IELTSSpeaking:AComprehensiveGuide

MarkGriffiths

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TableofContentsIntroductionGeneralIntroductionIntroductionforTeachersAcknowledgementsTheFormatoftheSpeakingTestOverviewPartOnePartTwoPartThreeSampleInterviewInterpretingtheBandScoresBand9DescriptorsBand8DescriptorsBand7DescriptorsBand6DescriptorsBand5DescriptorsBand4DescriptorsBand3Descriptors

Band2DescriptorsBand1DescriptorsGeneralBandDescriptorsTheAssessmentCriteriaFluencyCoherenceLexicalResource(Vocabulary)GrammaticalRangeandAccuracyPronunciationTestPreparationFrequentlyAskedQuestionsUseofEnglishTensesConnectivesGivingexamplesSummaryPreferenceAlternativesTimeandSequenceAdditionContrastSimilaritiesConditionReasonPurposeConsequenceExceptionsExerciseAdverbsofFrequencyandDegreeExpressingProbabilityImpersonalPronounsClausesExpressingOpinionsComparativesIdiomaticEnglishPart1TopicsFirstPart1TopicsYourhomeYourhometown

WhereyoulivenowYourworkYourstudiesAdvertisementsAgesAgricultureAmbitionsAnimalsArtsBicyclesBirthdaysBooksBuildingsChangeCitiesClothesCollectingComputersCookingCrimeCulturaleventsDailyroutinesDancingDecisionsDrawingandpaintingEducationEmailTheEnvironmentFamilyFestivalsFilmsFlowersFoodFriendsFruitandvegetablesGamesGardensandparksGiftsGoingabroadlongterm

GoingoutGoingoutintheeveningsGrandparentsHappinessHealthyeatingHistoryHobbiesandinterestsHolidaysHotelsHouseworkIndooractivitiesInternetKeepingfitLanguagesLearningEnglishLeisuretimeLettersMagazinesTheMediaMeetingpeopleMemoriesMuseumsandartgalleriesMusicMusicalinstrumentsNamesNeighboursTheNewsNewspapersNoiseNumbersOutdooractivitiesPartiesPetsPhotographsandphotographyPlacesofinterestPlansandgoalsPossessionsPrimaryschoolPrivategardens

PublictransportRadioRainReadingRestaurantsScienceTheSeaTheSeasonsSecondaryschoolShoppingSportsSportsteamsSwimmingTeachersTelephonesTelevisionTimeandtimesofdayTransportTravelVisitorsWeatherWeddingsWeekendsWritingYourcountryPart2QuestionsPeople1.Parents2.Amemberofyourfamily3.Afamily4.Twopeoplefromthesamefamily5.Achild6.Anelderlyperson7.Apersonyoulivewith8.Apersonwhotookcareofyou9.Apersonwhohasinfluencedyou10.Apersonyouwouldliketobesimilarto11.Aneighbour

12.Afriend13.Aclassmate14.Ateacher15.Ahappyperson16.Ahelpfulperson17.Asuccessfulperson18.Acompetitionwinner19.Afamousperson20.Aleader21.Yourfavouriteactororactress22.Afilm/TVcharacter23.Amusicgroup,musicianorsinger24.Apersonyouwouldliketospendadaywith25.Agoodcook26.AnadventurouspersonPlaces27.Yourhome28.Youridealhome29.Ahome30.Aroom31.Aschool32.Abuildingatyourschooloruniversity33.Alibrary34.Sportsfacilities35.Abuilding,structureormonument36.Animportantstructure37.Amodernbuilding38.Anoldplace39.Ashop40.Anopen-airmarket41.Arestaurant42.Aplacewherepeoplegotolistentomusic43.Anhotel44.Anhotelyouhavestayedatorseen45.Aplaceofnaturalbeauty46.Alake,riverorsea47.Agardenorpark

48.Theperfectpark49.Aplaceyouoftenvisit50.Aplacewhereyouwalk51.Yourfavouritepartofyourhometown52.Aplaceinacityyouknowwell53.Aplaceyouhavevisited54.Aplaceyouwouldliketovisit55.Acity56.Aplaceinanothercountry57.Anhistoricsite58.Aquietplace59.Apollutedplace60.AstrangeorunusualplaceThings61.Somethingyouown62.Somethingexpensive63.Somethingspecialyouwanttobuy64.Somethingold65.Somethingyoumadeyourself66.Somethingyouboughtyouwerenothappywith67.Anelectronicitem68.Avehicle69.Anitemoffurniture70.Anitemofclothingorjewellery71.Awell-knownproduct72.Aworkofart73.Aphotograph74.Afamilyphoto75.Atoy76.Astoryfromchildhood77.Aletter78.Apostcardorletter79.Anewspaperormagazine80.Abookyouhaveread81.Abookyouhavelearnedsomethingfrom82.Abookyouwouldliketowrite83.Afilm

84.Atypeoffilm85.ATVprogramme86.Aradioprogramme87.Apieceofmusicofasing88.Asongorpieceofmusicfromchildhood89.Awebsite90.Anadvertisement91.Agiftyoureceived92.Agiftyougave93.Asubject94.Agame95.Asport96.Sportsfacilities97.Aformoftransport98.Publictransport99.Adomesticatedanimal100.AwildanimalEvents101.Abirthday102.Aparty103.Afamilyevent104.Awedding105.Apieceoffamilynews106.Goodnewsreceivedbytelephone107.Apieceofnews108.Newsfromaforeigncountry109.Ahappyeventfromyourchildhood110.Ahappymemory111.Amemorableexperience112.Apositiveexperience113.Achangeinyourlife114.Animportantstageofyourlife115.Aschooltrip116.AnEnglishstudyactivity117.Asciencelesson118.Anexperimentorsurvey119.Acourse

120.Ashortcourse121.Aprojectorpieceofworkyoudidasateam122.Agroupactivity123.Apieceofwork124.Atimewhenyouwerebusy125.Atimewhenyouhelpedsomeone126.Somehelpyoureceived127.Someusefuladvice128.Anachievement129.Aconversation130.Atalkorspeech131.Somethingyoulearnedfromaforeignculture132.Meetingapersonspeakingaforeignlanguage133.Ajourneywithfriends134.Along-distancejourney135.Aholiday136.Athree-dayholiday137.Whatyoudidlastweekend138.Afreeday139.Avisityoumade140.Avisityoureceived141.Ameal142.Apicnic143.Apublicevent144.Alocalevent145.Aculturalevent146.Aceremonialevent147.Asportingevent148.Anhistoricalevent149.Aninterestingexhibition150.Aperformance151.Somethingthatmadeyoulaugh152.Somethingexciting153.Aproblem154.Adifficultdecision155.Firstday156.Somethinginterestingyouhopetodointhefuture157.Whatyouwoulddoifyoureceivedamilliondollars158.Achangetoyourlife

159.Anoccasiononwhichyouwerelate160.Atrafficjam161.Atimewhenyoulostsomething162.SomethingdangerousAbstract163.Ajob164.Thewayyouworkorstudy165.LearningEnglish166.Anartisticskill167.Apracticalskill168.Ateam,club,organisationorgroup169.Asmallbusiness170.Abusiness171.Acompany172.Alargeorganisation173.Aneconomicactivity174.Aneconomicissue175.Theroleofmoney176.Alaw177.Communication178.Aforeignlanguage179.Theeducationsystem180.Youthculture181.Aforeignculture182.Somethingaboutadifferentculture183.Ahobbyorinterest184.Anoutdooractivity185.Exercise186.Aphysicalactivity187.Somethingthatisgoodforyourhealth188.Somethingyoudotorelax189.Theroleofcomputers190.TheroleofTV191.Yourfavouritetimeofday192.Yourfavouriteseason193.Theweather194.Anenvironmentalproblem

195.Ascientificdevelopment196.Acontroversialissue197.Somethingyouaregoodat198.Adifficultthing199.Abetterperson200.Badhabits201.Anambition202.AnethnicminorityPart3TopicsAbilityAdvertisingAdviceAges(Stagesoflife)AnimalsArtBooksBuildingsandstructuresBusinessCelebrationsChallengesChangeChildhoodmemoriesChildrenandchildhoodCitiesandcountrysideClimateandweatherClothesCommunicationCompetitionComputersConversationCrimeCross-culturalcommunicationCrowdedplacesCultureDecisionsEducationElderlypeopleExerciseExhibitions

FamilyFamouspeopleFilmsFoodFreetimeandworktimeFriendsGivingpresentsGoingabroadlongtermGroupsandco-operationHappinessHealthHelpHistoryHobbiesandinterestsHolidaysandtourismHomesHumourIntelligenceLanguagesLawLeadershipLeisuretimeLibrariesLocaleventsMakingthingsMarriageMenandwomenMoneyMusicNeighboursNewspapersandmagazinesOrganisationsOutdooractivitiesPeaceandquietPeopleThePerformingartsPersonalityPhotographsPlacesofinterest

PossessionsProductsRadioReadingRelaxationandstressScienceShoppingSkillsSpace(personalandpublic)SpokencommunicationSportSuccessTechnologyTeenagers(youngpeople)TelephonesTelevisionTheEconomyTheEnvironmentTheFutureTheInternetTheMediaThePastTimeToysTrafficjamsTransportTravelVisitingWaterWorkWritingAbouttheauthorbacktotopGeneralIntroductionHavingtaughtIELTSpreparationcoursesinChinafortwelveyearsandhavingextensiveexperienceasanexaminerofChinesestudentsandstudentsfrom

numerousothercountries,Ihavebecomefamiliarwiththemainproblemsstudentsfromdifferentculturalbackgroundsfacewhengettingreadytotakethetest.Thisbookaimstohelpstudentsdealwiththeseproblems.Thefirstpartofthebookgivesanoverviewofthespeakingtestanditsrequirementsintermsofthetestcriteria.Thissectionalsoincludesinformationontheuseofgrammarandvariouspartsofspeech.Thesecondpartofthebookprovidestopicsforthethreepartsofthetestwithquestionsandsuggestionsforactivepractice.ThesetopicsandquestionsarebasedonactualtopicsandquestionsthatappearintheIELTSSpeakingModule.Sohowisthisbookdifferent–andbetter–thanotherbooksonthemarket?Firstofall,ittakestheuserthroughthetestandthroughthetestcriteriaingreaterdetailthanotherbooks.Itlooksatproblemsthatcandidatesactuallyhaveduringthetest.Furthermore,itprovidescandidateswithvariousstructuredwaystocreatetheirownoriginalanswers.Foreachtopic,foreachpartofthetest,therearequestionsfollowedbysuggestionsforanswerdevelopment.Ofcourse,thesesuggestionsarenottheonlywaystoanswerthequestions,buttheyprovidestartingpointsforcandidateswhoarehavingdifficultyfindingideas.Studentsshould,ofcourse,aimtosupplementthemwithothersthattheyhavelearntduringtheirEnglishstudies.Candidatesoftenaskmeabouthowlongtheyneedtopreparefortheirtest.Thisis,ofcourse,highlyvariableandlargelydependsontheircurrentlevel,theleveltheywishtoreachandhowlongtheyhavetoprepare.ItalsodependsonhowoftentheyusetheirEnglishandforwhichpurposes.TheIELTStestdevelopers,sayontheirwebsitethatittakes3monthsofstudy,inanEnglish-speakingenvironment,toimprovebyonebandscore.Ithinkthatthisperiodcanbeshortened–evenwithoutbeinginanEnglish-speakingenvironment–ifacandidateapproachestheirpreparationforthetestinamethodicalmannerwithanappropriatemindset,somethingthatthisbookaimstoencouragewithsuggestionsforanswers.IntroductionforTeachers(Studentsshouldreadthis,too!)Asateachermyself,Iwaseagertoproduceabookwhichwouldbe‘teacher-friendly’.Tothatend,thisbookcanbeusedsimplyinaclassroomenvironmentwithouttheneedformanyfurthermaterials.Naturally,mostteacherswillfindwaystoprovidesupplementarymaterial–particularlyvocabularyandgrammarexercises–fortheirstudents.Thisbookclearlystressespractice.Thesimplefactisthatinwhateverfieldyoucaretoname,aperson’sabilityneedspracticeto

develop.ThetopicsandquestionsinthisbooknotonlyrepresentthosethatappearintheIELTSSpeakingModule,theyalsorepresentthekindoftopicsthatpeopleallovertheworldtalkaboutandthekindofquestionspeopleaskwhendiscussingthosetopics.Withregardtovocabulary,bearinmindthattheactualrangeofvocabularyrequiredtodowellintheIELTSSpeakingModule(i.e.achievebands6to7.5)isnotlarge.However,itdoesneedtobeusedwell,i.e.accuratelyandappropriately.Thismeansthatteachersshouldfocusonensuringthattheirstudentsdonotgiveanswersthataremisleadingorconfusing.Inaddition,spendingalotoftimeonvocabularythatcanonlybeusedinalimitednumberofsituationsisnotasefficientasgettingcandidatestousewordsthatcanbeusedinmanydifferenttopics.Mostofthevocabularywillnotactuallybenewtomoststudents,buttheaimisnottoteachvocabularysomuchasdevelopingstudentsabilitytoactivelyusethewordsinconversationandinresponsetoquestions.Donotbesatisfiedwithbasicanswerstoquestions.Donotacceptshort,generalstatementsfromcandidateswhowishtoachieveanythinghigherthanband5.5.SomebasicEnglishstructuresarepresentedinthefirstpartofthebook.Rememberthatthisisnotagrammarbookandthatthegrammarandstructurescontainedinitarereallydesignedtoserveasareminderforstudents.Whenusingthisbook,teachersandcandidatesshouldreallyworkthroughthewholeofthefirstsectiontobeginwith.Dealcomprehensivelywiththetestformatandcriteria.ThepagesdevotedtogrammarandstructuresaredesignedtoensurethatstudentsknowwhatlevelofEnglishisexpectedoftheminthetest.Thethreesectionscontainingpracticequestionscanbedoneinamoreflexiblemanner,dependingmainlyontheamountoftimeavailable.Sincethereare60topics,itisunlikelythatthecoursewillbelongenoughtocoveralofthem.Thisisnotaproblem.Candidatesmustprepareoutsidetheclassroomtoo.Youcanchoosetocovertopicsthathaverecentlybeeninthetest,thosethatyouexpecttobeinthetestor(myfavourite)thosethatyourstudentsfeelleesconfidentorknowledgeableabout.Encouragecandidatestobeimaginativeandthoughtful.Certaintopicsandquestions(e.g.“Tellmeaboutyouridealhome.”)trulygivestudentsthescopefororiginal,highlyindividualanswers.Theseoftenprovidethebestanswersfromcandidatesandthequestionsoftenworkwellwhengivenashomework,because

studentswillbemorelikelytoneedtochecknewwordswhichmightotherwisetakeupvaluableclasstime.Studentsshouldbeencouragedtoaskeachother‘followup’questions(questionsarisingfromanswersgiventopreviousquestions),asthisisverylikelytohappenintheactualIELTSSpeakingModule–andwillcertainlyhappeninseminars,tutorials,andeverydayconversationabroad.Studentsshouldalsobeencouragedtousecompensationstrategieswhennecessary.ManyIELTSbooksalreadyhaveseveralpagesofthese,whichisoverdoingthings.Afewsimplephraseslike“Sorry,Ididn’texpressmyselfverywell!”,“Couldyourepeatthat,please?”,and“Couldyourephrasethat,please?”arequitesufficient.“Uh?”makesthestudentsoundlikeacaveman,notauniversitystudent!AcknowledgementsMystudentshavehadmoretodowiththisthantheymayrealise.Studentswhomakemistakeshaveoftenbeenmoreusefultomethanstudentswhogetthingsright.Whenastudentmakesmistakes,mynaturalinstinctistoaskwhytheyhavemadethemistake.IsitaproblemoftranslatingdirectlyfromtheirfirstlanguageintoEnglish?Isitthattheyareusinganinadequatedictionary?Havetheyconfusedthemeaningsoftwodifferentwords?Peopleshouldlearnfromtheirmistakes,butpeoplecanalsolearnfromthemistakesofothers.So,thankyoutothem.AsIliketotellmystudents,makeasmanymistakesasyoulikeinclass–justgetitrightonthedayofyourtest!Anymistakesinthebookaremyresponsibility.TheFormatoftheSpeakingTestOverviewThespeakingmoduletakestheformofaone-on-oneinterviewwithatrainedandcertifiedexaminer.AlmostalloftheexaminersarenativeEnglishspeakerswithteachingexperienceandteachingqualifications.Theexaminersaresupposedtobetrainedsuchthatthebandscoreyoureceivefromoneexamineriswhatyouwouldreceivefromanyotherexaminer.

Thespeakingmodulelastsforatotalofeleventofourteenminutes.TheexaminationshouldbecarefullytimedbytheexaminertoensurethateachstudentreceivesanequalchancetodemonstratehisorherlevelofproficiencyinEnglish.Thespeakingmoduleconsistsofthreeparts,beginningwithsimplerquestionsinPart1,thestudent’slongturninPart2,andmoredemandingquestionsinPart3.Itisvitaltorememberthatitisthejobofthestudenttodemonstratehisorherability–itisnottheexaminer’sdutytohelpthestudentfindtheirlevel.PartOneFirst,theexaminerintroducestheexamination,asksthestudenthisorhername,checksthestudent’sID.Strictlyspeaking,thisisnotpartofthetest.Theexaminerneedstohavethecandidate’snamerecordedandneedstocheckthatthecandidateiswhohe/shesaystheyare.Whentheexaminerisconductingtheintroduction,candidateswhohavean'English'nameinadditiontotheirownnameintheirownlanguagecanaddit,e.g.'MynameisLiTao,butyoucancallmeJohn.'Whenyoufirstmeettheexaminer,itisessentialthatyoubehaveinareasonablyconfidentmanner.Manycandidatesintroducethemselvesandthenadd–perhapsoutofmodesty–thattheirEnglishsnotgood.Thismightcreateanegativeimpressionontheexaminer.Theexaminerthenasksthecandidatequestionsrelatingtothreetopicswhichshouldbefairlyfamiliartothestudent.Theexaminerwillusuallyhavefivequestionspertopic.However,theactualnumberofquestionsaskedwilldependlargelyonthelengthofthestudent’sanswers,sincethetimeforthispartofthetestisfixedatbetweenfourandfiveminutesintotal.Thismeansthateachofthethreetopicsshouldtakeabout1½minutestocover.Inmyexperience,onaverage,candidatesshouldtalkforabout20-30secondsinanswertoeachquestion.Thisgivescandidatesenoughtimetodevelopandanswerwith2-3points.Thefirsttopicthattheexaminerasksaboutisalwaysoneofthefollowing:a)yourworkb)yourstudiesc)yourhomed)yourhometowne)whereyoulivenow

Iftheexaminerdecidestoaskaboutyourworkorstudies,theexaminerwillfirstask“Doyouworkorareyouastudent?”Youthenreplyandtheexaminercontinueswiththeappropriatetopic.Ifyoucurrentlyneitherworkorstudy,youshouldtelltheexaminerwhichyoudidmostrecentlyandthentheexaminerwillcontinuewiththatlineofquestioning.Inthissituation,candidatesshouldbeverycarefulwithgrammar(pastandpresenttenses).Thequestionsaboutyourhometownandwhereyoulivenowareinterchangeable,sopreparingforoneofthesetopicsautomaticallypreparesyoufortheother.Ifyounowliveinyourhometown,youonlyhavetoprepareoneanswerforbothtopics.Ifyoudonot,youmustpreparetwoanswers–unlessyoudecidetolie!BearinmindthatlyingiscompletelyacceptableintheIELTSspeakingmodule,butthatyourliesmustbereasonable(believable)andthatyoushouldrememberyouliessothatyoudonotcauseanyconfusionlaterduringthetest.Sinceyouknowthattheexaminerissuretoaboutoneofthesetopics,youshouldbewell-preparedforthem.Theexaminerknowsthatyouknowyouwillbeaskedaboutoneofthesetopicsanditisreasonableforhim/hertoexpectparticularlygoodresponseshere.Iftheexamineronlyasksacandidateonequestiononaparticulartopic,thiscouldbebecausethecandidatehasgivenaverylonganswerorbecausethecandidatehasfailedtounderstandwhichtopiche/sheissupposedtobetalkingabout.Longanswersareusuallyfine,aslongasthecandidatecanmaintainagoodlevelofqualitythroughouttheanswer.Ifcandidatesfailtounderstandthetopicthattheyarebeingaskedabout,itconveysapoorimpressiontotheexaminer.TheexaminerselectsthetopicsandanyattemptbythestudenttoavoidansweringthequestionscanbetakentomeanthatthestudentdoesnotpossesstheEnglishlanguageskillstodoso.Candidatesarenotpermittedtochangetopicsandmustwaitfortheexaminertodoso.Thereasonforthisissimplythatifonecandidateispermittedtochangetopics,morecandidateswillwanttodothesamethingwhenevertheyarefacedwithatopictheyarenotfullypreparedfororfamiliarwith.Thequestionsarerelativelysimpleandmainlypersonalandfactual.Thereforeitisreasonabletoassumethatastudenthavingproblemsinpartonewillhaveveryseriousproblemsduringtheremainderoftheexamination,particularlyinpartthree.

Inpartone,Istronglyrecommendthatcandidatesdonotspendtoomuchtimeansweringonequestion.Thiscouldindicatetotheexaminerthatyouhavepreparedverywellforonetopicwhichcouldappearinthetestanddonotwishtoriskbeingaskedaquestiononanothertopic.Evenanaveragestudentisexpectedtobeabletotalkaboutseveraldifferenttopics.So,ifyouranswertothefirstquestioninatopicisverylong,theexaminercouldchangetopicstosomethingthatyoumighthavepreparedlesswell.PartTwoFirst,theexaminergivesthestudentinstructionsregardingwhattodo,handsthestudentacuecard,featuringthemainquestioninboldwriting)andfoursuggestionsforwhattotalkabout,andgivesthestudentoneminutetopreparehisorheranswer.Duringthisminute,thestudentispermittedtomakenotesusingapencilandpaperprovidedbytheexaminer.Itisstronglyrecommendedthatyoumakenotes.Candidatesthatfailtodosooftenfindthattheypausemoreoftenandoftencannotthinkwhattosaynext.SomecandidatesmakenotesinTheirownlanguage,othersinEnglish.Itdoesnotmattersincetheexaminerwillnotreadanynotesyoumake.MystudentstellmethattheyfinditfastertowriteinTheirownlanguage,buteasiertorememberwordsiftheyarewritteninEnglish.Thechoiceisyours.Rememberthatyoumustanswerthemainquestion.Thefoursuggestionsaresimplytogiveyouideas.Youcanuseallofthem,noneofthemorjustacoupleofthem.Whicheveroptionyouchoose,yourscorewillnotbeaffected.Personally,Irecommendusingthesuggestions.Theyarealmostalwaysgoodonesand–mostimportantly–theymeanthatyoudon’tneedtospendsomuchtimethinkingaboutwhatyouaregoingtosay.Second,thestudentspeaksforonetotwominutesonthegiventopic.Thismeansthatyoushouldtimeyourresponsescarefullywhenpreparingforthetest.Theexaminerwillnotallowthestudenttospeakforlongerthantwominutes.Studentsshouldnotethattheydonothavetotalkforthewholetwominutes.Thisisusefultorememberifyoufeelthatyourleveloffluencyisdroppingafteroneminute,orifyouhavenomoretosay.Oneminute(theminimumsuggestedtime)maybealittleshort,butisstillacceptable.Obviously,twominutesoffluentspeech,usingplentyofgoodvocabularyandgrammarisbetterthanoneminuteofsimilarqualityspeech,butthisdoesnotmakeasubstantialdifferenceunlessyouareaimingataveryhighscore.Remember-nopartofthespeakingmoduleisatestofhowlong

astudentcantalk–qualityismoreimportantthanquantity!Third,theexaminercanaskthestudentoneortwofollow-upquestionsbasedonwhatthecandidatehassaidregardingthetopic.Mostexaminerswilljustaskone.Whentheexaminerasksa‘followup’question,thisisnotacueforyoutocontinuetalkingatlengthabouttheoriginaltopicquestion.Answerthefollowupquestiondirectlyandsuccinctly,perhapsusingonlyoneortwosentences.Thenstop.Parttwolaststhreetofourminutesintotal.WhenpreparingfortheIELTSSpeakingModule,somestudentsprefacetheirlongturnwithphrasessuchas“IhavebeenaskedtospeakaboutXYZ,includingA,B,andC,”or“IwouldbeverypleasedtotellyouaboutXYZ.”Thesephrasesareunnecessaryandawasteoftime.Similarly,don’tendyourspeechbysayingsomethinglike“That’sall”or“Ihavefinished”.Whenyouhavefinishedspeaking,simplymakeeyecontactwiththeexaminerandhandhim/herthecuecard.PartThreeTheexaminerwillcontinuetheinterviewalongthelinesofthetopicintroducedinparttwo.Thequestionsinpartthreearegenerallymoreabstractandconceptualinnatureandcoverawiderareathanintheprevioustwoparts.Theyarethereforemoredemandinglinguistically.TheexaminerselectsthequestionsandanyattemptbythestudenttoavoidansweringthequestionscanbetakentomeanthatthestudentdoesnotpossesstheEnglishlanguageskillstodoso.Partthreelastsfourtofiveminutes.Consequently,asinPart1,thenumberofquestionswilllargelydependonthelengthofthestudent’sanswers.Anaverageofalittleunderoneminuteperanswer(i.e.abouttwiceaslongasforanswersinPart1)isenoughforareasonablydevelopedanswertoapartthreequestion.EachofthequestionsinthespeakingmodulerequiresthatcandidatesusetheirEnglishtoaccomplishoneormoreofthefollowinglinguistictasks:analysecompareandcontrastcomparethestudent’sexperiencewiththeexperienceofotherpeoplecomparethepastwiththepresentand/orfuturedescribediscussadvantagesanddisadvantages(costsandbenefits)

discusspastdevelopmentsexplainexpressandjustifyopinionsexpresspreferencesnarrateprovidepersonalandnon-personalinformationprovidereasonsspeculateaboutpossiblefuturedevelopmentssuggestsummariseBroadlyspeaking,therearefivemaincategoriesofquestionsthatexaminersaskinPart3.Youshouldexpectatleastonequestionfromeachofthesecategories.Thefivecategoriesare:a)describeb)advantagesanddisadvantagesc)opiniond)speculatee)comparea)DescribeQuestionsthatrequireacandidatetodescribearegenerallytheeasiestonesinPart3.Examinersusuallyaskthematthebeginningofthissectionofthespeakingmodule.Candidatesshouldtrytoprovideanswersthatdescribedifferentsituationsorgroupsofpeople.Forexample,ifacandidateisaskedtodescribethekindofmusicthatpeopleinhercountrylike,itisagoodideatoconsiderthekindsofmusicthatdifferentgroupsofpeoplelike,e.g.teenagersandtheelderly.b)AdvantagesanddisadvantagesCandidatesarefrequentlyaskedabouttheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofcertainthings.Candidatesshouldbeawarethatexaminerscanchangethewords‘advantages’and‘disadvantages’to‘costs’and‘benefits’or‘pros’and‘cons’.Candidatesshouldalsousethesewordssincetheydemonstrateawiderrangeofvocabulary.Beawarethatexaminersmayalsoaskonlyabouttheadvantages(benefits/pros)oronlyaboutthedisadvantages(costs/cons),butcandidatescanstillprovidebothintheiranswers.Itisalsoagoodideatopointoutwhetherthese

advantagesanddisadvantagesarebigorsmall(majororminor).Usefulwordsandphrasesinclude“Themainadvantage”and“Aminordisadvantage”.c)OpinionAlmostallcandidatesareaskedtoexpressanopinionatsomepointduringPart3.Rememberthatopinionsarenotfacts–theyarewhatyouthink,butsomethingthatotherpeoplemightdisagreewith.However,youropinionsshouldhavesomefactualbasis(i.e.supportandreasoning).Becarefulwhenansweringquestionsthatbegin“Howimportant…?”becausesomecandidateshaveatendencytosaythateverythingis“veryimportant”.Thisisrepetitiousandreducestheimpactoftheanswer.Tryusingotheradverbsofdegreeandphrases,suchas‘somewhat’,‘quite’,‘fairly’,‘moderately’,‘notvery’,‘notasimportantas’.d)SpeculateTheverb‘speculate’meanstothinkaboutfuturepossibilities.Bewaryofusing‘will’,since'will'suggeststhatsomethingiscertain.Trytouseotherwords,suchas‘can’,‘could’,‘might’and‘may’whichindicatethatthefuturesituationisnotcertain.Ifyouaretalkingaboutyourpersonalfuture,youshouldtrytousephraseslike‘wouldliketo’,‘hopeto’,'aimto'and‘wishto’.Thisallowsyoutoexpressyourexactmeaninganddemonstratesawiderrangeofvocabulary.Ifyoudouse‘will’inyourspeech–perhapsaccidentally–youcanadd‘probably’or‘possibly’immediatelyafterwardstochangethemeaning.e)CompareCandidatesarefrequentlyaskedtocompareinPart3ofthespeakingmodule.Therearetwotypesofcomparisonthatareparticularlycommon.Thefirstistocomparegroupsofpeople–menandwomen,youngpeopleandolderpeople,childrenandadults.Candidateswillonlybeaskedtocomparepeoplefromtheircountryandforeignpeopleiftheyhavesaidthattheyhavelivedortravelledabroadorknowsomeforeignerswell.Thesecondcommontypeofcomparisonistocomparethepast,thepresentandpossibilitiesforthefuture.Thistypeofquestionmightbeaskedinthefollowingways–“HowhasXYZchangedoverthepast10/20/50years?”or“HowdoyouthinkXYZmaychangeinthefuture?”Comparisonsofthistypeusuallyinvolveusingthecomparativeformsofadjectives,e.g.“Thingshavegotbetter(or

“becomeworse”)inrecentyears.”Thereisathirdkindofcomparison,butitisnotcommonlyasked.Candidatesmayalsobeaskedtocomparethecitiesandthecountrysideintheircountry.Thisisusuallyincountrieswheretherearecleardifferencesbetweenthetwo,suchasthereareinChina.Sincecandidatestendtobefromwealthiercities,theyoftenhaveverylimitedviews.Examinersmayaskcandidatestocompareaspectsoftwodifferentcountries.However,examinerscanonlydothiswhenitisclearthatacandidatehasenoughrelevantexperience.Forexample,anIndiancandidatewhohasbeenstudyinginAustraliafortwoyearscouldbeaskedtocomparehis/herexperienceoflifeinthosetwocountries.Itisvitalthatcandidatesrememberthatthequestionsinpart3arerarelyonlyaboutthecandidateasanindividual,althoughtheymayrefertothecandidate'sexperience.Bearinmind(particularlywith'describe'questions)thatwhatyoulikeanddomaynotbewhatotherpeoplelikeanddo.Also,bearinmindthatmanyquestionsinpart3combinetwooreventhreeofthefivecategoriesofquestionmentionedabove,socandidatesneedtoadjustthecontentoftheiranswersaccordingly.backtotopSampleInterviewHereisasampleinterview,demonstratingtheformatofthetest,thethingstheexaminerssaytocandidates,thetypesofquestionsaskedandexamplesofpossibleresponses.[First,theexamineropensthedoortotheinterviewroomandinvitesthecandidatein.]Examiner:Goodafternoon.Comeinandtakeaseat.Candidate:Thankyou.[Theexaminerandcandidatesitdownandtheexaminercheckstheidentityofthecandidate.]

Examiner:Goodafternoon.MynameisMark.Couldyoutellmeyourfullnameplease?Candidate:Goodafternoon.MynameisWangKai.MyEnglishnameisKeith.Examiner:CanIcheckyouridentificationplease?Candidate:Yes,hereyouare.Examiner:Thankyou,Keith.That’sfine.[Nowthattheexaminerhascheckedthecandidate’sidentity,thetestcanbegin.Theexaminerintroducesthefirstpartofthetestandthefirsttopic.]Examiner:Now,inthisfirstpart,I’dliketoaskyousomequestionsaboutyourself.First,let’stalkaboutyourhometown.Wheredoyoucomefrom?Candidate:I’mfromShanghai,ontheeastcoastofChina.It’soneofthebiggestcitiesinChina–ifthenotthebiggest–anditisakeycityintermsoftransportation,investmentandservices.Examiner:Whatworkdothepeopleinyourhometowndo?Candidate:Ithinkmostareemployedintheservicesector,mainlytrade,retail,governmentservices,tourismandtransportation.Manyothersareemployedinthemanufacturingsector,makingmachineryandtextiles.Asmallpercentageareinvolvedinfarming.Ishouldalsopointoutthatmanypeopleareinvolvedinconstruction.IfyougotoShanghai,youcanseenewbuildingsandinfrastructureprojectseverywhere.Examiner:Wouldyousayyourhometownisagoodplaceforyoungpeopletolive?Candidate:Yes,Iwould.TheeducationalfacilitiesareamongstthebestinChina.Thereareplentyofsportsfacilities.ManyyoungChinesepeopleareinterestedincomputersandit’seasytofindthem,buycomputergamesandgetconnectedtotheInternetinShanghai.Ontheotherhand,thepollutionlevelsarequitehigh,soit’snottheidealplaceforyoungpeople.Examiner:Isthereanythingspecialaboutyourhometown?Candidate:There’snothinguniqueaboutShanghai,butitisspecialinthatithasmanyoldbuildings,agreatforeigninfluenceandalotofskyscrapers.InChinese