On the Day — 6 July 2026 (Monday)

Your minute-by-minute survival plan for exam day. Print this, fold it into your booklet.

The night before

22:00 — eat & hydrate

• Have a light dinner with carbs and protein (rice + chicken / pasta + tofu).
• Avoid: spicy food, very salty food, lots of dairy (can affect voice).
• Drink ~500ml water during the evening (not all at once before bed).

22:30 — final review (30 min, no more)

• Read your completed notecard template out loud once.
• Reread the Master Checklist.
• Reread your main book's "5 big themes" page.
• Stop. Cramming after 23:00 hurts more than it helps.

23:00 — pack your bag

• ✅ SBA Logbook
• ✅ Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare booklet
• ✅ Pen × 2 (one black, one blue or a backup)
• ✅ Pencil + eraser
• ✅ Highlighter (yellow)
• ✅ Tissues (for nose or to dry hands)
• ✅ Water bottle (small)
• ✅ Throat lozenge or two (optional)
• ✅ A printed copy of the Useful Phrases Cheatsheet in your logbook, not loose
• ❌ Phone (you'll have to surrender it before entering)
• ❌ Tablet, smartwatch, earphones
• ❌ Loose-paper full-script answers
• ❌ Annotated translations / model essays

23:30 — sleep

• Aim for 7–8 hours.
• If you're nervous, do box breathing (4 sec in, 4 hold, 4 out, 4 hold) for 5 cycles.

Morning of 6 July

06:30 / 07:00 — wake up gently

• Don't snooze 5×; one alarm, get up.
• Take 5 minutes to warm up your voice: hum, then read a paragraph from any book aloud.

Breakfast (light + warm)

• ✅ Congee, toast, oats, eggs, a banana, warm tea.
• ❌ Cold milk first thing (can produce mucus); heavy fried food; too much coffee.

Voice warm-up (5 min)

• 30-second hum (vary pitch).
• Tongue twisters: "Red leather, yellow leather" × 5; "She sells seashells by the seashore" × 5.
• Read this paragraph out loud twice:

  "Macbeth was a victim of his own ambition. Romeo and Juliet fell in love at first sight. Shylock demanded a pound of flesh, but Portia outwitted him with the letter of the law. These three stories ask us, even today, how we should choose between power and conscience, between love and family, between justice and mercy."

Outfit

• School uniform (the default; less to think about).
• Hair tied back if it falls in your face — examiners need to see your mouth.
• Layers — prep rooms can be cold from air-con.

Leave home

• Aim to arrive at school by 08:00 even if your slot is 11:30 — buffer for transport.
• Carry the bag. Carry calm.

At the school (T–30 min)

T-30 min   Arrive. Toilet break. Drink 100ml water. Quietly review
            your notecard template once.
T-20 min   Report to the reception desk on 4/F.
T-15 min   Steward calls your group → move to your prep room (401 or 402).
T 0 → T+15 min   PREPARATION TIME (see structure below).
T+15 min → T+25 min   GROUP INTERACTION (8-12 min).
T+25 min   Exit. Walk out calmly. DON'T discuss content in the hallway.

The 15-minute preparation room — detailed plan

Minute 0 (the second you sit down)

• Lay out: booklet, logbook, notecard (blank, given to you), pens.
• Draw your dividing line on the notecard. Write your two book titles at the top.

Minute 0–3 — group huddle

• Look at each other. Decide:
  • "Book 1 focus is ____."
  • "Book 2 backup is ____."
  • "Who opens?" Pick the most confident speaker for this round.
• If the group is stuck, default to Macbeth + Romeo.

Minute 3–10 — write your bullets

Use the template from Notecard. Aim for:

• 3–4 talking points on the main book
• 2 quotes with page numbers (P.X)
• 2 talking points on the backup
• 4 phrases to use
• 1 modern link

Minute 10–13 — practise phrases + rescues

• Write 3 rescue phrases:
  • "Let me think for a moment."
  • "That reminds me of…"
  • "What do you think, ____?"
• Whisper-read your opening sentence three times.

Minute 13–15 — breathe and prepare physically

• Three deep breaths (count to 4 in, 6 out).
• Roll your shoulders.
• Loosen your jaw.
• Tell yourself: "I have prepared. I will speak clearly. I will listen well."

During the assessment (8–12 min)

The first 30 seconds

• Sit down. Smile briefly at the examiner.
• The examiner reads the topic + 3 statements.
• Whoever opens says something like:

  "Thanks for the questions. My statement is about ____, and in my view…"

The middle (minutes 2–9)

• Look at each other, not the examiner.
• Use your notecard for glances, not reading.
• Aim for 3–4 turns each in the discussion.
• Use the building phrases ("Building on what Aisha said…").
• Invite quieter members.

The last minute

• Watch for the examiner's "1 minute" signal.
• One person should summarise:

  "So overall, the three of us seem to agree that ____, even though we differ on ____. The play ultimately asks us to think about ____, which still matters today."

• That single closing sentence is a free band-6 demonstration of Ideas & Organisation.

After the exam

• Hand back the notecard.
• Thank the examiner briefly.
• Walk out silently — don't celebrate / complain in the hallway.
• The next group might overhear you and that's leaking.
• Drink water. Eat a snack.
• Don't post specific questions or your answers on social media (per HKEAA rules).

If something goes wrong (you're prepared)

You arrive late

• Tell a steward immediately. They will try to slot you in. Stay calm.

You forget your logbook

• You can still do the exam with just the notecard given to you. Tell the steward.

You blank out during the discussion

• Use one of your three rescue phrases. Pause for 2 seconds. Pauses are FINE.
• Then jump to your next bullet, not the one you forgot.

A groupmate doesn't show up

• The teacher will adjust. Don't let it derail you.

A groupmate is dominating / silent

• Use polite redirects: "Building on that — Wai-Ming, what's your take?"

You disagree with what a groupmate just said

• Disagree politely = high Communication marks:

  "That's a really interesting point. I see it slightly differently, though, because…"

• Never dismiss them or roll your eyes — every second is recorded.

You realise you've made a plot mistake mid-sentence

• Self-correct out loud — this is a positive for Vocabulary & Language:

  "…Lady Macbeth killed Duncan — sorry, I mean she planned the murder; Macbeth was the one who acted on it."

Mental script for the morning

When you're walking into the assessment room, run this in your head:

"I have read all three stories. I have a clear opening line. I have phrases to build on others. I will speak slowly and clearly. I will listen as much as I talk. I will make at least one link to today. This is not life-or-death — it's a conversation about three stories. Let's go."

What happens next

• You'll get a tentative SBA score moderated by the school.
• The final SBA mark contributes to your HKDSE English grade announced in July 2027.
• Don't dwell on what you "could have said" — the discussion is recorded; the school will assess fairly.

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You've prepared. You've practised. You've got this. 加油！

→ Tomorrow morning, also re-read the Master Checklist.