Jose:

Hi, and welcome back. In this section of the course, we will focus on the strategies and language skills
that you need to do well in Part 1 of the Speaking test. As we have mentioned before, in this part of the
test, the examiner will ask you a set of general questions about yourself and about a range of familiar
topics. The examiner will choose three different topics and for each you will be asked four to five
questions. The first set of questions will refer to what you are currently doing, either working or
studying. For example, the questions relating to work could be: What is your job? Where do you work?
Do you like your job? If you're asked about your studies, the questions could be: What do you study?
Where do you study that? Why did you choose that subject? The other two sets of questions will be
about general and everyday topics and you can draw on past experiences to answer them which means
that you don't need previous or specialised knowledge. The topics could be about things like your
childhood, your neighbourhood, family and friends, going out, shopping, or sports.

Jose:
You will now watch Shaoling answer some sample questions for Part 1 of the IELTS Speaking test. But
before you do so, we would like you to try some of the same questions that she will answer. If you like,
record your answers so that later you can check how you did.

Jose:
Let's talk about birthdays. Do you usually celebrate your birthdays? What did you do on your last
birthday? Do people celebrate birthdays with a party in your country? Which birthdays are considered
important in your country?

Jose:
Let's now listen to Shaoling answer some questions for Part 1. As you do, consider the following. Is she
speaking too fast or too slowly? Is she using a good range of vocabulary specific to the topic? Is she
using the correct tenses? Is her pronunciation clear?

Jose:
Let's talk about birthdays. Do you usually celebrate your birthdays?

Shaoling:
Yes. I usually celebrate my birthdays. I like it because I obtain many presents.

Jose:
What did you do on your last birthday?

Shaoling:
On my last birthdays, I go to a nice restaurant with my family and we eating lots of delicious food.

Jose:
Do people celebrate birthdays with a party in your country?

Shaoling:

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Yes, in my country, people make parties to celebrate birthdays, big parties.

Jose:
Which birthdays are considered important in your country?

Shaoling:
The important birthdays is the first, then the 10th birthday, and an 18th, I think. 18 because after 18 you
are an adult.

Jose:
Let's now talk about music. Do you like music?

Shaoling:
Yes, I like it. I like music very much.

Jose:
What's your favourite type of music?

Shaoling:
Well, my favourite type of music is K-pop. I really like it. It's very cool. I listen to it all the time.

Jose:
If you could learn a musical instrument what would it be?

Shaoling:
Instrument? I don't know. I didn't want to learn an instrument, too difficult.

Jose:
Do you think music is important?

Shaoling:
Yes, I think music is important, especially for children. I think they should listen to music.

Jose:
So, how do you think Shaoling did? Answer the questions in the next part to assess her performance.

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