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Culture Documents
Survival Guide To Aptis Speaking
Survival Guide To Aptis Speaking
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)
Creating Opportunity Worldwide
FAMILY
MY JOB
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)
Creating Opportunity Worldwide
THE WEATHER
It’s incredibly hot today, but it may rain in the evening, as the weather has become quite
unpredictable recently.
It’s boiling hot today, but I hope it will cool down a bit in the evening.
It’s very sunny and, as always, very humid.
It’s a lovely day today, bright and sunny with only a few clouds in the sky.
LEARNING
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)
Creating Opportunity Worldwide
I love learning new things. At the moment I’m learning computer skills and I’m getting
better and better at it.
When I was at school I used to hate maths, but now I am helping my youngest with his
homework and surprisingly, I enjoy it very much
I graduated from the English Department a couple of years ago, but I feel I need to upskill
my knowledge all the time, so whenever I can, I attend conferences and seminars for
teachers.
I have never had a chance to learn how to swim, so I’ve asked my friend to teach me.
MEDIA
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)
Creating Opportunity Worldwide
FUTURE PLANS
My dream is to visit Australia. I have never been there and sister tells me it’s a really
exciting place.
My ultimate goal is to complete my studies and get a degree.
I’m thinking about changing my job. I would like to work as a secondary school teacher, as
I feel it’s more challenging than my present job.
I’m going to start a family soon, so I won’t have much time for professional development.
BOOKS
I’m now reading a book called The Fault in Our Stars. It’s about teenagers suffering from
cancer, but the book is not gloomy at all. In fact, it’s very funny at times.
I am an avid reader of romantic comedies. I can’t help it!
This book is a real page turner.
The book has a strong plot with twists and turns, likeable characters and vivid
descriptions of the jungle.
It’s the best book I’ve read for a long time.
The book is hilarious so I do recommend it to anyone who wants a good laugh.
FILMS
I’ve recently seen a really good film. It’s called Gravity and it’s about two astronauts in
the space. The special effects are amazing.
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)
Creating Opportunity Worldwide
I am addicted to soap operas. I need light entertainment to relax at the end of the day.
The film is based on a true story.
It’s a thriller starring Bruce Willis. It’s not suitable for children, as there is quite a lot of
violence in it.
I do recommend it.
In fact, I’ve never seen such a good film.
FOOD
A the moment I am on a diet, so I avoid deep fried food, but I make sure I have at least
one nourishing meal a day.
I never skip breakfast.
My family often eat out and our favourite place is Rebung Chef. This restaurant is very
popular, so you need to book a table in advance.
I have a sweet tooth, so my favourite part of dinner is, of course, dessert. I particularly like
chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream on top.
Who do you spend your free time with? What kind of things do you do together?
How much time do you spend at home? What do you enjoy doing?
What sort of music do you listen to? Why do you enjoy it?
Does anyone you know have an interesting hobby? What does he/she do?
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)
Creating Opportunity Worldwide
Have you got any plans for this weekend? What are you going to do?
Do you prefer to spend your free time on your own or with other people? Why?
Do you like cooking? What sort of things do you cook?
What’s your favourite food? Why do you like it?
Do you like going to parties? Tell me about a good party you’ve been to.
Tell me about a day you’ve really enjoyed recently.
Is there something new you’d really like to learn about? Why?
Are you happier doing mental or physical work? Why?
Do you prefer working on your own or with other people? Why?
What kind of work would you really like to do if you could choose?
Which area of your country would you like to get to know better? Why?
What’s the most interesting place you’ve visited near here? Tell me about it.
Have you ever used English on holiday? Where were you? What did you use it for?
Do you like to plan your holidays carefully or do you prefer to just go? Why?
Where would you really like to go on holiday in the future? Why?
How much TV do you watch in a week? Would you prefer to watch more TV than that or
less? Why?
Tell me about a TV programme you’ve seen recently.
Do you have a favourite newspaper or magazine? Why do you like it?
Do you use the Internet? What sort of things do you look for in the Internet?
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)
Creating Opportunity Worldwide
SPECULATE
This is a lively, bustling city. It must be Tokyo.
She looks quite surprised. Perhaps she’s forgotten about her own birthday.
I suppose it’s their anniversary.
They all look very smart. The woman on the right is wearing quite formal clothes. They
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)
Creating Opportunity Worldwide
REACT
I like this photo. It reminds me of my childhood days.
This photo makes me think of my own grandmother and the time we celebrated her
birthday.
I would love to try this. In fact, I’m going on a trip like that next month.
I like this picture, though I’m scared of heights and I am not keen on trying out things like
that.
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)
Creating Opportunity Worldwide
I wouldn’t mind being on a beautiful island like that, but on the other hand I think I would be
bored to death after a couple of days there.
If I had to choose one of these places, I would definitely go for the one in the picture at the top.
Question One: describe (expressions from Part Two), compare and contrast. Question Two:
react to one of these situations (expression from Part Two). Question Three: compare with
your own situation (expressions from Part Two)
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)
Creating Opportunity Worldwide
Both pictures show a classroom. However, in the top picture the children are listening to the
teacher, whereas in the bottom picture they are working on their own. Apart from that, the
classrooms look quite different form each other.
There are animals in both pictures. In the first one they are in a zoo, kept in cages, while in the other
one they live in the wild.,
Although both pictures show a city, they must have been taken at different times of day, as there are
so many differences between them.
Both of these people look exhausted, but I imagine it’s for very different reasons.
Both pictures show people doing sports, but there are a few important differences between them.
The main difference seems to be that in the first picture it’s their job, whereas in the other picture
they are doing it for fun.
1 minute preparation. Don’t write full sentences, just key words. Plan a logical development
of your talk (from PERSONAL to GENERAL).
A 2-minute talk, based on three questions. Here you’re on your own, but you may want to
use one of the expressions listed before or one of the discourse markers and fillers below.
DISCOURSE MARKERS
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)
Creating Opportunity Worldwide
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)
Creating Opportunity Worldwide
Tell me about something that you have done recently to keep you fit.
Will you continue doing that?
What are the reasons people do sports activities?
Tell me about the time you received some good news by letter or email.
Did you tell other people about the good news?
What is the best way to communicate good news: by letter, email, telephone or in person?
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)
Creating Opportunity Worldwide
How do people in your country look after older members of the family?
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)