Speaking Question 1: Sample Answer (22)

Well, I’d have to say that I feel students learn better by doing other activities than taking exams. For one, when I was a student, any time there was an exam coming up, I would cram. The day or two before test day, I would shove as much information into my short-term memory as possible, and then, after the exam, I would forget everything. Another reason for this opinion is that students learn in all sorts of ways, not just from taking tests. By doing other activities, like projects, students with alternative learning styles have a better chance of retaining the course materials. These are the reasons why I think students learn more effectively through other activities rather than exams.

Short Response Analysis

Delivery: Delivers her response in a clear and calm manner.
Language Use: She uses casual phrases that signify a high level of fluency (i.e. “I’d have to say…”)
Topic Development: She explains her opinion well, but suffers from poor time management. This lasted 52 seconds but you only have 45 seconds on test day.

Speaking Question 1: Sample Answer (24)

This is actually an interesting topic that I have discussed before with my friends. I disagree that TV negatively impacts kids and should therefore be avoided. First, there are many educational programs out there, especially for young children. I remember when I was younger, I was allowed to watch Dora the Explorer every day. From that show, I learned the foundations of the Spanish language. Secondly, while there are some programs that are not kid-friendly, the television is an invention that is never going to go away. Children should not be shunned from it, but rather taught how to use the TV responsibly. Embracing TV is the best way to prepare kids for adulthood, when they can spend their time watching whatever they want.

Short Response Analysis

Delivery: Good intonation between ideas, her voice going higher in pitch when transitioning between ideas. (i.e. “First, there are…”)
Language Use: She uses specific vocabulary that makes her example feel more realistic (i.e. Dora the Explorer) and uses advanced phrases like “kid-friendly” and “educational programs”.
Topic Development: This response is way too long. Remember on test day you have only 45 seconds to speak while this response takes 56 seconds.

Speaking Question 1: Sample Answer (25)

I guess if I had to give a friend bad news, I would prefer to do it in a private location. This is mainly because if I were the one receiving the bad news, I would rather be told in a more intimate setting. One time, my best friend had to tell me something really bad that he saw my girlfriend doing behind my back. He told me in public, which made it even worse. I wanted to scream, but we were at a Starbucks, so I couldn’t. I didn’t want to make a scene and embarrass myself. This is why, if I were the one giving my friend some bad news, I definitely would not do it in a loud, public place but some place more private.

Speaking Question 1: Sample Answer (26)

Hands down, I would donate my money to a small local group. For one, I think that local charities do more for my community. When I was growing up, my parents always had us volunteer during the summer with a group that repaired the homes of those less fortunate in our town. Of course, someone had to pay for the supplies and equipment, but we provided the labor. Not only did those people get remodeled houses to live in, but our overall community was improved. If I had to donate money instead of time, I would donate to a local charity like that one because I would be able to see the impact that I was making on a more local level.

Speaking Task 1: Sample Answer (27)

I would much rather have a boring job each day and longer vacations. First of all, I love to travel, so no matter what, I would want as many vacations as possible. When I was little, my mom worked for a company that offered few vacation days, so it was very unfortunate for our family because we hardly ever got away. Not only that, but I believe there are other things that can be interesting and exciting in your life besides your job. Even if work is boring, you can still have a good time with your friends and family or doing sports and hobbies in your free time. While interesting work projects would be nice too, they are certainly no substitution for long vacations every year.

Speaking Question 1: Sample Answer (28)

Without a doubt, I am the kind of person who prefers to stay in and relax. To be honest, I am an introvert, and I just don’t like meeting new people. Going to a party, meeting new people, and making small talk just sounds like a nightmare to me. I never know what to say. In addition to that, there is just something so comforting about spending an evening at home, relaxing. I have the most comfortable couch in my living room, and most nights I enjoy curling up with a good book or watching a movie with my dog. I love the peace and quiet. So, yeah, I would totally prefer to stay at home and relax.

Speaking Question 1: Sample Answer (29)

To me, joining a sports team would definitely be the new hobby I would choose to learn. For one, playing sports is an excellent way to make new friends. It can be difficult to meet people these days, especially ones that share a common interest. But, if you enjoy the sport, your teammates will obviously enjoy it too. Another reason I would choose to join a sports team is because it keeps you fit. When I used to play volleyball, it was very physical. I never had to go to the gym, because I was able to stay healthy by playing volleyball every week. These are the reasons why, if I had to learn a new hobby, I would definitely join a sports team.

Speaking Question 2: Sample Answer (8)

The student’s letter proposes an increased amount of staff working at the library. In it, the author notes that the library is too busy. She feels that the librarians are overworked and that the student workers do not have the necessary qualifications to help students. In response, the man in the conversation totally disagrees with the author. To start, he explains that the library is not busy most of the time. In fact, it is almost always empty. He says that it is only busy for an hour right after class. Secondly, he has talked with some of the student workers in the library, and he feels that they actually know more than the librarians. As you can see, the man clearly does not believe that the school needs to hire more librarians.

Response Analysis

Delivery: She has good examples of stress and intonation, showing an emotional connection to what she is saying. For example, the way she stressed the word “totally” signals an advanced level of fluency.

Language Use: Some of the sentences are a bit simple, starting with phrases like “He says…” or “She feels…” but the rest of the vocabulary sounds natural, conversational and connected to the content of the passages.

Topic Development: This example is too short. It is only 52 seconds when on test day you will have 60 seconds to speak. Try not to have more than three seconds of silence. Besides that, the structure is excellent, the speaker began with the announcement and then transitioned to the man in the conversation.

Transcript

Woman: Hey Adam, what’s new?

Man: Not much. I just finished reading this letter in the paper.

Woman: Oh, Tamara’s?

Man: Yeah, that’s the one.

Woman: What did you think?

Man: I completely disagree with her. I don’t think there is anything wrong with the library.

Woman: Well, it does get backed-up sometimes.

Man: Only for an hour or so, and that is right after classes let out. The rest of the time it is completely empty. If some students could just wait until later, they could get help no problem and the librarians wouldn’t get so far behind. That’s the only reason it seems so busy.

Woman: Yeah, I suppose you are right.

Man: And, I can’t believe she thinks that the student workers in the library don’t know what they are doing. I know a few of them, and I think that they actually know more than the librarians. One time I needed to find something online for class, and the librarian working didn’t know what I was talking about. However, the student worker helped me find it, print it, and I turned it in no problem.

Woman: Well, if that’s the case, even more librarians probably wouldn’t help then.

Man: Exactly. I hope the school doesn’t take her letter seriously.

Speaking Question 3: Sample Answer (8)

Scarcity marketing is the idea that some consumers buy things just because they want to be one of the only people to own it, and so in response, companies will advertise their products in a manner that makes them seem like they are rare. The lecturer delves deeper into scarcity marketing by providing an example from his personal life. He tells the story of his grandfather’s shoe factory. When his father joined the family business, he wanted to use the scarcity marketing techniques he noticed were being used by other businesses. He was able to convince the grandfather to release an ad for boots that said there were only a few boots available. Because of this, the boots sales increased dramatically, from just 500 pairs in a year to over 50,000. If I ever own a company, I will definitely use scarcity marketing to advertise my product.

Response Analysis

Delivery: Her pronunciation and overall speech music are excellent. She has no problem linking words together like “…is the idea that…” and “...there were only a few boots…”

Language Use: The vocabulary is connected to the topic of the passages and she included some interesting vocabulary like “dramatically” and “rare”.

Topic Development: This example is a bit short, 53 seconds. Try not to have more than three seconds of silence on test day. However, she included all of the important information from the passages and showed how one detail leads to another.

Transcript

So, whenever I think about this concept, I am immediately reminded of my grandfather’s shoe factory back in my hometown. While my grandfather’s company made quality, custom shoes, he struggled for most of his life to make it a success.

However, when my father graduated from college, he went into the family business and joined my grandfather in the shoe factory. He noticed that other companies would often use scarcity marketing in their advertisements. For example, he would see expressions like “Limited time offer” on these products, and one day he decided to use a similar tactic to sell shoes from the factory. Apparently, my grandfather wasn’t sure at first, but eventually, my father wore him down, and he took over the shoe company’s marketing department. The first new ad my father released simply said, “American-made boots, limited stock available.”

In the years prior, my grandfather sold less than 500 pairs of these boots every year, but thanks to my father’s scarcity marketing approach, that one simple line, ‘limited stock available’, led to sales of over 50,000 shoes that year. After that, my father and grandfather continued with this advertising plan, and the company grew into an empire. That is the power of scarcity marketing.

Speaking Question 4: Sample Answer (8)

In the listening, the lecturer discusses a practice among cuckoo birds called egg mimicry. Cuckoos lay eggs that look the same as other birds’ eggs in size and color. The mother cuckoo lays her eggs in another birds’ nest, so that bird can’t tell the difference between her own eggs and the cuckoo’s. According to the lecturer, this practice has two advantages. First, when the baby cuckoo birds are born, the host bird raises it like its own. The baby cuckoo is provided with a home in the nest and food from their adopted mom. But also, there is an advantage to the other baby birds too, and that is protection. Should a predator try to come for the nest while the mother bird is away, the cuckoo will release a smell that wards off the predator. After hearing this talk, I now have a better understanding of egg mimicry.

Response Analysis

Delivery: Her delivery is calm and confident, but keep in mind that on test day you will be more nervous and excited, which is totally natural. Do not worry if you don’t sound as calm as this speaker, it is just an “ideal” example.

Language Use: The speaker shows that she clearly understood the content of the passages by using words and phrases like “egg mimicry”, “predator”, and “baby cuckoo”.

Topic Development: She uses good phrases to transition between ideas which help to develop the topic (i.e. “According to the lecturer…”, “First…”, “But also…”)

Transcript

So, let’s continue our conversation about the cuckoo bird. Now one interesting thing about this particular species is that it practices egg mimicry. You see, cuckoo birds lay camouflaged eggs, much smaller than a bird their size should make, in other birds’ nests. Their mimicked eggs look identical to the other eggs, so the mother bird does not notice that the cuckoo egg is not theirs. Now there are two benefits to the practice of egg mimicry. For one, the young cuckoo birds are provided a home and food by their adoptive parent, and also, the other baby birds in the nest are offered some protection.

For the cuckoo bird, egg mimicry is an easy way to have their young raised by a host bird. When the eggs hatch, the baby cuckoo bird shares in the shelter of the nest and the food brought by its newly adoptive parent. These birds also grow much larger in a shorter amount of time, so it is easier for them to compete with the others. If there is not enough food or room for all the baby birds to share, the cuckoo baby has been known to push the other baby birds out of the nest and consume all the food.

But, believe it or not, there is also a benefit for the other baby chicks sharing the nest with the cuckoo bird baby. Once the cuckoo bird hatches, it provides the nest with protection. When the mother bird leaves the nest and a hungry predator comes to take advantage of her absence, the baby cuckoo releases a smelly odor that drives the predator away. If the other babies are allowed to remain in the nest with the cuckoo, then they are, in this way, also protected from these dangers.