The Perfect Speaking Part 1 Response
Plants and Gardening
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.
Plants and Gardening
Think about these questions, what answer can you give,
- Do you keep plants at home?
- Did you grow any plants when you were young?
- Do you know anything about growing a plant?
- Do people from your culture send plants as gifts?
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?
There is a small garden at the back of my house where I grow herbs. There is also a bush and few small trees. I particularly like Lavender and Lemon trees. I enjoyed helping my mum in the garden when I was younger as we had the opportunity to talk.
- Have you ever given money to other children?
When I was small my Grandfather gave me a Chrysanthemum plant. I looked after it as best I could as I had little gardening knowledge as a child. It turned out to be a beautiful plant and bloomed every Autumn.
- Do you think parents should teach children to save money?
Yes I think I might have green fingers. I can get cuttings to grow quite well. I also know something about planting and watering them and giving them fertiliser and pruning when required. As plants have differing needs, I always make sure to read the care instructions before planting them.
- Do parents give children pocket money in your country?
Yes, in China some flowers have particular meanings to people. Red Peonies are often given to people to wish them both luck and wealth. Red roses are traditional for weddings as they indicate romantic love. Lotus flowers are probably the most well-known outside of China, and represent purity, long life, humility and honor.
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. 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.
