Shadowing Practice: Incredible Band 9 Speaking Test (she's only 17!) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Watch this video and try to guess what's happening.
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Did you guess what's happening?
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This is Zaya from Kazakhstan opening her IELTS results.
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What were they?
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Well, she got reading 9, listening 9, writing 8, and speaking 9.
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So overall, band 9.
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And as you can tell, well, as you can almost tell, she is ecstatic.
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It's hard to tell whether she's ecstatic or sad, but yes, she is super, super happy to get such an amazing IELTS score.
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She's probably in the like 0.001% of IELTS test takers.
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I've only really ever met one other person that's got overall band 9.
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So it's absolutely incredible.
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Anyway, we met up and we did an IELTS mock test and that's what I'm going to show you today.
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So watch the mock test and learn from all of the great vocabulary, tactics and techniques that Saya uses in this speaking mock test
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and stick around until the end because Saya gives you some great advice for how to improve your English and IELTS skills.
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All right, enjoy.
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Good morning.
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My name is Eli Howes.
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Can you please tell me your full name? Of course.
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My full name is Saya Kedzireli.
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You can call me by my first name, Saya.
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In this first part, I'd like to ask you some questions about yourself.
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Let's talk about what you do.
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Do you work or are you a student?
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I'm a senior in high school, so I'm graduating this year.
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What subjects are you studying?
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Well, since I study in a public high school, I don't really have a choice of the subjects that I get to study.
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So I have to study some compulsory subjects like calculus, history, literature.
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And there are some extracurricular activities like drama classes and swimming that I can take.
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However, since I am preparing for my exams and for my college admission, I don't really have time to take up those extracurricular activities.
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And what would you like to do in the future?
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That's a really interesting question.
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I'm really into political science.
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So probably that's the sphere where I'll pursue my bachelor's and hopefully master's degree and maybe my career as well.
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Let's move on.
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Let's talk about cafes.
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Do you have a favourite cafe?
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Sure.
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It is a place right near my house.
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It's a warm, cosy place.
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What makes it special is the friendly atmosphere there.
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Also, I love the attention and love with which the staff make each cup of coffee makes the experience even more enjoyable.
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Do you often go to cafes by yourself?
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Yes, I find cafes to be a perfect place to work
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or unwind with a book because the hum of background conversations coupled with some soft music,
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they give you the feeling of concentration without the feeling of isolation.
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What do you think helps to make a cafe popular?
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Well, there are several factors that make a certain cafe popular among people.
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The first that immediately springs to my mind is a word of mouth recommendations.
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I mean, if a cafe has good food there, good service, and et cetera, people would be more likely to visit it again, probably with their friends.
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So it would help to grow it a loyal clientele.
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Also, we have to consider that since we live in a digital era, it is important to pay attention to media presence.
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So if cafes make their Instagram, TikTok or even maybe YouTube pages more attractive to visitors,
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it can play a significant role in their popularity.
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Why do some people prefer cafes that are part of larger chains rather than small local independent cafes?
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Wow, that's a really interesting question, probably because international cafe chains,
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they seem more reliable to people because they already know what to expect.
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And usually they offer certain conveniences like huge parking spaces or reliable Wi-Fi to their customers.
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Let's move on.
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Let's talk about perfume.
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Do you like to use perfume?
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I love perfume.
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It's honestly a part of my outfit.
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If I do not have perfume on, I feel as if there's a part of my outfit that's missing.
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So honestly, I have a very big collection of perfumes that I use.
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And in fact, all of my family members are obsessed with like smell and with perfume.
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So I think it's something that runs in my blood.
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And how often do you wear perfume?
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Every single day.
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I wear different perfume every single day, by the way.
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That depends on my mood and what outfit I'm wearing for the day.
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Have you ever given perfume as a gift?
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Well, I did not really think that it is a good sign to give perfume, at least in our culture in Kazakhstan.
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But to my international friends that came visiting from Italy, there was a certain perfume that I bought from the UAE
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and it had a very specific smell that I knew that my Italian friends would enjoy.
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So that was the only occasion when I gave perfume as a present.
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Although I've been to many different places with beautiful scenery,
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there is a place that has a special place in my heart and it is the Swiss Alps.
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I think the Swiss Alps are famous worldwide for how beautiful the mountains are especially in the winter
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and i had the opportunity to visit the swiss alps last
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december with my family as we were staying there for a family holiday it was a very interesting destination
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and a very interesting choice that i've made
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because i got to choose where our family was heading
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and the country that immediately sprung my mind was Switzerland because I know that Switzerland is known for its gorgeous nature.
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And since we visited Switzerland in December,
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we decided to go to the Alps and stay in a very small village that is not densely populated.
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And that gave us a chance to enjoy the beauty of the mountains fully
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because we were able to see huskies running all over the place and we were able to go snowboarding and hiking,
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which was very enjoyable because of the fresh air and the freshness that the Swiss Alps offer.
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Since we've been there in December, we got to the airport right after fresh snowfall, and that made the experience even more surreal.
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We also got to visit a few virgin forests.
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The experience is indescribable because the nature there was unexpectedly beautiful.
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I've never thought that I would be lost for words when I saw the scenery.
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It was totally picture skewed scenery.
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Also our hotel room had a beautiful view of a lake
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that had a glass-like coverage on it and it felt as if we could go ice skating there but unfortunately...
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Thank you.
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Would you like to return to the Swiss Alps?
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Sure, if I ever get an opportunity again, I'd love to go there.
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Okay, so we've been talking about a place that you've been to
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that has phenomenal views and I'd like to discuss with you one or two more general questions related to this.
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Let's consider first of all the beauty industry.
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Now some people say that beauty products are a waste of money, what do you think?
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Well, on the one hand, some projects really are overhyped and they do not,
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they're not worth the hype that they're getting from the audience.
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But on the other hand, there are some products that serve a genuine purpose.
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For example, they can improve your skin, make your skin brighter and reduce your acne, for example.
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So yeah, while some projects are overly estimated
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and they are not worth the attention
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that they're getting there are many other projects that are in fact helpful
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and useful not only in terms of improving your skin uh improving your skin
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and the way that you look like your natural appearances
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but also in boosting your self-confidence how do you think the beauty industry advertised their products
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so successfully well i believe that the way
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that the the marketing sphere is built and the way
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that they market their products is very interesting because the beauty industry itself downplays on the human's most important need,
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and that's the need to be accepted by society.
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So they make up their own insecurities.
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They bring up the insecurities in women and they make their products sort of the answer towards the insecurity.
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And it's really interesting how they do it
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because once women feel insecure about something they search for a project
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that solves the problem and it turns out
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that the solution is their project yes that's very true
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so do you think
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that possibly beauty companies should not be allowed to advertise to children probably yes
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because children's minds are not fully formed yet and their cognitive processes are still developing.
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Therefore, they might be way more vulnerable than any other group, let's say, of people towards these aggressive marketing actions.
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So I do believe that children, especially young girls, should not be a target for marketing campaigns.
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Let's move on.
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Let's talk about beauty and culture.
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Why is it that so many people equate beauty with youth?
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Well, there are several reasons for this.
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The first one is the way that youth is being promoted in the media.
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Like we consider people who do not have wrinkles, who have these useful features, beautiful.
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And that's partly because of the way that we are programmed biologically, like evolutionary people who are young are considered to be more viable.
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And since they are since they have more ability to prolong their life and to live a longer life,
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they are considered to be more attractive towards,
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for example, other sexes or towards like their partners and etc. So I believe that there is a twist of evolution,
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but also media also adds certain sprinkles of the way that we see how youth is equal to beauty.
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Now, do you think that people that are beautiful or people's level of beauty can affect their success in life?
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In many ways, we find that physically attractive people, they are more successful in career, in business, in, for example,
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even deals, because we are people, we're not logical, we are biological creatures.
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And that's why physical attractiveness makes one look more trustworthy as a business partner.
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Whereas, for example, if you're an investor, you are more likely to invest in a physically attractive or in other words,
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a conventionally beautiful person's business or project.
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Even if their business model is weaker in many respects than the other person who is not maybe as attractive.
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Sounds like a sad thing to me.
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What about you?
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It is a negative development because truly there are geniuses who may not objectively look physically attractive,
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but their ideas are worth millions and billions of dollars.
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But because of the way that we are wired, they may not have the same opportunity or they might have to work a lot harder than their more attractive counterparts.
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So we may state that the society may be losing a lot of geniuses because of this conception.
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Thank you very much.
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That is the end of the speaking test.
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What an amazing speaking test.
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That was incredible.
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Now, Sia, I know you've already scored band nine.
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You've got the top score in IELTS speaking.
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And I know that you've actually got overall band nine, which is incredible.
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I think you're in the 0.0001% of IELTS test takers that have been able to achieve such a high score.
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and the amazing thing
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that I experienced was your level just went from strength to
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strength part one was good part two was even better
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and part three was phenomenal you were dealing with some really difficult concepts
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and you were explaining your ideas so articulately and
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so well how do you do
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that give us some tips what can people do to to get to your level of English Thank you so much, Eli, for your feedback.
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Well, in terms of improving speaking, I'd say that if a person is at a beginner's or like at the starter's level,
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one thing that they can do is shadowing a technique that I have used throughout my English learning journey.
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It is a very effective technique since it helps you improve not only your speaking, but also your listening at the same time.
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Particularly shadowing helps to improve fluency and coherence.
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Marking criteria is that are very important in IELTS as far as I'm concerned.
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The other technique that I would use is reading a lot and not just reading, reading out loud.
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It's very important because when you hear yourself read, you tend to remember the grammatical structures,
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even if they are way more complex than the grammatical structures that you are used to using.
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In this way, you are sort of putting your brain into an environment
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when they are learning the English language in a natural way.
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In other words, you're learning the English language as if you're learning or as if you were learning your mother tongue.
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Because primarily when we were learning our mother tongue, our first language, nobody gave us a textbook.
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Nobody gave us grammatical rules.
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We had to learn it through the immersion method.
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The same with English.
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And it's very important to understand that if the first technique, the shadowing technique, can really enhance your pronunciation, your accent,
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for example right you can acquire a british american whatever accent
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you want by repeating what native speakers say the second technique is really important to develop um eloquence
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and your ability to transmit and convey your thoughts in a very structured
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and cohesive manner because we all know that in any given language even
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if that is a language that you've been speaking for years like from the day
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that you were born in order to increase the level of your um of how structured you speak of your
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coherence in even your native language you need to read a lot
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because reading helps you get that mental fog away from your brain
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when you're speaking
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and helps you think in more structured bits i really noticed
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about your answers your way of thinking is very organized you said well there are several factors first of all
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and then you would introduce the first idea
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and then you would develop it probably with an example
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and then you would say second of all and it's almost like
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if i were to see a transcript of your answers i'd be very impressed
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because i could read it
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and immediately pinpoint what you were talking about at every second of your of your conversation
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so is that something you do deliberately or is
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that something that's naturally occurred as a result of your shadowing and reading out loud techniques?
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Well, naturally, I don't think that people do speak, I don't think that people speak in organized and structured in a structured manner,
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because we are very chaotic whenever we speak like freely.
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But that is a technique that I got to acquire when I was preparing for the IELTS exam, because I figured that the examiner, like a lot of people do not understand
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that examiners have a very hard time assessing your level of English because they have only 11 to 14 minutes.
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And in that very short amount of time, they have to figure out what your level is and give you the most objective score.
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And I figured that it's my job to help the examiner assess my level as objectively as possible.
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And in order to do that, I figured that I need to use contrasting language in order to show not only one side
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but also the other side of the issue
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and that'll help to show my lexical resource as well as my ability to use different cohesive devices effectively to the examiner.
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Great so how did you feel when you
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when you opened your test report card and you saw that you got overall bad nine?
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It was a surreal moment
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because I've you know like I've been attempting to get the score for six years
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and I've been studying deliberately to get the score
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and I took the test overall about 20 times
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if I'm not mistaken I took my first IELTS at the age of 11
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and got a 6.5 overall and 8.5 in the section of speaking
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and for me back then I had the highest possible level
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because for me at the age of 11 English was the language that I felt most comfortable conveying my thoughts in
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And that was like a big disappointment because I did not even get a seven, like a C1.
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And then I took the exam twice at the age of 15 and got an overall of an eight.
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And then I scored 8.5 at the age of 16.
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However, I knew that I could score higher.
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I had this, you know, like feeling that what did not give me peace.
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I felt that I could do much better.
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I can get this nine.
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And, you know, like in every ESL or EFL learners journey, there is this, you know, trophy of getting a band nine.
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And it's like, oh, my God, I want to get this band nine.
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And I had this I had this feeling I had this
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ambition of getting a band nine at starting from my first ever test.
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Like at the age of 11, you can see interviews and I'd say I want and I will get a band nine.
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And it turns out that six years later, after studying hard, after working deliberately, I finally scored this perfect band nine.
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And when I opened it up, I actually did not expect to get a band nine because, Eli, I've been getting 8.5s, like straight in a row.
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I would get 8.5, 8.5.
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So I thought that I would get an 8.5.
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And then when I saw this, you know, like number nine, it felt as if I was hallucinating and as
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if you know like I did not see the number correctly
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there's actually a video of me reacting to my score
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and it just went viral on the internet um I called my mom
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and I said I got a nine finally and it's a call
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that I've been meaning
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and I've been wanting to have like this conversation with my mom for such a long time
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because can you imagine 20 times over and over calling your mom and saying, mom, I didn't do this this time.
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I couldn't get that night.
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And it's 20 times like a failure 20 times.
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It's as if 20 times somebody pours ice cold water onto you
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or somebody gives you like the hardest slap of your life.
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And finally getting to call my mom and say, mom, I did this mom.
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Thank you so much for believing in me.
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And thank you so much for not giving up on me
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because my mom was the person that was all along the way.
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And she would always say, you can do this I believe in you just study harder you can get this saya
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and she was a person who was who believed in me at times
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when I even did not believe in myself where I did not have the faith
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that I could do this anymore and that call was very special to me
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so she was the first person that knew about this band nine
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and then my whole team knew
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and then as it appears um the whole you know like the country Kazakhstan knew
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and all of all everybody was very proud
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and I was very proud of myself and the work
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that I put to get this band nine because I don't think
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that people understand how different like bands 8.5 and bands nine are
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because it seems as if it's only like um an 05 score difference
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but it's actually not it's like getting an 8.5 yes that's
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an amazing result it's a c2 level the highest level possible in the English language
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but getting a nine means that you're not only fluent, like fluent in the English language, but you're also fluent in the exam of IELTS,
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like you understand how the exam works.
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And it just getting this sort of, let's say, trophy or achieving this score felt really surreal to me at the moment.
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Wow.
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And I know that, you know, now you pass on your tips, your advice, your strategies on to other people.
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So if people want to get in contact with you, if they want to follow your journey, what's the best way for them to do that?
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Well, I have a very active Instagram and TikTok page.
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They can just type in Sayakizirali, like my first and my last name, and they'll see my Instagram, they'll see my TikTok page.
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And I'm planning to launch a YouTube channel as well,
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because I find that formats like these 30 seconds reels formats or very short video formats,
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they may not be the most effective medium to share my knowledge and share my experience.
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So in the future, I'm planning to launch YouTube channel.
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But right now, they can find me on Instagram and on TikTok.
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That's great to hear.
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Thank you so much for coming on
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and for doing what was genuinely one of the most impressive speaking tests I've ever done.
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Thank you so much, Eli, for having me here.
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Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 284 sentences and 3587 words to shadow. The speech runs for 22:19. The speaker talks at a natural 161 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 84% 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
15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- perfume /ˈpɝfjuːm/ (noun) — A pleasant smell; the scent, odor, or odoriferous particles emitted from a sweet-smelling substance; a pleasant odor.
- technique /tɛkˈniːk/ (noun) — The practical aspects of a given art, occupation etc.; formal requirements.
- cafe /ˌkæˈfeɪ/ (noun) — A convenience store, originally one that sold coffee and similar basic items.
- swiss /swɪs/ (verb) — To prepare (meat, fabric, etc.) by rolling or pounding in order to soften it.
- shadow /ˈʃædəʊ̯/ (noun) — A dark image projected onto a surface where light (or other radiation) is blocked by the shade of an object.
- examination /ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/ (noun) — The act of examining.
- examiner /əɡˈzæmɪnɚ/ (noun) — A person who investigates someone or something.
- format /ˈfɔːɹ.mæt/ (noun) — The layout of a publication or document.
- physically /ˈfɪz.ɪ.kli/ (adverb) — In a physical manner.
- outfit /ˈaʊtfɪt/ (noun) — A set of clothing (with accessories).
- deliberately /dɪˈlɪb.(ə.)ɹət.li/ (adverb) — Intentionally, or after deliberation; not accidentally.
- mock /mɑk/ (verb) — To mimic, to simulate.
- scenery /ˈsiːnəɹi/ (noun) — View, natural features, landscape.
- surreal /səˈɹiː(.ə)l/ (adjective) — Resembling a dream: fantastic and incongruous.
- insecurity (noun) — A lack of security; uncertainty.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- talk about (verb) — Used to draw attention to the speaker's characterization of someone or something.
- move on (verb) — To continue; to proceed; to go on.
- read out /ˌɹiːd ˈaʊt/ (verb) — To read something and say the words to inform other people; to call.
- turn out (verb) — To end up; to result.
- bring up (verb) — To mention.
- come on /ˌkʌm ˈɒn/ — Come along with me; join me in going.
- deal with (verb) — To handle verbally or in some form of artistic expression; to address or discuss as a subject.
- do in (verb) — To kill or end; to defeat.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 55 contractions and reduced forms, such as I've, I'm, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shadow /ˈʃædəʊ̯/, examination /ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/, contrast /kənˈt(ʃ)ɹæst/, evolution /ˌiːvəˈluːʃ(ə)n/, occasion /əˈkeɪ̯ʒən/
- Long words — get the stress right: examination /ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/, examiner /əɡˈzæmɪnɚ/, deliberately /dɪˈlɪb.(ə.)ɹət.li/, naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, phenomenal /fɪˈnɒmɪnəl/
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 perfume, technique, cafe.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | we've been talking · you've been speaking · I've been attempting |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are obsessed · is known · would be lost |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | Have you ever given · I've been · i've made |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who do · people who are · person who is |
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.