Shadowing Practice: How Do I Get A Band 9 in IELTS Speaking? - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “How Do I Get A Band 9 in IELTS Speaking?”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: student, band, test, answer, examiner. This video has 320 sentences and 3946 words to shadow. The speech runs for 21:48. The speaker talks fast, about 181 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| topic noun | /ˈtɑpɪk/ | A subject; a theme; a category or general area of interest. |
| examiner noun | /əɡˈzæmɪnɚ/ | A person who investigates someone or something. |
| bullet noun | /ˈbʊlɪt/ | A projectile, usually of metal, shot from a gun at high speed. |
| differently adverb | /ˈdɪf.ə.ɹənt.li/ | In a different way. |
| fluent adjective | /ˈfluənt/ | That flows; flowing, liquid. |
| naturally adverb | /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/ | In a natural manner. |
| scary adjective | /ˈskɛə.ɹi/ | Causing fear or anxiety |
| clip noun | /klɪp/ | Something which clips or grasps; a device for attaching one object to another. |
| hometown noun | /ˈhoʊmˌtaʊn/ | An individual’s place of birth, childhood home, or place of main residence. |
| yogurt noun | /ˈjɒɡ.ət/ | A milk-based product stiffened by a bacterium-aided curdling process, and sometimes mixed with fruit or other flavoring. |
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| relax verb | /ɹɪˈlæks/ | To make something loose. |
| chef noun | /ʃɛf/ | The presiding cook in the kitchen of a large household. |
| cheat verb | /ˈt͡ʃiːt/ | To violate rules in order to gain, or attempt to gain, advantage from a situation. |
| cottage noun | /ˈkɒt.ɪd͡ʒ/ | A small house. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| go off verb | To explode. | |
| burst out verb | To appear suddenly from within something else. | |
| fall apart verb | To disintegrate, to break into pieces. | |
| figure out verb | To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce. | |
| give up verb | To surrender (someone or something); to inform on (someone). | |
| grow up verb | To mature and become an adult. | |
| look forward to verb | To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to. | |
| look up verb | /ˌlʊk ˈʌp/ | To have better prospects. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- How did you feel?
- Do you think that you sounded fluent or not so fluent?
- Do you prefer to read magazines or newspapers?
- I'm going to fail my test.
- I think it's a bit of a secret.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've helped · i've divided · I've grown |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are trained · is memorized · is called |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | students who are · students who were · student who got |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 84 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, you're, they're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: thirsty /ˈθɝs.ti/, empathy /ˈɛmpəθi/, thirst /θɝst/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: chef /ʃɛf/, passion /ˈpæʃən/, impression /ɪmˈpɹɛʃn̩/, patience /ˈpeɪ̯.ʃəns/, shine /ʃaɪn/
- Long words — get the stress right: examiner /əɡˈzæmɪnɚ/, differently /ˈdɪf.ə.ɹənt.li/, naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/, uncomfortable /ʌnˈkʌm.fɚ.tə.bl̩/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like topic, examiner, bullet.
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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