Three-step Preparation Method for Part Two IELTS Speaking Test.
Step 1: Selection
Selecting
the "right thing" to talk about is quite important if you want to
produce a good quality Part Two.
As
we have already discussed, the examiner doesn’t care what you talk about but
here we are not talking about the examiner - we are talking about you.
If you choose the wrong thing
to talk about you might have problems talking for two minutes on that topic. If
you have problems finding content, the quality of your language will suffer.
The
important first step is to select something that is easy to talk about. Once
you have something easy to talk about, you can concentrate on language features
and ways to increase your score.
Easy
topics should:
- Have lots of features
The more features your
topic has, the easier it is to keep talking or developing your Part Two. This
is not always possible for every topic but generally it is easier to talk about
"bigger" things than "smaller" specific things.
- Be expandable
This is similar to the
point above. but you should choose something that is expandable, i.e. you can
keep adding points on to the end of your speech (maybe by telling a story).
- Include some "invented" aspects (i.e. lies)
The
easiest things to describe are not always the true things. If you have only
been on a trip once in your life and you went to the West Lake in Hangzhou,
this does not give you much to talk about. It would be a good idea to say that
you spent a week in Hangzhou, a week in Suzhou, a few days in Wuxi and a few
days in Shanghai. You might be lying – but by doing so you are making your Part
Two much, much easier.
It
might not be possible to cover all the 3 points above but if the topic seems
particularly difficult it is probably best to invent your content.
Ignore
the adjective
Many
people get distracted by the adjectives which often appear in the topic
description, e.g. look at the following Part Two topic cards: "An
interesting building in your city..."
Don’t
try to think of a building that is particularly interesting. You don’t lose
marks if your building is not very interesting and you don‘t get more marks if
your building seems very interesting. Just choose "any building" that
fits the topic loosely.
Don‘t
go with the first idea
Usually
the first idea in your head is the worst idea. It is usually a good idea to
ignore the first idea in your head and go with the second or even third idea
that you come up with.
Activity
Look
at the following topics and use the selection method to choose "easy"
subjects to talk about
- An interesting trip you have been on
- An important building in your city
- A subject you liked at school
- Something interesting or unusual you do in your free time
- A walk you take regularly
- Some travelling you would like to do
- A happy event in your life
Some examples of "easy
selections" and "difficult selections":
Topic Easy Difficult
An
important building A
shopping mall Your school
library
A
trip To
Hong Kong To Yellow
Mountain
A
famous person
A singer / actor A
politician / leader
Step 2: Vocabulary
The
next step in the one-minute preparation is to write down as many examples of
uncommon vocabulary as possible. The vocabulary must be directly related to the
topic.
A
good method is to ask the following question: "Can this word be used for
many other topics?" If the answer is "Yes" then that word is NOT
directly related to the topic.
Activity
Look at the following
example. Topic: Describe some travelling you like to do.
Vocabulary:
exciting interesting
opportunity tourism
sightseeing attractive
backpack explore
excursion leave
special mountain
Ask
the question: "Can this word be used for many other topics?"
Topic-related
words are:
tourism sightseeing
backpack
explore excursion
The
other words are not directly related to the topic and could probably be used
for many Part Two topics, e.g., interesting (this word could be used for almost
every topic).
It is not wrong to use the
common words during your Part Two talk, but at this preparation stage you need
to find uncommon topic-specific words.
Activity
Find uncommon
topic-specific vocabulary for the following topics:
- A film that you have seen
- A song / piece of music
- A school subject
- A neighbor
Uncommon or topic-specific
vocabulary is given for each topic card later in the book. Most of the
vocabulary given in the Part One topic section of this book will he related to
many of the Part Two topics and can be used in your Part Two talk.
Step 3: Grammar Point
This
is one of the most important considerations for your Part Two talk. Most
candidates completely ignore this aspect. Different Part Two topic cards
require different grammar. Look at the following topics and think about the
required grammar content for each.
- Describe an object you use every day.
- Describe a vehicle that you would like to own.
- Describe a happy event in your life.
In
Part Two, there are 3 basic tense requirements: some topics need mostly present
tenses; others need past tenses, others need conditional tenses.
When
you look at your topic card, decide which tenses you need to use.
Example:
- Describe an activity you enjoyed
in an English lesson.
(Mostly past tenses) e.g.: The teacher asked us to pretend - Describe
a place in a city that you know well.
(Mostly present tenses) e.g.: This place is quite special because it has - Describe a vehicle which you would
like to own.
(Mostly conditional tenses and some present tenses for describing)
e.g.: If I had a helicopter I would be able to...
Helicopters are an expensive luxury.
When
the examiner gives you paper and pencil for making notes, write down the type
of tense on the paper. In this way when you look at your notes you will be
reminded that you should be using a certain tense and this will significantly
improve your grammar performance during your talk.
Preparation Summary
Remember
you only have one minute to prepare so you really don’t have time to write
sentences or phrases. The most important thing to write on your paper is
probably a few vocabulary items and a grammar reminder.
Example: Describe an item
of clothing you like Io wear.
Pair of jeans
Present Tense + Past Tense
designer
brand trendy
comfortable
Describe a vehicle that you
would like to own.
Helicopter
Conditional Tense...
I would / could
luxury millionaire
If you prepare in this way you are focusing on
language and this will have a direct influence on score.