LESSON 10: SPEAKING

PART 1
A. VOCABULARY - GETTING INVOLVED
I. NOUNS:

Vocabulary Word type Phonetic English Vietnamese

transcription definition definition
current affairs n /ˌkʌrənt əˈfeəz/ events of political or Thời sự
social importance that
are happening now
recital (recitals) n /rɪˈsaɪtl/ a public performance of Kể lại, thuật lại
music or poetry, usually
given by one person or a
small group
drama (dramas) n /ˈdrɑːmə/ a play for the theatre, Kịch
television or radio

II.ADJECTIVES:

Vocabulary Word type Phonetic English Vietnamese

transcription definition definition
amateur adj /ˈæmətə(r)/ doing something Nghiệp dư
for pleasure or
interest, not as a
job
classical adj /ˈklæsɪkl/ relating to classical Cổ điển
music
contemporary adj /kənˈtemprəri/ belonging to the Đương thời
same time

III. VERBS ASSOCIATED WITH INVOLVEMENT:

Vocabulary Word type Phonetic English Vietnamese

transcription definition definition
assemble v /əˈsembl/ to come together as a Thu thập
(assembls, group; to bring people
assemblig, or things together as a
assembled) group
attend v /əˈtend/ to be present at an Có mặt tại
(attends, event
attending,
attended)
broadcast v /ˈbrɔːdkɑːst/ to send out programmes Phát tin tức
(broadcasts, on television or radio
broadcasting)
establish v /ɪˈstæblɪʃ/  to start or create an Thành lập
(establishes, organization, a system,
establishing, etc. that is meant to last
established) for a long time
observe v /əbˈzɜːv/ to see or notice Quan sát, theo dõi
somebody/something
(observes,  
observing,
observed)
organize v /ˈɔːɡənaɪz/  to make all the Tổ chức
(organizes, arrangements for
organizing, something to
happen or be
organized) provided
participate v /pɑːˈtɪsɪpeɪt/ to take part in or Tham gia
(participates, become involved in
participating, an activity
participated)
resign (resigns, v /rɪˈzaɪn/ to officially tell Từ chức
resigning, somebody that you
resigned) are leaving your
job, an
organization, etc.

IV. PRACTICE:
1. (Track 1) Listen to the radio programme. Match the programmes with speakers 1-5
and write a-e in the spaces below.

Speaker 1 d a. Current affairs programme

Speaker 2 a b. Sporting event
Speaker 3 b c. Classical music concert
Speaker 4 c d. Poetry recital
Speaker 5 e e. Radio drama

2. (Track 2) Listen to another five speakers (1-5) describing their interests. Indicate each
speaker’s interest a-e and form of involvement i-iii in the table below.
Interest Involvement
a. Student magazine i. observer / spectator
b. Contemporary art ii. participant
c. Debating society iii. organizer
d. Classical music
e. Radio broadcasting

Interest Involvement
Speaker 1 e iii

Speaker 2 c ii
Speaker 3 d i
Speaker 4 a iii

Speaker 5 b i
 Exam Tip: Some words in English are more formal or more appropriate for formal writing.
Other words in English are less formal or more appropriate for speaking. Avoid slang expressions, for ex
Avoid very formal expressions or words which are more appropriate for writing, for example: My aforem

3. Match the more formal verbs a-e with their less formal equivalents i-v.
a-iv, b-v, c-I, d-iii, e-ii

a. Attend i. take part in

b. observe ii. set up
c. participate iii. put together
d. assemble iv. go to
e. establish v. watch

4. Listen again to Track 2. Indicate which of the verbs above each speaker uses by
writing a letter a-e or a number i-v in the spaces below.
Speaker 1 ii
Speaker 2 c
Speaker 3 v
Speaker 4 iii
Speaker 5 a

Exam Tip: In the IELTS Speaking exam you can improve your mark by pronouncing sounds correctly.
In English, the same letter can often be pronounced in different ways, for example the letter “s” can sound like /s/ or /z/.
“S” sounds like /s/ when it is:
at the start of a word, e.g. some
doubled, e.g. kissed
at the start of a consonant cluster, e.g. estate
after a voiceless sound like /k/, /p/ or /t/, e.g. talks
“S” sounds like /z/ when it:

comes after a vowel

comes after a voiced sound like /b/, /d/, /l/, /m/, /n/, /v/ or /r/,
e.g. leads, birds, homes, cars
 5. (Track 3) Listen to the words 1-9 below. Indicate whether the “s” sounds like /s/ or /z/.
Practise saying them.

1. affairs 4. classical 7. orchestra

2. assemble 5. establish 8. advise
3. broadcast 6. observe 9. resign
1 /z/ 2 /s/ 3 /s/ 4 /s/ 5/s/
6 /z/ 7/s/ 8/z/ 9/z /

6. Write down five of your own interests. Check their pronunciation. Practise saying them
out loud.

B. SPEAKING PART 1
I. Part 1 of the test lasts four to five minutes. The examiner will introduce him or herself to you
and ask you your name. You must show some photo identification.

1. These are some typical part 1 topics that tend to appear in IELTS Speaking exam
part 1. Collect relevant vocabulary to be able to talk about them.

● Country/city of origin ● Typical landscapes and weather in your

● Daily routines home country
● Work and employment ● Plants and animals
● Background education and childhood ● Your personal likes and dislikes
● Family structure ● Preferences in reading / films / music /
● Public transportation in your home games / entertainment / art / internet
country / pets / shopping
● Forms of building in your ● Hobbies, interests and pastimes
home country ● Celebrations, holidays and festivals
● Typical occupations in your home ● Languages and linguistic proficiency
country ● Newspapers, media and TV

2. The questions in part 1 of the Speaking exam will focus only on one or two of these
bigger topics.
*Do not try to put every detail into your answer from the first question. The questions will
gradually become more and more specific and you will have plenty of chances to answer, give
examples and develop.

3. Work on improving your descriptive skills for answering questions in speaking part
1 by collecting various relevant adjectives and phrases.

Practice efficiently describing people, places, buildings, weather, animals and pets, feelings and
emotions, relationships and attitudes, etc.

Try to avoid using simplistic adjectives such as good / bad / interesting / nice / important or
cumbersome words like cerulean / adamant or loquacious. Both will detract you from your
vocabulary mark.

4. Rephrase the wording of the question if you intend to use it in your answer. Don’t restate
the exact formulations of the question.

Avoid repeating the words of the question as this shows that you have a poor range of
vocabulary, which will result in a drastic drop in your vocabulary mark.

5. Pay attention to the grammar of the question that was asked. It is the grammar that
you are expected to use. Then reuse the grammatical form at the same time paraphrasing the
vocabulary part.

6. A good answer in IELTS Speaking part 1 is one-two developed sentences. Practice

adding a small, relevant detail to a more or less general first sentence of the answer.

For example:

What responsibilities do you have at work?

Well, I must say they’re not that many, as it depends on the circumstances. Typically, I have to
ensure that all teachers’ computers are functional and ready for class work, or fetch printer
paper to the copy room, but once I even had to fix a complicated break-down in one of the
school printers on my own. That was tough but I’m proud I managed to do it.

Do not give an answer which is either too short or too long. If your answer is too short, the
examiner will usually proceed to the next question. Yet, if you talk too much, you will be
stopped by a polite “thank you”, which means “now you can stop”.

7. If you can’t think of anything to say, remember that part 1 is always about yourself.
Do not say “I don’t know.” Develop and explain why you are not so sure. You do know your
own life, and can explore your own experience, so don’t be afraid to say how you feel about one
thing or another.

II.PRACTICE

Prepare your answers for the following IELTS Speaking test Part 1 based on the Tactics
above. Practise saying them many times.

Topic: Friends

1. Do you have many friends?

2. How often do you go out with friends?
3. Tell me about your best friend at school.
4. How friendly are you with your neighbours?
5. Which is more important to you, friends or family? Why?

Topic: Names

1. Did your parents choose your name?

2. How did your parents choose your name?
3. Does your name have any special meaning?
4. Is your name common or unusual in your country?
5. If you could change your name, would you? Why/Why not?

Topic: Food and cooking

1. What sorts of food do you like eating most? Why?

2. Who normally does the cooking in your home?
3. Do you watch cookery programmes on TV?
4. In general, do you prefer eating out or eating at home? Why?