Lesson Introduction
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Video Lesson
- IELTS Speaking Part 1
Del 1
So first of all, I want you to know that to do well on all the IELTS speaking parts, you will need to use a wide range of vocabulary to talk about various topics such as food, travel, home, accommodation, and weather ..etc. Also, you will need to be able to use grammar correctly in your speaking answer, particularly using correct tenses to talk about the past, the present, and the future. Finally, your speaking answer should be fluent, and your pronunciation needs to be clear.
So basically, vocabulary, grammar, fluency, and pronunciation are the four main keys to your success in IELTS speaking and so throughout our IELTS speaking lesson series, you'll learn important training exercises, tips, and strategies to help you improve all four skills. So make sure you subscribe to get the latest IELTS speaking lessons!
Okay! So in today's lesson, we are going to learn some basics on IELTS speaking part 1.
- First! We'll look at how Part 1 works.
- Then, we'll look at how to fully answer a part 1 question.
So let's get started.
Let's talk about your country:
What is your country famous for?
Where do you live in your country?
Is it a interesting place to live?
Are you planning to live there in the future?
Let's move on to talk about accommodation:
Tell me about the kind of accommodation you live in?
Does the place you live in have many amenities?
Is there anything you would like to change about the place you live in?
Do you plan to live there for a long time?
Again, these are just examples. There are many other topics and questions that you could be asked like about work, what you study, your friends, your family, your hobbies, food, sports, etc.
Think of part 1 like "small talk" between two people. These are the kinds of questions you might exchange with someone you just met. The questions from Part 1 are much easier than Parts 2 and 3, but don't think it'll be a piece of cake. You still need to prepare for it or you could be caught off guard.
Okay! That's all there is to part 1. Let's move on and talk about how to give a full answer to IELTS speaking part 1 questions.
Before we get into the examples, what you will notice is the good examples always explain their answers.
Okay, let's look at an example.
In this example, two students give two answers to the same question:
What kind of food do you like to eat?
| Good | Bad |
| Student A: Oh! I am a big fan of noodles. I like to try different kinds of noodles, spicy, salty, even sweet. Every culture makes noodles a little differently, so there are always new kinds to try. | Student B: Oh! I am a big fan of noodles. (Student did not answer why they are a fan of noodles.) |
Student B's answer is way too short and uncommunicative whereas Student A's answer is longer and has more information. Because of this, even If both students' English levels are the same, student A's answer received a much better score.
- Providing reasons
- Providing examples
- Providing detail
- Talking about the past/the future
- Making speculations
The only way to master these 5 techniques is to practice them. In some cases, you want to provide reasons. In other cases, you want to provide examples. You need to train your brain to recognize which technique will be used simply by the question being asked.
Now, let's look at these 5 techniques in more detail.
We'll look at each technique as they appeared on the list. So we'll start off with providing reasons.
Okay, let’s listen to some IELTS speaking part 1 questions and sample answers that provide reasons. As you listen, you can repeat what you heard or pause the video and practice by providing your own answer to the question.
Providing Reasons
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What do you like to do in your spare time? I am really into swimming, so I like to swim in my free time. I suppose this is thanks to the influence of my parents who both like swimming.
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What kind of programme do you like to watch on TV?
My favorite TV programmes are dramas, since I don't have to think too much when I watch them. They're a little over dramatic at times, but that's part of the fun.
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Do you usually watch films alone or with others?
I like watching films with my family and friends, because afterwards we can talk about our favorite parts and figure out what we think the plot was about.
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Who was your favorite teacher in high school?
My favorite teacher in high school was my English teacher. The reason why she was my favorite teacher is that she taught very well, and spent time making sure we
understood new words.
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What was your favorite subject in high school? I enjoyed several subjects, but the one I liked the most was probably science. I put my love of science down to the fact that
I grew up in a family where my parents love science and I was taught to have an inquiring mind.
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What's your favorite kind of music?
I like pop music mostly because that kind of music motivates me and makes me happy. I'll listen to almost anything with a good beat and upbeat lyrics.
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Who do you get on best within your family?
It's hard to say, since we're all so close. I guess I probably get on best with my mother, as we are the most alike.
We're both very chatty and warm people.
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Do you prefer eating home or going out to restaurants?
I prefer to go out to restaurants because I can feel like a guest and it is much more comfortable to eat at restaurants than at home.
Not to mention that the food there tastes better than home-cooked meals.
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Providing examples is another great way to make your answer longer. To give an example, you can say: for example, for instance, take something for/as an example, a case in point is that.
Again! Let's listen to some example questions and answers:
Providing Examples
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Do you like to keep fit?
Yes! I like to keep fit. I am keen on sports! For instance, I play basketball every week and use the gym whenever I have the chance
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Do you like learning a new language?
Yes! I really do! Take learning English as example. I love reading English magazines and listening to English podcasts.
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Is there anything you would change about your hometown?
Well.. my least favorite thing about it is that there aren't too many fun things to do or see. A case in point is that shopping centres and restaurants close too early.
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How do you listen to music?
I mostly listen to music on my phone, with headphones. For example, when I take the train, I like to listen to something to pass the time.
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How do you define volunteer work? Well.. volunteering means spending your free time to help others. For example, helping children to learn a useful new skill if their families don't
have the money to pay for classes.
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Are there any negative things about the Internet? Well..yes, there are some drawbacks to the Internet. For example, there are some online predators who try to harass people online through social media.
That can be very upsetting.
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Some common descriptive questions are
Tell me about your hometown?
Tell me about the kind of accommodation you live in?
Tell me about the favorite shop you often go to?
What was your first day at work like?
What responsibilities do you have at work?
Let's listen to the sample answers.
Providing Details
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Tell me about your hometown? My hometown, Delhi, is the second largest in India. The capital of the country, New Delhi, is also there. There is an international airport in Delhi,
so it's easy to travel in and out of the country from there.
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Tell me about the kind of accommodation you live in? I live in a rented room in a paying guest accommodation. It is a superb building equipped with all the facilities. Round-the-clock security, access to free Wi-Fi,
medical room and a common room all are made available to the guests living in the building. Every major part of the city is accessible from our building.
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Tell me about the favorite shop you often go to? It is a book shop near where I live. It's on the main street. I often go in there to browse and have a look through all the books they have.
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What was your first day at work like?
You know ..it was about a year ago now, but I still remember it fairly well. My first day at work was slightly hectic and overwhelming, and I actually made a lot of mistakes.
Fortunately, my co-workers and supervisor were patient with me, and I got through it okay. Things at work improved quite a bit once I learned my way around.
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What responsibilities do you have at work? My greatest responsibilities at work are negotiating and maintaining relationships with our clients. I also need to stay organized and be sure to make sure I understand the products
I'm promoting.
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So basically you can use this technique if the question is asking about your current situation or is asking you if you have done something before.
A typical question would be "Who do you live with now?".
If you just say "I live with my parents", you'll get a low score because it was too short.
What you can do to make the answer longer is to also talk about who you lived with in the past or who you are going to live with in the future.
So a longer answer can be "I live with my parents and my older brother right now, but I used to live with my younger brother 3 years ago when we went to the same college"
Alright! Let's look at more examples:
Talking About the Past or the Future
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Where do you live in your country now? I am currently living in Delhi, which is the second most populated city in India. I've lived there for a couple of years, but I used to live in Bangalore,
which is also a big city in southern India.
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Are you working at the moment?
No! Not at the moment. I am unemployed now, but I am planning to apply for some internship positions this summer. Hopefully things will change soon.
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Have you ever been to a concert before?
No. I've never been to a concert before, but I think I will. Concerts are always happening around where I live, so I will try to go check them out when I can.
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If you encounter a question which you don't have a definite answer to, you have a wonderful opportunity to make a speculation. Consider this question:
Do you think you'll ever live in another country?
So if you are not sure whether you'll ever live in another country, you should use the phrase like "I suppose I'd ..", For example, "I suppose I'd be happy to leave my country if I was offered a job abroad that was interesting'
Notice the sentence pattern is "I suppose I'd ..if I was", that was The conditional type 2.
It is used to talk about a hypothetical situation
The conditional type 2 is built like this:
Subject + would/could/might + verb + if + Subject + simple past
If you can use The conditional type 2 correctly in your answer, it will help your score on the IELTS speaking exam as one of the grading criteria the IELTS speaking exam uses is grammar.
Okay! Now let's listen to some example answers that make speculations and use The conditional type 2. Pay attention to highlighted words which are used to make a speculation.
Making Speculations
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Do you think you'll ever live in another country? I suppose I'd be happy to leave my country if I was offered a job abroad that was interesting.
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What would be your ideal holiday destination? Hmm.. I'd doubt whether I'll ever go there, but I'd love to go to Africa to see the wild nature. Right now I don't have money for vacation.
If I had more money, I would probably go with my girlfriend.
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What would be your ideal job? You know..that's a tricky one. It would probably be working as a software engineer in Google if I managed to pass Google's interview.
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Are you a polite person? You know..that's a good question! Let me see..I would say I am, but that depends on what it means to be polite. I think being polite means respecting others,
and I try my best to do that.
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What would you change about your job?
Hmm..the job I have now is overall acceptable, but I would say that there aren't many opportunities to move up the ladder.
If I was a senior manager, I would probably advise my boss to change the way that the company is managed to allow for more upward career mobility.
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You've completed the lesson: IELTS Speaking Part 1
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Start the next lesson: IELTS Speaking Part 2 - Strategy 1
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