IELTS Speaking

Phần này liên quan đến những nội dung cần luyện kĩ năng nói cho kì thi IELTS.

Format of IELTS Speaking Test

11–14 minutes

The speaking component assesses your use of spoken English. Every test is recorded.
https://www.ielts.org/about-the-test/test-format

• Part 1 - the examiner will ask you general questions about yourself and a range of familiar topics, such as home, family, work, studies and interests. This part lasts between four and five minutes.
• Part 2 - you will be given a card which asks you to talk about a particular topic. You will have one minute to prepare before speaking for up to two minutes. The examiner will then ask one or two questions on the same topic.
• Part 3 - you will be asked further questions about the topic in Part 2. These will give you the opportunity to discuss more abstract ideas and issues. This part of the test lasts between four and five minutes.

Tips/Tricks

Một mẹo hay trong bài nói là bạn nên vận dụng thuần thục những Conversation Fillers, được sử dụng phổ biến ở các những người nói tiếng Anh bản xứ.

Có nhiều kinh nghiệm để nâng cao kĩ năng nói trong kì thi IELTS. Mình không muốn gom nhiều ở đây vì như thế sẽ làm chúng ta không tập trung thực hành thống nhất một phương pháp nào đó. Bên dưới là danh sách một số kinh nghiệm chia sẻ của những bạn đã thi IELTS và đang làm người dạy lại.

1. Một số kinh nghiệm học ideas cho Speaking và Writing trong IELTS.
2. Những collocations sử dụng phổ biến trong khi nói tiếng Anh
3. 25 useful idioms to help you score Band 7.0+ for the IELTS Speaking Test

Speaking Part 1

Ví dụ 1: lấy từ trang facebook của IELTS Tố Linh
Topic 1: Profession
Examiner: What are you doing, working or studying?
Candidate: I currently work for a non-profit organisation. This is a great job, in my opinion, as I learn a lot from my colleages and tasks I do every single day.
Examiner: Do you enjoy your work/profession?
Candidate: I really like my job as I said I learn a lot from it. I also have wonderful colleagues. I learn a little bit from every one. I learn how to be excellent in make-up skills or how to get on well with people around.
Examiner: What do you consider/think about your profession in the future?
Candidate: Hmm... such a touch question. To be honest, I have thought about giving up what I am doing right now to pursue my passions. I think to be successful job in any job, I'll have to do what I love. Though there will be many bumps along the way, I believe that I can overcome all obstacles in life.

Cụm từ have a lot in common và get on really well

Topic 2: Technology
Examiner: Have you often used social network and media?
Candidate: Yeah... I think I'm highly engaged with some social networks because I use Facebook on a daily basis.
Examiner: Do you think technology changes our life?
Candidate: Definitely yes. I think one of the best things is that the internet has put all the information that we need right at our fingertips. For example, I am an IELTS learner, I can just Google to find all self-study materials, so I can still improve without going to classes.

Bạn gặp lại những từ gọi là conversation fillers (như so), một số idioms như to be honest, as a result và một vài từ vựng academic ghi điểm trong speaking (màu xanh và vàng).

Speaking Part 2

Ví dụ 2: lấy từ trang facebook Học IELTS cùng Robert

Ví dụ 3: lấy từ một bài giải mẫu trên trang Tự học IELTS 8.0, đây là link bài viết.

Describe a garden you visited and like.
You should say:
Where the garden is.
How you felt about it.
Explain why you like it

ANSWER

I would like to share with you my impressions of a garden that I visited last summer, which was full of colour and interest: Claude Monet’s house and garden in Giverny, France.

As a big fan of Monet’s paintings, especially the famous "Water Lilies", I had always dreamed of seeing the scene in real life. So, when some friends suggested a visit last year, I jumped at the chance. After a journey of about an hour by train from our hotel, we arrived at Giverny. The garden was exactly as he had painted it – it was a riot of colour, from the peaceful white of the water lilies to the striking reds and oranges which filled some of the flowerbeds.

The two parts of the garden complemented each other perfectly. We first admired the array of bright flowers and fruit trees in the Clos Normand, but my favourite part was the water garden, and we enjoyed a leisurely stroll, taking in all the colours, perfumes and bird songs. Monet avidly collected prints of Japanese gardens, and these inspired the Japanese bridges covered with wisterias, the water lilies in the pond, and the bamboo and weeping willows which he planted.

For me, it was like a wonderland of colours and a dream come true after so many years.

VOCABULARY

• impression: feeling or feelings (in the plural) about the garden (impressions)
  His impression of the meeting was that it didn't go very well.
• fan: although the word is often used in the context of football nowadays, here it means a person who admires [Monet's paintings].
  "She is a huge fan of Maroon 5."
• jumped at the chance: I enthusiastically accepted the opportunity to visit the garden.
  He jumped at the chance to go to Las Vegas with his boss.
• a riot of colour: a collection of many different colours.
  Sandra's rose garden is a riot of colour.
• striking: very attractive and unusual.
  The woman he was with was wearing a striking outfit last night.
• flowerbeds: a piece of a garden or park in which flowers are grown.
  He loves digging in his flowerbeds.
• complemented each other: each part of the garden added something different to the other part, so that the garden as a whole became more attractive.
  The wine and the fish complemented each other to form a perfect meal.
• the array of bright flowers: the large and impressive collection of flowers.
  The array of bright flowers in her garden surprised everybody. They didn't realize she had planted so many varieties.
• a leisurely stroll: a slow, relaxing walk.
  We went for a leisurely stroll along the beach this morning.
• taking in all the colours: our eyes noticed all the colours and features of the garden.
  We were taking in all the colours of his garden, when all of a sudden we heard a large crash outside the garden gate. Two cars had just bumped into each other.
• avidly: Monet collected prints of Japanese gardens enthusiastically.
  He studied English avidly, from morning until late in the evening.
• prints: copies of original drawings or paintings.
  The artist offered her prints for $100 each.
• wisterias: white or purple flowers which cover walls, bridges or trees.
  The wisterias in the garden were in full bloom.
• pond: a small area of still water, usually in a garden.
  There are many beautiful fish in the pond.
• bamboo: tall tropical plants which have hollow stems [the long, thin part of the plant] used for building or furniture.
  Pandas love to eat bamboo.
• weeping willows: trees which grow near water and have "branches" which hang downwards.
  There are two weeping willows on the property, but we should cut one down.
• wonderland: an imaginary place in children’s stories.
  The amusement park was a wonderland for both children and adults.

Audio bên dưới là một ví dụ minh họa cách trả lời câu hỏi phần 2 này với giọng đọc/trả lời của người bản xứ.

Speaking Part 3

Ví dụ 4: lấy từ một bài giải mẫu trên trang Tự học IELTS 8.0, đây là link bài viết.

1.1. Are there many public gardens in Vietnam?
To be honest, there are a few public gardens in Vietnam due to the shortage of residential areas especially in urban areas. Vietnamese authorities seem to pay excessive attention to economic growth and ignore providing green spaces for citizens’ enjoyment and relaxation. For example, Ho Chi Minh City has small quantity of public gardens but a lot of high-rise buildings.

1.2. Do you think there are enough public gardens in your hometown?
Personally, I think the number of public gardens in my hometown is insufficient. Due to the shortage of residential areas and the increasing number of citizens, people tend to make use of land for living and cultivation rather than providing public areas such gardens or parks.

1.3. What do you think are the benefits of having gardens in the city?
Having sufficient urban green spaces will bring many ecological and health benefits for the city and its residents. Regarding environmental benefit, public gardens help to preserve various species of wild plants, beautiful flowers and keep the ecological balance of the area. City gardens also provide positive impact on the health standard of city dwellers and factory workers.

1.4. Very often, public gardens are not designed in a simple way but, instead, are laid out in a rather complex way. Why do you think this is the case?
In my opinion, a public garden built in complex design pattern is very eye – catching and attracted to people to visit. A garden consisting of sculptures, various rare species of plants and special scenery designed in a special layout will be more appealing to curious people to explore it. Consequently, visitors are able to not only relax them

1.5. Do you think governments should provide more public gardens for people to visit?
Of course, I definitely agree with the idea that governments and authorities ought to provide more public gardens for their citizens because of the following reasons.
Firstly, public gardens are the collection of plants and flowers; they are used for not only enjoyment but also education so people especially children can have practical chances to understand and close to the nature. Consequently, they will raise an awareness of environmental issues as well as the conservation of special species.
Also, urban green spaces play an important role in protecting the environment and improve city as well as local dwellers’ health.

1.6. What do people do when they go to a public garden?
There are various reasons why citizens go to a public garden such as for enjoyment or educational purposes. A public garden consists of many species of wild plants and bright colored flowers and is accessible to everyone; therefore residents in general can go there to enjoy the fresh, tranquil atmosphere and relax themselves freely.
Moreover, it is very practical for children and students to visit public gardens in order to close to the nature and acquire knowledge about it. Students can also do many outdoor activities there such as camping, playing with their peers to promote friendship.

1.7. How do people of different age groups use public gardens?

Different age groups will have dissimilar preference in using public gardens. For example, elderly people tend to go there to relax, go jogging or doing exercises namely tai chi. Children, on the other hand, come there to play with their parents or friends as well as have chances to close to the nature and admire wild plants and beautiful flowers.

VOCABULARY

• Excessive (adjective): (quá mức) greater than what seems reasonable or appropriate
  Ex: They complained about the excessive noise coming from the upstairs flat.
• Ignore (verb): (lờ đi, không để ý đến) to pay no attention to something.
  He ignored all the ‘No Smoking’ signs and lit up a cigarette.
• High – rise building(s): (nhà cao tầng) a building that is very tall and has a lot of floors.
  Ex: It is easy to see high-rise buildings in urban areas.
• Insufficient (adjective): (không đủ, thiếu) not large, strong or important enough for a particular purpose.
  Ex: His salary is insufficient to meet his needs.
• Preserve (verb): (bảo tồn, bảo vệ) to keep a particular quality, feature, etc.; to make sure that something is kept.
  Ex: He was anxious to preserve his reputation.
• Dweller(s) (noun): (người, vật sống ở vùng được nói tới) a person or an animal that lives in the particular place that is mentioned.
  Ex: City gardens also provide positive impact on the health standard of city dwellers and factory workers.
• Eye – catching (adjective): (bắt mắt) immediately noticeable because it is particularly interesting, bright or attractive.
  Ex: a public garden built in complex design pattern is very eye – catching and attracted to people to visit.
• Appealing (adjective): (hấp dẫn) attractive or interesting
  Ex: Spending the holidays in Britain wasn't a prospect that I found particularly appealing.
• Extraordinary (adjective): (lạ thường) unexpected, surprising or strange
  Ex: It's extraordinary that he managed to sleep through the party.
• Raise an awareness of (quan tâm vấn đề gì đó): knowing something; knowing that something exists and is important; being interested in something
  Ex: It is important that students raise an awareness of how the Internet can be used.
• Conservation (noun): (sự bảo tồn) the protection of the natural environment
  Ex: Road development in the area has been severely affected by the conservation programs of the council.
• Tranquil (adjective): (yên tĩnh, thanh bình) quiet and peaceful
  Ex: She led a tranquil life in the country.
• Acquire (verb): (giành được, thu được) to gain something by your own efforts, ability or behavior.
  Ex: She has acquired a good knowledge of English.
• Peer(s) (noun): (bạn cùng trang lứa) a person who is the same age or who has the same social status as you.
  Ex: She enjoys the respect of her peers.
• Tai chi (noun): (thái cực quyền) a form of exercise involving slow movements of body, originally done in China
  Ex: Elderly people tend to go there to relax, go jogging or doing exercises namely tai chi

Samples

Resources

Có đầy tài liệu hỗ trợ luyện nói trên phổ biến trên mạng. Bên dưới là những tài liệu mình thấy được.

1. Sách thì nên học theo cuốn: Entire IELTS Speaking được soạn bởi một cựu giám khảo chấm thi IELTS ở China. Tải Entire IELTS Speaking.
2. Mình đánh giá cao trang chia sẻ này.