for young people • education and modern technologies • influences of modern
technologies (smart phones, tablets) on child development • computer gaming – chances and risks • traditional and
modern forms of games • influences of internet technologies on modern life • genetic engineering • genetic
modification of food • Fridays for future • driverless cars • electric cars • green cities • banning cars from inner city
centres

11. clothes, fashion

fashion trends • fashion and the media • fashion industry • modelling • super models • fashion icons and idols • male
fashion • celebrities • privacy and paparazzi • tattoos and body modification • body building • peer pressure • social
trends • life cycle of trends • trend setters • subcultures • youth cultures • food trends and food stylists • bloggers and
vloggers • back to basics • body image • trends, hypes and things going viral

12. environmental issues and change

(global aspects of) climate change – facts, reasons and how to prevent it • global warming • natural disasters • the
weather • deforestation and greenhouse gases • forms of pollution and how to stop it • environmental footprint •
energy production and the environment • (non) renewable energy (fossil fuels, solar energy, nuclear power plants, etc.) •
an environmentally friendly school • aspects of modern waste management • protection of nature and the growth of
modern cities • the role of the individual in fighting pollution and climate change • greenhouse effect • sustainability •
biodiversity • animals at the brink of extinction • eco-friendly-lifestyles • NGO initiatives (WWF, Greenpeace, Fridays
for Future)

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Sample 11: Topic ”Special Events“

Questions on the stimulus:

1. Compare and contrast the pictures

2. Evaluate the importance of special events and traditions for young people.
3. Speculate how traditions might change in the future.

Sample 2: Topic: ”Hobbies and free-time activities“

Questions on the stimulus:

1. Compare and contrast the pictures.

2. Explain what makes movies attractive.
3. Suggest ways to encourage young people to go to the theatre

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Quelle: Bundesministerium Bildung, Wissenschaft und Forschung: „Modellaufgabenstellungen für die mündliche Reifeprüfung in den Lebenden
Fremdsprachen.“ (April 2018)