Series 3

TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 1: IELTS ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
Hello, and welcome to Series 3 of Study English, IELTS preparation. I’m Margot
Politis.
In this series we’ll look at some of the criteria for the assessment of the IELTS test,
and some of the skills you’ll need to practice for the test.
The IELTS test has four modules: Writing, Speaking, Reading Listening
There are two different tests – the academic test for tertiary students and
professionals and the general training test, which is for immigrants and people
going on to vocational training.
Both tests have the same speaking and listening modules, but different reading and
writing modules.
Knowing what the examiner is looking for can help improve your results because you
will know what to focus on when practising.
Here are the features the examiner looks at in your writing and speaking. These are
the things that are marked:
• Task Response
• Coherence and Cohesion
• Grammatical Accuracy and Range
• Vocabulary
• Fluency
• Pronunciation
What do these criteria mean?
Task response means how well you’ve understood and responded to the question
or task.
For example, in the essay you must make sure you have answered all parts of the
question and followed the instructions.
The next thing the examiner looks for is coherence and cohesion.
This is how you organise your answer.
For example, in the essay, coherence means that the essay works in its overall
structure, making sense in the way it is organised.
Cohesion means that the essay flows well from one part to the next.
Another feature being assessed is grammatical range and accuracy.
Page 1 of 4
When assessing grammatical range, the examiner is looking at the variety of
sentence types you are able to use. You can’t rely on just using simple sentences
and structures.
Grammatical accuracy simply refers to the number of errors in your language. That
includes things such as punctuation.
The final feature assessed for writing is vocabulary.
The examiner looks at the accuracy of your spelling and the range of words you use
to cover a topic.
You need to use the correct word forms and demonstrate that you can use them
appropriately. You should also be aware of when to use formal or informal language.
The essay needs to be formal, but you can use less formal language in the speaking
test.
The speaking test is designed for you to show how well you can express yourself on
a general topic.
It tests your vocabulary, the accuracy of your language and your ability to use a
range of sentence forms. It also tests your coherence, by looking at how you
organise and link your ideas while speaking.
Vocabulary, coherence and grammatical range and accuracy are criteria that also
apply to the speaking test.
The remaining two criteria are only for the Speaking test: fluency and
pronunciation.
Your ability to speak without hesitating or pausing too often shows how fluent you
are. Fluency is the ability to speak smoothly and easily.
Now we’ll look at the last criterion for speaking - pronunciation.
How easily you can be understood is what pronunciation is about.
Aim to pronounce words correctly and use appropriate stress and intonation; and
your voice needs to be strong and clear.
Pronunciation is speaking clearly and at a natural pace.
To illustrate some of these criteria, next we’ll show you a short piece about the sport
of gymnastics. Sport is a common topic in the speaking test and it’s important to be
familiar with the words used to talk about it.
I do gymnastics at the Australian Institute of Sports. I was about 5 when I started

and I started just fun gym. My mum was a coach, so I got into it from that. We train
about 36 hours a week, which is pretty tough, but it’s worth it in the end. We don’t
have a lot of school. We do usually 3 and a half hours of school in between our
training. We have our main coach, who is the head coach of the AIS. He coaches
my group for bars, floor and vault. But we have another coach for beam.
Page 2 of 4
Notice she says I do gymnastics. Different verbs are used for different sports.
You say that you play football… or play basketball… but do gymnastics. …
And you go fishing….
Some sports and activities have their own verbs. You don’t say "I do swimming", you
say "I swim".
Now listen to how she uses the words train and coach:
My mum was a coach, so I got into it from that. We train about 36 hours a week,
which is pretty tough, but it’s worth it in the end. We don’t have a lot of school. We
do usually 3 and half hours of school in between our training. We have our main
coach, who is the head coach of the AIS. He coaches my group for bars, floor and
vault. But we have another coach for beam.
A coach is a teacher of sport.
Coach can be a noun, like this:
We have our main coach, who is the head coach of the AIS.
Coach can also be used as a verb. Here it’s used in the singular form 'coaches':
He coaches my group for bars, floor and vault.
She uses the word for practising a sport, train:
We train about 36 hours a week, which is pretty tough, but it’s worth it in the end.
The –ing form, training, can be used as a noun:
We don’t have a lot of school. We do usually 3 and a half hours of school in

between our training.
And a coach can also be called a trainer.
You should watch English language TV to help build your vocabulary in this fashion
because you will be marked on how well you use words and their various forms.
And you should think about things such as sentence forms. Even just talking about
gymnastics, it’s possible to use quite complicated structures.
Listen to her again:
We train about 36 hours a week, which is pretty tough, but it's worth it in the end.
She uses a complex sentence - a clause combined with a relative clause:
We train about 36 hours a week, which is pretty tough
Page 3 of 4
She then makes it into a complex/compound sentence by using the conjunction 'but'
to add another clause.
We train about 36 hours a week, which is pretty tough, but it’s worth it in the end.
Thinking about and noticing sentence types will help with your grammatical range.
Listening to the way people talk for an extended period will help prepare you for the
speaking test where you will be required to talk about a topic for 2 minutes.
So let’s recap. These are the things the markers are looking for:
• Task response – your ability to answer the question and correctly respond to
instructions.
• Coherence and cohesion – how well you organise your language.
• Grammatical range and accuracy – the range of grammatical structures you

use and how accurately you use them.
• Vocabulary – how well you use words and their forms.
And for the Speaking Test there is:
• Fluency – your ability to speak without hesitating; and finally,
• Pronunciation – how easily you can be understood.
In the coming episodes we will look at these criteria in more detail and explore ways
of meeting them.
Remember that IELTS is testing your language skills so take every opportunity to
practise your Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking to improve your accuracy,
extend your vocabulary and develop your fluency. You will be building your
confidence as well.
That’s all for now. To find more information about assessment and Band Scores, visit
our Study English website at: australianetwork.com/studyenglish
Good Luck with your studies.
Page 4 of 4
TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 2: WRITING TASK RESPONSE
Hello, and welcome to Study English, IELTS preparation. I’m Margot Politis.
Today we’ll look at the Writing Task in the essay section of both the general and
academic IELTS tests.
IELTS essay topics are of general interest and relate to current issues in society.
You can expect to be asked about:
The Media… Education… Environment… Health… Communication… Technology…

and Society.
Being familiar with issues in these general areas is important.
Listening to English language media will help you develop a bank of ideas on topics
like this.
An issue in health could be about children eating too much and not exercising
enough. You could be asked to discuss a statement such as:
Children’s eating habits and lifestyles today are more likely to be harmful than
beneficial.
You should know the essay instructions. These tell you how much time you have
and how much you need to write.
You are instructed to spend about 40 minutes writing the essay, which has to be at
least 250 words.
With practice you’ll know without counting what your 250 words look like.
You will also be asked to give reasons for your answer and include any relevant
examples from your knowledge or experience.
This is one of the instructions, so you need to follow it.
Reasons are saying why you think something is true or not. You could write:
An increasing number of children are becoming obese because they are eating too
much junk food.
Reasons are supported by examples, like this:
For example, aggressive marketing of such foods towards children is one of the
contributing factors.
Relevant examples are examples like this that are clearly connected to the question.
Page 1 of 4
Now let’s look at an essay question, and how to analyse it before you write your
answer. How well you do this will help with your task response, which is one of the
criteria used to assess the essay.
Let’s look at a question topic. Here’s a typical statement:
The ageing populations of more developed countries are going to cause social
and economic problems for society in the future, especially for the younger
generation.
With this is something called the question task:
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
The essay question is always presented in this way as a statement followed

by the question task.
First, let’s look at the statement. Read it carefully.
The ageing populations of more developed countries are going to cause social
and economic problems for society in the future, especially for the younger
generation.
You should ask yourself ‘who or what must I write about?’ Here, you have to say
something about ageing populations, developed countries, society in the future
and the younger generation.
Highlight these and any other key phrases, such as ‘cause social and economic
problems’.
Think about what these phrases mean. Thinking of synonyms or words that mean
something similar can help you do this. And you will need these synonyms later in
your essay.
Synonyms for ageing populations are: the elderly, retired people, the aged and
pensioners. They’re the people living longer or ageing.
Developed countries - refers to modern industrial societies that have to financially

support retired people. Synonyms are: western countries, first world countries and
advanced economies.
Social and economic problems are two kinds of problems. Social problems are
problems that affect people, perhaps in areas such as health and education.
Economic problems are problems to do with the economy of a country and its
ability to pay for the services it provides.
Society in the future means the country or nation or state in the future.
And the younger generation are younger people or people who work. They’re the
people who are not yet part of the ageing population. So you can rephrase or
paraphrase the question like this:
Page 2 of 4
The younger generation will experience social and economic difficulties because
people are living longer.
The next thing to look at is the question task:
‘To what extent’ means by how much.
Here you’re being asked to give your opinion about the statement. You might agree
with it or you might think it is wrong.
It’s a good idea to reword this type of question into a ‘yes/no’ question like this:
Do you agree that the younger generation will experience social and economic
difficulties because people are living longer?
Yes or no?
You could think, yes, I agree completely or perhaps yes, I agree with some of this,
but disagree with other parts of it.
But keep in mind that asking how much you agree or disagree tests your ability to
look at 2 sides of an issue and present a balanced argument. Even if you say yes
and agree completely, you still have to look at the other side of the argument and
think about why someone would disagree.
You would need to write two body paragraphs in an essay of this type, one saying
what you agree with and one saying what you disagree with.
In the conclusion of your essay you would state your position on the topic.
Let’s look at another question.
Internet access should be under government control to avoid any potential

harm to children.
Who or what must you write about? The internet, government and children. Now
highlight other key phrases – under government control, avoid any potential harm.
Let’s think of synonyms.
We know what the internet is, but what other words can we use? – The net, the web,
online, cyberspace.
Under government control means controlled by the government. Other words for
government are the state or the administration.
Potential harm means bad things that might happen. Synonyms for potential are
possible or likely. And other words for harm are: damage and hurt.
Page 3 of 4
So we could paraphrase this statement as:
The state should control access to the web to avoid possible damage to children.
The same question task we looked at earlier can be used:
You are being asked for your opinion. What you need to do here is say what you
think.
The state should control access to the web to avoid possible damage to
children. Yes or no?
Now you should think about reasons for your point of view and why you don’t agree
with the opposite view.
So, to recap.
The way you respond to the question and the instructions is part of what you are
being marked on. The examiners call it task response.
Make sure you follow the instructions and write the correct number of words.
That’s all for now.
Don’t forget to visit our website at: australianetwork.com/studyenglish for more.
I’ll see you next time on Study English.
Page 4 of 4
TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 3: COHERENCE AND COHESION IN WRITING
Hello, and welcome to Study English, IELTS preparation. I’m Margot Politis.
Today we’ll look at writing an essay on ageing populations and how to organise ideas
about it in a paragraph.
Let’s begin by listening to a young woman talking about her grandmother:
She does mainly the cooking and looking after us, you know, making sure that we
turn out right, being strict with us. But I think part of her being here, like, allowed us to
have respect for like, you know, older people. Yeah, I think from her, I’ve learned a
lot – like, the Buddhist belief, how to be a good person, how to be honest and
respectable person to everyone around you.
She talked about the valuable contributions an elderly person can make. The
grandmother has positively influenced the children, teaching them respect and
honesty, and cooking. Let’s see how this sort of positive view about older people is
developed in a paragraph as part of an essay.
The paragraph starts with a sentence that establishes the main point:
The valuable contributions that active and healthy aged individuals can make
should not be overlooked.
This is called the topic sentence. The main idea is valuable contributions that active
and healthy aged individuals can make.
The writer then goes on with two sentences that support the main idea that old
people make valuable contributions by saying what the contributions are.
Firstly, these retired people could take on the role of carers for their
grandchildren, allowing both parents to work longer hours and save on day
care expenses.
Notice the linking word ‘firstly’. It means there will be more than one supporting
sentence.
What linking word should follow ‘firstly”?
Secondly, the retirees could volunteer their services as drivers for the very old
and sick.
To further develop the supporting ideas, the writer provides an example.
For example, they could deliver meals directly to their homes or assist with
transportation to and from specialist appointments or hospital.
The sentence is logically related to what has just been said and linked by ‘for
example’. This sentence is called a developing sentence.
Page 1 of 4
How you refer back to things you have just written is an important way of creating a
natural flow to your language. The examiners call it cohesion.
You do this with words called referents which help make links within and between
sentences and paragraphs:
For instance, look at these sentences:
‘These retired individuals’. ‘These’ refers back to ‘aged individuals’ in the

preceding sentence. And ‘their’ grandchildren are the grandchildren of the same
‘aged individuals.
Referents are used all the time and not just in essays. Listen to the way the man in
the next clip uses ‘the’ and ‘those’ to refer back:
The car's driven by four inhub motors. And the inhub motors directly drive the four
wheels. The power source is the batteries. Those batteries are sort of charged by
literally plugging it in at home or by the solar cells.
He doesn’t just repeat himself. He says the car is driven by inhub motors. To say
what the motors do, he refers to them again, but as the inhub motors:
The car's driven by four inhub motors. And the inhub motors directly drive the four
wheels.
Next he says that the power source is the batteries. He’s already said ‘the’ batteries
so he refers to them again as ‘those batteries’:
The power source is the batteries. Those batteries are sort of charged by literally
plugging it in at home or by the solar cells.
Using referents helps you avoid using exactly the same words too often.
You can also use synonyms - words that have similar meanings - in much the same
way.
Let’s look at our paragraph about aged people again.
'Aged individuals is not repeated in the same form in the paragraph, but as
Retired individuals, retirees and in specific roles as carers and drivers.
Using referents and synonyms skilfully is not just for essays. Let’s look at the way
synonyms and referents create cohesion and meaning in the next clip on an entirely
different topic, the ruined city of Angkor Wat:
Right now we're at Angkor, which is a collection of temples in the north of Cambodia,
which, about a thousand years ago, was the centre of a huge empire which stretched
across most of South-East Asia. The true significance of the place is that it's probably
the world's most amazing collection of religious monuments. What you see here is a
scale of engineering and aesthetic beauty and a complexity that isn't really seen at
any other collection of monument sites around the world.
First he calls Angkor by its name:
Page 2 of 4
Right now we're at Angkor…
He then refers to it and says what it is:
…which is a collection of temples in the north of Cambodia
Refers again and explains its function:
…which, about a thousand years ago, was the centre of a huge empire which
stretched across most of South-East Asia.
He goes on to refer to Angkor again as ‘the place’ and ‘it’, and finds another way of
saying ‘collection of temples’: collection of religious monuments:
The true significance of the place is that it's probably the world's most amazing
collection of religious monuments.
Now let’s look at coherence. What is coherence?
When writing an essay you need to organise and develop your argument logically
using paragraphs, starting with an introduction, 2 or 3 body paragraphs and
finishing with a conclusion. There should be a clear transition from one paragraph
to the next, linking the ideas between paragraphs. The paragraph we looked at
earlier was the first body paragraph of an essay answering this question:
The increasing number of older people will cause economic problems for the
young.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
For this sort of essay you have to write about different things in each body
paragraph. The first paragraph disagreed - it said what positive things older people
contribute. So the next body paragraph has to look at the negative effects of an
ageing population. Let’s look at what its opening sentence or topic sentence should
be like:
However, the increasing proportion of older people no longer contributing as

much tax as younger people will put a strain on the nation’s budget.
Notice that the sentence begins with the word ‘however’. However is a linking word
that is used for contrasting. It shows the writer is moving on to develop the other side
of the argument.
To recap, you should know how to structure an essay. Using paragraphs correctly in
your essay is important. You need an introduction, which gives some background
information about the topic, followed by what you are going to write about.
You start the first body paragraph with a topic sentence that establishes the main
idea you will write about. You follow this with some supporting sentences that give
reasons and provide examples that develop your ideas further.
Page 3 of 4
You do something similar with the next body paragraph, but from the opposite point
of view and finish with a conclusion that summarises the main points and makes it
clear what you think.
And you should link sentences with transition words.
This gives your essay coherence.
Using referents and synonyms as we’ve seen will help you achieve cohesion.
That’s all for today.
You’ll find more detail about today’s program at our website at:
australianetwork.com/studyenglish.
Good luck with your studies.
Page 4 of 4
TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 4: SENTENCE TYPES
Hello, and welcome to Study English, IELTS Preparation. I’m Margot Politis.
One of the criteria used to assess your writing in the IELTS test is called
grammatical range and accuracy. The examiners will look at the number of
mistakes you make, and also at the range of sentence types you use.
What is the range of sentence types? There is a simple sentence, like this:
Pollution is a problem.
This example shows you the basic structure. A subject – pollution, a verb – is, and
the object – a problem. A simple sentence can have more words than this. You
can add adjectives:
Pollution is a serious problem.
Air pollution is a serious problem.
And you can add information with a preposition like ‘in’
Air pollution is a serious problem in the city.
Or ‘from’
Air pollution from cars is a serious problem in the city.
So a simple sentence doesn’t have to be short or simple.
Most of the time the thing that’s simple about simple sentences is the idea they
express. Listen to some typical simple sentences in this piece about an old theatre:
It is a lovely theatre. It has excellent acoustics. It's a classic 3 tiered, horse-shoe

shaped auditorium.
You tend to use simple sentences for straightforward information.
It is a lovely theatre to work in.
It has excellent acoustics.
You can add detail, but the idea is not complicated. Listen again:
It's a classic 3 tiered, horse-shoe shaped auditorium.
But it’s best to use a variety of sentence types and not just a list of simple sentences.
Listen to this:
The foundation stone was laid in 1834 and the theatre opened in 1837.
Page 1 of 4
You can join two simple sentences together with ‘and’.
The two sentences are:

The foundation stone was laid in 1834.
The theatre opened in 1837.
Joining them with 'and' gives you a compound sentence.
Listen again:
The foundation stone was laid in 1834 and the theatre opened in 1837.
But what type of sentence do you use if you want to say something a little more
complicated? Listen:
Although the Theatre Royal has some of the disadvantages of this sort of theatre,
such as the columns which people don't like sitting behind, it still has atmosphere.
This sort of sentence is called a complex sentence. A complex sentence isn’t just 2
sentences joined together. Some parts of a complex sentence might not be a
complete idea. For instance, the first part of this sentence is quite long with a
subject, verb and object, but it isn’t complete:
Although the Theatre Royal has some of the disadvantages such as the columns
which people don't like sitting behind …
That doesn’t express a complete thought. It needs a simple sentence to finish it:
it still has atmosphere.
If you take the detail out, you have a structure like this:
Although the theatre has disadvantages, it has atmosphere.
‘Although the theatre has disadvantages’ is what is called a dependent clause.

It depends on a simple sentence - it has atmosphere – to become complete and form
a complex sentence.
Here is another complex sentence.
When you stand in the middle of the stage, you can talk to everybody.
When you stand in the middle of the stage – that’s a dependent clause. It needs
another simple sentence or independent clause to make sense:
When you stand in the middle of the stage, you can talk to everybody.
You can even change the order of the clauses and say:
You can talk to everybody when you stand in the middle of the stage.
Apart from although and when, some of the words used to create dependent
clauses like this are: which, that, because, after, and where.
Page 2 of 4
Knowing how to use them is important. It’s something you should practise.
There is one other type of sentence, which is a combination of compound and

complex sentences like this:
When the theatre was first built, it was said to look like a 2 storey house and on the
outside of the building you can see the stone window sills.
Normally people use a range of sentence types as we’ve seen with the man talking
about the theatre. It’s your ability to use these various sentence types that the
examiners notice.
Listen as he finishes with a complex sentence, a simple sentence and a complex/

compound sentence:
If I could sum up this theatre in a few words, I suppose I could call it an international
theatre star! This is the oldest theatre in Australia. It’s been operating for a hundred
and 59 years and, who knows, it might still be here in another one hundred and fifty
nine years.
His first sentence was complex. Sentences with ‘if’ are mostly complex because an
‘if’ clause depends on another sentence to make sense. Listen:
If I could sum up this theatre in a few words, I suppose I could call it an international
theatre star!
Remember that a simple sentence can consist of a subject – this, a verb – is, and an
object – the oldest theatre in Australia. Listen:
This is the oldest theatre in Australia.
A compound sentence is two sentences joined by ‘but’ or, as here ‘and’:
It's been operating for one hundred and fifty nine years and who knows, it might still
be here in another one hundred and fifty nine years.
There are 2 sentences here joined by ‘and’. The second part is complex with the
dependent clause ‘who knows’.
who knows, it might still be here in another hundred and fifty nine years.
So we’ve seen what can go right. What can go wrong?
A simple sentence must have a verb. Is this a sentence?
The house in the country.
No. It looks like a sentence but there is no verb. Let’s add a verb.
The house is in the country.
That’s a simple sentence.
Page 3 of 4
The main problem people have with compound sentences is a mistake called a run-
on sentence. It’s when 2 simple sentences are run together without using a
conjunction such as ‘and’ or ‘but’:
Look at this:
The theatre is small it is beautiful.
That’s a run-on sentence. It’s either 2 simple sentences:
The theatre is small. It is beautiful.
Or it’s a compound sentence:
The theatre is small, but it is beautiful.
So let’s recap. A simple sentence is basically a subject – Pollution – a verb – is –

and an object – a problem. It’s also called an independent clause.
A compound sentence is two independent clauses joined by a conjunction such

as and, but or so.
A complex sentence is a combination of a dependent clause or clauses with an

independent clause. It’s a good way to express some of your ideas in an essay.
Be careful. Using too many simple sentences can make your writing choppy and dull
and too many long sentences can make it difficult to follow your ideas. So use both.
That’s all for now. To find more information about sentence types visit our Study
English website at: australianetwork.com/studyenglish.
Page 4 of 4
TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 5: VOCABULARY RANGE
Today we’ll look at some strategies for meeting the requirements of vocabulary, one
of the criteria used to assess IELTS candidates.
When writing, you can expand what you want to say by adding words that give more
detail, or are more specific and descriptive.
This is a good way of showing the extent of your vocabulary.
Take this sentence for example:
Collection services can reduce rubbish.
What can you say to make this sentence more specific and descriptive?
First, look at ‘collection services’. Ask yourself who, what, why and where?
What sort of collection services reduce rubbish?
They could be 'weekly collection services' or 'better collection services'. You

could also say 'more frequent collection services':
More frequent collection services can reduce rubbish.
You can do more than just use words in front of ‘collection services’. You can also
add a phrase after it.
Ask yourself the same sort of questions: ‘what is collected, who is collecting it’?
So you can add:
More frequent collection services for recyclables can reduce rubbish.
You don’t have to stop at just one phrase. You might also want to say who does the
collecting. So:
More frequent collection services for recyclables by councils can reduce rubbish.
You can also add words to the verb in the sentence. We know more collection can
reduce rubbish – but by how much?
It can substantially reduce rubbish.
So:
More frequent collection services for recyclables by councils can substantially

reduce rubbish.
Substantially is an adverb. It’s one of the forms of the word substantial.
Page 1 of 4
Adverbs often end with ‘-ly’
Other words that mean a large amount are vast, considerable and great.
Their adverbs are vastly, considerably and greatly.
Any of these words could be used instead of ‘substantially’.
A good vocabulary is not simply the number of words you know. It’s being able to
use all the forms of a word correctly.
For instance 'reduce' means to become smaller or to lessen. Listen to how it’s used
in this clip from a story about sealing roads:
In Asia the cost of re-doing roads is very high. We can address that issue and give
them a tightly bound surface, which will reduce the costs for the regional councils.
Will reduce the costs. Reduce - that’s the base form of the verb. Reduce is a
regular verb with the forms reducing and reduced. He uses one of these here:
Here you have a car that is travelling along an untreated section of road and then
hitting a treated section of the road. You can see that the dust is reduced by a
significant amount.
Is reduced by a significant amount. That’s a verb form. But what form of reduce
would you use as an adjective?
Our product very effectively binds the soils and particles that make up the materials
for the roads. This means you can have a reduced cost in terms of the number of
times that road authorities have to maintain and repair that road over a long period of
time.
A reduced cost. The –ed form can also be used as an adjective like this.
reduced price
reduced pressure
Reduce has a noun form. Listen:

One of the problems of driving on an unsealed road is the amount of dust that comes
off the surface. With our treatment, we find there’s a dramatic reduction in that dust
problem.
The noun is reduction. You’ll find that –ion endings for nouns, -ly for adverbs and –
ed for adjectives are very common.
When you learn new words it is important that you know all their forms and practise
using them. It’s a good strategy for building your vocabulary.
So learn word forms.
Page 2 of 4
Another good strategy is to know which prepositions are normally used with
particular words.
Let’s look at the word ‘reason’, a word you’re likely to use in an IELTS essay.
What preposition is reason used with?
Listen to this woman talking about a famous road in Australia:
The Great Ocean road is probably the most spectacular coastal drive in the world. I
think the reason for that is that it’s got such a variety of scenery from cool temperate
rainforests to the cliffs and rock stacks around the Twelve Apostles.
She says, “the reason for that is…”. Reason can be followed by the preposition ‘for’.
You can say, reason for leaving … or reason for arguing …
Look at ‘know’ for instance. With the verb form ‘know’ we use the preposition
‘about’, know about, like this woman when explaining why she makes a scrapbook
of her life:
I’m creating something that gives me a chance to put something about who I am onto
that page. I often think when I’m working on a project, “What would my kids like to
know about me in 20 or 40 years time?
Know about me. But with the noun form ‘knowledge’, we use ‘of’, ‘knowledge of’.
Listen to this man use ‘knowledge of’ to talk about an art collection that students are
studying:
We have students from overseas in the course. They get to get this first-hand
knowledge of this terrific collection, but also they can take that back with them to the
countries they come from.
So let’s recap.
You can add detail about who, what and where to sentences like this.
The dragon is paraded.
The colourful dragon is paraded.

The colourful dragon is noisily paraded.
The colourful dragon with people inside it is noisily paraded.
The colourful dragon with people inside it is noisily paraded down the street.
To do this you need to know that the adjective of the word colour is colourful and the
adverb of noise is noisily.
And you need to correctly use phrases such as ‘with people inside it’ and ‘down
the street’.
This is the kind of vocabulary the examiners are looking for.
Page 3 of 4
You also need to be aware of the prepositions that go with certain words.
You say that you know about something:
I’m creating something that gives me a chance to put something about who I am onto
that page. I often think when I’m working on a project, “What would my kids like to
know about me in 20 or 40 years time?
But have knowledge of something:
We have students from overseas in the course. They get to get this first-hand
knowledge of this terrific collection, but also they can take that back with them to the
countries they come from.
And you say that you have a reason for doing something:
The Great Ocean road is probably the most spectacular coastal drive in the world. I
think the reason for that is that it’s got such a variety of scenery from cool temperate
rainforests to the cliffs and rock stacks around the Twelve Apostles.
To find more information about vocabulary visit our Study English website at:
Page 4 of 4
TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 12: INTONATION
Hello, and welcome to Study English, IELTS Preparation. I'm Margot Politis.
Intonation is a feature of pronunciation, one of the assessment criteria in the IELTS

Speaking Test. You will need to use appropriate intonation in the test. You also
need to understand the intonation used by the interviewer.
Intonation is important in spoken English because it conveys meaning in many

ways. Changing the pitch in your voice - making it higher or lower - allows you to
show surprise "Oh, really!" or boredom "Oh, really".
Let's listen to some intonation patterns used for specific functions.
First there's the high or rising tone, used for asking a yes/no question:
Do you find English difficult?
Are you listening?
Is this clear?
The rising tone is also used for showing expectation as you can hear when this
furniture maker talks about seeing the inside of some rare timber:
And I go down and it is really a fascinating day when I actually see a log being put on
the head rig and that first cut and I can't wait to have a look at that grain that's
actually opened up after a tree has been growing for 300 or 400 years.
And it's used for showing interest and excitement.
That's awesome. Absolutely awesome.
A low or falling tone is used for making a statement as does this art gallery
director:
The Art Gallery of South Australia commenced the joint program in art history with
the University of Adelaide in 2001.
Questions with who, what, when, why and how also use this low or falling tone:
Who are you looking for?
What is that you're reading?
Where is the art gallery?
Why are you learning English?
How are you?
Page 1 of 4
Listen to the rising and falling tones used by the woman in the next clip to explain
the properties of granular materials:
Take vacuum packed coffee for example. This is very much solid like behaviour
because it's stiff, stiff as a brick and at the same time it's strong enough to hold your
weight. And yet, if we open the pack, I can pour it just like I would pour water …
When listing things a rise-falling tone is used:
Granular materials constitute a wide range of everyday common materials, such as

powders through to natural grains such as nuts, rice, wheat grains and mineral
resources.
A level tone or a low rising tone can also be used for listing:
We have 3 studio cabins, 2 two bedroom cabins, 2 tepees and a campground.
Finally, a fall-rising tone expresses uncertainty:
Well, I'm not sure what all this means
Now we'll look at some sample IELTS interviews. Listen carefully for the intonation
patterns.
Where else have you travelled?
I've travelled to other Asian countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore and
of course I've travelled around in my own country.
Where would you most like to go?
I would like very much to go to Europe, for example UK, Spain or Netherlands, but I
also want to go to Dubai and India.
The two questions the interviewer asks are 'wh-' type questions starting with 'where'.
Did you notice that the pitch of his voice fell at the end of both questions? Like this:
Where else have you travelled?
Where would you most like to go?
In the answer, notice how the countries are listed using a level tone that then falls for
the last item in the list 'in my own country'.
I've travelled to other Asian countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore and
of course I've travelled around in my own country.
In response to the second question her voice rises to show expectation. She then
lists the countries with her voice pitch rising until she ends with a level voice for
Dubai. She uses a rising intonation to express the afterthought India. Listen:
Page 2 of 4
I would like very much to go to Europe, for example UK, Spain or Netherlands, but I
also want to go to Dubai and India.
Now listen for whether the voices rise and fall in this part of the test:
Could you live without your favourite thing?
No, I cannot live without my mobile phone. I have to bring it everywhere because I
will feel lost if I don't have it near me.
Do people have too many possessions?
Yes, I think they do. They tend to buy a lot of things that they don't really need at that
time.
The two questions the interviewer asks are yes/no type questions. Rising
intonation patterns are used for these questions. Did you notice the pitch of his
voice rise at the end of the questions? Like this:
Could you live without your favourite thing?
Do people have too many possessions?
In response to the first question, the answer is definite and this certainty is
expressed with a flat or level tone:
No, I cannot live without my mobile phone.
But in response to the second question about whether people have too many
possessions, she isn't quite sure and responds with:
Yes, I think they do.
She uses a fall-rising tone appropriately to indicate that she doesn't really know or
is unsure.
Yes, I think they do.
You are allowed to ask the interviewer what something means in the discussion part
or Part 3 of the Speaking Test. It's called asking for clarification. Let's say you
didn't know what was meant by 'valued possessions'. You could say:
What do you mean by 'valued possessions'?
This is a 'wh' question, so it needs a falling tone. Listen again:
What do you mean by 'valued possessions'?
A different intonation is required for the next way of asking for clarification:
Do you mean important things that I own?
Page 3 of 4
It's a yes/no question with a rising tone. Listen:
Do you mean important things that I own?
The final example is a statement, so a falling tone is used:
Sorry, I'm not quire sure what you mean by 'valued possessions'.
So a falling tone is used for 'wh-' and 'how' questions:
Who are you looking for?
What is that you're reading?
Where is the art gallery?
Why are you learning English?
How are you?
But a rising tone is used for yes/no questions:
Do you find English difficult?
Are you listening?
Is this clear?
That's all for now. To find more information about the intonation patterns in English,
visit our Study English website. The address is: australianetwork.com/studyenglish.
Good Luck with your studies. Bye for now.
Page 4 of 4
TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 6: QUESTION TASKS AND TOPICS IN WRITING
Today we’ll look at question tasks and topics in the essay section of the IELTS test.
Both IELTS tests - the academic and the general - require you to write a short essay.
What are the questions likely to be about?
Media: censorship; privacy; or the influence of advertising.
Education: testing; computers; public and private education.
Environment: eco-tourism; global warming; pollution.
Health: obesity; alternative medicine; exercise; diet.
Communication: the internet; mobile phones.
Society: youth issues; juvenile delinquency; ageing populations.
There are two parts to an essay question.
First, there is the question topic, a statement like this:
Internet access should be under government control to avoid any

potential harm to children.
And second, there is the question task, which will be something like:
OR
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of government

controlling Internet access.
OR
What are the reasons for government control? What other measures could be
taken to deal with this problem?
Page 1 of 4
The purpose of the different question tasks is to test a range of writing skills.
They can test your ability to identify causes and effects. You could be asked "What
are the causes …" or "What are the effects …"
Or they are designed to see how well you can present a solution to a problem. For
example:
What measures could be taken to deal with this problem?
Here you would need to say what can be done to stop children being harmed by
material on the internet, such as using software that prevents children accessing
harmful sites or keeping computers out of children’s bedrooms where they are not
supervised by a parent.
Often the question task tests whether you can present two sides of an issue,
compare opinions and justify your view, such as these:
OR
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of government control.
OR
What is your opinion?
Here’s the question topic again:
Internet access should be under government control to avoid any

potential harm to children.
Let’s look more closely at some question tasks for it. First:
Here you would need to decide how much you agree or disagree with the
issue of governments controlling Internet access and give your opinion.
Your ideas would need to be supported with reasons and appropriate

examples.
Why should the government control the internet? Try to think of situations that
support what you think.
A very similar style of essay would be required if you were asked:

With this question task you must still consider other points of view. And remember
the instruction to give reasons and provide examples still applies.
Page 2 of 4
What about this question task?
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of government control.
Here you’re not required to directly give your opinion, but to present and
explain both sides of the issue. But by saying what you think is good and
bad; your view of the issue should be obvious.
The question task can be more direct, like this:
What are the reasons for government control? What other measures could be
taken to deal with this problem?
You should give reasons why governments need to control the Internet and then
suggest what else could be done to protect children. This task tests how well you
can identify causes and suggest solutions.
Let’s look at some more sample questions.
In some countries there are fewer doctors and teachers taking up jobs in rural
areas. As a result, communities in these remote areas are being poorly served.
What are the effects of this and what measures could be taken to improve it?
The main topic is teachers and doctors not working in remote areas. Here
you would need to write about the negative effects that a community
experiences when there aren’t enough teachers and doctors.
For the second part of the task - what measures could be taken - you
should suggest some ways of improving the situation. This question tests
your ability to write about the effects of something and provide some
solutions.
Let’s look at another question.
Children’s eating habits and lifestyles today are more likely to be harmful than
beneficial.
Discuss both these views.
The main topic is what children eat and how they spend their time.
The task asks you to discuss two views - both these views.
What are the 2 views?
The question topic says "more likely to be harmful than beneficial", so the 2 views
are:
The more likely, according to the statement, that children’s eating habits are
causing harm.
And the opposite, that "children’s eating habits" are beneficial.
Page 3 of 4
The task requires you to compare the negative effects of what children
eat these days with the positive effects. So it’s the sort of question task
that tests if you can compare 2 sides of an issue. And it gives you the
opportunity to challenge the question topic.
You could argue that children these days eat very well and exercise a lot
and that the idea that they don’t is exaggerated. Remember though that
you can’t do this without giving good reasons and providing examples.
Computers have changed the way children are taught. Some believe
this means that children are missing out on a well-rounded
education.
Here the main topic is the use of computers in children’s education.
You need to decide what you think about computers in classrooms and
whether they might stop children getting a well-rounded education. In
forming your opinion, you should also write about what other people might
think.
So we’ve looked at questions in the general areas of education, technology,

society and health.
The essay question consists of a statement called the question topic, which can be
about any topic of general interest and a question task, which determines the style
of essay you need to write. Remember that the same topic can be looked at from
different perspectives. Include not only causes, effects and solutions but also
advantages and disadvantages when building a bank of ideas for a topic.
Go to our website if you want to watch any episode of Study English again. You’ll
also find plenty of extra material there to keep you busy. The address is:
australianetwork.com/studyenglish
I’ll see you next time on Study English.
Page 4 of 4
TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 7: THE SPEAKING TEST
Today we’ll look at the IELTS Speaking Test.
There are three parts to the test. Each part has a particular purpose.
The examiner will record the interview to ensure the test is to standard and
conducted fairly for all candidates.
Let’s watch someone begin their interview. [Part One]
Interviewer: Good morning, my name is Maria. What’s your name?

Interviewee: My name’s Sanjay.
Interviewer: Thankyou. Can I just check your ID please Sanjay. Thank you, that’s
fine. What are you doing at the moment? Are you a student, or do you
work?
Interviewee: I’m currently a student.
Interviewer: And what are you studying?
Interviewee: I’m studying a Diploma in Business.
The purpose of Part One is to settle you down and get you used to the test
situation. So you will only be required to answer some general questions about
yourself on some familiar topics such as: studies … travel … sports … family … food
and exercise.
Let’s see how another candidate answers questions about exercise. The first
question is designed to test her skills at identifying:
Interviewer: What kind of exercise do you enjoy?

Interviewee: I enjoy running, because I think it’s easy, and I think you should need,
er, good shoes and you can run and I can run at morning, it’s really
good …I think.
The next question is to see how well she expresses an opinion:
Interviewer: Is it important to exercise regularly?

Interviewee: Yes, I think it’s really important, because you can, um, keep your body
healthy and you can keep fit, especially for girls’ health, keep fit. And
it’s good for your health as well.
This question tests comparing:
Interviewer: Do you think people are exercising more these days, compared to 50
years ago?
Interviewee: No, I don’t think so. Because, you see, like me, they don’t have
enough time. I think it’s, a lot of people don’t have enough time as
well, so they don’t have enough regular exercise.
Page 1 of 4
Other skills that are assessed include:
• describing;
• expressing preferences; and
• giving reasons
You are not expected to give in-depth answers at this stage of the interview but you
can extend your answer with a longer sentence.
To help prepare for this section you can develop vocabulary around the topic areas
and make sure you know the verb tense that is appropriate for answering the
question.
For example the question ‘What kind of exercise do you enjoy?’ is in the simple
present tense, so she replies with the same tense: I enjoy running. Listen again:
Interviewer: What kind of exercise do you enjoy?

Interviewee: I enjoy running.
In Part Two the examiner will give you a topic on a prompt card to talk about for one
to two minutes. You will be allowed one minute to make some notes. After your talk,
the examiner will ask you a follow up question.
The topics are of a general nature. You could be asked to talk about an object that is
important to you or a major festival in your country or to describe an interesting
building.
Let’s see how the interviewer introduces the second part of the interview and how the
candidate prepares for the talk.
Interviewer: Now, I’d like you to talk for one to two minutes on a topic that I’ll give
you.
Interviewee: Sure.
Interviewer: You have one minute to prepare, and make some notes to help you.
Do you understand?
Interviewee: Yes.
Interviewer: Okay. Well, here’s a pencil and a paper for making notes, and here is
your topic. I’d like you to describe a holiday or vacation you took
recently.
Interviewee: Sure.
This is what was written on the prompt card she gave him:
Describe a holiday or a vacation you took recently.
You should say:

• where you went
• who you travelled with
• what you did, and
• explain why you enjoyed your vacation
Page 2 of 4
Think of 2 or 3 things to say about each prompt and write down words that will help
remind you of what to say. Let’s look at what he wrote.
Where: Bangkok last minute short

Who: Mum, sister, brother
What: Shopping mall, weekend market, stalls, humungous place
Why: Wonderful experience; sights
Do the notes help him? Let’s listen to his talk.
Er, the holiday which I went on recently was in Thailand, Bangkok, Thailand. Um, we,
we planned this, I guess, two weeks, two weeks in advance, it was kind of a last
minute planning with, with my family, we decided to just go for a short holiday down
to Bangkok. So, er, we called, we called my travel agent, and, er, we got, we got
tickets booked for me, my Mum, my brother and my sister.
It is important to begin your talk by introducing the topic.
He is following the notes he made. For 'who' he tells us “we got tickets booked for
me, my Mum, my brother and my sister”.
For 'what' he talks about shopping:
We went to two shopping malls. It was, one of the malls called Big C, Big C, yeah,
that was the mall. So, er, the mall was very clean and, er, I was surprised, it was very
clean, very big, very, very big, very clean and all. So that was just a normal shopping
centre. Then over the weekend we decided to go and visit this big weekend market
in, Bangkok itself. So it’s called a big, a weekend market, er, it had like thousand over
stalls, it was this big, humungous place. So what we did, we spent our whole time
there, shopping.
For 'why' he tells us what a wonderful experience it was:
But it was a wonderful experience, going to Bangkok, and, er, visiting the sights.
Your talk will be well organised if you follow the same order as the prompts on the
card.
The interviewer ends this section with a follow up question. Let’s listen to what the
interviewer asks him.
Interviewer: Do you think you’ll go back there again?

Interviewee: Er, yeah, definitely, I mean, for shopping is one thing, prices are really
cheap and all but, er, it’s just the place. The people, they’re all friendly
and down to earth, and, um, it was a memorable experience.
He responds appropriately with two sentences. That’s all that is required.
To help you prepare for this part, practise talking about a range of topics.
Page 3 of 4
The final part of the interview is a discussion on issues related to the topic in Part
Two.
The examiner will be assessing your ability to develop ideas in some depth.
Let’s see what kind of questions he was asked and how the discussion is introduced.
Interviewer: Okay then. Well, you’ve described a holiday you’ve been on, and I’d
like to ask you a few more questions related to this.
Interviewee: Sure.
Interviewer: Is it important to travel and take holidays in different places?
Interviewee: Yeah, I feel, I feel it is important, er, reason being you, you’re exposed
to different cultures, you’re exposed to different kind of people, how,
how do they behave, and, er, you get to see a lot of things. If you just
take a holiday in your own country, or somewhere nearby, er, you
won’t really get to see, er, the world I guess, see how people behave
and all.
By asking him "Is it important to travel?" she is testing whether he can express an
opinion. Next, she sees if he can speculate:
Interviewer: Are people travelling more these days, do you think?

Interviewee: Er, yes, definitely. Er, as you can see nowadays there’s budget
airlines where airline prices all become so cheap so that they can visit
more places and go to other countries.
Then she asks a question designed to see how well he can compare:
Interviewer: Is it better to travel alone, or in a group?

Interviewee: I believe it’s better to travel in a group, where you have a companion.
Maybe not, not in such a big group, but, I guess, maybe two to three
people … where it’s nice to have someone along to share your
experiences with and, you know, to visit places and, you know, have
someone there for companionship and all.
And finally she tests how well he can identify:
Interviewer: What kind of problems is travel and tourism causing?

Interviewee: Um, sometimes people don’t know other people’s culture, and they
might offend them in a rude way, they might not know its offensive,
but, you know, not knowing the culture, and not reading up about it,
sometimes when you go to a foreign land, and you might do
something to maybe insult the host or insult someone there.
To answer questions well in this section you should watch programs on current
affairs and practise discussing topics and using a variety of language functions such
as comparing, explaining and describing.
That’s all for today
Page 4 of 4
TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 8: SPEAKING FLUENTLY
One of the skills that is assessed in the IELTS speaking test is fluency.
Fluency is speaking at a natural pace without hesitating too much.
But fluency doesn’t mean speaking quickly. Sometimes, speaking too fast can make
it harder to be understood.
Another aspect of fluency is the smoothness of your speech. This means that you
don’t always stop to try to think of the right word.
Listen as the golfer in the next clip talks about her career:
Golf is a very interesting game. Um It can be very frustrating and annoying and um
but then, you know, it can be just, it can be really fun and challenging which makes it
fun I guess. When I’m not competing um, I try to practise every day for at least 6
hours and if I play 18 holes er I’ll still try and practise for another 3 or 4 hours.
You may have noticed that she used expressions such as ‘um’ , ‘like’ , ‘you know’
and ‘I guess’. These are called fillers. It’s natural to use fillers but be careful not to
overuse them. Listen to her again:
On top of that I guess I have err like work outs, and um gym work outs and I try to do
that 3 to 4 times a week. So they’re pretty long hours. In January this year I went to
the ladies European tour qualifying school and I managed to secure a conditional
card for the season so I decided to turn pro. This meant that, you know, I’d give up
my amateur status and I’d be playing for money I guess is the main difference.
Fillers are used to tell your listener that you haven’t finished, but you are thinking of
what to say next. They don’t carry meaning like words do.
Now let’s listen to a speaking test candidate using fillers:
Mm, ok, well, one of the buildings I really like in Sydney is the Queen Victoria
Building. Um, I’ve been here for a year only in Sydney, so I haven’t had the chance to
actually visit many public buildings, but I know this one very well. Um, I like it
because, um, it’s got a very interesting old style, and, er, it’s very elegant, it’s very
spacious. I don’t like the modern type of buildings, you know, with many storeys and
er, very modern and contemporary. Um, I like the Queen Victoria Building, um,
because it’s elegant.
To begin her talk she uses several fillers:
Mm, ok, well, one of the buildings I really like in Sydney is the Queen Victoria
Building.
Page 1 of 3
Saying 'Mm, ok, well', helps her get started on the topic of her favourite building.
She is thinking of what to say and not how to say it.
She uses ‘um and ‘er’ to give her time to think of what to say next at points in her
speech, such as at the beginning of a sentence when she’s linking information back
to what she’s just said:
…one of the buildings I really like in Sydney is the Queen Victoria Building. Um, I’ve
been here for a year only in Sydney…
Next, she uses fillers just after the words ‘because’ and ‘and’ to give her time to
think of reasons.
Um, I like it because, um, it’s got a very interesting old style, and, er, it’s very elegant,
it’s very spacious.
She also uses the filler ‘you know’ , but this time to show that she is sharing
knowledge, in this case that modern buildings have many storeys:
I don’t like the modern type of buildings, you know, with many storeys and very
modern and contemporary.
Let’s listen to another clip where she uses ‘you know’ in the same way while
answering a question about eating habits in the future:
Well I think they will because, um, you know, the rhythm of life, the pace of life is
becoming, you know, more and more, um, stressful and, um, faster, so I think there is
less time to eat, then we have to eat, um, in smaller amounts, but with the same
quantity of vitamins and nutrients.
She uses expressions with similar meanings - 'the rhythm of life', 'the pace of life' -
to help her talk flow.
Using synonyms, opposites and related vocabulary gives continuity to her talk.
It makes it possible to continue talking without repeating the same words.
Listen again:
Well I think they will because, um, you know, the rhythm of life, the pace of life is
becoming, you know, more and more, um, stressful and, um, faster, so I think there is
less time to eat, then we have to eat, um, in smaller amounts, but with the same
quantity of vitamins and nutrients.
Being able to talk on a variety of subjects confidently will make it easier to maintain
fluency.
Page 2 of 3
Listen to this man, who is a concert master in a symphony orchestra, talking about
his violin:
Um, this violin, it was made around er, they figure around 1810 in Cremona, in Italy.
And Cremona, of course, is er, where all the … kind of the … it’s the best lineage of
makers are from Cremona. Stradivarius, of course, which is the most well-known
violin maker, originated from Cremona. And so, this kind of is a descendant of the
Cremonese line of making. And um, I’ve been lucky enough to own this violin. My
parents bought it for me when I was 14, I think. So, very, very lucky to have a very
nice, 200, almost 200-year-old Italian instrument.
He was thinking of better ways to say what he meant and was able to easily change
what he was saying mid-sentence. Listen again:
Um, this violin, it was made around er, they figure around 1810 in Cremona, in Italy.
And Cremona, of course, is where all the … kind of the … it’s the best lineage of
makers are from Cremona.
Maybe this is not perfectly correct English, but it is acceptable spoken English
because it remains fluent. Hesitating to correct your grammar disrupts your fluency.
Only by practising can you improve your fluency. A teacher or native speaker will
help you with your accuracy.
Fluency is not only your ability to speak smoothly and continuously but also your
ability to speak at an effective speed.
Speaking too slowly or too quickly is unnatural. Aim to speak at a relaxed and
natural pace.
Let’s listen to this student talking about public transport in Sydney. Listen to the
speed of her speech. Does she speak too quickly, too slowly or just right?
Er, it should be less expensive. I must say Sydney um Sydney’s transport is really
expensive. Er, it should be less expensive but, um, one of the problems is the
frequency of transport. Sometimes you have to wait, like, twenty minutes for the bus
to come.
Her speech rate is just right. She is neither too quick nor too slow. The pace is
reasonable and appropriate, and she sounds natural.
You should practise modelling the pace of your speech on that of a native speaker.
Listening carefully to a large range of English speakers is one of the most effective
ways to help you achieve fluency yourself.
Once you are used to the natural pace of English, you should record your speech
and check whether you’re speaking at that pace.
Fluency is most important in part 2 of the speaking test, the long turn. It’s when you
have to speak for one to two minutes on your own.
That’s all for today. For more about fluency, go to our website. The address is:
australianetwork.com/studyenglish. Good Luck with your studies. Bye for now.
Page 3 of 3
TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 9: SPEAKING COHERENTLY
Today we’ll look at some aspects of discussing a topic, which is something you are
expected to do in Part 3 of the IELTS Speaking Test.
In Part 3 of the Speaking Test you participate in a two-way discussion to test your
ability to discuss a topic in depth in a number of ways. These may include
speculating, comparing and contrasting or identifying a trend.
The speaker in the next clip identifies a trend. What is the trend?
The fastest-growing area of identity fraud is in internet services, such as people

breaking into Internet banking accounts, credit card fraud over the internet, people
using fraudulent credit cards, fraudulent identities to, essentially, break into other
people's accounts and, essentially, steal their money.
The trend he’s identified is the fastest-growing crime in the world, identity fraud.
If we listen further he explains why it’s a problem.
The traditional way to protect internet banking and other secure applications is
through passwords and PIN numbers. And these are totally inadequate in an area
where identity-related fraud is growing at such a high rate.
He tells us it’s a problem because the traditional ways to protect internet banking are
inadequate.
But he has a solution. Let’s hear what it is.
What we've actually developed here is a technology that allows us to analyse a

person's voice - a person that is actually sitting at their computer screen accessing a
secure website. We're able to analyse their voice in order to confirm that they actually
are who they say they are. [Voice Authentication Demo: Big bird - Congratulations
you have been successfully verified].
His solution is to use technology which produces a voice signature.
He demonstrated three of the language functions which are used to assess your
communication skills.
He identified the issue - that identity fraud is a problem and then explained why it’s
a problem.
The third language function was providing a solution - he talked about what could
be done to prevent identity fraud.
Page 1 of 4
Now let’s listen to this woman responding to the question: What makes a person
famous?
I think there are different ways to see what makes a person famous. One is the
publicity and the marketing around a person, but I don’t think that’s a real, honest
way to be famous. I think if I have to choose I’d rather be famous for being honest,
for being kind and for trying to help and solve conflicts or problems in the world,
instead of being on the cover of a magazine. So my characteristics for a, a famous
person, I will go for honesty and kindness.
She shows that she understands the question by incorporating it into her response at
the start. By repeating the question she is clarifying the topic.
I think there are different ways to see what makes a person famous.
The question is designed to see if you can identify. She identifies what she believes
makes a person famous - publicity and marketing. She uses the listing word 'one'
to make this clear and to logically link her first sentence with the next:
I think there are different ways to see what makes a person famous. One is the
publicity and the marketing around a person …
Having identified what makes someone famous, she then shows that she doesn’t
agree with this idea. The disagreement is expressed through the word 'but' and she
logically continues by saying why she disagrees:
One is the publicity and the marketing around a person, but I don’t think that’s a real,
honest way to be famous.
She develops and expands her ideas further by justifying her opinion. Advising
her listener by using the conditional if - if I have to choose - she then expresses
her preference by using a modal - I’d rather:
I think if I have to choose I’d rather be famous for being honest, for being kind and for
trying to help and solve conflicts or problems in the world …
She contrasts her idea of what she believes a person should be famous for with the
idea she suggested originally. She links these two ideas appropriately using instead
of:
I’d rather be famous for being honest, for being kind and for trying to help and solve
conflicts or problems in the world, instead of being on the cover of a magazine …
She rounds off her answer by summarising concisely her idea of what makes a
person famous. She uses the conjunction - so to make this final statement:
So my characteristics for a, a famous person, I will go for honesty and kindness.
So she clarifies, identifies, disagrees, gives an opinion, advises, shows a

preference, contrasts ideas and summarises.
Page 2 of 4
In order to respond fully, appropriately and coherently, there are a number of skills
you need.
You should be able to quickly recognise what the question is asking.
A do you think question such as: Do you think there is too much violence in films
today? Needs a reply that gives your opinion.
A question such as: What makes a person famous? Requires you to identify.
Look at this question:
Why do children like eating fast food?
You may have an opinion about this, but before you give it, you might explain and
give reasons why children eat fast food.
It’s very likely that you will be asked to compare things with a question such as:
What are the differences between urban and rural homes in your country?
Another thing the examiners are looking for is the ability to speculate or say what
might happen with a question such as: What kind of transport will people use in
the future?
Now let’s look at part of a professional discussion, a television interview with an

expert on diet:
Do you think that some people put on weight more easily than others?
Oh, that's definitely the case. We do know that there are genetic differences in how
easy it is for people to put on weight. That's not necessarily related only to their
metabolism. It may also have to do with how much they are driven to eat. And so the
degree of appetite control is better in some people than others. And it's got nothing to
do with willpower - it's just the way people are wired.
She was asked for her opinion with the question: Do you think that some people put
on weight more easily than others?
Being an expert, she gives it quickly and decisively: Oh, that's definitely the case.
She means that she completely agrees with the idea that some people put on weight
more easily than others. She goes on to give the reasons why she believes that:
We do know that there are genetic differences in how easy it is for people to put on
weight.
That’s the first reason - some people put on more weight from the same amount of
food because they’re born that way - there are genetic differences. But there’s
another reason. Listen to the way she develops this:
That's not necessarily related only to their metabolism. It may also have to do with
how much they are driven to eat.
Page 3 of 4
That’s not necessarily related only to their metabolism.
Metabolism is how your body responds to food.
The important words are ‘not necessarily related only to’
This means that metabolism is not the only reason people put on weight. Another
reason may be how hungry people are - how much they are driven to eat.
Notice she introduces this idea with the word may - this means this time she’s not
completely certain that this is the case. Listen again:
That's not necessarily related only to their metabolism. It may also have to do with
how much they are driven to eat.
She concludes with a hypothetical example using 'if'.
So that if you put some people in a situation where there's a smorgasbord, some
people will be able to control exactly how much they need to eat.
And some of them don't have an 'off' button.
And some people don't have an 'off' button.
To find more information about Part 3 of the Speaking Test visit our Study English
website. The address is: australianetwork.com/studyenglish.
Page 4 of 4
TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 10: VOCABULARY FOR SPEAKING
Today we'll look at how to make best use of your vocabulary and get your meaning
across in the IELTS Speaking Test.
Knowing how to use your vocabulary in different ways can help you maintain
conversation.
When you find that you can't think of the right word, you can talk around the idea as
this candidate does here:
Do you think the children of famous people have it easy?
No, I don't think so. It must be very, very hard. You know, when I lived in Ecuador, I
knew a lot of famous people and they always have to have bodyguards, or they have
to live behind bars, you know, behind big walls, and children are always protected,
and they don't have the freedom, so it's a big price you pay.
You can picture the surroundings from her description even though she has not
named it.
She said 'have to have bodyguards' … 'live behind bars' … 'behind big walls' …
'children are always protected'… and 'they don't have the freedom'.
She paints a clear picture of what she means: 'live behind bars' - we imagine
someone in jail; 'bodyguards' - employing someone to protect you and your
children.
The vocabulary used in her description accurately, effectively and successfully

describes a 'gated community'.
The ability to use your vocabulary to describe something you don't have the exact
word for is called circumlocution. Circumlocution means 'talking around
something' and is assessed as a vocabulary skill.
During the interview the examiner may use a word that you don't know the meaning
of. Let's imagine the topic of computers in education comes up in the interview. The
interviewer takes the opportunity to explore this area and says:
Computer technology plays a big role in children's education today. Do you think the
benefits of using computers are overrated?
Let's say you don't understand the word overrated. You can ask the interviewer what
that word means, like this:
Page 1 of 4
What do you mean by overrated?
I mean that the benefits are regarded too highly. They're exaggerated.
This is called asking for clarification. Apart from helping you answer, it shows the
interviewer an aspect of your speaking ability. There are several ways of asking for
clarification. You could say:
Sorry, I'm not quite sure what you mean by 'overrated'.
Or
Would you mind explaining what 'overrated' means?
All these examples ask for clarification appropriately. They range from the least
formal what do you mean by …? to the most formal would you mind explaining
…?
It would be inappropriate in such a formal interview to just say:
What's overrated?
It would, however, be more to your advantage if you tried to guess the meaning of
overrated and then checked with the interviewer whether your understanding is
correct.
Let's try doing this.
You know from your own experience that the use of computers for education can be
good and bad. The question asks about benefits. Benefits are good things but are
they overrated? Is there any part of the word you recognise?
It starts with 'over', a prefix you might know. You hear of overpopulation and
people being overweight. That's too many people … and too fat. So 'over'
probably means 'too much'. And it's not a good thing.
So you can check with the interviewer to see if you've understood by rephrasing the
question like this:
Are you saying that the benefits of computer use might not be that good?
Yes, that's right.
Asking a question like this shows that you can use your vocabulary skilfully.
The questions in the Speaking Test interview are designed to encourage answers
that show you can use a range of language functions.
Page 2 of 4
The interviewer wants to see if you can express an opinion, or speculate or give a
suggestion.
It's a good idea to vary the ways you respond.
Take the question: Do you think there is too much violence in films today?
It's inviting you to express an opinion, like this:
As far as I'm concerned there is too much violence in films these days.
But there are other ways of expressing an opinion. Listen:
In my opinion there is too much violence in films these days.
From my point of view there is too much violence in films these days.
It seems to me that there is too much violence in films these days.
Well, I would say there is too much violence in films these days.
The same applies to speculating. Speculating means making suggestions, where

you don't necessarily know the right answer.
Here are some phrases you can use to speculate:
Why do teenagers vandalise public transport?
If I had to guess I'd say that it's boredom
I'm not sure but from my observation it's boredom
I imagine that the most important reason would be boredom
And here are some ways to give suggestions:
What would you do to improve public transport?
I think what should be done is increase services
The problem could be solved by increasing services
What might be done is increasing services
Page 3 of 4
Another strategy is to use synonyms or words that have similar meanings.
Listen to this candidate doing this:
Why have the forms of popular entertainment changed over the years?
Because the society has changed a lot, and now we seem to be rushing all the time
and want to consume everything a lot faster, so I think every form of entertainment is
also reflecting that kind of very fast, quick way of wanting something different and
wanting something very quickly.
He uses a number of synonyms to talk about how society has changed - he feels
there is a need for things to be done in a hurry.
He uses the synonyms: rushing, fast and quick. He uses different word forms: the
adjective fast and its comparative faster, the adjective quick and the adverb quickly.
By using a variety of synonyms and different word forms he is managing

communication well and maintaining fluency.
Listen again:
Because the society has changed a lot, and now we seem to be rushing all the time
and want to consume everything a lot faster, so I think every form of entertainment is
also reflecting that kind of very fast, quick way of wanting something different and
wanting something very quickly.
One way to build up your vocabulary is to organise words around categories such
as movement. You can arrange words like this:
Some synonyms are fast and quick.
A collocation, or group of words often used together is 'rushing all the time'
Word forms would be faster and quickly.
Some opposites would be slow and sluggish.
An idiom could be 'in the fast lane', which means living an exciting if sometimes risky
life.
Keep adding to this and then using the words you've discovered.
That's all for now.
To find more information about the vocabulary you need for the Speaking Test visit
our Study English website. The address is: australianetwork.com/studyenglish.
Page 4 of 4
TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 11: GRAMMATICAL RANGE IN THE SPEAKING TEST
Knowing how to compare and contrast is something you are likely to need for the
IELTS Speaking Test.
There are a number of grammatical structures that you can use to make comparisons
and express differences.
Listen to this candidate comparing and contrasting his teachers:
What differences in teaching styles have you experienced with different teachers?
Well, I think, you have to make a difference between a teacher's knowledge and
personal style. Some teachers, you know, are very knowledgeable and have a lot of
experience and everything. Both my history and science teachers knew their subjects
really well, but my maths teacher, who was much older - maybe that's why - just
didn't have the skills to convey all that to the students. If I were to compare all my
classes, I would say his were the most boring. My history teacher, on the other hand,
he knew how to communicate to students and his lessons were more enjoyable and
we learnt faster.
He said that "both my history and science teachers knew their subjects."
He uses the word 'both' to say 'the two together'. They're similar in the way they
know a lot about their subjects. He then contrasts them to the maths teacher by
using the word 'but'. Listen:
Both my history and science teachers knew their subjects really well, but my maths
teacher, who was much older - maybe that's why - just didn't have the skills to
convey all that to the students.
To justify the contrast he compares the ages of the teachers. The maths teacher is
much older. Older is a comparative adjective. Someone who is 50 is older than
someone who is 40. 'Much older' is a way of saying the difference is larger –
someone who is 80 is much older than someone who is 40.
He also compares the teaching styles of his teachers:
If I were to compare all my classes, I would say his were the most boring.
This time he uses the superlative - the most boring, because he is comparing more
than 2 things. He does this using a conditional 'if' sentence which is a polite way of
criticising someone:
If I were to compare all my classes, I would say his were the most boring.
He goes on to talk about his history teacher. How does he show that he is
comparing him to the boring maths teacher?
Page 1 of 3
My history teacher, on the other hand, he knew how to communicate to students and
his lessons were more enjoyable and we learnt faster.
He says 'on the other hand' to show that he is now talking about a different style of
teaching. And again he uses comparative forms - more enjoyable and faster - to
express this difference.
Now listen to another candidate responding to a question designed to encourage her

to compare and contrast:
Is it better to grow up in the city or in the countryside?
Well, I think that, mm, both places have their pros and cons. I've grown up in a city,
and I've lived in a city all my life. And sometimes when I see those families who have
their kids in the countryside I envy them, because they can run about, you know.
They are free and the environment is cleaner and safer, but then, on the other hand,
you know, living in a city gives you other, um, opportunities to socialise, have more
contact with culture, and better opportunities for education. So, I don't know. It's
difficult to say. Both things have advantages and disadvantages.
She begins by saying that "both places have their pros and cons". Saying 'both'
means she is referring to the city and the country. Pros and cons is an idiom
meaning advantages and disadvantages. Then she establishes that her point of view
is that of a city person:
I've grown up in a city, and I've lived in a city all my life.
Then she says what the advantages - the pros - of living in the country are:
Sometimes when I see those families who have their kids in the countryside I envy
them, because they can run about, you know. They are free and the environment is
cleaner and safer …
The advantages are that in the country you can run about and be free. She also
uses the comparative adjectives 'cleaner' and 'safer' to describe the country
compared to the city.
Often you use comparatives with 'than' a word that means 'in comparison with'.
The country is cleaner than the city.
She chooses to contrast with the word 'but' and talk about the advantages of living in
the city:
contact with culture, and better opportunities for education.
Like the previous candidate, she uses the phrase 'on the other hand' to show she is
talking about something different - the city.
And again she uses the language of comparison, this time the irregular
comparative form of good, 'better'.
Page 2 of 3
Listen again:
contact with culture, and better opportunities for education.
Now let's listen to the way she rounds off her comparison of city and country living:
So, I don't know. It's difficult to say. Both things have advantages and disadvantages.
She ends by saying both have advantages and disadvantages which means that
one isn't better than the other. You don't have to say that one thing is better than
another if you don't think so. The phrase for this is 'as good as'. She thinks that the
country is as good as the city.
The structures you use to compare things in the speaking test are assessed as
grammatical range and accuracy, one of the IELTS marking criteria. Other things
that are assessed in this area are the number of mistakes you make and the range of
sentence types you use.
Don't be overly concerned about being perfectly correct all the time. Some mistakes
will occur in your speech.
It's good to review the rules for forming comparatives.
One syllable words have the –er comparative form: big, bigger
You need to memorise the forms for 2 syllable words because they can be either –er
or have 'more' before them: narrow, narrower
useful, more useful
Words of 3 syllables and longer have the 'more' form:

intelligent, more intelligent
spectacular, more spectacular
You can emphasise the degree of difference and say 'much older'.
With 'more intelligent', you say 'much more intelligent' and with 'more
spectacular', you say 'much more spectacular'.
And don't forget to review irregular comparative adjectives like:

good, better
bad, worse
far, further or farther
Whenever a question has a comparative adjective in it, you can be confident that
you are expected to reply with the language of comparison.
That's all for now. To find more information about grammatical range and accuracy
in the Speaking Test visit our Study English website. The address is:
Good Luck with your studies. Bye.
Page 3 of 3
TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 13: READING SKILLS AND QUESTION TYPES
In the IELTS Reading Test you have to answer 40 questions in 60 minutes – almost
1 question every minute. There are 3 separate pieces of writing of about 900 words
each. There is not enough time to read the texts closely so you need to develop the
ability to find information quickly.
This is a skill you'll use all the time in your studies.
Let's trace how you might find English language TV programs [online]. Because they
are on Australia Network, you start at their homepage. You look around the page for
the word 'English'. There's Learning English … click on that. Now you have a
number of choices – you can either read the summaries as they flick past, or you can
go to each program's site. Let's go to Passport to English. What's it about? Here's
the heading – About Passport to English, so this is the paragraph to read. Notice
that you only glance at the rest of the page when you are looking for specific
information in this way.
Moving your eyes quickly over a page like this is called scanning. The ability to do
this with a page of text is part of what's assessed in the Reading Test. Let's look at a
typical reading passage: [note this passage can also be found on page 3 of the downloadable
Activity Sheet for this episode].
It's best to start by reading the title and sub-title of the text and look for any pictures
or italicised words. This will tell you what the text is about.
Childhood Obesity is the title and On Being Overweight and Obese is the subtitle.
What do you already know about the topic?
If you've been keeping up-to-date with current affairs you would have heard that
some children are putting on weight at an alarming rate and this is affecting their
health. Parents and health authorities are worried.
At this point you know what to expect – you have previewed the text.
So it's a good idea to keep up with the news because current issues are often topics
for the Reading Test.
The next thing you need to do is quickly look through the questions for the passage.
There are different kinds, but first we'll look at a multiple choice question.
According to information in the text, childhood obesity can cause:
A. early death in children based on a recent study.

B. breathing problems and diabetes later in life.
C. an impaired immune system
Page 1 of 4
The question says 'According to information in the text'. This means you must
scan the text to find out the correct answer. You can't rely on your general
knowledge.
The key words in the question are 'childhood obesity' and 'can cause'. The word
'cause' alerts you that the text will be discussing effects of childhood obesity.
'Can cause' means likely to happen, so you need to look for any effects mentioned
in the text as a possible result of childhood obesity
You need to look out for phrases that match what the question is asking such as
'results in', 'shows that', 'causes' or 'leads to'
Let's look at the question again:
According to information in the text, childhood obesity can cause:
A. early death in children based on a recent study.

B. breathing problems and diabetes later in life.
C. an impaired immune system
Let's look at the first option – A. early death in children based on a recent study.
The key words are 'early death', 'children' and 'recent study'.
Now you need to scan the text for these words or words with the same meaning.
Quickly scanning the first paragraph, you can see no relevant information – it's not
talking about effects.
The next paragraph is relevant – 'recent study', 'show that' and 'death'. Let's read
the sentence.
"The findings from a recent study published in the Journal of International Studies on
Childhood Obesity show that the chances of premature death in adulthood are
greatly increased because of obesity during childhood."
Death in adulthood, not in children. So we can rule out A as the answer.
Let's check C – can obesity cause an impaired immune system?
There's nothing written about the immune system here – but there is a list of
diseases and the phrase you're looking for – 'results in'.
"Research has shown there is a strong link between childhood obesity and obesity in
adulthood that results in debilitating or life-threatening conditions. These include
cardiovascular disease, respiratory illnesses such as asthma or even type-2
diabetes."
So it says diabetes is an effect. What about breathing problems? 'Respiratory

illnesses' – they're breathing problems.
So 'B' is the correct answer.
Page 2 of 4
Questions in the Reading Test can be about cause and effect relationships, so you
must be able to quickly recognise the words that are markers for this information and
how the sentences are structured. Let's look closely at the correct answer and the
relevant sentence from the passage.
The answer is: Childhood obesity can cause breathing problems and diabetes
later in life. The words 'can cause' mark this as a cause/effect relationship. The
cause is childhood obesity.
You can also see childhood obesity in the first sentence from the passage. Even
though it says 'childhood obesity and obesity in adulthood', it still includes
childhood obesity as a cause.
The important synonym for 'can cause' is 'results in'. Another phrase with this
meaning that could have been used here is 'leads to'.
So we have the cause – childhood obesity and the cause marker – 'leads to' or
'results in'. Where's the effect? In the answer the effect is 'breathing problems
and diabetes'.
Again you need to look for synonyms. There's a list of effects – cardiovascular
disease, respiratory illnesses such as asthma and type-2 diabetes.
Diabetes is a clear match and, as we said earlier, respiratory illnesses includes

breathing problems.
It doesn't matter that the text includes other effects as long as the two in the answer
are included.
Let's look at another type of question.
There is a short answer question that requires you to answer using no more than 3
words.
Let's try one.
Based on recent findings, what can greatly increase as a result of obesity in early
childhood?
The 2 or 3 word answer is in the text. The key words that would help you locate it
are 'recent findings', 'greatly increase', 'as a result of' and 'early childhood'.
We've already skimmed the text, so we know that we won't find this answer in the
first paragraph.
So we check the last paragraph again – there – findings from a recent study. The
sentence reads:
"The findings from a recent study published in the Journal of International Studies on
Childhood Obesity show that the chances of premature death in adulthood are
greatly increased because of obesity during childhood."
Page 3 of 4
The question is:
Based on recent findings, what can greatly increase as a result of obesity in early
childhood?
The answer is premature death.
Remember that you can't answer with any more than 3 words, so you can't write for
instance 'chances of premature death', even though this is true.
For the Reading Section of the IELTS Test you need to practise skills and question
types. There will not be enough time to read all the passages carefully, so you need
to develop the skill of scanning for key phrases.
But when you go to our website, take the time to read carefully and you should find
yourself better prepared for the challenge of the IELTS Test. The address is:
Good luck with you studies.
See you next time.
Page 4 of 4
TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 14: GENERAL TRAINING READING
There are two IELTS Tests - the Academic Test and the General Training Test.
Today we're going to look at the Reading Module of the General Training Test.
The main difference between the General Test and the Academic Test is that the
texts you have to read are more practical and related to everyday life.
The General Reading Test is divided into 3 sections:
• Section 1 has up to 3 short texts that you are likely to come across, such as
entertainment brochures, bus timetables, accommodation lists and
instructions.
• Section 2 has 2 passages that are work-related, for example job descriptions,
and instructions for using facilities at work.
• Section 3 has one longer passage on a general topic, often a magazine

article.
Let's have a closer look at a typical short text that you would be asked about in
Section 1.
The questions you may be asked about a page like this only need short answers.
For example: 'On what page is the article about childhood obesity?'
You scan the page to find a title that mentions childhood obesity or means the same
and find the answer: 'Are children getting fatter?' - page 12.
It helps to be familiar with the way these texts are laid out. You need to practise
scanning these types of texts to find the information that relates to the question.
Scanning means looking for key words.
In the next section, Section 2, you will be asked about a work-related text that is a bit
more complex, such as this job advertisement.
It is important to know that information in job ads is presented in a particular way.

Being aware of the lay out will help you locate answers more quickly.
Because the texts in section 2 are longer, it is useful to preview them.
Let's reduce the ad to its headings.
We have: City of Greenfield; Position Description; Responsibilities; Key

Selection Criteria and Qualifications.
Page 1 of 4
Under 'City of Greenfield' which is the name of the employer, we have some
information about the employer:
"Vibrant, modern and energetic, Greenfield is a city of choice and opportunity. The
city is experiencing significant growth and expansion and the Council is leading the
way in managing and delivering high quality services to its local community."
And we have the sales pitch, which is there to persuade suitable people to apply:
"An exciting career opportunity exists for an enthusiastic individual with good
communication skills and a proven track record in office administration."
'Position description' tells you exactly what the job is - the title, salary and if it is full
time or part time.
Under 'Responsibilities' are listed the things you would need to do or the duties you
would have to perform.
'Key Selection Criteria' covers the skills that the employer considers necessary for
the job and 'Qualifications' are, of course, your experience and education.
The final section of the ad has all the information needed by anyone who wants to
apply.
So, if you were asked in what part of the ad you would find a duty such as running
and managing an office, where would it be?
It would be in the Responsibilities section.
It is very useful to be able to know exactly where to look because it saves vital time.
Because the test deals with texts that are work-related, it is expected that you will be
familiar with the terms used in the working world. Listen to this woman describing
how she went about finding a job:
I just handed my résumé around at any other shop that I could find and then I just got
a phone call from them asking to come in for an interview and they just asked
questions such as, what was my prior experience, what sort of qualities I could bring
to the job.
She uses a number of 'job' words. To find work, she said she 'handed her résumé
around'.
A Résumé is a summary of your work experience and education. It's a document

that tells an employer all they need to know about you. A résumé is usually written
out as a list with headings. A more formal term for this list is the Latin term
curriculum vitae, which often gets shortened to CV in speech and writing.
Now, what sort of experience was she asked about?
Page 2 of 4
And then I just got a phone call from them asking to come in for an interview and they
just asked questions such as, what was my prior experience, what sort of qualities I
could bring to the job.
An interview is a formal discussion with the employer where they try to find out who
is the best person for the job.
She was asked about her prior experience, which means the work she's done
before.
In the next clip what word is used to mean 'job'?
I've been working for Telstra virtually since I left school, so it's 37 years ago now. But
in various forms I went through and did a lot of technical training and then with the
change in the workforce and changing technology, they didn't require the physical
work to be done any more so I eventually went to a couple of different positions and
then finally finished up transferring to the area I'm in now.
He talks about having a couple of different 'positions'. Position is another word for
job. He could also have said 'role'.
Position, job and role are words that refer to the specific thing that you do. More
general terms are occupation, profession and trade.
What's the profession of the man in the next clip?
A normal day at my job's during the night, actually. I work night shift and I'm a
nurse, an enrolled nurse at a War Veterans' Home. I now work in the hostel section
of it and look after 70 residents.
He's a nurse, so his profession is nursing. A profession is a job that requires formal
learning, such as teaching. Trades are the sorts of jobs that involve a combination of
skill and work with your hands, such as carpentry or plumbing.
The general term for all types of job is occupation.
There is one other general term worth knowing. Listen out for it in this clip:
Turning professional I guess at my age of 19 is quite, is different, it's really cool I

guess you know lots of my school friends are still at uni and you know just still
working on building their career I guess.
Career. Career refers to the work you do over a lifetime or to the work you do in a
particular area. You will hear people talk about someone's sporting career or artistic
career.
To finish, let's listen to someone talking about the process of finding a job:
I found an advertisement in the paper, went for it. Out of 30 applications they had 30
interviews. Then they narrowed it down to five second interviews. I've had my second
interview and now I'm actually waiting for a response. Today, one of my friends rang
up saying they've actually rang him for a character reference.
Page 3 of 4
She talked about a second interview. That's when you go back to the employer for
another interview. It's a good sign and means that you're one of the people they are
considering.
She also talked about a friend being rung up for a character reference. Often job
ads will ask you to list what are called referees. These are people who can say that
you can do the job. They are often people you have worked with before.
Knowing how job ads are structured and being familiar with the language of the
workplace will help you with the General Training IELTS test.
Getting to know the sort of texts that are likely to be in the reading test will increase
your confidence and make finding the answers in good time much easier.
See you next time.
Page 4 of 4
TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 15: LISTENING FOR SIGNPOST WORDS
In this episode we'll look at signpost words. These are words and phrases that help
the listener follow what someone is saying, and work out what they are about to say.
Listen to this woman talking about Chinese New year in Melbourne:
Well, she's visiting from Vietnam, and we're just here to celebrate the Chinese New
Year. I guess it's more quieter here. I mean, it's pretty noisy today, but over in
Vietnam, it'd be, like, much bigger, yep. There'd be a lot more people around as well.
When she says 'I mean', the listener knows she is about to explain more about her
statement. Listen again:
Well, she's visiting from Vietnam, and we're just here to celebrate the Chinese New
Year. I guess it's more quieter here. I mean, it's pretty noisy today, but over in
Vietnam, it'd be, like, much bigger, yep.
Recognising signpost words and anticipating what the speaker will say are important
skills for the IELTS Listening Test.
In the test a speaker may use a technical term you don't know, but if you are listening
carefully you might also hear a definition of it.
In the next clip the speaker is talking about the problem of running out of fuel.
Listen for the technical term and its definition:
This is a worldwide problem – increasing traffic – not only because it's clogging our
roads but because of the fuels it uses. And whether vehicles use petrol or diesel or
liquefied petroleum gas, it all comes from under the ground and we're running out of
it, which is why researchers are now turning to biofuels – fuels that can be grown
instead of mined.
There are a number of signpost words here. When the speaker says 'not only
because' and 'but because' the listener knows he is about to give two reasons why
increasing traffic is a problem. Listen again:
This is a worldwide problem – increasing traffic – not only because it's clogging our
roads but because of the fuels it uses.
He also uses the words 'whether' and 'or'. This tells the listener he is about to
mention two alternative scenarios:
And whether vehicles use petrol or diesel or liquefied petroleum gas, it all comes
from under the ground and we're running out of it.
Finally, he uses the word 'instead'. That shows he is going to give an alternative to
the first kind of fuel mentioned. Listen:
Page 1 of 4
… which is why researchers are now turning to biofuels – fuels that can be grown
instead of mined.
Biofuels are 'fuels that can be grown instead of mined'. So now as you follow the
talk you would be listening for something that is grown:
They're researching how to extract biofuel oils not from canola and other seed crops,
but from tiny plants called microalgae.
He says 'not from seed crops but from tiny plants called microalgae'.
So microalgae are tiny plants. 'Called' is the signpost word – when you hear it, you
will get a name or term you might not be familiar with.
And he uses the word 'but' to introduce the contrast between seed crops and tiny
plants. Listen again:
They're researching how to extract biofuel oils not from canola and other seed crops,
but from tiny plants called microalgae.
Another common signpost phrase that signals an unusual name is 'referred to as',
used here by someone talking about hemp:
Inside the stem is the pith, which is referred to as the hurd fibre. And this is the white
part there.
What's the signpost phrase in the next clip?
Grampians national park is commonly known as Gariwerd as well which is the

Indigenous term used.
'Known as' – Grampians national Park is known as Gariwerd as well. It's another
name for it.
Sometimes a speaker may use an abbreviation as in the next clip about a

motorcycle engine. Notice that he signposts this by saying 'what's called a':
We've taken one of these engines and we've put it in an environment where it's very
dynamic. You've got centrifugal acceleration, you've got the bike leaning, so we had
to make some modifications. What we chose was what's called a CVT, a
continuously varying transmission, the sort of transmission that you see on many
scooters.
He uses the abbreviation CVT and follows with the full form of the word 'a
continuously varying transmission'. He also provides an explanation of CVT - the
sort of transmission that you see on many scooters:
What we chose was what's called a CVT, a continuously varying transmission, the
sort of transmission that you see on many scooters.
Recognising these signposts alerts you to the use of technical terms or abbreviations
in a talk or tells you that the speaker will follow with a definition or explanation.
Page 2 of 4
The next clip is of a man talking about a grand house. What words indicate a cause
of something?
Martindale hall was built in 1879. It was built for a 21 year old sheep farmer, a young
man called Edmund Bowman Junior who had a rather inflated impression of his
importance in the world and decided he wanted to live a lifestyle with servants and a
grand house. He unfortunately lost the place after a decade, about 11 years due to a
drought.
'Due to a drought'. A drought is a severe lack of rain, which meant that he couldn't
make any money. 'Due to' means 'because of' or 'as a result of'. Like these
phrases, it signals an explanation or a cause.
What word in the next clip tells the listener the speaker is about to talk about a result
or outcome?
We treat it as our home and the guests treat it as their home therefore it's just like a
house that you live in. It responds and stays happy.
Therefore. The guests treat it as their home therefore it's just like a house you live
in. It's not like a museum.
'Therefore' is an important word to listen for in more formal contexts such as

lectures. It tells you that the statement you are about to hear is a result, or caused
by, the first statement.
The less formal word 'so' can be used instead of therefore. Listen for it in this clip:
Diesel engines are more fuel efficient so you'll go much further on a tankful of diesel
than you would on a tankful of petrol.
We could also say 'you'll go further on a tankful of diesel because diesel

engines are more efficient.' Notice the different order.
Some signpost words tell you that more is going to be added to what is first said.
You can say 'in addition':
In addition to our TV show, Study English has a website.
Or you can say 'as well as':
As well as a TV show, Study English has a website.
Listen for another phrase like these:
Not only is it a museum during the day but when we shut we then have house guests
who come and use all the artefacts.
The house is a museum and a guesthouse.
Not only is it a museum, it is also a guesthouse.
Page 3 of 4
It's important to know when a speaker is about to give an example. Often they'll say
'for example', but they can also say 'for instance', like this:
Being a private nature reserve we've got all sorts of critters that live here in the wide
range of habitats that we have. So for instance come night time there's the possums,
owls, bats.
Let's listen for one more signpost word, even though.
It's used in the next clip to talk about stick insects and needle bugs:
Even though they live in different places and eat different things, they look very
similar because they both use the same trick to survive.
Even though. Even though they live in different places, they look the same.
This phrase is used to show that what follows is surprising, or unexpected.

For instance, you could say 'even though the weather was bad, we still enjoyed
ourselves'.
That's all for now.
To find more information about signpost words, visit our Study English website.
The address is: australianetwork.com/studyenglish.
Page 4 of 4
TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 16: LISTENING FOR NUMBERS
In the Listening Module of the IELTS Test you can expect to be asked questions
about numbers.
So it's important to be familiar with how we talk about numbers.
First, listen to the numbers in this clip about a wind farm in Tasmania:
Each tower that you can see can generate enough power for between seven and
eight hundred houses.
"…between seven hundred and eight hundred houses".
When numbers are exact or a clear approximation such as 'between seven hundred
and eight hundred', the word 'hundred' has no final 's'. The plural is formed by the
following noun: 'between seven hundred and eight hundred houses'.
For an exact figure you say: seven hundred houses.
You can use a preposition to be less exact and say: over seven hundred houses;
around seven hundred houses; about seven hundred houses; nearly seven
hundred houses or under seven hundred houses.
When we state a number, such as seven hundred or eight thousand there is no 's'
after the unit – four hundred, ten thousand, or five million.
So when do we add 's' to these words?
Listen to the man in the next clip use 'hundreds' to describe the slow change from
one type of forest to another:
There have probably been three lots of logging since white settlement in the 1860s.
In time, that eucalyptus forest will gradually go back to rainforest, but that takes
hundreds of years.
'Hundreds of years'. There is no number; it's just more than one. Notice we add 'of'
before the noun 'years' Hundreds of years.
So listen carefully. 'Thousands of' and 'millions of' are not exact numbers. They're
guesses or rough figures.
He also said the 1860s. This means any year from 1860 to 1869.
In the next clip about Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the speaker doesn't use the final 's'.
Angkor is one of the most popular World Heritage sites in the whole of Asia. Every
year now there are over one million tourists coming to Angkor.
Page 1 of 4
By saying 'over one million tourists', he means more than one million but much
less than 2 million. If the figure were closer to two million, he would probably say
'nearly two million tourists'
But if he'd said millions of tourists, he would mean more than 2 million.
Instead of saying one million you can also say a million. It means the same thing.
Listen to this woodchopper talking about how many titles he's won:
I've won one hundred and eighty three world titles I suppose, the only person in
sporting history to ever win over a thousand championships … so I suppose it hasn't
been too bad of a life.
'Over a thousand championships'. He could have said one thousand or a

thousand. And he could have said a hundred and eighty three. Notice that 'and'
is used to add numbers below a hundred – he says one hundred and eighty three.
You also say a thousand and 83 (1,083) and a million and 83 (1,000,083). But you
say one thousand, one hundred and 83 (1,183) or one million, one thousand and 83
(1,001,083).
When you're talking about where something occurs in a sequence, you use ordinal
numbers such as first, second, third, fourth.
Ordinal numbers are used in dates, as in this clip in which the speaker is talking
about a major art exhibition held in 2006.
The Biennale of Sydney this year is the 15th. It occurs every two years, as all
biennales do and this year starts on the 8th of June.
He says 'the fifteenth'. He means the fifteenth Sydney Biennale exhibition. There
have been 14 held before this one. The date is the eighth of June. This date can be
expressed like this:
June eighth
June the eighth
Now listen for another use of an ordinal number in this clip about an art course held
in an art gallery:
So if we're looking at one of the paintings in this gallery in European art, where we're
looking at 19th-century paintings, we're talking about the paintings as they appear in
the gallery spaces.
She says: '19th century paintings'.
Ordinal numbers are used for centuries and are often written in numbers like this:
19th
Of course, this refers to the 1800s, again usually written as a number: the 1800s.
So what do you call the present century?
Page 2 of 4
I think that the strongest mark of 21st century culture is artists taking from every
possible place to realise their visions.
He says: '21st century culture'. The suffix 's-t' is used after 1 to represent the last 2
letters of 'first'.
Ordinal numbers are also used to refer to fractions.
You have the special fraction terms - half, third and quarter, but all other forms use
ordinal numbers as in this clip about the wind farm:
Six towers were erected in that time; these have the potential of generating one fifth
of Tasmania's power needs from wind energy.
'One fifth of Tasmania's power needs'.
Plural fractions take a plural form, for example: two fifths. Fractions are followed by
'of': one fifth of. And a noun group which refers to the whole: one fifth of
Tasmania's power needs.
Another type of fraction is percentage. For example, 'one-quarter' (1/4) can be

expressed as 25%.
Let's listen for the percentage used in this clip about an oyster farm:
It takes approximately 2 to 2 and a half years to get the oysters up to size and sold to
the market. From this farm we've averaged about 15% of the market for export and
that goes to Hong Kong and Japan.
'…fifteen percent of the market'.
Percentages have the same structure as fractions, 'of' and a noun group: Fifteen
percent of the market for export.
Yet another way of talking about parts of numbers is decimals.
Listen to how they're used in talking about wind turbines:
It's quite a large structure. 1.75 megawatts generated by each unit.
'1.75 megawatts'.
Electrical power is measured in 'watts'. One megawatt is one million watts.

You say one point seven five, but write it in numbers with a decimal point: 1.75.
A decimal is usually followed by a plural noun: '1.75 megawatts'
Now let's listen to a furniture maker talk about the thickness of the veneer, or layer of
wood he puts on his furniture. Is his veneer thicker than the old fashioned sort?
Page 3 of 4
Today we're using sophisticated ways of putting our construction of our furniture. We
use a lot of veneers and those veneers aren't the old-fashioned .06 of a mil, they're
about a 6 mil veneer and they're laid up on MDF and they have a solid frame.
His veneers 'aren't the old-fashioned .06 of a mil'. They're 'about a 6 mil veneer'.
They're much thicker.
'Point 06 of a mil' is a decimal figure. It's less than one. Mil is short for millimetre.
Notice that he says it like a fraction - point 06 of a mil.
Usually you say point 06, although you will sometimes hear point zero six.
That's all for today.
For more practice listening to the way numbers are expressed, go to our website.
Page 4 of 4
TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 17: TALKING ABOUT FESTIVALS AND CELEBRATIONS
A common topic in the IELTS Test is Festivals and Celebrations.
It's a good idea to be prepared to talk about a major festival in your country or the
way weddings and birthdays are celebrated.
By festivals, we mean things such as Chinese New Year or Christmas or the Water
Festival. How does our speaker talk about the Water Festival?
The Water Festival is one of the most popular festivals in Cambodia. There are about
430 boats from all over the country. Each boat carries between 40 to 70 people. They
just pack into these little canoes. There are quite a few aspects to the Water Festival.
It's best to introduce a topic so the listener knows what to expect. This is called the
orientation.
The opening statement should tell us what to expect – here it is a description of the
Water Festival in Cambodia and some aspects of this festival.
What exactly are these aspects?
There are quite a few aspects to the Water Festival. It is celebrated every year and
its history is that the King would use the Water Festival to find the strongest men to
join the marine force to look after the country. I would say every Cambodian would
consider water the most important thing in their life.
There are two aspects. There's the history of the festival and the significance of the
festival to people now. It's a good idea to think of a major festival in your country and
then think of ways to expand your answer, like this:
I would say every Cambodian would consider water the most important thing in their
life. The majority of Cambodians live in the countryside and the rural population rely
on water, you know, to farm. So they basically almost worship water. And
Cambodia's Water Festival coincides with the full moon, a good omen that promises
a bountiful harvest.
Notice that when you talk about customs you are talking about facts and so you
would need to use the simple present tense, like this:
There are quite a few aspects to the Water Festival. The majority of Cambodians
live in the countryside and the rural population rely on water, you know, to farm.
They basically almost worship water. And Cambodia's Water Festival coincides
with the full moon, a good omen that promises a bountiful harvest.
Page 1 of 3
Now let's look at the way our speaker uses the words 'a' and 'the' in her speech.
'The' is used to identify something there is only one of, such as the Water Festival,
the King, the strongest men, the marine force, and the country. Listen:
There are quite a few aspects to the Water Festival. It is celebrated every year and it
history is that the King would use the Water Festival to find the strongest men to join
the marine force to look after the country.
'A' is used to identify one of many, so she says 'a good omen' and 'a bountiful
harvest':
So they basically almost worship water. And Cambodia's Water Festival coincides
with the full moon, a good omen that promises a bountiful harvest.
When you generalise with words such as water no article is used: Water is
uncountable, as is air, knowledge and information.
I would say every Cambodian would consider water the most important thing in their
life. The majority of Cambodians live in the countryside and the rural population rely
on water, you know, to farm. So they basically almost worship water.
There she is talking about water in general and so uses no articles.
A good rule for articles is to not use them if you can say 'in general'.
But if you can say 'in particular', you should use 'the' - the water in the Mekong.
Another thing to say about festivals is how often they happen and at what time of
year as this speaker does in talking about Chinese New Year:
Chinese New Year is held every year, but it's not always on the same date in the
western calendar. Sometimes it's in late January and sometimes it's in February.
It's to do with phase of the moon and so some people call it the Lunar New Year.
Notice the time phrases – every year, not always, late January and sometimes.
Listen again:
Chinese New Year is held every year, but it's not always on the same date in the
western calendar. Sometimes it's in late January and sometimes it's in February.
It's to do with phase of the moon and so some people call it the Lunar New Year.
One way of describing a festival is to say what it resembles.
What sort of things do you do to celebrate?

Oh, we...we... It's a family get-together. And it's a bit like the English Christmas, but
we Chinese in Australia, we celebrate Chinese New Year just like the traditions back
home in China and Asia.
But you also need to say how it is different:
It's a really noisy celebration with drums and fireworks and dragon and lion dances.
Page 2 of 3
Now let's listen to someone describing in detail the customs of Chinese New Year:
The Dragon ushers in prosperity, health, wealth to everybody. The Chinese people
worship and pray to the Dragon because the Dragon brings in, as I said, prosperity,
health and wealth. That means it controls the element of the earth. So it controls like
the rain, the sun, and like we badly need the rain so we'd better pray hard today to
the Dragon and ask for rain. We pray to the Keeper God because the Keeper God
has been keeping the Dragon safe whilst the Dragon is resting and sleeping in his
home. The Lion will awaken the Dragon because the Dragon is supposed to be
asleep. The Lion ward away all evil and then the Dragon usher in all this good luck,
you know, good health to all the people in Melbourne and around the world.
She explains some of the customs that make Chinese New Year unique. You would
be expected to do something like this if you were asked about the biggest celebration
in your country. So practise explaining these things and try to say why people do
things, like this:
The Dragon ushers in prosperity, health, wealth to everybody. The Chinese people
worship and pray to the Dragon because the Dragon brings in, as I said, prosperity,
health and wealth.
When you are talking about a continuous action that begins in the past and continues
until the present, as our speaker does in talking about the dragon, you combine has
with been and the –ing form of the verb. The Keeper God 'has been keeping' the
dragon safe. Listen:
We pray to the Keeper God because the Keeper God has been keeping the Dragon
safe whilst the Dragon is resting and sleeping in his home.
She also uses a word that means 'at the same time' - whilst. Another way of saying
this is while. So she talks about two things happening at the same time that began
in the past and continued to the present, the God keeping the dragon safe and the
dragon sleeping. Listen one last time:
We pray to the Keeper God because the Keeper God has been keeping the Dragon
safe whilst the Dragon is resting and sleeping in his home.
That's all for now.
You can't know exactly what you are going to be asked about in the IELTS Test, but
thinking about general topics such as festivals and celebrations and then practising
talking about them will increase your confidence.
To watch this episode again and all the Study English programs, visit our website.
Page 3 of 3
TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 18: LABELLING & DESCRIBING AN OBJECT
There may be questions about labelling and describing the parts of an object in the
IELTS Test, so it's useful to know the language for this.
Let's start by listening to a description of an object that is part of a robotic helicopter:
This is what we call a hat mirror. Why is it called a hat mirror? Well, because of the
shape. Look at it! It's shaped like a Mexican hat. And it comprises of two main mirrors
- the panoramic mirror at the top here and the circular mirror down the bottom which
does stereo imaging between this and the other mirror. Also there's the… a
secondary mirror so all the light from these two mirrors reflect up here and then back
down into the hole where there's a video camera sitting inside the mirror.
Why does he call it a hat mirror? Listen:
Because of the shape. Look at it! It's shaped like a Mexican hat.
The words 'shape', 'it's shaped' and 'like', which means 'similar to', are the clues.
It simply looks like a Mexican hat.
Because of the shape. Look at it! It's shaped like a Mexican hat.
Let's see how the parts of this hat mirror are described.
It comprises of two main mirrors - the panoramic mirror at the top here and the
circular mirror down the bottom which does stereo imaging between this and the
other mirror.
It 'comprises' - it 'is made up of' - two main mirrors. Here, main is the word to
notice. If there are two main mirrors, or 2 more important mirrors, there must be
another mirror. Listen:
And it comprises of two main mirrors - the panoramic mirror at the top here and the
other mirror. Also there's the… a secondary mirror so all the light from these two
mirrors reflect up here and then back down into the hole where there's a video
camera sitting inside the mirror.
The other, 'less important' mirror is called a 'secondary' mirror. So there are 3
mirrors.
What were the main mirrors called?
other mirror.
Page 1 of 4
They are the circular mirror and the panoramic mirror. Circular describes the shape
of a circle. A CD has a circular shape.
What does panoramic mean? Listen for the answer:
So the hat mirror does a couple of things. First of all, it gives the helicopter all-round
vision, so it gives the panoramic vision just like an insect so you can look at the
horizon all around you.
Panoramic is all-round vision or a view of a wide area, like this. People talk about a
panoramic view.
He tells you the position of the mirrors with the expressions 'at the top here' and
'down the bottom':
And it comprises two main mirrors - the panoramic mirror at the top here and the
circular mirror down the bottom …
He also talks about the position of a video camera. Where is it?
…there's a video camera sitting inside the mirror.
'Sitting inside the mirror'. Inside tells you that the camera is within the mirror.
Now listen for the words that allow you to follow the direction of things:
Also there's the … a secondary mirror so all the light from these two mirrors reflect up
here and then back down into the hole where there's a video camera sitting inside the
mirror.
The light 'reflects up here' and 'then back down into the hole'.
He tells us the direction by saying 'up here' and 'down' and uses the word 'then' to
tell us the order in which things happen. Listen again:
…so all the light from these two mirrors reflects up here and then back down into the
hole where there's a video camera sitting inside the mirror.
When introducing the parts of an object and describing something factual, the active
voice and the simple present tense are often used. Our speaker says 'it
comprises':
circular mirror down the bottom ….
In a more formal context such as a written description, you could use the passive
voice and say 'It is comprised of 2 main mirrors'. But notice that you still use the
present tense – it is comprised.
Does he use the passive voice here?
Look at it! It's shaped like a Mexican hat.
Page 2 of 4
It's shaped like a Mexican hat. He's using the passive voice - 'it is shaped'.
He could have used the active voice and said:
It looks like a Mexican hat.
Or
It resembles a Mexican hat.
Now listen for how he describes what the light does. Does he use the active or
passive voice?
…so all the light from these two mirrors reflect up here and then back down into the
hole.
'All the light reflects' - that's the active voice.
In formal writing this would use the passive voice, like this:
The light from these 2 mirrors is reflected up to the top and then back down
into the hole.
Let's review the sort of language you need to listen for when an object is described.
First there is shape.
Things are described as square. The panels on this video display are square.
Things that have a circle shape are described as round or circular. The bicycle
wheels are round.
Another common shape is a rectangle. Things that have this shape are called
rectangular. The billiard table is a rectangle. It has a rectangular shape. The
windows are rectangular.
You'll often hear things described as oval such as these surfboards.
The next type of language describes position, such as in front of … the people are
in front of the building
Between. The slide goes here, between the lens and the mirror which provides
the light. On the right or on the left. The dial on the right adjusts the focus.
Let's look at another description, this time of a much simpler device:
The naked flame of a candle can easily set fire to things. But it can be made safe by
covering it with wire mesh. Its shape is a simple tube. The wire mesh is made of
bronze so it doesn't melt. You can see that the flame goes up to the mesh and
spreads below it but it won't go through.
Again, the present tense is used - is, doesn't, see, goes, spreads and go. Listen:
Page 3 of 4
The wire mesh is made of bronze so it doesn't melt. Its shape is a simple tube. You
can see that the flame goes up to the mesh and spreads below it but it won't go
through.
The present passive voice is used to say that the wire mesh is made of bronze.
How would that be expressed in the active voice?
The wire mesh is bronze, so it doesn't melt.
Now listen for the position words:
It goes over the candle and surrounds the flame to prevent it from igniting anything.
'Over' and 'surrounds'. Something that surrounds is all the way around and
something that is over, covers.
It goes over the candle and surrounds the flame to prevent it from igniting anything.
That's all for now.
You can't know exactly what you are going to be asked about in the IELTS Test, but
knowing how a description of an object is structured will help.
Good luck with your studies!
Page 4 of 4
TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 19: LABELLING A FLOW CHART
One of the skills in the listening test is listening for specific information. Here's a
story about a process – making spectacles – or glasses.
People like my frames because they're individually made for them, they're uniquely
Australian, there's an air of exclusivity about it, and they're fun to wear. My name's
Roger Henley, I'm a spectacle frame-maker in Adelaide. I'm one of three in Australia
that produces hand-made spectacle frames. My interest in frame-making started in
1978 when, as an apprentice optical mechanic, I felt I could make spectacle frames.
So in 1987 I actually left my job and started a business of making spectacle frames.
The frame-making process, in brief, involves over 50 steps. I'll just go through a few
of them. The first step is to mill the front out on a CAD milling machine. It then has a
heat-sink joint inserted into the frame front. It is then heated in an oven to its memory
set point, which is 110 degrees C, and then placed in a mould which then gives it its
curvature or meniscus on the frame.
There's a lot of information there, and sometimes it's hard to hear the specific thing
you're listening for. How can you prepare for this? First – listen for the key words in
the question. Look at this question:
Who is Roger Henley?
The key words are 'who' and 'Roger Henley'. So listen for the name Roger Henley
in the listening passage:
People like my frames because they're individually made for them, they're uniquely
Australian, there's an air of exclusivity about it, and they're fun to wear. My name's
Roger Henley, I'm a spectacle frame-maker in Adelaide. I'm one of three in Australia
that produces hand-made spectacle frames.
My name's Roger Henley, I'm a spectacle frame-maker in Adelaide. He describes

who he is, by saying what he does, immediately after he says his name.
My name's Roger Henley, I'm a spectacle frame-maker in Adelaide. I'm one of three
in Australia that produces hand-made spectacle frames.
Look at this question:
When did he begin manufacturing glasses?
The key words are 'when', 'begin' and 'manufacturing glasses' and because the
question asks 'when' – you need to listen for a date.
I'm one of three in Australia that produces hand-made spectacle frames. My interest
in frame-making started in 1978 when, as an apprentice optical mechanic, I felt I
could make spectacle frames. So in 1987 I actually left my job and started a business
of making spectacle frames.
Page 1 of 6
There were two dates – 1978 and 1987. Which one is correct? You need to listen for
words that mean the same as the key words in the question – 'begin',
'manufacturing', and 'glasses'.
I'm one of three in Australia that produces hand-made spectacle frames. My interest
in frame-making started in 1978 when, as an apprentice optical mechanic, I felt I
could make spectacle frames. So in 1987 I actually left my job and started a business
of making spectacle frames.
We know 'spectacles' is another word for 'glasses'. 'Started' is another word for
'began', and 'making' is another word for 'manufacturing'.
So in 1987 I actually left my job and started a business of making spectacle frames.
So the answer is 1987. Remember when you're looking at questions and key words –
to look especially for 'wh' words – who, where, when, which, why – and for
information that will answer those questions:
Who
a person or persons
Where
a place
When
a time or date
Which
a specific example
Why
a reason
And also remember to listen for synonyms for your key words – words which mean
the same thing as the key word.
In the test, note how many words your answer can be – it might be two or three. You
must not use more than two or three words in your answer.
Here's another question: How many stages are there in the frame-making
process? Use no more than two words in your answer. Listen:
of them. The first step is to mill the front out on a CAD milling machine. It then has a
heat-sink joint inserted into the frame front. It is then heated in an oven to its memory
set point, which is 110 degrees C, and then placed in a mould which then gives it its
curvature or meniscus on the frame.
The question 'how many?' tells us the answer must be a number. And what word is
a synonym for 'stages?' Listen again.
of them.
'Steps' is a synonym for 'stages', so you could write: 50 steps, or over 50 steps, or
over 50. Which is correct?
Page 2 of 6
The only correct answer is 'over 50'. It answers the question – how many stages are
there in the frame-making process. '50 steps' is incorrect because there are more
than fifty, and 'over 50 steps' is incorrect, because you were asked to use no more
than two words.
Another type of question in the listening test involves labelling a diagram, or chart.
Listen to Roger Henley describing the first four stages of the frame-making process:
The first step is to mill the front out on a CAD milling machine. It then has a heat-sink
joint inserted into the frame front. It is then heated in an oven to its memory set point,
which is 110 degrees C, and then placed in a mould which then gives it its curvature
or meniscus on the frame.
Here are those four stages as a flow chart, with words missing.
You need to listen for 'what' words complete these four stages. What kind of word
will you listen for? Look at the first one:
In processes, simple present passive voice is often used, as it is here. So probably

the word needed is a participle.
The first step is to mill the front out on a CAD milling machine.
So the word missing is the participle formed of the verb 'to mill' – milled.
Page 3 of 6
The second missing word is also a participle to complete a passive sentence.
joint inserted into the frame front.
Page 4 of 6
The missing word is 'inserted'.
In the third example the gap is before the symbol for 'degrees centigrade' – so you
should be listening for a number.
joint inserted into the frame front. It is then heated in an oven to its memory set
point, which is 110 degrees C.
So you should write 110 in the space.
And in the final example, notice that the gap follows the indefinite article 'a'. So you
know the word must be a noun.
It is then heated in an oven to its memory set point, which is 110 degrees C. And
then placed in a mould which then gives it its curvature or meniscus on the frame.
Page 5 of 6
It is placed in a mould, which is a form to give shape to something.
That's all for now.
(The address is: australianetwork.com/studyenglish)
Good luck with your studies
Page 6 of 6
TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 20: GIVING EXAMPLES
One of the things you will often need to do, in both spoken and written English, is
give examples. Today we'll look at some of the language you can use for giving
examples, and also for clarifying.
First let's listen to someone talking about an analysis of bird songs:
We're researching the effects of traffic noise on the calling behaviour of birds.
Normally, if there was no background noise from roads or other human-generated
noise, they'd be able to hear each other at least 100 metres apart. But where we
have loud traffic, it's likely they can only hear each other 20 or 30 metres apart. We
can analyse the frequency of the different notes in the calls. So for example, this is
the grey fantail - how it would sound at a quiet site.
She gives an example of one bird call they have analysed, and introduces that with
the phrase 'for example'.
So for example, this is the grey fantail - how it would sound at a quiet site.
For example can be used to introduce the example, as it is here, or it can be placed
after the example:
This is the grey fantail, for example.
But formally, it is better to introduce the example with the phrase. Listen:
The birds aren't changing their tune very much, so on average, they're only going up
one note on the musical scale. For example, with the grey shrike-thrush, it goes from
here to here.
The speaker makes a general statement about the behaviour of birds then illustrates
it with one specific example.
The birds aren't changing their tune very much, so on average, they're only going up
one note on the musical scale. For example, with the grey shrike-thrush, it goes from
here to here.
Another phrase with exactly the same meaning is 'for instance'. Listen for the
phrase used by this woman talking about kite-flying:
Kiting has developed over the years. It's just amazing the difference and the
variation. For instance, with the inflatable kites we don't use any spars with them. But
you can't make inflatable kites unless you've got the right materials so today we work
with rib-stock nylon so we're able to sew it. So, it's sort of like balloon fabric so we
can fill them up with air and they go up in the sky.
Page 1 of 4
Again the phrase 'for instance' introduces the example. She makes a statement
about the variety of kites, and then gives one example, of a kite with no spars:
It's just amazing the difference and the variation. For instance, with the inflatable
kites we don't use any spars with them.
In informal language, when speaking, we can use less formal terms for giving
examples.
But you can't make inflatable kites unless you've got the right materials so today we
work with rib-stock nylon so we're able to sew it. So, it's sort of like balloon fabric so
we can fill them up with air and they go up in the sky.
It's 'sort of' like balloon fabric. Here the speaker is using an example of something
that might be familiar to the listener - balloon fabric - to clarify what type of fabric is
used in the kites. 'Sort of' would not be used in this way in a formal essay.
There's another way of giving examples, listen:
We here have so far only studied two species of birds, the grey shrike-thrush and the
grey fantail.
Here the examples are not introduced with a phrase - the speaker simply pauses
before giving the examples.
We here have so far only studied two species of birds, the grey shrike-thrush and the
grey fantail.
When both speaking and writing, it's a good idea to try to be as specific and precise
as possible when giving examples, or describing something. Listen to the bird
scientist again, and see if you can hear the words that she uses to make her
statements more precise.
Normally, if there was no background noise from roads or other human-generated

noise, they'd be able to hear each other at least 100 metres apart. But where we
have loud traffic, it's likely they can only hear each other 20 or 30 metres apart.
Traffic can be very noisy, depending on how many cars there are on the road and
how fast they're travelling and how many big trucks there are. So at the largest roads
that we've included in our study, there are about 150,000 cars coming past a day and
that makes a noise, if you're right next to it, of up to 95 decibels, which is loud!
Firstly, let's look at some of the expressions used to make descriptions of numbers
more exact:
…they'd be able to hear each other at least 100 metres apart. But where we have
loud traffic, it's likely they can only hear each other 20 or 30 metres apart.
…at least 100 metres apart. 100 metres is the minimum distance the birds would be
able to hear each other.
…there are about 150,000 cars coming past a day and that makes a noise, if you're
right next to it, of up to 95 decibels, which is loud!
Page 2 of 4
…about 150,000 cars - possibly a bit more, or less than 150,000.
…up to 95 decibels - 95 decibels is the loudest noise recorded.
…there are about 150,000 cars coming past a day and that makes a noise, if you're
right next to it, of up to 95 decibels, which is loud!
Using words and phrases such as 'about', 'up to', 'more than', 'less than' and
'most of' helps to make your meaning more precise, and more convincing.
Expanding on an idea, clarifying and giving examples and reasons, are all
important language functions you should demonstrate. Let's see how the bird
scientist illustrates her theory about bird calls and traffic:
It's a problem because communicating acoustically with sound is really a very

important thing for birds. It's a matter of life and death. If they can't hear, in the first
place they may have trouble attracting mates and breeding and keeping the
population going. And also, if they can't hear each other's warning calls, they may be
more likely to be taken by predators. Wherever you are, wherever there are roads
and wherever there are birds, there are likely to be this problem. Birds will have
difficulty hearing each other and may be responding in the only way that they can.
She is explaining why it is important for birds to be able to hear each other. She
illustrates the importance with this phrase:
It's a matter of life and death.
It's a matter of life and death.
Using idioms like this is a good way of demonstrating your familiarity with English.
She then goes on to give specific examples why birds need to hear each other.
If they can't hear, in the first place they may have trouble attracting mates and
breeding and keeping the population going. And also, if they can't hear each other's
warning calls, they may be more likely to be taken by predators.
Problems occur when birds can't hear each other.
She uses some signpost words to help the listener understand the different
examples.
What are those words?
breeding and keeping the population going. And also, if they can't hear each other's
warning calls, they may be more likely to be taken by predators.
'In the first place' is a sign that an example is going to follow, but also it tells the
listener there will be another one.
Page 3 of 4
breeding and keeping the population going.
The second signpost word is 'also'. This introduces the second example.
And also, if they can't hear each other's warning calls, they may be more likely to be
taken by predators.
That's all for now.
To find out more about giving examples and to watch this episode again, visit the
Study English website.
I'll see you next time.
Page 4 of 4
TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 21: TALKING ABOUT THE FAMILY
The family is a common topic in IELTS, especially in Part 1 of the Speaking Test.
Talking about such a familiar topic might seem simple, but doing it well requires
thought and practice.
Let's listen to someone talking about their family:
My mother is a teacher and my father is an architect. I've got 2 brothers and one
sister, so that's all the immediate family.
She begins by identifying her mother and father, and then her brothers and sister.
What did she call all of them together?
The immediate family. Another term for this is nuclear family.
That's the parents – mother and father – and the siblings – brothers and sisters.
A male child is called the son of his parents and a female child is called the
daughter.
Mother and father are the formal words. In informal English you say mum and dad,
like this:
Me and my mum we immigrated to Australia in 1991 to Perth and then I moved over
to Sydney to be with my dad, then dad moved back to Thailand, so yeah.
The family outside of the immediate family is called the extended family.
The parents of your parents are called grandparents – grandmother and

grandfather. The brothers and sisters of your parents are called uncles and aunts.
Listen:
Both my parents were only children, so I don't have any aunts or uncles. But I do
have a niece, my oldest brother's daughter.
If you refer to your mother's sister, you can say "my aunt on my mother's side". If
you refer to your father's father, you can say "grandfather on my father's side".
The children of your aunts and uncles are called "cousins", whether male or female.
The children of your brothers and sisters are called nephews if they're boys and
nieces if they're girls.
Page 1 of 4
What did our first speaker say about her extended family?
Both my parents were only children, so I don't have any aunts or uncles. But I do
have a niece, my oldest brother's daughter.
She said her both her parents were only children. This means they were the only
child of their parents and didn't have any brothers or sisters.
If there are several children in your family you talk about them by order of birth, like
this:
I have one older brother, he's 22. I have, I'm in the middle and I'm 20 and I have a
younger sister who is 15.
The first child in the family can be called the oldest and the last the youngest.
Sometimes the youngest is called the baby brother or sister, or as in the next clip,
the little brother or sister:
I've got 2 sisters and a little brother.
The children of a family are a generation and the children they go on to have are the
next generation.
For instance, when someone's parents immigrate to Australia and have children
here, those children are called first-generation Australians. When they grow up and
have children, their children are referred to as second-generation Australians.
Listen:
My parents were born in Italy but my brothers and sister were born here so we're first
generation Australians. My niece is second generation.
A married couple are husband and wife. Each is called the spouse of the other.
The words for relatives by marriage are the same as with your immediate family, but
with –in-law added.
So your spouse's father is your father-in-law and their sister is your sister-in-law.
The plural of these forms is sisters-in-law and fathers-in-law.
Death and divorce mean that people remarry and have children with a different
parent.
This parent by marriage is called your step-mother or step-father. Any children

they may already have become your step-brothers and step-sisters. The children
they go on to have with your actual mother or father are your half-brothers or half-
sisters.
In the IELTS Speaking Test it is important to extend your answers. When asked
about your family, it's best to reply first by saying who is in your immediate family as
our first speaker did:
Page 2 of 4
Now listen to how you might develop a longer answer, like this:
My mum was born in Malaysia in a town called Bentong, which is just north of Kuala
Lumpur. But her family origin is Sri Lankan Tamil. So racially I guess you'd say
they're South Indian. But they migrated to Sri Lanka and then her family …her elder
sister was born in Sri Lanka. But then her family moved to Malaysia and most of the
other children were born in Malaysia.
First she says where her mum was born:
Lumpur.
But her mother isn't ethnically Malaysian, so she points this out:
But her family origin is Sri Lankan Tamil. So racially I guess you'd say they're South
Indian.
She then explains how her mother came to be born in Malaysia:
Her elder sister was born in Sri Lanka. But then her family moved to Malaysia and
most of the other children were born in Malaysia.
When developing your answer, be careful to use the correct prepositions – in or at.
You are born 'in' a country and 'in' a town.
Listen:
Lumpur.
If you decided to say where your parents were educated, you need to say 'at' – "my
father studied at University."
There are many possible questions that can be asked about families. The questions
are designed to make you use particular language functions.
So, for making comparisons you may be asked: "Are nuclear families better
than extended families?"
And for giving an opinion, the examiner might ask: "Should children always obey
their parents?"
If the examiner asked you: "What is the best age to get married?" They are
expecting you to identify and explain.
So it's a good idea to think about possible questions like these and try to make up
some more questions yourself. Listen to the way this woman responds to the
question: "What's a normal family?"
Page 3 of 4
I don't think there's any such thing as a normal family, but, yeah my family gets along
well. It's got it's quirks but we get along well.
That's challenging the question, which you are allowed to do as long as you justify
what you say.
When answering questions about family, you need to be able to identify family
members and their relationships to one another with the correct words.
What family members does this woman mention?
I used to speak Cantonese at home when I was a kid and then when I went to school
I spoke English with all my friends, and a few of my cousins are here and things, so I
spoke English with them as well, and then slowly I lost learning Cantonese and I can't
speak it anymore.
She talked about her cousins, who are the children of her aunts or uncles.
You need to have something to say about your family, so be prepared to say where
your parents were born or where your brothers or sisters work or study, like this:
My oldest brother studied law at Flinders University in Adelaide and got a job at a law
firm in the city where he met his wife. They were married 2 years ago and last year
they had their first child. My sister-in law is expecting another baby. I'm hoping for a
nephew this time.
She talked about her oldest brother, his wife who is also her sister-in-law and her
potential nephew. She said when her brother was married, where he studied and
what he does and even where he met his wife.
That's all for now.
To find more information about the speaking test and to view other episodes, visit our
Study English website.
Page 4 of 4
TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 22: TALKING ABOUT HOLIDAYS AND LEISURE TIME
To prepare for IELTS it is useful to consider the topic of holidays and what people
do in their leisure time.
To start us off, let's listen to someone talking about his holidays:
It's always been a dream of mine to travel around the world and see as many
countries as possible. I suppose everyone dreams of this, although some people are
content to stay close to home. I get about 4 weeks annual leave and I try and take it
in summer when I can link it to the public holidays that fall around then – Christmas,
Boxing Day New Year's Eve, and turn it into a 3 or 4 week vacation. I try to get out of
the country and go on a trip somewhere. Somewhere like Bali, somewhere close.
We get about 7 public holidays in Australia – Christmas, Easter, and Australia Day
just to name a few.
He talked about holidays and vacations. What's the difference?
A holiday can be one day or several days, whereas a vacation is usually

understood to be a long time – a week or more. Vacation is a word used more in the
United States and is not very common in Australia. In Australia we say "summer
holidays" instead of "summer vacation".
Listen to our speaker again:
I get about 4 weeks annual leave and I try and take it in summer when I can link it to
the public holidays that fall around then – Christmas, Boxing Day New Year's Eve,
and turn it into a 3 or 4 week vacation.
He said annual leave. We call the time when we don't go to work "leave".
"Sick leave" is when we don't go to work because of illness.
"Annual leave" means the amount of holiday time workers have in a year.
He also mentioned "public holidays". These are days when most people in the
country get a day off work but are still paid. They are days considered important to
everyone.
For the Speaking Test, you should be prepared to have something to say about
these holidays in your country – what they are for, when they are held and what
people do, like this:
We get about 7 public holidays in Australia – Christmas, Easter, and Australia Day
just to name a few. Australia Day is on the 26th of January, and it celebrates the day
the first Europeans arrived in Australia. People celebrate by having barbeques and
playing cricket in the park and on the beaches and in Sydney there is always a
massive fireworks display.
Page 1 of 4
It's a good idea to brainstorm the topic of holidays and try to guess what you might be
asked. It could be something like:
Why are holidays important?
Or
How much should we work and how much should we rest?
Or
Why do we need holidays?
Spend some time to think of questions like these and how you might answer them.
Practise saying your answers – this will help you in the Speaking Test.
In Part 1 of the Speaking Test, the questions can be quite simple, like: What do you
do on the weekends?
How does our speaker reply to that?
On the weekend, I catch up on sleep; I do the housework, the shopping, the washing
– all those household chores.
He says 'do the housework'. In reply to the question 'What do you do on the
weekend?' it's best to reply with the same verb in the same tense – I do the
gardening, I do the shopping.
Now listen to our speaker reply to this question. What did you do on the weekend?
Oh. I washed my clothes, I went shopping and I went out on Saturday night and saw
a movie. But mostly I sat around and watched TV.
Because he was asked in the past tense – what did you do, he replies with the past
tense and uses the past tense verbs washed, went and sat instead of wash, go and
sit.
Listen again: What did you do on the weekend?
Oh. I washed my clothes, I went shopping and I went out on Saturday night and saw
a movie. But mostly I sat around and watched TV.
A related topic that you can expect to be asked about is leisure time and what you
do.
Let's listen to our speaker again:
Page 2 of 4
I have a few interests but music is most important to me. I have a few friends and we
meet up a few times a month and play together. As a child I used to have a few
hobbies – flying pigeons, collecting stamps and football cards.
He calls what he does in his leisure time interests and hobbies. When he was a
child he used to have hobbies. The verb 'used' is followed by 'to have'.
As a child I used to have a few hobbies – flying pigeons, collecting stamps and
football cards.
There are many verbs in English which are themselves followed by verbs, but in the
infinitive form like 'to have' without -ing or -ed. Listen for them in this clip.
I need to do a lot of things before I go. I need to pack. I need to organise someone to
look after my cat. And I also want to read about Bali before I go – I don't want to be
just a tourist.
Need to do, need to pack, need to organise, want to read, want to be.
Listen again:
I need to do a lot of things before I go. I need to pack. I need to organise someone to
look after my cat. And I also want to read about Bali before I go – I don't want to be
just a tourist.
Now listen out for one more example of a verb followed by the infinitive:
I try to get out of the country and go on a trip somewhere. Somewhere like Bali,
somewhere close.
verb infinitive
Try to get.
However, some verbs are followed by the –ing form, or present participle
Listen to our speaker again:
I enjoy travelling. I like flying, especially taking off and I even like eating the food
they give you.
Enjoy travelling, like flying, like eating.
Listen again:
I enjoy travelling. I like flying, especially taking off and I even like eating the food
they give you.
Some verbs, such as enjoy are only followed by the –ing form: enjoy travelling,
enjoy reading.
But the verb 'like' can be followed by the –ing form or the infinitive.
Page 3 of 4
Listen:
I enjoy travelling. I like to fly, especially taking off and I even like to eat the food they
give you.
You need to learn which verbs are used with only the infinitive or only with the –ing
form. And you need to know which ones are used with both.
Infinitives also follow some adjectives. Listen out for these in the next clip:
I won't be sad to leave work behind and I'll be more than ready to enjoy myself after a
hard year. I'll be happy to spend the last few days doing not much at all.
Sad to leave, ready to enjoy, happy to spend. Listen again:
I won't be sad to leave work behind and I'll be more than ready to enjoy myself after a
hard year. I'll be happy to spend the last few days doing not much at all.
The –ing form isn't always used as a verb. Listen to our speaker talking about his
hobbies again:
I have a few interests but music is most important to me. I have a few friends and we
meet up a few times a month and play together. As a child I used to have a few
hobbies – flying pigeons, collecting stamps and football cards.
"Flying pigeons and collecting stamps". Here the words flying and collecting
act like verbs and nouns at the same time. These are called gerunds.
Listen out for the gerunds in the next clip:
Here, "the shopping" and "the washing" are also noun/verbs or gerunds.
Listen one more time:
That's all for now.
To find more information about gerunds and infinitives, visit our Study English
website. You'll find all of the Study English episodes there and plenty of activities.
Good Luck with your studies. Bye
Page 4 of 4
TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 23: TALKING ABOUT FOOD
The topic of food and the customs around preparing food come up often in the
IELTS Speaking Test. It is useful to look at this topic area and think about how to
select language and organise a response if you're asked to talk about food, cooking
and diet.
Let's begin by listening to someone talk about the various meals she has during the
day:
I usually have breakfast every morning, and lunch in the early afternoon, a sandwich
usually or some instant noodles, but the main meal of the day for me is normally
dinner.
Let's go over the language of meals. She mentioned breakfast, the morning meal,
lunch, the meal we have in the middle of the day and dinner, which is the evening
meal.
So what other words are there?
In the United States and Britain another word for dinner is supper.
In Australia the word supper isn't used very often and usually refers to a light meal
late at night.
In Australia the other word for dinner is tea.
Tea can also refer to afternoon tea or high tea, a formal English meal of small
sandwiches, scones and a cup of tea.
A tea break or a coffee break is a short time during the working day when people
have a break with a cup of tea or coffee.
Food and drink consumed between meals during the day or night are called snacks.
You might hear people talk about 'brunch', which is a mid morning meal that
combines breakfast and lunch, a bit like the Chinese yumcha.
Yumcha is quite familiar to westerners these days and it would be reasonable if

asked what your favourite meal is to talk about it as the speaker does here:
The family usually gets together on Sunday for a traditional Chinese banquet, or
yumcha, either at home or in China town, but usually I eat on my own, or have lunch
at work with a colleague.
So what might you be asked about meals?
You might be asked what you usually have to eat for breakfast or whether you eat
breakfast at all.
Page 1 of 4
Another common question is 'What is the main meal of the day?'
How does the speaker answer that?
dinner.
Her answer is dinner, but, as would be expected, she expands her answer to talk
about other meals too.
It is important to distinguish between meal and staple. Staple means the basic food
most commonly eaten. For most people in Asia this is rice as it is with our speaker:
Rice is the main staple in my diet.
Staples in other countries are potatoes, and wheat in its various forms such as
bread, pasta or couscous.
When preparing for the IELTS Test, it is important to brainstorm a variety of topics
and issues – to begin to develop your own ideas, and build up possible responses.
You should:
 think of examples
 think of reasons
 think of useful vocabulary
To start you could divide the topic of food into various aspects such as: meat, fish,
vegetables and herbs and spices.
Cooking styles: boiling, frying and steaming.
Cuisines: Italian, Indian and Japanese.
Cooking utensils: pots, pans and woks.
Eating utensils: plate, bowl, knife, fork, spoon, chopsticks.
There are many things to say and ask about these things. With food types, you
might want to say that you don't eat meat and that you are a vegetarian. You may
even avoid eggs, milk and fish as well, in which case you are a vegan.
You could be asked why people choose to be a vegetarian or a vegan.
A good reason to be vegetarian is that it is a healthy diet, something our speaker is

aware of:
I try and have a healthy, balanced diet – not much fried, fatty food, and a good mix of
fruit and vegetables.
You may be asked about what healthy food is or if junk food is bad for you and why.
Page 2 of 4
With utensils it's possible that you may be asked to compare chopsticks with forks
with a question like:
Do you prefer to eat with chopsticks or a fork?
Now let's see if you can work out what question might have prompted our speaker's
reply. Listen to the clip, and think what question might have been asked.
Rice is the main staple in my diet. I try and have a healthy, balanced diet – not much
fried, fatty food, and a good mix of fruit and vegetables.
Perhaps she was asked: 'Describe what you usually eat?' That would require
describing in the answer.
Or
'What do you usually eat?', where you would have to identify what you eat.
Which question is more likely? Listen again:
She's identified or named the things she usually eats, so the most likely question
would be: 'What do you usually eat?'
Let's try it again. What question? Think about the language function she uses:
What about: 'Is it better to eat alone or with others?'
That needs you to give an opinion. She talks about eating alone, but doesn't say
that it's better or worse than eating with others.
So that's not right. She explains who she eats with and when, so it's more likely to
be: 'Who do you usually eat with?'
Does the answer fit? Let's try it.
Let's try one more. What might the question be?
I don't cook much. My mother is a good cook, and can create great meals just from a
wok! We have many dishes including roast duck – my favourite.
What about 'Can you cook?' She doesn't really say if she can or can't. She just
says she doesn't cook much.
Page 3 of 4
It's probably: 'Who does the cooking where you live?'
These questions might be asked individually in Part 1 of the Speaking Test, or

joined together in Part 2.
Part 2 is the long turn, where you have to talk for one to two minutes in response to a
prompt card like this:
Talk about what you usually eat every day.
You should say:
 what you eat

 who you eat with, and
 who does the cooking where you live
Let's listen to the response:
dinner. That often consists of some meat, maybe grilled, some steamed vegetables
and rice.
That's all for now.
To find more information about the IELTS Speaking Test, visit our Study English
website. (The address is: australianetwork.com/studyenglish)
Page 4 of 4
TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 24: WORD FORMATION
A useful skill in all aspects of English is knowing how new words are formed with
prefixes and suffixes, and how adding those prefixes and suffixes changes the
meanings of words.
First, let's watch this story about recycling wooden barrels - or kegs - for storing wine.
Listen carefully for words that have a prefix, or a suffix – or both:
Wine involves a great deal of recycling. Not recycling the wine itself, but the barrels
and the kegs that wine is stored in. The barrel's very important. The wood it's made
from imparts flavour and texture and character to the wine. But after a while the wood
loses those qualities and the barrel has to be taken apart, the wood refurbished, the
barrel put back together. From vineyards around Australia, tired old barrels arrive to
be renewed. Glenn is a cooper, practising an ancient craft with its own language.
Well, when they come in, we just start taking the ends out of the barrels, loosening
the hoops on one end, take the head out, retighten it, turn the barrel over and do the
same thing so that we've opened both ends of the barrel. And we use a grinder with a
rotary planer head on it to shave, say, four or five mill out of the inside of that barrel
so that we expose all the fresh oak flavours. The barrel is dismantled. You get
different-width staves. You get wider ones, you get narrower ones. But you might
say, "Why don't they make a square barrel?" Well, they have, and it didn't work. So
coopering lives on.
A word that cannot be broken down into parts is called the root, or base word. A
prefix may be added to the beginning of a word, changing the meaning. And a
suffix may be added to the end of a word. Let's look at one example.
From vineyards around Australia, tired old barrels arrive to be renewed.
Let's look at the word 'renewed'. The base, or root word is 'new', the opposite of old.
It's an adjective. A prefix 're' can be added before the word. The word is now
'renew'. Adding this prefix not only changes the meaning, it changes the function of
the word. 'Renew' is a verb. The prefix 're' means 'again'. So the new word is a
verb that means 'to make new again'.
The suffix 'ed' has a grammatical function you probably know – it changes the tense
of the verb to simple past tense. So the meaning of 'renewed' is 'made new again'.
Tired old barrels arrive to be made new again.
There are some other examples of the prefix 're' in that story. Listen:
Wine involves a great deal of recycling. Not recycling the wine itself, but the barrels
and the kegs that wine is stored in. But after a while the wood loses those qualities
and the barrel has to be taken apart, the wood refurbished, the barrel put back
together.
Page 1 of 3
same thing so that we've opened both ends of the barrel.
The three words were: recycled, refurbished and retighten.
Recycled means to treat something so that it can be used again. Refurbished

means restored – made better, and to retighten, is simply to tighten again. There
is another suffix that can be added to 'refurbish' – 'ment'. This suffix carries the
meaning of 'an action, process or result of', so refurbishment is the process of
refurbishing something.
There are many words in English that use this suffix: development; government;
employment; entertainment; to name just a few.
Now, we've heard a bit about the process of refurbishing and recycling wine barrels –
but who does this work? What is that person called?
From vineyards around Australia, tired old barrels arrive to be renewed. Glenn is a
cooper, practising an ancient craft with its own language.
That person is called a 'cooper'. A cooper is someone who makes barrels. The 'er'
suffix – carries the meaning 'the person who does that thing' – for example:
A teacher teaches.
A driver drives.
A footballer plays football.
And the 'er' suffix isn't only used for people – it can be used for things. Listen:
same thing so that we've opened both ends of the barrel. And we use a grinder with
a rotary planer head on it to shave, say, four or five mill out of the inside of that barrel
so that we expose all the fresh oak flavours.
A grinder is a machine that grinds. A planer is a machine, or blade that planes

– or makes wood smooth. The 'er' suffix has another function too. Listen:
The barrel is dismantled. You get different-width staves. You get wider ones, you get
narrower ones.
You get wider ones. The 'er' suffix here is added to an adjective to make a
comparative adjective.
We looked before at the word 'retighten', which means 'to tighten again'. Let's look
at the word 'tighten'. The root word is tight – an adjective. When we add the 'en'
suffix, it becomes a verb – to make tight. What is the opposite?
same thing so that we've opened both ends of the barrel.
Page 2 of 3
The opposite of 'tighten' is 'loosen'. Again, the 'en' suffix is used to make the verb –
'loosen' and 'loosening'.
Here's another example of an 'ing' suffix:
The barrel is dismantled. You get different-width staves. You get wider ones, you get
narrower ones. But you might say, "Why don't they make a square barrel?" Well, they
have, and it didn't work. So coopering lives on.
Coopering lives on. We've already seen that a cooper is someone who makes
barrels. So coopering is the work of making barrels. Notice here that the word
'coopering' in the sentence: 'Coopering lives on' is the subject of the verb 'lives'.
This is an example of a gerund – where a verb is acting as a noun in a sentence.
Finally, notice that when describing a process we often use passive voice verbs to
describe the actions in the process. Listen for the verbs:
The barrel's very important. The wood it's made from imparts flavour and texture and
character to the wine. But after a while the wood loses those qualities and the barrel
has to be taken apart, the wood refurbished, the barrel put back together.
The barrel has to be taken apart. Notice that in a passive construction the agent, or
person who does the action, the taking apart, is not mentioned – so the object – the
barrel is acted on by the verb.
There are two other examples in this description: the wood refurbished, the barrel
put back together. Because this is a list of actions in a description of the process,
the speaker leaves out 'has to be', which applies to all of the steps.
The barrel's very important. The wood it's made from imparts flavour and texture and
character to the wine. But after a while the wood loses those qualities and the barrel
has to be taken apart, the wood refurbished, the barrel put back together.
That's all for now.
Remember to visit our website where you can watch this episode again, as well as
any other episode of Study English, IELTS Preparation.
I'll see you next time.
Page 3 of 3
TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 25: GRAMMAR CHECKLIST
Today we'll look at some aspects of grammar and spelling that often cause
problems. Concentrating on these areas will help reduce the number of mistakes you
might make and improve your score. First, let's listen to this man:
I'm Andrew Mac. I'm the director of City Lights project. It's an arts project that focuses
on art in public spaces. We're here in Hosier lane. It's right in the middle of
Melbourne city.
One of the areas to be aware of is agreement. The noun has to agree with the verb
in number and person.
He said: 'It's an arts project which focuses on art in public spaces'.
The arts project is singular – it's one thing. It's also in the third person. So you
have to use the third person singular form of the verb 'focus' - focuses. Listen:
It's an arts project that focuses on art in public spaces.
Now let's look at subject-verb agreement. When you use the first person – I – you
don't add an 's' to the verb. He says 'I think'. Listen:
I think what's great about these lanes is that it's, it actually makes the lanes intimate
and it invites you in.
'It' is third person singular, so he adds an 's' to invite and says 'invites':
I think what's great about these lanes is that it's, it actually makes the lanes intimate
and it invites you in.
In the next clip, listen for the form of the verb used with the second person - 'you'
and the third person plural - 'they':
You see a lot of really interesting uses of the street. Strangely enough people come
to shoot weddings here on the weekends. Sometimes there will be up to 5 or 6
weddings. They line up for a particular spot. School groups come here. They go to
the national gallery and then for contrast the teachers bring them to this street.
He says 'you see'. You is the second person, which, like the first person, agrees
with the base form of the verb in the present tense – see. Listen:
You see a lot of really interesting uses of the street.
You use the base form of the verb with a third person plural as well, so he says 'they
line up' and 'they go':
Sometimes there will be up to 5 or 6 weddings. They line up for a particular spot.
School groups come here. They go to the national gallery and then for contrast the
teachers bring them to this street.
Page 1 of 4
What form of the verb 'to be' – is or are - is used in the next examples?
It's important because there are so few avenues for free speech and increasingly
we're clamped down on - there are so many rules and regulations about what you
can and can't do in a city.
…there are so few avenues …

…there are so many rules …
You use 'are' with plural subjects and 'is' with singular subjects.
There are many rules.

There is one rule.
What about have or has? Listen:
A lot of cities have chosen a zero tolerance approach to graffiti. Sydney has the
opposite approach to Melbourne where there is some tolerance here for what
happens. There are at least 8 streets here in the CBD that are like this one and
they've all grown organically. Usually they have somebody like me involved in the
street who helps to kind of facilitate what goes on. Melbourne has grown to really
love the graffiti.
Cities is plural, so he uses have - 'cities have'. But Sydney is singular, so he uses
'has' – 'Sydney has'. Listen again:
opposite approach to Melbourne.
Take a look at this sentence: The graffiti ____ grown with the light boxes and
businesses ____ been attracted to this street.
After 'The graffiti', do you use have or has? And what about after 'businesses'?
Listen:
The graffiti has grown with the light boxes and then businesses have been attracted
to this street and other streets.
A subject such as 'the graffiti' is treated as singular even though it refers to more
than one piece of work. So you say 'the graffiti has grown'. And 'businesses' is
clearly a plural subject, so you use have – 'businesses have been attracted'.
Another area that is useful to review is countable and uncountable nouns.
Uncountable nouns are words like pollution that don't have a plural with an 's' on
the end and are treated as singular subjects. We say pollution is, not pollution are.
Countable nouns have the plural form with the final 's' when they refer to more than
one or things in general, such as the word laneways in this clip:
Page 2 of 4
In the mid-90s when I started the City Lights project, Melbourne city was a lot quieter
and actually people didn't use these laneways. The city is on a grid structure which
is state of the art city design in the 1850s. Over years the laneways became
misused and unused and so people didn't come down here.
Uncountable nouns refer to things that can't be counted or are referred to as a

general mass, such as water or pollution or graffiti. Listen for graffiti and another
uncountable noun in this clip:
opposite approach to Melbourne where there is some tolerance here for what
happens.
'Some tolerance'. Tolerance is an uncountable noun. It doesn't take an 's' ending.
It's a good idea to memorise the uncountable nouns that are frequently used in
essays such as education, equipment, experience, health, information,
knowledge, pollution, technology, traffic, transport and work. Practise using
them in sentences.
It's important to check your spelling in the IELTS Test.
There are some features of English spelling that can be troublesome. Many words
have double consonants such as 'pollution' and need to be memorised. Which
words in the next clip have double consonants?
We're here in Hosier lane. It's right in the middle of Melbourne city. We devised this
project to be in public so that we could reach a very wide audience. Inside a gallery
you might get 30 to 50 people a day but in the street and in this street in particular
thousands of people come down here every day so it's primarily about reaching a big
audience.
Middle and gallery. Middle has 2 'd's and gallery has 2 'l's.
Here are some other words with double consonants that are frequently used in IELTS
and you should be careful to spell correctly:
accommodation - Notice that there are 2 'c's and 2 'm's.

recommend - Only one double consonant this time – the 'm's in the middle.
opportunity - a double 'p' at the start
different - a double 'f'
support
tennis
success - a double 'c' and a double 's'
and possibility - another double 's'
Page 3 of 4
Misspellings can also occur when a letter is silent in the word. You should learn how
to spell:
doubt - notice the silent 'b'.

foreign - a 'g' that you don't hear.
Wednesday - don't forget the 'd-n-e' and that it needs a capital letter.
autumn - a silent 'n' on the end.
through - one of the awkward 'o-u-g-h' words.
business – people don't pronounce the 'i' – bus'ness.
Sometime misspellings occur because some letters in the word aren't clearly heard.
Look out for the 'n' in environment and government and the 'c-h' in technology,
ache and technical.
That's all for today.
In the test, try to use your time efficiently and wisely. Leave 2 to 3 minutes to check
your writing. Using these few minutes to correct some errors can make a difference
to your score.
Don't forget spelling. It counts too!
See you next time.
Page 4 of 4
TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 26: GIVING ADVICE
What should you do to stay healthy? This is a possible question in IELTS. How
might you reply to such a question – what language choices do you have?
The language function required is "giving advice". Today we'll look at language
choices in English for giving advice.
First, let's listen to someone giving advice about health:
Having good health is something we all want. There are several things we should do
to keep fit and healthy – eat well, exercise and get plenty of rest. If we have a good
diet, lead an active life and get enough sleep, then we should stay healthy. If we get
sick, then we need to manage our recovery. There is prevention, and there is cure –
but prevention is better than cure.
"Prevention is better than cure". This is a common saying that means it's better to
avoid getting sick than trying to cure the sickness later.
So what does our advisor recommend we do to prevent getting ill?
There are several things we should do to keep fit and healthy – eat well, exercise and
get plenty of rest. If we have a good diet, lead an active life and get enough sleep,
then we should stay healthy.
What sort of language does she use for giving advice?
First she uses the modal verb 'should'. Listen again:
There are several things we should do to keep fit and healthy – eat well, exercise and
get plenty of rest.
The word 'should' is used in a number of ways. Here it indicates advisability –

there are several things we should do to keep fit.
Listen to another use of should with this meaning:
You should try to walk a couple of kilometres every day.
The negative form "shouldn't" is often used to give advice about what not to do.
There are three things that you shouldn't do. You shouldn't smoke, you shouldn't eat
too much junk food and you shouldn't drink too much alcohol.
There is another modal verb that is used in the same way as should, but is a more
formal choice, ought.
It's used by this man in an interview about immigration to Australia and its impact on
the environment:
Page 1 of 4
It's an open question whether people are applying more strain on the environment if
they're living in a flood plain in Bangladesh than if they're living in Australia.
Secondly, I think that if you're worried about the environmental sustainability of the
pattern of economic growth in Australia - and there are good reasons why you might
be - then you ought to be looking at policies to reduce, say, carbon dioxide
emissions, water usage, regardless of how many foreigners you let in or don't let in.
"You ought to be looking at policies". You could also say you should be looking at
policies. Advice is suggesting choices, so you don't use the word must. There is
no choice when you say must – it's an obligation or something you have to do.
Sometimes you need to suggest choices in a way that doesn't upset the person you
are advising.
Instead of saying 'You shouldn't smoke', you can express it as a question:

Shouldn't you give up smoking?
A more formal way of saying this uses the word oughtn't:

Oughtn't you give up smoking?
In the next clip, listen to another way of using should:
If we have a good diet, lead an active life and get enough sleep then we should stay
healthy.
Here, should expresses the idea that this is likely to happen if the condition – having
a good diet – is met. This is called a conditional.
The negative form, shouldn't, is used in a similar way here:
In any case, lead a healthy lifestyle and you shouldn't get sick.
It is a common language feature to use conditionals when giving advice, like this:
If we get sick, then we need to manage our recovery.
If we get sick, then we need to manage our recovery.
But you don't always have to use 'then' after the 'if' clause:
If you feel unusually sick, you need to consult a doctor.
And the 'if' clause doesn't need to be at the beginning of the sentence:
You need to consult a doctor if you feel unusually sick.
There is another structure in English using 'should':
Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask.
Here, should means 'if' – if you have any questions.
Page 2 of 4
It's a polite invitation which you will often hear on planes. The cabin crew might say
to passengers "Should you require any help …"
Now listen carefully to all the advice and concentrate on what tense is being used for
the verbs:
Having good health is something we all want. There are several things we should do
to keep fit and healthy – eat well, exercise and get plenty of rest. If we have a good
diet, lead an active life and get enough sleep then we should stay healthy. If we get
sick, then we need to manage our recovery. There is prevention, and there is cure –
but prevention is better than cure.
Make sure you have a balanced diet – don't overeat and don't eat the wrong foods.
Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables for fibre, and get a good mix of proteins from fish
and some meat, and reduce your intake of fatty food, sugar and salt.
Exercise every day. You should try to walk a couple of kilometres daily. Playing
sport, or going to the gym is an easy way to exercise your body. Exercise helps to
relieve stress.
You also need to rest. Health experts say we need about 8 hours sleep a night, but
some people need less than this. If you feel unusually sick you need to consult a
doctor. Avoid close contact with others when you are feeling unwell. Stay at home
for as long as the doctor advises you. In any case, lead a healthy lifestyle and you
shouldn't get sick.
Did you notice that many of the verbs were the base form, such as avoid or stay.
Listen again:
Avoid close contact with others when you are feeling unwell. Stay at home for as long
as the doctor advises you. In any case, lead a healthy lifestyle and you shouldn't get
sick.
This is called the imperative form and it's used for giving advice, and also to give
orders.
For example a teacher may say to a noisy class: Stop talking! Or Be quiet!
You also use the imperative when you need to warn someone of danger: Watch out!
There's one more use for the imperative and that's in instructions. In the essay
section of the IELTS Test you will read: 'Write at least 250 words.'
In recipes you often see the imperative, like this:

Fry the prawns.
Chop the leeks.
Add the noodles.
Page 3 of 4
The negative form of the imperative has don't in front of it, like this:
Make sure you have a balanced diet – don't overeat and don't eat the wrong foods.
You'll hear this structure a lot in English. You might hear people, such as parents to
their children, say:
Don't forget to telephone. Or Don't get lost.
Finally, you should know the difference between the words advice and advise.
Listen to the way they are used by this woman talking about generation Y or gen Y:
The baby boomers still like to have face-to-face meetings. They like to chat about
certain things. A gen Y would be just as happy for you to send them a text message
and advise them of a change of roster at work or they're quite happy to get advice
about a new event that's occurring by text or SMS or even an email.
Advise – spelled with an 's' – is the verb form. Send them a text and advise them of
a change of roster.
Advice – spelled with a 'c' and pronounced with a shorter 'i' sound – advice – is the
noun. They're happy to get advice. Listen again:
…and advise them of a change of roster at work or they're quite happy to get advice
about a new event that's occurring by text or SMS or even an email.
That's all for now.
For advice on the IELTS Test, visit our Study English website. We strongly advise it.
Good Luck with your studies. Bye.
Page 4 of 4

Series 3

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Series 3

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Series 3

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 1: IELTS ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

What do these criteria mean?

This is how you organise your answer.

Another feature being assessed is grammatical range and accuracy.

The final feature assessed for writing is vocabulary.

Now we’ll look at the last criterion for speaking - pronunciation.

How easily you can be understood is what pronunciation is about.

Pronunciation is speaking clearly and at a natural pace.

I do gymnastics at the Australian Institute of Sports. I was about 5 when I started

And you go fishing….

A coach is a teacher of sport.

Coach can be a noun, like this:

He coaches my group for bars, floor and vault.

She uses the word for practising a sport, train:

The –ing form, training, can be used as a noun:

We don’t have a lot of school. We do usually 3 and a half hours of school in

And a coach can also be called a trainer.

Listen to her again:

She uses a complex sentence - a clause combined with a relative clause:

We train about 36 hours a week, which is pretty tough

• Coherence and cohesion – how well you organise your language.

• Grammatical range and accuracy – the range of grammatical structures you

• Vocabulary – how well you use words and their forms.

And for the Speaking Test there is:

• Fluency – your ability to speak without hesitating; and finally,

• Pronunciation – how easily you can be understood.

Good Luck with your studies.

You can expect to be asked about:

The Media… Education… Environment… Health… Communication… Technology…

Being familiar with issues in these general areas is important.

This is one of the instructions, so you need to follow it.

Reasons are supported by examples, like this:

Let’s look at a question topic. Here’s a typical statement:

With this is something called the question task:

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

The essay question is always presented in this way as a statement followed

First, let’s look at the statement. Read it carefully.

Developed countries - refers to modern industrial societies that have to financially

The next thing to look at is the question task:

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

‘To what extent’ means by how much.

Let’s look at another question.

Internet access should be under government control to avoid any potential

Let’s think of synonyms.

The same question task we looked at earlier can be used:

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

That’s all for now.

Don’t forget to visit our website at: australianetwork.com/studyenglish for more.

I’ll see you next time on Study English.

Let’s begin by listening to a young woman talking about her grandmother:

What linking word should follow ‘firstly”?

To further develop the supporting ideas, the writer provides an example.

For instance, look at these sentences:

‘These retired individuals’. ‘These’ refers back to ‘aged individuals’ in the

Let’s look at our paragraph about aged people again.

First he calls Angkor by its name:

He then refers to it and says what it is:

…which is a collection of temples in the north of Cambodia

Refers again and explains its function:

Now let’s look at coherence. What is coherence?