The speaking test is divided into two sections: Task A & Task B, groups of 4 usually. Here is the timeframe breakdown:
Sit down clockwise, A to D. There will be two examiners for each exam. Once seated, they will check your exam slips and ICs. Handphones, notes, stationery etc not allowed as a pencil, a piece of paper and the question will be placed on the table for each student. 1st minute - just read the question and make a mental note of the words you would like to ask the examiner about. (you should ask the examiner EVEN IF YOU UNDERSTAND the terms to get the right pronunciation and 'borrow' ideas from the examiners. most examiners are very helpful and will give you some ideas if you ask nicely) (say: Excuse me but what is the meaning of ... DO NOT SAY: What means of...? which is horrendous grammar!) 2nd minute - examiners ask all candidates (A-D) one by one if they understand the question or not. (again, make sure you ask about any word/phrases during this time) 2 minutes to write your notes on the blank A4 paper given (tip: divide the paper into 4 sections, label A, B, C and D, then write only in your section. think of three points and for every point give reasons and examples, make sure it's in note form only to avoid reading) 2 minutes for each candidate to present Task A - MUST AGREE WITH POINT GIVEN (advantage for candidate D cos will hv 8 mins to prepare but the point is generally harder to elaborate than candidate A's point, so there are always pros and cons. MAKE SURE YOU SPEAK FOR THE FULL 2 MINS, and it is ok to just elaborate 1 or 2 points well instead of 3 points but not well explained.) Speak according to this format: 1. Greetings (Good morning to the examinerS and my fellow candidateS, etc.) 2. Repeat situation (Today we are talking about...etc.) 3. Main Point (The point I would like to discuss is... etc.) 4. 1st point (Firstly,.. , This is because,.., Moreover,..., For example,.. , Therefore,... ) 5. 2nd point (Secondly,... , This means that,... , Furthermore,... , For instance,... , Thus,...) 6. 3rd point (Finally,... , This is due to the fact that... , In addition, Take for example..., Hence,... ) 7. Conclusion (In a nutshell, etc.)
2 minutes to prepare notes for Task B (now you can write notes for all candidate's points, have a ranking system 1,2,3 and 4, 1 is for best choice and 4 for the least favourite, this will help you with your discussion) 10 minutes to discuss. In the quarantine room, pre-decide who will do the introduction, and someone to do the conclusion (this person MUST PAY ATTENTION TO THE TIME, as some examiners will NOT ALLOW you to do a conclusion if you go beyond the 10 min timeframe.) YOU MUST MEMORISE THE LANGUAGE PHRASES LISTED BELOW if you want to score a high band.
TEST ENDS
Make sure you train your brain to think of 3 points with supporting reasons and examples. Always write in point form, not full sentences as 2 mins goes by way too fast! Use your hands to gesture and explain your points. Marks will be awarded for 3 categories: 1. Task fulfillment - Did you understand the question and give a relevant and mature response? 2. Communicative ability - Did you have good eye-contact, body posture, gestures, cooperation? 3. Language - Do you have good command of the language with extended vocabulary? Marks are given for Task A and Task B then added and divided to find the average.
LIST OF USEFUL LANGUAGE
TASK A:
1. Good morning to everyone.
2. Good morning I bid to one and all.
3. Good morning to the examiners and all my
fellow candidates.
4. A very good morning I wish to all examiners
and fellow candidates.
5. Today we are talking about…
6. The situation I have been given is…
7. According to the situation…
8. Based on the situation given
9. I have 3 reasons to justify my point.
10. First and foremost,…
11. Firstly,…
12. Secondly,…
13. My second point is…
14. Another reason is…
15. Finally,…
16. Lastly,…
17. Last but not least,…
18. Moreover,…
19. In addition,…
20. Furthermore,…
21. Therefore,…
22. Hence,…
23. Thus,…
24. However,…
25. Other than that,…
26. On the other hand,…
27. Conversely,…
28. Consequently,…
29. Subsequently,…
30. In contrast,…
31. For example,…
32. For instance,…
33. Take for example,…
34. … and so on.
35. … and many more.
36. … and others.
37. In conclusion,…
38. As a conclusion,…
39. In short,…
40. In a nutshell,…
TASK B:
1. Let’s kickstart this discussion by starting with..
2. Allow me to begin…
3. May I begin by saying…
4. I agree with you. (NOT:I’M agree)
5. That’s a great idea!
6. I see your point!
7. That’s an interesting perspective.
8. I like your suggestion.
9. Indeed!
10. I concur with your point of view.
11. I’m sorry but I disagree.
12. I’m afraid I have to disagree with your idea.
13. I don’t see eye to eye with you.
14. That’s not a good idea/suggestion.
15. I beg to differ.
16. I’m sorry for interrupting but…
17. Excuse me, may I interrupt please.
18. Pardon me for interrupting but..
19. I’d like to add something please.
20. May I say something?
21. Could you please hear me out?
22. So what do you think, Candidate X?
23. How about your point of view?
24. Candidate X, what is your opinion?
25. Does anyone agree with me?
26. Why don’t we consider the other points?
27. I don’t understand, can you please repeat?
28. I’m sorry I don’t understand, can you please elaborate again?
29. In conclusion, ALL OF US agree that…
30. To conclude, MOST OF US agree that…
31. In a nutshell, SOME OF US agree that… while the rest prefer…
32. As time is running out, it seems that ALL OF US can’t seem to agree on a single point so…
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You are given two minutes to prepare your responses.
You are given two minutes to present.
Listen to the others while they are making their presentations and take down notes for the group discussion in Task B.
Task B: Group discussion
You are given two minutes to prepare points to support or oppose the other candidates’ views.
After you have listened to everyone, try to come to a decision as to which of the four suggestions is the best.
Your group is given ten minutes for the discussion.
Task A and Task B will be carried out consecutively.
Situation
Your brother has been given the opportunity to study in England on a government scholarship. You and your family are very proud of him. Decide on a special gift for him to prepare for his trip abroad.
Task A:Suggest that they give him cash. Say why.
Task B:Discuss which of the following would be most useful.
i.cash
ii.a computer
iii.some suitable clothing
iv. some Malaysian foodstuff
Candidate A
Task A: Suggest that they give him cash. Say why.
Good morning to the examiners and my fellow friends. I’m very happy that my brother has just received a scholarship to study in England. My relatives and I would like to give him a special gift. We all think that the best gift is money because it will be very useful for him.
The first reason is with cash he can buy the things that he needs when he gets there. There will me a lot of things that he will need like new books, stationery, clothes and food. He will also need to pay for transportation like taking the bus or train to go to the university campus. As we know, it is very expensive in England so any money we give him will be very useful.
Secondly, my brother can use the money to buy a mobile phone when he gets to England. I think this is very important in case of emergencies so we can contact him easily. Furthermore, he can sms us and keep us updated with his progress in his studies there. Hence, if we really miss him we can just give him a call.
Finally, I also think giving him money is the best choice because it is light and doesn’t take up a lot of space. If we were to give him a computer, books or winter clothes it will be very heavy and bulky for him to bring to England. Therefore, I think that it is much easier to bring money and buy those things when he gets there.
In conclusion, these are some of the reasons why I think giving him cash is the best choice. To me, it is the most useful gift we can give him. Thank you.
Candidate B
Task A:You suggest that they give him a computer. Say why.
A very good morning I bid to one and all. My relatives and I are very proud of my brother. He has just received a scholarship to study in England and so we would like to give him a special gift. We believe that the best present for him is a laptop computer.
Firstly, as a university student, my brother will have to do many assignments. If he has a laptop computer he can bring it everywhere and consequently, do his work anytime and anywhere. Thus, he will not have to share the computers at the computer room with other students and he will be able to do his work more quickly and efficiently.
Another point is that when he boards the plane from KLIA to London, he will be able to bring the laptop with him easily because it is compact and light compared to a desktop computer. Hence, it will not be too much trouble to transport it to England.
Last but not least, if he has a laptop he will be able to connect to the internet. This has two main advantages as firstly, he can do a lot of research online. The world wide web is a fountain of information so it will be very useful for him to make full use of this technology. Furthermore, he can keep in touch with friends and family here in Malaysia by e-mail.
In short, a laptop computer will prove to be very useful to my brother. He can do his assignments, research for information and keep in touch with us using it therefore it will make the best gift. Thank you for listening.
Candidate C
Task A:You suggest that they give him some suitable clothing. Say why.
To the examiners and my fellow candidates, a wonderful morning I bid you. My brother was lucky enough to receive a scholarship to study overseas. We want to send him off with a nice gift so we have decided to buy him some suitable clothing.
The main purpose for buying him some suitable clothing is because the weather in England is very different from the weather in our country. There are four seasons there so he will need to have different clothes for different situations. For example, we can buy him some sweaters, cardigans, scarves, snowcaps, thick socks and gloves and many more. These will definitely keep him warm in winter.
The second reason is we think that he should have clothes that reflect our Malaysian identity. This is because he will be a young ambassador for our country so if he has a few sets of traditional clothing like the Baju Melayu or formal Batik shirts, I am sure he will not only look good but promote our culture overseas.
Lastly, neat clothes make a good impression. For instance, if we buy him some everyday clothes like jeans and trousers with nice shirts and matching ties, this will give him a good feeling about himself so he will walk a bit straighter and talk a bit wiser. Moreover, people will look at him and have a good impression about Malaysian students.
To conclude, I think that the best present to give him is some suitable clothing because it will be very useful and will reflect positively on him. Thank you very much.
Candidate D
Task A:You suggest that they give him some Malaysian foodstuff. Say why.
I would like to wish everyone here a very good morning. As we all know, my brother has won a scholarship to study in England. Therefore, some relatives and I have decided to give him some Malaysian foodstuff as a going away present.
First and foremost, one of the main problems Malaysians face when studying overseas is that it is hard to find Halal food. We feel it is a good idea to give him some Malaysian foodstuff because it will take time for him to get used to the place and find out where to buy Halal food. Thus, in the meantime he can enjoy the Malaysian foodstuff that we have given to him.
The next reason is because some of the foodstuff we are used to having here in Malaysia is quite hard to find in UK. Most students studying overseas really enjoy eating Maggi Mee and sambal belacan. For instance, it is also hard to find the right spices for curry and rendang and so on so if we supply him with enough Malaysian foodstuff, he can eat it whenever he misses home.
The final point I have is that he can use the Malaysian foodstuff we give him and cook it for the Westerners there. Sometimes, universities organise events like Malaysian Night and so he and his friends can cook some Malaysian specialities for them to taste a bit of our way of life. Hence, the Malaysian foodstuff will be very useful to promote our culture.
In a nutshell, giving my brother Malaysian foodstuff to take with him to England is a good idea. This is because he will have some familiar food to eat when he misses home and he can also share it with his new friends. Thank you for listening to my opinion.
Task B: Discuss which of the following would be most useful.
i.Cash
ii.A computer
iii.Some suitable clothing
iv.Some Malaysian foodstuff
* Work together in your respective groups and complete the following discussion.
A:Good morning once again to everyone. We are here to focus on the issue at hand which is __________________________________________________________. I would like to invite anyone of you to kickstart this discussion by giving us your point of view.
B:Allow me to begin. First of all, I’m happy that our brother has won the scholarship to study in England. Therefore, we must decide what would be the most useful gift for him. In my opinion, I strongly believe that _______________ _________________________________________________________________. This is because I think he can _________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________.
For example, ______________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________.
C:I see your point but how about getting him ______________________________. In this way, he can use it to ___________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________.
D: I don’t quite agree with you because ____________________________________ _________________________________________________________________. I think it would be more useful if we bought _______________________ for him. Does anyone agree with me?
A: Yes, I agree with you. To add to your point, I feel that ______________________ _________________________________________________________________.
This is so he will ___________________________________________________.
C:I’m afraid I don’t see eye to eye with both of you. Buying that as a present for him is not the most useful gift because __________________________________ _________________________________________________________________.
B:Indeed, I do see your point of view but I still feel that the most useful gift is __________________ because it can ___________________________________. Another reason is ___________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________. For instance, _______________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________.
D:That’s an interesting perspective and I agree with you that ___________________ _________________________________________________________________. However, I think we should consider other points. We should also think about buying him _______________________________________________________.
If he gets this as a present, he can ______________________________________ and ____________________________________________. Wouldn’t you agree?
A:I’m not sure I understand what you are saying. Can you explain it again, please.
D:What I mean is we should buy him _____________________________________ because it will me more useful for him when he is studying in England. This is because ___________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________.
A:Aaah… I see. Yes, I think it would be a very useful gift too. This way, he can _________________________________________________________________.
C:That’s a good point, but don’t you think if we gave him _____________________ it will be the most useful for him as a student. I still believe that this is the most useful because _____________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________.
Remember, we need to think of the best and most useful choice.
B:I agree with you, Candidate C. In addition, he can use this gift to _____________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________. So candidates A & D, what do you guys think?
D:Now that you’ve explained it like that, I also agree that it will be the most useful. In fact, he could also use it to _________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________.
A:As for me, I feel that it is also the most useful. When he arrives at his university in England, he will be able to ____________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________.
C:That’s right. Well, after listening to all the points on the four choices we have, I think it is time to make a conclusion.
D:Yes, I think so too. Does everyone agree that we should give our brother _______________________________________ as a special going away present?
All:Yes, I agree.
B:In a nutshell, we all agree that _______________________________ is the best choice because firstly, he can _________________________________________, secondly, ________________________________________________ and finally _________________________________________________________________.
Conclusion:In conclusion, we were unable to make a solid decision because
SOME OF US stongly believe that the best choice is __________ because _______________________________________________ while THE REST OF US think that giving him _______________ is the most useful because _________________
Conclusion:In a nutshell, we were unable to come to an agreement on which of the four options is the best choice. It seems ALL OF US strongly believe in our own points so as we have run out of time, we think that we should each buy him a gift individually. Thank you.
Make sure you train your brain to think of 3 points with supporting reasons and examples. Always write in point form, not full sentences as 2 mins goes by way too fast!
