3. Presentation and Questions: 7 Minutes
In this part of the Life Skills test, you and your partner are given two different topics. You have to talk about your topic for one-and-a-half minutes. Then, your partner will ask you three questions about what you said.
Your partner will talk about their topic in the same way. You need to listen and ask them three questions afterward.
Here’s a sample task:
Let’s imagine that Sanjiv and Ghanendra are two speaking partners.
| ➨ Sanjiv, you’re going to tell Ghanendra about an actor or singer you really like and why you like them. (after Sanjiv speaks for one and a half minutes) Please ask Sanjiv your questions now Ghanendra. ➨ Ghanendra, you’re going to tell Sanjiv about what your perfect home would be like and where it would be. (after Ghanendra speaks for one and a half minutes) Please ask Ghanendra your questions now Sanjiv. You both have one minute to think about what you want to say. You can make notes if you want to. If there’s anything you don’t understand, please ask me. |
You get one minute to think about what to say. You can also use this time to ask the examiner if anything is not clear.
As before, these tasks always have two parts; what and why?
| What? Sanjiv, you’re going to tell Ghanendra about an actor or singer you really like | Why? and why you like them |
Also, your job is to talk about one thing. Don’t talk about several things you’d like to learn to do. Choose one thing and talk about it.
This is generally true; these tasks always ask you to talk about one thing.
If anything is not clear, ask the examiner. Again, it doesn’t matter if you need to ask. However, if you don’t understand the task, and you talk about the wrong thing, that is a problem.
You have 90 seconds to speak. You should try to continue speaking until the examiner stops you.
Start your speech with a simple introduction, stating your topic. For example:
- I’d like to learn to paint.
Then, add more details, making sure you cover both parts of the question.
You can prepare for this part of the test by practicing with a timer. Set the timer on your phone for 90 seconds. Take a topic and try to speak for the full 90 seconds.
When your partner is speaking, listen carefully and think of questions you could ask. You need to think of three questions.
Here are two tips:
- One: keep your questions simple.
- Two: make sure you’re asking for new information. For example, if your partner says, “I first went to Paris last year,” don’t ask, “When did you first go to Paris?” Ask for some new information.
For example:
- What did you do in Paris?
- What did you like best about Paris?
- Are you planning to go to Paris again?
