Shadowing Practice: IELTS SPEAKING PART 1 - TOPIC 8-16 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Topic 8.
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Dreams and Ambitions.
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Now let's talk about dreams and ambitions.
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What was your childhood dream?
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When I was younger, I had my sights set on becoming a police officer,
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mainly because I watched movies and thought they were extremely brave in their cool green uniforms.
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However, as I got older, that childhood aspiration changed because I developed a strong passion for technology, which I've been pursuing ever since.
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Are you the kind of person who sticks to dreams?
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Honestly, not really.
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I think my dreams tend to evolve over time, so I prefer to keep my options open.
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I try to dream big but remain practical.
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For instance, as I mentioned, my dream used to be a police officer when I was a kid, but as I grew up,
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I realized that becoming a software engineer suited my skills and interests much better.
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What is your dream job?
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To be honest, my current job as an IT engineer is my dream job.
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Ever since I was first exposed to computers, I felt a strong sense of purpose on this career path.
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Working with technology allows me to use my strengths, solve problems, and carve out a successful career in a field I genuinely enjoy.
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Do you think you are an ambitious person?
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I'd say I'm fairly ambitious and self -driven, but not to the point where I overwork myself.
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Ever since I graduated, I've always been very goal -oriented, and I tend to aim high when it comes to my career and personal growth.
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For instance, one of my main targets this year is to achieve a 6 .5 IELTS score,
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which requires me to push myself out of my comfort zone every single day.
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Topic 9.
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Morning routines.
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Let's talk about morning routines.
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Do you like to get up early in the morning?
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Yes, I'm definitely an early bird.
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I enjoy getting up at 6 a .m because it gives me some quiet personal time.
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It really helps me get a head start and feel fully energized for the new day.
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What is your morning routine?
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I usually start the day by drinking some water and reading a book to gently ease into the day.
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After exercising, I freshen up before having breakfast and preparing for work.
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Is breakfast important?
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Absolutely.
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Having a filling breakfast is a crucial energy source.
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If you skip breakfast, you may feel groggy all morning and struggle to get any work done.
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What do you do right after getting up in the morning?
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The first thing I do is drink a large glass of water i've learned
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that rehydrating after a long night helps wake my body up
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and really sets the tone for the day topic 10 films
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and cinemas let's talk about films
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and cinemas how often do you watch films i consider myself a bit of a film buff
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but honestly i only catch a film about once a month
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i tend to go to the cinema whenever i can take a break from my busy coding schedule
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Do you prefer to watch films at home or in the cinema?
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I would rather watch films in the cinema than at home because it offers a big screen experience and surround sound.
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Those features make the whole experience much more immersive and enjoyable.
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What kinds of films do you like?
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I am really into sci -fi and action films because they are incredibly thrilling.
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For example, I watched
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Avengers Infinity War last week, and the intense action scenes kept me on the edge of my seat.
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Do you think going to the cinema is a good way to spend time with friends?
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For me, probably not, because watching a film leaves us with little time to chat.
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My buddies and I prefer grabbing a bite or a drink, so I usually save a movie night just for my wife.
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Topic 11.
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Evening time.
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Now let's talk about evening time.
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What do you hate doing in the evening?
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Normally, I can't stand answering work emails in the evening because I always feel drained after a long day.
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I really need some downtime to wind down.
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I just want to spend quality time with my family, play with my kids, or sometimes read a book.
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What do you usually do in the evening?
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After finishing my work, I usually spend quality time with my family and practice a new skill because after a tiring day,
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these activities are exactly what I need to wind down and enjoy my downtime.
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What did you do in the evening when you were little?
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When I was little, I used to spend my evenings finishing my homework.
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My teachers assigned a ton of exercises, so sometimes I even had to burn the midnight oil to get everything done.
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Because of that, I rarely had time to watch cartoons like other kids.
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Do you spend your evenings doing the same things on both weekends and weekdays.
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Not at all.
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On weekdays, I usually stay in to read books or learn a new skill, whereas at weekends, I dedicate all my evenings to my family.
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It's a great change of pace since I don't have to work the next morning.
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For example, just last Sunday evening, I took my kids to Vincom Center for some fun.
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Topic 12.
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Jokes and comedies.
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Let's talk about jokes and comedies.
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Are you good at telling jokes?
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To be honest, I am not very good at telling jokes.
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I'm a quiet person who prefers serious conversations, so I tend to keep a straight face rather than trying to be funny.
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Do your friends like to tell jokes?
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Most of them don't, but one of my friends often tells jokes when we hang out.
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He tries to be a witty friend, but honestly, his jokes usually fall flat, like at our party last week when nobody laughed.
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Do you like to watch comedies?
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Not really.
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As a naturally serious person, I rarely watch a sitcom because I completely dislike forced jokes and fake laugh tracks.
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Have you ever watched a live show?
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Actually, I have never been to a live concert.
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Being an introvert, I usually feel uncomfortable in a crowded, lively atmosphere.
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So when my partner recently invited me to one, I immediately said no. Topic 13.
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Work and careers.
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Let's move on to work and careers.
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Why do people change jobs more often nowadays?
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Well, one reason is that technology offers people far more choices today.
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Professionals frequently switch companies to seek better pay or faster career growth.
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For instance, the rise of remote work means people can easily take new jobs without even leaving their homes.
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Is job satisfaction more important than a high salary?
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Although a high salary helps cover basic living costs, I think job satisfaction is much more important.
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When I find enjoyment in my work, I feel less stress and can be highly creative.
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Without that daily motivation, it would be nearly impossible for me to stay in any job long term just for the money.
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Topic 14, tourism and local culture.
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Let's talk about tourism and local culture.
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What benefits can tourism bring to local communities?
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The most obvious benefit is boosting local income.
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Tourism can help small shops and residents make a much better living.
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For instance, when visitors buy local products like souvenirs, this means that the whole community's economy grows stronger.
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How can popular tourist destinations avoid becoming overcrowded?
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One way to solve
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this issue is to promote alternative sites for example instead of
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crowding the main island tour guides can take visitors to nearby villages
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if they do this destinations will easily reduce the pressure from tourists topic 15 family
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and generations let's talk about family
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and generations why do some families find it difficult to spend time together well unresolved conflicts
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and having little common ground often make it difficult for family members to spend time together.
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When people have separate interests or ongoing arguments, they may actively avoid each other instead of sharing a family meal.
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What can younger and older people learn from each other?
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While older generations can share their valuable life experience and practical skills like sewing, younger people can help them with digital skills. For instance,
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by teaching my mother how to use online services on her smartphone i can learn how to stay calm
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and handle setbacks from her stories
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topic 16 cities and transport finally let's talk about cities and transport
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why do many people choose to live in big cities living
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in a city offers people more opportunities to find better job opportunities and access top -tier public services compared with rural areas,
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a big city tends to be much more convenient as you are closer to specialist hospitals and good schools.
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What can be done to reduce traffic congestion in cities?
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Personally, I believe more investments should be made to improve infrastructure, like expanding roads or building bike lanes.
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Also, if companies encourage flexible work or remote work, it would drastically reduce the number of vehicles on the streets during rush hours.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “IELTS SPEAKING PART 1 - TOPIC 8-16”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: evening, film, topic, dream, jokes. This video has 125 sentences and 1509 words to shadow. The speech runs for 9:37. The speaker talks at a natural 157 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding. 24 of its 125 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
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. |
| cinema noun | /ˈsɪn.ə.mə/ | A movie theatre, a movie house. |
| skill noun | /skɪl/ | A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate. |
| tourism noun | /ˈtʊɹɪzəm/ | The act of travelling or sightseeing, particularly away from one's home. |
| routine noun | /ɹuˈtin/ | A course of action to be followed regularly; a standard procedure. |
| practical adjective | /ˈpɹæk.tɪ.kəl/ | Relating to, or based on, practice or action rather than theory or hypothesis. |
| rarely adverb | /ˈɹɛəɹli/ | Not occurring at a regular interval; seldom; not often. |
| solve verb | /sɒlv/ | To find an answer or solution to a problem or question; to work out. |
| remote adjective | /ɹəˈməʊt̞/ | At a distance; disconnected. |
| salary noun | /ˈsæləɹi/ | A fixed amount of money paid to a worker, usually calculated on a monthly or annual basis, not hourly, as wages. Implies a degree of professionalism and/or… |
| destination noun | /dɛstɪˈneɪʃən/ | The place set for the end of a journey or to which something is sent; place or point aimed at. |
| satisfaction noun | /sætɪsˈfækʃən/ | A fulfilment of a need or desire. |
| visitor noun | /ˈvɪzɪtɚ/ | Someone who visits someone else; someone staying as a guest. |
| ambitious adjective | /æmˈbɪʃ.əs/ | Having or showing ambition; wanting a lot of power, honor, respect, superiority, or other distinction. |
| ambition noun | /æmˈbɪʃ.ən/ | Eager or inordinate desire for some object that confers distinction, as preferment, honor, superiority, political power, or fame; desire to distinguish one's… |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| wind down verb | /waɪnd ˈdaʊn/ | To lower by winding, as with a crank or windlass. |
| get up verb | To move in an upward direction; to ascend or climb. | |
| grow up verb | To mature and become an adult. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- What was your childhood dream?
- What is your dream job?
- Do you think you are an ambitious person?
- What is your morning routine?
- What kinds of films do you like?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | if they do this destinations will easily |
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to be · used to spend |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've always been · i've learned · Have you ever watched |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | can be done · should be made |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 10 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, I've, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: destination /dɛstɪˈneɪʃən/, satisfaction /sætɪsˈfækʃən/, ambitious /æmˈbɪʃ.əs/, ambition /æmˈbɪʃ.ən/, rush /ɹʌʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: destination /dɛstɪˈneɪʃən/, satisfaction /sætɪsˈfækʃən/, naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, infrastructure /ˈɪnfɹəˌstɹʌkt͡ʃə/, incredibly /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/
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, cinema, skill.
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.