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Written Jun. 7, 2008

How to Speak in Part 1

Key Points

• In Part 1, the examiner is mainly testing you for two things: i) everyday vocabulary and, ii) basic grammar.

• For almost every answer, you should give a two-part answer: First, a direct answer ( 直接的回答 ) to the question and then add more information.

• A 'direct answer' does not mean the same as 'an immediate answer' – a 'direct answer' means 'not an indirect answer'. There are times in the Speaking test when it is suitable not to give an immediate answer, for example, when it's a difficult question and you need to think for a second before answering or when you want to make a comment about the question. This is natural even when you are speaking your native language. In the case where you need time to think, you should tell the examiner that you need a second to consider the question; don't sit there silently thinking about your answer. However, you should not need to speak this way very much in Part 1 because almost all questions in Part 1 are rather simple, information-seeking questions.

• Be very willing to give the examiner a lot of information. ("Information" includes your feelings and opinions.)

• Be very willing to speak your feelings about things, (your likes/dislikes, your preferences, your opinions), even if the question did not directly ask you about your feelings. In other words, feel free to speak personally. First give a suitable direct answer to the question and then, if you can't think of any other suitable information to add, speak about your feelings on the topic of the question. Or, even if you can think of more information to add, feel free to include your feelings in your answer.

• Whenever you answer a question about your feelings, opinion or your likes/dislikes, (including your preferences), always include in your answer at least one reason why or why not.

• The questions will come fast and you will get about 12 questions, in three different topics.

• The examiner will quickly introduce each new topic with words such as, "Let's talk about music now." Listen carefully when the examiner announces the next topic because that information can help you anticipate what the questions will be.

• The examiner will usually say nothing when you answer each question, or he/she will say something very short, such as, "Ah!", "Mmm!", "OK", "Thank you", "Good!", "That's interesting." etc. The examiner will not (or should not) discuss the question with you.

• You cannot ask the examiner questions, such as, "I'm from Xian – have you ever been there?" Or, "I like basketball. Do you like it?" But you can and should ask the examiner to repeat the question if you didn't understand it clearly. Just say a quick, "Pardon?" or, "Sorry?" if you want the examiner to repeat the question.

• If the examiner asks you to repeat what you just said because he or she did not understand, be careful about repeating exactly the same words – try to change some of your words when you repeat your answer. If you repeat exactly the same words, sometimes the examiner will still not understand you! This is because the problem is often not just a pronunciation problem but a combination of two things – imperfect pronunciation and an unsuitable choice of words. 

In other words, if your pronunciation is clear and accurate but you use an unsuitable choice of words, the examiner will usually not ask you to repeat your answer because they will hear you clearly. Similarly, if your choice of words is suitable but your pronunciation is not perfect (but not too bad), the examiner will usually know what you said and will not ask you to repeat your answer. So, to repeat, if the examiner asks you to repeat a sentence, try to guess which words were unsuitable and try to change them when you repeat your sentence.

If you are asked to repeat a sentence, (and you use a different word or two), also try to clarify your meaning by giving an example. 

Alternatively, you could repeat your sentence using the same words that you spoke originally, but also include an example and, as well as that, say something such as, "In other words, ..." or "What I mean is, ....". 

• The average length of each answer should be about 20 seconds. A few answers might be as short as 10 seconds and one or two answers might be as long as 30 seconds but most answers should be between 15 and 25 seconds. In this time, give as much information as possible.  

In general, try to keep a balance between longer and shorter answers within each topic. For example, if you first give two short answers in one topic, you should try to make the other answers in that topic longer. Or, if you first give two long answers, try to make the other answers in that topic a bit shorter. 

In this way, you will be co-operating with the examiner by helping him or her ask you about 12 questions on three topics in about 4.5 minutes. If the examiner feels that the interview "went smoothly", you are more likely to get the highest score that is possible for you.

• Don't feel offended if the examiner interrupts you. It is part of the examiner's job to control the timing of the test and to keep the test moving. If the examiner was just having a chat with you on the bus, he or she would not interrupt you but in the Speaking test, there are strict time limits on the different parts of the test.

• Try not to think too long before you start to answer a question. Say something! If you can't think of something to say immediately, it is alright to make a comment about the question before you actually answer the question, but don't do that too often. (For example, "That's a difficult/unusual/interesting question.") Or, you could first say something such as, "Let me think about that." but don't think for too long before you start to answer the question.

• This is a Speaking test, not a police interview. That means that you can and should tell "white lies" (小 谎言) sometimes if it helps you to speak better. The examiner is really more interested in your speaking ability, not the actual facts that you speak.

Vocabulary

• One of the key points in Part 1 (and it's a key point throughout the whole test), is to show the examiner your vocabulary. For instance, always look for opportunities to say, "For example, ... " and then show some vocabulary.

• In the Vocabulary List pages of this website, you will see some examples of good vocabulary. In your test preparation, you should add your own words for other topics that are not included in those lists. When you look at those words in the Vocabulary lists, you'll see that many of the words are examples of different types, for example, different types of films. Other words in the lists give examples of something, such as examples of housework, ("sweep the floor", "wash the dishes", "take out the garbage", "ironing" etc.)

These words are basic, everyday vocabulary. Don't think that Part 1 is trying to test the kind of words that you find in "IELTS Vocabulary" books. Those books are mainly for the Reading and Writing tests. Of course, many of the words in those books are suitable for Part 1 answers, but some of the words in those books are too formal for speaking, especially for Part 1.

• As mentioned above, sometimes it is better to tell a small lie, in order to show your vocabulary, than to tell the truth but miss out on the opportunity to show your vocabulary.

For example, if the examiner asks you, "Do you have anything (hanging) on the walls of your home (or, your room)?", the truth might be that you have nothing on the walls because you don't want to damage the walls. But that answer doesn't show much vocabulary. If, on the other hand, you tell the examiner, (untruthfully), about lots of things that you have on your walls, including talking about the contents of a picture (for example, a bamboo forest with two tigers lying on some grass), you will get more points for vocabulary.

Similarly, if the examiner asks you what you can see outside the window(s) of your house (or your room), maybe you don't know the vocabulary to describe what you really can see. In this case, tell a lie and give an answer using vocabulary that you do know. Or maybe the view is very boring and simple to talk about and doesn't require much vocabulary to describe. In that case, tell a lie and impress the examiner with your vocabulary by describing a view that is not true but that is rich in detail.

Another example is the 'housework' topic. Many candidates do very little housework, besides just tidying up their own room. You could speak the truth and say that and explain why you don't do much housework. That's quite good, if you can use good language to say that. But why not include in your answer that you occasionally wash the dishes or help your mother wash and chop up the vegetables for dinner (even if it is not true)? And in the question that asks you what housework you least like doing, you can tell a lie and say, "Once I had to ..... and I really didn't like it because ..... So, I'd probably say (or, "I'd have to say") that's the household chore I least like doing." Use your imagination here!

Grammar

• You should definitely answer using full sentences, not one word answers! For example, if the examiner asks you, "Do you work or are you a student?", don't just answer with the one word, "Student."

• If you look at the Part 1 questions on this website, you'll see a variety of question types. You should be able to recognize the different types, especially the different verb tenses. Then, especially in the direct answer to the question, use the same type of language. Sometimes, when you add extra information, you can or have to change the verb tense or the grammar type but often you should continue with the same grammar.

For example, pay attention to any past tense question, which usually has the word "did" in the question. Then use the past tense in your direct answer, and probably in all of your answer, as well. For example: "When did you first start reading newspapers?" You say when and also speak in the past tense when you say why or how or where you got the newspaper from, or what parts of the newspaper you used to read when you first started reading newspapers, say, at the age of 12.

When talking about something in the past, look for opportunities to say something such as, " ... because I thought it was interesting". Notice you say, "thought", not "think" even you might still think that it is interesting now. This is 间接引语, the same as this: "He said he was a doctor." (He still is a doctor.)

• Understand the different usages of the word, "would". For example, "Would you say your hometown is a good place for children to grow up?" means, "Do you think your hometown is a good place for children to grow up?" But your direct answer should be, "Yes, I would" not, "Yes, I do." (Or you could use a different direct answer such as, "Not really.")

• In general, if a question has the word "would" in it, your answer should use the word "would" not "will" or some other verb form. 

For example, "What would you suggest a visitor to China see and do?" should be answered by saying: 

   "I'd suggest they visit the Great Wall and ..."

= "I'd suggest visiting the Great Wall and ..."

= "I'd recommend they visit the Great Wall and ..."

= "I'd recommend visiting the Great Wall and ..."

= "I'd encourage them to visit the Great Wall and ..."

= "I'd tell them to visit the Great Wall and ..."(This last example is not as good as the others because "tell" is more general than "suggest" – it's more suitable for the question, "What would you say to a visitor to China?")

• Many questions are 'Yes/No Questions' and for many of you reading this page, the first grammar point that you need to study is how to suitably answer a yes/no question.

• Always look for opportunities to make complex sentences . It is possible to give extra information in simple sentences but if you want to get a 6 or more for Speaking, try to often show the examiner that you can make complex sentences.

• Probably the most common example of a complex sentence that you should try to use is a sentence using the word, "which". Especially when the examiner asks you to give some examples of something, don't just say a list of words – that shows good vocabulary but the grammar is too simple. Instead, try to add comments to some of the words you say by using the word "which" after some nouns and then adding extra information. The best example of this is when examiners ask high school students (or those who have recently finished high school) to say what subjects they studied.

You need to practice making sentences using "which" (as well as other relative pronouns, 联系代词) so that the sentences come quickly in the Speaking test.

Giving Information

• In addition to the advice about giving information that is written above, you should understand this: many (if not most) of the questions in Part 1 are not just simple questions but instead are invitations to give information. For example, if the examiner asks you what subjects you are studying or studied in high school, you should freely add information, including personal information, such as how you felt about some of these subjects, when you name your subjects.

• Another example of how apparently simple questions are really "invitations to speak" is this type of question: "Do you like sport?", or, "Do you like art?" or "Do you like cooking?" or "Do you like to watch TV?" If you just answer with, "Yes, I do" and then stop talking, you will be lucky to get 5.0 for the Speaking test.

You should begin your answer with, "Yes, I do" and then give more information, even though the examiner did not directly ask you for more information. For example, say what type of sport or art or music or TV programs you like, when you do something, how long you have liked it, how often you do something, who you do it with, why you like it, or whatever you feel is suitable extra information for that question. Be talkative! (当爱说话的人!)

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