ielts-yasi.englishlab.net
Written February 17, 2008.
A Very Good Description of an
IELTS Speaking Test
I was immediately impressed by what the
candidate below wrote on 51.ielts.com on February 17, 2008. This candidate did everything
right! All Chinese readers of this page will learn things from what this person
wrote.
I'll call the candidate,
"she" even though I don't have any evidence that this person is
female. My guess is that she is in England to do a Master of Laws degree. She
certainly is suitable for this most challenging degree for a Chinese student. I
also guess that she will get a 7.0 or 7.5 for her Speaking test. The reason why
I don't think she will get an 8.0 or 8.5 is that I think a person who is an 8.0 or 8.5 would
probably be good enough not to need to prepare 'key words', as this candidate
did.
What, specifically, do I suggest you pay
attention to?
- She begins by describing first meeting the examiner and we see that she
was lucky to have a very friendly examiner. We also see that she describes
the examiner in a very positive way, 气度优雅身材适中的.
Having
such a good impression of the examiner is very helpful because this can help
the candidate act
like speaking to a friend when speaking to the examiner.
I
suggest that, before you even see the examiner the first time, you mentally
prepare yourself to find positive things to notice about the examiner,
minimizing any negative things. When you first see the examiner, and whatever
the examiner looks like or however much he or she is or is not friendly, find
a positive first idea about this person to enter into your brain. For
example, maybe your examiner is a 65-year-old man who is fat,
and has lots of wrinkles. Don't think, "Yuk!" Instead think, "He
looks like an old Teddy Bear!" Or, if your examiner is is a rather ugly
woman, think to yourself, "This is
the nicest, kindest person I have ever met" or, "This woman has a
very well-developed mind".
Then,
with a positive feeling about the examiner, it will be much easier for you to
speak as if you were speaking to a new friend, thereby getting the highest
score you are capable of.
- She
is not 'taking herself too seriously' (过度认真对待自己)
- we see this by the fact that she can
joke with the examiner before the test starts. Of course it is easy
for someone who knows her English is good to be confident enough to joke
before the test but confidence is just an attitude - even a Band 3 candidate
can be (mistakenly) confident! Obviously, she was not overawed by speaking
to the examiner and was able to speak as an equal (= feeling equal in
status) with the examiner.
- She
is very willing to explain things to the examiner, to teach the examiner
about China. Again, you might say that it is easy for her, at her
level of English. That's true but even a Band 5.0 should try to have the same
attitude and try to give information
to the examiner. The major problem is that, at Band
5.0 level, your speaking might be a little slow and this would not
allow you a lot of time to give many expansive answers, as this candidate
did.
- She impresses me as a very
intelligent person. Is this important in the IELTS test? Yes, I think
it affects the examiner's judgment when giving your score, but only to a
small degree. More importantly, if an examiner is highly impressed by the
intelligence of a candidate, the examiner tends to want to encourage the
candidate, because the examiner feels that this candidate really deserves a
chance at studying overseas. Such encouragement from the examiner can have a
big impact on your confidence in yourself, both as a person and as an English
speaker.
How did she seem to be intelligent? She seems intelligent overall,
especially considering that she remembered, quite accurately, so many of the
words that both she and the examiner spoke! But what impresses me is the way
she has a good general knowledge and is not afraid to give the examiner a lot
of interesting information. All candidates should try to be like this, even if
you think you don't know much - just act like someone who has knowledge! After
all, examiners are past or current teachers and they respect people who speak
like teachers. Don't forget, you are doing the test because
you want to go to university in an English-speaking country, and examiners prefer candidates who are clearly suitable to be students
overseas.
- She was very obviously ready to (= mentally prepared to and in
the mood to) discuss things with the examiner in Part 3 because she actually
called Part 3, "The topic discussion" (话题讨论). She
certainly has good knowledge about the test! And she is so correct! And we
see that she
very willingly tried to discuss things in Part 3, not just answer
questions.
- We see how she
memorized some key words to go with certain topics. That, of course,
is an excellent idea. It is not difficult to find lists of commonly used
IELTS Speaking test topics, as well as typical questions. Memorize key
words and short phrases, but not long sentences and certainly not a whole
paragraph, like one memorizes a poem. Examiners hate to hear obviously
rehearsed answers!
- Overall, this candidate is almost a 'textbook example' of how to do the
IELTS Speaking test.
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16号下午刚从伦敦的雅思口语考场出来。回忆了和考官之间的对话。
我遇到的考官是个气度优雅身材适中的60左右的大妈，穿着至少看上去很昂贵的皮大衣，笑盈盈地迎我入室。我主动问她好，她亦反过来问候我。还问我早上的笔试感觉如何，我说有八成把握吧。跟她开玩笑一天考这么多人心里很烦吧？大妈说哪儿啊，从不同人身上获取了N多信息呢。
开始了。先是例行问了名字和国籍，检查了护照，然后开始发问。
“你对你现在住的地方满意吗？”
-----“还成吧，谈不上满不满意。我也没打算在这儿长呆，我只是一过客”（嗯，不卑不亢）。
“你在这儿认识的人多吗？”
-----“不多。不是我的地盘，不象在国内。不过我总是很愿意多认识些人”（显出咱在异国积极向上的生活态度嘛）。
“你觉得有孩子的家庭在你那块儿住合适吗？”
-----“有的合适有的不合适。因为我住的那区属于某宗教社区，非本宗教的人在那里可能有些不适，但总体来说那个区很安全”。（没得罪某些宗教，但又没有太过于简单地答是与否）。
接着谈天气和报纸
“描述一下你们国家的天气”
---------“俺们国家太大了（记住描述中国要用huge。
big 远不能达到效果），天气差别极大。前年底我飞哈尔滨，气温是零下三度。隔一周飞从哈市飞广州，气温是29度。我在飞机上就不停地脱衣服”（现身说法。大妈听得满脸皱纹沟里象灌了蜜）。
“你最理想的天气是什么样的？”
---------“大概象英国的四五月天。不太冷，阳光很温和又不至于晒得皮肤发烫。偶有和风小雨”。
“你觉得天气对你个人情绪有很大影响吗？”
---------“没觉得，因为我这人独立性很强。该干啥干啥，下雨天还去跑步呢。不过有时心情郁闷时如果正逢狂风大雨，可能会不自觉地增加一丝忧郁”。
“说说你最熟悉的一种恶劣天气和它对人类的影响”
--------“台风（九几年我在海南时经历的那场台风浩劫仍历历在目）。会毁坏庄稼、房屋和造成人畜伤亡。不过南方每年都有几次台风，人们都习惯了，就像老朋友年年造访一样”（顺便调侃一下）。
“你第一次读报是什么时候？”
----------“嗯，不记得了。小学时候吧。不过那时候更多是拿张报纸装模做样，孩子嘛”（洋大妈咪眼在笑）。
“你认为读报在生活中重要吗？”
----------“重要啊。可以获取信息和获得消遣”。
“你一般关注当地新闻还是国际新闻？”
----------“一般关注国际新闻。至少知道世界上发生了什么大事。当地新闻和生活紧密联系，我也同样关注，但可能采用其他途径和渠道）”。
“中国的报纸种类都有哪些？”
---------“太多了。有广泛发行的综合性的，也有针对某一类人群如妇女（把妇女放在最前面因为大妈是妇女嘛）、儿童、老人或某一职业特性的”。
使用了的某些关键词：massively,
strip off, sun-tan, casualty, downpour, gale, melancholy, gloomy
接下来抽卡答题。大妈先将注意事项言清。例如可以做点笔记；时间是两分钟左右等。还问我要不要纸和笔。我说免费的不要白不要（贫嘴换来大妈一脸灿烂）。
卡题一 “描述你去过的某一城市”
---------“海口，中国最南端的孤岛城市”（一开始想说英国的爱丁堡的，那是个很招我疼的城市。突然想到洋大妈对爱城肯定熟悉，万一我说得不全岂不倒霉。还是说个洋大妈找不着北的中国城市，嘿嘿。虽然我住和去过不少城市，但海口地理位置很特别，所以选了它）。
卡题二“你为什么去那儿？那儿有什么特别吗？”
---------“脱离大陆的一个孤岛，地理位置独特。四面环海，沙滩棋布。天蓝海蓝，空气清新。自然风光优美宜人。四季如春，冬季避寒绝佳去处。另有老友常居岛上多年未见”。
卡题三“你感觉那个城市的优势和劣势有哪些？”
---------“自然环境独特优越，旅游业发展良好。但似过度依赖旅游业，应并重发展其他产业。
说完以上的，正好两分钟。洋大妈喊停。突然加问我“你还会再度造访该城市吗”？我说当然了，冬天去避暑，也当是去探望朋友。以后老了准备常居”（噢，差点没说漏嘴我在海南还有套房子）
使用了的某些关键词：isolated
island, geographically, bank on, sandy beaches, inhale, combat against
coldness
最后一部分是话题讨论，说的还是城市。
“你认为城市面临的主要大问题有哪些？”
---------“空气污染，交通拥挤，青少年犯罪，贫富差距拉大（唉，想到啥说啥啦）。中国的青少年犯罪问题不象英国的那么明显（刺一刺洋大妈的国痛），但也不同程度存在威胁。另外贫富差距的扩大也导致城市犯罪现象增加新案例”。
“请具体谈”
--------“中国经济迅猛发展，人民生活水平逐步提高，城市里诞生了不少富有阶层。但是相当多的民众还生活拮据。整体来说，中国普通老百姓的受教育程度远不如英国，所以不少人法律观念淡薄，不懂法”（阐述事实并做中英对比，相信洋大妈会理解得清楚一些）。
--------“你个人对那些因为贫穷又不懂法而犯罪的人抱有同情态度吗？”
“谈不上同情。当务之急是要提高教育程度，普及法律”（咳，我怎么感觉我像国家领导人。不知不觉间爱国忧民的海拔高度就出来了）。
“你认为什么样的人喜欢城市的生活？”
--------“一般年轻人吧。他们充满活力，喜欢接受新事物，喜欢机会和挑战。城市正是这样的地方。在中国，农闲时青壮年都喜欢到城里务短工，除了挣钱以外，还能大开眼界”。
“有孩子的家庭在城市里居住有什么好处？”
---------“孩子有机会接受更好的教育，懂得更多的东西”（忘了说物质方面）。
“他们懂得的东西你认为都是正面的吗？”
----------“当然不全是，有正有负。但至少他们知道事物和了解现实，不至于太傻”。
“未来的城市发展和现在会有区别吗？”
-----------“应该会。城乡之间的界限会越来越模糊。城市化发展的趋势会更明显”。
使用了的某些关键词：yob,
juvenile delinquency, boost, poverty, well-educated, popularization,
socialization, sappy, embrace new things, transient worker, broaden horizon,
imperative, informative, moron, blur
大妈这时说可以结束了，还按下了录音完成键。我简直忘了这是录音的，故意惊诈地说“啊你还录音啊，我好紧张啊”。大妈说“我也紧张啊。万一我说错啥，这上头都有记录的”。笑声中结束。
大妈还问了我现在在英国做啥。原来在国内做啥。我说自己是multi-jobholder，简单说了自己在金融、教育和媒体等方面都有涉猎。略过了曾在音像公司任策划一环，主要是担心英国大妈把在英国大街上兜售盗版碟的中国人和那联系一起。哼，我当年参与创办的音像公司，到现在都是广东省数得着的大规模正版公司。
我感觉我的口试至少有15分钟，但很顺利。运气也蛮好，被问到的题目都是可以张口就灌水的。加上和洋大妈之间气氛轻松友好，总体感觉还不错。月底看结果吧，哈。
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