Analysis of Part 2 Response IELTS SPEAKING

IELTS SPEAKING

ANALYSIS OF PART TWO TALK

 

There are a number of different ways to deal with Part Two, and some are more effective than others. One of the most feasible ways is to focus directly on the features detailed in the marking system and produce as many of these features as possible in the two-minute time frame.

 

During Part Two, you should focus on the following features of language:

• Fluency
• Vocabulary
• Grammar

 

Look at the following Part Two topic card and a sample response:

 

Describe a famous person you would like to meet. You should say: Who the person is Why he/she is famous Why you would like to meet this celebrity and say what you would like to do if you met this celebrity.

 

Sample Response:

 

I guess I could begin by saying something about who this person is, and I think I would have to choose the superstar Jackie Chan from Hong Kong.

Going on to my next point which is why he is famous, I really need to add that he is a world-renowned martial arts film star as well as being a successful director. In fact, he was probably the first Chinese actor to achieve blockbuster success in Hollywood.

And now with reference to why I would like to meet this celebrity, the point I want to make here is that I have always been a big fan of martial arts movies, so if I had the chance to meet one of my childhood idols, it would  be a dream come true.

And so finally then, if I have time, in answer to the question of what I would like to do if I met him, really I should mention that I would probably ask him to teach me a few Kung Fu tricks and I would possibly invite him out for dinner at a classy restaurant or something like that.

 

Analysis if Response:

 

Part Two Response	Fluency	Vocabulary	Grammar
I guess I could begin by saying something about who this person is, and I think I would have to choose the superstar Jackie Chan from Hong Kong.	This sentence begins with a linking phrase and contains redundant language.	One topic-related word “superstar	Complex structure and use of complex tense “I would have to choose….”
Going on to my next point which is why he is famous, I really need to add that he is a world-renowned martial arts film star as well as being a successful director. In fact, he was probably the first Chinese actor to achieve blockbuster success in Hollywood.	The sentence begins with a linking structure and contains 3 more connecting structures: “I really need to add that”, “in fact”, “as well as”	Topic-related uncommon words “world-renowned”, “blockbuster success”	The use of the connecting structure makes it one long and complex sentence.
And now with reference to why I would like to meet this celebrity, the point I want to make here is that I have always been a big fan of martial arts movies, so if I had the chance to meet one of my childhood idols, it would  be a dream come true.	The sentence begins with a linking phrase and contains 2 other connectives.	Topic-related uncommon word “childhood idol”; idiomatic phrase “dream come true”	The sentence is complex and contains examples of conditional tense “…so if I had the chance to meet one of my childhood idols, it would be….”
And so finally then, if I have time, in answer to the question of what I would like to do if I met him, really I should mention that I would probably ask him to teach me a few Kung Fu tricks and I would possibly invite him out for dinner at a classy restaurant or something like that.	The sentence begins with a linking phrase and contains redundant language “…..or something like that”	Uncommon words “tricky”, “classy”	The sentence structure is complex and contains examples of conditional tenses: “would probably”, “would possibly”

 

Overall analysis:

 

Each of the four points covered in this Part Two response focuses on the 3 areas of the marking system. (We can’t really work on pronunciation at this stage!). In general, everything this student says is in some way increasing the speaking score. Notice that the actual “content” presented doesn’t really make any difference to the score. This style of response is probably the easiest way to achieve a score of 7 or higher in Part two.

 

 

Build your response to Part Two topic using the following organization:

 

1.  Opening phrase + the first prompt from card.

 

Choose of these:

 

• So to begin with, in reply to the initial point of who the person is …….
• Alright the, in response to the first question of who the person is ……
• I guess I could start off by answering who the person is…..
• So, to start with I’ll talk about who the person is …...
• Ok so my first point here would obviously be who the person is…….

 

Before you add your content sentence, you need to add another linking phrase:

 

…… and I think I would have to choose……   ….and I’d have to go for ……

…… and I’d probably select…………    …. and my choice is going to be ……

….. and the one I’d pick is ………

 

(Note: The first point will probably be your shortest point, so don’t worry if you can’t develop it with lots of details.)

 

2. The second point + the second prompt from card

 

Going on to my next point which is why he is famous……

Continuing then with the next point why he is famous…….

Now with regard to the next question of why he is famous…….

Regarding the theme of why he is famous …….

Now concerning the matter of why he is famous……

 

Before you explain this point, you need to add a second linking phrase (similar to your first point)

 

….. and what I’d like to add here is that ….. …..and what I need to emphasize here is that …..

….. and what I ought to stress here is that…. …. and what I have to mention here is that…….

 

3. The third point + the third prompt from card

 

Progressing to the subject of why I would like to meet this celebrity …..

Moving onto the business of why I would like to meet this celebrity…..

Drawing attention to the matter of why I would like to meet this celebrity ……

Moving forward onto the area of why I would like to meet this celebrity ……

 

Now use another linking word to develop this point into a longer sentence (give reasons, details, explanations, etc.)

 

4. The fourth point + the fourth prompt card

 

Finally, if there’s time, I could deal with the last question of …..

To end with, if I still have time, I could take care of the final question of ….

As a final point, if time permits, I’d like to bring in the point of …….

To cut a long story short, as my very last point, with reference to the question of …..

 

It will probably be unnecessary to develop this point because hopefully the examiner will stop you around this point.

 

 

Activity: Practice giving your responses to the following topic cards:

 

1.	Describe a book, magazine or newspaper article you have read and that interested you. You should say: When and where you read it What it was about How you felt about it and explain why you found it particular interesting.
2.	Describe a game you have played and enjoyed. You should say: When you last played the game Who you played it with How you felt when you played it and explain why you enjoyed it.
3.	Describe an important day or event in your life. You should say: When it was What happened at that time How you felt and explain why it was important for you.
4.	Describe a town or city you would like to visit. You should say: Where it is How it is similar to your hometown How it is different from your hometown and explain why you would like to visit it.
5.	Describe a photograph or picture you like. You should say: What the photograph/picture depicts When it dates from How it makes you feel and explain why you like it.
6.	Describe a useful skill you would like to learn. You should say: What the skill is Why you would like to learn it Whether it would be difficult to learn and whether you think you will learn this skill in the near future.
7.	Describe a course you have done at university and you found useful. You should say: What you learnt What you enjoyed about the course What you didn’t enjoyed (if anything) and explain why it was useful to you.
8.	Describe an important celebration in your life. You should say: When it was What happened How you felt and explain why it was an important celebration for you.
9.	Describe your childhood house. You should say: What type of house it was Where it was located What you liked about it and say whether you still live in this house.

Generally, the topics of Part two in the IELTS Speaking test consist of four types: (1) Describing a person; (2) Describing a place; (3) Describing an object; and (4) Describing a past event.

 

 

 

Answer Order:

Follow the following order to respond to this type of topic.

 

 Prompt 1: Say who this person is, and how you know him/her

 Prompt 2: Say what he/she is like, and what he/she does

 Prompt 3: Say what he/she has achieved, ad how he/she has influenced you

 Prompt 4: Say why he/she is special, and how you feel about him/her

 

 

Topic card: 

 

Describe a person who looked after you as a child. You should say: Who this person is, and how you know him/her What he/she is like, and what he/she does What he/she has achieved, and how he/she has influenced you and why he/she is special, and how you feel about him/her

 

Model answer:

 

 The person whom I would like to talk about is my grandmother. When I was a child, my parents were very busy, so my grandmother, who is my father’s mother, had to look after me.

 My grandmother is a very gentle and kind woman. Her hair, as far back as I can remember, has always been brilliant white, but she is quite self-conscious about this and wears a shoulder-length wig to hide it. My grandmother is really short, probably about four feet something, but she seems even shorter because she has a permanent stoop. When I think of my grandmother’s appearance, the thing which stands out most is her constantly smiling face. She has a very kind face, which is covered in wrinkles. Although she was a bit elderly and had to take care of the house as well as me, she tried to keep me entertained and find interesting things for us to do together. I member once when we were playing hide-and-seek at home, I ran into the garden and hid so well that she couldn’t find me. It was quite a few hours before I decided to come out and my grandmother was relieved. She had almost called the police.

 My grandmother has always taught me to be more patient and understanding towards other people. She had been a nurse for many years, and I think if it hadn’t been for her, I would never have studied nursing which I love.

 My grandmother was a great role for me when I was growing up, and now I’m an adult. I still admire her. I hope that one day I’ll have children and grandchildren too, and I hope that I’m as good as a grandmother of mine was.

 

Language Use:

 

A. Prompt 1: Who this person is and how you know him/her

 

1. Vocabulary: Relatives, Occupations and Social Positions

 

When describing a person, it’s necessary to say something about the person’s relation to you, his/her occupation or social position.

 

Relatives	Occupations	Relationship/Social Positions
Great-grandfather	Surgeon	Celebrity
Grandfather	Accountant	Star
Aunt	Architect	Politician
Uncle	Civil servant	TV presenter
Cousin	Plumber	Sports personality
Brother-in-law	Electrician	Fiend of the family
Mother-in-law	Butcher	Childhood friend
Stepfather	Self-employed	Ex-boyfriend/girlfriend
Nephew	Waiter/waitress	Distant relation

Examples:

I would like to talk about my nephew, who is a plumber like me.

I really admire Daniel Craig, who is an excellent actor and has recently become a hug movie star.

 

2. Relative Clauses with “Who”:

  a. Non-finite relative clause:

  My mother, who worked as a waitress for many years, thoroughly dislikes politics.

 Her good friend Daniel Craig, who became a very successful businessman, had suggested to her once that she study computer programming.

 

  b. Finite relative clause:

  The woman who lived next door to us when I was a child was extremely ugly.

  The movie star who starred in the film “Titanic” has become hugely successful.

 

3. Past Continuous and Past Simple: Used to say how you met somebody

  We met when we were working together at the same company.

 

 

B. Prompt 2:  What he/she is like, and what he/she does

 

 1. Vocabulary: Adjectives of personality

 

Funny	Shy	Confident	Angry	Happy
humorous	Reserved	Ambitious	Aggressive	Charming
Witty	Introverted	Self-confident	Bad-tempered	Cheerful
Funny	Quiet	Self-assured	Moody	Vivacious
Hilarious	Sensitive	Extroverted	Irritate	Lively
Amusing	Conservative	Adventurous	Short-fused
hysterical	Timid	Arrogant	Abrupt
Helpful	Honest	Kind	Intelligent	Stupid
Considerate	Straightforward	Gentle	Clever	Immature
Supportive	Frank	Calm	Bright	Silly
Sympathetic	Reliable	Generous	Mature	Dumb
Helpful	Genuine	Loving	Talented	Dim
	Sincere	Thoughtful	Open-minded	Daft
		altruistic	Wise	Foolish

 2. Adverbs of Frequency for Habits and Behavior

 

Constantly	Always		Commonly	Regularly		Generally
Typically	Never		Hardly ever	Often		From time to time
Sometimes	Frequently		Usually	Rarely
Seldom	Occasionally		Every now and then	Almost never
Times +time period		Every + time
Once a day/ Once every two days		Every morning			Every month
Twice a week		Every evening			Every birthday
Three times a month		Every day at 6 pm			Every Saturday
Five times a year		Every week			Every summer vacation

 

Ex: My friend Omar has to wash five times a day, every day.

 My grandfather would regularly go to the temple to pray and offer gifts.

 Every summer vacation, my father would think of a special trip for us to go on.

 

 3. Past Continuous, Past Simple and Past Perfect Tenses to Tell Anecdotes.

 

Ex: The teacher was getting really angry, but David didn’t realize and continued making stupid jokes.

Last Christmas, I had eaten a huge dinner at my mother’s house and then my girlfriend’s mother made me eat another enormous meal.

 

C. Prompt 3:  What he/she has achieved, and how he/she has influenced you.

 

1. The Third Conditional Sentence:

 

IF –Clause	Main Clause
If + S + had(n’t) + PP	S + would + have + PP       could       might

 

Ex: If it hadn’t been for her, I would never have studied nursing.

 I wouldn’t have studied a Master’s degree in Roman History if I hadn’t met Dr. Shotter.

 

 2. Present Perfect for Talking about Changes and Achievements

 

Ex: My grandfather has had a great influence on my life.

My nephew has helped me see that family is the most important thing.

 

D. Prompt 4: Why he/she is special and how you feel about him/her.

 

1. Expressions of Admiration

 

 Everyone respects wise and peaceful leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi.

 My niece really appreciates what my parents did for her.

 I look up to her because she is good-natured.

 I will always admire him for his extraordinary ability.

 His colleagues all think highly of my stepbrother and his work.

 I fell proud of my mother’s achievements.

 I truly hold in high regard people such as President Obama.

 Many movie enthusiasts consider him to be the best actor of his generation.

 

 2. Expressions of Imitation

 

 I hope I am as successful as Bill Gates.

 I hope I will as successful as Bill Gates.

 I hope I am as happy as my next-door neighbor when I am old.

 I hope I will be as kind a teacher as Mrs. Capp.

 

 I would love to be like my mother.

 I would like to be as well-respected as my father.

 I want to be like my neighbor Doris when I’m older.

 

 3. Expressions of Role Model

 

A fine example	A hero	A pop icon	A charismatic leader
An idol	A mentor	A visionary	A sex symbol

 

Ex: John Lennon became a big pop icon. Hen was all over the media.

 Ringo was his mentor for the first year he lived away from home.

Charles Manson, who was imprisoned for the murder of Sharon Tate, was a crazy charismatic leader during the 1960s.

Some people say that the Beatles were not only a talented rock band, but they were visionaries for their generation.

 

 

 

Topics for Practice

 

 

1. Describe a good cook.
2. Describe a famous person you’d like to meet.
3. Describe a neighbor you once had.
4. Describe a teacher you know.   
5. Describe a person you enjoy spending time with.
6. Describe one of your friends.
7. Describe an old person you know who lives near you.
8. Describe an animal you find interesting.

 

 

Model Answer to Topic 3:

 

The next-door neighbor I’d like to talk about is named Win. We moved to our family home when I was only six months old, so Win is the earliest neighbor that I can remember, Win, who lived with her daughter and son-in-law, was always a very elderly woman.

She was a big woman, about 5.8 feet and quite fat. When people saw her, they would be struck immediately by the expression on her face, which often appeared to be scowl. Actually, she was a very friendly and gentle woman.

Win was originally from London and had a very strong London accent and was never without a cigarette. Because she smoked, whenever she heard something funny, she would have this raspy, hoarse laugh. When I visited her, she would also be very kind to me, offering to make me a cup of tea, but would usually have some bad words to say about her son-in-law, as he often annoyed her on purpose. I remember that Win did all the clearing in the house while her son-in-law, Fred, and her daughter were out at work. To annoy her, Fred would often stub his cigarette out not in the ashtray but on the kitchen floor – making her go crazy!

It was a very sad day when they left, as we had known each other for so long. Although Win was just a normal woman, she had helped our family many times over the years and done small things like looking after our cat, which we really appreciated. Also, the new neighbors who moved in were terrible, so my family really missed Win and her family. We all agree Win was a great neighbor and feel proud to have known her for so many years.

TOPIC TYPE 2:                                          DESCRIBING A PLACE

 

Answer Order:

Follow the following order to respond to this type of topic.

 

 Prompt 1: Say what it is and where it is

 Prompt 2: Say what it looks like

 Prompt 3: Say what its purpose is

 Prompt 4: Say why it is special, and how you feel about it

 

Topic card: 

Describe a house or flat you’d like to own one day. You should say: what it is and where it is what it looks like what its purpose is and why it is special, and how you feel about it

 

 

Model answer:

 

 Maybe it’s a bit unrealistic, but I would love to own a luxury flat. It’s located in District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City, right in the center of downtown, close to all the best restaurants and shops.

 The flat would be on a high floor – perhaps the top floor – of a brand-new high-rise apartment block with the most modern architectural style. The apartment would have at least two huge bedrooms, one lounge, a massive kitchen and one or two bathrooms – it’d be great if one of the bathrooms was en suite! The style would be modern, with varnished wooden floorboards, leather sofas and colorful rugs on the floor. The flat would be very airy and light, with lots of windows that have great views over the surrounding streets and buildings.

 A flat like this would be perfect for my husband and me to live in and then bring up our child. A new, gleaming kitchen would be great for preparing delicious dishes for our friends when they come to dinner, and the guests could be entertained in the comfortable and relaxing sitting room.

 I know that this kind of flat will be difficult to buy, especially as my family is not very rich. However, if I am very successful in my career and make loads of money one day, this is the kind of flat I’ll buy. I think almost everybody would be happy to live in a flat like this. I just hope that one day I can.

 

Language Use:

 

A. Prompt 1: What it is and where it is

 

1. Words for Types of Places

 

Religious	Tourism	Shopping	Accommodation	Natural	Leisure	Entertainment
Mosque	Tourist attraction	Shopping mall	House	Scenic spot	Leisure center	Nightclub
Temple	Historic site	Shopping center	Flat/apartment	Park	Sports ground	Theater
Church	Historic building	Plaza	Mansion	Botanical garden	Stadium	Cinema
Cathedral	Palace	Market	Campsite	Nature reserve	Football pitch	Concert hall
Religious building	Museum	Discount store	Youth hostel	Countryside	Sports field	Music hall

 2. Prepositions of Location

 

Prepositions of Location	Examples
In + an enclosed or large place	In Ho Chi Minh City In the countryside In the middle of nowhere
At + a certain place or location	At the top of the mountain At the end of the street
On + a surface or road	On the fifth floor On a main road On the outskirts of the city
Over/above + a certain place or location	Above a Japanese restaurant Over Ba Dinh Square
Next to/beside/by + a certain place or location	By the seaside Next to the Bell Tower Beside Xuan Huong Lake
Opposite to/across from + a certain place or location	Opposite to my favorite restaurant Across from Ninh Kieu Park
Between + two places or locations	Between the mountains and the sea
In front of + a certain place or location	In front of the main historic building
Outside of + a certain place	Outside of Can Tho City
Near (to) + a certain place	Near to Laos Near the sea
Far from + a certain place	Far from Vietnam Far from the city center

 

B. Prompt 2: What it looks like

 

1. Expressions of Size and Shape

 

Big	Small	Width	Height	Length
Huge/large	Little	Narrow	Towering	Long
Massive	Tiny	Wide	High	Short
Vast	Minute	Broad	Tall	Winding
Enormous	Minuscule	Thin	Short	Endless
Gigantic	Cramped	Thick	Low	Far-reaching
Immense			Squat

 

Ex: A vast mountain range/landscape/lake/desert

 A massive/gigantic/huge/enormous/immense building/house/shopping complex/room

 A cramped room/house/dormitory

 A broad avenue/street

 A tall/high building/mountain

 A winding path/country road/mountain pass

 A tiny/minuscule/incredibly small object/doorway/window

 

 2. Expressions of Character and Appearance

 

Light	Dark	Ugly	Beautiful	Impressive
Airy	Dingy	Horrible	Appealing	Awe-inspiring
Bright	Gloomy	Disgusting	Attractive	Majestic
Well-lit	Dim	Awful	Lovely	Thrilling
Clear	Murky	Unappealing	Comfortable	Significant

 

Ex: A(n) airy/well-lit/light/dingy/horrible room/house/flat/dormitory

 A dark/gloomy/dank cave/woodland

 A murky river/lake/pool/stream

 An awe-inspiring work of art/scene/panorama/building

 A majestic building/statue

 A thrilling scene

 A significant area of town/spot/historic site/symbol of our city

 

Untidy	Age	Luxury
Crumbling	Old	Expensive
Tatty	Ancient	Upmarket
Run-down	New	Posh
Dusty	Modern	Luxurious
Shabby	Brand-new	Sumptuous
Messy	Antiquated	Opulent

 

Ex: A crumbling old building/wall

 A tatty curtain/clothes/fabric/wooden structure

 A run-down/shabby old building

 A dusty room/building/yard

 A(n) luxurious/opulent/sumptuous/upmarket/expensive palace/mansion/five-star hotel/restaurant

 

 

C. Prompt 3: What its purpose is

 

1. Passive Voice to Express Purpose/Significance of a Place

 

Ex: The Pyramids of Egypt was constructed by unpaid workers.

 This famous site is respected and admired by locals and tourists alike.

 

 2. Expressions to Talk about Past Habits

 

Ex: I always visited the river at weekends and went swimming.

 My girlfriend and I regularly exercised at the gym.

 

 3. Expressions of Popularity and Fame

 

 Be famous for + noun/verb-ing

 Be famous because + clause

Be renowned for + noun/verb-ing

Be noted for + noun/verb-ing

Be popular with + types of people

Be great for/excellent for/particularly good for + noun/verb-ing

 

Ex: Hue is famous for the local cuisine.

 Ha Long Bay is famous because it is so beautiful.

 The Victory is renowned for the live music it has on the weekend.

 The Cu Chi Tunnel is noted for its size and historical importance.

 The new shopping mall is only popular with wealthy people because the prices are so high.

 The new sports center is great for meeting like-minded sports enthusiasts.

 

D. Prompt 4: Why it is special and how you feel about it.

 

1. The Zero and First Conditionals to Talk about Habits and Preferences.

 

Zero Conditional: used to talk about things that are always true.

 If (When) I am hungry, I go to a restaurant.

 

First Conditional: used to talk about things that might happen in the future if something else happens.

 If I have enough time, I will go shopping.

 

 

2. Expressions of How You Feel

 

 I like/love (the place) because…..

I value (the place) because ……..

(The place) is important to me because…..

(The place) reminds me of ……..

(The place) provides me with ……..

 

 3. Adjectives to Describe the Qualities of a Place

 

Relaxing	Interesting	Exciting	Beautiful	Busy
Cozy	Enchanting	Exciting	Delightful	Hectic
Comfortable	Educational	Energizing	Charming	Stressful
Quiet	Inspiring	Breathtaking	Magnificent	Chaotic
Peaceful	Fascinating	Thrilling	Pretty	Bustling
Tranquil	Engrossing	Exhilarating	Attractive	Frantic

 

 

 

 

Topics for Practice

 

1. Describe your ideal home.
2. Describe a shopping center or mall you have visited.
3. Describe a place where people can do sports.
4. Describe a place where people go to listen to music.
5. Describe a friend’s house you know or like.
6. Describe a museum you have visited.
7. Describe a lake or a river you know about or have seen.

 

Model Answer to Topic 4:

 

The place people can enjoy listening to music is a bar called D22 located in Ho Chi Minh City, quite near Marie Curie High School.

It’s really a small place, although it’s quite long when you get inside. The bar runs along one side, and at the end of the bar is the stage, where the bands play. To be honest, D22 is not an attractive place: not only does it always seem dark and dingy – no matter how lights are on – but there is also a permanent smell of cigarette smoke in the air.

Despite D22 being a bar, it’s more of a music venue than a place to go for a drink. In fact, it’s pretty famous in Ho Chi Minh City because so many bands play there every week, and on Friday and Saturday nights the atmosphere is fantastic! When I was a student, I would go there all the time and hang out with my friends – it was great!

I really value D22 because whenever I go there, it brings back loads of memories from when I was at university, having fun with my friends. It makes me feel really nostalgic. Besides, D22 is still a cool place to go – if I want to have a good time, I just need to go to D22, drink some beer and get ready to mosh.

 

 

 

Answer Order:

Follow the following order to respond to this type of topic.

 

 Prompt 1: Say what it is and why you have it

 Prompt 2: Say what its purpose is

 Prompt 3: Say how it is evaluated

 Prompt 4: Say why it important and how you feel about it

 

Topic card: 

 

Describe an invention you know and like. You should say: what it is and why you have it what its purpose is how it is evaluated and why it is important and how you feel about it

 

Model answer:

 

 The invention I’d to talk about is mobile phones. As you know, mobile phones nowadays are very light, compact and sleek telephones made of plastic, which can be carried everywhere conveniently. My parents bought me my first mobile phone one Tet holiday when I was a teenager and I’ve had one ever since.

 I think mobile phones are an extremely practical piece of equipment to have. Not only are mobile phones used for talking to people and sending text messages but also for surfing the Web, keeping a diary and even as an alarm clock. Some of the most expensive mobile phones are bought by people who want to show off and display their wealth. They’re often a status symbol.

 Today, a mobile phone is an essential piece of technology for everyone, which is use everyday. I last used my mobile phone just before this speaking test. My mum sent me a message to wish me luck. Despite being slightly more expensive than a landline, mobile phones are so useful and convenient that many people simply couldn’t do without one.

 If I had to organize trips out with my friends a few days in advance or contact friends who live far away by letter, life just wouldn’t be as much fun. I think that everyone has got used to simply picking up their mobile phone and communicating immediately. As for me, I couldn’t bear to part with my mobile phone. It gives me so much independence and freedom, and the games are great, too.

 

Language Use:

 

A. Prompt 1: What it is and why you have it

1. Adjectives of Appearance

 

To describe an object well, it’s important that you use correct adjective order as below. Generally, we don’t use more than three adjectives together at the same time.

 

Opinion	Size	Age	Shape	Color	Origin	Material
beautiful	life-size					marble
	a meter long		diamond-shaped
		old	round	green
lovely				red	Vietnamese

Ex: A beautiful, almost life-size marble statue

 The kite was about a meter long, diamond-shaped.

 An old round green ball

 A lovely red Vietnamese lantern

 

Some common Adjectives of Appearance:

 

Opinion	Size	Age	Shape	Color	Origin	Material
handy	compact	ancient	round	blue	Chinese	cardboard
useful	life-size	old-fashioned	square	multi-colored	American	cotton
useless	tiny	antique	rectangular	rainbow-colored	western	golden
silly	little	worn	diamond-shaped	black and white	European	leather
cute	miniature	aged	oval	grey	African	plastic
terrible	enormous	brand-new	spherical	silver	mass-produced	silk
attractive	huge	modern	curved	gold	factory-produced	stone
ugly	gigantic	state-of-the-art	triangular	white with blue stripes	home-made	wooden
elegant	average-sized	new	cylindrical	black with grey dots	hand-made	woolen

 

 2. Expression of “Made of”, “Made from”

 

“Made of”: used when you can still recognized the material/things used to make the object.

Ex:  The dress is made of silk.

 The light bulb is made of glass and metal.

 

“Made from”: used when you cannot recognize the material/things used to make the object.

Ex: My model airplane is made from paper and glue.

 The sculpture is made from old tin cans and bicycle parts.

 

 3. Simple Past and Pas Continuous

E: I saw the Statue of Liberty when I was studying in America.

 My parents bought the furniture while they were traveling to Binh Duong

 

 

B. Prompt 2:  What its purpose is

 

1. Passive Voice for Creation and Application

 

Ex: The plane was invented by the Wright brothers.

 The photograph was taken before I was born.

 

 2. Expressions for Uses

 

Expressions for Use	Examples
X + can help (people) + (to) verb	The Internet can help people communicate across the world cheaply and quickly.
X + is/are used + to verb/for verb-ing	Microwaves ovens are used for cooking, baking, heating and defrosting food and drinks.
X + is/are useful +for verb-ing	The Internet blog I write is useful for developing my research and writing skills.
X + is/are great + for verb-ing	A pocket digital camera is great for taking quick photos while on holiday.
X + provides	Online English classes provide an environment for students to speak to real, live native English speakers.
X + provides people with	Cars provide ordinary people with the freedom to travel independently anywhere at any time
X + is/are appreciated because/for	The movie Lilies of the Field is appreciated because one of the actors, Sidney Poiter, was the first black actor to win an Oscar.
X + is/are valued for	Egyptian mummies are valued for their historical significance.
X + is/are important for	When I become a father, I wan to buy a baby carry bag as it’s important for carrying the baby around outside safely.

 

 

2. Phrases for The First/Last Time

 

A. The first/last time + past verb + was + time in the past

 

Ex: The first time I used a computer was about 10 years ago.

 The last time I saw the painting was in 1997.

 

B. I + firs/last + past verb + time in the past

 

Ex: I first used a computer about 10 years ago.

 I last saw the paining in 1997.

 

 

C. Prompt 3:  How it is evaluated

 

 1. Adjectives of Evaluation

 

Age	Appearance	Value	Quality
state-of-the-art	vivid	overpriced	high-quality
innovative	striking	expensive	reliable
fashionable	colorful	costly	unreliable
advanced	eye-catching	dear	dependable
brand-new	attractive	reasonable	poorly made
cutting-edge	lifelike	good value	well-made
modern	realistic	economical	low-quality
outdated	charming	reasonably priced	poor-quality
old-fashioned	ugly	low-cost
dated	unattractive	cheap
unfashionable	unappealing	a waste of money
antique	unrealistic

 

Use	Importance	Size/Weight	Fun	Speed
practical	essential	compact	enjoyable	sluggish
convenient	vital	bulky	fantastic	slow
useful	indispensable	heavy	beneficial	fast
useless	crucial	light	delightful	speedy
impractical	needless	thick	pleasant	quick
informative	dispensable	thin
enlightening	superfluous	soft
educative	unnecessary	hard
helpful

 

Ex: My laptop is quite old now, so although it seemed an absolutely cutting-edge piece of technology when I bought it, it’s relatively sluggish compared to other computers now.

Despite being extremely costly, airplanes provide passengers with a convenient, safe and economical way to travel.

 

 2. Linking Phrases for Used and Evaluation

 

Linking Phrases for uses	Examples
In addition to …..also	In addition to being a worker’s tool, a computer also provide people with the ability to communicate worldwide.
Besides …….. also	The subway is a great means of transport because besides being more environmentally friendly, it also helps reduce traffic.
As well as …… also	I really valued the scarf my mother knitted me because as well as keeping me warm, it also reminded me of her love for me.
Not only ………but also	The electronic dictionary I have not only have millions and millions of definitions, but also has recordings of native speakers saying the words.
Linking Phrases for Evaluation	Examples
Although……. (still)	I prefer Van Gogh’s Crows over Cornfields although Sunflowers is much more famous.
Despite ……… (still)	Despite buses always being crowded, they’re still the cheapest and most convenient way to travel.
Even though	Even though it has caused many problems, the invention of gunpowder is extremely important historically.
Apart from ……..	Apart from the very low battery power, my new mobile phone is excellent.

 

 3. Comparative Structures

 

Ex: Watching TV is as enjoyable as going to a party.

 Movies are not as interesting to watch as they were when I was a child.

Buses are slower than taxis.

 Mobile phones are smaller and more advanced than 10 years ago.

 

 

D. Prompt 4: Why it is important and how you feel about it.

 

1. Words and Expressions for Attachment to Objects

A. Adjectives for how an object makes you feel:

   Nostalgic  sentimental  homesick  inspired

   Intrigued  fascinated  enthusiastic  delighted

   Thrilled  exhilarated  relieved  relaxed

 

  B. Expressions for how an object makes you feel:

   It makes me feel ……

   It makes me think of/about……

   Whenever I (do something), I feel ………

   It reminds me of ……………..

   I couldn’t bear to part with …………….

   It’s important to me because ………….

   It’s indispensable to me because ……….

 

 2. Second and Third Conditionals for Expressing the Importance of Objects

 

 Ex: If I didn’t have my laptop, I wouldn’t be able to study English online.

If computers hadn’t been invented, the world economy wouldn’t have developed so quickly in the last 30 years.

 

 3. Present Perfect for Expressing the Importance of Objects

  

 Ex: Computers have become essential to business.

  The government has greatly developed the subway system.

  I have watched every movie by James Cameron.

 

 

Topics for Practice

 

9. Describe something you’d like to buy.
10. Describe something you made yourself.
11. Describe a form of transport you use.
12. Describe something you enjoy wearing.   
13. Describe a piece of furniture in your house.
14. Describe a statue or work of art that you’ve seen.
15. Describe a photograph you have or have seen.
16. Describe a gift you were given.

 

 

Model Answer to Topic 8:

 

 The gift given to me and I would like to tell you is a kite. My father gave it to me for my ninth birthday. It was a fairly simply kite: about a meter long, diamond-shaped and it had four colors – red, blue, yellow and orange I think. It was made of plastic and light wood, so it was very light. I remember I was able to carry it to the park all by myself.

 The kite was made by my father, probably because he couldn’t afford to buy one from a shop. Although it wasn’t such a valuable gift, I didn’t mind because I was just pleased to receive such a cool present. I remember feeling really excited when my father gave me the present and we went to the park to try flying it. It seemed so thrilling to have a brand-new kite to fly, and my dad to help me fly it. That first day we flew the kite for hours and hours, my dad showing me how to get the kite into the air, then how to fly it.

 After that birthday, I used to go to the park with my dad every chance I got. When there was even a gentle breeze, I would start asking him to take me there. Some years later the kite got broken, I don’t remember how. But I remember seeing the broken kite and feeling really upset, like I’d lost a part of my childhood. Now, whenever I see children flying kites at my local park, I always start feeling nostalgic, and think about when I was young.

TOPIC TYPE 4:                                          DESCRIBING A PAST EVENT

 

 

Answer Order:

Follow the following order to respond to this type of topic.

 

 Prompt 1: Say what it was and when it happened

 Prompt 2: Say why it happened, where it happened and who was there

 Prompt 3: Say what happened

 Prompt 4: Say why the event was special, and how you feel/felt about it

 

Topic card: 

 

Describe a story you heard as a child. You should say: what it was and when it happened why it happened, where it happened and who was there what happened why the story was special, and how you feel/felt about it

 

 

Model answer:

 The story I’d like to tell you is called “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”. When I was a child, my mother always used to read me bedtime stories to help me get to sleep. My mother would lie next to me on the bed and read a different story every night. When she was reading, I would often lay my head on her chest and listen to the voices she made for the different characters in the stories. The story I remember best is “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”

 In the story there was a boy who was a shepherd> His job was to look after his father’s sheep in the fields outside his village, but he found it very boring to be by himself all day.

 Once, he decided to play a trick on his fellow villagers. He ran into the village shouting “Wolf! Wolf! There’s a wolf killing my sheep!” Immediately, all the villagers stopped working and ran to the field to help protect the sheep. When they found there was no wolf, the boy laughed at them. Another day, the boy played the same trick on the villagers and again laughed at them when they cam running into the field looking for a wolf. One day, a real wolf did get into his field and start attacking his sheep. Again, the boy ran into the village shouting “Wolf! Wolf! There’s a wolf killing my sheep!” But to his surprise nobody believed him and all his sheep got killed.

 The moral of this story is that you shouldn’t lie, otherwise, people won’t believe you – even when you are speaking the truth. I liked this story as a child and I think it has a good message. I will definitely read this story to my children in the future.

 

 

Language Use:

 

A. Prompt 1: What it was and when it happened

 1. Words and Phrases for Events

 

Stories	Competitions/Sports	Learning a Language	Journeys
children’s story	sports match	class	school trip
bedtime story	boxing match	activity	educational trip
novel	sports competition	exercise	road trip
play	athletics competition	role-play	daytrip
poem	chess competition	summer camp	holiday/vacation
film	speech contest	English corner	family holiday
opera	the Olympic games	friendly game	tour
fable	the Asian games	class discussion	romantic weekend away
fairy tale		debate
legend

 

 

Parties	Television
birthday party	TV program
housewarming party	TV drama
hen-party	TV show
stag-party	soap opera
wedding reception	documentary
ball	comedy

 

 2. Prepositions of Time and Time Phrases

 

Ex: Once I went on a school trip.

 One day I took a bus into the countryside.

 A few years ago, I was late for work.

 I started going to English corners quite a while ago.

 Some time ago, a friend gave me this piece of advice.

 

 

B. Prompt 2: Why it happened, where it happened and who was there

 

1. Passive Voice for Location or Cause of Events

 I was told the story by my teacher.

 I was taken to the swimming pool by my father.

 

 2. Prepositions of Location

 At, On, Next to/Beside/By, Opposite/Across, Far from, etc.

 

C. Prompt 3: What happened 

 1. Direct and Indirect Speech

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
My mother said, “I won’t have time to read you story.”	My mother said that she wouldn’t have time to read me a story.
Our teacher said, “Stay together so you won’t get lost.”	Our teacher told me to stay together so that we wouldn’t get lost.
She said, “John was hungry yesterday.”	She said that John had been hungry the day before.
He said, “Mary will go to New York tomorrow.”	He said that Mary would go to New York the next day.
She asked him, “Do you like ice cream?”	She asked him if he liked ice cream.
The teacher asked, “Why didn’t you come to class today?”	The teacher asked me why I hadn’t gone to class that day.

 2. Past Simple with Sequence Markers

 

To start with	As soon as	So	Next	In the end
At the beginning	Immediately	Afterwards	Soon after	Finally
At first	Straight away	Following that	Shortly after
	By the time that	Following from that
	Then	After that

 

Ex: To start with, I felt nervous, but after a few dances I relaxed and in the end had a really great time.

 As soon as we entered the stadium, we realized we were very early.

I watched a documentary about wild animals a few years ago. Following that, I decided not to eat meat anymore because I think it’s cruel.

 

 3. Adverbs of Surprise

 

 to (one’s) surprise out of the blue  surprisingly   unexpectedly

 unbelievably  incredibly  the next thing I knew

 

Ex: We were watching the basketball match on TV when the electricity unexpectedly stopped.

We had asked our parents for a pet dog many, many times and they always said no. Then one day, to our surprise they said yes.

 

 

D. Prompt 4: Why the story was special, and how you feel/felt about it.

  

 1. Adjectives for Describing Events

 

Interesting	Strange	Surprising	Good	Bad
funny	unusual	amazing	inspiring	horrible
amusing	bizarre	astounding	life-changing	terrible
interesting	weird	astonishing	enjoyable	awful
fascinating	mysterious	awe-inspiring	wonderful	depressing
curious	peculiar	incredible	fun	unpleasant
stimulating	random	breath-taking	refreshing	frustrating
thought-provoking	crazy		encouraging	disappointing
enlightening	wild		moving	embarrassing

 

 

2. Adjectives of Feelings

 

amazed	awe-inspired	enlightened	inspired	stimulated
amused	depressed	encouraged	interested
astonished	disappointed	fascinated	moved
astounded	embarrassed	frustrated	refreshed

 

 

3. Expressions for Conclusion

 

Expressions for Conclusion	Examples
The (event) taught me that………	Writing this letter and the effect it had on my friend taught me that making just small signs that you care about someone can have a big impact on their life.
The (event) was important to/for me because ……..	This trip was important to me because I learnt a lot about traveling alone and staying safe.
Through this experience, I learnt the importance of ………	Through this experience, I learnt the importance of studying as well as I could, and not being lazy.
I will always remember …….	I will always remember that sunny afternoon in the park with my boyfriend.
I will never forget …….	I will never forget watching that crazy basketball match with my father.
Overall, it was a rewarding experience……..	Overall, it was a rewarding experience and I learnt a lot.
I’m glad I did it……..	I’m glad I did it. It was a very inspiring experience.
I would love to do it again if …………….	I would love to do it again if I had the chance.
Although I enjoyed it at that time, I wouldn’t do it again because……	Although I enjoyed it at that time, I wouldn’t do it again because I don’t think it would be as much fun now that I’m older.
In the future, I will …….	In the future, I will try to share the same piece of advice with others.

 

 

 

Topics for Practice

 

8. Describe a party you attended.
9. Describe a stage in your life that you enjoyed most.
10. Describe a sports event you attended.
11. Describe a journey you have been on.
12. Describe a time when you were late for something.
13. Describe something you did that helped you learn a language
14. Describe an experience that makes you smile whenever you think about it.

 

Model Answer to Topic 5:

 

During my life I have seldom been late for any event. However, the time that I was late for an exam was a must-be-unrepeated mistake in my study life. It was in my last year at secondary school, when I was taking my final exams. Obviously, these exams were very important, as they affected what university would be able to go to after school.

There were loads of exams and I had been revising really hard in preparation for them, especially my English exam. I had studied so hard that I got more and more tired as time went by. Then, the night before my English exam, I was an all-nighter to try and cram as mush as I could.

I remember studying by myself in my bedroom and feeling exhausted. I’m not really sure what happened next, but I must have fallen asleep when I was studying because the next thing I knew it was the next day and the sunlight was streaming through the window. Straight away, I started panicking as it felt very late. Looking at my watch, I found that I was already 20 minutes late for my exam. So without showering or changing my clothes, I ran out of the house and caught the bus to school. I think I was about 40 minutes late by the time I entered the examination hall. As soon as my teacher saw me, he asked what on earth I thought I was doing. But he didn’t wait for an answer and just helped me to find my seat. I got a few looks from my classmates, but of course nobody said anything. I remember hurriedly opening my exam paper, taking a deep breath and then writing as fast as I could.

Needless to say, this was a pretty horrible experience for me to go through. Apart from feeling so anxious on the day of the exam, I was also worried sick about what my result was going to be for weeks afterwards. In the end, my exam result was much better than I had expected, although not great. I got into a good university, but I always wonder what my life would have been like if I had done better in the exam and gone to a better university. This event taught me the importance of not being late. I’ve always been punctual ever since.