Uncommon Vocabulary

international occasion the world’s most celebrated sports meeting

prestigious competition globally renowned

Grammar Point

You need to use many examples of past tenses:

It was actually the first time I had seen this prestigious sporting competition.

It was broadcast live on TV.

I spent hours watching the main events.

I was quite surprised to notice that...

Others 15: A sporting event

Describe a sporting event that you have seen.

You should say:

What the event was

When and where you saw it

What you liked about it

Whether you would like to watch this type of event again.

Suggestion

Use exactly the same content and language as Others 14: A public event.

Finishing or "Rounding Off" Part Two

After your two-minute talk the examiner might ask you one or two very basic questions about your Part Two content. Examiners call these questions "rounding off" questions. For example, in Part Two your topic was "Describe your favorite form of public transport." Let’s say you described buses. After you have finished talking, the examiner might ask questions like:

Are the buses cheap in your city?

Did you travel to the test today by bus?

These simple questions are used to close Part Two of the speaking test. You DON’T need to give a complex answer to these questions. This is the only time in the speaking test when you should give simple answers. It would be line to answer:

Yes, about 2 yuan for a single journey.

No, actually I came by taxi.

The examiner will want to move on to Part Three as quickly as possible - so do not try to give long responses to these questions.

In some situations the examiner will not ask these questions and will move straight to Part Three.

Do not worry if the examiner does not ask these questions - it means that the total timing for Part Two has reached 3 minutes. This is usually a positive thing because it means your Part Two talk was quite long.

Part Three of the Speaking Test

The format

You know when Part Three has started because you will hear the examiner say:

Ok we've just been talking about (public transport) and now like to ask you one or two general questions related to this topic. So first of all let’s talk about…

Part Three should take 4-5 minutes. This includes the time it takes for the examiner to introduce topics and ask questions.

It is important to realize that in Part Three the focus of questions and topics changes.

As we have already seen, in Part One and Part Two the focus of the topics and questions is "you" or "your life".

Part One Part Two

Do YOU like... Describe YOUR favorite

How often do YOU... Describe something YOU like doing...

Tell me about X in YOUR city. Describe something that is popular in YOUR country

In Part Three, there is a definite change in the focus. The questions are no longer about you or your life. The general focus of Part Three is "other people" or "society in general". The questions in Part Three may be based on things in your country, things in general (no particular place) or they may be about global issues.

There is a direct relationship between your Part Two topic and your Part Three topics. However, it is important to realize that your Part Three topics will not be exactly the same as your Part Two topic.

For example, in Part Two your topic was:

Describe an interesting trip you have been on.

(You described a trip to Hong Kong.)

In Part Three, your examiner might ask you questions about:

Different types of trips and holidays

Travelling abroad / travelling in your own country

The importance of tourism

The examiner will NOT ask about:

Travelling to Hong Kong

Your favorite ways of travelling

Why you like travelling

This aspect of Part Three is important to understand because the content of your answers must be based on "general ideas" and not your "personal information".

It is important to remember that your ideas are not being tested - the examiner is only testing your ability to express your ideas in spoken English.

Candidates who continue to talk about themselves in Part Three will lose marks.

Part Three questions and strategies are given later in this chapter.

Date: 2015-12-17; view: 923