Simon’s Advice on
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Part 1
Keep it simple; there's no need to show off in this part. Give a short, direct answer and a reason for your answer. Then stop. If necessary, smile at the examiner to show that you are ready for the next
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question; if you keep speaking, the examiner will interrupt you. Answer using full sentences, and try not to hesitate; just say the first thing that comes into your head.
Before the exam, prepare ideas for the six main topics . Focus on vocabulary, not grammar or linking. In the exam, try to note down as many ideas as you can during the 1-minute preparation time - hopefully you'll be able to use ideas that you have already prepared. You don't have to cover all of the points on the task card, but it helps you to structure your answer if you do. Say as much as you can for each point, and use a real example or story at the end of your description if you need to fill time. Keep going until the examiner stops you.
Practise "3-step" answers: 1) answer the question 2) explain your answer 3) give an example. There's also a 4th step
that you can sometimes use. By following these steps, you ensure that your answer "moves forward" instead of becoming repetitive - most people repeat the same ideas when they try to give a long answer, and the steps will help you to avoid this.
IELTS Speaking: what's most important? Here are some factors that might affect your speaking score: fluency, not hesitating too much linking
answer structure / organisation ideas
vocabulary grammar
pronunciation But which of these factors are most important? I'll give you my answer in a free video lesson that I'll publish this weekend. Tip: I'm going to suggest that you focus on a different factor (from the list above) in each of the 3 parts of the speaking test. Posted by Simon in IELTS Speaking | Permalink | Comments (25)
IELTS Speaking: main tip for 3 parts In case you missed the advice at the end of the video lesson that I shared last week, here's my main tip for each of the 3 parts in the speaking test:
Focus on fluency . You don't need to show off with great vocabulary or grammar in this part. Just try to answer quickly, without hesitating. A short, simple answer is fine.
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Part 2 Focus on ideas / vocabulary . This is your best chance to impress the examiner with some nice language, especially if you've prepared for common topics in the way I suggest in my video lessons.
Focus on your answer structure . Use the 3 or 4 steps that I explained in last week's video. This will force you to give longer answers without repeating yourself. You don't really have time to think about good vocabulary or grammar; just worry about answering the question by following the steps. Note: Notice that I don't recommend worrying about grammar or linking at any point in the speaking test. Finally, if you forget every other exam tip, just remember one thing: answer the question !
IELTS Speaking Part 1: giving negative answers It's completely acceptable to give negative answers in part 1 of the speaking test. To test whether you can do this, try giving negative answers to the questions below. Keep your answers short and simple as usual. The first one is done as an example. 1) What type of photos do you like taking? Well, I don't usually take photos to be honest. I prefer to enjoy whatever I'm doing, rather than stop to take a photograph.
(Questions taken from Cambridge IELTS book 11)
IELTS Speaking Part 1: negative answers Here are my negative answers to the questions in last week's lesson :
Well, I don't usually take photos to be honest. I prefer to enjoy whatever I'm doing, rather than stop to take a photograph. 2) What do you do with photos you take? I rarely take photos, but if I occasionally use my mobile phone to take a picture of something, I just leave the photo there; I don't do anything special with it.
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I don't really do either. I leave it to my friends or other family members to take photographs; I'm usually with someone who likes taking photos and can share them with me later.
No, I prefer not to be in photos. I always feel awkward when someone asks me to smile for the camera, and I don't think I'm very photogenic.
It's usually easier to give positive answers, but it's worth practising some negative responses just in case you get a topic that doesn't interest you. Whatever the question is, the easiest way to answer is to tell the truth! Posted by Simon in IELTS Speaking | Permalink | Comments (10)
IELTS Speaking Part 1: a student's question Someone asked me this question: I was asked to describe my living room in IELTS speaking part 1. What style of answer should I give for this question? Let's see what people think. How would you answer this part 1 question? Posted by Simon in IELTS Speaking | Permalink | Comments (46) FROM SIMON: Thanks for your interesting answers! Just a few of them look too long to me. Remember that there are about 10 questions in part 1, and the examiner has a maximum of 5 minutes to get through all of them. If you try to give long answers, the examiner will interrupt you, and this can be frustrating for both of you. One or two sentences is enough. For example: "The living room is the biggest room in our house. In it we have a sofa, a big armchair, a coffee table, and a TV in the corner." That's enough for a part 1 answer - short and simple as usual.
IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'house' topic Examiners often begin the speaking test by asking about your home. Here are some typical questions and sample answers.
I live in a semi-detached house with three bedrooms and a small garden. 2) Which room do you like most in your house? Why? Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 41
My favourite room is the kitchen because it looks out onto the back garden, and it's on the side of the house that catches the afternoon sun.
Well, it would be nice if it were a detached house so that we could have windows on the wall that we currently share with our neighbours.
The previous owners converted the loft into an extra bedroom; that's the quietest room in the house, and the best place to go to do some work.
IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'music' topic Practise giving short, simple answers to the following questions. Remember that negative answers are fine too. 1. Do you like music? Why / why not? 2. What kind of music do you listen to? Why? 3. Has the music that you listen to changed since you were young? 4. Do you think older and younger generations prefer different types of music?
IELTS Speaking Part 1: simplify Your priority in part 1 of the speaking test should be to demonstrate fluency, not difficult grammar or vocabulary. You'll speak more fluently if you keep your part 1 answers simple. Here are some examples of how I would simplify students' answers. Note: the students' answers contain some mistakes.
Logically people from different generation will have taste variation. Depending upon the maturity, music stars of their own age, impact of globalisation as well as technological development in music industry will divide younger and older generation. My simplified answer: Of course, people from different generations have different tastes in music. Popular music changes all the time, and most of us are influenced by whatever style of music is popular when we are growing up.
Student's answer: Yes, I am fond of music. It is simply the medicine for my mind. When I am stressed, music remove stress. When I am happy, music inspires me to be more. It always in the centre of all my parties with friends. When I am sad, music takes me out glue and move forward. Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 42
My simplified answer: Yes, I love music, mainly because it helps to put me in a better mood. When I'm stressed or sad, music picks me up and puts me in a positive frame of mind.
Friday, September 16, 2016 IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'free time at home' topic Try giving short, direct answers to the following part 1 questions. Remember to answer with a full sentence, and give a reason where relevant.
IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'free time at home' answers Here are some example answers for the questions that I shared last week. Remember to focus on fluency in part 1. Try not to hesitate; just say the first thing that comes into your head.
Obviously I sleep at home, but I don't spend very much time at home during the day, because I'm usually busy with work.
During the day I prefer to be out of the house, so I like visiting family or meeting up with friends. But I do like relaxing at home in the evenings.
I usually sit and watch some TV or a film, or I listen to some music. I also like sitting outside if the weather is nice.
No, not really. I get bored if I'm at home for too long. In the future, I imagine I'll still prefer to go out and do things rather than stay indoors.
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Friday, October 21, 2016 IELTS Speaking: you can't get a high score in part 1 On a recent course, some of my students were surprised when I told them to give short, easy answers
in part 1 of the speaking test. One student asked: "But how can we get a band 7 with these answers?" My answer is: you can't! Part 1 of the speaking test is supposed to be easy, and the best thing you can do in this part of the test is demonstrate fluency by answering without hesitation. Posted by Simon in IELTS Speaking | Permalink | Comments (11) Friday, October 28, 2016 IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'names' topic This is an interesting set of questions from Cambridge IELTS book 11: Let's talk about names... 1) How did your parents choose your name? 2) Does your name have any special meaning? 3) Is your name common or unusual in your country? 4) If you could change your name, would you? Remembering the advice that I gave last week , try answering these questions (aloud) without hesitating too much. It's fine to give negative answers or to say that you don't know the answer, but you should still explain why. Posted by Simon in IELTS Speaking | Permalink | Comments (11)
IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'name' answers Here are some sample answers for the 'name' questions that I shared last week. Notice that most of these answers are negative ones; it's completely acceptable to answer in this way.
To be honest, I'm not sure how they chose it; I've never asked them. I suppose it was just a name that they both liked, and maybe they thought it suited me.
It might do, but I don't know what that meaning is; I've never looked it up. Maybe I'll google it later today; you've made me curious to find out!
Yes, it's quite a common name. I remember that there were two other people with the same name as me in my class at school.
No, I definitely wouldn't. My name is part of my identity now, and it would feel strange to suddenly change it. I don't think my friends and family would like that either.
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Posted by Simon in IELTS Speaking | Permalink | Comments (10)
IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'neighbours' topic Here are some part 1 questions from Cambridge IELTS book 8, with my sample answers. How would you answer these questions?
I know my neighbours quite well. They're really nice people, and I always stop to talk whenever I see them.
I see my neighbours at least a few times a week. We usually see each other when we're leaving for work in the morning or coming home in the evening.
I think the most common problem is probably noise. It's difficult to live next to people who have a dog that barks at night, or who play loud music.
Neighbours can do little things like watching your house if you go on holiday or taking a delivery if something arrives by post when you're not at home. I think these little favours are a good way for neighbours to help each other. Posted by Simon in IELTS Speaking | Permalink | Comments (12) Posts in 2017
IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'chocolate' topic A student sent me the following part 1 questions from a recent IELTS test. How would you answer them? 1) Do you like chocolate? Why / why not? 2) What type of chocolate do you prefer? Why? 3) When do you usually eat chocolate? 4) Do people give chocolate as a present in your country? When? Remember that it's ok to give negative answers if you don't like chocolate. Or you could just pretend that you do!
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Friday, January 27, 2017 IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'chocolate' mistakes Here are some of the answers that people wrote below last week's lesson. Can you correct the mistake(s) in each sentence? 1. I like white and milk Chocolate, cause dark chocolate is taste bitter for me, I like sweet one. 2. I adore all kind of chocolates and the reason behind this interest is that when I was young, my father was always giving me chocolate as a prize for the good behavior. 3. I'd love all types of chocolate, but my favourite one is dark. 4. I am certain that I detest dark chocolate: it does not exite my palate. 5. I'm into chocolate just like most people. You know, it is hardly forgotten when you have got access to it.
Posted by Simon in IELTS Speaking | Permalink | Comments (13)
Here are my corrected sentences: 1. I like white and milk chocolate because dark chocolate tastes too bitter to me; I prefer a sweeter taste. 2. I love all kinds of chocolate because when I was young, my father used to give me chocolate as a prize for good behaviour. 3. I love all types of chocolate, but my favourite type is dark chocolate. 4. I hate dark chocolate; I don't like the way it tastes at all. ("excite my palate" is a phrase that only professional food critics would ever use! It sounds very strange in our context) 5. Like most people, I love chocolate. (the rest of the sentence didn't make sense) Posted by: Simon | Saturday, January 28, 2017 at 10:43
IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'chocolate' answers Here are my sample answers for the 'chocolate' topic. Remember that your priority in speaking part 1 is to demonstrate fluency by giving answers that are short, direct and natural, without hesitating too much.
1) Do you like chocolate? Why / why not? Yes, I love chocolate. I like the taste, the texture and the feeling that you get when you eat it. And it goes really well with my favourite drink, coffee.
I prefer dark chocolate to milk chocolate, because it has a stronger taste. I also like chocolate when it's in a cake, and I love drinking hot chocolate too.
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3) When do you usually eat chocolate? I try not to eat too much, but I probably eat or drink something that contains chocolate every couple of days.
Yes, it's very common to give boxes of individual chocolates as a gift. You can give chocolates on any special occasion really: birthdays, Valentine's day, Easter, Christmas, and so on.
To see my corrections for the sentences in yesterday's lesson, look in the "comments" area below that lesson.
IELTS Speaking Part 1: stop and smile! In part 1 of the speaking test you need to give short, direct answers. When you've given your answer, you should stop and wait for the next question. The problem is that many candidates keep speaking, even when they've already given a good answer. Sometimes it's because they feel nervous about leaving a moment of silence. As they keep speaking, they start hesitating and repeating themselves, making the answer sound worse and worse. A further problem is that the examiner has to interrupt the candidate in order to move on to the next question. The solution that I practise with my students is this: stop and smile! When you've answered the question, stop confidently and smile at the examiner to show that you're ready for the next question. If you can do this, part 1 of the speaking test will go more smoothly.
IELTS Speaking: smiling won't help your score, but... Regarding the advice that I gave yesterday (stop and smile), I just want to clarify that there are no marks for body language in the speaking test. The "stop and smile" idea is simply a way to show the examiner that you're ready for the next question in part 1 of the test. So, smiling won't help your score, but it can help with the "flow" of questions and answers in part 1.
IELTS Speaking: if you don't understand What should you do if you don't understand a question in the speaking test? Here are my tips: Yüklə 0,63 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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