In this post I’m going to share a video of a ‘possible Band 8-8.5′ candidate answering a question about the role of parents in part 3 of the IELTS Speaking test. This is a good example of a high-band answer because the candidate uses many of the tips and strategies that I discuss in my posts and in my preparation materials. Below the video, I’ve included my comments.
What is the role of parents today?
What does this candidate do well?
- She uses some less common synonyms, for example she says parents play a vital role (0:16). Vital is a less common synonym of important.
- She uses natural conversation fillers like umm and err (0:20), without hesitating too much.
- She listens to the examiner carefully and asks for clarification if she did not fully understand the question: You mean the role of parents? (0:36)
- She connects her ideas appropriately and naturally. For example, she introduces her first point by saying For one thing, (0:45)
- She uses a wide range of grammatical structures and her grammar is very precise. For example, she describes a regular situation in the past that doesn’t exist now with used to + infinitive (In the past, mothers used to stay at home — 0:55). She describes a change from past to present using the present perfect simple (I think they have changed — 0:40). She uses the present simple to describe a permanent situation in the present (but now they do — 0:48).
- She achieves a good balance between accuracy (speaking without mistakes) and fluency (speaking without hesitation).
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