Shadowing Practice: IELTS Speaking Band 7: Five Tips - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Many students think to get a band 7 in IELTS speaking, they need more advanced vocabulary or more complex grammar.
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But that is not always the problem.
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You may know enough English, but you can't use it effectively.
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So in this video, I'm going to show you five practical tips to help you answer IELTS questions more effectively
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so you can move from a band 5 or 6 towards a band 7.
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Let's do it.
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Hello, it's Keith from the Keith Speaking Academy, here to help you become a more confident speaker of English.
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So in this video, I'm going to give you five practical tips to help you give more effective answers in IELTS speaking
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and move from a band five to a band seven.
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Oh, and stay until the end, because I have a bonus tip for you that most teachers don't talk about.
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And of course, there is a free PDF you can download here with a summary of these tips,
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but also lots of extra model answers based on recent IELTS topics.
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There's a link in the description below to get that.
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Let's begin with tip number one.
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So number one, answer the question directly.
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Don't spend the first five seconds thinking about your answer or giving lots of background information.
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No, start with the answer, especially in IELTS Speaking Part 1.
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Okay, this is important because it helps you begin, but it also makes the answer easier to follow for the examiner.
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So give the answer in the first sentence and then add a reason or some detail.
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Actually, that's a nice framework.
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Answer directly plus reason or detail.
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For example, do you enjoy cooking?
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Well, cooking is something many people do every day and there are many different kinds of cooking in my country.
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Okay, I'm speaking, but it's not a good answer.
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I've not answered the question.
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Much better would be, yes, I do, especially at the weekends.
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I normally make something simple like pasta or curry.
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I actually find cooking quite relaxing. Can you see?
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Answer directly.
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I didn't begin with the history of cooking.
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I began with, yes, I do, and then a detail.
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So remember, answer the question directly.
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Let's move on.
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Number two, develop one clear idea.
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A developed answer is not just a long answer.
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It's an answer where each sentence adds something useful.
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Okay.
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This is especially true in part three, where you're expected to give an opinion and develop an idea.
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discuss more abstract ideas in detail.
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Don't just ramble.
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This is important, right?
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Because you need to show the examiner you can speak at length, you can organize ideas with coherence,
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and you can explore an idea in more detail.
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So my suggestion is give an opinion, say the reason why, and then also explain the results or give an explanation,
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but just one idea, okay?
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It's kind of thinking, what do I think?
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Why do I think that?
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And what does that mean?
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Let me show you an example.
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Let's take a part three question.
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Why do some people prefer working from home?
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Well, I think they prefer it because it's more convenient.
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Okay, that's an opinion, but not really developing an idea.
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A better answer would be, I think the main reason is convenience.
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People don't have to spend time traveling to work, so they can better organize their day.
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And this means they can have maybe more time to spend with their family
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or following a hobby or doing some personal matters.
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Much better.
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Notice the second answer doesn't use very difficult English,
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but it takes one idea and develops the idea logically.
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That's what you need.
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Develop one clear idea.
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Here comes tip number three.
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Okay, number three, think, but don't overthink.
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So take a second to think of what you're going to say, but then don't wait too long.
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Start speaking.
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Many students just wait too long.
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They start trying to get a really good idea.
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They start trying to structure the idea, almost like a writing essay before speaking.
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And this really doesn't work, especially in IELTS part three, right?
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It can have a really negative effect.
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What can happen is your hesitation is too long.
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You lose your fluency.
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It also makes you more nervous.
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So you're more likely to go blank.
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And also when you start speaking, your English may sound less natural.
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Okay.
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So my advice here is use the one thing opener.
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And that is to focus on just one thing
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and start speaking about the one thing and then develop your answer as you're speaking.
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This is what you do in real life.
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When chatting with friends, you don't listen to a question and go,
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you start speaking and then you get more ideas as you speak.
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You develop the idea as you speak.
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So use the one thing opener.
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You can say something like, the one thing about this is, the one thing I would say here is,
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I suppose one explanation might be,
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I think the main thing about this issue is,
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and then develop that one idea.
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For example, an IELTS Speaking Part 3 question.
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Should governments do more to encourage people to exercise?
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I'm thinking of government policies and statistics in my country.
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No, don't.
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Try something like this.
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Yes, probably.
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I think one simple thing governments can do is offer free sports facilities.
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That might be an outdoor gym in the park or a swimming pool or free classes.
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And I think if people had access to these facilities near their home,
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they might be more willing to take up sport or do exercise on a regular basis.
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Here you see a much better answer.
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Started speaking, develop my answer as I went along, but I had that one thing to help me get started.
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So think, but don't overthink.
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Most importantly, start speaking.
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Focus on the one thing.
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And right now, let's move on to the next thing.
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Tip number four.
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It's coffee time.
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Oh, if you want to review these tips and see more model answers, download the free PDF.
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Right now, let's carry on.
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Tip number four, focus on communication, not forced complexity.
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What I mean by forced complexity is students trying to use complicated English when it's not necessary.
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Okay.
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Yes, for a band seven, you need a range of vocabulary and grammar,
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but used naturally to express the idea you want to give.
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The problem is a lot of students try and force the complicated grammar
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or vocabulary when it doesn't fit and it doesn't sound natural and it doesn't show flexibility.
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Often we see this when students try to use a memorized idiom
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and it doesn't work or they're using very formal vocabulary
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that doesn't fit or they're using extremely long sentences
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that they have written out and doesn't sound natural and all of this backfires.
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It will just blow up, doesn't work.
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What you should do is use simple language when it can express your idea, the idea you want.
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Use complex language when it helps convey your idea.
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Paraphrase, if necessary, if you can't get the right word.
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It's about flexibility.
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It really is.
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Let me give you an example.
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Do you like the area where you live?
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Yes, I'm over the moon to reside in this breathtaking metropolitan vicinity because it provides a plethora of indispensable amenities.
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Great answer.
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No, not a good answer.
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It will make the examiner laugh for sure, but it's not a good answer.
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You need to be much more natural.
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Something like this.
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Yes, I do.
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It's a fairly quiet area, but everything I need is within walking distance.
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What I like most is
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that I can get into the city centre without having to actually live in the centre of town.
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Now, that is a much better answer.
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Simple English and some complex English flexible, expressing the idea I want to convey.
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So that's it.
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Remember, communicate clearly, focus on communication, not forced complexity.
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Let's move on.
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Number five, give specific examples.
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This is particularly true in IELTS part three.
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examples can take a very abstract idea and make it very concrete and easy to follow.
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They're particularly useful because they can clarify what you're trying to say.
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They can give you opportunities to use a lot more interesting language.
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And really, they just help you extend the answer.
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You need to develop your answers in part three.
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right?
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Examples can include, even in part three, a personal example, an example from your country,
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a hypothetical example, maybe a comparison, a typical person, a typical place.
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And just note, you can say, for example, but there are different ways you can do this as well.
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Well, you can introduce an example saying, a good example of this is,
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take, for example, you can see this when,
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imagine someone who, or imagine a situation where,
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all of these are different ways of introducing examples.
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Let me give you an example all.
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Why is it difficult for some people to maintain a healthy lifestyle?
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Well, I think because they're very busy and they don't have enough time.
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Short answer, not great.
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Much better would be.
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Well, one reason is that people are very busy.
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You know, maybe they've got a hectic schedule.
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For example, someone who works long hours and has an hour commute to work and home every day,
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when they get home, they're not going to have the time or energy to cook a healthy meal.
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They're more likely to pop into a convenience store, buy something cheap and unhealthy and cook that in the microwave.
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Can you see how it develops the answer?
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It makes my idea much more concrete and specific,
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and the opportunity or the language that comes out is much richer,
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and that's gonna help you get a higher score in your IELTS speaking test.
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So remember, give examples.
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Okay, finally, my bonus tip for you is be yourself.
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Now, sometimes students go into the IELTS speaking test and they try to be a different person.
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They're trying to impress the examiner, pretend they've got a higher level than they have, trying to be intelligent and sound really, really good.
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But they're not a real human.
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They become a robot and they enter robot mode in the test.
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Now, it's true the examiner evaluates English.
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Not personality, but they evaluate natural conversational English.
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And if you have a memorised answer, you sound robotic, it doesn't help.
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But it does help if you adjust yourself, right?
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If you can, give your genuine opinions.
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Talk about your real life experiences.
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If you don't know about a topic, say, I don't know much about this, but, and they say, then say something.
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If you like smiling, smile.
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If you want to show some emotion, give your answers some emotion.
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Be yourself and you're going to do much better than trying to be someone else.
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Really, trust me.
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That's it.
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That's my bonus tip.
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So as a quick summary, answer directly.
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Develop one idea.
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Start talking.
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Communicate clearly.
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Give examples. Be yourself.
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All of that.
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Remember, there's a PDF you can download to review these tips,
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but also get more model answers that can help you learn and practice these tips when you're giving your answers.
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OK, the secret is in the practice.
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Download the PDF.
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There's a link below and start practicing today.
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And if you're serious about moving from a band five to six to seven or above, check out my IELTS Speaking Gold course.
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In there, I show you how to develop your answers, how to build your fluency,
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how to build your confidence and how to answer all parts of the test part one, two, and three.
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Check it out.
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You'll find a link in the description below.
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And if it's for you, I'd love to see you on the course.
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That's it for today.
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Thank you so much for watching.
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As always, it's been a pleasure.
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And maybe I'll see you in the next video.
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Take care, my friend.
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Bye-bye.
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Thank you.
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About This Lesson
You're practicing English with "IELTS Speaking Band 7: Five Tips" using the Shadowing technique — a method originally developed for professional interpreter training.
Focus on sounding like the speaker — not just repeating words. With 15–30 minutes of daily practice, you'll build real-world speaking confidence.
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.