Part 1.

Part

1.

Part 1. Example Qns.

Part 1: Topic #s 2 & 3. Sample questions.

TELEVISION. • Do you like watching television? Why/ why not? • Do people in your country watch television? How

much? Why? • What are the advantages/ disadvantages of TV? • Would you like to change TV in your country? Why/

why not?

COMPUTERS. • Do you use a computer? How? • How do computers help you at work/ study? • What problems can computers give? • Will computers be more or less important in

the future?

NAMES. • What do you think about your own name? • Is it possible to change your name? When? • How was your name chosen? • Would you change your name?

SPORT. • Do you like to play or watch sport? Why/

why not? • What kind of sport is good for young

people? Why/ why not? • How does sport affect us?

Part

1.

APPEARANCE.

• Is it important to take care of your appearance?

Why/ why not?

• What kind of clothes do you like?

• Is fashion different today than it was xxx years

ago?

EATING.

• Do you enjoy cooking for other people?

• Is it important to learn how to cook? (why/ not?)

• Do people prefer to cook or eat out at restaurants

in your country?

DECORATIONS (e.g. flowers, coloured paper,

ribbons).

• Do you like to have decorations in your home?

(why/ not?)

• How are decorations used in ceremonies and

special events in your country?

• Do any decorations have special meaning in your

country?

LANGUAGES.

• How many languages do you speak

• What do you find difficult about learning a

language?

• Why do many people try to learn another

language?

NOISE.

• How do you feel about noise?

• What kinds of noise do you most like/ dislike?

• How do you feel when you are in a noisy place?

FAMILY.

• Do you come from a big family?

• What kind of work do your family members do?

• How important is family to you?

Part

1.

Question Response

Do you think teenagers should learn to drive?

“Yes, because it can save time for the parents.” (HOW does it save time?)

Do many people in your country have a smart phone?

“Yes. People in my country like smart phones.” (HOW do they use smart phones?)

Question Response

Do you think teenagers should

learn to drive?

“Yes, because it can save time for the parents. This is because

teenagers nowadays have lots of extra activities outside their school

day, to which parents must drive them. If these teenagers can drive

themselves to these events, parents will have more free time.”

Do many people in your country

have a smart phone?

“Yes. People in my country like smart phones. There are a number

of apps that they like to use. Facebook and instant messaging apps

come to mind. Young people also like to play games on their smart

phones. I don’t know much about it, but Candy Crush is a popular

game, I believe.”

Part

1.Key Strategies.

Go into detail: HOW? WHAT? WHY?

Examples:

Did you like sport when you were a child?

Yes, there were two sports that I liked.

How often do you go to the cinema?

There are two situations when I decide to go to the cinema.

The ‘Rule’ of 3.

Say 2-3 things.

Part

1.

Part 1. Useful Language.Reacting positively to something you like. I completely love … (+_ing) I absolutely love x (+_ing) I totally love x (+_ing) x is one of my favourite pastimes. x is really rewarding for me. x is a really satisfying activity.

Examples: I completely love cooking. I totally love shopping. Playing football is one of my favourite pastimes. Photography is really rewarding for me.

Reacting negatively to something you don’t like. I’d rather do something else. x is not one of my favourite activities I don’t find x very rewarding I am not very keen on xxxx I’m afraid it’s not really my cup of tea. x is not really for me, I’m afraid.

Examples: Cooking is not one of my favourite activities. I am not very keen on shopping. Photography is not really for me, I’m afraid. I don’t find collecting things very rewarding.

Giving reasons. This is because … So that’s why … It’s due to the fact that … The biggest reason why I don’t like xxxx is because… The main reason I like xxx is because…

Examples: I really like sports. It’s due to the fact that my father is a professional football referee. The biggest reason I don’t like hot weather is because it makes me feel difficult to breath, and I get so sticky.

Describing past experiences (when you were a child) As a child I used to… When I was a child I would often/ always/ generally… In my childhood I liked …(+_ing)

Examples: As a child I used to watch my mother cook the family meals. When I was a child I would often sing songs from cartoon movies. In my childhood I liked collecting football cards.

Part

1.

Question. Strong Answer. Weak Answer.

What kind of work do you do?

I am an accountant in a multi national company. Most of my daily duties involve processing the payment of invoices from our suppliers.

I am an accountant in a multi national company.

What are the good things about your job?

Well, I think my job is very interesting. To begin with, I get to meet lots of different people, and my interactions with customers create lots of different experiences. I am also lucky because I have an understanding boss who actually listens to our input.

I like my job because it is interesting.

What are the good things about your studies?

Sometimes I get bored with my school subjects, but I do like physics and mathematics. I think this is because I am quite good at numbers, and also my teacher is friendly and supportive. He is also able to explain things using stories. This means that his lessons are not as boring as other subjects.

I think physics and mathematics are good, because the teacher is good.

Part

1.What is the area like where you live?

I live in a small two bedroom apartment. My apartment building is a 20 story tower in the centre of the city. It is built on a main road. Although it is not an exciting area, the building does have a swimming pool and a garden area, that is quite nice. And of course the location, being central, is very strategic. There is a large mall within walking distance and access to the toll road is only a few minutes away. All in all I pretty much like the area around my apartment block.

My apartment block is in the city. I can go anywhere from my apartment. It is very nice. I like it.

What do like about your house?

I’m afraid that I don’t like much about my house. We live in a crowded area, and there are always traffic jams on the roads near to where I live. In addition to this, I do not want to live with my parents. I want to be more independent.

I think my house is not very good, because it is too crowded in my area.

Do you like cooking? (1)

Yes, I do. I think this is because I want my children to have a healthy diet. If I cook, I know that my children will eat food that is good for them, especially vegetables!

Yes, I do because it is very interesting.

Do you like cooking? (2)

No, I don’t like cooking. It just seems a chore to do all the preparation. You know, if I cook I must cut up all the vegetables, throw the rubbish away, and spend time in front of a hot cooker. I’d rather buy a takeaway and eat it in front of the TV!

No, I don’t, but I like to eat!

Part

1.What is your favourite room in your house?

My bedroom is my favourite room in my house. There are three main things I like about my bedroom. Firstly, it has two large windows that let in lots of sunlight. This makes my bedroom bright and clear at any time of the day. Secondly, I have my own flat screen TV, so I can watch anything I want without having to fight over the remote control with my brothers and sisters! Finally, my bedroom has its own bathroom, so I do not have to share with other people in my family.

My bedroom is my favourite room in my house because I can do anything I like in there.

Do you think children should learn to cook?

Well, I’m not sure about that. The problem is that kitchens are dangerous places. There are sharp knives, and things such as pans and plates can be hot, as well as electrical equipment. If a child is allowed in the kitchen, they must be carefully supervised.

No I think cooking is bad for children because it is dangerous.

What is the weather like in your country?

Well, our country is a tropical country. This means that the temperature is warm throughout the year. We get dry seasons, when there is no rain, and we have rainy seasons, when it rains nearly every day.

Sometimes hot, sometimes rain.

Do you think children should help to clean the home? (1)

No, I don’t. It sounds a good idea, but at the end of the day, it takes too much time to teach the child how to do the job properly. By the time you have done this, you could have finished the job yourself.

No, because children do not understand.

Part

1.Do you think children should help to clean the home? (2)

Yes, I do. Learning to stay tidy teaches a child self discipline. As we all know, life involves doing things we don’t want to do, so cleaning the house helps a child to understand this concept.

Yes, because children can learn discipline.

What is your favourite colour?

Well, I have two favourite colours. The first is red, because, for me, it signals energy, warmth, and strength. I also like yellow because it is a gentle colour and you can combine yellow quite well with other colours, so it’s a nice colour for sweaters and T-shirts.

I like yellow because it is simple, and I like red because it is strong.

Do any decorations have any special meaning in your country?

I don’t think so, but I think that decorations now have an international meaning. For example, Christmas decorations are usually put up in shops and houses for that holiday. If we talk about flowers, like anywhere, roses also mean ‘love’ in my country. So I guess you can say we follow international standards.

I am not sure.

Do you use computers much?

Oh yes. Absolutely. I think it’s impossible to go a day without using a computer. Of course for my work, I need to write reports on Word. I send emails through Outlook, and I need to analyse and create spreadsheets. In addition to that, I am a bit of a social media fan, so I look at my Facebook feed at least twice a day.

Yes, computers are very good because I must write emails and reports.