The Perfect Speaking Part 1 Response
Children and Money
Did you know that the first part of the IELTS Speaking test can be the most difficult for candidates.
Not only is the candidate in a test situation, but the candidate is has to deal with listening to an examiner who may speak with an unfamiliar accent or at some speed.
But don’t despair it can also be the easiest part, and the most enjoyable.
There is a valid reason for this part of the IELTS test, and I will explain this below.
One reason for Part 1 is to ease the candidate into the test, and allow the candidate to tune into the voice of the examiner.
The three sets of questions are not particularly challenging, but are varied in topic and allow the candidate to ‘warm up‘ and ‘gain confidence‘ and additionally give the examiner ‘a feel‘ to immediate level.
One way to do well in this section is to relax.
A relaxed candidate always listens better and responds well.
Other tips are
- Don’t give the examiner an opportunity to ask ‘why’ you think something.
- Connect your sentences.
- Attempt to use complex sentences rather than short, simply ones.
- Don’t hesitate too much, you can make some mistakes
and
- Don’t be afraid to correct yourself
If you don’t understand something, always ask the examiner to repeat the question.
Children and Money
Think about these questions, what answer can you give,
- Did you save money when you were young?
- Have you ever given money to other children?
- Do you think parents should teach children to save money?
- Do parents give children pocket money in your culture?
TIP
IELTS Part 1 features three random topics chosen by the examiner.
There is a around a minute of speaking time allowed for each section of part 1, so if you can answer the question fully AND extend it, you will get asked fewer questions!
- Did you save money when you were young?
Yes, I did. I remember when I was very young, my parents gave me a Piggy Bank to save money in. I would put any spare coins I had or money given to me in it, hoping to be able to buy sweets or toys with it one day. This never happened as the money box always seemed to be empty.
- Have you ever given money to other children?
No, I don’t think I’ve ever given money to other children as I barely had enough to buy things for myself let alone share money with others.
- Do you think parents should teach children to save money?
Yes, I feel it is very important for children to learn to save money as it is a very useful skill for life and it’s one way to help them realise their dreams in the future. I think why we should save money is also a life skill taught is schools.
- Do parents give children pocket money in your culture?
Yes, in fact it’s a Chinese tradition. In most parts of China it’s traditional to give children pocket money during the annual Spring Festival. We call it Lucky Money. Children also get money during other times of the year as a reward for things such as good behaviour and helping with chores around the house. Some lucky children get a regular allowance from their parents, but that’s a bit different to pocket money.
I’m Jonathan
I’ve taught IELTS and University English in more than a dozen universities and schools around the world.
I’m a parent, traveller and passionate about language teaching and helping students achieve their dreams.
Whilst living in Austria or working in Asia, I run IELTS courses to help students get to where they want to be.
If you are serious about IELTS, connect with me to see how I can help you.
