Shadowing Practice: IELTS Speaking Part 1 – Teachers - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
Hi everyone.
2
Welcome to IELTS time.
3
Today we're looking at IELTS speaking part one, teachers.
4
We're going to start with two mock interviews, and then we'll look at some useful vocabulary and expressions from the answers.
5
All right, let's get into it.
6
Do you have a favorite teacher?
7
Yeah, probably my high school history teacher, Mr. Carter.
8
He had this habit of starting every lesson with some random story from history before actually getting into the textbook.
9
So you never quite knew what you were going to get.
10
I wasn't particularly interested in history before his class, but he somehow made it really entertaining.
11
Do you remember your primary school teachers?
12
Yeah, I remember quite a few of them, actually.
13
My primary school math teacher, Mrs. Wilson, stands out
14
because she used to give us these little puzzles at the end of class if we finished our work early.
15
I was really into those, so I still remember her pretty clearly.
16
Did you ever have a teacher you didn't like?
17
Why?
18
Yeah, there was one English teacher I didn't particularly like.
19
He was very serious and would sometimes interrupt you halfway through an answer if you made a mistake, which made me nervous about speaking in class.
20
I'm sure he meant well, but I never really felt comfortable around him.
21
Have you ever had a teacher who influenced you a lot?
22
Not really, no. I mean, I had some good teachers, but I can't say any of them had a huge influence on me outside of school.
23
I mostly just remember the ones who made their classes enjoyable, rather than anyone who really changed the way I think or what I wanted to do.
24
What kind of teacher do you prefer?
25
I like teachers who are fairly relaxed but still know how to keep a class under control.
26
I don't mind a teacher being strict when they need to be, but I wouldn't want someone who's constantly checking whether you're doing everything exactly right.
27
I tend to learn better when I have a bit of freedom.
28
What qualities do you think a good teacher should have?
29
I'd say patience is probably the biggest one.
30
Some students will understand something straight away, while others might need to hear the same explanation three or four times.
31
I also think a good teacher needs a sense of humor.
32
If a teacher can make you laugh occasionally, it makes a long class feel a lot shorter.
33
Do you think being a teacher is a difficult job?
34
Yeah, I think it's much harder than it looks from the outside.
35
When I was at school, I used to think teachers just showed up, taught for an hour, and went home.
36
Now that I'm older, I realize there's probably a huge amount of planning and marking that students never see.
37
And having to deal with 30 teenagers at once can't exactly be easy.
38
Do you want to be a teacher in the future?
39
Not really, no. I actually enjoy explaining things to people, but I don't think I'd enjoy doing it with a whole classroom every day.
40
I'd probably get more satisfaction from working on my own projects and having a bit more control over my schedule.
41
So teaching isn't really on my list of career options.
42
Alright, let's hear another take on the same topic.
43
Do you have a favourite teacher?
44
Yeah, definitely.
45
My high school English teacher, Ms Davies, instantly comes to mind.
46
She was just really down to earth and easy to talk to.
47
Instead of just talking at us for an hour, she'd turn every lesson into a proper discussion where we could
48
actually speak our minds she just made you feel like what you had to say actually mattered you know.
49
Do you remember your primary school teachers?
50
Vaguely yeah it's mostly random memories to be honest.
51
I do remember my year three teacher Mr Harrison though mostly
52
because he'd bring his guitar into class every Friday afternoon and play music with us.
53
I couldn't tell you a single lesson we did back then but I definitely remember how fun he made the classroom feel.
54
Did you ever have a teacher you didn't like?
55
Why?
56
Yeah, I had this math teacher in middle school who was really harsh.
57
If you got a question wrong, he'd call you out in front of the whole class, which was just awful when you were 12 or 13.
58
Everyone was basically walking on eggshells the entire period so nobody ever wanted to raise their hand.
59
It just totally ruined math for me.
60
Have you ever had a teacher who influenced you a lot?
61
Yeah, my high school art teacher had a huge impact on me.
62
I used to be such a perfectionist and would stress out completely if a drawing didn't turn out right.
63
She really helped me chill out and showed me that making mistakes is just part of the process.
64
That mindset actually stuck with me way beyond school, to be honest.
65
What kind of teacher do you prefer?
66
I've always done way better with teachers who are chill and easy to talk to rather than super strict ones.
67
If a teacher is approachable, you don't feel like an idiot.
68
When you need to ask a question or if you don't get something the first time around.
69
Plus, when they're actually into what they're teaching, it just makes the whole class so much more engaging.
70
What qualities do you think a good teacher should have?
71
Patience is huge for sure.
72
Everyone learns at totally different speeds.
73
So you can't just have a one -size -fits -all approach.
74
Being able to break down hard concepts into plain English is another big one.
75
But honestly, I think just genuinely caring about the students as people makes the biggest difference.
76
Do you think being a teacher is a difficult job?
77
100%.
78
Honestly, I think it's one of the hardest jobs out there.
79
It's not just teaching the material.
80
You're basically managing 30 different personalities, dealing with piles of paperwork, and probably taking a lot of that stress home with you at the end of the day.
81
It's a lot to handle and they definitely don't get enough credit for it.
82
Do you want to be a teacher in the future?
83
Oh, definitely not.
84
I mean, I have so much respect for what they do, but I just don't have the patience for it.
85
There's some really useful language in those answers, so let's pick out a few expressions you can borrow for your own speaking.
86
Stand out.
87
When someone or something stands out, it means they are particularly noticeable, memorable or impressive compared with the other things around them.
88
For example, if you had 10 teachers at primary school but you still remember one of them really clearly,
89
you could say My primary school math teacher really stands out in my memory.
90
That sounds more natural and expressive than simply saying I remember my teacher.
91
And you can use it for people, experiences, places, objects, pretty much anything that's particularly noticeable.
92
You could say One thing that really stood out about the trip was how friendly everyone was.
93
Down to earth.
94
This is an interesting one because down and earth don't really help you understand the meaning, literally.
95
If someone is described as down to earth, we're talking about their personality.
96
A down to earth person is usually friendly, practical, relaxed and easy to talk to.
97
They don't act as if they're more important than everyone else.
98
For example, imagine you've got a teacher who's extremely knowledgeable, but talks to students like equals.
99
You never feel intimidated or judged when you ask a question.
100
You might say, she was really down to earth so I always felt comfortable talking to her.
101
And of course it's not limited to teachers.
102
You might describe a successful business person as down to earth, even if they're extremely wealthy or famous.
103
So there's often a nice contrast in this expression.
104
Someone can be very successful or impressive but still be down to earth.
105
Behind the scenes.
106
The word scenes comes from the world of theatre and film.
107
On stage, the audience sees what is happening in front of them, while the people working backstage are behind the scenes.
108
But these days we use the idea much more broadly.
109
If you work behind the scenes, you're involved in making something happen, but you're not the person everyone sees.
110
So, for example, someone might not enjoy standing in front of 30 students, but they might love preparing lessons,
111
organising things, researching information, or working on projects independently.
112
They could say, I'm more of a behind -the -scenes person.
113
I don't really enjoy being the centre of attention.
114
It's also useful for describing how things work.
115
There's a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes that customers never see.
116
A one -size -fits -all approach is a single method or solution that is applied to everyone, even though people may have different needs.
117
For example, I don't think a one -size -fits -all approach works in education because students learn in different ways.
118
This is especially useful when you're talking about teaching
119
because some students might learn quickly while others need more explanation or a different method.
120
But don't think of this as an education -only expression.
121
You can use it for exercise, healthcare, technology, work, parenting, almost anything where different people have different needs.
122
So whenever you want to say, the same solution doesn't work for everyone, this expression is worth remembering.
123
Walk on eggshells.
124
This one creates a really useful image.
125
Imagine you're literally walking across a floor covered in eggshells.
126
You'd have to be incredibly careful because one wrong step could crush them.
127
That's exactly the feeling behind the expression.
128
If you walk on eggshells around someone you feel
129
that you have to be extremely careful about what you say or do because they might get angry, upset or react badly.
130
For example, we were always walking on eggshells around that teacher because you never knew when he was going to get angry.
131
You could also say, I had to walk on eggshells around my boss when she was in a bad mood.
132
Notice that this expression isn't really about being physically careful.
133
It's about feeling nervous and constantly monitoring your behavior around another person.
134
That's what makes it so useful.
135
Instead of saying, I felt uncomfortable because I was afraid of their reaction, you can paint that whole picture with three simple words, walk on eggshells.
136
Get the hang of something.
137
This is a really natural expression for talking about learning.
138
When you get the hang of something, you gradually learn how to do it and start to feel more comfortable doing it yourself.
139
It might feel confusing at first, but after some practice it begins to make sense.
140
Think about learning to drive.
141
At the beginning you're trying to remember the pedals, the mirrors, the gears, the road signs.
142
Everything feels like a lot.
143
Then after a while you start to get the hang of it.
144
You could say, it took me a few weeks to get the hang of driving, but now I actually enjoy it.
145
So it's really about that point where something starts to feel less confusing and more natural.
146
Get credit for something The word credit here doesn't mean money on a credit card, it means recognition or praise for something you've done.
147
So if someone gets credit for something, people recognise that they were responsible for it or that they deserve some praise for their effort.
148
For example, you might say Teachers don't always get enough credit for how much work they do outside the classroom
149
The point is that teachers might spend hours planning lessons marking work
150
or dealing with students
151
but people only see the part where they stand in front
152
of the class You can also use it in everyday situations
153
Imagine you and your friend clean the whole house
154
but everyone praises your friend
155
because they don't realise you did half the work You might jokingly say I did most of the cleaning
156
but she got all the credit And that's it for today.
157
I hope you found the answers and vocabulary useful.
158
If you'd like more lessons like this, you can join our membership for extra lessons and speaking topics.
159
Thanks for joining me and I'll see you in the next lesson.
📺 Same Channel
B23
IELTS Speaking Part 3 – Boredom, Places, and Technology
Education
IELTS PrepUniversity Students+2
B24
IELTS Speaking Part 1 – Public Places
People & Blogs
IELTS PrepUniversity Students+2
B23
IELTS Speaking Part 1 – High School
People & Blogs
IELTS PrepHigh School Students+2
B23
IELTS Speaking Part 1 – Cars
People & Blogs
IELTS PrepUniversity Students+2
B24
IELTS Speaking Part 3 – Energy Levels and Lifestyle
General
IELTS PrepUniversity Students+2
B23
IELTS Speaking Part 1 – Flowers
General
IELTS PrepUniversity Students+1
B25
IELTS Speaking Part 3 – Tall Buildings and Urban Development
General
IELTS PrepUniversity Students+2
B21
IELTS Speaking Part 1 – Outer Space and Stars
General
IELTS PrepHigh School Students+2
B25
IELTS Speaking Mock Test #9 | Parts 1–3
General
IELTS PrepUniversity Students+2
B25
IELTS Speaking Part 1 – Parks and Gardens
General
IELTS PrepUniversity Students+2
B22
IELTS Speaking Part 3 – Celebrity Endorsements and Advertising
People & Blogs
IELTS PrepUniversity Students+2
B22
IELTS Speaking Part 3 – The Impact of Technology on Society
General
IELTS PrepHigh School Students+3
B24
IELTS Speaking Part 3 – Technology and Artificial Intelligence
General
IELTS PrepUniversity Students+2
B21
IELTS Speaking Part 1 – Watches
People & Blogs
IELTS PrepUniversity Students+2
B16
IELTS Speaking Part 1– Family
General
IELTS PrepHigh School Students+3
B25
IELTS Speaking Part 1 – Work and Study | Work Focus
People & Blogs
IELTS PrepUniversity Students+3
B28
IELTS Speaking Part 3 – Environmental Laws and Public Policy
General
IELTS PrepTOEFL Prep+2
B26
IELTS Speaking Part 1 –Taking a Break
People & Blogs
IELTS PrepUniversity Students
B2IELTS Speaking Part 2 – Describe an interesting building
People & Blogs
IELTS PrepUniversity Students+2
C11
IELTS Speaking Part 1 – Shoes
People & Blogs
IELTS PrepUniversity Students
✨ Recommend Video
B21
103 sentences
10 Essential Phrases for IELTS Speaking
General
IELTS PrepHigh School Students+3
B224 sentences
IELTS Speaking Band 9 | Describe a Person Who Has Had a Positive Influence on Your Life
General
IELTS PrepHigh School Students+3
B23
88 sentences
IELTS Speaking Full Test Education & Learning | Band 7 Sample Answers
General
IELTS PrepHigh School Students+3
B27
86 sentences
IELTS SPEAKING TEST SAMPLE BAND 9 SERIES 2 (Part 1,2,3): TOPIC - SCHOOL
General
IELTS PrepHigh School Students+2
B22
183 sentences
IELTS Speaking Part 2: Band 9 TEMPLATES - #2. PEOPLE
General
IELTS PrepHigh School Students+3
B21
161 sentences
IELTS Speaking Band 7.5+ Mock Test with Feedback | IELTS with Charles
General
IELTS PrepHigh School Students+2
B21
86 sentences
#11 IELTS Speaking Forecast Quý 1/2025 – Part 1: Science 🔥
General
IELTS PrepHigh School Students+2
B21
77 sentences
IELTS listening actual test Part 3: 22/02 - VietNam ( answer+ transcript)
General
IELTS PrepHigh School Students+2
B22
36 sentences
IELTS SPEAKING PART 1: FASHION
General
IELTS PrepHigh School Students+3
B27
255 sentences
IELTS Speaking Part 1: Don’t Make These Mistakes When Talking About Your Home
General
IELTS PrepHigh School Students+3
About This Lesson
You're practicing English with "IELTS Speaking Part 1 – Teachers" 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.