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  • Hi, I'm Oli.

  • Welcome to Oxford Online English.

  • In this lesson, you can learn about the IELTS speaking exam.

  • The IELTS speaking test has three parts.

  • In this class, you can learn about part one of the speaking exam in more detail, and how

  • to improve your score.

  • First, let's review what happens in part one of the IELTS speaking test.

  • After you introduce yourself, the examiner will ask you some simple questions about one

  • or two topics.

  • Some common topics are: where you live, your job, your family, your free time, food, sports,

  • and other simple things like this.

  • Section one of the IELTS speaking test lasts four-five minutes.

  • The examiner reads questions from a script, so it's not a discussionit's just question

  • and answer.

  • In this video, we'll look at some sample IELTS speaking test questions and answers,

  • and see what makes a good answer.

  • Part one: The First Questions in IELTS Speaking

  • At the beginning of the exam, the examiner will ask you some basic questions:

  • What's your name?

  • Where are you from?

  • Can I see some identification, please?

  • These are easy questions, and they are the same in every IELTS exam.

  • Use the start of the exam to get comfortable.

  • You might be nervous at the beginning of your IELTS speaking test.

  • This is normal, but you need to try to relax.

  • If you're more relaxed, you'll speak better.

  • So what can you do?

  • Answer the examiner in full sentences.

  • Don't say, “Berlin,” say,

  • "I'm from Berlin."

  • Don't say, “Andrew,” say,

  • "My name's Andrew Gray."

  • Speak in a clear, confident voice.

  • Make eye contact with the examiner.

  • Making a strong start will help you to feel more in control.

  • This will help you to feel more confident speaking English in the exam.

  • Part two: Speaking Fluently and Clearly

  • After the opening questions, the examiner will ask you questions about one of the simple

  • topics we saw earlier.

  • Let's start with a simple question:

  • "Describe your hometown."

  • We're going to look at three different answers.

  • In this section, you can see how you can speak more fluently and clearly.

  • Ready?

  • Answer number one:

  • "I come from Moscow.

  • It's a big city."

  • What do you think?

  • Is this a good answer?

  • No, it isn't.

  • It's too short, and there aren't any details.

  • To get a score of 6 or 7 in IELTS, you need to speak at length.

  • You also need to use a wide range of vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation features.

  • If you give a very short answer, you can't do any of these things.

  • Remember: every question is a chance to show the examiner what you can do in English!

  • Let's try again!

  • Answer number two:

  • "I'm from Moscow.

  • As you may know, Moscow is the capital of Russia.

  • I'm really proud of my city and I miss it when I'm not there.

  • In my neighbourhood, there are many cafes and parks where I like to hang out with friends

  • in the evening."

  • What about this one?

  • It's better, right?

  • It's longer and it has lots of details.

  • However, this answer isn't really answering the question.

  • The answer talks about how you feel about your hometown, and what you like doing there.

  • The question asks you to describe your hometown, not say how you feel about it.

  • This is a common problem.

  • Many IELTS students know that they need to give longer answers, but it's also important

  • to stay on topic.

  • You do need to develop your ideas.

  • You do need to add details to your answers, but you also need to answer the question which

  • the examiner asked.

  • You can't just talk about whatever comes into your head!

  • OK, let's look at answer number three:

  • "I come from Moscow.

  • It's a very large city, and also the capital, so it's very busy and crowded.

  • It's the kind of place where people always seem to be in a hurry.

  • The centre has a lot of historical buildings and monuments, while out of the centre there

  • are mostly just residential areas."

  • This is the best answer.

  • It's clear, detailed, and on-topic.

  • Remember that you can pause the video and review the answers if you want.

  • Part three: Using Vocabulary Effectively in Your Answers

  • Let's look at another question:

  • "Describe your home."

  • This time, we'll look at two sample answers.

  • Think about how the candidates use vocabulary, and which candidate does a better job.

  • Answer number one:

  • "I live in an apartment in a big building.

  • My apartment has four rooms.

  • There is a bedroom, a living room, and a kitchen.

  • The fourth room is a…

  • Um

  • I forgot the word in English."

  • Answer number two:

  • "I live in a mid-sized apartment in a tower block.

  • It has four rooms in total, with a tiny bedroom, an open-plan living room, and a dining area,

  • and a kitchen.

  • Then there's a…

  • What's the word?

  • Like an office, where I do some work or studying sometimes."

  • Which answer do you think is better?

  • I hope it was obvious: the second answer is much better.

  • What makes this answer better?

  • The use of vocabulary is much better in the second answer.

  • The first candidate lives in a big building.

  • The second lives in a tower block.

  • This is much more specific.

  • The second candidate also uses a lot of adjectives, like mid-sized, tiny or open-plan, while the

  • first candidate doesn't add any description.

  • Using a variety of vocabulary can make your answer clearer and more descriptive.

  • This helps your score.

  • Both candidates forget a word, but the second candidate deals with it much better.

  • The first candidate just gives up and says “I don't know the wordwhile the second

  • candidate finds a way to explain the word and explain the meaning.

  • You don't need a perfect vocabulary to get a good score in the IELTS exam.

  • If you don't know a word, don't panic, and don't give up.

  • Try to find other words or phrases which have a similar meaning.

  • When preparing for your IELTS exam, think about the topics which can appear in part

  • one.

  • Learn some more advanced or interesting vocabulary you could use for each topic.

  • For example, learn and practice ten words to describe your home, ten words to describe

  • your hometown, ten words to talk about your hobbies, and so on.

  • Part four: Improving Your Grammar Score in Part One of the IELTS Speaking Exam

  • Let's look at our third sample question:

  • "What do you like doing in your free time?"

  • We'll look at three sample answers.

  • This time, we're going to focus on grammar.

  • Think about how these candidates use grammar.

  • Answer number one:

  • "I have a lot of different hobbies.

  • What I do depends on my mood.

  • For example, if I'm feeling energetic, I like to play basketball or go jogging.

  • If I want to relax, I read a book or cook something.

  • I find cooking very relaxing."

  • What do you think?

  • Good answer?

  • Yes, it is.

  • It's very good.

  • It's clear, and the candidate has mixed shorter and longer sentences.

  • There aren't any grammar mistakes.

  • It's a really good answer.

  • However, most IELTS candidates can't use grammar perfectly, and make mistakes when

  • they speak.

  • Let's look at two more answers which might be more realistic for you if you're planning

  • to take IELTS in the near future.

  • So, answer number two:

  • "I have lot of hobbies.

  • I'm doing different things depending on what's my mood.

  • For example, if I am very energy, I will play basketball or go to jogging.

  • If I want to relaxation, I read some books or cook something.

  • Cooking is relaxing to me."

  • Answer number three:

  • "I have many hobbies.

  • Sometimes I play basketball or go jogging.

  • Sometimes I read or cook.

  • Cooking is relaxing."

  • Remember, we're focusing on grammar.

  • Which answer do you think is better?

  • It might surprise you that answer number two is better than number three, even though there

  • are many, many grammar mistakes in the second answer.

  • In the third answer, there are no grammar mistakes.

  • What's going on?

  • How can an answer with lots of mistakes be better than an answer with no mistakes?

  • First of all, the second candidate at least tries to use more complex sentences.

  • The third candidate uses very short, simple sentences.

  • This is an interesting point: in IELTS, trying and failing, or partly succeeding, is better

  • than not trying at all.

  • The third candidate is trying to