Sunday, April 13, 2014

IELTS Speaking Sample 4

IELTS Speaking Mock Test 4

PART 1 - Introduction
The examiner asks the candidate about him/her, his/her home, work or studies and other familiar topics.

Family
• Do you have a large family or a small family?
• Can you tell me something about them?
• How much time do you manage to spend with members of your family?
• What sorts of things do you like to do together?
• Did/ Do you get on well with your family?Why? 

PART 2 - Cue Card
Describe a teacher who has influenced you in your education.
You should say :

• where you met him/her.
• what subject he/she taught.
• what was special about him/her

and explain why this person influenced you so much.

[ You will have to talk about the topic for 1 to 2 minutes. You have one minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish. ]

PART 3 - Follow up Questions
Discussion topics:
Developments in education
• How has education changed in your country in the last 10 years?
• What changes do you foresee in the next 50 years?

A national education system
• How do the expectations of today’s school leavers compare with those of the previous generation?
• What role do you think extracurricular activities play in education?

Different styles/methods of teaching and learning
• What method of learning works best for you?
• How beneficial do you think it is to group students according to their level of ability?




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IELTS Speaking Sample 3

IELTS Speaking Mock Test 3

PART 1 -Introduction
The examiner asks the candidate about him/her, his/her home, work or studies and other familiar topics in the introduction part. Some of the common questions of part one are as following:

• Are your friends mostly your age or different ages? Why?
• Do you usually see your friends during the week or at weekends?Why? 
• The last time you saw your friends, what did you do together?
• In what ways are your friends important to you?

PART 2 - Cue Card 
• Describe an interesting historic place.

You should say:

  -- What it is?
  -- Where it is located?
  -- What you can see there now?

and explain why this place is interesting?

[ You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you’re going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]

PART 3 - Follow up Questions
Discussion topics:

Looking after historic places......
• How do people in your country feel about protecting historic buildings?
• Do you think an area can benefit from having an interesting historic place locally? In what way?
• What do you think will happen to historic places or buildings in the future? Why?

The teaching of history at school.....
• How were you taught history when you were at school?
• Are there other ways people can learn about history, apart from at school? How?
• Do you think history will still be a school subject in the future? Why?



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IELTS Speaking Sample 2

IELTS Speaking Mock Test 2

Part 1- Introduction
Q. Good Morning. Could you tell me your name and candidate number please?
Q. And what would you like me to call you?
Q. Tell me a hit about your family.
Q. What do your brothers and sisters do?
Q. So, where are you from?       
Q. What are the advantages and disadvantages of living here?
Q. I'm new here. Could you recommend a good restaurant?
Q. Why do you like it?
Q. What type of food does it serve?
Q. What do you suggest I order?
Q. Is it expensive?
Q. How do I get there?
Q. After you have taken the lELTS, what are you planning to study?
Q. Why are you interested in this?
Q. Why do you want to study overseas?

Part 2- Cue Card
Now what I want to do is something a bit different. I want you to ask me some questions. This morning I saw an accident and I would like you to ask me some questions to find out what happened. Here is a card with some ideas to help you.

Read the card and start when you are ready.

• It happened at about 7:30 this morning.
• I was reading the newspaper in the train.
• The train crashed into a truck on a level crossing.
• The accident took place just out of town.
• There were 12 people injured.
• The truck broke down on the level crossing and the train couldn't stop in time.

Part 3 - Details Discussion 
OK, good. I would like to go back to you now.

Q. How do you think studying overseas will be different to studying in your own country?
Q. So what problems do you think you will have studying abroad?
Q. Do you think you will have many difficulties adapting to a new culture?
Q. Do you think that there will be any major changes in your field of study over the next few years?
Q. How do you think an overseas degree will improve your professional skills?
Q. What do you intend to do once you have finished your studies?
Q. What do you see yourself doing professionally in 10 years' time? And how do you see your personal life changing?

OK I think that's is all I want to ask you today Thank you very much It was very interesting talking to you and I wish you all the best with your future studies Goodbye now.



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IELTS Speaking Mock Test 1

Part 1 - Introduction 
Q.  Good afternoon. My name is  Kristina Pollock. Could I have your name please?
A.  Good afternoon Madam. My name is Joseph Mark and my nick name is Mark.

Q.  And your candidate number? 
A.  My candidate number is .....

Q. Thank you. Now could you tell me a little about yourself And where do you live?
A. Well, I'm Joseph Mark and I live at .... My father's name is .... He is a Government service holder. My mother's name is .... She is a housewife.I'm 25 and I've finished my graduation from .... University.My major was Mathematics.I've got 2 brothers and a younger sisters.We live like a very happy family and my parents take great care of us.I'm doing a part time job at a local school as a Mathematics teacher.I'm planning to complete my M.Sc from any reputed University of UK.My future plan is to teach in a college.I spend my leisure time surfing the internet and reading books.Sometimes I hang around with my friends on the lake shore.The place I live now is really charming and I love to live there.It's not noisy and busy but very much calm and peaceful.Mam, that's all about me.

Q. What are some of the nicest things about where you live?
• Are there any places of special interest I could visit in your home area?
• Could you describe some of them for me?
• What would be the best way for me to get there?
• What sort of places could I stay at?
• Should I go at any special time of year?
  --- I see This has all been very interesting.


Part 2 - Cue Card
Now I want to change the interview so that you can ask me some questions I have some visitors from overseas and I want you to ask me about them. Here is a card with some suggestions of things for you to find out two young women Michiko and Raquel. They're from Brazil.

We were studying together in America. They'll be here for about three weeks.
We'll take a trip to the mountains, and probably go to the coast for a weekend also.
We'll certainly go to lots of films and restaurants, and perhaps a disco or two.
Thank you. That was very good.

Part 3 - Details Discussion
Now let's go to real life and you.....
Q. Tell me, what do you think are the greatest problems facing your country at present?
Q. And what has been done so far to solve these problems?
Q. How successful would you say these measures have been?
Q. Do you think things are likely to get better or worse in the future?
Q. Is what you are going to study likely to be of use in helping solve these problems do you think?

Thank you very much. It's been pleasant talking to you. I wish you success in your study program. Goodbye.



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IELTS Speaking Preparation (Part 6)

Prepare for the Following Frequently Asked Questions in the IELTS Speaking Test.... 

Part 1
- Please come in. Why don't you take a seat?
- First, let me have. a look at your passport. It is for security purposes.
- Good. What's your full name?
- And you are (nationality of the candidate).
- Which part of your country do you come from?
- Describe your home town to me.
- When choosing a place to live, what do you consider most important?
- What do you like or dislike about living in your town or city?
- What changes would make your home town more appealing to people of your age?
- Would you prefer to live in a traditional house or in a modern apartment?
- Some people prefer to live in a small town. Others prefer to live in a big city. Which one do you prefer?
- Some people are always in a hurry to go to places and get things done. Other people prefer to take their time and live life at a lower pace. What do you prefer? Do you work at the moment?
- What are the best things about where you work?
- What do you dislike most about your work?
- Where do you come from? Tell me about your country.
- What is your general opinion about your home town?
- What are the things of interest in that place?
- Do you live with your family?
- What do your parents do?
- Would you like to do the same job as your parents?
- Do you have a large or small family?
- Who does most of the shopping in your family?
- Do you enjoy shopping?
- Do you work at the moment?
- Have you ever had any other jobs?
- How will IELTS help you in the future?
- What are your main interests?
- What other indoor activities do you enjoy?
- How would you describe your life style?
- What is life like for you in your home town?
- Are you married?
- Are you happy with your marital life?

Part 2
Discuss points about life in your country. You should mention:

- What you like or dislike about it?
- What the biggest social problem of your country is?
-  What you would regard as the most significant events in your country's recent history?

Try to discuss points about marriage ceremony. You should include:

- What happens at a typical wedding ceremony in your country?
- How is it different from a typical wedding in Britain?
- Do you have any memories of .your / your friend's wedding ceremony?

Part 3
- Do you think that people and situation have changed since you were born?
- How and in what respects?
- What are some of the main industries in your country?
- How serious is unemployment in your country?
- What do you consider as the main cause?
- What role does religion have in everyday life in your country?
- Compare the media now with how it was a generation ago.
- What kind of effects do the media have on children and young people?
- Can you tell me about your childhood?
- Can you remember a toy you were given when you were a child?
- Who gave it to you? And what was the occasion?
- What did you do with the toy?
- What do you think you can learn from your toy?
- Do you think there is a difference between toys chosen by females and males?
- This is the end of your interview. Thank you and good bye.
- What roles do men / women typically play in families in your country?
- How different is your life from the lives of your parents / grandparents?
- How have these roles changed recently?
- Entertainment is a very important part of our lives. Most people listen to the radio or watch television. How did people entertain themselves before these things came into existence?
- Do you think radio and television have had a positive effect on the world?
- Has television stopped family members from communicating with each other?
- Is there too much violence on television these days?
- Does violence on television or on video contribute to violence in society?

Thank you and good luck.

Sample IELTS Speaking Topics 

SHOPPING
          o Do you enjoy shopping?
          o How do you feel about shopping?
          o Do you like shopping on the Internet?
          o Do you have any favourite stores?
          o What don’t you like about shopping?
          o Which is the most popular place to shop in your hometown?

SPORTS
          o Do you like sports?
          o Do you enjoy watching sports?
          o Do you enjoy participating in any sports?
          o Which sports are most popular in your country?
          o What’s your favourite sport/
          o When did you first become interested in sports?
          o How often do you participate in sports?
          o What equipment do you need for your favourite sport?

FOOD
          o What are some of your favourite foods?
          o What foods are popular in your country?
          o What are some of the famous dishes of your country?
          o Do you enjoy cooking?

FESTIVAL
          o What’s the most important festival in your country?
          o How do people celebrate this festival?
          o What special food is associated with this festival?
          o What special activities are associated with this festival?
          o What do you enjoy most about this festival?
          o Do you think festivals are important for a society?

TELEVISION
          o Do you watch television a lot?
          o What do you usually watch on television?
          o How many hours of television do you usually watch?
          o What are the most popular shows in your country?
          o What kind of shows do you like to watch?
          o What are some advantages of television?
          o What are some of the disadvantages of television?
          o What did you last watch on television?
          o Why do you think certain TV shows are so popular?

TOURISM
          o Which places would you recommend to a visitor to your country?
          o Do a lot of tourists visit your country?
          o What do they usually do there?
          o How has tourism changed your country?
          o Is your country expensive for most tourists?
          o What are some famous landmarks in your country?

DAILY ROUTINE
          o Describe your daily routine.
          o What do you usually do?
          o What do you do on the weekend?
          o What is your typical weekday like?
          o Does your life change much from week to week?
          o Do you have any free time during the week?

YOUR COUNTRY
          o Describe your daily routine.
          o What do you usually do?
          o What do you do on the weekend?
          o What is you typical weekday like?
          o Does your life change much from week to week?
          o Do you have any free time during the week?

CLOTHES
          o What type of clothes do you like to wear?
          o What kind of clothes do people in your country usually wear?
          o How important is fashion to you?
          o What kind of clothes do you dislike?
          o Do you think people behave differently in different kinds of clothes?
          o What kind of clothes do people wear to work in your country?
          o Are clothes expensive in your country?

GOING OUT
          o Do you like going out or staying at home?
          o What do you like to do when you go out?
          o How often do you go out?
          o Do people in your country go out a lot?
          o How and where do people in your country usually socialize?
          o What kind of entertainment is popular in your country?

GAMES
          o Do you enjoy playing any games?
          o What kind of games do you play?
          o Do you think adults should play games?
          o What do children learn from games?
          o What kind of games did you play when you were a child?
          o What games are popular in your country today?
          o What kind of games were popular when you were young?
          o Do you think mental games like chess are good for you?

COLOURS
          o Do you have a favourite colour?
          o What are your country’s colours?
          o Do you think colours affect our moods?
          o Can you learn anything about a person from the colours he / she likes?
          o Do you like the same colours now as you did when you were a child?

MUSIC
          o Do you like music?
          o What kind of music do you like?
          o When do you usually listen to music?
          o What kind of music did you like when you were younger?
          o What kind of music is popular in your country?
          o Do you play any musical instruments?
          o Do you wish you could play any musical instruments?
          o Which is your favourite instrument?

Try to speak in English as much as possible with friends, family members and Teachers. Without making the habit of speaking, it's really impossible to get a good score in the Speaking part of the IELTS.




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IELTS Speaking Preparation (Part 5)

Preparation for the part 3:

Task description
Section three is like a role play. The examiner will explain a situation to you and then instruct you to ask questions to find out more information. The examiner will give you a card with around six question prompts to help you make the questions. You should use the question prompts to ask all the questions on the card. Be ready to ask additional questions if the examiner invites you to, or if the examiner looks expectantly at you after you have asked all the prompted ones.

What is being tested is your ability to:

  • Use a question form correctly
  • Use a variety of question words
  • Ask questions politely
  • Sample questions



The examiner says:
‘I have just enrolled in a new course. You want to find out about the course. Look at this card carefully and when you’re ready begin to ask your questions.’

Interview card

The interviewer has just enrolled in a course. Ask the interviewer some questions to find out about the course.

  • Title of course?
  • How long?
  • Location?
  • Purpose?
  • Cost?


Strategies for approaching the task

Before the test, you need to practise making correct questions using a variety of question words appropriate to the situation. You also need to practise making your questions polite. There are two main ways to do this.

1. Use an introductory sentence politely, asking the interviewer to give you the information. For example:

Marianne, I’d like to ask you some questions about your course, if that’s all right.
(Interviewer responds by nodding agreement or saying ‘Certainly. What’s the name of the course?)


2. Use embedded questions. For example:
Could you tell me the name of the course, please?

Notice that with embedded questions we use the statement word order, not:
Could you tell me what is the name of the course?


You will be given a cue card/topic to speak 2-3 minutes about it.
IELTS Speaking... Cue Card

Describe a book that has had a major influence on you.

• What is the name of that book and who is the author?
• How you first heard of it?
• What is that book about?
• Why it played such an important role in your life?

Try to speak spontaneously and give as much information possible about the topic.  

Preparation for the part 4:

Task description
Using your CV as a starting point, the interviewer will ask you about your future plans. The interviewer will aim to involve you in a discussion exploring possible problems, your concerns, your expectations, your hopes and possible steps to achieving your goals.

Sample questions
It is not possible to predict what questions will come up at this point in the test except that you know that the topic will be your future. The questions will be drawn from your CV, or from what the examiner has learned about you in the earlier sections of the interview, and most will arise naturally from the discussion and the information you are giving as this section progresses.

What is being tested is your ability to:

  • Give in-depth answers to questions about your future
  • Use the language of speculation
  • Explain and defend your actions, plans, assumptions, predictions, reasons etc.
  • Strategies for approaching the task
  • Carefully consider your future plans before the test. If you haven’t definitely decided what career path you will follow, then choose one plan to talk about in the interview. 

For example, if you haven’t decided whether you want to be an astronaut or a business man, choose one – whichever you think is the easier to talk about – and don’t bother to mention the other at the interview.

Prepare all the vocabulary you will need to discuss that career path, especially the steps you will need to take to reach your desired position and how you would overcome any possible problems. Be prepared to use conditional sentences to discuss, for example, what you will do if you achieve your goal or you cannot achieve your goal; for example:

If I can’t go to an Australian university to study, I will have to work in my parents’ business.

Be prepared to use perfect tenses to explain how you got to the situation you are in now. For example:

Interviewer: How did you decide to become an engineer? Candidate: Well, I’d (or I’ve) always been very good at math, so after finishing high school I …

Be prepared to speculate about the future:
  • I hope to …
  • I’m hoping to …
  • I’d like to …
  • If possible I’d like to …
  • I plan to …
  • I’ve always dreamed of …
  • I assume that …
  • I’m assuming that …
  • I expect that …





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IELTS Speaking Preparation (Part 4)

Preparation for the part 1:

Task description
Section One of the interview is an introduction in which the interviewer will ask you some general questions about yourself. The questions are often, but not always, based on the CV that you filled out before the test. This section of the interview aims to be like a friendly conversation in which the interviewer asks questions that are not too difficult, to try to get to know you and relax you.

Sample questions

Prior to the test, you will be asked to fill in a CV (Curriculum Vitae) which will ask for general information about topics such as the following:

  • Your country of origin
  • Where you learned English
  • How long you have been learning English
  • Level of education achieved
  • Interests and future plans


The first section of the test will go something like this:

  • The interviewer greets the candidate and introduces himself or herself.
  • The interviewer asks the candidate to state his or her name clearly for the cassette.
  • The interviewer asks to see the candidate’s passport and CV form.


Typical questions for this stage of the test might be:

  • It says on your CV that you are interested in …
  • Could you tell me why do you like it?
  • How often do you … ?
  • With whom? Where?
  • Why are you taking the IELTS test?
  • Is this your hometown?


If not:
  • Tell me about the place you come from.
  • Would you rather live here or there?
  • Tell me how the public transport system in your hometown compares with here.


If yes:
  • What do you like about living here?
  • Are there any bad points about this place?


Strategies for approaching the task

Firstly, you should be very careful what you write on your CV as this could be the basis for the discussion in this part of the test and may influence the interviewer’s choice of topics for the second part of the test as well. Remember that one of the aims of this section is to get you talking freely so that the interviewer can assess your level of English. The interviewer wants you to talk about something you are interested in so that you will perform your best. It is for this reason that you are asked to write down some information about yourself that the interviewer can use as a basis for the questions.

One question on the CV asks you to write down your interests. Make sure that you are prepared to talk about the interests you write down here. For example, if one of your interests is scuba diving, make sure that you learn the vocabulary you need to discuss this topic in English before the test. And check the pronunciation with a native speaker of English if possible. One candidate wrote down that she was interested in the environment, though in fact, she knew nothing about environmental issues. The interviewer, thinking that this would be a good topic to get the candidate talking freely, began to ask question after questions about the candidate’s views on various issues related to the environment. The candidate didn’t have the language to cope with the questions and also didn’t have any ideas to express about the issues. So instead of the candidate feeling relaxed from the beginning of the interview talking about a familiar topic, she felt very uncomfortable and may not have performed as well as she could as a result.

So choose carefully what you write down on the CV and prepare the language you will need to discuss these topics before the test. This does not mean that you should memorise a speech as the interviewer will immediately change the topic if s/he thinks that what you are saying is rehearsed. It would be more useful to find people with whom you can practice speaking about the topics.

You should also be prepared to use the past, present and present perfect tenses to describe your current situation. For example, ‘I have been studying English for two years since I moved to the city’.
Preparation for the part 2:

Task description
In this section the interviewer will move onto one or more topics of general interest. You may need to speak longer (take longer turns) than in the first section and you may need to describe or explain.

Sample questions
It is not possible to predict what topics may be discussed at this point in the interview; however, some standard topics are:
Traditional or modern buildings in your country
Tourism and tourist sites
Celebrations and cultural activities
Family and family relationships
Schooling and the education system in your country
City and country living
Modern and traditional lifestyles
If the interview does not take place in your country of origin, you may be asked to compare your country’s architecture, level of tourism, culture etc with those of the country you are living in.

What is being tested is your ability to:
Take longer turns in a conversation
Give information involving description and explanation
Strategies for approaching the task

Carefully consider what you know about each of the topics above. Try to think of all the questions that someone who was trying to get to know you might ask, and make sure that you have all the vocabulary you need to discuss the topics in depth. Check and practice the pronunciation of any new vocabulary. Where there are contentious issues, try to develop an opinion.

You will perform better in the IELTS interview if your speech is fluent. And you’re likely to be more fluent if you have already thought about the topic and have some ideas to express. This doesn’t mean memorizing or rehearsing a speech because you can never be sure exactly what the questions will be, and also the examiner will immediately ask a different question if s/he suspects that your answer is memorized.



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IELTS Speaking Preparation (Part 3)

Part 3: Two-Way Discussion

We’ve been talking about a teacher who influenced you and I’d like to discuss with you one or two more general questions related to this Development in Education
» Describe developments in education in your country
» Compare the experience of your parents
» What changes are coming? National Education
» What are your countries aims for education
» What is the importance of extra-curricular activities Styles of Teaching
» Describe different styles of teaching
» What is your preferred method of learning?
» Should learners be grouped by ability?

[The topic in Part 3 is related to the topic in Part 2. So if, for example, Part 2 was about a teacher, then Part 3 might be about Education]

Sample IELTS Speaking Topics

YOU
Describe yourself.
FAMILY
          o Describe your family?
          o Do you have a large or small family?
          o How much time do you spend with your family?
          o What do you like to do together as a family?
          o Do you get along well with your family?
          o Are people in your country generally close to their families?

WORK
          o What do you do?
          o What are your responsibilities?
          o How many hours do you work each day?
          o Do you enjoy your work?
          o Is there some other kind of work you would rather do?
          o If you could change your job or profession, what would you do?
          o Describe the process of getting a job in your country.
          o Describe the company or organization you work for.
          o What is your position?
          o What do you like about your job?
          o What do you dislike about your job?

EDUCATION
          o Describe your education.
          o What kind of school did you go to as a child?
          o Did you go to a co-educational school?
          o What was your favourite subject as a child?
          o Who was your favourite teacher?
          o What is the education system like in your country?
          o Do you think your country has an effective education system?

STUDIES
          o What are you studying now?
          o What is your area of specialization?

HOMETOWN
          o Describe your hometown.
          o What’s special about it?
          o Where is your hometown located?
          o Is it easy to travel around your hometown?
          o What is it known for?
          o What do people in your town do?
          o What are the main industries in your hometown?
          o What problems face your hometown?
          o What languages are spoken in your hometown?
          o What are the advantages of living in your hometown?
          o What are some problems faced by your hometown?
          o Compare your hometown with another city.
          o What are some environmental problems faced by your hometown?

WEATHER
          o What’s the weather like in your country?
          o Does the weather affect your mood?
          o How do rainy days make you feel?
          o What’s your favourite season of the year?
          o What do you like to do when it’s hot?
          o What do you usually do in the winter?
          o How many seasons does your country have?

HOME
          o Describe your home.
          o What kind of building do you live in?
          o How long have you lived there?

WEDDING
          o Have you ever been to a wedding?
          o Whose wedding was it?
          o Where was it held?
          o What clothes do people wear?
          o Describe the wedding ceremony.
          o What sort if gifts do people buy for the bridal couple?
          o What kind of clothes did the bride and groom wear?

TRAVEL
          o Do you like to travel?
          o What kind of places have you visited in your life?
          o Which place would you really like to visit? Why?
          o What’s the best place you’ve ever visited?

COMPUTERS
          o Do you think computers help society?
          o Do you think computers are bad for health?
          o How do you think computers have changed the world?

INTERNET
          o Do you use the Internet much during the day?
          o What do you usually do on the Internet?
          o What are some advantages of the Internet?
          o What are some disadvantages?
          o Do people in your country use the Internet a lot?
          o Do you do any shopping on the Internet?

EMAIL
          o Do you send and receive email regularly?
          o Who do you usually communicate with?
          o How often do you check your email?
          o Do you think writing email has strengthened or weakened people’s writing skills?
          o What are some disadvantages of email?

FRIEND
          o Describe a friend.
          o How long have you known each other?
          o What do usually do together?
          o What do you like the most about him / her?
          o How often do you see each other?

PLACE
          o Describe a place you like to go.
          o Why is this place special to you?
          o When did you first visit this place?
          o Where is this place located?
          o What language is spoken here? Do you speak this language?

SMOKING
          o What do you feel about smoking in public places?
          o Do you think smoking should be banned in people’s homes?

MARRIAGE
          o What is the attitude toward marriage in your country?
          o Do most young people plan on getting married in your country?
          o What are some of the advantages of marriage?
          o What are some of the disadvantages?
          o Is the divorce rate high in your country?
          o Do you think people should be allowed to get divorced?

HOBBIES
          o Do you have any hobby?
          o What are some of your hobbies?
          o When did you first develop this hobby?
          o What are some of the advantages of having a hobby?
          o How much time do you spend on your hobby?

FILMS
          o Do you enjoy watching movies?
          o What’s your favourite film?
          o Who are your favourite actors?
          o How often do you watch films?



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IELTS Speaking Preparation (Part 2)

Part 1: Introduction and Interview on Familiar Topics:

Good morning/afternoon. My name is ................ Can you tell me your full name? Thank you.
Can I see your identification, please?
Thank you, that’s fine
Now I’d like to ask you some questions about yourself.

Let’s talk about your home town or village.
-- What kind of place is it?
-- What’s the most interesting part of your home area?

Let’s talk about what you do. Do you work or are you a student?
-- What’s your job? Why did you choose that kind of work?

-- How long have you been doing it?
--Are there things your don’t like about it? What are they?
--What subjects are you studying?
-- Why did you choose those subjects? How long have you been studying them?

Family
Do you have a small or large family? How much time do you spend with them? What things do you do together?

Language
How long have you been learning English? Where did you learn? What is easy/ difficult? What opportunities do you have to speak? Is it important?

Accommodation
Where do you live? How long have you lived there? What kind of accommodation would you like?

Leisure Activities
What do you do at your leisure time? Do you have a special hobby?why do you think people should have hobbies?

Daily Routine
I’d like to talk about your daily routine. Are all your days the same? Typical day? Typical weekend? What would you like to change? What is the balance of work/study?

Food
Moving on to talk about food… What kind of food do you like? What are typical  foods in your country? Is cooking a man’s or woman’s job? How do you like foreign food?


Part 2: Individual Long Turn

Now I’m going to give you a topic and I’d like you to talk about it for one or two minutes. Before you talk, you will have one minute to think about what you will say. You can make some notes. Here is a paper and pencil for you to make some notes if you wish, and here is your topic.

» Describe a teacher who has influenced you. Say where you met them, what subjects they taught, why they were special and how they influenced you.

» Describe a family member who has influenced you. Say how long you have known them, why they were special, how they differ from the other family members, and how they influenced you.

» Describe a story, book, or movie that had a big impact on you. Describe what it was about, what effect it had and why it was so powerful.

» Describe a place you visited that had a big impact on you. Say when you went and how long you stayed. Describe the impact the place had on you and why.

» Describe an event in your life that had a big impact on you. Say when it happened and what the circumstances were. Describe how it affected you and why.

» Describe a friend in your life that had a big impact on you. Say how long you have known him or her and how he or she affected you.

» Describe a person you would most like to meet. Describe this person and state why you would most like to meet him or her. What effect would the meeting have on you? What would you say.

» Describe a time in your life that was difficult. What was the problem? What were some of the things that helped you to overcome this problem? What did you learn from this experience, and what advice would you give others.

» Describe a time in your life when you helped someone else with a problem. What was the problem? How did you help the other person? What did you learn from this experience and what advice would you give others? Would you help in the same way?




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IELTS Speaking Test: Issues You should know

The Speaking Sub-test takes between 11 and 14 minutes. The Sub-test consists of an interview with a trained examiner, and is recorded on a tape recorder. However, this recording is made to assess the examiner and not the candidate.

There are 3 parts to the Speaking Sub-test.
Part 1: you answer questions about your home life or family life, work or study, your interests and other familiar topics of a general nature to reveal your background. (4-5 minutes).

Part 2: you are given exactly 1 minute to prepare yourself to talk about a particular topic. The instructions to guide your talk are written on a card given to you by the examiner. Your talk should last for 1 -2 minutes. The examiner will ask one or two questions at the end. (3-4 minutes - including preparation time of 1 minute).

Part 3: you have a discussion with the examiner based on themes connected to the topic given in Part 2. This part of the test requires discussion of more abstract ideas. (4-5 minutes) The interview is then closed and the Speaking Sub-test is completed. Most of the questions asked in the Sub-test are scripted; they come from a bank of questions prepared by the test authorities. These questions are being continually added to and updated.

The Speaking Sub-test Band Score is calculated from a comprehensive checklist of speaking skills in 4 distinct areas of ability:
» Fluency and Coherence Lexical Resource
» Grammatical Range and Accuracy Pronunciation

IELTS speaking Topics...

1. Introduce yourself.
2. Describe your hometown. What is special about it?
3. Compare your hometown with another town.
4. Describe your country’s education system. What is your attitude toward this system? Do you think it’s effective?
5. Describe the organization you work for. Where is it? What does it do? What is your job function?
6. Describe the process of taking a job in your country.
7. Compare the role of men and women in your country.
8. What is Brain drain? What are the causes and effects of it?
9. Discuss why you would like to visit a particular country. When are you going to visit it and why?
10. Discuss the factors affecting people to have more or less children in your country.
11. Describe a traditional dish in your country. What are the ingredients?
12. Describe the traditional Architecture of your country. Is there something special about it?
13. Compare traditional houses with modern houses in your country.
14. Discuss why you like a special kind of book, music, sports, or film.
15. Give reasons why the divorce rate has or has not increased in your country.
16. Describe a traditional instrument in your country.
17. Describe an important festival in your country. When is it? What do people do then?
18. Describe the ethnic mix in your country.
19. Describe a traditional garment in your country.
20. What is your favourite colour? Why? What is the relationship between the colour of clothes and the personality of people? What is the relationship with mood?
21. Describe a historical place in your country. Where is it? What is special about it?
22. Talk about mass media, newspapers and their attractions for you.
23. Describe a traditional /children’s/international/card game.
24. Why do people play games?
25. What is your greatest wish/ one of your wishes?
26. What don’t you know about your future?
27. Why do people collect things? Do you collect anything?
28. Describe an invention before or after computer. Should the governments support inventors? Why do inventors invent?
29. What is fashion? Do you follow fashion? Why do people follow fashion? How do people in your country follow fashion?
30. What is the process of obtaining a driving license/passport/etc. in your country?
31. Describe one of your photos. Where, when and with whom did you take it?
32. Describe the present situation of Tourism in your country. What is the future of Tourism there?
33. Name a book, film, or a piece of music that you like most and say why.
34. Describe IT or a data-bank system.
35. Why always women cook and men do not in your country? Which is a better cook, a man or a woman? 36. Compare your time with your parents’. What is the same and what has changed since then?
37. How has traveling changed since 100 years ago?
38. Describe your best holiday, party, event in your life. When was it, where and why?
39. Talk about the best present you have ever had in your life. When, why and who gave it to you?
40. In what occasions do people give presents in your country?
41. How do you choose a gift for your friends?
42. What do people do in different seasons in your country?
43. What do governments do in case of disasters? What should they do?
44. Talk about the most populated area in your country. Where is it? What is its population? Why is it so populated?
45. Describe a competition you have entered. What was your stand?
46. What is the role of public artworks?
47. Describe a city you have visited and impressed you so much. Why was it so impressive?
48. Compare eating habit of people in your country with other countries.
49. Compare a person who has been in a foreign country with someone who hasn’t.
50. What is capital punishment? Is it necessary to control crime?
51. What do you think will be the world’s greatest problem in 100 years time?
52. What do you think pastime and hobbies will be in 100 years time?
53. What do you know about the wildlife in your country? Who is responsible for its preservation?
54. What do you know about Global Warming? What is Greenhouse Effect?
55. Shopping: who does the shopping in your home? Do you go shopping? What have you found difficult in shopping?
56. Describe a child that you know. Who is he/she? Your relation, what does he/she like, and how has he/she influenced you?
57. School pressure on children. Is there any in your country? What can be done if there is?
58. What was the most interesting (impressing) period of time in your life? Describe it.
59. What do you think about children's school age? Advantages or disadvantages?
60. What time are children considered to be adults in your country?



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Transcription of the interview (Part 1)


Interviewer: Hello, I’m Jessie, and your name is….?
Zsuzso:   Zsuzso
Interviewer:  Zsuzso, and you're from?
Z:  From Hungary
I:  Hungary..and ..is this your identification?
Z:  Here it is.
I:  OK. Thank you.


Part 1
I:   Ok first then, a few questions about you and your life.
Let’s talk about your family. Do you come from a large or a small family?
Z:   A relatively large family, five members
I:   Right, and do all your family live in the same town or city?
Z:  No, I live in Australia and my family live in Hungary.
I:   Mm, right. So how often do you see your brothers and sisters (or family)? 
Z:   Probably once a year.
I:   Do you have a lot in common with them?
Z:   Well we look the same, um I suppose our lives are little bit different, however
I:   OK, Is it all right to talk about your friends?
Z:   That’s OK
I:   Do you have lots of friends or just a few, special friends?
Z:  I’ve got a few, very special friends but.. er.. I do have lots of people I can call friends.
I:  Uh huh and can you say something about one or two of your friends?
Z:   Well I’ve got a special friend called Pat…er…she always helps me through rough times. I’ve got another special friend... Gordon, who is also wonderful and we share lots of erm..activities..together.
I:   What kinds of things do you and your friends do together?
Z:   Erm we like hiking, erm..going outdoors and visiting places, and I suppose just even just go shopping
I:   Mm, are you a person who enjoys spending time alone?
Z:   Definitely not.
I:    No?
Z:   Not at all
I: OK. Erm Let’s move on to talk about travelling to other countries. What other countries have you visited?
Z:  I have visited a few…erm..I came from Hungary then…um…I went to visit um most of the countries in Europe, erm..America…um…some countries in Asia and Australia. That’s all.
I:   Which other countries are you interested in visiting?
Z:   I suppose every country has got a lot to offer, erm.. if a country has got good food and good people, I’m happy to go there.
I:   Uh huh, and what are some of the things that you don’t like about travelling?
Z:  I don’t like the inconvenience of... the travelling itself..going..taking aeroplanes, and living out of suitcases. Probably these are the big ‘no-nos’ in travel


1)  TOPIC 1: FAMILY

Number of people in Zsuszso’s family   ..,………

Where she lives                                           ………...        

Where they live                                            ………...

How often they see one another              ………...

What they have in common                      …………

2)  TOPIC 2: FRIENDS

Write four activities Zsuzso and her friends do together

…………        …………        …………        …………

3)   TOPIC 3:   TRAVELLING TO OTHER COUNTRIES

Which 4 of the following does Zsuzso mention?

South America      Asia      Africa      Europe      America      Australia

What is the missing information?

She is interested in visiting any country that has …………   ………… and …………   ………….

Two things she doesn’t like about travelling are:
 taking ………… and living out of ………….


Now check your answers using the interview transcription

Then, read the comments on the candidate’s performance.

Finally, answer the interviewer’s questions yourself. Use the transcription. 
Don’t take longer than about 15 seconds for each answer.




Taken from IELTS on Track Interview 1 © Slater, Millen


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Speaking test #4

Interview

- What is your full name?
- How may I address you?
- Where are you living?
- How long have you been living there?
- What are the advantages of your home town?
- Is there any swimming pool?
- Have you been to any swimming pool anywhere?

Cue card

Describe a famous person in your country.

Discussion

- Why do people want fame?
- How can a person become famous?
- What kind of people get inspiration from celebrities?
- What sort of people were famous in the past, 50 years ago?



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Speaking test #3

Interview

- Tell me about the recent changes in your home town.
- What is the meaning of your name?
- Why were you given this name?
- How may I address you?

Cue card

Describe the happiest recent event that you had.

Discussion

- What moments make other people happy?
- What moments are happy for the elderly?
- Are rich people happy?



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Speaking test #2

Interview

- What is your full name?
- What can I call you?
- Can I see your identification?
- What do people usually do on weekends in your country?
- What do you do on weekends?
- Did you think art is important in life, such as painting and sculptures?
- Did you draw anything when you were at school?
- Are there any art galleries or museums in your home town?

Cue card

Describe an animal you saw, which you find very interesting. You should say:
- Where you saw it,
- How you felt about it,
- Why you think it was interesting.

Discussion

- What kind of animals do people have in their home?
- Tell me about an animal you saw which is very rare in your home town.
- Why do people have pets in their homes?
- Do you think people do not respect animals these days? What about 50 years ago?
- Earlier people used animals for their work. Now, what do people use to do their work?
- Researchers are being conducted on animals, is this a good idea?
- So many animals are extinct these days. What do you think about this? Why it is happening?




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Speaking test #1

Here are some real speaking test questions that students from India were recently asked in their exams:


Interview

- Is bicycle a good way to move around?
- Do you think that there should be a separate lane for bicycles?
- Why should a child have a bicycle?
- Are you working or a student?



Cue card

Describe a famous person, you should say:
- Who he/she is,
- Why he/she is famous,
- Whether or not you would like to meet him/her and why.



Discussion

- Which qualities should a famous person have?
- Why does the young generation copy them?
- Who were the famous people 50 years ago and who will be famous in the next 50 years?
- Should they have personal life?
- If you had a chance to become famous what would be your attitude?





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Tips for Speaking

The Speaking part of the test have been changed on July 1, 2001. It is now made up of three parts :

In Part 1 the candidate answers general questions about themselves, their homes/ families, their jobs/studies, their interests, and a range of similar familiar topic areas. This part lasts between four and five minutes. 

In Part 2 the candidate is given a verbal prompt on a card and is asked to talk on a particular topic. The candidate has one minute to prepare before speaking at length, for between one and two minutes. The examiner then asks one or two rounding-off questions. 

In Part 3 the examiner and candidate engage in a discussion of more abstract issues and concepts which are thematically linked to the topic prompt in Part 2. The discussion lasts between four and five minutes.

The speaking part is usually a conversation about you, your plans for the future, your past studies, the reason for which you are taking the IELTS, your country, your town. Therefore be prepared for these subjects. You should prepare something to say about them. In addition, the examiner will show you a card with an argument you are supposed to discuss about. The thing you have to remember is: use easy words and expressions if you are not very confident and everything will go well. To be able to communicate what you think is far more important than doing it with a perfect English accent. Therefore, don't wary if your pronunciation is not exactly a British one. That's not the main point. Your understanding of what the examiner says and the ability to communicate without grammar mistakes is more important. The conversation lasts usually 15-20 minutes and will be recorded. Don't panic about that!!




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FREE IELTS LESSON - THE ACADEMIC SPEAKING TEST

The IELTS Academic Speaking test is the shortest of the components of the IELTS test - only 11 to 14 minutes. In this short time you have to convince the examiner who will be speaking with you of your level of English. Practice with good quality IELTS practice tests is very important.

The IELTS Academic Speaking Test is the same for both the Academic and General Training modules. The test is conducted with 1 examiner and 1 candidate. The Speaking test is recorded. The Speaking Test is divided into 3 sections:

Section 1 Section 1 begins with some general introductory questions. This is followed by some questions on personal information similar to the type of questions one would ask when meeting someone for the first time. Finally the examiner asks a series of questions of 2 topics of general interest. (4 - 5 minutes)

Section 2 Section 2 is a monologue (1 person speaking) by the candidate. The examiner will give the candidate a card with a subject and a few guiding questions on it. The student must talk for 1 to 2 minutes on this subject. The examiner decides on the exact length. The student has an optional 1 minute in order to prepare for his talk and is provided with some paper and a pencil in order to make some brief notes. After the candidate's talk the examiner will ask 1 or 2 brief questions in order to finish off the section. (3 - 4 minutes)

Section 3 Here the examiner will ask some more questions generally related to the subject spoken about in section 2. These questions will be more demanding and require some critical analysis on the part of the candidate. (4 - 5 minutes)

Question Types
The types of questions that come in the IELTS Academic Speaking Test are very general in nature and are designed so that anyone around the world, regardless of what background or culture they come from, should be able to answer them. The questions will not be overly personal and will avoid contentious subjects such as politics, sex or religion.

All the questions will be open questions rather than closed questions. An open question asks the candidate to give an extended answer, and so have the opportunity to show how good his English is. A closed question is one that can be answered by a single word or a couple of words. So, you will not get a question like:

Do you like living in your town?

A student could just answer yes. Any answers like this will just be followed by the question why? so you have to extend your answer (what you should have done after the "yes" anyway). Anyway, the question is more likely to be:

Why do you like living in your town?

Here the candidate has to give an explanation and therefore the examiner hears plenty of English which will help him or her evaluate you.

Marking - IELTS Academic Speaking Test Marks, Bands and Results
In the IELTS Academic Speaking Test you will be marked in 4 areas. These 4 areas are: Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy and Pronunciation. For the first 3, you get a mark out of 9. For Pronunciation you get a 2, 4, 6 or 8. Finally an average is taken to give you your final band for the Speaking. Let's look at these areas in more detail.

Fluency and Coherence: The examiner grades your fluency, which is how easy, smooth and flowing your speaking is. To get a good grade here, any gaps in your speaking should be associated with searching for the right idea rather than hesitancy with finding the right word or structure. For the coherence part, the examiner looks at how easy you are to understand. Does your flow of ideas run smoothly, logically and with consistency? Do you communicate well?

Lexical Resource: This mark grades the range of words that you use in your speaking test and whether you use the words in the right way, at the right time and in the right place.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: This mark grades your range of grammatical structures, your accuracy at producing them and whether you use the right structure at the right time and in the right place. This is the area that worries the candidates the most as it is the dreaded grammar. Remember it is only 1 part out of 4.

Pronunciation: This mark grades you on how clearly you speak English.




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