Shadowing Practice: Complete IELTS Band 5-6.5 - UNIT 6 - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Complete IELTS, Bands 5 to 6.5,
140 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
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Complete IELTS, Bands 5 to 6.5,
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by Guy Brookhart and Vanessa Jakeman,
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published by Cambridge University Press.
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This recording is copyright.
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Track 1, Unit 6, Listening,
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Exercise 3 So I thought that I'd first say a few words to help orientate you round the banking system.
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As new arrivals, one of the first things you'll want to do is open a bank account.
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This will allow you to receive your money transfers,
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pay your bills by direct debit,
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and all sorts of other things that will make your life easier.
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One mistake I think a lot of people make is to just wander into the first bank they see,
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thinking that all banks are much the same,
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and ask to open an account.
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In actual fact, they all offer something slightly different,
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and some of the differences can affect you quite seriously.
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For example, for those of you who are studying at the university here,
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you may have noticed that there are two or three banks with branches near the university,
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Great Western and Money Safe, for example.
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But only one, Finlay's, actually has an office inside one of the university buildings.
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For the others, you'd have a bit more of a walk.
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Some banks give away free gifts.
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Evergreen offers a laptop to people who keep a balance of more than £5,000 for nine months.
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With International Union, you'll get a phone when you open your first account.
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And one or two others,
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like MoneySafe and Northern Star,
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offer mountain bikes or vacuum cleaners if you put money on deposit,
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that sort of thing.
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More seriously, you should look at the sort of interest rates the bank will offer you,
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both if you need an overdraft or loan,
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or if you're hoping to get some interest on your savings.
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At the moment, Northern Star offers the highest rate of interest to savers,
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but Great Western will lend money at a lower percentage than normal to people registered on higher education courses.
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So, you can see, it really is worth looking around.
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Another thing it's a good idea to inquire about are bank charges.
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Again, they're not all the same.
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Some charge the same across the board,
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such as Evergreen, Findlay's and Northern Star.
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But MoneySafe actually say that if you're in credit,
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your account won't cost a thing though just like the others
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as soon as you go into the red their prices become pretty steep
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track 2 unit 6 listening exercise 5 of course one of
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the things you'll want as as soon as you open your account is a debit card.
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So I thought I'd give you a little tour of these essential little pieces of plastic.
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If you look at the slide,
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you'll see that on the front at the top they tend to have either the name of the bank
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or the company which has issued the card.
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Then, a bit more than halfway down on the right,
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you'll see this hologram with a picture which appears to move as you move the card around in front of you.
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This sort of detail makes cars very hard to forge,
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although, like with anything else,
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there are people out there who will try.
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Then, on the back, there's another of those sophisticated high-tech details,
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and that's the magnetic strip,
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which is this black thing going from one side to the other,
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which contains certain coded details.
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While we're on the back,
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you'll see another lighter strip with three numbers at the end.
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That's your security number, which they always ask for when you use the card for an internet purchase or over the phone.
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And it also has a space where you,
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as the cardholder, should put your signature,
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so that shop assistants can compare it when you sign a payment slip.
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Going back to the front,
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in the bottom right-hand corner,
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you'll usually find the bank logo and just to the left of it,
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there's your own name in raised print
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One thing you always need for telephone and internet sales is the expiry date and on the card in front of you,
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that's just above the cardholder's name Finally,
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in most places you have to insert your card into a machine and key in your PIN
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Just above the card number on the left you can see a chip
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and that chip is there to verify that the PIN you have entered is correct
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Thank you.
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Track 1, Unit 6, Listening,
73
Exercise 3 So I thought that I'd first say a few words to help orientate you around the banking system.
74
As new arrivals, one of the first things you'll want to do is open a bank account.
75
This will allow you to receive your money transfers,
76
pay your bills by direct debit,
77
and all sorts of other things that will make your life easier.
78
One mistake I think a lot of people make is to just wander into the first bank they see,
79
thinking that all banks are much the same,
80
and ask to open an account.
81
In actual fact, they all offer something slightly different,
82
and some of the differences can affect you quite seriously.
83
For example, for those of you who are studying at the university here,
84
you may have noticed that there are two or three banks with branches near the university.
85
Great Western and Money Safe, for example.
86
But only one, Finley's, actually has an office inside one of the university buildings.
87
For the others, you'd have a bit more of a walk.
88
Some banks give away free gifts.
89
Evergreen offers a laptop to people who keep a balance of more than £5,000 for nine months.
90
With International Union, you'll get a phone when you open your first account.
91
And one or two others,
92
like MoneySafe and Northern Star,
93
offer mountain bikes or vacuum cleaners if you put money on deposit,
94
that sort of thing.
95
More seriously, you should look at the sort of interest rates the bank will offer you,
96
both if you need an overdraft or loan,
97
or if you're hoping to get some interest on your savings.
98
At the moment, Northern Star offers the highest rate of interest to savers,
99
but Great Western will lend money at a lower percentage than normal to people registered on higher education courses.
100
So, you can see, it really is worth looking around.
101
Another thing it's a good idea to inquire about are bank charges.
102
Again, they're not all the same.
103
Some charge the same across the board,
104
such as Evergreen, Findlay's and Northern Star But MoneySafe actually say that if you're in credit,
105
your account won't cost a thing Though,
106
just like the others, as soon as you go into the red,
107
their prices become pretty steep.
108
Track 2 Unit 6 Listening Exercise 5 Of course,
109
one of the things you'll want as soon as you open your account is a debit card,
110
so I thought I'd give you a little tour of these essential little pieces of plastic.
111
If you look at the slide,
112
you'll see that on the front at the top,
113
they tend to have either the name of the bank or the company which has issued the card.
114
Then a bit more than halfway down on the right,
115
you'll see this hologram with a picture which appears to move as you move the card around in front of you.
116
This sort of detail makes cards very hard to forge,
117
although like with anything else,
118
there are people out there who will try.
119
Then, on the back, there's another of those sophisticated high-tech details,
120
and that's the magnetic strip,
121
which is this black thing going from one side to the other,
122
which contains certain coded details.
123
While we're on the back,
124
you'll see another lighter strip with three numbers at the end.
125
That's your security number, which they always ask for when you use the card for an internet purchase or over the phone.
126
And it also has a space where you,
127
as the cardholder, should put your signature,
128
so that shop assistants can compare it when you sign a payment slip.
129
Going back to the front,
130
in the bottom right-hand corner,
131
you'll usually find the bank logo,
132
and just to the left of it,
133
there's your own name in raised print.
134
One thing you always need for telephone and internet sales is the expiry date,
135
and on the card in front of you,
136
that's just above the cardholder's name.
137
Finally, in most places you have to insert your card into a machine and key in your PIN.
138
Just above the card number on the left you can see a chip
139
and that chip is there to verify that the PIN you have entered is correct.
140
Thank you.
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, learners will practice listening to a detailed explanation of the banking system, particularly aimed at newcomers. You will focus on important aspects such as how to open a bank account, the various services banks offer, and the significance of comparing different banks. By engaging with this content, you will enhance your understanding of the vocabulary associated with banking and improve your ability to communicate about financial matters in English. This exercise serves as a great opportunity to improve English pronunciation through practical context.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Bank account - an arrangement with a bank to hold your money.
- Direct debit - an arrangement allowing a bank to withdraw money from your account at set times.
- Interest rates - the percentage charged on borrowed money or the return on savings.
- Overdraft - withdrawing more money than you have in your account.
- Bank charges - fees that banks may apply for various transactions.
- Debit card - a card that allows you to spend money directly from your bank account.
- Balance - the amount of money remaining in your account.
- Hologram - a security feature on cards that helps prevent forgery.
Practice Tips
To effectively utilize the shadowing technique while engaging with this video, it's important to pay attention to the tone and speed of the speaker. Here are some tailored tips:
- Slow Down: If you're struggling to keep up with the pace, consider using a video playback tool that allows you to slow down the audio. This will enable you to clearly hear each word and practice shadow speech more accurately.
- Repeat and Imitate: After listening to a segment, pause the video and try to repeat the phrases verbatim. Focus on not just the words, but the intonation and rhythm of the speaker's delivery.
- Focus on Key Vocabulary: While you listen, make a note of the key vocabulary words listed above. Practice these words multiple times, ensuring you pronounce them correctly in context.
- Engage with Context: Try to create your own sentences using the vocabulary. This will help reinforce what you’ve learned and improve your fluency.
- Use Online Resources: Integrate this practice into a wider learning strategy by exploring additional shadowing sites and tools that offer similar content to learn English with YouTube.
By following these tips, you will not only enhance your listening skills but also significantly develop your speaking capabilities as you work towards achieving greater proficiency in English.
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.
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