How to structure your answer in IELTS Speaking Part 2
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Transcript of How to structure your answer in IELTS Speaking Part 2
HELLOMY NAME IS
MEENO
• Tianjin
• Accounting
• English Literature
• Teaching English 2003
• Hobbies
WOULD YOU LIKEME TO TEACH IN
A. English
B. Chinese
WHO ARE YOU
1. What is your name?
2. What do you do for a living?
3. Why do you study IELTS?
4. What are you proud of yourself for?
HOW DID HE / SHE DO
A. 5 - 5.5
B. 6 - 6.5
C. 7 - 7.5
D. 8 - 8.5
WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU CAN GET
A. 5 - 5.5
B. 6 - 6.5
C. 7 - 7.5
D. 8 - 8.5
WHAT SCORE DO YOU NEED
A. 5 - 5.5
B. 6 - 6.5
C. 7 - 7.5
D. 8 - 8.5
HOW AM I SCOREDWhat do I need to do to get a 6 or 7?
YOU ARE EVALUATED BY
• Fluency and coherence
• Lexical resource
• Grammatical range and accuracy
• Pronunciation
FLUENCY & COHERENCE/
IS BEING FLUENT THE SAME AS SPEAKING FAST?
A. Yes
B. No
WHICH ONE IS FLUENT
– Meeno Zen
“I came to Australia late 2006 when I was 22 years old. No, 23. No 24. Well, I was born in 1982 so I must
have been 25 by then. Man, time flies!”
A. No. 1
B. No. 2
FLUENCY COMES IN DIFFERENT SHAPES AND
FORMS
ARE WE SPEAKING OR ARE WE RAPPING
FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE ITWhich one is easier to fake?
SPEAK AT THE PACE OF NO / MINIMUM MISTAKE
WHAT DOES COHERENCE MEAN?
YOU NEED A LOGICAL STRUCTURE FOR YOUR
STORY TO BE BUILT UPON
THE STRUCTURE SHOULD BE INTUITIVE (EASY TO USE) SO IT WILL HELP YOU
GENERATE IDEAS FOR YOUR ANSWERTomorrow we shall conquer this endearing quest
BAND 6
• Is willing to speak at length, though may lose coherence at times due to occasional repetition, self-correction or hesitation
• Uses a range of connectives and discourse markers but not always appropriately
SPEAKING AT LENGTH
Speaking at length is the key. You should always answer a question indirectly but never with irrelevant information.
CONNECTIVES AND DISCOURSE MARKERS
A discourse marker is a word or phrase that is relatively syntax-independent and does not change the meaning of the sentence, and has a somewhat empty meaning. Examples of discourse markers include the particles "oh", "well", "now", "then", "you know", and "I mean", and the connectives "so", "because", "and", "but", and "or".
BAND 7
• Speaks at length without noticeable effort or loss of coherence
• May demonstrate language-related hesitation at times, or some repetition and/or self-correction
• Uses a range of connectives and discourse markers with some flexibility
CONVERT LANGUAGE-RELATED HESITATION TO CONTENT-RELATED
HESITATION
Establish a speech speed baseline by speaking slowly but naturally.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
WHICH ONE IS MORE IMPORTANT
A. Quantity (Know a lot of words)
B. Quality (Know them well)
BAND 6
• Has a wide enough vocabulary to discuss topics at length and make meaning clear in spite of inappropriacies
• Generally paraphrases successfully
BAND 7
• Uses vocabulary resource flexibly to discuss a variety of topics
• Uses some less common and idiomatic vocabulary and show some awareness of style and collocation, with some inappropriate choices
• Uses paraphrase effectively
IDIOMATIC VOCABULARY
Idiom is not slang. Never use slang in the exam. You need to sound educated. However, overly formal language is not appropriate either.
GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY
MOST NATIVE SPEAKERS DO NOT USE MANY COMPLEX SENTENCES IN SPEAKING
MOST PEOPLE FAIL IELTS SPEAKING NOT BECAUSE THEY DO NOT HAVE
ENOUGH FANCY WORDS OR COMPLEX SENTENCES
THEY FAIL BECAUSE THEY KEEP MAKING SIMPLE, BASIC MISTAKES SYSTEMATICALLY
GRAMMATICAL ACCURACY IS IMPORTANT
BUT
NOT AS IMPORTANT AS FLUENCY AND COHERENCE
BAND 6
• Uses a mix of simple and complex structures, but with limited flexibility
• May make frequent mistakes with complex structures, though these rarely cause comprehension problems
BAND 7
• Uses a range of complex structures with some flexibility
• Frequently produces error-free sentences, though some grammatical mistakes persist
PRONUNCIATION
IS PRONUNCIATION IMPORTANT
Yes!
AM I GOING TO SPEND MUCH TIME ON IMPROVING IT
No!
WHYyou may ask …
BECAUSE PRONUNCIATION TAKES MONTHS IF NOT YEARS TO IMPROVE
YOU SIMPLY DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO MAKE ANY REAL DIFFERENCE
AS LONG AS YOUR PRONUNCIATION IS STILL COMPREHENSIBLE (UNDERSTANDABLE), YOU ARE NO WORSE THAN THE NEXT GUY
WE ALL SUCK AT PRONUNCIATION
USED THE ABOVE BAND DESCRIPTORS AS A GENERAL GUIDELINE FOR YOUR STUDY PLAN.
WHAT ARE YOU ABLE TO PRACTICALLY IMPROVE IN THE AMOUNT OF TIME YOU HAVE BEFORE THE
EXAM.Factors such as manner, confidence and culture relevance can also affect your test result. A successful interview depends on both your language skill and the way you present yourself and communicate
your idea with the interviewer. You need the whole package to win the examiner over.
.
.
FOR THIS SESSIONYOU WILL NEED
• A pen or pencil
• A few sheets of A4 paper
HELLOMY NAME IS
MEENO
WHAT LANGUAGE WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO USE
A. English
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YOU ARE EVALUATED BY
• Fluency and coherence
• Lexical resource
• Grammatical range and accuracy
• Pronunciation
TEST LOGIC VS LIFE LOGIC
DEMO TIME
IMAGINE I’M THE IELTS EXAMINER
Do you like music?
/B
FOUR POSSIBLE ELEMENTS IN AN ANSWER
• Answer (My answer is …)
• Reason (Because …)
• Example (For example …)
• Conclusion (That’s why …)
WHAT CONSTITUTES TEST LOGIC
A. Answer + Reason (My answer is … Because …)
B. Reason + Example (Because … For example …)
C. Example + Conclusion (For example … That’s why …)
D. Answer + Example (My answer is … For example …)
WHAT CONSTITUTES LIFE LOGIC
A. Answer + Reason (My answer is … Because …)
B. Reason + Example (Because … For example …)
C. Example + Conclusion (For example … That’s why …)
D. Answer + Example (My answer is … For example …)
TEST LOGICAnswer + Reason
LIFE LOGICAnswer + Example
NOW IMAGINE THIS
– Your friend // classmate // colleague
“You seem angry.What happened?”
WHAT LOGIC ARE YOU GOING TO USE
A. Test logic
B. Life logic
TEST LOGIC
• I had a terrible experience at a local restaurant. (Answer)
• Because it is slow, dirty and its customer service is horrible. (Reason)
LIFE LOGIC• Don’t mention it. You know that dodgy little food stand at the corner of Main and Wall? It is disgusting.
(Answer)
• I was there waiting for their stupid noodle for more than half an hour and all I got was a bowl of cold, hard, God knows whatever that was. // It was not even cheap considering how shabby (04) the place was. // On top of that, while I was wolfing down ( ) the “food” due to the long wait I was forced to endure ( ) because of their unbelievably slow service, I found a gigantic ( ) cockroach ( ) at the bottom of the bowl. Well, half a cockroach to be exact which makes it even worse because who knows where the other half is. I could have eaten it. I want to puke ( ) just thinking about it. // To make things worse, when I complaint to the manager about their “food”, he simply dismissed ( ) my concerns ( ) by saying I got what I paid for. The nerve ( ) of him! // Ugh, I am so angry right now I want to strangle ( ) somebody! I am going to report them to Department of Health and leave some very negative feedback ( ) online so no one would ever go to that hellhole ( ) and get food poisoning ( ) again. (Example)
WE NORMALLY DON’T HAVE ANY REASON FOR CHOOSING SOMETHING OVER OTHERS OR THE REASONS WE HAVE ARE NOT WORTH
MENTIONING BECAUSE THEY ARE TOO OBVIOUS( )
IT’S MERELY YOUR PERSONAL PREFERENCE( )
DO YOU HAVE ANY REASON FOR THE FOLLOWING
• Do you like music?
• Do you like movies?
• Do you like sports?
• Do you like Chinese food?
CAN YOU GIVE ME ANY EXAMPLE OF THE FOLLOWING
• Do you like music?
• Do you like movies?
• Do you like sports?
• Do you like Chinese food?
WHICH ONE DO YOU THINK IS EASIER
A. Coming up with reasons
B. Coming up with examples
TEST LOGIC FORCES YOU TO MEMORIZE STOCK ANSWERS FROM “EXPERTS”
“ ”
LIFE LOGIC ELICITS REAL, UNIQUE, PERSONAL ANSWERS FROM YOUR LIFE EXPERIENCE
HOW TO IMPLEMENT LIFE LOGIC IN IELTS SPEAKING
EXAMPLE
DESCRIBE SOMETHING YOU OWN WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT TO YOU
• Where you got it from
• How long you have had it
• What you use it for
• Why it is important to you
WHERE YOU GOT IT FROM
Yes. One of the most important things I have is my piano because I like playing the piano. I got it from my parents to my twelve birthday …
HOW LONG YOU HAVE HAD IT
So I have it for about nine years.
WHAT YOU USE IT FOR
Didn’t answer
WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU
And the reason why it is so important for me is that I can go into another world when I’m playing piano. I can forget what’s around me and what … I can forget my problems and this is sometimes quite good for a few minutes. Or I can play to relax or just, yes to … to relax and to think of something completely different.
WHAT DO YOU THINK HE GOT
• 4 - 4.5
• 5 - 5.5
• 6 - 6.5
• 7 - 7.5
WHAT WENT WRONGHe used test logic instead of life logic.
QUESTIONS IN IELTS SPEAKING PART 2 ARE VERY HARD
BECAUSE THEY ARE TOO EASY
WHERE YOU GOT IT FROM
Yes. One of the most important things I have is my piano because I like playing the piano. (Stating the chosen subject matter with an introduction // Test logic used here instead of life logic)
I got it from my parents to my twelve birthday … (Answer with no detail)
HOW LONG YOU HAVE HAD IT
So I have it for about nine years. (Answer with no detail)
WHAT YOU USE IT FOR
Didn’t answer (Answer was too obvious, the candidate did not attempt to explain)
JUST TELL ME WHAT TO DO
LIFE LOGIC TO THE RESCUEAnswer + Example (Detail)
ANSWER + EXAMPLE (DETAIL)SO THERE ARE TWO QUESTIONS
TO ASK YOURSELF
• If you are asked to use only a word or phrase to directly answer the question, what would you use?
Q: Where you go it from?
A: 12th birthday party
ANSWER + EXAMPLE (DETAIL)SO THERE ARE TWO QUESTIONS
TO ASK YOURSELF• Now use your answer as the center idea and
branch out from there.
Q: If you are asked to describe a birthday party, what things would you like to mention?
A: Location // Time // Parents // Weather // Guests // Food // Music // Games // Gifts // Piano etc.
TAKEAWAYS
• Brainstorming cannot replace preparation beforehand.
• The key to generating ideas is to focus on quantify.
• It is better to have more points than you need to describe the subject mater than not having enough material to construct a rich story.
