Speaking Task 1: Giving Advice

What is the format of this task?

A few example questions would help us understand the format clearly. Here they are:

Example 1

PREPERATION TIME:30 sECONDS

Speaking Time 90 Seconds

Your friend is trying to get in shape for the

summer. Give him some advice on how we can

get in perfect shape

PREPERATION TIME:30 sECONDS

Speaking Time 90 Seconds

Your brother recently got his driver's license
and wants to buy his first car.Give him some
advice on how to buy a car

PREPERATION TIME:30 sECONDS

Speaking Time 90 Seconds

Your parents are travelling abroad for the first
time.Give them advice on what to do in an
airport.

General understanding of Task 1: Giving Advice

From the above examples, it is clear that this task requires you to offer advice to people that you may know well. This could be individuals belonging to your family, friend circle, or workplace environment.

This task requires you to speak directly to the person seeking your advice. Hence the flow of your response should be like a telephone or a real conversation.

As far as timings are concerned, we have 30 seconds to prepare and 90 seconds to respond to the task.

To prepare for this task, try and remember a variety of situations where you can give others helpful suggestions in real life:

You friend wants to buy a phone but is confused which model is the best.
Your cousin needs a break and wants to go for a short trip but needs help planning it.
Your co-worker is not sure whether to continue on the job and needs to make a decision.

Key Patterns and Model Answers for Giving Advice

We will look at a few high-level answer transcripts and extract useful language patterns that can be used in our response to Task 1: Giving Advice.

Model answer 1 (with key language patterns and vocabulary)

PREPERATION TIME:30 sECONDS

Speaking Time 90 Seconds

Your friend is trying to get in shape for the

summer. Give him some advice on how we can

get in perfect shape

Model answer to example 1

Hey Ryan, it’s great to hear that you want to get in shape! I’ve learned a lot about fitness over the past few years and I’d be happy to give you some tips .

I think the best way to get in shape is to focus on three things: diet, exercising, and routine.

When I first started working out, the biggest mistake I made was not paying enough attention to my diet. Diet is so crucial! Fitness experts say that abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym. So, if you want to have a beach body, you need to eat low-sugar, low-carb foods.

Also, if you want a really toned body, you should focus a lot on cardio . Personally, I like running in the mornings and biking in the evenings. I know you like swimming, so that would be a great option as well . Lifting weights is also important if you want to look ripped. Some guys have no body fat, but they’re really skinny. Ideally, you want low body fat AND big muscles.

To build muscle, you need to consume a lot of protein. I would recommend eating chicken or soyabeans at least once a day and drinking a protein shake after every workout. If you do the right things, you’ll see significant results after two or three weeks.

The most important thing is to stay consistent. Try to make a routine for yourself that you really enjoy. If you want to bulk up, focus on weightlifting. If you want to trim down, focus on cardio.

Page Break

Anyway, there’s my two cents! Best of luck with your new goal! Maybe next time, I see you, you’ll have a six-pack!

Study how the above answer achieves the requirements of the task

In model answer to example 1 above, study the following things:

The structure of the response: start -> middle -> end
The patterns of bold phrases, used to give friendly advice to people close to you
How is each piece of advice supported and extended?
The tone used by the speaker (to match the task)
The words and phrases (connected to the topic)

Some tips related to the model 1

In this question, you need to give some polite advice to someone. Try not to sound bossy.

DON’T say:

You had better not eat junk food.

You must not drink cappuccinos.

You need to go jogging every morning.

You can't not go to the gym.

DO say:

You might want to consider getting a gym membership.

It would be good to cut out junk food from your diet.

Personally, I would stop drinking cappuccinos if I were you.

You could start jogging every morning.

One thing you could do is find a workout partner.

In my experience, running is a great way to burn calories.

I would recommend hiring a personal trainer.

I would suggest going swimming every evening.

Some key vocabulary (words/phrases/idioms) used in model 1

burn calories

burn fat

build muscle

lose weight

gain weight

carbs sugar

protein diet

toned (low body fat / muscles are easily visible)

ripped (muscular)

six-pack (visible abs)

beach body (good looking body)

fit as a fiddle (idiom: very fit)

routine

consistency

cardio

lift weights

results

bulk up (get bigger muscles)

trim down (get smaller)

crucial (very important)

two cents (input, advice)

Model answer 2 (with key language patterns and vocabulary)

PREPERATION TIME:30 sECONDS

Speaking Time 90 Seconds

Your brother recently got his driver's license
and wants to buy his first car.Give him some
advice on how to buy a car

Model answer to example 2

Hey Mike, I’m really excited for you that you got your driver’s license and are looking for your first car! I’ve bought and sold several cars in my life, so I think I can give you some good advice .

Since you just graduated from high school, you probably don’t have a huge budget for a vehicle . The good news is that there are always lots of great second-hand vehicles for sale. I just bought a 2008 Toyota Corolla on CarDekho.com for $2800. Have you browsed CarDekho yet ? That’s a great online community for second-hand things.

Another website is OLXCARS . I would start by taking a look on those sites and figure out what kind of car you want to buy. Some people prefer buying vehicles from a dealership because there’s less risk of the car being a lemon. Personally, I prefer a private sale because you can haggle more over the price.

Anyway, after you’ve found one you like, you send a message to the seller and ask if you can look at the vehicle and go for a test drive. If you like the vehicle, then you make an offer on it . Personally, I always start with a low-ball offer. For example, if the vehicle is $3000, I would offer $2100. They might counter with $2700 and then you could meet somewhere around $2500.

After you buy the car, you have to get insurance and registration for it. It’s a pretty easy process.

Anyway, I hope you find a great vehicle! Just let me know if you need any more advice . There’s a vehicle auction once a month that I usually go to. If you want to come along sometime, you’d be more than welcome!

Study how the above answer achieves the requirements of the task

In model answer to example 2 above, study the following things:

The structure of the response: start -> middle -> end
The patterns in bold phrases, used to give brotherly advice
How is each piece of advice supported and extended?
The tone used by the speaker (to match the task)
The words and phrases (connected to the topic)

Some tips related to the model 2

Remember, when you give advice to your brother, you’re not telling him what he should do. You’re just giving him suggestions.
After listening to your advice, he will make his own decision.
In this question, “ how to buy a car ” is referring to the general process of getting a car. What should your brother do first? Some people take these kinds of questions too literally. They might focus on the word “how” and think:

Pay money

Sign papers

Get license plate

If you give an answer like that, it’s probably okay. But really, this question is not that technical. Don’t overthink it. Just give him practical advice on where he should start looking for a car and then maybe tell him some other aspects of the process if you have time.

Some key vocabulary (words/phrases/idioms) used in model 2

Budget (the amount of money you want to spend)

Second-hand (not new)

CarDekho.com (a popular Indian website for pre-owned cars)

OLXcars (a popular website for buying and selling cars)

Dealership (a place that sells cars)

Lemon (a car with serious problems)

Private sale (you buy from a person, not a business)

Haggle (bargain)

Low-ball offer (much less than the seller is asking)

Counter (reply to your offer)

Insurance Registration Auction (a place where people bid, the highest bidder gets the car)

Model answer 3 (with key language patterns and vocabulary)

Example 3

PREPERATION TIME:30 sECONDS

Speaking Time 90 Seconds

Your parents are travelling abroad for the first
time.Give them advice on what to do in an
airport.

Model answer to example 3

Hey Mom and Dad, it’s great that you guys are going on a trip! I know airports can seem really intimidating, but don’t worry, I’ll give you some advice .

It’s important to arrive at the airport three hours before departure when you’re taking an international flight. When you get to the airport, you want to look for a sign that says “check in” . Most airports have two levels. The bottom level is arrivals and the top level is departures.

When you find the check in counter, give the agent your passports and he/she will check you in. At this point, you need to say goodbye to your checked baggage . Make sure you have all your important documents in your carry on !

After checking in, you need to go through security . Just follow the signs that say “security check point”. Here, you will need to go through a metal detector and put your carry on bags through a scanner. They might ask you if you have any liquids or gels. If you’re unlucky, they’ll confiscate your toothpaste.

After going through security, you need to find your gate . Check your boarding pass for the gate number . When you find the gate, just wait in the lounge until boarding the flight.

Anyway, that’s my few pennies worth! Don’t forget your passports!

Study how the above answer achieves the requirements of the task

In model answer to example 3 above, study the following things:

The structure of the response: start -> middle -> end
The patterns in bold phrases, used to give advice to parents
How is each piece of advice supported and extended?
The tone used by the speaker (to match the task)
The words and phrases (connected to the topic)

Some tips related to the model 3

Many people have never traveled by air before. In this question, just explain the process to your parents in a simple way.
Try to use specific vocabulary related to an airport ( check in, boarding pass, gate ).
Remember, this question is 90 seconds, so think of as many things as you can and take simple notes.
Suggested notes would look like this:

Arrive early

Check in

Go through security

Find gate

Board plane

Remember, it’s good to have a one-sentence introduction and conclusion in your answer.

Some key vocabulary (words/phrases/idioms) used in model 3

Intimidating (scary)

Levels (floors)

Arrivals

Departures

Check in

Agent (person working at check in)

Passport

Boarding pass

Checked baggage

Carry on baggage

Security Metal detector

Scanner

Liquids and gels

Confiscate (take away)

Gate

Lounge

High and Low Score Audio Responses

We will listen and examine features of high-level and low-level audio responses to Task 1: Giving Advice.

Task 1: Giving Advice

Speaking Task 2: Talking about Personal Experience

What is the format of this task?

A few example questions would help us understand the format clearly. Here they are:

Example 1

PREPERATION TIME:30 sECONDS

Speaking Time 90 Seconds

Talking about your biggest accomplishment

Example 2

PREPERATION TIME:30 sECONDS

Speaking Time 90 Seconds

Talk about a favourite trip you took what made the trip memorable

Example 3

PREPERATION TIME:30 sECONDS

Speaking Time 90 Seconds

Talk about a time you made a change in

your lifestyle What was the change and

how did it affect your life

General understanding of Task 2: Talking about Personal Experience

From the above examples, it is clear that this task requires you to tell a story or narrate any experience from your past. The story needs to suit the question and be realistic.

This task puts focus on your story-telling skills, which include the following sub-skills:

Ability to describe a sequence of events/situations from the past.
Ability to recall people connected to these events.
Ability to show feelings and emotions through choice of words.
Ability to structure all of the above as a cohesive whole.

As far as timings are concerned, we have 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to respond to the task.

Common topics for Task 2 preparation

To prepare for this task, a good starting point is to think about some common past-related topics given below:

Events

a party

a trip

an adventure

First experiences

first love

first date

first job

first cooking experience

first time trying a new sport

Favorites

favorite place

favorite celebrity

favorite movie

a person who inspires you

father/mother figure

Difficult choice or decisions

time when you learnt from your mistake

time when you worked or studied under pressure

time when didn’t get help

Milestones

something that changed your life

possession that you value the most

best accomplishment

Key Patterns and Model Answers for Talking about Past Experience

We will look at a few high-level answer transcripts and extract useful language patterns that can be used in our response to Task 2: Talking about Past Experience.

Model answer 1 (with key language patterns and vocabulary)

PREPERATION TIME:30 sECONDS

Speaking Time 90 Seconds

Talk about Biggest Accomplishment

Model answer to example 1

Probably the biggest accomplishment I’ve had in life is graduating from university.

It was a great achievement for me because I was the first person in my family to get a university degree . My family was so proud of me . My grandma even cried at the graduation ceremony. I worked so hard during the three years of university, and it felt so good to be done.

Actually, I worked hard even before starting the degree because I had to pass a number of entrance exams. Those were brutal! So, even getting into university was a big achievement for me.

Another reason why this feat was worthy was because I maintained an excellent score throughout my studies. Because of that, I received two incredible scholarships — one for Rupees 8000 and the other for Rupees 5000. Those really helped me out a lot!

All in all, getting a university degree was my biggest accomplishment so far in life.

Study how the above answer achieves the requirements of the task

In model answer to example 1 above, study the following things:

The structure of the story.
The patterns in bold phrases, used to talk about past events
How the story is weaved using situations, people, and feelings/emotions
The tone used by the speaker (to match the task)
The words and phrases (connected to the topic)

Some tips related to model 1

Remember to use past tense verbs in your answer!
Don’t waste time thinking of your biggest accomplishment because you only have 30 seconds to prepare for this question.
Just think of any accomplishment and then start thinking of reasons why it is important to you. The reasons don’t have to be true.
Just make them up if you can’t think of any!
Let’s suppose you decide to talk about graduating from university. What would your notes look like?

Suggested notes would look like this:

First in family

Admission tests

Good scores in all semesters

In this question, don’t focus so much on using lots of big words. Instead, focus on your tone of voice. The listener should be able to hear that you’re proud of yourself just by listening to your voice.

Some key vocabulary (words/phrases/idioms) used in model 1

achievement

proud

ceremony

entrance exams

brutal (extremely hard)

scorecards

scholarship

Model answer 2 (with key language patterns and vocabulary)

Example 2

PREPERATION TIME:30 sECONDS

Speaking Time 90 Seconds

Talk about Favourite trip you took what made the trip memorable

Model answer to example 2

Thirteen years ago , I went to Madurai to visit my sister who was studying there.

We went on a 10-day road trip down the coast. We had such an amazing time! We decided to be completely spontaneous and not plan anything. We just started driving and made up everything as we went along!

Every day we drove for about 5 hours and spent the rest of the time exploring the town or city we were in. At one point , we drove through a small town and stopped for ice cream. We couldn’t believe how big the ice cream cones were! They were enormous! We loved the ice cream so much that we decided to stay in that town for the night.

The next day , we went for ice cream again and my sister ordered two cones for herself. As soon as we started driving , the ice cream fell off one of the cones onto her lap. We laughed so hard.

Those simple moments were unforgettable. We took lots of pictures and made a lot of memories on that trip. I’ll never forget that trip.

Study how the above answer achieves the requirements of the task

In model answer to example 2 above, study the following things:

The structure of the story.
The patterns in bold phrases, used to show sequences of time periods and events within them
How the story is weaved using situations, people, and feelings/emotions
The tone used by the speaker (to match the task)
The words and phrases (connected to the topic)

Some tips related to the model 2

When you answer this question, you should sound excited because you’re telling a story of your favourite trip.
Just relax and speak from your heart.
If you can’t think of a favourite trip you took, just make something up.
Just make sure to give some reasons why you enjoyed the trip.
Don’t forget to use time expressions to show the sequences of events.
Remember to use past phrases

Went

Travelled

Ate

Visited

Saw

Spent

Some key vocabulary (words/phrases/idioms) used in model 2

So much fun

At one point (one time)

I’ll never forget that

Unforgettable moment

Enormous (huge)

Down the coast (traveled near the ocean)

Spontaneous (unplanned)

Make up everything (be spontaneous)

Model answer 3 (with key language patterns and vocabulary)

Example 3

PREPERATION TIME:30 sECONDS

Speaking Time 90 Seconds

Talk about a time you made a change in

your life style What was the change and

How did it affect your life

Model answer to example 3

When I was in college , I had to take early morning classes. The classes started at 7am which meant that I had to wake up at 5:30 .

That was a big change for me because I had to start going to bed earlier. It was hard to make this change because I’ve always been a night owl . I like staying up late watching movies and chatting online, but this change really had a positive impact on my life.

After a few months of early mornings, I really fell in love with the new schedule! I felt less tired than I used to. It was so refreshing breathing the crisp morning air as I walked to school . I loved hearing the birds chirping and seeing the sunrise.

Even though I don’t have to wake up early anymore, I still do it because I have grown to love it .

Nowadays, I’m an early bird!

Study how the above answer achieves the requirements of the task

In model answer to example 3 above, study the following things:

The selection of a simple change in life .
The patterns in bold phrases, used to show sequences of time periods and events within them
How the story is weaved using one’s past and changed behavior
The tone used by the speaker (to match the task)
The words and phrases (connected to the topic)

Some tips related to the model 3

If you can think of a personal example from your life, that’s great.
But if you can’t think of one immediately, then just make something up. For example, you could talk about changing your diet or taking the stairs to your office .
When you answer this question, you should tell a story.
Most stories start with a time reference.

Last year,

Three years ago,

Before my college started

In your first sentence, you should say what change was. Then in the rest of the sentences, you’ll talk about how it affected your life.

Some key vocabulary (words/phrases/idioms) used in model 3

Night owl (someone who stays up late)

Early bird (someone who wakes up early)

Impact (influence)

Crisp (cool)

Chirping (the sound birds make)

Refreshing