Speaking & Listening Section

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Democratising quality global education Speaking & Listening Section

Transcript of Speaking & Listening Section

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Democratising quality global education

Speaking & Listening Section

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IELT

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What is IELTS? The International English Language Test (IELTS) is designed to help you work, study or migrate to acountry where English is the native language. This includes countries such as Australia, Canada, NewZealand, the UK and USA. Your ability to listen, read, write and speak in English will be assessed during the test. IELTS is graded on ascale of 1-9. IELTS is jointly owned by the British Council and IDP.

Why take IELTS? If you are looking to work, live or study in an English-speaking country, then you must be able todemonstrate a high level of English language ability. Being able to communicate in the native language of the country you wish to work or study in, has a widerange of benefits. It is also essential for job opportunities as well as integration into the community. IELTS is the most popular test for those looking to migrate to Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK.It is globally recognised by more than 10,000 employers, universities, schools and immigration bodiesincluding 3,400 institutions in the USA.

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Speaking test format

Introduction & Interview (4-5 minutes)The examiner introduces him/herself. And, they ask you to introduce yourself.Then, the examiner asks you general questions on familiar topics, (e.g. family,work, studies and interests).

Individual long turn (3-4 minutes)After the first part, you talk about a particular topic. The examiner gives youpoints you can cover in your talk. You can prepare your talk for a minute, and youare given a pencil and paper to make notes. You talk for one to two minutes onthe topic. The examiner then asks you one or two questions on the same topic.

Two-way discussion (4-5 minutes)The examiner asks further questions which are connected to the topic of Part 2.This gives you an opportunity to discuss more general issues and ideas.

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IELTS SPEAKING TIPS(Discover what you need to do to increase your IELTS speaking score to 8.0 and beyond)

Practice all 3 parts of the testThe examiner is listening to you speak and judging how well you speak from the first minute youenter the room. Don’t just practice for 1 or 2 parts of the speaking exam, prepare for all 3 parts.Each of the 3 parts contribute to your overall speaking score. There is no mark for part 1 or part 2or part 3. Make sure you know what to do and how to structure your answers for each part. Whenyou do practice speaking tests you don’t need to do a full test every time but you should practicefor each part for an equal amount of time in your study schedule.

Fluency is more important than accuracyGrammar and vocabulary range and accuracy are important marking criteria for the speakingexam. However, be careful not to focus too much on accuracy and lose marks for poor fluency. It isOK to correct yourself when you make grammar or vocabulary mistakes but don’t do it every timeyou make a mistake. By stopping in the middle of a sentence and correcting yourself every time,you will not speak fluently. It will also be difficult for you to speak about all of the points in part 2 in2 minutes if you do too much error correction.

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Use the correct tense in your answersTwenty five percent of your mark in the speaking exam isconnected to grammar range and accuracy. The questions that theexaminer asks you are designed to get you to use differentgrammar and tenses. If the examiner asks a past simple question,then your answer should be in the past simple tense. So, it isimportant that you listen to the question carefully so you knowwhat tense to use in your response. When you do practicespeaking tests, look carefully and notice the variety of tensesbeing used in part 1 questions.

Practice with a partnerSelf study is an important step in preparing for the IELTS exam butwhen it comes to the speaking exam, actually speaking to anotherperson is important. Find a speaking partner who is also preparingfor the exam and help each other. Get your speaking partner toact as an examiner and make sure they let you know what you aredoing well and what you need to improve. Having a partner canalso make the studying process less boring and lonely.

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Use authentic IELTS speaking examsAs with all skills in the IELTS exam it is important that you practiceusing real IELTS test questions. Make sure the practice speakingmaterials you use follow the format and include the topics thatare likely to be in the real test. For the same reason, make sureyour answers also follow the structure and marking requirementsfor the speaking exam. Each part of the speaking exam shouldtake 4 to 5 minutes to complete. If your answers are too short inpart 1 or part 3, then the examiner will simply ask you morequestions.

Understand the marking criteriaWith any exam that you take it is important to know what youneed to do to get a good score. I am often surprised to hear manystudents say that all they need to do in the speaking exam is tospeak a lot. This is not true. IELTS examiners have very clearcriteria which they use to asses each students speaking ability.The four marking criteria are: Fluency & Coherence, LexicalResource, Grammar Range & Accuracy and Pronunciation.

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Record yourself doing a speaking testOne of the easiest and most effective ways to identify your mistakes when doing speaking test practice is to recordyourself. Use your computer or mobile phone to record yourself answering real test questions. When you listen toyour recording make notes about what you did well, according to the marking criteria, and what you need toimprove. Don’t be too surprised or upset at how bad you may sound, use this as a way to monitor your speakingexam progress.

Spend most of your time speakingThis may sound like an obvious tip but a lot of my students spend hours preparing for the speaking exam withoutactually speaking. Make sure you say your answers out loud and speak as you would in the exam. It is OK to readabout tips and even write a few notes about what you might say but make sure that most of your speaking exampreparation time is spent actually speaking. The more you speak English at home, in class or with friends then themore comfortable you will be on exam day. Even as you are reading these tips you can practice speaking. Readthese tips out loud to practice your pronunciation and rhythm.

Learn to take and use notesThis tip is specifically for part 2 of the speaking exam. Use the 1 minute that you are given to write notes that willhelp you be more fluent when you speak. Even if you think the topic is easy, make sure you write notes that youcan use while you are speaking. Note taking is a skill that you must practice, make sure you do this anytime youpractice for part 2. Also, while you are speaking about your part 2 topic be sure to look at your notes, but don’tread from them. Your notes are there to help you address all of the points and to remind you about details of yourtopic.

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Same Speaking Answers for Speaking Part 1

Furniture1. Do you have a lot of furniture at home?2. What is your favourite piece of furniture?3. Could you describe it?4. Have you ever received furniture as a gift?5. What furniture would you like to buy?

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LISTENING MODULE

LISTENING MODULE

IELTS Listening Test Summary

All students take the same test. Both academic and GT students take the same listening test. It is marked in the sameway.There are 40 questions in 4 sections

Section 1 = two speakers. This is often a telephone conversation between two people, for example organising aplace on a course, booking a table at a restaurant or renting an apartment. You must listen for specificinformation, such as names (tips on listening for names), dates, times (tips on listening for time), places andnumbers.Section 2 = one speaker. This is often a talk from a guide. You might hear information about a building, a resort, acompany, a charity etc.Section 3 = three or four speakers. This is an academic discussion. It could either be two students talking with aprofessor or a student presenting their resource to their colleagues.Section 4 = one speaker. This is an academic lecture.

The sections get more difficult as the test progresses. This means section 1 is the easiest and section 4 is the mostdifficult.The listening test is 40 mins.

30 minutes to listen to the recording and write down your answer on the question paper.10 minutes to transfer your answers from the question paper to the answer sheet.

IELTS is an international test. There will be a range of accents but the main accents will probably be British andAustralian. IELTS accept either British English or American English spelling.

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LISTENING MODULE

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IELTS Listening Tips(Discover how to increase your IELTS listening score to 8.0 and beyond)

Learn to concentrate for 45 minutesDuring the listening exam students need to focus and concentrate for up to 45 minutes. For many students thisis difficult to do because they are not used to concentrating for so long. When you do practice listening testsmake sure you do tasks that take up to 45 minutes so that you improve your ability to focus for long periods oftime.

Improve your active vocabularyAll parts of the IELTS exam test the vocabulary levels of students and the listening exam is no exception.Increase your chances of getting answers correct by having a wide range of vocabulary. Knowing the meaning ofa word is not good enough for IELTS, you need to know the different forms of the word as well as the correctspelling. Find useful IELTS vocabulary from practice IELTS reading exams.

Identify keywords in the questionsIt is possible to know what you need to listen for before you actually listen. Use words in the questions to knowwhat type of word the answer will be. You should also use keywords to follow along with the audio. When thereare names or numbers given in the question then when you hear those things you know you should get ready tohear the answer to that particular question.

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Have fun with your preparationTry to enjoy the experience of preparing for the IELTS exam. If you are always serious andstressed out you are less likely to find time to study. Try to make the experience enjoyableby studying with friends and including study games as part of your preparation.

Practice under real exam conditionsMany students do practice tests at home or in class and perform quite well compared withwhen they do the real IELTS exam. The reason for this is usually down to how they feelduring the exam. It is advisable to practice under real exam conditions so that you get usedto the strict exam environment. Do practice tests with other students, without distractions,with real time limits and with answer sheets.

Develop a clear step by step strategyEntering the exam room can be a very stressful experience for some students. If you go intothe room and you know exactly what to do you are more likely to be relaxed and make lessmistakes. Knowing what you will do when you get the question booklet and when you willtransfer your answers, will help you mange your stress levels and your time.

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LISTENING MODULE

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Learn from your common mistakesIn order to improve your listening test scores you need to know what you aredoing well and what you are not doing so well. Whenever you do practicelistening tasks always try to identify the type of mistakes that you make. Commonerror types in the listening exam include spelling or grammar errors, poortransferring skills and the inability to follow along with the audio.

Practice transferring your answersIt is quite common for students to do practice listening tests without transferringanswers to an answer sheet. Managing your time when you transfer and checkingfor errors as you transfer are two skills that you need to practice before exam day.

Read and listen at the same timeIt is common for students to understand more when they read than when theylisten. By reading and listening at the same time you can increase your listeningcomprehension. Use audio tracks and tape scripts to read as you listen.

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LISTENING MODULE

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IELTS Listening Practice Test

Fill the gaps to complete these sentences. Write NO MORE THAN 3 WORDS:

How the food affects our brain 1. The weight of a dehydrated brain comes from fats, proteins, amino acids,

__________ micronutrients, and glucose.2. Omega-rich foods, such as nuts, seeds and fatty fish, are _________ the creation and

maintenance of cell membranes.3. Proteins and amino acids affect the way we feel and behave. Neurotransmitters are

_____________ that carry signals between neurons that affect mood, sleep,attentiveness and weight.

4. A diet with a range of foods helps maintain a _________ of brain messengers, andkeeps your mood from getting skewed in one direction or the other.

5. The human brain uses up to 20% of our __________, even though it only accounts foraround 2% of our body weight.

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IELTS Listening Practice Test (Answers)

Fill the gaps to complete these sentences. Write NO MORE THAN 3 WORDS:

How the food affects our brain1. The weight of a dehydrated brain comes from fats, proteins, amino acids, traces of

micronutrients, and glucose.2. Omega-rich foods, such as nuts, seeds and fatty fish, are crucial to the creation and

maintenance of cell membranes.3. Proteins and amino acids affect the way we feel and behave. Neurotransmitters are

the chemical messengers that carry signals between neurons that affect mood, sleep,attentiveness and weight.

4. A diet with a range of foods helps maintain a balanced combination of brainmessengers, and keeps your mood from getting skewed in one direction or the other.

5. The human brain uses up to 20% of our energy resources, even though it onlyaccounts for around 2% of our body weight.