Unit 6: Exercise 1

In this unit, you will learn strategies to help you answer IELTS Speaking Part 3
questions as well as ways to improve your Grammatical Range and Accuracy
mark.

Read the information. Then watch the video of a native English speaker
answering a question about television. Choose the two phrases that she uses to
give herself time to think before she answers.

You may find that you can’t immediately think of an answer to a question in the
IELTS Speaking test, especially in Part 3. There are a number of strategies for
giving yourself more time to think in these situations. These include:

 repeating or paraphrasing the question

 asking the examiner to clarify the question
 using a phrase to explain that the question is not easy to answer. play.MP4

You will not be penalised for using these strategies as long as you don’t use them
too often. In fact, using them may help you achieve a higher mark, as they are
natural features of native spoken English.

 I don’t think there is an easy answer to that question.

 Let me see.
 Let me have a think.
 Let me think.
 That is a difficult question to answer.
 That is a good question.
 That’s a tricky question.

Unit 6: Exercise 2
Read the examiner’s questions and the student’s responses. Put the words in the
correct order to complete the phrases that the student uses to give herself more
time to think.

1. Examiner: What would you say has been the most significant technological development
of the last five years?

Student:

that’s a to really difficult answer question

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

I guess virtual reality deserves a mention. Not only is it used for entertainment purposes, like
in video games, but it can also be used to train, say, doctors or pilots in a safe environment
and allow them to improve and develop their skills without risking people’s lives.

2. Examiner: Do you think virtual reality will be the next big thing?

Student:

I’m sorry I follow your question don’t but quite

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ . Are you asking if I think VR will become

more popular?

3. Examiner: Does technology dominate our daily lives?

Student:

You that, mean by do

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ . , are we too

dependent on technology?

4. Examiner: Should children be more computer-literate?

Student:

Entirely sure I'm asking you're not what

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ . If you’re asking if schoolchildren should learn to use the internet or

something like Word or Excel, then I would say not necessarily. However, I do think that it
could be an optional subject in secondary school.

I there is think to don't clear-cut answer a that

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ . I would say that it depends

entirely on how it is used. It certainly makes it easier to communicate with people over long
distances, for example by using Skype or social networking apps. I suppose the counter-
argument is that some people use it so much that this means they spend less time meeting
face-to-face.
Unit 6: Exercise 3
Listen to the questions and responses. Which strategies does the student use in
the responses? Choose the correct answers.

o asking the examiner to clarify the

question
o explaining that the question is not
easy to answer 1.MP3
o paraphrasing the question

o asking the examiner to clarify the

question
o explaining that the question is not
easy to answer 2.MP3
o paraphrasing the question

o asking the examiner to clarify the

question
o explaining that the question is not
easy to answer 3.MP3
o paraphrasing the question

o asking the examiner to clarify the

question
o explaining that the question is not
easy to answer 4.MP3
o paraphrasing the question

o asking the examiner to clarify the

question
o explaining that the question is not
easy to answer 5.MP3
o paraphrasing the question

o asking the examiner to clarify the

question
o explaining that the question is not
easy to answer 6.MP3
o paraphrasing the question

Unit 6: Exercise 4
Read the information. Then read the IELTS Speaking Part 1 question and
response. Listen to another version of the response, which uses more complex
grammar for a higher Grammatical Range and Accuracy mark. For each
underlined word or phrase, write the more complex word or phrase that you
hear.

Many students think that the best way to achieve a high mark for Grammatical Range and
Accuracy is to keep things simple and not make any mistakes. Whilst accuracy is important,
to impress the examiner and achieve Band 7 or above, you are expected to be able to include
higher level, complex grammatical structures in your answers. For example:

 a variety of verb tenses, including continuous and perfect forms, active and passive
 hypothetical language, such as the second and third conditionals or would
 subordinate clauses, such as relative clauses and participle clauses
 modal verbs and alternatives to modals, e.g. using be able to in different tenses
instead of using can or could.

Make sure you are comfortable using this kind of grammar, and try to include examples of it
in your responses in the IELTS Speaking test.

Examiner: What piece of technology do you use the most?

Student: I think it’s my laptop. I use it every day for something. For example,
this week I used it to study, but I also use it for games and internet TV. To be
honest, I can’t live without it. Having said that, I think I will buy a new one, play.MP3
because it is now slow and a bit unreliable. I need to wait until the new year
though, as that’s when the cheaper deals are. Right now, I can’t afford a new
one. I just hope my current model can last that long.

Unit 6: Exercise 5
Read the information. Then match the phrases with the grammar descriptions.

Using these grammar structures in the IELTS Speaking test will help you achieve a higher
mark for Grammatical Range and Accuracy.

present perfect continuous present perfect simple present simple get passive

present continuous with always for habits second conditional

 hypothetical ability future passive would for hypothesis be going to + obligation

1. If I had to choose, I would

have to say that …
2. I’m always using it.
3. I’ve been using it … / I’ve been
thinking about buying …
4. It also gets used …
5. I don’t know what I would do …
6. It has become …
7. I’m going to have to …
8. Prices will be reduced.
9. I wouldn’t be able to …

Unit 6: Exercise 6
Read the IELTS Speaking Part 2 task card. Then listen to a student’s response
to the task card and answer the questions. Choose True or False.

Describe a piece of computer software that you use.

You should say:

how you found out about the computer software
how often you use this computer software
what you use it for
and give your opinion on it.

OK then. What I am going to talk about is Steam, which is both a website and a
piece of software. So, how did I find out about it? I was buying a game a few
years back – I think it was Batman or something similar – and I had to install
Steam onto my computer so I could install the game. And I have been using it
ever since. And this is also the answer to the question, what do I use it for. I
mean, it’s mainly for downloading and installing games. But that’s not all. Steam
also has a number of features, such as forums for gamers, where you can get
advice and tips on how to do certain games, and also special offers on other play.MP3

games. It has its own online store as well from which you can buy games
directly.

So, how often do I use it? Well, more or less every time I play a game on my
computer it is through Steam, so I suppose the answer is a lot. Having said that, I
don’t play games every day. I do have to study as well.

So finally, what do I think of Steam? Well, I use it a lot, as I said, so I obviously

like it. What I like most is the fact that any game I have on Steam updates
automatically. This means that any changes or patches needed to repair problems
with games are downloaded and installed automatically. At the same time
though, this is also one thing I don’t like about it. Every time I start my
computer, it searches for Steam updates, which means it takes longer before I
can use it. I have to wait for an extra few minutes, which can be really annoying.
Also, I cannot play some games unless I use Steam, and you usually need to be
online to use it. So, if I lose internet connection, I won’t be able to play.

But overall, I like it. It’s a very useful platform for gamers like me. If it didn’t
exist, someone would need to invent it.

1. The student covers all the points on the task card. True/False

2. The student uses a variety of discourse markers to structure the response and connect ideas.
True/False

3. The student includes examples of the following grammar:

Conditionals True/False

future forms True/False

modals in the past True/False

passive True/False

past continuous True/False

past perfect True/False

present continuous with always for habits True/False

present perfect True/False

present perfect continuous True/False

relative clauses True/False

Unit 6: Exercise 7
Read the information. Then look at the verbs in the box. What patterns do the
verbs follow? Complete the table with the verbs.

Verb patterns refer to how verbs are used together in a sentence. The form of the second verb
depends on the first one. For example:

 verb + to-infinitive: agree, decide, want, try

 verb + object + to-infinitive: allow, persuade, remind
 verb + object + infinitive without to: let, make, help
 verb + -ing: enjoy, don’t mind, consider

Some verbs can use more than one pattern. For example, would like can use the first two
patterns shown above:

She would like to come.

She would like you to come.

Some verbs, such as prefer, can use the to-infinitive and -ing patterns with no change in
meaning:

I prefer to get up late at the weekend.

I prefer getting up late at the weekend.

Some verbs, such as stop, can use the to-infinitive and -ing patterns with a change in
meaning:

I stopped watching TV. (= I was watching TV, but then I stopped.)

I stopped to watch TV. (= I was doing something else, and I stopped doing that in order to
watch TV.)

It is important to learn verb patterns if you are hoping to achieve a high mark for
Grammatical Range and Accuracy in the IELTS Speaking Test.

Enable encourage deserve suggest watch warn permit finish

make agree imagine can't stand refuse manage persuade resist
let

verb + object + to -infinitive verb + -ing

 `verb +to -infinitive verb + object + infinitive without to

Unit 6: Exercise 8
Read the IELTS Speaking Part 3 questions and responses. Find and correct the
11 verb pattern mistakes. Then watch the video of native English speakers
responding to the questions and check your answers.

You will get a maximum of 2 points per mistake (1 point for finding the correct
part to change, 1 point for making the change correctly).

1. Speaker 1: Do you have a smartphone, and if so, what do you use it for?

Speaker 2: Of course, and I can’t really imagine to live without it. I would be
useless without it. It enables me speak to friends, go online, watch TV. It
reminds me when I have to be somewhere or do something and tells me how to
get there. The funny thing is that for a long time, I resisted buy one. In the end,
it was my brother who persuaded me getting one, and now I am completely
addicted.

2. Speaker 1: Is it possible for people to become addicted to technology?

Speaker 2: Absolutely! I know a lot of people who check their phones

constantly for updates or messages. They can’t stop to do it because they are
worried they might miss something important. My sister is the worst. I have play.MP4

asked her not to look at her phone all the time, but she refuses listening to me.
And she gets anxious if she forgets her phone or if it runs out of battery.

3. Speaker 1: Should we spend less time on our gadgets?

Speaker 2: Definitely. Personally, I try avoiding to use my smartphone in the

evenings when I get home because, quite honestly, I could spend hours just to
check messages or looking at things online. And one of my friends actually
says she regrets buy her smartphone and is considering to downgrade her
smartphone to a much simpler mobile phone. She much preferred it when
things were simpler and there was less choice.
Unit 6: Exercise 9
Read the IELTS Speaking Part 3 questions. For each one, write a response in the text
box below using one or more of the verbs shown in brackets. Make sure you use the
correct verb patterns.

1 Some people say that students should be forced to turn off their mobile phones in class. Do
you agree?

(allow, permit, don’t mind, insist on, encourage, remind)

2 What do you think the next innovation in mobile phone technology might be?

(be able to, enable, allow, permit, be likely)

3 Is it important for parents to limit the amount of time their children spend online?

(encourage, persuade, warn, force, allow, permit)

Please add text into the Student post.

Student post:

Unit 6: Exercise 10
You are going to do the full IELTS Speaking test on the subject of science and technology.
You will need some paper and a pencil.

Listen to the examiner. Record your answer. Play to hear your answer.

Part 1
 1.mp3 2.mp3 3.mp3 4.mp3

Part 2

Describe a piece of computer software that you use.

You should say:

how you found out about the computer software
how often you use this computer software
what you use it for
and give your opinion on it.

5.mp3

Part 3

6.mp3 7.mp3 8.mp3 9.mp3