Name: Study English - Series 3, Episode 9: Speaking Coherently
Uploaded: 2014-06-10T16:38:54.000Z
Duration: 10 min 1 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Hello, and welcome to Study English, IELTS Preparation. I'm Margot Politis.

Basic passive voice

Today we'll look at some aspects of discussing a topic, which is something you are expected

to do in Part 3 of the IELTS Speaking Test.

In Part 3 of the Speaking Test you participate in a two-way discussion to test your ability

to discuss a topic in depth in a number of ways. These may include speculating,

comparing and contrasting or identifying a trend.

The speaker in the next clip identifies a trend. What is the trend?

The fastest-growing area of identity fraud is in internet services, such as people breaking

into Internet banking accounts, credit card fraud over the internet, people using fraudulent

credit cards, fraudulent identities to, essentially, break into other people's accounts and, essentially,

The trend he's identified is the fastest-growing crime in the world, identity fraud.

If we listen further he explains why it's a problem.

The traditional way to protect internet banking and other secure applications is through passwords

and PIN numbers. And these are totally inadequate in an area where identity-related fraud is

He tells us it's a problem because the traditional ways to protect internet banking are inadequate.

But he has a solution. Let's hear what it is.

What we've actually developed here is a technology that allows us to analyse a person's voice

- a person that is actually sitting at their computer screen accessing a secure website.

We're able to analyse their voice in order to confirm that they actually are who they

say they are. [Voice Authentication Demo: Big bird - Congratulations you have been successfully

His solution is to use technology which produces a voice signature.

He demonstrated three of the language functions which are used to assess your communication

He identified the issue - that identity fraud is a problem and then explained why it's a

The third language function was providing a solution - he talked about what could be

Now let's listen to this woman responding to the question: What makes a person famous?

I think there are different ways to see what makes a person famous. One is the publicity

and the marketing around a person, but I don't think that's a real, honest way to be famous.

I think if I have to choose I'd rather be famous for being honest, for being kind and

for trying to help and solve conflicts or problems in the world, instead of being on

the cover of a magazine. So my characteristics for a, a famous person, I will go for honesty

She shows that she understands the question by incorporating it into her response at the

start. By repeating the question she is clarifying the topic.

I think there are different ways to see what makes a person famous.

The question is designed to see if you can identify. She identifies what she believes

makes a person famous - publicity and marketing. She uses the listing word 'one' to make this

clear and to logically link her first sentence with the next:

Having identified what makes someone famous, she then shows that she doesn't agree with

this idea. The disagreement is expressed through the word 'but' and she logically continues

One is the publicity and the marketing around a person, but I don't think that's a real,

She develops and expands her ideas further by justifying her opinion. Advising her listener

by using the conditional if - if I have to choose - she then expresses her preference

for trying to help and solve conflicts or problems in the world.

She contrasts her idea of what she believes a person should be famous for with the idea

she suggested originally. She links these two ideas appropriately using instead of:

I'd rather be famous for being honest, for being kind and for trying to help and solve

conflicts or problems in the world, instead of being on the cover of a magazine.

She rounds off her answer by summarising concisely her idea of what makes a person famous. She

uses the conjunction - so to make this final statement:

So my characteristics for a, a famous person, I will go for honesty and kindness.

So she clarifies, identifies, disagrees, gives an opinion, advises, shows a preference, contrasts

In order to respond fully, appropriately and coherently, there are a number of skills you

You should be able to quickly recognise what the question is asking.

A do you think question such as: Do you think there is too much violence in films today?

A question such as: What makes a person famous? Requires you to identify.

You may have an opinion about this, but before you give it, you might explain and give reasons

It's very likely that you will be asked to compare things with a question such as:

What are the differences between urban and rural homes in your country?

Another thing the examiners are looking for is the ability to speculate or say what might

happen with a question such as: What kind of transport will people use in the future?

Now let's look at part of a professional discussion, a television interview with an expert on diet:

Do you think that some people put on weight more easily than others?

Oh, that's definitely the case. We do know that there are genetic differences in how

easy it is for people to put on weight. That's not necessarily related only to their metabolism.

It may also have to do with how much they are driven to eat. And so the degree of appetite

control is better in some people than others. And it's got nothing to do with willpower

She was asked for her opinion with the question: Do you think that some people put on weight

Being an expert, she gives it quickly and decisively: Oh, that's definitely the case.

She means that she completely agrees with the idea that some people put on weight more

easily than others. She goes on to give the reasons why she believes that:

We do know that there are genetic differences in how easy it is for people to put on weight.

That's the first reason - some people put on more weight from the same amount of food

because they're born that way - there are genetic differences. But there's another reason.

That's not necessarily related only to their metabolism. It may also have to do with how

much they are driven to eat. That's not necessarily related only to their

Metabolism is how your body responds to food.

The important words are 'not necessarily related only to'

This means that metabolism is not the only reason people put on weight. Another reason