Shadowing Practice: B1 Preliminary for Schools Speaking test (revised 2020) - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creando lección...
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Music Good morning.
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Good morning.
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Can I have your mark sheets, please?
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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I'm Paul And this is Angela.
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What's your name?
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My name is Bertie.
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Bertie.
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And how old are you?
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I'm 12 years old.
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Thank you.
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And what's your name?
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My name is Mirai.
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And how old are you, Mirai?
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I'm 15 years old.
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Thank you. Where do you live?
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I live in Turkey Istanbul.
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And who do you live with?
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With my family, mother and father.
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Thank you.
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Bertie, where do you live?
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I live in Paris.
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And who do you live with?
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I live with my brother and sister and with my parents.
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Thank you.
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Tell us about a teacher that you like.
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I really like the teachers in Bel because they are very nice and very dynamic so we want to progress with us. And?
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Which time of year do you like the most?
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I like winter because it's fun, the snow.
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Thank you.
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Mirai, tell us about sports that you like.
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I'm an equestrian, so I like horse riding and I love to do kickboxing in my free times.
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And what type of music do you like listening to?
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It actually depends on my mood, but I mostly like watching...
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- A pop music.
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Mm -hmm.
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Thay, tell us what you do in the school holidays.
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In my school holiday, I play with my brother and sister, or...
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I read in my bedroom.
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And Mirai, what new hobby would you like to try?
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I think music to try violin.
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Why?
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Because I already play drums and guitar and I really want to get a new, like, new music instruments, you know,
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like violin or like a cello, I don't know.
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Thank you.
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Now I'd like each of you to talk on your own about something.
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I'm going to give each of you a photograph and I'd like you to talk about it.
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Sober Thai, here is your photograph and it shows someone watching television.
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Thank you.
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Mirai, you just listen, please.
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Bertie, please tell us what you can see in the photograph.
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In this picture I can see one boy who is watching a football match in TV.
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Under this TV I can see a small table and on this small table there is one lamp.
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Thank you.
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Next to this small lump, I...
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I'm not sure, but maybe it's...
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A keyboard?
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This Little boy is...
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on a sofa and he's wearing a t -shirt, a blue one.
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Maybe it's in the evening because
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He came back from school and he started and he wanted to to see his football match.
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Thank you.
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And now Mirai, here is your photograph and it shows people having a meal.
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Yeah.
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You just listen, Bertie.
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And Mirai, please tell us what you can see in the photograph.
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I see a really positive family.
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They're having fun or, like, positive energy, I can see.
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And they're having a big meal.
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It might be in the evening because it looks like dinner.
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But it's not that dark, so it might be lunch too.
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There are two girls that are smiling to each other, one mother and one father, I think.
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and there is a window in the corner and there is a flower.
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Thank you.
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Yeah.
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Bookade.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Now in this part of the test, you're going to talk about something together for about two minutes.
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I'm going to describe a situation to you.
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A class is going on a day trip, walking in the mountains with their teacher.
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And here are some things they could take with them.
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- Okay.
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Talk together about the different things they could take with them and say which would be most useful.
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All right, now talk together.
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So is a football ball can be useful for their free time?
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Yeah, for playing, yes, for having fun, but it might be a bit like space taking,
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so we might just get cards for just having fun in our free times.
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And we should get a camera for just taking photos in the mountains, like having fun and like have some memories that to not forget
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And we should take a mark to say where they want to go.
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Yeah, in case we get lost also.
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And also we can get some snacks.
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If we get hungry, we can eat them, but not like a chocolate or maybe just fruits,
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because chocolate can make us a little bit sick if we eat a lot of it.
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Yes, fruit is good because it's healthy and...
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and it can be energy.
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Yes, and we can also get an environment friendly water bottle or refillable for just in case we get like
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thirsty and that.
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And in case it rains, we have to get an umbrella or a raincoat.
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or it gets cold, we have to get a normal coat or a hat too.
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Maybe the most useful are either the water or the map.
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Yes, because we can get lost and we can die from thirst.
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Thank you.
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Now do you like walking in the countryside?
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Yes.
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Why? Because...
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It's more fun.
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I like to like I don't know the phrase but like It's more like...
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How can I explain it?
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I forgot the word.
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Me, I like to, but I don't know the word,
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but when it's very, It's very rude to claim that I like because we have to...
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It's funny to see the other people to try to clean.
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Thank you.
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Do you walk to school?
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Yes, my school and house is pretty close, so I just go and walk to my school.
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And you go to town?
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No, me, I go by car.
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When was the last time you went for a really long walk?
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My last time, it's last week in Stonehenge.
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We go with Bell School to walk very...
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It was really long distance, so we walked pretty much in the sunlight.
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It was last Wednesday.
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Thank you.
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And which outdoor activity do you enjoy doing most?
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I like doing hiking because I really like to walk outside and like, you know, like do hiking and stuff.
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It's more fun and like I like to be in nature, so yeah.
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Thank you.
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Me, I earned a role playing tennis with my dad.
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Hmm.
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And is it important for young people to spend time outdoors?
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Yes, because we We want to be funny with all our friends.
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We have to be socialized more because nowadays the kids are more in the digital world and it's pretty bad for us.
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Mm.
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Thank you.
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That is the end of the test.
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Thank you.

Context & Background

The B1 Preliminary for Schools Speaking test is designed to assess the English speaking ability of candidates at an intermediate level. In the transcript, we observe a dialogue between two examiners and two candidates, Bertie and Mirai, who share personal information such as their names, ages, and interests. This engaging conversation format not only allows candidates to demonstrate their language skills but also reflects common everyday interactions. Such exchanges cover familiar topics and enable learners to practice IELTS speaking skills, ultimately helping to improve English pronunciation.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • “What’s your name?” - A fundamental question for getting to know someone.
  • “How old are you?” - A common inquiry for understanding someone's age.
  • “Where do you live?” - Essential for discussing places of residence.
  • “I really like...” - A helpful structure for expressing personal preferences.
  • “In my free time, I…” - A useful phrase for talking about hobbies and activities.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To effectively use the transcript from the B1 Preliminary Speaking test as a shadowing exercise, follow these steps:

  1. Listen and Understand: Start by listening to the video carefully. Focus on the intonation, stress, and the rhythm of the spoken English. This is crucial for improving your English pronunciation.
  2. Read Along: Use the transcript as you listen. Reading along will help connect the spoken words with their written form, reinforcing vocabulary retention.
  3. Practice Shadow Speaking: Utilizing a shadowing app, play a segment of the video, pause it, and repeat what you hear immediately after the speaker. Aim to mimic their pronunciation and intonation. This technique, known as shadow speech, is effective for enhancing fluency.
  4. Record Yourself: Take recordings of your shadowing practice and compare your speech with that of the speakers. Listen for areas where you can improve and adjust your pronunciation accordingly.
  5. Review and Reiterate: Regularly revisit the video and transcript to solidify your learning. Repetition helps to engrain speech patterns and vocabulary, essential elements in IELTS speaking practice.

By integrating these strategies into your learning routine, you'll find that engaging in dialogues similar to those in the B1 Preliminary for Schools Speaking test will significantly enhance your speaking skills and overall confidence in English conversations.

¿Qué es la Técnica de Shadowing?

Shadowing es una técnica de aprendizaje de idiomas respaldada por la ciencia, desarrollada originalmente para la formación de intérpretes profesionales y popularizada por el políglota Dr. Alexander Arguelles. El método es simple pero poderoso: escuchas audio en inglés nativo y lo repites en voz alta de inmediato, como una sombra que sigue al hablante con solo 1-2 segundos de retraso. A diferencia de la escucha pasiva o los ejercicios de gramática, el shadowing obliga a tu cerebro y músculos de la boca a procesar y reproducir simultáneamente patrones de habla reales. Las investigaciones muestran que mejora significativamente la precisión de la pronunciación, la entonación, el ritmo, el habla conectada, la comprensión auditiva y la fluidez al hablar, convirtiéndola en una de las metodologías más efectivas para la preparación del IELTS Speaking y la comunicación en inglés en el mundo real.

Técnica de shadowing: lee la guía completa paso a paso →