Repeat After Me! Improve your IELTS Speaking score through speech shadowing!

Category: Experiences

  • Lesson 65: Something broken and then repaired🔧

    This week you will train for Part 2 of the exam. The cue card prompts you to speak about something broken that you then had repaired.

    Step 1: Tune in to this week’s podcast episode (audio and video version available below).

    Talk about something in your home that was broken and then repaired. Please say
    -what it was
    -when it broke
    -why it broke
    -and explain how it was repaired
    🧑‍🎓Target language:

    cram
    -completely fill a place

    “My basement is small, so I have to cram my bicycle in among my other things.”

    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. (If you do not yet have access, click here to sign up for full lessons.)

    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. (If you have not yet been added to a group, click here to sign up – select ‘Join a Whatsapp group’.)

    Post yourself saying this into your Whatsapp group!🗣️📲

    “Earlier this year, at the start of spring, I pulled my bicycle out of my basement. I store it there during the winter. When I went to ride it, I realised the back tyre was completely flat, and I couldn’t seem to reinflate it with my bicycle pump, so I knew it had been punctured either when I was putting it into storage or taking it out.”
    Chat on WhatsApp

    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

    Talk about something in your home that was broken and then repaired. Please say
    -what it was
    -when it broke
    -why it broke
    -and explain how it was repaired

    Earlier this year, at the start of spring, I pulled my bicycle out of my basement. I store it there during the winter. When I went to ride it, I realised the back tyre was completely flat, and I couldn’t seem to reinflate it with my bicycle pump, so I knew it had been punctured either when I was putting it into storage or taking it out. My basement is small, so I have to cram my bicycle in among my other things. There are all sorts of random bits and bobs down there, so I’m pretty sure one of these other items caused the hole in the tyre.

    To fix it, I took it to a bicycle repair shop. The repairperson removed the flat tyre’s rubber inner tube and submerged it in water to locate the hole. By squeezing this part of the tyre while it is underwater, the punctured area emits bubbles and the repairperson can see precisely where the hole is.

    The repairperson fused a rubber patch over the hole using an adhesive and then submerged the tubing again underwater to ensure the leak had been fixed. They then reassembled the tyre, reattached it to my bicycle and I was on my way. Amazingly, the whole process took maybe 15 minutes and was very reasonably priced.

  • Lesson 59: A walk you enjoyed🚶‍♀️

    This week’s lesson examines a real Part 2 candidate task card on the topic of ‘a walk you enjoyed.’ This cue card was seen on an exam in 2022.

    Step 1: Tune in to this week’s podcast episode (audio and video version available below).

    Describe a long walk you enjoyed. Please say
    – where you walked
    – who you walked with
    – when you walked
    – and explain why you enjoyed the walk.
    🧑‍🎓Target language:

    aroma (adjective)
    -a pleasing smell

    “The day was fragrant with the aroma of spring flowers and it felt like the earth was renewed after such a dismal winter in lockdown.”

    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. (If you do not yet have access, click here to sign up for full lessons.)

    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. (If you have not yet been added to a group, click here to sign up – select ‘Join a Whatsapp group’.)

    Post yourself saying this into your Whatsapp group!🗣️📲

    “Last year when our country was in lockdown, my best friend and I made a wonderful habit of walking on the weekends. We would set out from our homes and typically walk along the waterfront, which is lovely. However, there were several occasions when we decided to venture even further and it was worth the effort.”
    Chat on WhatsApp

    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

    Describe a long walk you enjoyed. Please say
    – where you walked
    – who you walked with
    – when you walked
    – and explain why you enjoyed the walk.

    Last year when our country was in lockdown, my best friend and I made a wonderful habit of walking on the weekends. We would set out from our homes and typically walk along the waterfront, which is lovely. However, there were several occasions when we decided to venture even further and it was worth the effort.

    On one particular day last March, we walked all the way to the marina of the nearby suburb. This is about one hour from our homes. My friend, Lina, and I set a good pace from the beginning and admired the beautiful weather, the sea and the onset of spring. All the while, we were talking about our studies, families and our personal lives. We began our walk around 10:00 in the morning, so by the time we reached the marina the sun was fully up and the day was warm.

    When we got to the marina, we admired the various boats, and the warm sea air hinted at summer. The day was fragrant with the aroma of spring flowers and it felt like the earth was renewed after such a dismal winter in lockdown.

    I guess you could say that after a depressing winter this walk filled us with a sense of hope and renewal, like a promise that better days were just on the horizon.