Shadowing Practice: IELTS Speaking Test Band 8.5- Almost Perfect - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.

289 sentences

If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.

Let's start off by talking about your job.

Do you work or do you study?

I work as a cabin crew.

It's been two years that I've been working as a flight attendant.

It's good.

What do you enjoy about your job?

So I feel like there's a lot of perks, but there are a lot of negatives to it as well.

Like it's a physical job.

It requires you to be a very healthy person.

You need to exercise a lot.

You need to work out.

You need to look like you need to take care of yourself.

You need to take care of your diet.

But what I enjoy the most is that, you know, you get to go to all these places that you maybe would have only dreamed about.

So for me, I think that's the biggest perk that I can go to all these places,

see all those landmarks that I have been seeing when I was a kid or meet all those people.

Why does someone need to be fit and healthy to do your job?

because it's very physical job uh you need to always be

on your toes there's a lot of walking i mean for

me on an average day i walk about like 10 000 steps easy like 6 000 maybe on a flight

but then when you land you go to the airport you go to the hotel

and you obviously want to go out have like you know some food

or drinks so i prefer walking so usually on an average i do like 10 to 15,000 steps, which I like as well.

But then it also, you know, it's a lot of exhaustion because you're already tired.

And so I feel like it's a very physical job.

It keeps you on the move.

It keeps you running, I think.

Do you think you will do that job for your whole career

or would you like to do something different in the future?

I don't think I can do it like for too long because it is again, a very tiring job.

It has its perks, but then I feel like I don't think I can do it for so long because

Sometimes it just gets to you.

Every layover, every city just becomes the same.

Every hotel becomes the same.

Some days I really crave just sleeping in my own bed, you know, being with my family.

That's it.

Now let's talk about travel.

What's your favorite travel destination?

For me, I think it's Stockholm, Sweden.

I never knew that place existed because my geography is super bad.

But when I went there for the first time, I loved that place.

I loved that place it was the vibe of

that place it's it's a very slow city i think as compared to dubai

so i feel like people over there they live a very

slow life you can just see people walking you know with their dogs

and pets and children and it's just

so nice to look at them living a very slow life

and i feel like the weather over there is very nice

as well the sunset is like at 10 p.m 11 so i feel they have a longer day in the summers.

So yeah, I really like that place.

When you go on holiday, do you prefer to be active or just sit by the pool?

I want it to be a relaxing time because my job requires me to be on the toes every day.

So for me, vacations are more like I want to just sit back.

I just want to relax.

And I'm more of a mountain person.

So I just go anywhere for the views.

So I just want to go sit and have a really nice view from my balcony.

Probably if it's mountains, I would love it.

Is food and drink important when you're deciding where to travel to?

I'm not a foodie.

I'm not a huge fan of food.

So I would, I'm, I'm somebody who just eats to live.

Like, yeah, just give me anything, you know, I'm somebody who goes for McDonald's in New York. So yeah.

Are there any types of holidays

that you really dislike dislike um not really no i feel like holidays

or any sort of day

that just gives you a little bit of free time from

your daily routine i think it's just you should just celebrate

it yes just be happy about it now let's talk about

birthdays can you tell me about your last birthday oh yeah

um i never had a birthday party in my whole life

but last year i was like why not you know

if nobody's throwing me one i will throw myself one so

that is what i did i came up with the whole theme

and you know bought all the banners birthday girl

and you know the things

that you wear on your head although i feel i felt for a minute

that i was way too older for that

but i was like never mind i should just do it

so and mark it off so i went back home to pakistan

and i gathered a I asked them if they could come and join me to celebrate my birthday.

And I loved it.

Can you remember a birthday party or a birthday gift from when you were a child?

Not really.

No, my memory is a little bit hazed when it comes to my childhood.

So I don't think I remember any.

We used to celebrate.

I know I remember that.

But any gift particularly, I don't think so.

I don't remember.

Can you remember any gifts that you've given other people on their birthday?

For me, always the handwritten letters was a very huge thing.

Like I would, this was the first thing I would do.

If anybody's birthday was coming, I would just go and write a handwritten letter.

That was the first thing I would do.

A gift, yeah, maybe I would buy something, but that was like a mandatory thing that I would do.

If you could have a dream birthday in the future, what would it look like?

I always wanted to like do a dream destination birthday.

100

Like I want to go someplace and I want to be able to like invite all my friends and, you know, like sort of take on all the expenses.

101

I don't want them to pay for anything.

102

So I want to like invite them and they they're just there to enjoy.

103

So that's like my dream birthday celebration.

104

I want to go to someplace, ask them to come over so we can just have fun.

105

Recently, a lot of my colleagues, they were talking about this app called ClassPass.

106

and every time I would ask them were you guys going for yoga

107

or this and then they were like class pass I'm using class pass

108

and I'm like okay and what's the hype about this one you know

109

and then again suddenly this whole thing started coming up on my for you page on tiktok

110

and instagram that was like is it just like you know my I don't know ai or like algorithm like

111

messing with me or should I just actually look into it

112

so I went on google and you know instagram

113

and i was just looking on people who had reposted about this one

114

so and they were like some super nice positive reviews

115

and i was shocked i was like

116

or maybe it's just a marketing thing you know where they

117

pay you basically to put on all these nice reviews

118

but then i was also looking for something uh where i

119

can just you know i wouldn't have to like look for

120

different studios every time different places to go for yoga

121

because i was actually thinking about going for a yoga certification

122

so i want to get into that routine of doing yoga

123

so that's when i decided to join class pass

124

and i kid you not it was i think the best

125

decision decision i have ever taken uh i just came back from singapore like 2 a.m this morning

126

and i did take a class for yoga in singapore and

127

that was amazing like it was one of the best classes i've ever had it just

128

and also i mean yoga makes me feel good anyway but

129

that class was like so full of energy and all those different people

130

that i was meeting for the first time in that class

131

and the convenience i think

132

that app gave me you know to book a class anywhere in the world i think that's amazing

133

if you're working as as a cabin crew.

134

So I would, I think I would do that again, if I am on a layover, because usually sometimes you get so lazy that you don't want to do anything.

135

So I think that would be something that would get me out of the bed.

136

So we've been talking about a product or service that you reviewed or looked at the reviews,

137

and we're going to continue to talk about online reviews and customer service and things like that in part three.

138

What kind of person do you think writes a lot of

139

online reviews personally i think somebody who is very particular

140

or a pessimist i think uh they wanna either let the world know what happened to them

141

or just you know uh make sure

142

that what happened to me doesn't happen to someone else i mean it's kind

143

but i don't think like you should be doing that a lot

144

because i see some people they want to review everything I think everything.

145

You will see that one person talking about everything and mostly it is negative.

146

So yeah, those people, I think they're not very happy with their lives.

147

I'm sorry if I'm being so candid.

148

Now let's talk about customer service.

149

Do you agree that customers are more likely to complain these days compared to the past?

150

I believe yes, because of the platforms that are being provided

151

and how convenient it has become to write a review or just let them know about your opinions or feelings.

152

I feel like it's yes, 100% very, very easy for people to complain

153

and less likely for them to say nice things about a product or a service.

154

How important is it for companies to take these negative reviews seriously?

155

It is very important, yes, because if you're a developing company, if you're a young company, and if you really want to grow,

156

it is definitely very important to take in all this negative complaints and see how you can improve.

157

But I also believe in a way you shouldn't give all

158

the authority to the customers to dictate how you want to run your company because you are the CEO here.

159

So you should know how to do it.

160

Do you think some companies that provide reviews such as Google have too much power over companies?

161

Maybe yes.

162

Like I would say it's a 50-50 because at the end of the day, a consumer is the one who decides if he wants to use that product or a service.

163

But mainly if you are giving somebody the first impression that it's not a very good product or a service.

164

So people are less likely to go for it.

165

If Google or all these places are the first places

166

that they're going to go and read maybe three or four negative reviews, that's when they decide they're not going to go for this one.

167

So I feel like it's a 50-50.

168

So I'm going to give some feedback on part one, part two, and part three, and then we're going to talk about your scores and give you feedback and how you could improve.

169

So I really liked the way that you addressed part one in a very informal way.

170

You were using lots of idiomatic language and lots of informal language and things like saying, you know, I'm always on my toes and I'm not a foodie.

171

And, you know, and it was like talking to a native English speaker.

172

A lot of people think

173

that you get a higher score for using really academic formal

174

language that's actually not the case you you would get higher marks for using more informal language like you did and

175

because it's actually more difficult anyone can learn a list of

176

academic phrases it's very very difficult to learn those idiomatic phrases

177

like like these sometimes it just gets to you okay

178

and what's the hype about this one you know i kid

179

you not those type of phrases are only really used by native English speakers

180

and therefore they're more difficult for a learner to access

181

and they're normally the last thing a learner will learn

182

and before reaching you know not native speaker level

183

but a very very high level of English and you do

184

that in most of your answers

185

which is really really good you also did it in part two

186

and I also like the way you speak with emotion you're very enthusiastic

187

and that can help you with pronunciation believe it or not

188

because pronunciation you divide it into two the first part of pronunciation

189

which is the most important

190

which is can i understand what you're saying i can understand every single word

191

so you're from pakistan so you have an accent

192

but there's no nothing wrong with

193

that i think it's much better to speak in your own accent clearly than to try

194

and sound english or american it just sounds weird and it yeah it gets a lot worse.

195

But the second part of pronunciation is what we would call higher level pronunciation features.

196

Part of that is intonation.

197

Intonation means when your voice goes up and your voice goes down.

198

We use intonation to signal how we feel and we use intonation to signal meaning.

199

So for example when you came in late today, if I said hey come on come on and sit down So my voice is going up.

200

But imagine I say the exact same words.

201

Hey, come in, sit down.

202

Yeah.

203

So the words are exactly the same.

204

But do I feel different?

205

One is I'm happy.

206

Don't worry.

207

It's difficult to get parking here.

208

The other one is I'm annoyed.

209

So exactly the same words, but completely different meaning depending on the tone.

210

But one way that we help students with their intonation, with their voice naturally going up, is to just be more enthusiastic.

211

Because if we are bored and we are serious, we will speak in a very monotone, flat way.

212

But if it's like, hey, how are you doing?

213

I'm very excited to talk about this.

214

And you do that so naturally.

215

Like we didn't tell you to do that.

216

That's just who you are as a person.

217

You seem like a very bubbly, happy person.

218

Many people watching will say, how can I do that?

219

You know, I'm under a lot of pressure.

220

I'm very stressed.

221

I need a high score the more preparation you do, the more confidence that you can have, the more you can be yourself.

222

And people watching, even if it's a very, you know, we were asking you about online reviews, not the most exciting topic in the world to talk about,

223

but you did do that.

224

You know, you were talking more enthusiastically about that.

225

So I was very, very impressed with that.

226

Part three, again, also good.

227

I mean, it's difficult to talk about those topics.

228

I was throwing more difficult topics at you.

229

And one way

230

that you could possibly develop your answers a little bit more would be to go a little bit deeper on the example.

231

So you were saying, well, there's all these platforms that do reviews.

232

So maybe pick one of them.

233

That could be Google, that could be Facebook, that could be Trustpilot or whatever it is.

234

If you can't think of them, like don't, but it just makes it easier for you to discuss that and talk about that a little bit more detail.

235

But you did that a lot.

236

Like you were talking about ClassPass, you were talking about Singapore and the yoga class, like you were going into a lot of detail

237

and showing examples naturally it's just if you got stuck

238

so sometimes they will especially at your level

239

if they think you might be like a band-aid band nine

240

in part three they will throw really difficult topics at you

241

because they want to test you

242

and they want to stretch you like is can this is this person about eight

243

or about 8.5

244

or about nine they won't throw easy stuff at you they'll throw more difficult stuff at you

245

because you're capable of doing that so if

246

that happens always give an answer

247

and one easy way to develop your answer is to go deep excuse me on those examples okay

248

so to give you feedback on the marking criteria your fluency

249

is excellent you can speak you know naturally without pausing without hesitation the only times

250

when you do pause or you do hesitate is

251

when you're thinking of an idea you're never pausing and hesitating

252

because you're searching for the right word or the right grammar or you don't know how to say it in English.

253

It's always just thinking of the content rather than the language if that makes sense.

254

So no problems with fluency at all.

255

I haven't tested you too much on really difficult topics but I think you would be fine.

256

Your pronunciation is very very impressive, crystal clear and you're using those higher level pronunciation features like intonation.

257

you also use a lot of things like connected speech for

258

example you don't say i went to a yoga class in

259

singapore i went over yoga class in singapore like you're linking sounds

260

and words together very very well like a native english speaker would it's very very impressive your grammar

261

and your vocabulary is also very good your vocabulary you have

262

a wide range of vocabulary i love how how much idiomatic

263

language you're using sometimes you will use it a little bit inaccurately

264

but it's tiny little slips like you were saying I'm on the toes rather than on my feet.

265

So a native English speaker would say like I'm on my feet all day not on the toes.

266

So on your toes means that you're standing to attention and you're ready for something to happen.

267

I don't think that that's what you meant.

268

I think you meant on my feet all day means standing on your toes means

269

that like something is about to happen and you know so

270

but it was a tiny slip out of many many other

271

correct usages of idiomatic language and we'll put some on the screen here.

272

Your grammar as well you have a very wide-ranging grammar

273

and you can use like any tense any any grammar structure

274

again kind of similar to the on you know on the toes you do make tiny little errors

275

but they're they're what we would call slips so it's I make slips

276

and I'm a native English speaker and I teach English for a living, everybody makes little grammatical slips from time to time.

277

So some, for example, I think that you made a little article mistake from time to time,

278

and but it's not like every time you need to use articles like the and you make that mistake.

279

It's like once in 15 minutes you will make that tiny little mistake.

280

Very similar to how a native English speaker would make those kind of mistakes.

281

That's why in the marking criteria for band nine, the top band for grammar it actually says they only make minor slips very very infrequently

282

and that's what you do

283

so overall i can't give you a huge amount of negative feedback

284

because you did very very well

285

and what i've done for you guys is i've analyzed hundreds of band nine transcripts from our successful vip students

286

and i've put the hundred most used words into a pdf for you

287

if you want that go to the description

288

or the pinned comment you can download it for free if you If you want to see another very high level student, you can click here.

289

Or if you want more help with speaking, you can click here.

Download App

Everything you need to speak fluently

AI PronunciationScore every sentence

IPA PracticeMaster every sound

VocabularyBuild your word bank

Vocab GameLearn while playing

Scan QR

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

Same Channel

FOR YOU

Recommend Video

186

26 sentences

IELTS Speaking Part 3: Mass Tourism and Its Consequences

IELTS PrepUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

389 sentences

IELTS Speaking Test with Feedback – Band 8.5

IELTS PrepInterview EnglishUniversity Students

662

36 sentences

IELTS Speaking Part 1: Food, Shopping and the Weather

IELTS PrepDaily ConversationUniversity Students

220 sentences

IELTS SPEAKING 8.5 | Мок тест + Кері байланыс

IELTS PrepCambridge Exam PrepUniversity Students

115 sentences

IELTS Listening Practice Section-1(Cycle tour leader: Applicant enquiry) with answers

IELTS PrepInterview EnglishUniversity Students

194 sentences

IELTS Speaking Band 9.0 Mock Test with Feedback (Extra Hard Questions) | IELTS with Charles

IELTS PrepCambridge Exam PrepUniversity Students

83 sentences

IELTS Speaking Test questions 106 - Sample Answer

IELTS PrepUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

322 sentences

Band 8.0 IELTS Practice Speaking Exam [+ Free Speaking PDF]

IELTS PrepUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

111 sentences

IELTS Speaking Test band score 7 l Amazing Candidate 2026

IELTS PrepInterview EnglishUniversity Students

119 sentences

IELTS Speaking Part 1 Practice – Travel | Learnivo English #ieltsspeaking #ieltspreparation #ielts

IELTS PrepTravel EnglishUniversity Students

169 sentences

Day 30– IELTS Shadowing Challenge | 5 Speaking Questions with Band 9 Answers

IELTS PrepInterview EnglishUniversity Students

187 sentences

IELTS Speaking Band 9.0 Mock Test with Feedback

IELTS PrepCambridge Exam PrepUniversity Students

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This C1 speaking lesson is built on the video “IELTS Speaking Test Band 8.5- Almost Perfect”. This video has 289 sentences and 3456 words to shadow. The speech runs for 18:24. The speaker talks fast, about 188 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 86% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
toe noun	/təʊ/	Each of the five digits on the end of the human foot.
pronunciation noun	/pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/	The formal or informal way in which a word is made to sound when spoken.
intonation noun	/ɪntəˈneɪʃən/	The rise and fall of the voice in speaking.
bind verb	/ˈbaɪ̯nd/	To tie; to confine by any ligature.
idiomatic adjective	/ˌɪd.iː.əˈmat.ɪk/	Pertaining or conforming to idiom, the natural mode of expression of a language.
perk noun	/pɝk/	Perquisite.
vocabulary noun	/vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/	A usually alphabetized and explained collection of words e.g. of a particular field, or prepared for a specific purpose, often for learning.
informal adjective	/ɪnˈfɔɹ.m(ə)l/	Not formal or ceremonious.
pause noun	/pɔːz/	A temporary stop or rest; an intermission of action; interruption; suspension; cessation.
criterion noun	/kɹaɪˈtɪɹ.i.ən/	A standard, test, or requirement by which individual things or people may be compared and judged; a gauge.
fluency noun	/ˈfluːənsi/	The quality of smoothness of flow.
foodie noun	/ˈfuːdi/	A person with a special interest in or knowledge of food, a gourmet.
handwritten adjective		Written with a person's hand, as opposed to typed.
layover noun	/ˈleɪˌəʊvə(ɹ)/	A break between stages of a journey.
learner noun	/ˈlɜɹnəɹ/	One who is learning; one receiving instruction.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
go up verb	To move upwards.
sit down verb	To assume a sitting position from a standing position.
come back from verb	To become successful, confident or effective again after an injury, setback, failure, embarrassment, etc.
come over verb	To affect in a sudden, unprecedented or surprising manner; to overwhelm a person's ordinarily contrary impulse.
come up with verb	To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it.
go back verb	To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time.
go down verb	To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one.
go out verb	To leave, especially a building.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

Let's start off by talking about your job.
Do you work or do you study?
What do you enjoy about your job?
What's your favorite travel destination?
Is food and drink important when you're deciding where to travel to?

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 it's mountains, I would love · if nobody's throwing me one i will throw · If anybody's birthday was coming, I would just
Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on	I've been working · have been seeing · we've been talking
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	It's been · you've given · have ever taken
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	somebody who just · somebody who goes · people who had

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 80 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: enthusiastic /ɪnˌθjuːzɪˈæstɪk/, algorithm /ˈælɡəɹɪðm̩/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, intonation /ɪntəˈneɪʃən/, hesitation /ˌhɛzɪˈteɪʃən/, certification /ˌsɜː.tɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, intonation /ɪntəˈneɪʃən/, idiomatic /ˌɪd.iː.əˈmat.ɪk/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, criterion /kɹaɪˈtɪɹ.i.ən/

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 toe, pronunciation, intonation.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: IELTS Speaking Test Band 8.5- Almost Perfect - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Download App

IELTS Tips You MUST Know Before Your Test

IELTS Speaking Interview - Band 9 Example

What Makes a Band 9 Speaking Answer?

The ONLY IELTS Writing Task 2 Strategy You Need

IELTS Speaking Test - Almost Perfect Band 8

IELTS Speaking Test- Perfect Band 9

Get Band 9 After Learning These Speaking Tips

This Student Made Band 9 Speaking Look Easy

IELTS Speaking Band 6 vs Band 9 Answer

How Do I Improve My Reading and Listening?

How Do I Get A Band 9 in IELTS Speaking?

IELTS Speaking Test: Perfect Band 9 Score [+ Free Speaking PDF]

IELTS Speaking Tips + Tricks: The Ultimate Guide

This Is What Band 9 IELTS Speaking Actually Sounds Like [+ Free Speaking PDF]

IELTS Speaking Exam- Perfect Band 9 [+ Free Speaking PDF]

"What is your name?" IELTS Speaking Band 9 Answer

IELTS Speaking Secrets Every Student Should Learn

IELTS Speaking Band 5 vs. Band 9 – See the Difference!

The Advanced IELTS Speaking Answers That Get Band 9

Can You Fix This IELTS Speaking Answer?

IELTS Speaking Part 3: Mass Tourism and Its Consequences

IELTS Speaking Test with Feedback – Band 8.5

IELTS Speaking Part 1: Food, Shopping and the Weather

IELTS SPEAKING 8.5 | Мок тест + Кері байланыс

IELTS Listening Practice Section-1(Cycle tour leader: Applicant enquiry) with answers

IELTS Speaking Band 9.0 Mock Test with Feedback (Extra Hard Questions) | IELTS with Charles

IELTS Speaking Test questions 106 - Sample Answer

Band 8.0 IELTS Practice Speaking Exam [+ Free Speaking PDF]

IELTS Speaking Test band score 7 l Amazing Candidate 2026

IELTS Speaking Part 1 Practice – Travel | Learnivo English #ieltsspeaking #ieltspreparation #ielts

Day 30– IELTS Shadowing Challenge | 5 Speaking Questions with Band 9 Answers

IELTS Speaking Band 9.0 Mock Test with Feedback

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?