IELTS Ideas and Examples for IELTS Speaking Jeremy Chiron BEIJING LANGUAGE AND CULTURE UINIVERSITY PRESS - 2012 1 Foreword Dear Students, Having taught IELTS in China for four years already, I’m here to help you understand that the IELTS speaking test is not as complicated as people seem to think. My aim with this book is to give you as many examples as possible (some kind of cheat-notes) to give you ideas on how YOU could answer the questions when your turn comes to face the examiner. In writing, I would tell you: in this instructional textbook you will surely find that you won’t need to recite a plethora of inexorably difficult words in order to achieve well on the exam. However, in speaking it means that you must keep things clear and simple-you don’t need to use so many difficult words when you speak English! Before you start reading the numerous examples for Part 1,2 and 3, it is essential that you read the Strategies section of this book as it will lay down the rules and explain to you what you must do and what you must avoid doing during the test.
Depending on your level, some answers might be too long for you but you can select parts of the answer, steal some ideas, and then make them your own. Remember that the IELTS speaking test is based on communication, which means that you need to be interesting and clear. Don’t use words you are not extremely familiar with. “I understand the question but I don’t know what to say!”= Too many students in my classes tell me they don’t know what they could say to express themselves (especially in Part 2 and 3).
This book will give you many suggestions on what you could say as well as show you how to fully develop your answers. The result is that you .will finally be able to express your ideas like a native English speaker would. Remember, however, DO NOT RECITE the answers that are given to you in this book. You might want to learn one or two sentences because they are well-put-together, but the idea is for you to read the answers offered in the book, think about the meaning, and then create your own.
I am sure you will find this book useful while preparing for the IELTS test. I hope you can enjoy studying and improving your English as much as I took pleasure in writing this book. Remember that practice makes. Wishing you all the success you deserve! Best from Jeremy Chiron 2 Acknowledgements Thanks to every student who joined my classes and provided the idea for this book.
I enjoy teaching IELTS because it is fascinating to hear what you have to say about life in China. I’d also like to thank Liu Hongbo and Li Ran from Beijing IELTS for making the publishing of this book possible, and Anne Meredith for going over my writing and providing her American perspective and expertise on this project. I want to thank my parents who have always supported me and encouraged me to be curious and spontaneous. I now want to encourage my students to do the same.
An affectionate thank to Tang Xiaojiao who has played a very important role in my life in China, especially during the creation of this book. Although I’ve nearly forgotten, I’ve been reminded to offer a particular word of gratitude to my dearest Sugar. Your devotion and support have comforted me in the lengthy process of publishing this book, and your sassy quick-wit will undoubtedly be an inspiration for my next edition. I would not dream of completing it without you.
The opinions expressed in the sample answers are not necessarily my own or even similar to my own. Good luck to all the students who strongly desire to improve their English. Jeremy Chiron 3 Contents Who Is the Author of This Book?-An Overview of the IELTS Speaking Test (Part 1＆2） 10 Strategies for the IELTS Speaking Test 1 Rule #1：Don’t Be Boring! 6 2 Rule #2: Describe! Give Details! 8 3 Rule #3: Develop＋Connect！ 10 4 How to Prepare 12 5 Know What to Expect from the Test 16 6 Be Clear about How the Examiner Will Assess Your Level 18 7 Learn How to Plan for Part 2 20 8 Three Language Tips 23 9 Master the Most Useful Words for the Test 25 10 Avoid Some Common Mistakes 27 QuestionType 31 1 Do You Like…？ 32 2 How Often…？ 35 3 How Important.？ 38 4 Do You Think.？ 41 5 Why…？(Causes) 44 6 What Effects…？(Results) 47 7 Compare…(Advantages and Disadvantages) 50 8 How Could…？(Solutions) 53 9 How Might. What’s your name please? My name is Jeremy Chiron; it is spelled C-H-I-R-O-N.
Where do you come from? I was born and raised in a small town located in central France, about one hour outside the city of Lyon. To give you a better idea, from Paris, Lyon is a five-hour drive south, towards Switzerland. My area is a quiet region, with vineyards covering the hills. It’s very peaceful.
It usually makes Chinese people smile when I tell them my hometown only counts 800 people. Do you work? Yes, absolutely. I’ve been a teacher here in China for the past 4 years. Wow, 4 years already! It’s hard to believe how time flies! I work in a training center called Beijing IELTS, and obviously I teach students how to get ready for this test.
I usually teach the speaking part of IELTS, but occasionally I help students with their writing too. How long have you been a teacher? I’ve been teaching for 5 years now. As I told you: 4 years in China. I’ve worked in different training schools and also 2 years at Fujian Normal University.
And before coming to 16 Fuzhou, I was working as a French teacher in Australia. I spent a year teaching both primary and high-school French in Perth, Western Australia. It was a wonderful first experience in a picturesque background. Perth is such a stunning city! The school where I used to work overlooked pristine beaches.
It was hard for students to focus! 5. Why do you like your job? I guess I was born to teach. I am not shy and I enjoy talking to anybody who shows a little curiosity. Through my job I get to meet many different kinds of people, and I deal with every single age group, which is awesome (= great)! In class, I always try to teach practical things.
I think this is why students enjoy my lessons. As a foreign language teacher, my job is 17 to facilitate students’ learning, and in order to do this, I must give them as many examples as possible while making them talk as much as they can. It’s a challenging job because Chinese students are not used to opening their mouths and giving their own points of view on things, but it is also very rewarding when it works．In addition, I get to tell my students about where I grew up in Europe; and I can share stories from my experience back in the States and Australia. Since students who take IELTS want to go overseas, they usually have lots of questions about life abroad.
On top of this, as a teacher, I appreciate the fact that students in China are hardworking and well-disciplined: it makes my job much easier. It sounds natural for young students to behave, but actually it’s not the case anymore in most Western countries. Where did you study? I got a Master’s in Education from the University of Lyon III. I studied there for 5 years, and I got to go on exchange at the prestigious University of Pennsylvania as a junior in college.
This was another turning point in my life. You know, an Ivy League school, excellent teachers and classmates．It was an invaluable privilege for the young student that I was．I majored in American History and Literature there. PART 2 Tell me about your experience as an English learner. ．Started in middle school: lots of grammar＋reciting words ．Went to the US at the age of 15：exchange program for one year: Rotary Club · Small town: immersed in English＋no Internet＋limited international phone calls ．Took 3 months to get used to speaking and reacting English＝started dreaming in English · The importance of making friends with locals＋practice.
If you have to speak, you will！ Okay, well, I started learning English at the age of 11 when I entered middle school in France．I clearly remember my first English teacher. She was a young lady who had just graduated from a teachers’ college but she was extremely patient and clear in her explanations. As a result, I enjoyed studying this foreign language immediately. For the first two years, we did a lot of grammar, and of course we had to recite a lot of words in order to build up our vocabulary.
I have always been good at learning things by heart, so I guess it was not a big problem for me, and my results were quite satisfactory in her class． I studied English conscientiously all the way through school, because it seemed to come naturally, you know, pretty easily to me. At 15，my mother encouraged me to present myself at an interview with my school’s headmaster in order to apply for a position as an exchange student in America. Although I was the youngest candidate at school, the 18 principal picked me. And before I could realize it, I was on my way to Washington State, in northwestern U.S．The program was sponsored by the Rotary Club.
I ended up in a small town of 5 thousand people called Colville. And it’s definitely the best thing that has ever happened to me. I was immersed in American culture and language for a whole year, and it was without a doubt an eye-opening experience. At the time in 1997, we didn’t have the Internet, and making international phone calls cost a lot of money, so I barely spoke French for a whole year, and my English improved dramatically.
I was speaking English on a daily basis, and it took me 3 months to fully get used to communicating in this language and to reacting in English. I got there late in August, and in December I stopped looking up words in the dictionary, and that’s about when I also started dreaming in English. I would recommend that anyone who’s going to study overseas join some local sports teams and other social organizations in order to make friends and get to use the language as much as possible. They say that practice makes perfect, but I disagree：practice makes… improvement.
But it’s the only way to get considerably better. We all learn a language if we HAVE TO speak it and even a simple-minded person will learn if he or she has no other choice but to use the language. Later on, I came back to France and decided to specialize in English and education. ，I was able to concentrate on more Because I had acquired all the foundations in the U.S． specific vocabulary and to work on my writing style.
It’s always difficult to speak a language perfectly well, and there is always more to learn, but it’s definitely possible to learn enough to keep a conversation going. I guess that’s what IELTS is all about. 19 10 Strategies for the IELTS Speaking Test 1 Rule #1：Don’t Be Boring！ 2 Rule #2：Describe！Give details！ 3 Rule #3：Develop＋Connect! 4 How to Prepare 5 Know What to Expect from the Test 6 Be Clear about How the Examiner Will Assess Your Level 7 Learn how to plan for Part 2 8Three Language Tips 9 Master the Most Useful Words for the Test 10 Avoid Some Common Mistakes 20 1 Rule #1:Don’t Be Boring！ 1．The speaking module of the test is based on communication.