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http://www.study-english-online.net
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SELF-ACCESS PRACTICE TASKS ONLINE
THE FREE ENGLISHLAB.NET SHORT TALK TEMPLATES
* PTG-001 main
* PTG-001 variation
PRACTISE DESCRIBING
DO SOME EXERCISES ONLINE & GET INSTANT FEEDBACK
Index of Interactive Quizzes on Cohesive Devices and Connectives
Index of Interactive Quizzes on Opposite English Adjectives (those are a great help when your weak point is paraphrasing)
LISTEN FOR IDEAS & PRECISE TOPIC-SPECIFIC VOCABULARY
Get some ideas, practise grammar and widen your vocabulary by listening to some idea-rich model*** answers to frequently asked IELTS questions given by either native speakers or post-advanced learners of English. Such answers are called “model” answers because they are virtually error free in terms of accuracy, lexical resource and pronunciation. Click on the question of interest to you to listen to some model answers.
Sample TASK CODES*** and names of TAGs are provided in brackets to help you quickly locate sample answers with comments if some are available. Just copy and paste the task code into the search box on the right and there you go! Happy listening!
1. Do you enjoy reading? Why? (PTG-001, tag – reading)
2. Why do people play computer games? (PTG-001, tag – games)
3. Why do some people enjoy learning foreign languages? (PTG-001, tag – language learning)
4. What do you think is the appeal of such comedy TV shows as Friends? (EES-001, tag – film)
5. What/Who do you enjoy taking photos of and why? (PTG-001, tag – photography)
***DISCLAIMER
- What is meant by “model” answers?
Be warned that the style and hesitation that some of the contributors of model answers demonstrate may be penalized in the actual IELTS exam, which assesses not only your ability to speak without making mistakes (i.e. accuracy), but also your ability to give coherent answers using a wide range of language structures. Model answers should be listened to for ideas and precise topic-specific vocabulary in the first place. You may have to look elsewhere for answers that demonstrate a wide range of language structures and are coherent enough to satisfy IELTS band 9 requirements.
- Where can I see the transcripts to go with the model answers?
If the author of this resource is your teacher, you can get access to the transcripts in your lessons, if not – sorry. Transcribing model answers is a useful learning activity and making verbatim scripts immediately available “spoils the broth”.
- What are TASK CODES?
Each short talk task has a unique ID made of 3 letters and 3 digits each. This is done to make searching for activities and materials to go with a particular task as easy as possible. The first 2 letters of a task ID correspond to the first and the last letter of the task type (object – OT, challenge – CE, experience – EE, etc), the third letter is either G (general) or S (specific). The digits tell you what the ordinal number of the task in its section is. See how it works for yourself by visiting the EVENT (ET-) section, for instance.