Shadowing Practice: Band 7 | IELTS Speaking test sample – Part 3 (Mauricio) - Learn English Speaking with Video

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We've been talking, Mauricio, about a person that you like or admire, and I'd like to discuss with you one or two more general questions related to well-known people.
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Let's consider, first of all, famous people in Colombia.
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What kind of people become famous in your country?
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Well, there is a singer.
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His name is Juanes.
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He's a particular singer because he's famous, he has very, very good songs.
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But lately he has been working for peace in Colombia.
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Maybe you know, but in Colombia we have a very, a problem, internal problem.
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Yeah.
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So he's also working for peace, working for people in need, trying to get in touch with other countries.
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Why did you get to the president of Venezuela?
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Because our president and Chavez, who is the president of Venezuela, they weren't so friendly to each other.
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So this singer, Juanes, sang in a border city and he brings people from Venezuela and from Colombia.
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And they sang there like for four or five hours.
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And they bring more singers as well.
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People from Cuba, from venezuela so people who are singers
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and people who are in politics they're famous are there any
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other types of people who are famous in your country um
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gabriel garcia marquez he's a writer he won the nobel prize in 1982
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if i'm not wrong i'm not exactly sure do you think
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that most people feel that writers are very famous people no
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that wasn't my first choice actually so But that depends on each one,
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because if I would like to read, I would find this person very interesting and very famous.
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Do you think that the people
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that we think are famous today are similar to the types of people who were famous in the past?
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No, they have changed a lot.
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Really?
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In what way?
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The way that everyone can know them from the internet.
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So internet brings more communication and more things around.
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So I can know someone from another country more easily right now than before.
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So that could change a little bit.
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Do you think it's easier for people to become famous now?
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Yeah, even you can upload something on YouTube, for example, and you can be famous for 15 seconds or 15 minutes or maybe,
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I don't know, we'll take it up to one month.
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So what will happen in the future?
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What kind of people will become famous in the future, do you think?
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Well, that depends on what they do.
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I can be famous, I don't know, if I do something very weird right now, I can be famous.
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I can be famous.
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Or, but mainly politicians are famous.
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Let's go on and talk about people in the public eye.
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Do you think that there are more advantages or disadvantages to being famous?
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Well, I think it's disadvantages.
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What are they?
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Because they don't have private life.
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They have to socialise with people from their own area.
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Singers with singers, writers with writers, things like that for themselves.
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They can socialise, socialise in a proper way.
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They have to socialise with people from their own area.
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Singers with singers, writers with writers, things like that.
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What about the advantages?
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Advantages?
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Well, the huge one, money.
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Money and they can be treated in a different way sometimes.
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Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?
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No. In my opinion, I prefer my privacy.
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I prefer to go to a restaurant.
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I prefer to be a normal person, to be in between everyone and meet people from different places without being treated differently.
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Thank you very much, Mauricio.
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That's the end of the speaking test.
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Thank you.

Why practice speaking with this video?

Engaging with authentic materials like the IELTS Speaking test sample video featuring Mauricio is an excellent way to enhance your IELTS speaking practice. This video presents a real conversation on topics such as famous people, their impact on society, and the role of media in shaping celebrity culture. By practicing with this video, you get the chance to listen to natural speech patterns, accents, and vocabulary used by native speakers. You will not only improve your listening skills but also gain confidence in your speaking abilities as you imitate and respond to the topics discussed.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

In this video, several key grammatical structures and expressions emerge that can benefit your English speaking practice:

  • Present Simple Tense: Mauricio frequently uses the present simple to discuss facts, such as "there is a singer" and "he has very, very good songs." This tense is crucial for making general statements in English.
  • Comparative Structures: The phrase "they have changed a lot" illustrates a comparative expression, which is essential for contrasting ideas or reflecting changes over time.
  • Future Predictions: When discussing future fame, Mauricio says, "that depends on what they do." This type of expression helps articulate future possibilities and is useful for the IELTS speaking section.
  • Conditional Statements: Phrases like "if I would like to read" demonstrate conditional grammar use, essential for discussing hypothetical situations.

Common Pronunciation Traps

While practicing the material, pay attention to some pronunciation challenges that may arise:

  • Famous: This word is often mispronounced as "fame-us"; however, the correct pronunciation emphasizes the first syllable, sounding like "fay-mous."
  • Colombia: The proper pronunciation is "koh-LUM-bee-ah," and it’s essential for clarity when discussing the country and its notable figures.
  • Audience: The speaker's pronunciation of "audience" may vary, so focus on enunciating it as "AW-dee-uhns" to ensure understanding.

Using the shadowing technique while practicing this video can further enhance your skills. Try to repeat phrases immediately after the speaker, mimicking their intonation and fluency. This will not only aid your pronunciation but also improve your overall speaking proficiency. For convenience, you can find various shadowing sites that provide similar resources to aid your learning journey.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.