This is one of the most common topics in IELTS Speaking Part 1: your workplace! Use this week’s lesson to train for this critical exam topic.
Step 1: Tune in to this week’s podcast episode (audio and video version available below).
| Where are you from? Do you work or study? How do you feel at work? What do you usually do at your workplace? Would you change anything about your workplace? Do you prefer to call a colleague on the phone or send them an email? |
| 🧑🎓Target language: when it rains it pours -something that happens in small amounts and then unexpectedly in large amounts “I would change the pace of the work. For some reason, when it rains it pours.” |
Step 2: Listen to the sample a few times to get more familiar with the language.
Step 3: Engage this week’s full speech shadowing lesson.
Step 4: Below is Monday’s speech exercise. Post yourself saying this excerpt to your Whatsapp group. Exercises for Tuesday to Friday will be posted in the group by your instructor.
| Post yourself saying this into your Whatsapp group!🗣️📲 “I am from a lovely seaside town about two hours from here.” |
Step 5: It’s very important that you note any new language items or pronunciation points from this week’s lesson in your journal to help you chronicle your improvement.📝
Transcript
Where are you from?
I am from a lovely seaside town about two hours from here.
Do you work or study?
I work as a lawyer in a large law firm.
How do you feel at work?
Usually, I feel very stressed. It’s a demanding job and when you know that someone’s freedom is at stake it can be very overwhelming.
What do you usually do at your workplace?
I spend a considerable amount of time on the computer, writing briefs, researching laws, precedents – anything that is relevant to the case I am representing. I also have meetings with clients and other lawyers.
Would you change anything about your workplace?
I would change the pace of the work. For some reason, when it rains it pours. By that I mean that some periods are very slow and during other periods the workload seems insurmountable.
Do you prefer to call a colleague on the phone or send them an email?
For work-related issues, I do both. I call the colleague to discuss and then I follow up with an email so that there is written documentation of our conversation. It is a bit tedious but absolutely necessary in my line of work.