SPEAKING
Speaking task 1
Question
Where would you prefer to study, if you could choose from any type of location? Using details and examples, explain why.
Choosing one thing
● If I had to choose [a place to study…]
● If you ask me, [the best place to study…]
● In my opinion, [the best place to study…]
● Out of all the [places to study],I’d pick [the library…]
● One of the [best places to study] I can think of is…
● The first [place to study] that comes to mind is…
Answer 1
The first place to study that comes to mind, maybe the best place, is home. That’s because… well, in my opinion, the most important things to have when studying are, uhh, are quiet and comfort, and that’s exactly what my home has. There’s also the fact that home is the easiest place to go, because, uh … you don’t actually have to go anywhere. But more importantly, I have everything I need at home. If I’m hungry, I can just open the refrigerator. Besides that, if I need to research something, I have my computer right there. What I mean to say is that home is less distracting than other places. Basically, there is nothing you don’t expect, and you have everything you need.
Answer 2
One of the best places to study, if you ask me , is at school, or, you know, a university. After all, *that’s where students and teachers are. For example,if I’m in class, after it finishes, I can ask classmates if they want to study with me. I can get help from those classmates, or maybe from my professor. Out of all the places you can study, only a university has that…that resources … I mean , the resources of classmates and students. What’s more, a … uh , a school is less distracting than other places. Studying at home, for instance , can lead to watching TV, or doing the laundry, or whatever. In contrast, school is only for learning, so you don’t get… get distracted. It’s basically the best place to focus on studies.
Update on 517
Speaking Task 2
Question
Some people prefer playing team sports. Other prefer physical activities that you do alone, such as swimming or running. Which do you prefer? Explain why.
Choosing one from two
● Personally, I prefer [playing team sports]…
● I’d rather [play a team sport]…
● If I had to choose between [team sports and exercising alone], I’d…
● If you ask me, [team sports] are better because…
● Between [team sports] and [exercising alone] , I’d rather…
Giving Examples
● For example,…
● Take, for example, [noun].
● For instance,…
● If…., say,…
Answer 1
Between team sports and exercising alone, I’d rather exercise alone, personally. If you ask me, it’s better because you can do it any time, for one. For example, if I wanted to get some exercise, but I only played team sports, I’d, uhh, I’d have to call friends or, I don’t know—or find a group of people who played regularly. But on the other hand, if I want to go running, I can just go any time. Also, I can listen to music while running or hiking. You need to talk, to, uhh… to communicate when playing a team sport, so you can’t do that… you can’t wear headphones at all. In general, I guess I just like exercising alone better, because I have more control of when and what I do.
Answer 2
If I had to choose between team sports and exercising alone, I’d definitely play a team sport, like volleyball, my favorite. It’s more enjoyable to spend time with people. There are a couple of reasons I say that. When you’re, uh, with people, you can share it… share the experience, for one. I mean, you can talk, or maybe joke, like, uhh… , if you’re playing volleyball, say, and you make a mistake—you drop the ball , for instance —your friends can reassure you. But besides that, friends can help motivate you. When you’re exercising alone, on the other hand , you need to motivate yourself. So, uhh… my main point is that exercising with people makes the time spent more fun.
Speaking task 3
Question
The woman expresses her opinion about the plan described in the article. Briefly summarize the plan. Then state her opinion about the plan, and explain the reasons she gives for holding that opinion.
Showing disagreement
● While [the text says…], [the student thinks…] ● Although [the text says…], [the student thinks…]
Reporting an opinion
● The [man] agrees/disagrees that… ● In the [student’s] eyes/opinion… ● [She] believes that… ● The [man] is of the opinion that… ● The [student] claims… ● [He/she] points out that..
Sample Answer 1
The announcement told us that next year, students will have to pay to park cars— that is, park near the class buildings, specifically. People will need to register their cars in order to park there. But one of the students… the man in the conversation… he believes that it’s a bad decision. He says that the university isn’t going to make money, because the money students pay will be spent on additional security to check that cars in the lots are uhh, paid for… I mean, that they’re registered. More importantly, he believes that students will be upset, and although the school will write tickets to punish unregistered cars, the students aren’t, uhh, aren’t gonna pay them. Basically, the student is of the opinion that the school is going to create dissatisfaction without gaining anything, while they could instead just keep the current system.
Sample Answer 2
According to the text, there’s a new policy on campus parking, and students are gonna need to register their cars. What’s more, they’ll have to pay a fee to be allowed to park in the lots near the classroom buildings, and, uhh… . the reading states that the fee is going to provide extra money for the school to spend on building more parking lots. But the male student, on the other hand, disagrees that the school will actually be able to earn any money. He claims that the expenses of the new registration system, will… are gonna cost too much, so in his eyes the registration system can only create problems. While the text says that students who don’t register will be fined, the student points out that security won’t know who unregistered cars belong to, so he claims that people won’t pay the fines.