Mat Clark – IELTS Speaking
28
the ―content‖. There is however one very clear similarity.
The actual ―question types‖ are the same. The answer to the second question in both
questions would obviously be different in content but the structure and style of the answer
should really be very similar.
Although the number of different topics and questions in Part One is enormous, the
number of actual question types is quite limited.
For
this reason, one very effective method for dealing with Part One is to focus on
the question types.
In the following pages, we will explore the different question types in
Part One and develop structures suitable for each type.
1.2.
Question Type 1: ―Basic Description‖ Questions
Look at the example question: ―Tell me about your hometown.‖
This seems like a simple question. Candidates must remember that the examiner is
NOT asking this question because he or she wants to know something about your
hometown.
Remember: The examiner is not interested in you, your life or anything you say. The
examiner is doing a job. The job is to award a score for your spoken English in relation to
the marking system.
So again we can see that content becomes irrelevant. The examiner is actually asking
the following question: ―Show me your ability to describe something (a place) and give me
some town or city vocabulary.‖
Look at the example answer:
―I come from Beijing. I am native of this city. Beijing is the capital of China. In
Beijing there are many historical buildings. Beijing Duck is very famous –
I always eat it
with my friends.‖
The problem with this response is that is ―answers‖ the question but it doesn't offer
the examiner any evidence of your ability to describe something. A description needs to
offer detailed and precise information and the points need to be developed in some way.
If we consider the marking system we can also add that the answer does not contain
any features of native-speaker style spoken English.
The answer is short/direct.
It does not contain any linking words or phrases.
It does not contain any redundant language.
There are no examples of uncommon vocabulary.
Mat Clark – IELTS Speaking
29
There is no idiomatic language.
The grammar is correct but it is very basic grammar.
There are no complex sentence structures.
The tense use is limited.
This answer is therefore typical of a lower score (4~5).
Now consider the following answer:
―Well as you can probably guess I come from Beijing and I have lived here all my
life, although at the moment I'm studying in another city – Tianjin. I suppose if I had to
describe Beijing, the first thing I would say is that it's absolutely enormous, maybe even one
of the biggest city in Asia I guess. It's so big in fact that even
the locals have problems
finding their way around. Another significant characteristic is that it offers examples of both
classical and contemporary architecture. Actually some of the China's most renowned
landmarks are ―slap-bang‖ in the middle of Beijing.‖
This response is much better in quality than the first
answer for the following
reasons:
It is long but doesn't move away from the topic/ questions.
It contains redundant language.
It contains linking phrases.
It contains one idiom.
It contains some uncommon vocabulary.
The vocabulary is topic-specific.
It contains examples of complex sentence structures.
It contains a mix of tenses.
The grammar is correct (even in the longer structures).
Because this answer meets many of the marking system descriptions required to
achieve a higher score it would be typical of a score of 7+.
