1
The work already exists
Nothing new is being marked. The examiner has your submission in front of them and has probably read it more recently than you have.
For SUSS oral examinations and project defences
Viva Preparation for SUSS Students Asked to Explain Their Own Work
A viva is not a test of new material. It is a conversation about something you already submitted, with an examiner who has read it more recently than you have. Send us the work and the date.
- Reconstruction, not scripts. We recover the reasoning already in your work, and we never write your answers for you.
- Questioned properly. A mock viva where the follow-ups keep coming, because the second follow-up is where preparation shows.
- Confidential throughout. Your oral defence stays between you and your expert, with files handled under Singapore's PDPA.
Independent academic support. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Singapore University of Social Sciences.
How Do I Tell You About My Viva?
About 2 minutes. You get a plan and a fixed quote before you pay anything.
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The basics
What Is a Viva Voce at SUSS?
SUSS describes a viva voce as an in-person oral examination on any past assignment you have submitted. It is a conversation about work you already handed in, and the question is whether you can account for it yourself.
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You are on your own
No group members to hand over to, no slides to hide behind, and no fixed set of questions. Follow-ups continue as long as the examiner wants.
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Three situations, one skill
An authorship viva on a submitted assignment, a capstone or applied-project defence, or a doctoral oral. Same requirement: explain your own reasoning out loud.
The rule
Why Do Examiners Ask About Work I Submitted?
Yes. SUSS's policy on generative AI in assessment submissions says that where a marker reasonably believes work may not be entirely the student's own, but cannot find direct evidence, the University may hold a viva voce to determine authorship.
The trigger is suspicion, not proof
Read the wording again: it applies precisely where the marker cannot find direct evidence. The viva resolves the cases detection software does not settle.
It covers any past assignment
Not only the piece being marked this week. The policy says a viva voce can be required on any past assignment submitted, so a request can reach back semesters.
Permission does not remove responsibility
The same statement notes that students remain responsible for all submissions, including where generative tools are permitted. Declaring a tool protects you from a misconduct finding, not from explaining the work.
Where to find this in writing
SUSS briefs direct students to the Student Handbook, naming section 5.2, paragraph 2A.1 (Viva Voce). Numbering shifts between intakes, so check the handbook for your own cohort rather than a number quoted on a blog.
What we know
What Actually Happens in a SUSS Viva?
SUSS publishes the provision but not the procedure, so nobody can tell you the panel, the length or the appeal route. Ask SUSS directly about your own case. What follows is how universities that do publish procedures run one.
What published procedures have in common
- Written advance notice saying why the meeting is being held, commonly around ten working days.
- Two or more staff present, usually including the person who marked the work.
- A companion or supporter permitted, who may attend but not answer on your behalf.
- Bring your own copy of the submission. Most students arrive without one.
- Questions on your sources, your reasoning, your research and your writing process, not the syllabus.
- Around thirty minutes is the published norm for an undergraduate oral examination elsewhere.
Three outcomes, in those procedures
Authorship accepted. Staff are satisfied and the work is marked normally. This is the most common outcome where the student wrote the work.
Doubt unresolved. The matter is referred onward to a formal misconduct process, with a different standard and a different panel.
Admission. The student accepts that the work was not their own, and the case moves to penalties.
What they ask
What Will the Examiner Ask Me in a Viva?
Four things: whether you understand what you wrote, how you produced it, where your sources came from, and why you made the choices you made. Prepare those four and the exact wording stops mattering.
Territory one
Do you understand what you wrote?
The examiner reads a paragraph back to you and asks what it means. Students who wrote their own work pass this easily.
“Explain this paragraph to me in your own words.”
“What is your argument, in one sentence?”
“What does this term mean, and why did you use it here?”
Territory two
How did you actually produce it?
Process questions are the ones published staff guidance singles out as most useful for checking authorship, because the answers are hard to fake.
“When did you start, and how did the argument change along the way?”
“What did you cut, and why?”
“Walk me through how you approached this question.”
Territory three
Where did your sources come from?
Not whether a source is in your reference list, but whether you have read it and know what it says.
“Where did you find this source?”
“What does it actually argue, and does it agree with you?”
“Can you take me to the page you drew this from?”
Territory four
Why did you choose this, and not that?
Every submission contains decisions: a method, a framework, a sample, a structure. The examiner wants the reason, and it has to be true, not impressive.
“Why this method rather than the alternatives?”
“What are the limitations of what you did?”
“What would you do differently if you started again?”
Nerves or gaps
How Do I Know If I'm Unprepared for My Viva?
They produce the same dread and need opposite remedies. If you know your work and fear the room, rehearsal fixes it. If you are calm but cannot reconstruct your reasoning, rehearsal makes it worse.
Diagnosis one
You know the work. The room frightens you.
- You can summarise your argument out loud without notes.
- You remember writing the hard paragraph and why it was hard.
- You can name two weaknesses in your own work unprompted.
- The fear is about freezing, not about content.
Then rehearse, not revise. Say your answers out loud to another person, in full sentences, until the first thirty seconds stop feeling like a cliff. Practise being interrupted.
Diagnosis two
You are calm. You cannot account for your own work.
- You are not sure what your central argument was.
- You could not say which source a key claim came from.
- You cannot explain why you chose that method or framework.
- Reading your own submission feels like reading someone else's.
Then stop rehearsing and start reading. Open the submission and work through it line by line with the sources beside you. The work is reconstruction, not memorisation.
Your evidence
What Evidence of My Own Work Do I Already Have?
Writing leaves traces, and published procedures invite students to bring them: drafts that show progression are explicitly welcomed. Gather what you have, and if something does not exist, say so. Do not create it afterwards.
Where to look
Earlier versions of the document
Anything saved as a draft, a v2, or a file you emailed to yourself. Word and cloud editors keep version history automatically.
Your notes and outline
A plan on paper, a note on your phone, the structure you typed before writing. These show thinking.
The reading trail
Downloaded articles, library borrowing history, browser bookmarks, highlighted PDFs. Opening a source and finding your own highlight settles source questions fastest.
Your declaration, if you made one
Where your brief required an attribution table for generative tools, the completed table is part of your record.
Messages and emails about the work
A question you asked your tutor, a message to a classmate, a calendar block where you wrote. More persuasive than it sounds.
Nothing at all
Some people write straight through in one file and keep nothing. Describe how you worked rather than produce something you do not have.
If you blank
What Do I Say If My Mind Goes Blank?
Say that, and then reason out loud. Published viva guidance is unanimous: admit it when you do not know, rather than guessing or becoming defensive. An honest gap followed by sound reasoning survives questioning.
- Guessing confidently. The follow-up is already coming, and now you have to defend the guess too.
- Blaming the brief, the tutor or the data. It reads as avoidance even when fair.
- Reciting a rehearsed paragraph that does not answer what was asked. Examiners notice immediately.
- Going silent and staying silent. Thinking out loud is allowed and better than a gap.
“I do not remember the reason I chose it at the time. Reasoning about it now, I would choose it because…”
“I am not certain which of my sources that came from. May I look at my reference list?”
“That is a weakness in what I did. What I would change is…”
“Can I take a moment to think about that properly?”
Project defence
How Do I Defend a Capstone or Project?
SUSS capstone handbooks put the oral component at twenty per cent of the course, split evenly between the presentation and the questions. The format is a fifteen-minute talk beside your poster, then ten minutes of questions. Attendance is compulsory.
10 + 10
Talk and questions, weighted equally
Half the oral marks sit in the ten minutes after you stop presenting, and each half is marked by your supervisor and an examiner.
What the rubric rewards
One applied-project handbook marks explanation rather than output on the slides, the confidence and flow of delivery including eye contact and posture, and your ability to respond to queries. Overrunning carries a penalty.
What they will ask about
Capstone guidance asks students to address the scope, the outcomes, the successes and failures, and any significant learning. Failures are on that list deliberately.
If your course expects you to defend your research orally
Some SUSS project courses say so in their learning outcomes: a capstone psychology project lists a three-minute thesis presentation, an oral presentation, and defending your research orally.
Doctoral orals
What Orals Does a SUSS Doctorate Involve?
Not one, which surprises candidates. The Qualifying Examination includes an oral presentation of your research proposal, and the final stage is the examination of the dissertation with the Oral Defence. Both must be passed alongside the coursework requirement.
The proposal oral
Held at Qualifying Examination stage, after the required research methodology and discipline courses. One programme sets a written proposal plus an oral presentation; another a written report on the first year, with an oral defence.
The questions here are about feasibility and design, not findings, because there are no findings yet. Expect to defend scope, method and whether it can be done in the time.
The final defence
The dissertation examination and the Oral Defence together form the last stage. Published guides put doctoral vivas at one hour to several, and group the questions into topic, literature, method, findings, conclusions and contribution.
The preparation advice is consistent: leave the thesis alone for a few days, then read it critically word by word, consider the methods you did not choose, and arrange a mock defence with your supervisor.
Help with the dissertation itself
Speaking in English
What If Speaking English Is My Weak Point?
Writing gives you time to find the words and speaking does not. Guidance on oral assessment acknowledges that cultural background, individual differences and particular needs can contribute to underperformance in a viva.
Frames worth having ready
Not a script. Four sentence openings that start you moving while your thinking catches up.
“The main thing I argue is…, and the reason is…”
“I chose this approach because…, and the trade-off was…”
“That comes from…, and what it shows is…”
“The limitation there is…, which matters because…”
If you did not write it
What If I Did Not Write the Submitted Work Myself?
No amount of preparation makes that viva safe. The format exists to find exactly this: one examiner who keeps asking follow-ups for as long as they choose.
What we will not do, even if asked
- Script answers so you can sound like the author of something you did not write.
- Produce drafts, notes or a version history after the fact to present as evidence.
- Coach you to deflect a question rather than answer it.
- Advise you to conceal undeclared tool use or paid help.
The cases that are entirely legitimate
You wrote it and cannot remember it. Common, innocent, and the main reason this page exists. The remedy is re-reading, not rehearsal.
You used a tool and declared it. Permitted where your brief permits it, and you remain responsible for the submission. Be ready to say what you asked for, what came back and what you changed.
You used editing or proofreading help. Legitimate, and worth preparing to explain which ideas and which words are yours.
You are being questioned and you did the work. Then this is survivable and usually resolves. Bring your copy, bring your trail, and answer honestly.
The consequences
What Happens If the Panel Is Not Convinced?
SUSS publishes an escalating scale for academic dishonesty, counted cumulatively across your whole enrolment rather than resetting each semester. It ends in expulsion from the programme.
Why the cumulative part matters
SUSS also requires students to complete a mandatory academic integrity course, with a pass mark on its final quiz, so an unfamiliarity defence is weak.
The wider picture, honestly
SUSS has said publicly that confirmed cases involving generative tools remain low, while reports have ticked up because faculty are watching more closely and using detection tools.
If your case moves beyond the viva, that is the point to seek independent advice rather than advice from a writing service.
Four ways we help
How Do You Prepare Me for a Viva?
Everything we do here is reconstruction and rehearsal of what is already true in your submission. None of it involves writing your answers for you.
Work through my submission
We go through the document section by section, recover what each part argues, and identify the decisions you will be asked to justify.
Mock viva with feedback
A real session: an expert who has read your work asks across all four territories and tells you which answers held.
Close read of the work
We read your submission as an examiner would and tell you where it invites a hard question: an unsupported claim, a source doing too much work, a method with no reason.
Spoken practice
Sentence frames, pacing and repetition until your own answers come out cleanly. Built for people who write confidently in English but not speak it.
A week to prepare
How Do I Prepare in One Week While Working?
You do not need weeks and you do not need to reread the module. Five short sessions across a week are enough, each one an evening.
Read it cold
Read your submission end to end without stopping. Mark every sentence you do not recognise as yours.
Open your sources
Take every citation and find it again. Note which page your claim came from, and which sources you cannot locate.
Write one line per choice
List the decisions in the work and give each a true reason: the brief required it, the module taught it, the data allowed it.
Say it out loud
Summarise your argument in one sentence, to a person or a recording. Repeat until the first thirty seconds come without effort.
Be questioned
Have someone who has read it push on your weakest section, then push again on your answer.
Your expert
Who Will Question Me in My Mock Viva?
The person who takes your oral defence works in this field already. See all experts.
Yi Xuan Chua
MSc in Educational Psychology, NUS
5.0/5
Specialist in: Learning theory, developmental needs
Experience: 8 years in education, 5 years writing
248 completed · 99% success
View profile of Yi Xuan Chua
Li Fang Tan
PGDE in Education, NIE Singapore
5.0/5
Specialist in: Curriculum design, learning outcomes
Experience: 10 years teaching, 5 years writing
230 completed · 99% success
View profile of Li Fang Tan
Nicole Yeo
BA in Social Work, SUSS
5.0/5
Specialist in: Ethics, interventions, client studies
Experience: 5 years social sector, 4 years writing
210 completed · 99% success
View profile of Nicole Yeo
Rachel Tan
Master’s in Business Administration, Nanyang Technological University
4.9/5
Specialist in: Strategic management, operations, marketing
Experience: 6 years corporate, 4 years academic
245 completed · 98% success
View profile of Rachel Tan
Cheryl Goh
BA in Psychology, Singapore University of Social Sciences
4.9/5
Specialist in: Cognitive development, intervention design
Experience: 7 years practice, 4 years academic
222 completed · 98% success
View profile of Cheryl Goh
Fiona Tay
MSc in Organisational Psychology, NUS
4.9/5
Specialist in: Workplace dynamics, assessment reports
Experience: 6 years HR OD, 4 years SUSS writing
211 completed · 98% success
View profile of Fiona Tay
Student reviews
What Do Students Say About Our Viva Coaching?
4.8 average from students since 2017 · Read all reviews
"You saved my skin. I had to do a media strategy analysis — which I had zero clue about — and they gave me such good direction. Loved working with them."
"Wasn't sure what to expect at first, but wow… their help was super friendly and clear. Guided me on how to handle case studies on elderly care and made sure I included empathy."
"Final year stress = insane. Couldn't focus, didn't know how to start my strategy report. These guys helped structure my ideas so well. Like having a mentor who actually cares."
"I don't usually write reviews but this one deserves it. Really solid help. They explained everything from GDP to fiscal tools in easy terms. Scored higher than I expected!"
Clear pricing
What Will Viva Preparation Cost Me?
You pay for the sessions you need. A single mock viva costs less than a full read-through and rehearsal.
| Per session or pack | 7+ days | 3 days | 24 hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Question bank built from your own submissionmost students start here | S$95 | S$125 | S$170 |
| One-hour mock viva with written feedback | S$130 | S$170 | S$230 |
| Full pack: bank, mock and answer notes | S$200 | S$260 | S$350 |
| Slide and script review before the day | S$70 | S$95 | S$130 |
- Your quote is confirmed in writing before anything is charged.
- One price, quoted once. We do not inflate a price and discount it back.
- Every question is drawn from what you actually wrote, not a generic list.
- We prepare you to answer for your own work. We never speak for you.
Indicative rates in Singapore dollars, to show how the work is priced. Your own brief, length and deadline decide the quote, and you see it in writing first. Nothing is charged until you confirm the scope, and revisions and refunds follow our terms of work.
Why Is a Viva Just Explaining Your Own Work?
Send the submission and the date. We reply with what an examiner will press on, what to prepare first, and a fixed quote.
FAQs
What Do Students Ask Before a Viva Voce?
Straight answers on what triggers a viva, who attends, what to bring, what to say, privacy and price. More in our full FAQ. Facing a timed written paper instead? See online exam preparation.
What is a viva voce at SUSS?
SUSS describes a viva voce as an in-person oral examination the University can request and require on any past assignment a student has submitted. It is not a test of new material.
Can SUSS make me do a viva on an assignment I already submitted?
Yes. SUSS's policy on generative AI tools in assessment submissions says that where a marker reasonably believes the work may not be entirely the student's own, but cannot find direct evidence, the University may hold a viva voce to determine authorship.
What triggers a viva voce?
A marker's reasonable belief that the work may not be entirely yours, where direct evidence is lacking. A clean similarity report is not protection: the viva exists for the cases detection software does not settle.
Can they ask about an old assignment?
The policy covers any past assignment submitted, not only the piece being marked now. Work handed in during an earlier semester can be the subject of a viva.
Who will be in the room and how long does it take?
SUSS publishes the provision but not the procedure, so ask SUSS directly about your own case. At universities that do publish procedures, two or more staff attend including the marker, and thirty minutes is a published norm.
What will they ask me?
Published authorship procedures cover four territories: whether you understand what you wrote, how you produced it, where your sources came from, and why you made the choices you made.
What should I bring?
Your own copy of the submission, which every published guide recommends. Alongside it, whatever trail exists: earlier drafts, notes or outlines, the sources themselves, and your completed attribution table.
What if I genuinely cannot remember why I did something?
Say so, then reason out loud. Published viva guidance is consistent that admitting you do not know beats guessing or becoming defensive. An invented answer collapses on the follow-up.
I wrote it but I have forgotten it. Is that a problem?
It is common and innocent, especially for working students whose submission was written across a few weekends months earlier. The remedy is re-reading, not rehearsal.
Is a group presentation a viva?
No. A group presentation is rehearsed, shared and audience-facing. A viva is individual, unrehearsable in detail, and the follow-up questions continue as long as the examiner wants.
Does a SUSS capstone or applied project include an oral?
Capstone handbooks put the oral component at twenty per cent of the course, split evenly between the presentation and the questions. Attendance is compulsory: missing it fails the course.
Does a SUSS PhD have an oral defence?
Two. The Qualifying Examination includes an oral presentation of the research proposal, and the final stage is the examination of the dissertation together with the Oral Defence. Both must be passed.
What if English is not my strongest spoken language?
Guidance on oral assessment acknowledges that cultural background and individual differences can contribute to underperforming in a viva. Sounding hesitant is not evidence. SUSS Student Accessibility Support offers arrangements.
What are the penalties for academic dishonesty at SUSS?
SUSS publishes an escalating scale, counted cumulatively across your whole enrolment: a warning letter and possibly a reduced grade for a first finding, zero with no fee refund for a second, expulsion from the course for a third, from the programme for a fourth.
Can you help me pass a viva on work I did not write?
No. The format exists to find exactly that, through one examiner who has read your work closely and can keep asking follow-up questions. We will not script answers or build process evidence.
Last reviewed 5 October 2026 by the SUSS Assignment Help academic integrity and research team.
