IELTS Speaking Test – Part 1 – Language

Topic – Language :

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What languages can you speak?

Well, aside from my native language and English, I can also speak Spanish in conversational level. I studied that language as my minor subject in college for four years. Actually, when I was a high school student, I was an avid fan of watching some TV dramas from Spain and I fell in love with the Spanish culture and that influenced me to take up Spanish language as my secondary language subject in college.

 

LEXICAL RESOURCE

Aside from [phrase] – apart from; besides; in addition

Minor subject [noun] – opposite of major subject; a subject that is less important

Avid [adj.] – enthusiastic; passionate

Fall in love [phrase] – develop a strong liking for something

Take up [phrasal verb] – to be engaged in; to be involved in

Secondary language [noun] – a person’s second language; not the main language of a person

 

TIPS

 

i.) The speaker used a very good expression (aside from) to start his answer. This is a good indicator that he could speak more than one language. As the question is in the plural form (languages), he included his native language and of course English in his answer but since it was too obvious, he didn’t spend time talking about the two, instead he talked about Spanish which was his second language. Still, he answered the question in the plural form. 

ii.) Also, the speaker extended his answer by talking about his experience in learning Spanish. This helped him add details on his answer. Very spontaneous and clear answer! Always make sure to add a bit more of your answer in Part 1 in order for you to express yourself in English more. 

 

Do you think it’s difficult to learn a language?

Yes it is difficult and for some people it’s more complicated than they thought. I believe no one claims it’s easy unless one is born genius in learning languages. And that’s because the sentence construction, vocabulary, pronunciation, and other aspects of a language that one is learning are different from his mother tongue. Actually, experiencing the challenges in learning a new language is just normal.

 

LEXICAL RESOURCE

Claim [verb] – admit

Unless [conjunction] – except if

Genius [noun] [adj.] – brilliance; great intellect; ingenious; very clever

Aspect [noun] – feature; characteristic

Mother tongue [noun] – native language; a language in which a person has grown up speaking

 

TIPS

 

i.) The speaker provided a positive and direct answer to the question. He then talked about his belief that other people were having more difficulty in learning than others. 

ii.) Then he gave the main reason as to why learning a language was never easy. That’s the most important part of his answer as that supports his argument very clearly. Make sure to provide a clear explanation of every answer that you give to the examiner to avoid confusion. 

 

Will you learn other languages in the future?

(Answer 1) Yes I will! I’m not closing the door on things that can contribute to my growth. I’m thinking of learning Japanese simply because I want to understand the Japanese culture even more. I always believe that to understand one country’s culture, one should learn the local language and if you can speak their language, it’s easy for you to establish rapport with them.

(Answer 2) Yes and why not? I think it’s always interesting to learn a new language as it challenges your capability and patience. Not only that, it also helps you broaden your perspective in life – you will learn to understand other cultures or lifestyles from people who speak a different language.  Well, the good thing these days is that I can learn a new language through online classes. It’s very convenient and less expensive.

 

LEXICAL RESOURCE 

To close the door on something [idiom] – to stop thinking or dealing about something 

Establish [verb] – build

Rapport [noun] – a harmonious relationship with others

Broaden one’s perspective [expression] – to widen one’s understanding

 

TIPS

i.) ANSWER 1: The speaker gave a direct positive answer plus a very good expression that would help him express his answer better. Also, he gave one particular example of a language that he’s interested in learning. He ended his answer by giving his reflective thought about learning a language. Well-expressed idea! Always express directly and clearly!

ii.) ANSWER 2: The speaker answer a direct yes and asked ‘why not’ as an affirmation that it’s good to learn a new language. He explained about what learning a language could do for him. In addition, he ended his answer by talking about the easy way to learn a language in this digital generation. 

 

Why did you learn English and how did you learn it?

(Answer 1) Well, it’s not really my own decision to learn the English language in the first place. In our country, it’s mandatory to learn that language in school since English education is part of every school’s curriculum, so we’re left with no choice but to study English. Honestly, I didn’t see the value of it when I was in my primary and secondary school, however, when I was in college, I realized how lucky I was to learn English at a young age.

(Answer 2) I love traveling and the only way to interact with the local people is to speak a common language which is English. I learned English when I was a child but it was not serious, I became focused on learning when I was a high school student. Since my parents barely spoke English during our travels in those days, we’re always having difficulty interacting with the locals. And because of that,  I realized that I needed to devote time learning English, thanks to the internet, I can learn English everyday through online English classes.

 

LEXICAL RESOURCE

Mandatory [adj.] – required; obligatory

Curriculum [noun] – program of studies

Value [noun] – importance; worth

Interact [verb] – communicate

Barely [adv.] – hardly

Devote [verb] – allot; commit

TIPS

 

i.) ANSWER 1: The speaker talked about the school’s curriculum in his country that obliged every student to learn English. This kind of answer gave a clear insight as to why he was studying English. He then transitioned to talking about his realization on how fortunate he was to learn English early. A very well-explained answer – make sure to always provide a clear explanation to all of your answers. 

ii.) ANSWER 2: The speaker gave an answer that talked about his love of traveling. He immediately answered the question but not in a conventional way by saying, ‘The reason why I learned English…’. Avoid being conventional, if you can come up with a better way to answer the question. Be more flexible in expressing your ideas.

 

PART 2

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SAMPLE ANSWER

Actually one of my biggest dreams in life is to be a polyglot but unfortunately I have never done so much to make that a reality recently. I believe this topic has reminded me today that I should start taking baby steps, at least, for the realization of that huge dream of mine.

While I was thinking of it a minute ago, what came to mind was the Italian language. Honestly, learning that language has been a long-overdue plan for me. I have kept postponing it due to my hectic work schedule.

 

Vocabulary & Expression

Polyglot [noun] – refers to a person who knows and speaks several languages

Baby step [noun] – an act that makes small amount of progress to achieve something

Came to mind [phrase] – to enter in one’s mind; to remember or recollect

Long-overdue [adj.] – not done or happening when expected

Postpone [verb] – delay

Hectic [adj.] – very busy

Note: In the first paragraph, the way the speaker starts his answer makes him sound so natural, as he relates the topic to his dream that has not been realized. This is a creative way to start doing the monologue.

Anyway, I suppose learning that language may not be as complicated as what other people think most especially if one has learnt Spanish or has some ideas about the Spanish language, knowing that both languages share similar characteristics.

Luckily, I can speak Spanish in conversational level, so for sure it wouldn’t be a struggle to me learning Italian. As a matter of fact, Spanish and Italian share a very similar phonology and they do not differ much in grammar. So I’m confident that I it won’t take ages for me to learn the basics of it.

Vocabulary & Expression

As a matter of fact [phrase] – in reality

Phonology [noun] – a branch of linguistics concerning about the systematic organization of sounds

It’s been ages [expression] – to take a long time; to take forever

I have this desire to learn Italian even before since I’m a big fan of Italian cuisine. Not only that, I also watch some Italian films every now and then, but of course I rely on the English subtitles to understand, these two reasons were my primary motivation before but my work has been an obstacle.

Well, getting this topic today has reminded me to start working on my dream. And to do that, I should start checking some online schools offering Italian lessons, I bet there are plenty of them, so I can start studying. Thanks to this topic, if not because of this, I would not be reminded of the dream that I’ve had which I’ve almost forgotten.

 

Vocabulary & Expression

Cuisine [noun] – a style or method of cooking

I’m a big fan [expression] – another way to say ‘I’m very interested’ or ‘I love…’

Obstacle [noun] – hindrance; barrier

I bet [expression] – used to express certainty

Thanks to [phrase] – due to; as a result

 

Note: The speaker mentions his reasons as to why he has the desire to learn the language. By giving a reason or several reasons, you will be able to develop your story even longer. In the last line of the last paragraph, the speaker uses conditional tense, this is one way to get a higher mark in the criterion of Grammar.

 

PART 3

 

What’s the best way to learn a new language?

I believe the most effective way to learn a second language is through language immersion. Well, I am not talking about studying or living in a country where the language you are studying is spoken, people can still learn a new language without necessarily doing that. What I mean is that, when you are learning a second language you have to utilize the language you are learning in your daily life, like the way you normally use your native language. In other words, you have to live with it.

For instance, when I travelled to the France, I was more than surprised to know that English is not their mother tongue but majority of them are eloquent in speaking the English language. Out of my curiosity, I asked some random people how they could speak English so well and they told me that in schools their medium of instruction was English and they were always exposed to the language in their everyday life such as street signs, advertisements, job interviews, memos at work, and the like.

So for me that way is the best, and to those second language learners they should take that into consideration.

Vocabulary & Expression

Mother tongue [noun] – a native language

Eloquent [adj.] – fluent

Out of curiosity [expression] – being curious that you want to know something

Take into consideration [phrase] – consider

 

Is it common to learn English in your country?

Here in my country, I have to admit that it is not very famous yet as other non-English speaking countries, in which their people are making so much effort to learn English, however I can say that we are getting there. In the past few years, our education system has been changing in order to meet the global education standard.

Recently graders are now learning English which is much earlier than my generation since we started learning English during junior high school. I believe that our government’s dream to make Korean people speak English fluently will come to fruition within a decade or two.

Vocabulary & Expression

Getting there [phrase] – to be likely to succeed

Grader [noun] – elementary student

Come to fruition [phrase] – to be successful

 

What are the challenges a person can have in learning a new language?

The very common problems a second language learner can have include the lack of motivation, the difficulty in understanding the technicalities of the language such as grammar, and the absence of application of the language in everyday life.

When there is no concrete reason or inspiration why one has to learn a language, the driving force to learn becomes weaker, as a result one has to easily give up. Also, the complexities of grammar, word usage, or pronunciation make one confused that will lead to losing enthusiasm in learning. And lastly, if one has learned the language but never has the opportunity to apply makes his skills deteriorate.

These kinds of challenges make language learners’ efforts in learning go to waste and I strongly believe that before learning a new language one has to set a measurable or definite goal.

Vocabulary & Expression

Driving force [noun] – someone or something that has a power to make things a reality

Complexity [noun] – difficulty; problem

Deteriorate [verb] – make worse

Go to waste [phrase] – to be useless

 

Tip: The speaker gives three reasons at once in the beginning of his answer and he explains one by one after. This is a good way to express your idea in an organized way.