Write the script of the following video (Techniques and advice for Part 1 of the IELTS speaking

test) and mark “/” to indicate the divisions between intonation units. Then record the scripts in
your own voice.
Link: http://subscriptions.viddler.com/SimonCorcoran/6dmhtg
TECHNIQUES AND ADVICE FOR PART 1 OF THE IELTS SPEAKING TEST
IELTS SPEAKING – LESSON 2
In this Lesson, we’re going to look at Part 1 of the Speaking Test. So what you need to know
about IELTS Speaking Part 1:
First, the time. It lasts 4 to 5 minutes, and the examiner has to control that time very strictly. So
don’t worry if you see the examiner’s looking at his or her own watch. That’s normal.
How many questions are there? Well, usually 10 or 11 questions. And the examiner must ask all
of those 10 or 11 questions within 4 to 5 minutes. So they are going to be quite short, fast, easy
questions.
3 topic areas will be covered in those 10 or 11 questions. The examiner will start with 2 or 3
questions about your work or your studies or where you live. And then they will move on to 4
questions about 1 short topic and another 4 questions about a second mini topic. So 2, 3
introduction questions, then 4 on 1 topic, 4 on another. That’s how it absorbs 10 or 11
questions. And this part of the test is supposed to be easy or same all about that in a moment.
Something to remember about IELTS Speaking Part 1. First, I think your aim should be to try to
show your FLUENCY in this part of the test. I think that’s the key in Speaking Part 1. Don’t stop
and think too much. That’ll be called a hesitation, and a hesitation is when your fluency stops.
You stop and you’re saying um or uh. You’re not sure what to say. Probably because you’re
thinking about vocabulary or grammar. My advice is don’t worry about vocabulary or grammar
in this part of the test. Of course, we don’t want to make grammar mistakes. But my point is:
Don’t try to show off your best language. You don’t need difficult vocabulary or complex
grammar in this part of the test. It won’t help you. Try to focus on fluency, so just say the first
thing that comes into your head, answer as quickly as you can and don’t worry about the
quality of your ideas. Just say something. So it’s an easy warm up. That’s how I consider part 1
of the Speaking Test. It should be easy. You’re not expected to show off with your best
language in this part of the test. It’s just like a warm-up to get you started. The question will be
short, fast and easy, and your answer should be as well. So just give short, simple answers. And
remember you can’t get a high score from Part 1 of the Speaking Test. This is a warm up really.
And if you want to show off your best language and get high score, you should be worried more
about Part 2 and 3. Just get through Part 1 with short, simple answers without too many
hesitations and then we can worry about language when we study Part 2 and 3.
What’s the best technique for IELTS Speaking Part 1? It’s easy. Answer the question then give a
REASON. So it’s 1, maybe 2 sentences. That’s all. Give short simple answers but use FULL
SENTENCES. Never just give a one-word answer of a short phrase. Try to answer with a full
sentence. Stop with confidence when you finish your answer. That’s very important.
Sometimes, people get nervous when there is a period of silence. Don’t try to fill the silence
with more answers. You only make mistakes when you don’t have anything to say. That’s a
mistake that people often make. If the examiner leaves any silence, don’t worry, don’t keep
talking. Just smile at the examiner if necessary. As if to show I’ve finished my answer. I’m ready
for the next questions. So stopping with confidence is a good skill to practice.
Let’s look next at topics for IELTS Speaking Part 1. Warning now, especially if you haven’t done
IELTS Speaking before. The topics in Part 1 can often seem childish. They seem like a kind of
question that you might ask a small child. For example, ‘What’s your favourite colour? Now, this
isn’t academic question at all, is it? But that’s a real question from IELTS Speaking Part 1. Don’t
be worried or don’t panic. If you get a question like this in your test, you just follow the
technique: Give an answer and a reason and you’ll be fine. So here’s my example answer: ‘My
favourite colour is blue because it’s the colour of the sky on a nice day’. I give a direct answer in
a full sentence, and I give a reason. So don’t be worried about this strange childish topic. Just
prepare for them and be ready for them and follow the technique. A good way to prepare for
these strange topics that you might ask children is to practice: ‘Do you like …?’ question. For
example, test yourself, can you answer this question quickly? ‘Do you like games?’ So say: ‘Yes, I
like games because …’ or ‘No, I don’t really like games because …’ Practice answering that.
Another example: Do you like walking? That was a real exam questions in IELTS Speaking. ‘Do
you like gardens?’ Some people would surprise by that question in the test. But just follow the
technique even if you never thought about this before. ‘Yes, I like garden because that’s a nice
place to relax. I like nature. I like being surrounded by plants and flowers.’ Anything like that is
fine. Another example: ‘Do you like flowers?’ That’s was a real question. What would you say if
you have that question in your test? Simple answer. Give a reason. Final example: ‘Do you like
dancing?’ So practice these ‘Do you like …?’ questions. Test yourself, can you answer them
quickly and remember you can give negative answers. You can say: ‘No, I’ve never been much
of a dancer. I don’t really like dancing. But I understand other people do because it seems like
fun.’
Now, let’s do a full example of the Speaking Part 1 section with all 10 or 11 questions and 3
topics area covered.
So the first of those 3 topics area is a short introduction, 2 or 3 introduction questions. And the
most common of these introduction question is that is this one. ‘Do you work or Are you a
student?’ Short simple answer, for example, ‘I’m a qualified doctor, but at the moment I’m
studying English. So you can tell the truth if you work and study. Just say that, it’s fine. And
then, another introduction question following on from that. ‘Do you enjoy your job or studies?
Yes, I love working as a doctor because I like helping people. But I’m not enjoying studying
English so much.’ And the third question: ‘Would you like to get a different job in the future?
No, I’m really happy with the career that I’ve chosen, so I have no plans to change jobs.’ So
you’ve seen I’ve given those short simple answers. Sometimes with a reason, sometimes with a
bit of extra information. Full sentences and stop at the end confidently. That answer is finished.
After those 3 introduction questions, we’ll go on to 4 questions about one small topic area. And
the examiner will say something like this, for example, ‘Let’s talk about sport’, ‘Now let’s talk
about sport’. So the examiner is introducing the mini topic of sport. And you get probably 4
questions about it. Now I’m going to put these questions on the video screen now and you’ll
see them one by one. I’m not going to answer them. You can stop the video, pause the video
and try to answer. That would be a good way to practice. See if you can answer these questions
by pausing the video and speak it aloud. You can check my sample answers on the worksheet
attached next to this video. So here we go with the 4 questions about sport: ‘Do you like
sports? Do you think it’s better to watch sports or play them yourself? Why do you think some
sports are so popular? Do you think children should all have to do sports at school?’ So those
are the 4 questions about sport and then we’ll go on to 4 questions about second mini topic.
For example, ‘Now let’s talk about colours. What’s your favourite colour? And why? Do
different colours have different meanings in your country? Do you think that colours can affect
the way people feel? Do you wear different coloured clothes now compared to when you were
a child? And that’s the 4 questions about that topic finish.
So you’ve seen all 11 in this case. 11 questions from Speaking Part 1. You’ve got a chance to
practice those. Remember, short simple answer. Don’t worry about vocabulary and grammar.
Try not to hesitate, try to work on your fluency. And if you practice these, you can become
really good at speaking Part 1. Remember that you can print the work sheet attached next to
this video lesson to see my example answers about those 2 topics in the 8 questions that we’ve
just done. And the next lesson we will move on to Speaking Part 2.