Speaking
To check
Interview
LongTurn
Two-way discussion
Part 1
General Strategies for Part 1
- predicting possible topics and questions,
- identifying question functions, and
- developing your answers effectively.
Types of Topics and Questions
About general day to day life and your personal background, and they should be familiar to you. These may include questions about your:
- family,
- friends,
- relationships,
- daily routine,
- studies,
- home life,
- hometown,
- country,
- likes and dislikes.
Topic: Hobbies
- Do you have any hobbies?
- Do you prefer to do your hobby with other people or alone? Why?
- Are there any hobbies that you would like to have in the future? Why?
- What are some advantages of having hobbies?
- Why do you think so many people have hobbies?
As you can see, there are two types of questions:
- Closed-ended questions (questions 1-3 above): These are questions that can be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’, or with a one-word answer. However, in this part of the test, you should avoid short responses like these. Notice how questions 2 and 3 include the question word ‘Why?’ which can help you expand your answer.
- Open-ended questions (questions 4-5 above): These are questions that require more thought and therefore longer answers. They start with Wh questions words such as What, Why, Where, etc.
Question Functions
The questions in this part of the speaking test may ask you to do one or more of the following functions:
- describe
- give a preference
- give an opinion
- explain
- suggest
- compare and contrast
Developing Your Answers
In Part 1 of the speaking test, answers of about 15-20 seconds in length are appropriate.
You need to expand your answers with additional information. You can do this by adding 2-3 questions with Wh- words to the question asked by the examiner
| Wh-word | Type of information | Sample additional idea |
|---|---|---|
| Why? | reason | I like it because my parents listened to it all the time when I was a kid. |
| When? | time | I listen to it in the mornings when I’m on my way to work. |
| Where? | place | I have a playlist on my phone so I usually listen to it on the train. |
| Which? | type | I particularly like rock from the 70s and 80s. That’s my favourite. |
| Who? | people | I listen to rock with my brother. He also likes it. |
| How often? | frequency | I try to listen to it as much as I can, every morning and also on the weekends. |
| How long? | duration | I’ve liked rock ever since I was a kid, maybe since I was 5 years old. |
Part 2
Part 3
Phrasal Verb
Phrasal verbs and meanings
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| add up | To refer to information which is meaningful, logical and that makes sense |
| answer back | To reply rudely to someone |
| ask someone out | To invite someone on a date |
| break down | To stop functioning (vehicle, machine) |
| break in/into | To enter a place by force in order to steal |
| break something down | To divide into smaller parts |
| bring something up | To start talking about a subject |
| bump into someone | To meet someone you know without having planned it |
| call something off | To cancel something |
| carry out | To do or complete something |
| catch up with someone | To meet someone to update on each other’s life events |
| come across as | To give other people a certain feeling or opinion |
| come up with something | To suggest or think of an idea |
| do without | To manage without something |
| drag on | To last longer than expected |
| drop by | To stop by for a short visit |
| drop someone/something off | To leave someone or something in a place or destination |
| fall behind | To fail to do something fast enough or on time |
| fill someone in | To give someone details about something |
| follow up | To take further action connected to something that has already happened |
| get along with someone | To have a good relationship with someone |
| get down to | To start to actually doing something |
| get on with | To continue doing something |
| give up | To stop trying |
| hang on to something | To keep something |
| hang out | To spend time with someone |
| keep up with something/someone | To do whatever is necessary to stay level or equal with someone or something |
| kick off | To begin (usually referring to sports) |
| let someone down | To disappoint |
| look forward to | To feel excited about something that is going to happen |
| look up | To check for the meaning of something |
| make do with | To use what is available although it is not enough or what you wanted |
| miss out | To lose an opportunity to do something |
| narrow down | To reduce a list of options |
| pass out | To faint or lose consciousness |
| point out | To emphasise or indicate a piece of information |
| pull through | To get through an illness or other dangerous or difficult situation |
| put something off | To postpone or delay something put up with |
| something/someone | To tolerate, endure |
| rule something out | To eliminate or not consider something |
| run into someone | To meet someone by chance |
| run up against | To encounter difficulties |
| show off | To attract people’s attention by displaying one’s abilities or accomplishments |
| sleep over | To stay overnight at someone else’s home |
| stand up for | To support or defend someone or something |
| work something out | To come up with a solution |
| take after | To resemble in appearance to someone |
| talk someone into | To persuade or convince someone to do something |
| turn up | To appear suddenly |
| wind up | To finish or put an end to something |
Idiomatic Expressions
Idiomatic expressions and meanings
| Idiomatic Expressions | Meanings |
|---|---|
| Better late than never | Better to arrive late than not to come at all |
| Break a leg | Wish good luck |
| Call it a day | Stop working on something |
| Get out of hand | Get out of control |
| Get something out of your system | Do the thing you've been wanting to do so you can move on |
| Give someone the benefit of the doubt | Trust what someone says |
| Hang in there | Don't give up |
| Hit the sack | Go to sleep |
| It's not rocket science | It's not complicated |
| Make a long story short | Tell something briefly |
| Cut to the chase | to get to the point without wasting time |
| No pain, no gain | You have to work for what you want |
| Pull someone's leg | To joke with someone |
| That's the last straw | My patience has run out |
| The best of both worlds | An ideal situation |
| Under the weather | Sick |
| By the skin of your teeth | Just barely |
| Costs an arm and a leg | Very expensive |
| It's a piece of cake | It's easy |
| It's raining cats and dogs | It's raining hard |
| Let the cat out of the bag | reveal a secret carelessly or by mistake |
| Once in a blue moon | Rarely |
| Take a rain check | Postpone a plan |
| The elephant in the room | The big issue, the problem people are avoiding |
| A snowball effect | Events have momentum and build upon each other |
| It takes two to tango | One person alone isn't responsible. Both people are involved |
| On cloud nine | Very happy |
| Walk on air | To be very happy |
| Run like the wind | Run fast |
| Snowed under | Very Busy |
| Cold turkey | to suddenly quit or stop a bad habit or behaviour |
| Throw someone under the bus | cause someone else to suffer in order to save oneself or gain personal advantage |
| Ring a bell | to sound familiar |
| Up in the air | To lose an opportunity to do something |
| On the ball | To reduce a list of options |
| To be loaded | To have a lot of money |
| Rule of thumb | a broadly accurate guide or principle, based on practice rather than theory |
| In hot water | To be in trouble or a serious situation |
| Not one’s cup of tea | Something that is not of your interest or do not enjoy |
| Go with the flow | To relax and go along with whatever is happening |
Modal verbs
| Modal verb | Function | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| can | ability | Five years ago, I couldn’t speak English very well, but I can now. |
| might | likelihood | I might stay in Australia after I complete my university studies. |
| should | suggestion | I think governments should invest more in education and health care. |
| would | hypothetical possibility | If I had money, I would live closer to the beach. |
Chunking
| Grammatical unit | What is it? | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| noun phrases/groups | A noun phrase is a group of words containing one or more nouns which as a whole can function as the subject or object of a sentence. | the process of producing chocolate, the small house at the corner, the email from the manager in Canada |
| verb phrases | These are phrases consisting of an auxiliary or modal verb and a main verb. | The project // should have been finished // by now. |
| transitive verbs and their objects | These are verbs that require an object after them. In the sentence ‘Her grandmother loves dogs’ , ‘loves‘ is the transitive verb and ‘dogs‘ is the object. Verb phrases are grouped together when you speak. | The original manager // contacted all staff // via email. |
| clauses | When you say words such as when, because, if, or who, you need to pause either before them or at the end of the dependent clause. | This is the classroom // where the lecture will be held., If I were you, // I’d consider that idea. |
| lists of items | These usually come in the form of noun or verb phrases and are separated by commas. | When we moved // we gave away our sofa, // our bed // and our washing machine. |
Generating ideas
- Consider different perspectives (i.e. points of view)
- Social
- Familial
- Educational
- Scientific
- Economic
- Technological
- Health
- Personal
- Communicative
- Artistic
- Political
- Geographical
- Psychological
- provide more than one reason, suggestion or advantage: There are a few/a couple/several reasons/suggestions/advantages;
- explain the reasons, suggestions or advantages: The reason is that; This means that; This is because;
- give examples: For instance; For example; such as;
| Question | Perspectives |
|---|---|
| What could managers of big companies do to create a good working environment for their employees? | Technological: Better equipment - works efficiently. |
| Social: Teamwork / better relationships / social activities (games, lunches). | |
| Environmental: Better office environment / large space. |
Filters
- That’s an interesting question. I’ve never thought about that before.
- Well,...
- Let me see.
- So,...
- Well, let me think for a moment.
- It’s hard to say, but...
- There are many ways to answer this question...
- I'm not sure exactly...
Phrases you can use to give suggestions.
- I think (the government) should…
- Perhaps (the government) could…
- One way (the government) could…
- Another way (the government) could…
- A good idea would be for (the government) to…
- Maybe (the government) should…