IELTS Language Lab Test 9

IELTS Grammar >> Test 9

Practice Test 9

In this episode we’re to going to listen to Le who tried Practice Test 9 on the subject of ‘books and films’.

Transcript

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Welcome to the IELTS Language Lab, brought to you by Peter Travis from ieltsspeaking.co.uk. In this episode we’re going to listen to Le who tried one of the free Part 2 practice tests we’ve published on the ieltsspeaking website. The task was Speaking Practice 9:

Task

Describe a book you have read or a film you have seen. You should say:

• what this book or film was
• when you read it or saw it
• why you decided to see the film or read the book

and say if you enjoyed it and why.

Comprehension

The first time you listen decide if Le answers the question appropriately.

I’m going to talk about a movie that I’ve recently seen … it is .. the movie’s name is Top Secret which is a movie produced in 1986 … it’s a pretty old movie … I … I just watched it last week … last weekend with my friends … because … we wanted to hang out together … I watched this movie because I was looking for something funny to watch … to relieve the stress in the school because … I have recently I have an exam and I was stressed … I really enjoyed this movie because it is a very special movie … this movie is very funny absolutely funny because … every minute … there are … there is is a funny scene that really makes me laugh as well as making my friends laugh … also it … features a very famous … famous actor that I really like he is … he has a wonderful performance.

Assessment

Le answered the question and kept to the subject, responding to each part of the task in turn. His talk was rather short and he could have told us a little more about the film to give him the opportunity to showcase his English to a greater extent.

Now listen a second time. How well do you think Le did using the IELTS assessment criteria?

• Grammatical Range and Accuracy
• Lexical Resource (Vocabulary)
• Fluency and Coherence
• Pronunciation

Feedback

Grammatical Range and Accuracy 

Le’s use of English was accurate. He used a range of tenses well and his statements were well formed. He also showed his ability to use verbs in the correct form such as his use of ‘make’:

• a funny scene that really makes me laugh as well as making my friends laugh

Lexical Resource

Le showed he had a good command of topic vocabulary, using words or expressions such as:

• a movie produced in 1986
• funny scenes
• wonderful performance
• it features a very famous actor

Le also used some good general expressions such as:

• a pretty old movie
• to hang out together
• to relieve the stress in the school

There were a couple of incorrect word choices:

• ‘the movie’s name is’ would be better as ‘the movie is called’
• ‘absolutely’ doesn’t collocate with ‘funny’ or doesn’t go with ‘funny’. Le could say ‘absolutely hilarious’.
• ‘he has a wonderful performance’ should be something like ‘he gives a wonderful performance’.

Fluency and Coherence

Le speaks clearly throughout although his speech is a little hesitant. In order to aim for an advanced grade, Le could focus on increasing his speech rate. One way he could do this would be to record himself giving the same talk but trying to deliver it faster each time. Alternatively, he could record himself talking about the days events, such as a daily spoken diary. By counting the number of words he produces in a set time, say a minute or 30 seconds he could monitor his progress and see if his speech rate improves over time.

Pronunciation

Le’s pronunciation. Was clear throughout and listeners should have little difficulty understanding him.

That’s the end of this lesson. Why not try this task yourself using Practice Test 9 on the ieltsspeaking website.