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

Category: Food

  • Lesson 85: Snacks🍪

    This week, we’re talking about everyone’s favourite topic: snacks!

    Step 1: Listen to the full band 9 sample.

    Step 2: This week’s IELTSCast episode is temporarily unavailable.

    Step 3: Complete the full exercise.

    Step 4: Read through the below transcript and note any new or challenging language you encountered this week.

    Step 5: Complete this week’s speech exercises with your Whatsapp instructor.

    Chat on WhatsApp

    Transcript

    Where do you live at the moment?

    I live with my parents in their house, which is north of this city.

    Do you like snacks?

    Yes, I do. Because my family is Chinese, we mostly eat traditional snacks from our hometown such as a crispy rice called ‘guoba’ and roasted peanuts. I also like dried fish snacks, which are usually quite spicy so you have to couple them with a drink of some kind.

    What time of the day do you prefer to have snacks and why?

    Where I am from, people tend to snack all day and I guess I would say I follow suit. In the early morning, it is not uncommon for me to start my day by snacking on salted ginger. If I’m feeling peckish in the afternoon or evening, I might grab a handful of sunflower seeds. In my opinion, anytime is a great time to snack on something!

    Do you think snacking is a healthy habit?

    I guess it depends on what you’re eating. I presume snacking on processed foods like potato chips or chocolate wouldn’t be great for your health long term. Traditional snacks from my country tend to be quite natural, though. They’re mostly fresh or dried foods with few –if any– additives. I guess so long as you’re careful to munch on unprocessed foods only, snacking can be considered healthy.

    What were your favourite snacks as a child?

    Well, my snacking choices as a child were much less healthy than they are today! I enjoyed sweets and other sugary snacks. I remember my classmates and I would often get frozen snacks after school that were sweet and very similar to ice cream. My snacking choices have obviously evolved quite a bit since I was young!

    If you had a child, what snacks would you give him or her?

    I would try to push them towards the healthier options that I mentioned earlier. People say eating habits are partially established in childhood, so I think it is important to set a good example early. This doesn’t mean that a child can’t have the occasional sweet snack, but what’s important is to remember that moderation and mindfulness are key.

  • Lesson 67: A new place🌁

    This week, you will train to speak about a new place you visited.

    Note: Some of you were asking for synonyms for ‘very’ last week. At one point in today’s model, the speaker uses ‘rather’ as a synonym for ‘very’. Listen closely to the sample to pinpoint where this is!

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

    Part 2 Cue Card

    Talk about a time when you visited a new place. Please say
    -where you were
    -why you went there
    -what you did
    -and explain how you felt in that place
    🧑‍🎓Target language:

    busker
    -a person who performs in the street for monetary donations

    “There were a few buskers performing funny skits.”

    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.

    Post yourself saying this into your Whatsapp group!🗣️📲

    “About a year ago, my friend and I took a train across our city to visit a public park we had never been to before. We were a bit on the fence about going because the weather forecast called for rain, but the park was hosting a ‘food festival’ on that day only so we decided to chance it.”
    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 a time when you visited a new place. Please say
    -where you were
    -why you went there
    -what you did
    -and explain how you felt in that place

    About a year ago, my friend and I took a train across our city to visit a public park we had never been to before. We were a bit on the fence about going because the weather forecast called for rain, but the park was hosting a ‘food festival’ on that day only so we decided to chance it. Luckily, not only did the rain stay away but it actually turned out to be a rather pleasant afternoon and we even got some sunshine!

    The festival featured numerous stalls where people from across the country cooked traditional foods from their region. My friend and I are both from Hanoi, so we were already familiar with most dishes, but it was nevertheless enjoyable to find grilled items and sauces that we hadn’t eaten in a long time. I remember having some traditional pastries with spicy dipping sauce and a little later in the day we both enjoyed a selection of barbecued seafood and meats. Some of the flavours brought me right back to my childhood. I think we both found it hard not to feel a little nostalgic!

    The park is really beautiful and has many scenic walkways, and this gave us the opportunity to stroll around leisurely and stop at times to admire the pond or just watch what other people were doing. We didn’t really do much aside from this, but I found the whole experience calming and refreshing. There were a few buskers performing funny skits and I recall some people practising softly on musical instruments, which gave the afternoon an even more relaxing aura.

    Thank you.