In this section you will review the following points:

  • Vocabulary: Education
  • Pronunciation: Areas of study
  • A sample interview
  • Vocabulary review
  • Getting out of trouble
  • Error correction
  • Before you take the test

1. Vocabulary: Education.

Do the education quiz. Choose the correct options.

2. Pronunciation: Areas of study.

Choose the correct stress pattern for each word, then listen to check your answers. Once you have completed the exercise listen again and repeat the words.
For example:

university = ooOoo

3. A sample interview.

Watch this candidate, Ana, doing Part 3 of the speaking test, the two-way discussion. Put the examiner's questions in the order that they are asked.


4. A sample interview.

Use the phrases to complete the exchange, then watch this extract of the interview again to check your answers.




5. The second extract.

Now listen to the second extract and mark the statements true or false.





See the complete transcript of the interview.

6. Vocabulary.

Use the words to complete the sentences.

7. Getting out of trouble.

Watch an extract from Part 3 of the speaking test.


TIP:

At different times during the speaking test interview you may feel you didn’t understand a question or that you cannot find the right words or express the ideas that you want to. Taking action, explaining this to the examiner, is preferable to being silent. You can use phrases like Do you mean? and What I mean is ... to clarify a confusing situation.

Look at more “getting out of trouble” phrases below. Drag them into the correct box.

8. Error correction.

Play the sentence casino game. Are the sentences grammatically correct or incorrect?

  • You start with 20 points.
  • Decide how many points you want to bet.
  • When you are correct, you win double the points.
  • When you are incorrect, you lose the points.

How many points can you win?

9. Before you take the test.

TIP:

Here is a list of some common mistakes that candidates make in the speaking test.

Common mistakes
  • Answers are too short.
  • Answers are memorised and not spontaneous.
  • The question is not answered.
  • The candidate speaks too fast or too slow.
  • The candidate doesn’t speak when thinking and leaves long silences.
  • The candidate doesn’t use fillers and linkers.
  • The candidate doesn’t use a variety of language.

Remember: The examiner will stop you when you reach the time limit. This is not because the examiner thinks that what you are saying is boring!

Match the two parts to complete tips about the speaking test.

10. Task.

Now practise your answers to Part 2 and Part 3 of the speaking test. Make sure you practise an answer to each of the discussion questions in Part 3.

Part 2

Describe your experience in education.
   
You should say: where you went to school/university
  what a class you took was like
  what subjects you have studied in your education

and explain whether you like school and why/why not.

Rounding-off questions

  • Did you learn useful skills during your education?
  • Did your education prepare you for work or further studies?
Part 3

Discussion questions:

Education and work
Do you agree that there is too much pressure on young people at school these days?
Do you think that education prepares people for the world of work?
Some people argue that end-of-year exams should be replaced by continuous assessment. What do you think?
How do people continue to learn after they have finished their formal education?

Changing education
What do you think education will be like in the future?
Have there been recent changes in schooling methods in your country?
Do you think schools and universities provide enough careers advice to their students?
Some people say that your school days are the best days of your life. Do you agree or disagree?

 

Time yourself so that you get used to speaking for four to five minutes without support.

Remember to:

  • use useful “education” vocabulary from this unit.
  • take the initiative and develop topics to give long answers.
  • practise and include phrases for getting yourself out of trouble.
  • monitor what you say and look out for your common mistakes.