Match the tips for the Speaking test Task1 with possible answers

• Explain your answers by giving reasons for what you say.
• Ask for clarification if necessary.
• Develop your answers. Give full, relevant answers to the examiner’s questions. This will help get the interview off to a good start
• Express your opinions; the examiner is assessing your ability to communicate.
• Always expand your answers to simple, ‘yes’ or ‘no’ closed questions. (Questions beginning ‘Are you…’, ‘Do you …’, etc).

1. I’m sorry, could you repeat the question, please?
2. Q: Where are you from? 
   A: I’m from Buenos Aires. (Don’t stop there!) It’s the capital city of Argentina and is also the largest city in the country. It has a lot of history and is famous for having a rich culture. I really like living there.
3. I like my job because it’s varied and it gives me the opportunity to travel.
4. Q: Do you like listening to music? 
   A: Yes. I listen to music everyday on my way to work. I like lots of types of music but my favourite is rock music. I’m a big fan of U2. I really like Bono’s singing voice.
5. Q: Do you prefer reading or watching TV? 
   A: I prefer watching TV. When I come home from work I’m usually quite tired so I feel like relaxing. I find sitting with my family in the living-room watching TV is relaxing because we watch TV and chat together. For me, this is a great way to unwind.

1. Do you work or study?

2. Do you like your job?

3. What are your future plans?

4. How do you spend time with your friends?

5. Who is a person who you can call your best friend?

6. Can you tell me about a friend you remember from your childhood?

7. What is special about the culture of your country?

8. Is there any traditional dish that is associated with your country?

Watch Part1 of the video

Jerry answered the same questions you did. His band is 8.5-9.  

Watch the first part  of  the video and tell what helped Jerry to get a high score.

How the structure of your answer was different from Jerry's one? 

Look at this list of topics that could come up in Part 2: 
- Describe a restaurant you enjoyed visiting. 
- Describe a meal you remember. 
- Describe a teacher who had an influence on you. 
- Describe a film you have seen which left a strong impression on you. 
- Describe a friend you have had for a long time. 
- Describe an event from your childhood that you remember well.

In the comments below, say which of these topics you would find it easy to talk about and which would be more difficult to talk about? Why?

What would you do if you were given a topic you thought was very difficult to talk about?

Look at these tips:

• Always use your one minute preparation time - make notes of the points you’d like to talk about, ideally three points for each question on the task card. Practice making notes quickly with example questions, until you can do this easily.
• Use the task card to structure what you want to say. It will provide you with a simple beginning, middle and end structure.
• Begin by telling the examiner what you’re going to talk about, so that they know what to expect.e.g. If the task card asks you to talk about a special place you might begin: “I’m going to talk about a place that is special for me. This place is where my family come from…”
• Try to imagine the topic of your talk in your head when you’re preparing. Always try to talk about a real experience, as this is much easier than trying to invent something.
• Don’t forget to give the examiner some detail about your topic. This will also help you to have enough to talk about for two minutes.
• The last point on the task card often asks you to express your opinion. Make sure you answer this question as it’ll help you to talk for the full two minutes.
• This is a chance for you to talk about something that is familiar to you. Make sure you show off your vocabulary!
• Practise. Prepare by practising speaking with a friend or by recording yourself. Do this a few times until you’re happy you can speak easily for two minutes.

In this quiz you’ll see some phrases you might say in Part 2 of the interview. Choose the best examples of useful language for each question. There are two correct answers for each question.

Now watch this video of two of those learners doing Part 2.

How well do you think the learners do?

Describe a family celebration you have been to.

You should say:

• what the celebration was for
• where it took place
• who was there with you

Explain what you enjoyed about the event.

Look at these tips:

• Answer the examiner’s question
• Give some reasons why
• Provide examples
• Offer an alternative opinion

Find them in the answer

Q: Do you think advertising influences what people buy?
A: I think advertising affects the things that people buy, whether they are aware of it or not. The reason for this is that everywhere we go we see advertisements on the street or on the side of buses. Even when we are at home we see adverts on the TV or on the Internet.  Also, the amount of things that people buy nowadays has increased as society has become more consumerist. Take, for example, mobile phones. Almost everyone has a mobile phone that works but many people still want to upgrade their phone to get the newest or latest model. I think this is because advertising encourages us to buy.  Despite this, I still think we have the choice to decide what to buy or whether to buy. Advertising can influence us, but it can’t control us.

In Part 3 of the Speaking test you need to give full answers and join your ideas together. In this quiz you’ll see some language you might use in this part. Choose the best word to complete each sentence depending on whether you are: 
- expressing your opinion 
- giving reasons why 
- providing examples 
- offering an alternative opinion

You have  been telling about an important event in the past.

Do you think photos are the best way to record and remember special events in our life?

What about written records? Can they encourage to remember past events?

Which one is better: recording important events by taking photos or by writing them down?

Some people say that it is more important to be concerned about events in the future than events in the past. What do you think?

Why do you think so?

Watch IELTS Speaking test (Band 8.5 - 9.0) - Sample 1 from min 10 and compare your answers with Jerry's ones.

Record your answers

PART 1

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

EXAMPLE

Names

•    How did your parents choose your name(s)?

•    Does your name have any special meaning?

•    Is your name common or unusual in your country?

•    If you could change your name, would you? [Why/Why not?]

PART 2

You will have to talk about the topic for one to two 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

Discussion topics:

Different types of TV programmes

Example questions:

What are the most popular kinds of TV programmes in your country? Why is this?

Do you think there are too many game shows on TV nowadays? Why?

Do you think TV is the main way for people to get the news in your country? What other ways are there?

TV advertising

Example questions:

What types of products are advertised most often on TV?

Do you think that people pay attention to adverts on TV? Why do you think that is?

How important are regulations on TV advertising?

WRITING TASK 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The graph below shows average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per person in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal between 1967 and 2007.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant

Write at least 150 words.