Shadowing Practice: How to Make Any IELTS Speaking Answer Longer | IELTS with Charles - Learn English Speaking with Video
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- Have you ever been told that your answers in part one, speaking of the IELTS test are too short?
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Well, this is the video for you.
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I have given thousands of IELTS practice speaking tests, and many students feel really nervous, even when practicing with me,
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the most friendly teacher in the world.
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But let's look at an example.
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If they ask you in the exam, "Do you like reading?" and you say, "Yes, I like reading." Ask yourself, is this really band nine?
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Remember in part one, they are testing pronunciation, grammar, indeed vocabulary, but also fluency and coherence.
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So in this video, I want to show you four beautiful ways to extend your answers.
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The first way to develop your answers is to give a reason.
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Let's look at a question.
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What do you do in your free time?
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Well, I like reading because it helps me to relax.
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If you want to be even more advanced, you might say and use the structure not only but also.
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I like reading not only because it helps me to relax, but also because it allows my imagination to run wild.
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Beautiful.
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Next, you might want to add an example in the past tense.
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For example, last night I read Harry Potter and it was absolutely fantastic.
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Technique number three is to add a little contrast, maybe contrast the past to the present.
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Yes, I love reading, not only because it allows me to relax, but also allows me my imagination to run wild.
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In the past, I used to read Harry Potter every night, but now I love to read my IELTS study book at IELTS with Charles.
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It's a really nice one.
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So we're contrasting the past to the present.
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Again, a great technique to improve your score.
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The next idea is to give your opinion And maybe tell the examiner how you feel or felt in a moment.
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Let's look at a different question.
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Do you like to travel?
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Hmm, yes, absolutely.
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Because, in my opinion, traveling allows us to not only broaden our horizons, but also to learn about new cultures.
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For me, that's one of the most special experiences anyone can have.
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I can vividly remember last year I travelled to the majestic mountains of Dalat and felt cold but over the moon.
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Now, for you Band 7 or Plus students, let's try to look at how we could incorporate all of these four techniques into one simple answer.
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And it's one of my favorite questions.
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What is your hometown famous for?
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Um, it's famous for Buckingham Palace and Big Ben.
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No!
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Remember we want to try and make ourselves stand out.
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Here we go.
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London is famous for its historical landmarks such as Big Ben and Buckingham Palace.
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Tourists love to learn more about the rich and diverse British culture by visiting these amazing places.
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I can vividly remember last year I took a boat ride down the River Thames.
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It was an unforgettable experience.
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Compared to other cities I have visited, London really stands out from the crowd due to the fact that it's got such a unique culture.
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Personally, London is the greatest city in the world and famous for a variety of things.
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Do you see in that answer, we really nicely gave a reason Then we tried to give an example.
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Then we compared, compared to other cities.
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No students do this.
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Comparing their answer to something else is really nice.
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And then finally we gave our opinion.
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Personally, I think it's just a really nice way to develop your answer.
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Now remember guys, I don't expect you to use all of these in every answer.
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But please try to avoid just giving one word or just very short answers.
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We want to try and show the examiner our ability with English.
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Let's have a look at another example.
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And it's one of the most common questions in IELTS part 1.
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Why do you like to travel?
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Let's start by giving a reason.
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I love visiting new places, not only because I can step outside my comfort zone, but also I can try new mouth -watering cuisine.
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For example, last year I traveled to the majestic mountains of Japan,
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specifically Mount Fuji, which was an unforgettable experience.
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Compared to other places I have visited, Japan really was stunning because of the modern and vibrant culture in the country.
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Personally though, for me the best thing about Japan was the stunning delicious food.
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Do you see?
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So there we've developed our answer using all four of the strategies.
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Think about it.
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Giving a reason, maybe giving an example, comparing it to something else, or indeed remember in part one you can give your personal opinion.
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Beautiful way to develop your answers.
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As always guys, thank you for watching.
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Please leave a comment down below and hit subscribe.
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See you soon.
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Bye bye.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 70 sentences and 819 words to shadow. The speech runs for 5:14. The speaker talks at a natural 157 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 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 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- compare /kəmˈpɛɚ/ (verb) — To assess the similarities and differences between two or more things [“to compare X with Y”]. Having made the comparison of X with Y, one might have found it…
- technique /tɛkˈniːk/ (noun) — The practical aspects of a given art, occupation etc.; formal requirements.
- contrast /kənˈt(ʃ)ɹæst/ (noun) — The degree of this difference.
- relax /ɹɪˈlæks/ (verb) — To make something loose.
- imagination /ɪˌmæd͡ʒəˈneɪʃən/ (noun) — The image-making power of the mind; the act of mentally creating or reproducing an object not previously perceived; the ability to create such images.
- bind /ˈbaɪ̯nd/ (verb) — To tie; to confine by any ligature.
- majestic /məˈd͡ʒɛstɪk/ (adjective) — Having qualities of splendor or royalty.
- examiner /əɡˈzæmɪnɚ/ (noun) — A person who investigates someone or something.
- comfort /ˈkʌm.fət/ (noun) — Contentment, ease.
- delicious /dɪˈlɪ.ʃəs/ (adjective) — Pleasing to the sense of taste; tasty.
- extend /ɛkˈstɛnd/ (verb) — To increase in extent.
- examination /ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/ (noun) — The act of examining.
- diverse /daɪˈvɜːs/ (adjective) — Consisting of different elements; various.
- grammar /ˈɡɹæm.ə(ɹ)/ (noun) — A system of rules and principles for the structure of a language, or of languages in general.
- horizon /həˈɹaɪ.zən/ (noun) — The visible horizontal line (in all directions) where the sky appears to meet the earth in the distance.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
- do in (verb) — To kill or end; to defeat.
- see in (verb) — To show (someone) in: to introduce (someone) to the inside of a place.
- stand out (verb) — To jut out, protrude (from a surface etc.).
- think about /ˈθɪŋk əˌbaʊt/ (verb) — To ponder.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, we're, we've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: contrast /kənˈt(ʃ)ɹæst/, imagination /ɪˌmæd͡ʒəˈneɪʃən/, delicious /dɪˈlɪ.ʃəs/, examination /ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: imagination /ɪˌmæd͡ʒəˈneɪʃən/, examiner /əɡˈzæmɪnɚ/, examination /ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/, incorporate /ɪŋˈkɔɹ.pɚ.eɪt/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/
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 compare, technique, contrast.
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.