Summary of Part Three Question Types

There are some questions in Part Three that have not been covered in this section. However, the 7 types that have been explained are definitely the most common.

If you are asked a question that does not fit any of these structures, you can try to adapt the language to fit that question.

Remember the basic rule should always be: begin with a linking phrase, introduce an idea then develop it a linking structure. Do not list ideas. Separate your ideas with linking phrases. Most Part Three questions only need 3 ideas.

As I have stated before, to score 7 in speaking you do not need to produce great answers to every question - you just need to produce some great language in response to some of the questions.

Additional Tips

1. Giving examples
2. Paraphrasing
3. Vague language
4. Asking for help
5. Example interview scripts
6. Suggested further reading

Giving examples

Sometimes you can finish your answer with an example structure but you do not need to do this with every question; one or two times in the speaking test is more than enough.

Look at the previous answer to the "problem" question.

It’s universally accepted that there a few hazards involved with the increase in the use of private cars. Essentially, one fundamental concern is probably that it leads to an increase in pollution. This fact is unmistakably perturbing because we are facing huge global pollution problems at the moment. Additionally, another major cause for concern has to be the fact that cars consume huge amounts of our energy resources. And the underlying repercussions of this are that we will soon be confronted with a global energy crisis."

It would be quite easy to add an example to this answer:

Actually I think this idea is best illustrated with the example of oil which is running out at an alarming rate.

You don’t get extra marks simply for adding an example. However, your score will be influenced because you have used a complex linking structure:

Actually I think this idea is best illustrated with the example of...

Use the following structures to introduce an example:

• In fact, this concept can be illustrated by the example of...
• As a matter of fact, this point can be demonstrated with the case of…
• In actual fact, this notion can be confirmed by the example of…

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is extremely important in the speaking test because it directly affects your vocabulary score.

To achieve a vocabulary score of 7 or 8, the examiner needs to hear at least one example of effective paraphrasing. Paraphrasing means saying or explaining something in your own words. In the speaking test it is used to explain vocabulary gaps (words that you don't know in English).

A good tip for paraphrasing is the "forget-explain-remember" rule. With this strategy you deliberately forget a particular word. Then you explain the word and then you remember the word. Look at the following example:

An additional problem with cars is that they produce a lot of ...em... I can't remember the word, but it's the gas that comes out of the car exhaust...oh yeah...carbon monoxide. That's what I mean.

In this example the candidate has produced some effective paraphrase and used a complex vocabulary item (carbon monoxide), so the vocabulary score has been influenced in two ways.

It is usually a good idea to think of some examples of this before the test, but the following examples should be quite helpful because they can be used for many topics.

For buildings: architecture, interior décor, elevator, escalator.

For people: optimistic, open-minded, assertive, sarcastic.

For objects: warranty, guarantee, replacement.

It really doesn’t matter which word you decide to paraphrase as long as it’s an uncommon vocabulary item.

In addition, many Chinese words can be paraphrased, especially if there is no exact English equivalent, such as:

Huo Guo, it’s a type of dish that is served in a pot and the pot is usually heated on the table, so the food is cooked in from of you.

This example of paraphrasing is worth more marks than simple saying "hot-pot".

Placeholders

Placeholders are words that replace something when a speaker does not know or cannot remember the name of something or someone: "You need to use a thingummy when you open a bottle of red wine."

Grammatically these simply replace the name of the person or object that the speaker cannot remember and never change their form. Other placeholders include:

whatsit thingy thingummy

When you paraphrase, try to use one of these placeholders. Look at the following example:

One of the major problems with shopping online is that there are loads of err... what is called...

You may think this is not a very good way to impress your examiner, but this is exactly what native speakers do when they forget a word.

When you paraphrase you need to first let the examiner know that you have forgotten the word (or you don't know the word in English). Use the following linking phrases to begin paraphrasing:

• I can’t remember the English word; I’ll have to explain what I mean here.
• Actually, I can’t seem to remember the word; let me try to put it into plain words.
• The word has slipped my mind; I’ll try to paraphrase it for you.

Use the following language to explain your word:

• Well what it is... it is a kind / type of...
• In some ways it’s similar to...
• actually something like a...

Continue your paraphrasing with:

• And it’s made from...
• It’s often found...
• It’s used by / for...
• It involves...
• One of the most unique features of X is that...
• And I should also mention that...

Then "remember" the word:

Oh... I think I’ve just remembered it; the word I’m looking for is X.

Vague Language

One language feature that sounds like native-speaker English is vague language. Vague language is best described language that is not exact.

Look at the following example:

You usually need to buy them in a special shop like a craft shop or somewhere like that.

The phrase "or somewhere like that" is vague language.

Use the following vague language in your answers:

Rounding up the time:

I arrived about half past six.

When I arrived it was almost half past six.

When I arrived it was half six-ish.

It was nearly half past six when we arrived.

List completers include words such as things and stuff.

• I usually watch documentaries and things like that.
• I usually watch documentaries and stuff like that.
• I’m quite fond of reading magazines and things / stuff.
• I might buy a book or something like that.
• I usually buy books and DVDs or stuff like that.
• I might buy a book or whatever.
• I might go to the park or whatever.
• I might go with my classmates or whoever.

Do not use too many list completers in your speaking test. A good guideline would be 4 or 5 examples across the whole interview.

Quantities

Vague language is very common with numbers when expressing quantity, frequency or the time. Lower numbers are often expressed by phrases such as: a couple of, a few. Whereas, larger numbers are rounded up with: about, around or replaced with: lots of, loads of.

With vague language, "a couple" does not usually mean “two”; it can mean "up to three" or even "four". When you do not want to give accurate numbers, you can use the following:

• There were about 30 odd students in my class.
• There were about 30 or so people at the party.
• She’s not that old.
• I'd say she's about 40-ish.
• There are a lot of / lots of / loads of choices.
• I’ve been to Beijing a couple of / a few times.
• I think I saw about / around 10 or so.

Asking for help

In the speaking test there are strict rules about how much help the examiner can give you. These rules are different for each Part of the test.

In Part One the examiner is allowed to repeal the question TWO TIMES if you don’t understand it. lf you don’t understand a certain word and ask about that word, the examiner is not allowed to explain it; the question will be repeated in exactly the same way.

If you do not understand the question in Part One or if you just didn’t hear it clearly, it is fine to ask the examiner to repeat it. Use the following language:

• I'm sorry I didn’t quite catch the question; could you ask it again please?
• I’m sorry I missed that one; could you repeat it please?

As a rule, if this happens two or three times in Part One, there will be no problem. If it happens more than 4 times, then the examiner will reduce your fluency score (usually by one point, i.e. 5 will be reduced to 4).

In Part Two, it is unlikely that you will need the examiner to repeat anything because the examiner doesn’t actually say much. However, if there is a word on the topic card that you don't understand, then the examiner is allowed to quickly explain that word to you (usually by replacing it with an easier word or giving an example). You can avoid this problem by checking all the topic cards featured in this book.

In Part Three the rules are less strict. The examiner will explain vocabulary, change the wording of questions or simplify the questions whenever necessary. This shouldn’t happen very often because when Part Three begins the examiner should have a very clear idea of your language level and he / she will ask the questions in a way in which you should be able to understand quite easily.

Date: 2015-12-17; view: 887