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Lesson 2
 Are you a student or are you working? (PEECO – Point – Explain – Example – Compare – Opinion)
 I’m a senior(?) at NEU (Point). So, you can probably guess, I got a lot in my plate right now
(explain). You know, all the assignments and deadlines can really drive me crazy (example).
Gosh, it was so much easier when I was a freshman. I even got a scholarship. But now I just
wanna pass the exam and that’s all (compare). Having said that, I’m somewhat used to the heavy
workload so yah (opinion).
(PEECO) Part 1 style.
Ex: what do you like about your school?
 Well, I gotta say that the thing that I love most about my school is my teachers and friends (point)
because they are really friendly and supportive (explain). I mean they’re always willing to lend me
a hand if I struggle with something, like, for example, yesterday my English teacher spent an hour
after school fixing my pronunciation problems (Example).
 Well, I gotta say that the thing that I love most about my school is my teachers and friends (Point)
because they are really friendly and supportive (Explain). This is huge for me because I no
longer get picked on by my friends or yelled at by my teachers like I did in secondary school.
(Compare)
 Well, I gotta say that the thing that I love most about my school is my teachers and friends (Point)
because they are really friendly and supportive (Explain). This was not the case when I was in
secondary school because my teachers were often really cold and cranky. (Compare)
 Well, I gotta say that the thing that I love most about my school is my teachers and friends (Point)
because they’re always willing to lend me a hand if I struggle with something (Explain). I’m really
lucky to have been enrolled in this school (Opinion).
Fluency and Coherence

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Discussion
 What are the words/ phrases highlighted in green in the following answers?
 Why should you learn them?
9.0 Speaking – Review – Part 1
1. Work/study
 Do you work or are you a student?
Well, I’m working at the moment. I’m not gonna lie; I’m an English teacher and I’ve been teaching
IELTS for quite a long time now. It must’ve been 6 years, I would say.

 Is your work day busy?

Well, if you’d asked me two years ago, I would’ve said yes. But now I kinda have all the time in the
world because I have so many talented people working for me now. I mean, I used to work
something like 14 hours a day given the fact that I had to wear so many hats, like for example, I had
to do the marketing and I also had to take care of all of my students. I gotta say that workload back
then was just unbearable.
 What do you often do after work?
I have night classes, so I usually finish work at about 10 PM. It’s quite late, right?, so, I often just
take a shower and then go straight to sleep. But from time to time, I also make it a point to take my
wife out for a leisurely stroll so that we can talk and get some exercise.
2. Names
 Does your name have any special meaning?
Yah, my name is Kien, which literally means strength and resilience in English. I guess when my
mom named me, she kinda wanted me to be strong.
 Does anyone in your family have the same name as you?
No, my name is kinda strange really considering the fact that it has a Chinese origin, so no one in
my family has the same name as I do.
 What are popular names in Vietnam?
Well, the first one that comes to my mind is Vu; it also means strength, and ferocity. We must’ve
had 3 Vus in our class in primary school, as far as I can remember.
3. Writing
 Do you write a lot?
Yah, definitely, as I said earlier, I’m an IELTS teacher, so I have to write lots of essays to show my
students how I’d tackle a certain essay prompt. I also love free writing because it is quite
therapeutic in that you can “talk” about your feelings. I’m kinda surprised that this form of therapy
is not popular.
 Do you think the things you write will change?
Well, I’ve always wanted to write stories for children because you’ve gotta come up with unique
wondrous worlds with interesting stuff and characters if you want to like your works. I guess have
just what it takes to do it. And I’ve talked with a few IELTS examiners, they all said the same thing
that I seriously think about a career in journalism, which I’ve started to grow fond of recently.

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 Do you prefer writing by hand or typing?
To be honest, though, I can’t even remember the last time I wrote something by hand. Typing is
really life-saver because my hand writing is not very neat and btw when I type, I can fix my mistakes
much more easily… (time’s up)
9.0 Speaking – Review 2 – Part 1

1. Work/Study
 Do you work or are you a student?
Well, I’m working at the moment. I’m not gonna lie; I’m teaching English, specifically IELTS and it
must’ve been 6 years now.
 Have you always wanted to do this job?
No way, I mean I was a kid, I hated being a teacher given the fact that they hated me too because I
was kinda always rebellious and didn’t like studying so much. But then I got to college and I felt like
I wasn’t cut out for engineering, which was my major at the time, so I decided to attend some
English clubs. I felt like I could really excel in the role of an English teacher. So, this job kinda chose
me rather than vice versa.
 Do you work better in the morning or in the afternoon?
I’m way more productive in the morning because after having a good night’s sleep, I can always
focus better on my tasks at hand. Working in the afternoon, on the other hand, though, is a bit
difficult because after working for a few hours in the morning, I tend to feel tired, which causes my
attention to waver significantly.
2. collecting and keeping things
 Do you keep things from your childhood?
Nah, I’m just really sentimental in that way. I tend to keep things for their pragmatic value, so if
something is not useful for me anymore, I’m just gonna throw it away.
 Where do you keep things like money and keys?
So, as for money, I often keep it in my wallet; otherwise, I'm just gonna lose it really easily. And I
have a key chain to keep all of my keys together. Btw, I also have a few other spare keys stashed
somewhere in and around my house, but I don't think that I need to tell you where they are (wink
wink, smile smile :v)
3. Social media
 Do you like to use social media?
I don't like using social media per se, but the thing is I have a large number of fans on my page, so
write posts quite regularly to keep in contact with them.
 Do you think your friends use too much social media?
Yah, definitely, I mean, they are so addicted so social media sites like Facebook and Instagram
that they must spend at least 4 or sometimes even 8 hours on these sites, I would say. I usually
have a hard time understanding what trends they are referring to when we get together.
 Do you want to work in social media? Why?

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Actually, I dabbled in digital marketing a few years back and I would say that with my skills, I could
confidently carve out a career for myself in social media.... (Time's up)

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Speaking – Common discourse markers

 Well
 You know
 Actually
 Like
 I mean
 Basically
 So,
 Right/ alright
 Okay
 And, but, or because
 Anyway
Giving examples
 (so), for example
 (so), for instance
Repeating a point
 As I was saying
 As I said
 As I said earlier
 As I told you earlier/ before
Why do you need to learn this stuff?
 Speaks at length without noticeable effort or loss of coherence
 May demonstrate language-related hesitation at times, or some repetition and/or self-
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correction
 Uses a range of connectives and discourse markers with some flexibility
 Is willing to speak at length, though may lose coherence at times due to occasional
6 repetition, self-correction or hesitation
 Uses a range of connectives and discourse markers but not always appropriately
 Usually maintains flow of speech but uses repetition, self-correction and/or slow
speech to keep going
5  May over-use certain connectives and discourse markers
 Produces simple speech fluently, but more complex communication causes fluency
problems

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9.0 Review – Speaking part 2
Describe an object that you think is beautiful
You should say:

 What it is
 When you first saw it
 What it looks like
 And explain why you think it is beautiful

 So, the object that I'm gonna talk about today is a star-shaped object that was given to me by IDP. I
attended this English competition called IELTS ambassador held by IDP and I won the first prize. I
mean, I scored 9 overall in that contest and I was the only one who was able to do so, so I won it
fair and square.
 Aesthetically speaking, I personally think that it's quite interesting because it kinda resembles the
star on the Vietnamese national flag. Now, I don't think that it's supposed to have that kinda
meaning, but I kinda feel this national pride inside of me whenever I see it. And it has this
hexagonal base, from which two hands emerge to hold the star. And there's this carving of the logo
of IDP, and there's a text that reads "IELTS Ambassador" and something like "first prize" or
something.
 Besides, that competition was the only one that I ever attended and won, so I kinda have lots of
emotional attachment to it. I even designated a nice spot on my bookshelf to put it. This kinda
attachment probably makes this object look even more beautiful to me.
 Well, I should've talked about the first time I saw it as well. So, the organizer of this competition
called me to inform me that I had won the first prize and she asked me to come over to the office to
take a few pictures. After all, the contest was held to find an ambassador for IELTS, right? So, I
went over there and she gave me said object and I was like "wow, this is beautiful", it was meant to
be a compliment because honestly, I didn't know what else to say to someone who I've never met
before.... (time's up)

Speaking part 2 - Brainstorming

Introduce the topic:
-> use the cue cards
-> use multiple ideas for each suggestion, if possible (especially those that come later)
-> tell a story/ give an example for each idea

Describe a person you know who is from a different cultural background.

You should say:
 Who he/she is
 Where he/she is from
 How you knew him/her
 And explain how you feel about him/her
Describe a disagreement you had with someone.
You should say:
 Who you had the disagreement with
 What the disagreement was
 What happened

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  And explain how you felt about it
Describe a photo you took that you are proud of
You should say:
 When you took it
 Where you took it
 What is in this photo
 And explain why you are proud of it
9.0 Review – Speaking part 3
1. What makes a good language teacher?
Well, there are certain qualities that any language teacher should have. It's a no-brainer that you need
to be very patient, especially when you teach beginners, because at this level, there's just so many
things that they don't know. So, it's hard for them to remember the spelling and pronunciation of
words, not to mention the contexts where those words are used. And you should also be creative so
that you can make your lessons interesting and keep your students' interest high.
2. Do you think that Al teachers can replace human teachers when it comes to teaching languages?
No way, with all the convenience and for all the knowledge that Al teachers can impart to students,
there's still so many things that Al teachers can't do, or at least not as well as human teachers. I mean
they can't recognize and appeal to students' emotions, and these tasks are part-and-parcel of the
teaching job. What there are disruptive students and students who fall behind? Can we really trust AI
teachers to come up with appropriate responses and punishments? Teachers also need to observe
their students' reactions to their lessons so that they know what adjustments they need to make to
maintain high interest in their class. I don't think that Al could ever be developed to do these things.
3. Many people learn a new language for international trade, so are there other reasons to learn a
new language?
Well, people want to learn a foreign language for so many practical reasons like traveling, working in
another country or trading with other countries like you said. But there's more to foreign language
learning. I mean, a language is closely connected to the culture where it is spoken. So, it's reasonable
to say that when you learn a new language, you kinda also gain insights into how people in other
cultures think about a certain matter as well. So, there's even an intangible benefit to learning to speak
a new language.
4. In English, for example, there are so many accents, do you think that this makes learning it
more difficult?
Well, to a small extent, yes. Like when you are first exposed to an accent, it could be difficult to
understand. But teachers need to clarify to their students that accents are not that important when it
comes to speaking. Because it's actually way more important to learn to pronounce all of the sounds
in English clearly and then they need to master other important pronunciation features such as stress,
intonation and chunking to express themselves in a more nuanced and subtle way. They don't need to
sound British or American to use the language effectively, So, accents don't really matter all that
much, you know.
5. Do you think that learning a new language could help prevent problems in old age, like it
helps you remember things better?
Well, I haven't read it anywhere and I can't cite any evidence to back this claim up. But it kinda makes
sense. Actually, it makes perfect sense to me. I mean, switching between languages gives your brain a

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sort of exercise. And this could help you avoid problems like senility, I mean you're less likely to go
senile and forget things. (time's up)
So, what do you need to do?
 Idea development
 PEECO (Examples)

Speaking skills
4 marking criteria
 Fluency and Coherence
 Lexical resource
 Grammatical Range and Accuracy
 Pronunciation
Pronunciation
Band 6 Band 7 Band 8
- Uses a range of phonological - shows all the positive features - uses a wide range of
features, but control is variable. of Band 6 and some, but not all, phonological features to
of the positive features of Band convey precise and/or subtle
- Chunking is generally
8. meaning.
appropriate, but rhythm may be
affected by a lack of stress- - Can sustain appropriate
timing and/or a rapid speech rhythm.
rate.
- Flexible use of stress and
- Some effective use of Intonation across long
intonation and stress, but this utterances, despite occasional
is not sustained. lapses.
- Individual words or phonemes - Can be easily understood
may be mispronounced but this throughout.
causes only occasional lack of
- Accent has minimal effect on
clarity.
intelligibility.
- Can generally be understood
throughout without much
effort.

Discussion
 What are pronunciation/phonological features?
 What are the most important features that you need to master first?
 Do you need to have an accent (e.g. British, American…) to get a high band score?
 Is it possible to get band 8 or 9 in pronunciation even if you are not very fluent?
Pronunciation features?
 Sounds
 Ending sounds
 Ed/ s-es endings
 Reduction
 Contraction

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  Stresses (words + sentences)
 Chunking
Pronunciation features 1: Sounds
Long vowels vs short-vowels
Teen Tin Ten Tan Full Fool Want Won’t

Seen Sin Becky Back Should Shoot Walk Woke

“Sh” sound:
 Words for practice
She Should Shall Sure
Ash English Harsh Cash
 Tongue twister:
o She sells sea shells by the sea shore.
o The shells she sells are surely seashells.
o So, if she sells shell on the seashore.
o I’m sure she sells seashore shells.
/t/ vs /th/

 /t/ / θ/ /t/ / θ/
bat bath tank thank
boat both tin thin
set Seth tick thick
 I think I thought of a thought/ but the thought that I thought I thought/ wasn’t the thought that I
thought I thought.
Short vowels + /l/
 milk although cold film
 call difficult children felt
 Chill
Long Vowels + /l/

/i/ + əl /ei/ + əl /ai/+əl /ɒi/+əl /u/+əl

1 feel sale mile oil tool
2 steal mail while toil school
3 wheel fail file boil cool

Word for practice /tʃ/ (CH+r)

 Chick chuck chess charming
 Rich teach beach pitch
 Tree trick try truck
Word for practice /JJ-dʒ+r/
 Joke/ choke Jack Jam January

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  Fridge Advantage Language Age
 Dream Drive Drain Children
One staircase vs two staircases
 Bet vs Bed
 Bat vs Bad; Batman vs Bad Man
 Eight vs Aid
 Cart vs Card
 Sat vs Sad
 Tuck vs Tug
 Back vs Bag
 Pick vs Pig
Free talk – School

1. Why
do

some people like to record important things with photos?

2. What can people learn from historical photographs?
3. Is taking photos the best way to remember something?
4. Which is better, taking photos or keeping a diary?

1. What programs do people like to watch in your country?

2. Do people in your country like to watch foreign TV programs?
3. What’s the benefit of letting kids watch animal videos than visiting zoos?
4. (agree/disagree) game shows and chat shows are a waste of time?

1. What outdoor activities are popular in Vietnam?

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2. What are the differences between after-class activities done by middle and other children?
3. Do you think it’s better for better to change jobs when there are new chances?
4. Should young people try as many new activities as possible?
Writing – Task 1 – Change over time
1. What is the type of language highlighted in red?
2. What is the type of language highlighted in green?
3. What is the type of language highlighted in blue?
4. What is the type of language highlighted in yellow?
5. What is the type of language highlighted in purple?
6. The question always asks you to do these tasks: Summarize the information by selecting and
reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant. What does each of these
highlighted parts mean?
7. Would you be marked down if you do not complete these tasks?
8. What is the function of the first paragraph? How do you write it?
9. What is the function of the second paragraph? How do you write it?
10. What is the function of the two body paragraphs? How do you write them?
The chart illustrates how much fruit was produced in four nations, namely France, Spain, Germany
and Turkey, between 1970 and 2010.
Overall, there were declines in the amounts of fruit produced in Spain and Germany, while rises were
seen in the figures for Turkey and France. Additionally, Spain consistently produced by far the largest
amount of fruit throughout.
Looking first at countries whose fruit production output decreased, just over 5.5 million tonnes of fruit
was produced in Spain in 1970, with a rise to a peak of 6 million tonnes over the next 10 years. This
figure then declined steadily in the next three decades, and by 2010 it had gone down to a little over 5
million tonnes. By contrast, Germany's fruit production saw a steady decrease between 1970 and
1990, falling from 2.5 million tonnes to 1.5 million tonnes. It then remained unchanged in the next 10
years before decreasing slightly in the 10 years leading to 2010.
Turning next to countries with rises, there was a steady increase in Turkey. whose fruit production rose
from 2 million tonnes to 3.5 million tonnes over the period shown. Meanwhile, France produced the
least fruit in 1970, at about 1.2 million tonnes, after which this country increased its fruit production,
ending up at 2.8 million tonnes in 2010, after fluctuating slightly around the 2 million tonnes mark
between 1980 and 2000.

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Task 2
1. How many paragraphs does it have? What are they?
2. Is the introduction long?
3. What does the introduction do? (what does it include?) How should you write it?
4. What do the body paragraphs do? What should you include in these paragraphs?
5. What does the conclusion do?
6. Does it include any suggestions or predictions?
7. What is the word count of this essay?
8. Should you write long essays?
9. What is the longest sentence in this essay? How many words does it have?
10. Should you write very long sentences?

Some people say that to prevent illness and disease, governments should focus more on
reducing environmental pollution and housing problems. To what extent do you agree or
disagree?
There is an opinion that the authorities should focus more of their resources on countering
environmental pollution and housing shortages for the sake of disease prevention. I also hold this view
as such an initiative would be effective and enable governments to save money.
Addressing pollution problems would be efficacious in preventing illness and disease. For example, air
pollution has been conclusively found to cause a range of respiratory problems, while water
contamination can cause digestive issues and skin cancer. If these sources of pollution were properly
dealt with, fewer people would be hospitalized due to such health issues in the first place. This also
means that less money would be needed to fund patients' treatments and medications, allowing the
government to reallocate such savings for other important areas such as education.
Similar benefits could also be found if those in power paid more attention to housing problems. For
instance, due to shortages of affordable housing, there are a large number of people living in
dilapidated apartments with no access to clean water. These people, as a result, often suffer from
diarrhea, and such poor living conditions are also a breeding ground for mosquitoes, which are
carriers of malaria. If they were relocated to cleaner areas, they would be easily safeguarded from
these problems. This could also lead to similar savings in terms of funding for people's hospital bills,
as seen above.
In conclusion, allocating more resources for resolving environmental pollution and housing issues is a
wise idea. This is because it is an effective preventative measure that could safeguard people against
illness and disease and also result in significant savings in funds for people's health care

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