IELTS SUCCESS - In Speaking€¦ · Part 1 of the Speaking Test. Part 1 lasts roughly 4 minutes. The exact timing will depend on the examiner’s preference on the day. The examiner

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IELTS SUCCESS

IN SPEAKING

Copyright Eurospeak Language School 2012

All rights reserved

Contents

Introduction to the IELTS Speaking Test

Part 1 of the Speaking Test



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INTRODUCTION TO THE IELTS SPEAKING TEST

Try to do this quiz about the speaking test, then check the answers onthe next page. The answers give you a good introduction to the test.

1. What % of your IELTS result does the speaking test represent?2. How long does the test last?3. Do you take it on the same day as the Reading/Writing/Listening

tests?4. How many people are in the room during the test?5. How is your performance assessed?6. Do you need to speak in a formal way?7. How many different parts are there to the Test?8. Do you need to describe photos or pictures?9. What happens if you don’t understand the examiner’s questions?




Answers

What % of your IELTS result does the speaking represent?

It is 25% of the total.

How long does the test last?

From 12 to 15 minutes.

Do you take it on the same day as the Reading/Writing/Listening?

Some centres will do the Speaking test on the same day. Othercentres will have it the day before or the day after the other tests.

How many people are in the room during the test?

Only you and one examiner.

How is your performance assessed?

By assessing your English and the content of your answer. This meansthat giving full answers is an important part of getting a good resultin the Speaking Test.

Do you need to speak in a formal way?

You don’t need to be very formal. It is important that you can speakas you would in a professional meeting or university seminar, iegiving a thoughtful, balanced response to questions and using wordswhich express exactly what you mean.

How many different parts are there to the Test?

There are 3 different parts. This e-book gives guidance and examplesof how to speak in each part.

Do you need to describe photos or pictures?

No – unlike the Cambridge exams (such as First Certificate) IELTS hasno picture tasks.

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What happens if I don’t understand the examiner’s questions?

Again, you should behave as you would in a professional or academicsituation – you should ask for the question to be repeated orrephrased.

IMPORTANT! Try to enjoy the Speaking test! The examiners aretrained to be friendly and relaxed. They can’t help you with English,but they will do what they can to make the questions clear.




Part 1 of the Speaking Test.

Part 1 lasts roughly 4 minutes. The exact timing will depend on theexaminer’s preference on the day.

The examiner will ask you a series of questions about yourself. Forexample your country, your family, friends, interests, studies, work orplans for the future. You need to give informative, short answers.

Here is a transcript of a candidate answering some Part 1 questions.This person would get a very low score – not because they are makinggrammatical mistakes in English, but because the answers are toobasic. Remember, this is an example of how NOT to answer thequestions!

Examiner: Good morning. How was your journey here?

Candidate: Very bad.

E: Oh dear. Let’s talk about transport in your home country. Can youtell me about public transport there?

C: Ok. The trains are cheap. The buses are good.

Now, here is a much better way to answer the same questions:

E: How was your journey here?

C: To be honest, it was terrible. The train was packed and it was late, asusual.

E: Oh dear. Let’s talk about transport in your home country. Can youtell me about public transport there?

C: Well, the trains are quite cheap compared to here. And the buses arereasonably good, because they’re mostly new. All in all, I think thoseare the main facts.

IMPORTANT! In Part 1, you will improve your score if you:

Give an answer of 2 or 3 sentences.

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Answer the basic question, then give some further information. Thiscould be an example or a reason for the situation you are talkingabout.

Use natural phrases (for example, as usual....to be honest)

Use linking phrases to show how your answer is progressing (forexample Well...and....all in all)

IMPORTANT! Remember, these are not ‘formal’ or academic phrases.But they are part of using English in a natural, effective way.

Now look at the rest of the questions that the examiner will ask thesecond student in this Part 1 example. Think about how you wouldanswer these, following the techniques above. Or, if possible, ask afriend to be the examiner and ask you the questions.

What about the roads in your country?

Do people in your country travel more than they used to?

How often do you travel outside your home town or city?

What is your favourite way of travelling around your country?

What advice would you give someone travelling in your country?

Now read this transcript of a candidate answering in a way that wouldget a high score (Band 8 or above.)

What about the roads in your country?

Our road system is very modern, even compared to Europe or the USA.The roads are well-planned, and big enough to cope with the traffic atpeak times.

Do people in your country travel more than they used to?

People certainly travel more than thirty or forty years ago. Carownership is much higher these days, so people use cars to get aroundinstead of walking. And people travel much more frequently to othercountries as well, for vacations, work or studies.

How often do you travel outside your home town or city?




I tend to do this at least two or three times a week. I like going to ourcapital city to see exhibitions, and I regularly visit the next small townto pay my respects to my grandparents.

What is your favourite way of travelling around your country?

I prefer to go by car, because I like to stop when I wish. I also find thatit’s cheaper if I’m travelling with a group of friends and we share thecost of gasoline.

What advice would you give someone travelling in your country?

I would say, check the timetables for public transport carefully inadvance, as there can be long gaps between services. And rememberthat we drive on the right, unlike the British or Japanese!

IMPORTANT! The topic in Part 1 could be anything connected to you,your background and your life. The techniques you use in answeringwill be the same. If you can’t think of exactly what to say, you caninvent details of your life. This is no problem.

Now read these examples of other Part 1 questions. Get a friend to askyou the questions if possible, and try to give the best answer you can:

Let’s talk about food. What kind of food do you like?

How often do you cook?

Do you often eat out?

Do you like snacks?

What kind of food would you like to try?

What is a typical dish from your country?

Important! You will increase your score if you can add a few advancedwords to what you are saying.

For example, ‘We have a wide range of food’ would get a higher markthan ‘We have lots of different food.’

Here are some examples of simple words and some more advancedwords related to two of the very common topics in Part 1 (cities andfriends.) These are examples of the kind of words you should try to

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use. As you study and read in English, try to note any other words youthink could be useful. Make sure you understand exactly what theymean!

A big city (simple word) a major city (advanced word)

A busy city a bustling city

It has lots of connections it’s a hub

It’s a nice old village it’s a quaint village

We have good roads and railways We have a good transportinfrastructure

Friends of my age my peer group

Someone I know who is not a friend an acquaintance

A good friend a close/valued friend

Remember, you mustn’t memorise complete sentences or phrasesfrom the examples in this book. The examiner will notice, and you willlose marks. You need to take the principles we have explained, and usethem for any question the examiner asks.

IMPORTANT! You need to impress the examiner with both the qualityof your English and the way you answer the question.





Part 2 lasts about 4 minutes.

The examiner will give you a card with a topic printed on it. The topicwill be different from the topic in Part 1. It will be about a thing, aperson, an event or an experience in your life, past or present. Here isan example:

Describe a holiday you remember well.

Say - When this was

- Where you were

- What you did

- And say why you remember this holiday so well

You are allowed to make some notes for 1 minute, then you need tospeak for between 1 and 2 minutes. The examiner will then ask you somebrief questions about your talk.

IMPORTANT! To maximise your score, you must plan your answer.

Look again at the topic card above. It asks you to talk about 4 things:

When

Where

What

Why

The Topic card ALWAYS has 4 points, and you must cover each of thesepoints.

Your plan should contain four CIRCLES. Each circle should have a fewwords connected to each of the 4 points. Don’t write sentences, justwords to remind you what to say while you are speaking.

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For example:

WHEN: 4 years ago/hot summer/I was 16/excited

IMPORTANT! By using this technique, you can maximise your score in the2 minute speaking.

As you start to speak, keep eye contact with the examiner. Occasionallylook at your notes to make sure you don’t forget anything in the firstcircle. Look quickly at your watch, and keep speaking until roughly 30seconds has passed. Then move to the second circle and use the samemethod.

The 30 second periods for each circle are approximate, of course. Mostpeople will spend slightly longer on the 3rd and 4th points than on the first2. But keep checking the circles and the watch to make sure each circlelasts for about 30 seconds.

If you go over 2 minutes in part 2, the examiner will ask you to stop. Thatis not a problem.

Look at this example of a part 2 talk on the following topic card.

Describe something you bought which you were pleased with.

Say – what this was

Where you bought it

Why you bought it

And say why you were so pleased with it.

Spend 1 minute making your plan. Draw the 4 circles, and put a fewwords in each circle.

For example: WHAT new laptop/dell/latest model/black exterior/very widescreen

WHERE Electronics shop in town/friendly salesman/first time/

WHY in the sale/20% discount/good value/3 year warranty/all the functionsI need

PLEASED reliable/looks good/very fast/saved money/friends like it




Now try speaking to a friend for two minutes, using the technique wedescribed above, on the following topic:

Describe a large building which you know well

Say where it is

Why you go there

What other people are there

And say how you feel about this building

Try making notes in 4 circles, then speaking for 2 minutes in English to afriend. Use the technique of using the notes and checking the time.

IMPORTANT! This is not the only way to approach the Part 2 Speaking.But it will help you cover the task completely and speak naturally for thefull 2 minutes. By practising on a series of Topic cards, you will adapt thetechnique and make it comfortable for you to use. There are 4 Speakingtests available in the Eurospeak IELTS Practice Test book available fromAmazon Kindle store.

Answering follow-up questions.

At the end of the 2 minute speaking, the examiner will ask you 1 or 2follow-up questions. You should answer these like the Part 1 questions,by giving extra information in addition to the basic answer.

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Part 3 of the Speaking Test:

Part 3 lasts for about 5 minutes. The Topic will be related to the Topicfrom part 2. The examiner will ask you are series of questions which askfor your views on society in general.

IMPORTANT! These questions are different from part 1 and part 2questions. They are not about you personally, but what you think ishappening in society. You need to answer them in a different way.

Here are some typical questions, on the topic of holidays:

Do you think that people of different ages prefer different types ofholiday?

Why have adventure holidays (such as safaris) become popular?

How has technology changed the tourist industry in recent years?

How will holidays be different in the future?

Can tourist visitors have a positive impact when they go to less wealthycountries?

The examiner is not only assessing your English, they are also looking forevidence that you can give a balanced answer, with supporting ideas andevidence. Remember, you are trying to speak as if you were in anacademic discussion or professional meeting.

IMPORTANT! Try to structure your Part 3 answers as soon as you startspeaking.

If you start by saying ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ you are making it difficult to give a full,balanced answer.

Here are some example answers for some typical Part 3 questions onvarious topics. The topic is not important, what matters is making theanswer effective. Try to note the phrases the speaker uses to structurethe answer.

Do you think traditional food is becoming less important these days?




It depends on the country, I think. On the one hand, in a place such asBritain, it probably has become less important to people because of theexpansion of convenience food and fast food – and of course the Britishhave always liked trying food from other countries. But there again, if youlook at Asian or Latin American societies, I’ve heard that their own cuisineis still thriving, and the new brands are having much less impact. So itvaries widely, I’d say.

Why have video games become so popular?

Well, there are several reasons for this. Maybe the biggest reason is justthe universal availability of the technology, at least in the west. Anotherfactor is that gaming offers a taste of experiences that most people couldnever have in reality, like fighting a war or flying a jet plane. What’s more,young people especially feel the need to have the latest game, and thismeans it has become a huge industry. I think those are the main reasons.

How has policing changed over recent years?

I think there have been a number of massive changes. For one thing, thepolice today use scientific techniques such as DNA and other forensics.That was impossible a few years ago. There is also the widespread use ofcameras in many countries, which means the police can monitor streetsremotely. I suppose we should also mention the guns and weapons theyhave access to these days. So, all in all, policing has been transformed,really.

How will international transport evolve in the future?

Well, I can think of some major changes that will probably happen. Firstly,we’ll see very high speed planes that might make it possible to go fromEurope to Australia in a few hours. That will have a huge impact. Butconversely, because of environmental concerns, travel by plane mightbecome prohibitively expensive. So some observers think that slowerforms of travel such as airships might make a comeback. So there’s aparadox here, all in all.

Do you think that families where both parents work full time have becomethe norm?

To some extent, this might be true. I think it’s very common, especially inWestern Europe and the US, for both parents to work. In fact,

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governments have encouraged this by offering childcare and emphasisingwomen’s rights. But in other respects, the picture is unclear. I suspect a lotof working mothers are working part-time rather than full time, as we cansee from their lower average earnings. Ultimately, it seems to be asituation that is still evolving.

IMPORTANT! These answers were structured from the start. They gave afull, balanced answer, and the speaker rounded off the answer with aphrase that indicated the answer was complete.

Try to answer these questions in a similar way. Talk with a friend whospeaks English if possible.

Do you think that people have less free time today compared to the past?

Will classrooms be different in 50 years time? In what ways?

What techniques do advertisers use to sell new products?

How is shopping different for us today compared to your grandparents’generation?

IMPORTANT! Remember that in Part 1 and 2, you are giving personalinformation. In Part 3, you are giving your views about society in general,not information about you personally.

So if the examiner asks:

Examiner: Do you think people rely on cars too much these days?

Candidate: In some ways, yes, they do. We can see that in the huge trafficjams caused by commuters, which my country suffers from badly. But onthe other hand, many people are certainly trying to use public transportmore, for a variety of reasons.

This would be a good answer, because it gives a general example.

In some ways, yes, they do. My uncle, for example, uses his car all thetime, even for driving the short distance to work. But on the other hand,my sister doesn’t even have a car, she cycles everywhere.

This would lose marks, because it is too personal. In Part 3, ‘people’means people in general, not you or people that you know.

Asking for clarification.




If you don’t understand what the examiner says, you can ask them toexplain the question.

Examiner: Do you think censorship is sometimes justified?

Candidate: Sorry, what do you mean by censorship?

Examiner: I mean the government controlling the content of the media.

Candidate: I see. Well, it depends. Sometimes it may be justified.....

If you understand, but you don’t see what exactly they are referring to,ask ‘Do you mean....?’

For example

Many people are moving from cities to the countryside. What problemsdoes this cause people?

Do you mean, for people in the cities or the country?

I mean, for city people.

Well, I can think of several problems. For one thing...

Here is another example

Do you think the Internet has replaced more traditional forms ofentertainment?

By traditional, do you mean movies and television?

Yes, movies and TV.

Well, possibly, to some extent the Internet has replaced them...

There is no problem asking for clarification in this way. It shows you areinvolved in the discussion and want to give a relevant answer.

IMPORTANT! The examiner’s job in Part 3 is to ask enough questions tokeep you talking for about 5 minutes. The examiner may ask yousomething about what you have said, to keep you talking. You need torespond quickly to these questions and keep the discussion moving.

Look at this example:

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Do you think conventional paper books will ever be replaced by digitalbooks?

Well, some people think that’s a possibility. They say that e books are somuch more convenient to use. But there again, people are still very loyalto paper books. In fact, there was a survey in Germany recently where70% of people said they would prefer to take a paper book on holiday.

That’s interesting. Why do you think they said that?

There are probably two reasons. One is that you don’t need to plug it in,which means if you’re travelling it could in fact be more practical. I guessthe other reason is that devices can get damaged on holiday, by beingdropped or getting wet and so on. Those are 2 very important points, afterall.

Yes, they are. Do you think books often get damaged on holiday?

I think it depends where you go. On a beach holiday, they certainly can getdamaged, as I mentioned before. That would be inevitable, really,considering the situation. But on a city break, it would be much less likelyto happen. So there are 2 sides to that question.

Thanks. Now, let’s move on to talk about libraries.....

Here, the examiner was responding to the candidate’s answers by askingmore about them. The candidate used the same technique (structure theanswer from the start, give a balanced answer, make it clear when theanswer is finished) to answer these questions as the other questions.

Now try this quiz on the Speaking test, then check your answers on thefollowing page.

Speaking Quiz 2

How long does the speaking test last?

What happens in each part?

How should you answer in Part 1?

What should you do before you start speaking in Part 2?

What should you do while you are speaking in part 2?




How is Part 3 different from Parts 1 & 2?

How should you structure your answers in Part 3?

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How long does the speaking test last?

From 12 to 15 minutes.

What happens in each part?

Part 1 consists of questions about you and your life.

In Part 2 you speak for 2 minutes on a given topic.

Part 3 is a discussion about your views on society in general.

How should you answer in Part 1?

You should add some additional information on top of your basicanswer.

What should you do before you start speaking in Part 2?

Make 4 circles on the paper and put some notes in each circle, relatingto each of the 4 points on the topic card.

What should you do while you are speaking in part 2?

You should keep eye contact, but look quickly at your notes (to makesure you are covering all the points) and your watch (to make sure youspeak for about 30 seconds on each point).

How is Part 3 different from Parts 1 & 2?

Part 3 is a discussion. The topic is related to Part 2, but in Part 3 you arenot giving personal information.

How should you structure your answers in Part 3?

You should structure the answer from the start, giving a balancedviewpoint, and make it clear when your answer is complete.

You should now be ready to take the IELTS Speaking Test and get the bestpossible result. Remember the points in this e-book marked IMPORTANT!They will help you to do your best even if your English is not perfect.




Good luck!

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IELTS SUCCESS - In Speaking€¦ · Part 1 of the Speaking Test. Part 1 lasts roughly 4 minutes. The exact timing will depend on the examiner’s preference on the day. The examiner