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TOPIC Preparation(Grades 4-12)
Notes and Advice to Teachers
THE TOPIC PHASE of the ESOL Spoken Examination is the idealopportunity for students to show the examiner their ability to speak freely and
for a sustained period of time on a subject that interests them, the student.
The student at this point, takes fuller control of the examination because the
subject matter has been selected and prepared in advance by the student (with
the help of the teacher in most cases) and for a couple of minutes or so, the
student speaks uninterrupted, sharing information and ideas with the examiner’
The examiner then gradually joins in to develop the conversation about the
TOPIC further.
The presentation of the TOPIC is the culmination of all the work that has been
going on in preparation for the examination - preparation for the TOPIC may
well have involved Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking work in the
classroom. The TOPIC may well have been developed outside the classroom
by the student, again involving all or some of the four major language skills.
The purpose of the TOPIC phase in the examination is to present to the
examiner, in oral form, the product of all this work that has gone before. The
examiner will assess the quality of the spoken language used to present and to
discuss the TOPIC - the TOPIC itself is not assessed. In other words examiners
do not make value judgements about the subject matter of the TOPIC. If it is
right for the student, i.e. the student can handle the subject matter comfortably
and appropriately for the Grade, if it meets the criteria of the particular Grade
in terms of content and quality of language produced, then the candidate will
receive a positive result for this section.
The TOPIC is NOT something to be learned by heart. Of course, students must
be familiar with the TOPIC. They must prepare for the examiner’s comments
and questions by anticipating what the examiner might say and be ready to
give a reply. Candidates may use brief notes to remind them of the main points
of their TOPIC presentation but these notes are a reminder, NOT a script.
Candidates who simply ‘recite’ their TOPIC will not do well in this section of
the examination.
Candidates should bring an item with them into the examination room. This
object provides a concrete link between the conversation and the TOPIC itself.
The object focuses the candidate’s and the examiner’s attention on the subject
matter and helps to develop a lively conversation between them.
Teachers who do not ensure that candidates choose an object and who do not
make sure the candidate brings the object along on examination day are not
helping their students get the most from the examination.
TEACHERS AND CANDIDATES must be aware that there are time
limitations in each phase of the examination. Refer to the syllabus for
assistance regarding timing. Make sure that candidates are sufficientlyprepared to sustain the conversation for the allotted time.
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Beware of allowing students to prepare so much material that they are unable
to make a concise presentation of their TOPIC and become disappointed.
At the beginning of each Grade page in the syllabus there is a boxed section
which says: ‘Conversation topics appropriate at this Grade’. This means that a
candidate may select ONE of these topics to prepare for the examination if
they themselves cannot think of a TOPIC to prepare.
This section also means that during the general conversation phase of the
examination, one or more of the boxed topics may come up during the general
conversation. The candidate DOES NOT HAVE TO PREPARE these as
‘TOPICS’. They are simply areas of conversation which are appropriate in
order to explore the demands of the syllabus at this Grade and areas of
conversation it is reasonable to expect a candidate to manage at this Grade.
The notes and brief exercises contained in this document are designed to help
teachers and candidates think about what to choose as the Prepared TOPIC and
to ensure that, having chosen a TOPIC, the candidate has the language andconversational skills appropriate at that Grade, to present the TOPIC in a lively
and natural way and to take an active part in the conversation about the TOPIC
with the examiner.
Suggestions to Teachers
1. Whenever possible, try out your students’ TOPICS on the whole class when
they have been prepared.
2. Encourage the class to ‘play the examiner’ and ask thier classmates the sort
of questions an examiner might ask.
3. Make sure the candidate can explain jargon words. Pretend not to reallyunderstand what they mean and encourage explanations in simple terms.
4. Timing is important: candidates should practise keeping to time by
overcoming lengthy hesitations. On the other hand, they should not gabble
their TOPIC.
5. Appoint a time-keeper to encourage point 4 above. Appoint another person
to keep a check on ‘gabbling’. They should call out: ‘I can't understand you’.
6. It is acceptable for the whole class to prepare the same TOPIC as a class
exercise as long as each genuinely communicates his/her contribution to the
examiner.
7. Do not encourage students to use long chunks of learned language they
would not normally be able to use.
8. Leave sufficient time for the TOPIC preparation not to be a last-minute
exercise. There are so many useful skills involved in TOPIC preparation that it
is a pity not to take advantage of its presence in the examination syllabus.
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1. Where do ideas come from?
Ideas are all around us-the people we know, the new people we meet,the things
we do, the places we go, what we eat, interests, hobbies, work, our holidays.
The list is endless.
Generating ideas is called ‘brainstorming’. It's fun and good practice tobrainstorm because one idea leads to another.
Exercise:
In 2 minutes list as many ideas for TOPICS as you can think of.
Write them below and continue on a separate sheet of paper if necessary. Here
are examples to get you started:
Exercise:
Another way to generate ideas is to start with general categories. Some
examples of general categories are: Health, Education, Social Issues, Crime.
Can you add some more examples to these general categories? Order them
according to your preferences and interests.
Exercise:
Look at the first three examples you added above. In the boxes below write
what you like most or what you find most interesting about your examples.
XX Do not choose a book for your TOPIC because:
a) at Elementary Stage it is too difficult to talk about for most students
b) at Intermediate to Advanced Stages it is another section of the examination.
If you are really stuck for a TOPIC, then those in the box at the beginning of
each relevant page of the syllabus are suggestions. Choose one of these if you
wish.
1. Football
2. Rain Forests
3.Summer Holidays
4. ??
5.
6.
7.
8
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
1. Health
2.Education
3. Social Issues
4. Crime
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Example
1.
2.
3.
What I like most/what I find most interesting about this Topic
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2. Eliminating and Selecting Possible Topics
By now you should have a long list of Topics or categories. For the
examination you only need ONE TOPIC. Any TOPIC is acceptable if it is
right for YOU! In other words it is something you enjoy talking about, you
know what you want to say about it and you feel very enthusiastic about it.
The examiner will sense your enthusiasm and ask you to explain points, give
more details and develop your ideas. In this way, a lively conversation will
develop between you and the examiner.
It’s now time to eliminate, to throw out most of your list, leaving your short-
list of possibilities. So, which ones shall we eliminate and which ones shall we
keep? The choice is yours but consider the following questions for each
TOPIC on your list to help you eliminate TOPICS which you do not want to
work on.
Exercise:
Look at the 5 questions below in boxes 1-5. These are just a few useful
questions to ask yourself before deciding on your TOPIC. In 2 minutes think
of some more useful questions to ask yourself to help you choose a TOPIC.
Write your questions in boxes 6-10 below.
Exercise:
Now look at your long list of TOPICS. Ask yourself the questions above for
each of your TOPIC ideas. Reject TOPICS which are not suitable for YOU,
leaving 5 or fewer possible TOPICS which you feel comfortable with.
Write them in the boxes below.
My Shortlist of TOPICS
1. Is this TOPIC too complicated or too technical
or too difficult for me?
2. Am I really interested in this subject to make
it interesting for myself and the examiner?
3. Do I really know anything about this TOPIC
or .....
4. Can I find out anything about this TOPIC?
5. Am I already bored by this subject?
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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You now have a shortlist of five or fewer TOPICS which are possibilites. You
still have to select just ONE.
Exercise:
Write your 5 TOPICS in the left-hand column below and put a tick or cross
against each in answer to these questions and considerations:
1. Does this subject REALLY interest me?
2. Is this subject one I would like to discover more information about?
3. Is this a TOPIC I can say quite a lot about because I have experience or
knowledge about it?
4.Can I talk about this TOPIC comfortably and freely in English because I can
use the vocabulary and structures for the TOPIC appropriate to the Grade I am
entering?
5. When I talk about this TOPIC in the exam, can I use the sort of language inthe syllabus at this Grade? (Ask your teacher whether you can in fact use the
appropriate language for the Grade.)
6. Will I be able to discuss this TOPIC with the examiner and respond to
questions and comments about my TOPIC because I feel completely
comfortable and knowledgeable about it?
7. Will I have enough to say about this TOPIC for 2-3 minutes before the
examiner joins in the conversation?
Exercise:
Look at your ticks and crosses. Some will have more ticks and crosses than
others. Some TOPICS may have the same number. Use the table you made
above to choose ONE TOPIC for the examination.
Exercise:
Write the title of your TOPIC below. This is simply a working title. You can
improve your title later when we have worked on it some more.
Topics 1-5/ Ú or X
e.g. My Summer Holidays
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
‘WORKING TITLE ‘ for my TOPIC
Q1
ÚÚ
Q2
X
Q3
ÚÚ
Q4
ÚÚ
Q5
X
Q6
ÚÚ
Q7
X
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3. Let your spider do the work for you
You now have your TOPIC and a working title for it. Try and make it as
interesting as possible for you AND the examiner. The best way to do this is to
decide on an ‘angle’. Your ‘angle’ is the way you are going to deal with your
TOPIC. Let’s take a simple idea like ‘COFFEE’. We can generate a list of
ideas associated with coffee:
1. Coffee is bad for the health 2. Coffee is essential for energy
3. Countries where coffee is grown 4. From coffee bean to breakfast table
5. etc, etc.
Writers often use a spidergram to help them generate angles or more interesting
ways of dealing with the subject. Let us take another popular example:
‘My family’
Exercise:
Complete the empty boxes with other angles about "My Family".
By developing an angle you will find:
a) Your TOPIC will become more interesting for you and the Examinerb) Your angle will help to focus your thoughts and preparation on the TOPIC
c) Your TOPIC presentation will be more controlled
Exercise:
Now go back to the TOPIC you have chosen. Develop a spidergram to generate
some interesting angles on your TOPIC.
In the box below write the title of your TOPIC to show more clearly exactly
WHAT your TOPIC is about.
IMPROVED TITLE FOR MY TOPIC
interesting
peoplestrange
people
successful
people
your
ideas?different
personalities
what annoys me
about my family
your
ideas?
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4. Working on familiar TOPICS
If your TOPIC is very personal, you will probably not need to do much
research but you will still have to generate interesting things to say about your
TOPIC. Here are some of the basic questions you can ask about any TOPIC to
generate interesting ideas.
Exercise:
Try and fill the remaining boxes with as many questions like those below.
Of course, you do NOT need to include all these questions and answers in
your TOPIC to the examiner. You should include this information where it is
relevant and interesting.
Working on less familiar TOPICS
Some TOPICS may need a little research or thought. Maybe you will need to
find material (pictures, newspapers, leaflets etc) to find out more about your
subject.
Researching material for your TOPIC
If you think it is necessary to do some research, you do not need to search for
a lot of material.
Exercise:
Look at the title of your TOPIC. Put a tick or cross in the boxes to show where
you might find some interesting new sources of information on your TOPIC.
In the remaining spaces, add any more sources of information you can think
of.
Note to Teachers
Remember, the source does NOT need to be an English publication. Photos,
statistics, drawings, diagrams etc can come from any publication. Articles,
interviews, reports and so on will often come from local sources as they will
reflect local interest and culture.
This is how the TOPIC can become a communication and multi-skill task as
reading (and thinking), writing (taking notes, recording vocabulary, key
structures to imitate, points to expand on), listening (what would the teacher,
class companion and examiner like the candidate to explain, clarify, expand on
etc) and of course speaking.
Who?
What?
Why?
When?
How much?
How often?
How?
With what
result?
Where?
Who with?
books
magazines
newspapers
TV
Radio
Encyclopaedia
family or friends
photos
leaflets
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It is useful for each student to present the TOPIC to the whole class who can
‘play examiner’, making comments and asking questions. This is valuable oral
group work and helps the candidate to anticipate what the examiner might say.
Invariably, the quality of the TOPIC phase is related to the work input in
preparation for this phase of the examination. It is not enough for teachers
simply to tell students to go away and prepare something. They need help and
a structure within which to work. It is vital that teachers monitor the progress
and the result of the TOPIC preparation in good time for the examination.
Typically, there are 3 categories of production:
1. Students do well on the TOPIC where close attention is paid to the syllabus,
the conversational and linguistic criteria set out on the Grade page and where
students’ ability is properly matched with the appropriate Grade, .
2. Students perform satisfactorily on the TOPIC where there is a clear
indication that candidates have prepared for their TOPIC to some extent, with
some integration of the structures and features required of that Grade.
3. Candidates’ performance is especially weak where candidates are ill-
prepared, have little to say on their TOPIC, expect the examiner to sustain the
interest in the subject, have no item to represent the TOPIC and have difficulty
connecting ideas.
The next sections attempt to redress the balance by offering ideas on how to
make the content of the TOPIC relevant, of sufficient length to be interesting
yet concise and presented in a natural way. These are perhaps the greatest
challenges to teachers and learners but are useful skills to develop.
5. Too much to say.... too little to say.
By now you have the material for your TOPIC. Perhaps it is all in your head
because it is personal to you. Perhaps you have used some sources of
information. Maybe it is a combination of both.
Ask yourself:
Have I got too little, too much or sufficient material to talk about my TOPIC
for 2-3 minutes?
If you have too little look back at the exercises in section 3 & 4 above and create some more ideas and material
If you have sufficient material, move on to the next stage - planning and
organising your TOPIC
If you have too much move on to selecting and editing.
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Selecting and Editing
You have too much material. Ask yourself:
1. What is relevant to the subject?
2. What is interesting about the subject?
3. What can I edit or cut out without spoiling the effect of my presentation?
4. What can I express more briefly than I thought at first?
5. What will give the examiner something to comment on and ask about which
I can answer comfortably?
6. Planning and Organising your TOPIC
Let us assume you now have sufficient material. Now it’s time to plan your
presentation.
1. What are you going to tell the examiner about and what is the ‘angle’. You
do not need to use the word ‘angle’. For example, you can say something like:
‘I am going to tell you about the strange habits of members of my family’.
This helps to focus the examiner's thoughts on your subject. (S)he now knows
what to listen out for. (S)he will not need to spend time thinking: ‘I wonder
what the point of this TOPIC is’?
Exercise:
In two or three words write down the "angle "of your TOPIC.
e.g. my ‘angle’ is
2. What object are you going to bring into the examination room to illustrate
your TOPIC?
3. How is this object relevant to and related to your TOPIC?
4. What general things can you say about your TOPIC?
(write them on index cards to remind you)
5. What details are you going to include?
6. What examples are you going to give?
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7. Do you need to explain anything to the examiner who often knows nothing
about your subject: e.g. people, places, the name of towns, technical/jargon
words, the rules of a game, the names of food and drinks, customs etc.
8. At what point is it appropriate to give explanations or more details in your
presentation?
9. Are you sure you are not repeating the same information?
10. At what point should you move on to the next point of your TOPIC?
11. Are you going to include your own and other people's opinions?
12. The examiner is willing to become interested in any TOPIC you want to
present. Are you including enough to make it interesting for the examiner? Are
you saying things to keep the examiner interested?
13. Are you giving the examiner interesting material so that s/he can ask you
interesting questions later?
14. Have you got enough things to say about your TOPIC without ‘drying up’
and expecting the examiner to take over? If you ‘dry up’ or ‘run out of steam’,
you cannot expect the examiner to do all the work to keep the conversation
going.
15. How are you going to finish your presentation? Will you quickly
summarise what you have said? Will you give a final opinion on your TOPIC?
Will you make a final statement about it?
16. Have you anticipated some of the questions the examiner might ask? Have
you thought about your possible answers? Many of the examiner's questions
will be predictable.
By practising with your colleagues, classmates, teachers etc, you will have the
opportunity to deal with similar questions and comments from the examiner.
17. Have you used some or many of the language items outlined on the Grade
page? Remember, the TOPIC is the ideal opportunity to use them naturally in a
context chosen by YOU.
17. DO NOT write out your TOPIC either in English or in your language in
order to translate it into English. By all means write some notes in English but
only major headings to help you structure your TOPIC.
If you write down your TOPIC in your own language for translation you
will certainly:
a) produce a translation full of mistakes and need your teacher to correct it.
b) even now it will sound like something written down and then spoken. In
other words it will not sound natural.
c) your ability in your own language is much greater than your ability in
English. The language you present in your TOPIC will not be the sort of
language you are actually capable of producing in normal conversation.
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When you come to the free conversation part of the examination, it will
become even clearer that your language ‘ability’ for the TOPIC is not your real
language ability. You have been found out!
7. Presenting your TOPIC to the examiner -some Do's, Don'ts and Questions
XXThis is not a drama examination - it’s a language examination. You must
not learn your TOPIC by heart. If you do, it will not sound natural and it will
not reflect your English language abilities.
XXThis is not a memory exercise - it’s a language examination. You should not
learn your TOPIC by heart. Use notes if you wish. You need to prepare
suitable vocabulary and structures for the TOPIC and for your particular Grade
and be able to use these appropriately. Ask your teacher for help.
It is advisable to bring brief NOTES with you into the examination room.You may refer to them to remind you of the points you wish to make about
your TOPIC but ...
XX You may not simply read your notes aloud to the examiner. You do not
need to stand to present your TOPIC.
If you prepare your TOPIC thoroughly and if it is familiar to you, you will
probably not need to use notes. You must, however, bring your object to
represent the TOPIC.
???? What should I do if I forget to bring an object on examination day?
A typical excuse is: ‘I was in a hurry ... I was so nervous that I forgot myobject’.
Simply apologise for not bringing it and tell the examiner what you intended to
bring. If the examiner is convinced this is genuine and not laziness, (s)he will
accept the situation, however you have missed a valuable opportunity to add
interest to your TOPIC. You have certainly not helped yourself and you must
continue to work very hard to make the most of your TOPIC.
You will not lose marks but the object helps you and the examiner to focus the
conversation better. The examiner can also ask you questions about your
object. Because you chose it, you will be able to answer the questions easily.
So remember, do yourself a favour - bring your object.
?? Are you going to bring an object into the examination room?
YES or NO? Why?
Exercise:
Think now: what object(s) would be suitable to illustrate my TOPIC.
Think of two or three possibilities and then choose ONE.
Choice 1.............................. Choice 2..........................
Choice 3.............................. Best Choice ....................
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After a couple of minutes the examiner will join in and have a conversation
with you about your TOPIC.
Listen carefully to the questions and answer them as best you can.
If you do not understand the examiner say:
‘I’m sorry I don’t understand’ or ‘Could you repeat that, please?’
XX Don't say: ‘What?’, ‘Eh?’ or make any other ugly noises! Use appropriate
hesitations.
XX Do not try to quickly pass over questions in order to continue with your
presentation. Candidates usually adopt this approach when they learn their
TOPIC by heart because they are afraid of forgetting ‘what comes next’. Don’t
learn by heart!
When you feel you have answered the question, continue with your
presentation. You do not have to wait for the examiner’s ‘permission’ to
continue.
Remember there is a time limit on the examination. You have only up to five
minutes or so for the whole presentation and discussion of your TOPIC. This
makes it even more important that you are familiar with the subject, you have
organised your thoughts about it and have anticipated some of the examiner's
questions.
You take most of the responsibility for this part of the examination. The
examiner expects you to direct the TOPIC and set an acceptable pace for it
without his or her intervention.
7. What sort of language and what level of languageshould I use for the TOPIC?
The answer is simple:
The sort of language you use should be
appropriate to the subject
appropriate for the Grade at which you are entering*
language which you can use comfortably and naturally
* If you use language which is NOT really the sort of language you normally
use, this will become clear when:
the examiner asks you questions about your TOPIC
during the free conversation later
Use the examples in the syllabus marked ‘Candidate Language’ and the Usage
section in the syllabus for your Grade to decide what level of language you
should try to use.
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Remember: you are entering at this Grade because you/your teacher believes
you can handle this level of language. If you cannot, then you are entering at the
WRONG GRADE. Review what level you should enter at!
XX Do not learn the ‘candidate examples’ by heart but practise this language in
the context of your own TOPIC
You are not exploiting the language fully if e.g. you ONLY use ‘there is ..., there
are ..., I am ... etc’, so vary your expression as much as you can.
Think about your TOPIC. What opportunities are there to exploit the usage
statements in the syllabus e.g.
Purpose: ‘Young people often smoke to prove they are grown up.’
Necessity: ‘Governments have to act now before our environment is completely
spoiled.’ or ‘You’ve got to see this film. The special effects are wonderful!’
Probability: ‘I’ll probably spend the rest of the summer sitting by the
swimming pool.’
Obviously, you have to build these into your TOPIC so that they are relevant
and natural. It is often not appropriate to include ALL the points in the syllabus
for a particular Grade.
Exercise:
Go back and think about all the Wh- question words of your TOPIC. This will
generate many natural usage statements.
Also ask yourself: Is it humorous, sad, scientific, technical, unusual, complex?
Is it a story, a description, an opinion, factual information, a demonstration of how to do something, advice, suggestion etc.?
8. How much specialist Language should I know and use?
Most subjects have their special language or jargon. You do not have to know
large amounts of specialist terms or vocabulary but it is reasonable
to expect some.
For example, your TOPIC is photography: you should know words
such as camera, a photograph (with the stress in the right place!),
shutter , lens, to take a photograph (not make!), to have a film
developed , and so on.
Exercise:
Look at your TOPIC. Does it require your knowing some basic specialist or
‘jargon’? YES NO
Exercise:
Spend 3 minutes or so writing down the more important words and phrases
connected with your subject. Use the boxes below to keep a record of them and
a short, simple explanation. If you do not know the English word, write it down
in your language for now. Later, check it in a dictionary or ask your teacher.
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Exercise:
Are there things you want to say about your TOPIC which the examiner may
not understand because it is not his or her specialism? YES NO
Exercise:
Find a partner and look at his or her list of ‘jargon’ or specialist words. Choose
one and ask exactly what it means. e.g ‘What is a ‘shutter’?’ ‘It is the part
inside the camera which opens and closes to let the light in or shut out the
light.’
Remember: Keep your explanation simple, whatever Grade you are doing.
?? Did you or your partner have difficulty explaining any of the specialist words
or terms?
PRACTISE NOW - DON’T WAIT UNTIL YOUPRACTISE NOW - DON’T WAIT UNTIL YOUARE IN THE EXAMINATION ROOM!ARE IN THE EXAMINATION ROOM!
9. Names, places and International Words
Many candidates like to talk about their national sportsmen and women or
places in their own country. Do not to simply recite a list of names to the
examiner. Have something interesting to add about these people and places, for
example, who they are, what their achievements are, and so on.
The names of places are often unfamiliar to a visiting examiner from England
or they are pronounced in a different way in English. If there is an English
equivalent, use it. If not, say the names clearly and if necessary, explain where
they are.
Beware international words! So many words are used all round the world in
many different languages. The word may be essentially the same, but your
language probably gives them a different pronunciation.
This is an English language examination. International words should have an
English-speaking pronunciation, (English, American, Australian, etc) not one of
a non-English-speaking country. Some words which cause pronunciationdifficulties are e.g. Radio, Television (you can say ‘TV’), the names of sports
Special Term/Jargon Word(s) Simple Explanation
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(in English we say ‘Basketball’ not ‘Basket’), the names of towns, countries,
jobs etc.
Always check the pronunciation of words which are likely to be international.
10. Glosses, empty, meaningless phrases and stuff like that
One of the major weaknesses in TOPIC presentation is that candidates use
‘glosses’ or empty-sounding and meaningless phrases which they cannot
justify or explain.
The major danger area is when dealing with superlatives and qualitative
adjectives: e.g. the best, very (or the most) important and expressions of liking
and disliking with nice, good and so on.
Candidate: ‘I like {name of town} very much’.
Examiner: ‘Really, Why do you like {name of town} so much?’Candidate: ‘Of course, it's my town!’
or
Candidate: ‘{name of sportswoman} is the best. I like her very much’.
Examiner: ‘That's interesting. What makes {name of sportswoman} the best?’
Candidate: ‘I don't know. For me, she's the best!’
These conversations are going nowhere. They are circular. Remember the work
you did on Wh- question words. Here, somewhere, you will find some
relevant and interesting information to justify or expand your answer.
For example, Candidate: ‘I like {name of town} because there is plenty to do
during the holiday. For example there is ice-skating, an open-air swimming
pool and a lot of cafes where you can meet your friends’.
Sometimes ‘YOU’ doesn't mean YOU. When we speak generally about places
we can ask:
Examiner: ‘What can you do in {name of town}?’
XX Do not reply: ‘I can ...’
The question does not mean YOU. It means: What can ANYBODY do there?
So, the reply is:
Candidate: ‘You can ....................’
And finally ...
Try and relax in your examination. remember the examiner wants to find
out how much English you can speak. (S)he is not trying to trick you or
make things difficult for you.
If you enjoy your TOPIC you will enjoy your conversation in theexamination.