Professional Documents
Culture Documents
IELTS Speaking: by Chris Tang
IELTS Speaking: by Chris Tang
By Chris Tang
You don’t have to be!!!
Predictable
Easy preparation
Lots of tips to use
On Entering the Test Room
Holiday season
Autumn/Fall:
Cool, crisp, mild, cozy, clear sky, golden season,
azure sky
Golden season, season of harvest
Winter:
Cold, freezing, snowy, icy, short days, long nights
Silver season, Christmas season
I’d like to own my own house!
Four categories
People
Place
Object
Event
And I don’t care what category it is. I
always have my way.
Well, today I am going to talk about none other than my uncle. My
uncle is quite famous in his place. People often call him Mr.
Traveholic. And just as this name suggests, he loves traveling very
much. And actually traveling is one of the most important things in
his life. And he has been to many places throughout China, from
Harbin in the north to Guangzhou in the South, from Shanghai in
the east to Urumuqi in the west. And he always says his favorite
place of all is Qingdao, because of its natural beauty, its food and its
unique local culture, which all drive him to return to Qingdao to visit
over and over again.
First, Qingdao is famous for many of its interesting places, its
beautiful beaches, and its clean streets. Hundreds of thousands of
visitors are attracted here from all over the world by its enchanting
natural beauty.
Second, the local food and snacks are also something one can never
miss when visiting Qingdao. They come in various colors, shapes
and tastes, to suit different palates and wallets. They are not only
exotic and delicate to the tongue, but also to the eye.
Last but not the least, Qingdao is also famous for its unique cultural
heritage represented in local festivals and Qingdao beer. Especially,
Qingdao beer. It is quite a big name in China. It is loved by millions
of people, including me.
Anyway, that is my uncle, a traveholic, and Qingdao, a great place
to visit.
People Cards
Who the person is
What the person looks like
What the person is like (character and
personality)
What the person does/has done
When and where you met this person
Why you like/dislike/admire/choose to talk
about this person
“Who” question
A childhood friend
I would really like to talk about Slobbery,
a childhood friend of mine. Slobbery is his
nickname, because he used to let saliva
dribble from his mouth while sleeping in
class. His real name is XXX. But anyway,
he is a nice buddy…
One’s Looks
General descriptors: good/bad-looking,
handsome, beautiful, pretty, plain, homely,
ugly, awful
Significant parts on the face: eyes (eye
color:black, green, blue, hazel), eyebrow,
nose(aquiline nose), mouth, teeth, cheek,
chin
Other parts of the body: torso, limbs
Quotation from Gone with the
Wind
Scarlet O’Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom
realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton
twins were. In her face were too sharply blended the
delicate features of her mother, a Coast aristocrat of
French descent, and the heavy ones of her florid Irish
father. But it was an arresting face, pointed of chin,
square of jaw. Her eyes were pale green without a
touch of hazel, starred with bristly black lashes and
slightly tilted at the ends. Above them, her thick and
black brows slanted upward, cutting a startling oblique
line in her magnolia-white skin—that skin so prized by
Southern women and so carefully guarded with bonnets,
veils and mittens against hot Georgia suns.
Character and Personality
Occupation
Time, Location and Story
Significance or meaning
Eg. A friend looking after you when you are
sick. It shows that he has heart of gold.
Why?
Who he/she is
How you got to know this person
What this person is famous for
Why you choose to talk about this person
Who: my uncle
How: live in the same neighborhood
Famous for: traveling
Why: I also love traveling…
Place Cards
Feeling:
Sad, excited, thrilled, down, frustrated,
depressed, etc.
Feeling like…
Why?
Reasons:
Tourist spot, beautiful
Understand the local culture and customs
Story
Common Place Cards
Hotel
Shopping mall
A place where there is water
Tourist site
Library
Historical site
A place you want to visit
Etc.
Object Cards
Topic questions:
What it is
When and where it takes/took place
Who (participants) and how (effects)
Why
Common Event Cards
A journey
A change in life
Help/advice received
A sport/traditional/public event
An important/difficult decision
A traffic jam
A successful experience
Etc.
A Change in Life
What it is
Going to college, graduation, going to work,
getting married, divorced, becoming a
gay/lesbian???
When and where it happened
How it changes/has changed your life
How you feel
Why
Sample Answer
Honestly I haven’t thought about this much. The one
and only great change I can think of now is leaving
school. Look, after going to school for more than 16
years, all of my life has been so used to school, my
daily schedule, my mindset, my social life, etc. The
world outside the school seems so familiar and yet so
strange. My feelings are mixed with ambition, hope,
expectation, as well as uneasiness, insecurity and
worries. It is such a difficult time. I am like a person
lost in the no-man’s land, not knowing where to turn.
Anyway, most people have to face this change once
they leave school. It is a total challenge. But just as
one great mind has once said, “life is always full of
changes and uncertainties; we just do all that we can
and hope for the best.”
Help/Advice Received
What it was
When and where you received it
Who gave it to you
Feeling
Why
Sample Answer
When it comes to this topic, I can’t help thinking about last
year when I was overwhelmed by lots of works that I have
to do. It was my college graduation year. Besides all of the
lectures I had to attend, the graduation paper alone was a
heavy task: there were tons of reference books to read, a
series of surveys to be conducted and also the revision and
editing works. It was just too much for me. But thank God,
my professor XXX offered to give me a hand. Basically he
gave me some very good ideas and challenged me to
consider a slight modification of my project structure. Then
he introduced me to someone who happened to have done
the similar kind of project. Woow, I was feeling just like
“Oh, thank you dear God.” I choose to talk about this,
because it means so much to me. Without his help, I just
can’t imagine myself successfully completing such a great
project and finishing my graduation paper.
Stage III
Two principles:
Take evasive action
Relate it to yourself (don’t talk big, talk small)
Evasive Action
Example:
What do you think the government should do
to end the economic crisis?
That is a good question … (evasive action).
But I don’t think it is very bad for everyone,
both poor and rich. So I sincerely hope the
government can do something about it.
Example:
Do you think primary school students should have
homework?
That is a very good question … (evasive action). But I
do remember when I was young, I had too much
homework to do. I don’t think I had very happy
childhood. So I think when I have children, I would
like them to have no homework or little homework. I
they can really have a good memory of their
childhood.