SPEAKING

TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC DUY TÂN

KHOA NGOẠI NGỮ

BỘ MÔN: ANH VĂN KHÔNG CHUYÊN

GIÁO TRÌNH

SPEAKING LEVEL 1

LƯU HÀNH NỘI BỘ

Đà Nẵng, năm 2013

TABLE OF CONTENT

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 PART I: READ A TEXT ALOUD...........................................1
Lesson 1: Introduction to Toeic Speaking Test, Part 1, and English
Lesson 2: Some common Troublesome Sounds, Word Stress and
Intonation.........................................................................................4
Lesson 3: Practice........................................................................6
PART II: DESCRIBE A PICTURE.........................................7
Lesson 4: Introduction To Part 2 and Picture Types ..................7
Lesson 5: How to describe pictures about action and situation...9
Lesson 6: Common expressions used to introduce picture
description & Practice......................................................................9
PART III: RESPOND TO QUESTIONS...............................12
Lesson 7: Introduction to Part 3 and Question Types..................12
Lesson 8: Typical Topics for Part 3.............................................17
Lesson 9: Practice Responding To Questions.............................20
PART IV: RESPOND TO QUESTIONS USING
INFORMATION PROVIDED......................................................

…………………………………………………………………………
……………….24
Lesson 10: Introduction to Part 4 and some common Text Types 24
Lesson 11: Tips and Tasks for Answering Effectively................26
Lesson 12: Practice......................................................................28

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 PART I: READ A TEXT ALOUD
LESSON 1:
INTRODUCTION TO TOEIC SPEAKING & PART 1
I. INTRODUCTION TO TOEIC SPEAKING TEST:
Part 1: Read a Text Aloud:
+ Question 1
+ Question 2
Part 2: Describe a Picture:
+ Question 3
Part 3: Respond to Questions:
+ Question 4
+ Question 5
+ Question 6
Part 4: Respond to Questions Using Information Provided
+ Question 7
+ Question 8
+ Question 9
Part 5: Propose a Solution
+ Question 10

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Part 6: Express an Opinion
+ Question 11
Time: 20 minutes

II. INTRODUCTION TO PART 1- READ A TEXT ALOUD:

Possible topics may include:

» Advertisements, announcements, and news broadcasts
» Tour information, traffic reports, and weather reports
» Entertainment, health, housing, shopping, and travel
QUICK GUIDE: Read a Text Aloud
Definition Questions 1 and 2 test your ability to
pronounce words clearly and speak English in
a comprehensible way. You will read a short
text aloud, and your reading of the text will be
recorded for scoring.
Targeted Skills In order to do well on Questions 1 and 2, you
must be able to:
• pronounce common words correctly.
• use correct intonation when reading
sentences.
• use correct stress on syllables and
words.
Text Types A good response will:
• reflect an accurate pronunciation of the words.
• contain smooth connections between words.
• contain accurate phrasing of groups of words and
“chunks” of language.
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 • include correct stress for emphasis, new information, and
contrast.
• include appropriate intonation to indicate the attitude or
tone of the text.
Things to Remember 1. Scan the entire text before reading so you have an idea
of the content.
2. Read clearly and in a voice that can be easily heard.
3. Remember to pause for commas and periods.
4. Be sure to use intonation that matches the meaning of
the sentences.
5. Be careful to pronounce the words correctly.

III. INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH SOUND

1. VOWELS:
- Short vowels
- Long vowels
- Dipthongs

EXAMPLE

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[i:] be, eve, see, [i] it, kiss, [e] let, tell,
meal, read, tip, bread,
system, dead
busy
[ei] aim, wait, [æ] cat, [a:] army, car,
eight, apple, father,
weight, last, calm
class
[ai] ice, find, [au] out, [o] not, rock,
my, style about, more,
now, order
brown
[o:] saw,bought, [oi] oil, [ou] go, note,
law, voice, open
thought noise,
boy

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 2. CONSONANTS

EXAMPLE

III. Practice:
Identify the vowels and consonants in the following words and phrases
1.

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2.

3.

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 LESSON 2: SOME COMMON TROUBLESOME SOUNDS,
WORD STRESS AND INTONATION
I/ SOME COMMON TROUBLESOME SOUNDS:
1. short /i/ and / æ/
Ban can dan fan jan pan tan
Bin kin din fin gin pin tin

2. /f/ and /v/

Fat fete fan life leaf fife
Vat vet van live leave five

3. / /
Asian closure collision decision diversion division
Erosion immersion intrusion lesion measure pleasure
Television treasury version vision visual

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 [t] vs[ θ]
[t] Tree Team Tie Taught
Three Theme Thigh Thought
[ θ]
[ θ] vs [s]
[s] Face Worse Gross Sick
Faith Worth Growth Thick
[ θ]
[l] vs [r]
[l] Long Walking Light Late
[r] Wrong Working Right Rate
[b] vs [v]
[b] Belly Boat Best Ban
[v] Valley Vote Vest Van
[p] vs [f]
[p] Pan Peel Pork Pink

[f] Fan Feel Fork Fine

[e] vs [æ]
[e] Men Left Said Pen
[æ] Man Laughed Sad Pan
[i] vs [i:]
[i] Ship Fill Live Hill
[i:] Sheep Feel Leave Heel
[o:] vs [ou]
[o:] Hall Saw Walk Called
[ou] Hole Sew Woke Cold

II/ Word Stress:

Stress is important in words and sentences. Knowing whether a syllable is stressed or
unstressed is an important part of pronouncing a word correctly. For example, re-CORD and
REC-ord have two very different meanings, but they have the same spelling, record.
Correctly stressing words and phrases gives rhythm to a sentence, and it signals the
importance of some information.
» TIP 1 Learn stress in order to pronounce words correctly.
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All words with more than one syllable have stressed and unstressed syllables. Knowing which
syllables are stressed will help you pronounce words correctly and convey the correct
meaning.
In nouns and adjectives with two syllables, the stress usually falls on the first syllable. For
verbs with two syllables, the stress usually falls on the second syllable. Listen and read the
words in the chart.

TASK 1 Look at the words and analyze the suffixes. Underline the syllables that you think
are stressed.

Knowing prefixes (the small parts that come before the root of the word) can also help you
predict the stress pattern of a word. When the word is a verb or has more than two syllables,
the stress is usually on the second syllable of the word. Here are examples of some common
prefixes.

TASK 2 Look at the words and analyze the prefixes. Underline the syllables that you think
are stressed.

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TASK 3 Read the sentences and notice the boldfaced words. Circle the boldfaced words that
are nouns, and underline the boldfaced words that are verbs. Then double-underline CJ the
>>TIP 2 Stress words in sentences to emphasize or contrast information.
Use stress within a sentence to show that certain information is new or important. You
can also use stress to contrast information.
A: Would you like some tea?
B: I ’d like some black (1) tea.
A: Sure, here you are.
B: Sorry, but this is green (2) tea. I asked for black (2) tea.
You should also use stress to give more emphasis to the words that naturally carry meaning in
sentences— the content words. Function words, or the words in a sentence that are used to
give grammatical structure, don’t usually receive as much stress unless the speaker wants to
give some sort of contrast or emphasis.
The employees are the ones to thank.
There’s really not a lot to say about that.
Finally, adverbs are frequently stressed to add emphasis.
We really don’t have much time.
I completely forgot the conference.
TASK 1. Underline the words that receive stress on the first syllable.
1. The correct numbers are 13 and 17, not 30 and 70.
2. We strongly suggest that you back up your computer files at the end of the day.
3. Our genealogists will conduct a very thorough search of your family tree.
4. On the new schedule, you will see that the bus departs on Tuesday at 1 p.m.
5. Your estimated wait time to speak to a representative is ten minutes.
6. The parking spaces are clearly marked “visitor.”
TASK 2 Read the sentences. Which boldfaced words do you think should be stressed?
Underline your choices.
1. The real estate office is located in the green house on the left.
2. You will receive a credit card within ten days after receipt of your application.

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3. The message said to phone their office between 9 and 5, Monday to Friday.
4. We are currently reviewing your request and will respond within 30 days.
5. Please turn down the volume on the TV, not up.
III. Intonation:
I/ Intonation:

Sentence intonation helps the listener understand the speaker’s meaning, in addition to
the speaker’s attitude or mood. The most common intonation patterns are rising-falling for
statements and information questions and rising for yes-no questions.

1. Falling tune:

» TIP 1: Use correct intonation for phrasing in statements.

Statements typically have falling intonation, meaning the speaker’s voice lowers slightly at
the end of the sentence.

We’ve had a lot o f success with the new plan.

There are a multitude o f reasons for the problem.

She really hasn’t done much in her new position.

Within a sentence, speakers may use rising or higher intonation in different situations. When
giving a series of numbers or a list of three or more items, the speaker will often use rising
intonation to let the listener know there is more to come. The speaker will then usually use
falling intonation on the last item to indicate the list is complete.

The key points here are time, expense, and quality.

Hotel management, health care, accounting, and education are all good career options.

Our new number is 218-555-3675.

Speakers will also use rising or higher intonation when there are clauses in a statement to
show that more information is to come. Notice the underlined clauses, the boldfaced signpost
words used to introduce them, and how the clauses affect intonation.

Because we don’t have the reports yet, we can’t have the meeting.

We really wanted to leave at 5:00; however, the plane was delayed.

I really wanted to go to the conference, until I saw the huge entry fees.

Although I usually enjoy mv job, this past month has been tough.

» TIP 2: Use correct intonation for questions.

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- Information questions usually start with the word Who, What, Where, When,
Why, or How. These types of questions have falling intonation at the end of the sentence.

What did you do last weekend? When do we need to be there?

Where is the meeting? How many people are coming? Why didn’t he call? How much does it
cost?

- Questions with ‘or’

These have a falling tune at the end

Would you like coffee or tea?

Would you like coffee and milk or tea?

- Question tags have falling intonation at the end of the sentence.

She couldn’t cook, could she?

You weren’t early, were you?

2. Rising tune:

Yes-No questions usually start with some form of an auxiliary verb, such as do, have, can, or
be. These types of questions have an up intonation. Listen to the yes-no questions below and
notice the intonation.

Do you want to join the call? Have you seen the report?

B – Practice:

TASK : Do these questions have rising or falling intonation? Write for rising intonation
or for falling intonation. Then listen to check your answers and practice.

1. What do you think?

2. If Friday is not a good day, can we meet on Saturday? Yes, I can / No, I can’t

3. I’m sorry, could you repeat that, please?

4. We didn’t hear that. What did he say?

5. What did John bring to the party?

6. How can I help you today?

7. Is this your first day here?

8. Have you sent the latest market reports?

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 LESSON 3: PRACTICE

TASK 1: In the following words, the final -s always makes a /s/ sound. Practice reading the
words aloud
Bats blocks cats fruits licks lights
Mats plants sheets socks tacks trucks
Notice that all the words above end in either a /k/ sound or a /t/ sound in their singular form.
Most other plural words end in a /z/ sound. Now practice reading pronouncing plurals that end
in /z/.
Animals apples computers dogs eyes glasses
Kisses oranges pencils pillows tables tires
Now, pronounce the plural words below. Some will end with a /s/ sound, and others will end
with a /z/ sound.

Babies boats books candles chairs desks signs

Drawers jerks plumbers shirts shoes

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TASK 2: Identify /s, z, iz / in the plural form of nouns in the following sentence.
1. I saw the birds fly away. / z /
2. What time did the guests leave?
3. He broke his arms in the accident.
4. She sang the songs her father wrote.
5. Where does she park her cars at night?
6. I read the books very quickly.
7. The bags fell on the floor.
8. The shops will be closed.
9. When will the classes begin?
10. The boxes won’t be big enough.
TASK 3: Write the pronunciation of –ed, /t, d, Id/ ending after each of the following words
and read them:

Walked / t / asked watched erased laughed smiled Worked

washed ironed helped coughed ended
hated

Cooked touched needed kissed stopped advertised

Rained snowed remembered shaved played waited /id/

begged enjoyed signed closed sneezed booked

Reported dropped listened attempted wanted loved

TASK 4: Talk about the photographs

Ex:

studied all night

listened to the radio

:

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 He studied all night, didn’t he?

No, he didn’t. He listened to the radio.

1. 2. 3.

combed his hair cried a lot painted the room

brushed it laughed a lot cleaned it

.4. 5. 6.

emptied his glass closed the door walked away

filled it opened it waited a long time

TASK 5

Read the sentences below. Which boldfaced words do you think should be stressed?
Underline your choices. Then listen and check your answers (Q Track 01 -02.21)

1. The real estate office is located in the green house on the left.

2. You will receive a credit card within ten days after receipt of your application.

3. The message said to phone their office between 9 and 5, Monday to Friday.

4. We are currently reviewing your request and will respond within 30 days.
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5. Please turn down the volume on the TV, not up.

TASK 6: Identify the stress for the following words

TASK 7: Do these sentences have rising or falling intonation?

A.

B.

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Task 8: Read aloud the text:
TEXT 1

TEXT 2

TEXT 3

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TEXT 4
Good morning, it is my pleasure to welcome you to National Airlines Flight 2737 to New
York’s JohnF. Kennedy Airport. We will be taking off shortly. At this point, I need to ask you
to turn off all electronic devices and return your tray tables and seats to their upright positions.
Thank you
Good morning, students. In five minutes, we will begin the test. You will have one hour to
complete the first two essays. I will warn you when you have 5 minutes remaining and then
again when you have 1 minute left. When I call time, you must put your pencils down. You
will not be allowed to return this section.

TEXT 5
Hello, and welcome to dog obedience class! I’m going to ask everyone to take at seat in the
semicircle of chairs in front of me. Please get your dog to sit, and do whatever you need to do
to keep him or her sitting. It isn’t easy to get your dog to obey in such an exciting
environment, but it’s important if you want your dog to listen to you at the park.

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 PART 2: DESCRIBE A PICTURE
LESSON 4: INTRODUCTION AND PICTURE TYPES
I. Introduction:
1. In this question, you will be given a picture to describe in as much detail as you can.
2. You will have 30 seconds to prepare and 45 seconds to speak about the picture.
3. The focus of the picture may be one of the following areas: free-time activities,
eating, drinking, entertainment, health, household tasks, shopping, travel, or street
scenes.
4. Speak slowly and clearly, but say as much as you can in the time allowed.
II. Picture Types:
There are many types of pictures in Part 2: Pictures about big cities, scenery, shops, offices,

public, etc. However, the main type is people and scenery (outside and inside)
1. Shopping:

2. Events:

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3. Public/ offices:

4. Activities in free time:

5. Other activities:

III.Test Techniques
1. Brainstorm vocabulary and plan introductory sentences (30 seconds).
2. After your introduction, describe what you see using adjectives, adverbs, and
prepositions.
3. Expand your answers with speculation on the character scene.
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4. Use uncertain and speculative language when you aren’t 100% sure.
5. Say as much as you can in the time allowed.

TASK: Identify the type of each following picture and make one sentence to talk about
each picture

P1. P2.

P3. P4.

P5. P6.

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P7. P8.

P9. P10.

P11. P12.

P13. P14.

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P15. P16.

P17. P18.

P19. P20.

P21. P22.

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P23. P24.

P25. P26.

P27. P28.

P29. P30.

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 LESSON 5: HOW TO DESCRIBE A PICTURE
I. Some useful language:
1. Use the present continuous or ‘there is / are + to describe the activities you can
see in the picture.

A. Present continuous
Form
 Positive
- I + AM
- WE, YOU, THEY + ARE + V_ING
- HE, SHE, IT + IS

 Negative
- I + AM
- WE, YOU, THEY + ARE + NOT + V_ING
- HE, SHE, IT + IS

 Interrogative
- AM +I
- ARE + WE, YOU, THEY + V_ING
- IS + HE, SHE, IT

B. There is / are
- THERE IS + (A / AN) + NOUN (Singular)

- THERE ARE + NOUN (Plural)

2. Use prepositions to describe locations.

In general, we use:

 AT for a POINT
 IN for an ENCLOSED SPACE.
 ON for a SURFACE
AT IN ON
At the corner In the garden On the wall
At the bus stop In London On the ceiling
At the door In France On the door
At the top of the page In a box On the cover
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 At the end of the road In my pocket On a page
At the entrance In a building On the carpet
At the crossroads In a car On the menu
Some other expressions:

AT IN ON
At home In a car On a bus
At work In a taxi On a train
At school In a helicopter On a plane
At university In a boat On a ship
At college In a lift (elevator) On a bicycle, on a motorbike
At the top In the newspaper On a horse, on an elephant
At the bottom In the sky On the radio, on television
At the side In a row On the left, on the right
At reception In the Street On the way

*** Other prepositions of place: under, over, between, among, in front of, behind, next to,
near, beside, below, above, opposite, across from, beneath.

Location (Prepositions) Direction (Adverbs)

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 3. Use the present simple or ‘there is / are’ to talk about objects and people in the
picture.

Simple present
Form:

 Positive:
- I, WE, YOU, THEY + VERB (without TO)

HE, SHE, IT + VERB_S/ES

- I, WE, YOU, THEY + DO NOT/ DON’T

 Negative: +V(infinitive)
- HE, SHE, IT + DOES NOT/ DOESN’T

- DO + I, WE, YOU, THEY

 Interrogative:
- DOES + HE, SHE, IT + V(infinitive)?

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 4. Use modifiers to make your description more precise and interesting.
5. Think of an introduction that answers the ‘Wh- questions’.
6. Be clear about where things are in the picture.
7. Use language that is more general when you aren’t exactly sure.
8. Try to say as much as you can about the picture.
9. Speculate about the scene and the characters.
II. Practice:
TASK 1: Look at the photo. Read each sentence below and fill in the blank with a correct
noun or pronoun from the box. Some sentences have more than one answer. Write all possible
correct answers, but be careful – your choices must logically fit the context and sentence
structures for the photo.

Baker bread customer man woman he it she

1. The ___________is standing in the kitchen._____________.is probably a baker.

2. The baker is going to put the _______________on the rack________________ is still hot.
3. The_______________is waiting to buy something________________is standing in front of
the counter.
4. The woman is carrying a tray of fresh bread_______________ is probably hot.
5. There is a _____________ standing behind the counter._______________ is holding a tray.
6. The ___________ is wearing a casual shirt ______________ is waiting to buy some bread.

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7. The ____________ probably goes to the bakery every morning before _____________
goes to work.
8. The woman is a baker____________works at the bakery every day.

TASK 2: Read the sentences and fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the verbs in
parentheses. Use the simple present, present continuous, or There is/There are.
1.The woman ______________ (stand) in the kitchen.
2. The man ______________ (walk) to work every day.
3.He______________ (wait) for the baker to bring the bread.
4________________(be) two people in this photo.
5. The woman ______________ (wear) a white coat and a black hat.
6________________(be) a man standing at the counter.

TASK 3: Look at the photo. Read each sentence and fill in the blank with the correct
prepositions in the box.

at the back of behind on in in front of

1. The baker is ______________ the counter.
2. The man is ______________ the counter.
3. The bread is _____________ - the tray.
4.The baker has a tray ______________ her hands.
5. The ovens are ______________ the kitchen.

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 LESSON 6: COMMON EXPRESSIONS USED TO INTRODUCE PICTURE
DESCRIPTION AND PRACTICE
I. Language Focus:
-This picture shows ……….
- In this picture I can see…………
- This is a picture of ………………………..

II. Practice:
TASK 1: Look at the photo. Write the number of the correct object next to each word.

shirt____

desk____

glasses _

computer

cables __

older man

younger man ____

TASK 2:

Listen to the sample response. As you listen, number the sentences from 1-6 in the

order that you hear them. Q Track 03.05

______On the left, there is a young man with a white shirt leaning over a desk. He’s probably

a technology expert. 2

______An older man is sitting behind the desk. He’s wearing glasses.5

______There is a computer unit on the right side of the table. 1

______The older man is watching the younger man fix his computer. 6

______The computer cables are at the back of the computer unit, where the young man is

working. 3

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 ______The younger man is connecting the computer cables. 4

TASK 3: Look at the photo. Then read the sentences. Number the sentences from 1-6 to put
them in the correct order.

____So, finally, I’d say that they

might be colleagues at the same
company.

____The young woman is on the

left, and she’s wearing a blouse
and black pants. She’s holding a
document.

____The man and the woman are standing in a mail room or a copy room, in front of a
photocopy machine and near some mailboxes.
____And it looks like they have just made copies, which they’re looking over.
____Next to the woman is a young man wearing a white shirt and casual slacks.
____Well, there are two people in the picture, a man and a woman

TASK 4: Describe some pictures. Try to make as many sentences as you can

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 PART III: RESPOND TO QUESTIONS

LESSON 7: INTRODUCTION “ RESPOND TO QUESTIONS” AND QUESTION

TYPES
A. LANGUAGE FOCUS:
“Respond to questions” of the Speaking Test features a short prompt followed by three related
questions. The questions are given below the topic.
There is no preparation time allowed. You will be tested on your ability to comprehend the
questions and respond. For Questions 4 and 5, you will have 15 seconds to answer each
questions. You will have 30 seconds to answer Questions 6. Your responses will be evaluated
based on pronunciation, intonation and stress, grammar, vocabulary, cohesion, and relevance
and completeness of content.
EXAMPLE

35
II. Question Types:

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 II. Practice:
TASK 1:

QUESTION WORDS - WH QUESTIONS

A- Change the following sentences to questions beginning with the given question word.

1. They live in Brooklyn.                Where   ?

2. The lesson begins at 8 o´clock.   What time    ?

3. They get home at 6 o´clock every night. What time   ?

4. She speaks French very well.        What   ?

5. Those books cost one dollar.        How much   ?

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 6. They travel by car.                        How   ?

7. She wants to learn English because she wants a better job.                        Why  
 ?

8. They meet on the corner every morning.                     Where   ?

9. She teaches us grammar.       What   ?

10. He gets up at seven every morning.       When   ?

11. Those girls sell newspapaer there.               What   ?

B- Supply DO or DOES to complete the following present tense questions.

1. Where   John live?

2. What time   the plane leave?

3. Where   you hang your hat and coat during the lesson?

4. Where   they live?

5. What   these girls generally do over the weekend?

6. How   that child go to school?

7. Who   Helen help at home?

8. When   we eat lunch in the cafeteria?

9. What   the children eat there?

10. Where   George live?

C- Choose the best WH word:

1.  do you want to eat? Pasta and cheese.

2.  do they smoke? Cigarettes.

3.  does John drive? Cars.

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4.  do we get up? Early in the morning.

5.  does that girl go swimming? At the club.

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40
 LESSON 8: TYPICAL TOPICS FOR PART 3
A. LANGUAGE FOCUS:
Typical topics are daily activities such as holiday, shopping, Internet, reading, etc.
1. Type 1: Work and offices

Imagine that a Canadian marketing firm is doing research in your country. You have
agreed to participate in a telephone interview about vacations.
Q4: How long do you spend a vacation?
Q5: Where do you usually go on vacation?
A6: What is the most amazing site you’re ever seen?

2. Type 2: Hobbies

Imagine that a U.S marketing firm is doing research in your country. You have agreed
to participate in a telephone interview about listening to music.
Q4: How often do you listen to music?
Q5: When do you usually listen to music?
A6: What kind of music do you usually enjoy listening to?

3. Type 3: Life

Imagine that a British marketing firm is doing research in your country. You have
agreed to participate in a telephone interview about television
Q4: How often do you watch TV?
Q5: What is your favorite program on TV?
A6: Do you watch TV more or less than in the past? Why?

Work in pairs, practice asking and answering the questions mentioned above

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III. Practice:
TASK 1:

Work with your partner, practice asking and answering the questions above
TASK 2 :
Directions: In this part of the test, you will answer three questions. For each question,
begin responding immediately after you read it. No preparation time is provided. You
will have 15 seconds to respond to Questions 4 and 5, and 30 seconds to respond to
Question 6.
Topic : You have agreed to participate in a survey about dietary habits
Question 4: How many meals do you eat per day, and which are they? (15 seconds)
Question 5: How often do you eat red meat? ( 15 seconds)
Question 6: Many people have reasons that they find it difficult to eat more nutritiously.
What aspects of your life prevent you from eating better? (30 seconds)

Your answers will be evaluated based on (1) pronunciation, intonation and flow, (2)
grammar and and vocabulary, and (3) details, examples and relevance. Remember as you
proceed through this chapter that the more specific and detailed your answer is, the higher
score it will receive.

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 LESSON 9: PRACTICE FOR PART 3
TASK 1:

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TASK 3:

TASK 4:

44
TASK 5:
Topic : Imagine that an American marketing firm is doing research in your country.
You have agreed to participate in a telephone survey about food shopping.

45
 PART 4
RESPOND TO QUESTIONS USING INFORMATION PROVIDED
LESSON 10: DESCRIPTION OF QUESTION TYPES AND SOME COMMON TEXT
TYPES
I. Introduction:
This part of the Speaking Test provides information in the form of a schedule or an agenda
followed by three questions. You will have 30 seconds to read the information. Then you will
hear each question and respond. You will hear each question only once, and you will not be
able to read the questions. You will have 15 seconds to respond to Questions 7 and 8 and 30
seconds to respond to Question 9. Your responses will be evaluated on pronunciation,
intonation and stress, grammar, vocabulary, cohesion, and completeness and relevance of
content.

After 30 seconds you will hear:

 Hello, I’m calling about a conference on May 27 that I saw advertised in the
newspaper. It’s about starting your own business. I was hoping you could give me
some information.
Question 7: Could you tell me what time the conference starts and how long it will last?
Question 8: How much does the conference attendance cost?

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Question 9: I may not be available for the full day. Could you give me information about the
activities in the morning, before lunchtime?

In order to correctly answer Questions 7-9, you should be able to:

• locate relevant information on a written schedule or agenda.
• summarize several connected pieces of information.
• understand embedded questions.
• use appropriate vocabulary and correct grammatical forms.
• convey requested information clearly and coherently.

II/ Text Types:

Possible topics may include:
» Meeting agendas
» Conference schedules
» Travel itineraries
» Tour schedules
1. Type 1: Event/ company

Questions:
7. Where is the event going to be held?
8. Could you tell me the schedule for after lunch?
9. When is the due date for my registering and handing in the fee?

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2. Type 2: Tourism:

Questions:
7. Where will participants meet before starting the tour?
8. What will participants do in the morning?
9. I’d like to know the rest of the schedule after lunch?

3. Type 3: Seminar

Questions:
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 7. How long does the workshop take place?
8. How many participants are allowed to join? (Minimum – Maximum)?
9. Could you tell me about the contact information?

Questions:
7. How long does it take to get to Hotel Compton from the airport?
8. When will the presentation about “Global Environmental Issues” happen?
9. Is there anything I should be aware of?
II/ PRACTICE
TASK 1:

QUESTION 7: Where is the employee workshop taking place?

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>> ANSWER: It is taking place in __________________________the Seattle headquarters.
QUESTION 8: When is the employee workshop being held?
>> ANSWER: It will be held________________________________________________.
QUESTION 9: When does the employee workshop begin?
>> ANSWER: It begins ____________________________________________________.

TASK 2:

Main Street Annual Spring Home and Garden Show

There's something for everyone's tastes at our 3 day event starting at 8:00 AM Friday, March
17th.
We've expanded this year to cover all 6,000 square feet of Mercer Stadium.
Browse hundreds of stalls with vendors demonstrating and selling all the latest products.
Get all the help you need from our eager experts.

Celebrity guests: Allen Landis, Julie Ty, Ryan Bliss and the Dawson brothers of Helping
Hand.
Each guest will appear each day for an hour on the center stage.

Two Grand Prize draws: 

1.   Win a home renovation worth $10,000.

2.   Win a home landscaping makeover worth $5,000.

Admission at the door: $15 for one day, $25 for 2 days, $35 for 3 days.
Children under age 12 get in for free.
For further details visit us online at www.hometogrowwith.net

Questions:
7.  What day will the event begin and when will it end?
8.  How much are each of the grand prizes worth?
9.  I'm a big fan of Helping Hand. When and where will I be able to see the Dawson
brothers? Are there any other celebrity guests attending?

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 LESSON 11: TIPS AND TASKS FOR ANSWERING EFFECTIVELY

A. LANGUAGE FOCUS:
Questions 7-9 on the Speaking Test are scored on a scale from 0-3. Your responses will be
graded based on pronunciation, intonation and stress, grammar, vocabulary, cohesion,
relevance of content, and completeness of content. You will also be graded on your ability to
politely convey accurate information.
Conveying information accurately and politely is very important for Questions 7-9. For
these questions, you are expected to speak politely to a person calling to ask questions about
an event or a plan. You should try to use language that is appropriate for speaking with
someone you don’t know and avoid speaking too informally or being impolite.
EX:
A Good Response: Just a moment, sir. Let me check that for you. I’m really sorry, but the
3:00 presentation has been canceled. There’s a similar presentation at 2:00. It covers
increasing sales, motivating employees, and improving your work environment. I can give you
more information on that, if you’d like.
I/ TIPS FOR ANSWERING EFFECTIVELY
1. Understanding the information texts and questions
TIP 1: Familiarize yourself with the types of information texts you may find on the test.
The types of information texts you see before the questions are usually some sort of
schedule, agenda, announcement, invitation, advertisement, or itinerary. See below for
examples of the types of information texts you may see.
TASK 1: Read the definitions of text types below. Then write the number of the correct
information text example
TEXT 1:

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 TEXT 2:

TEXT 3:

a.An itinerary is a plan for a trip, including the travel and hotel arrangements and the places
that will be visited____________
b.An announcement, invitation, or advertisement gives details about an event__________
c.A schedule or agenda is a list of things that will happen and when ______________
TASK 2
Look at the three information texts in TIP 1, What is the main focus of each text?
Circle the correct focus.
Text 1: a conference schedule / a self-guided tour / a tour of a work site
Text 2: a gathering of professional writers / a party for a publisher / an exhibition of books
Text 3: a meeting at Government Center / a presentation schedule / travel plans for a speaker

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» TIP 2 Practice scanning for detailed information.
You have 30 seconds to scan the text before answering the questions. During this time, you
should scan for the kinds of important information you may need to answer the questions.
For example, you should locate or note any prices, dates, times, activities, or other
information the caller might ask about. This way you will be prepared to find information
quickly when answering questions.
TASK 3
Look at the information texts in TIP 1 and answer the questions below.
Text 1
1. When can someone take the tour?_____________________________________________
2.How long does the tour last, and what do you see?________________________________
Text 2
1. Who are the main speakers at the conference?___________________________________
2.What things can a person do in the afternoon?____________________________________
Text 3
1. What time does the delegation arrive, and who’s picking them up? __________________
2. How long does the delegation have for lunch? __________________________________
TIP 3 Get to know the types of introductions and questions you might hear.
You will usually hear a short introductory statement by the caller before you hear the
questions. This often gives general information about the situation. As you listen to the
statement, think about the types of related information that the caller might ask for. After that,
you will hear the first question.

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II. PRACTICE:

TASK 1: Practice quickly finding the topic of the schedule. Scan the schedule. Then answer
the question below.

What is this information mainly about?

(A) Dining room service hours
B (B)A special dinner
(C) A business meeting
B. Read each question. Scan the schedule above to find the information requested. Circle the
information on the schedule. Then check ( / ) the correct answer.
Question 7: Where will appetizers be served?
□ Appetizers will be served in the Green Room.
□ Appetizers will be served in the hotel lobby.
□ Appetizers will be served in the East Dining Room.
Question 8: Will there be dancing immediately following dinner?
□ Yes. Peter Harris will lead the band.
□ No. There will be an awards ceremony first.
□ No. There won’t be any music or dancing.
Question 9: Will there be any speakers during the banquet?
□ No. But there will be a slide show.
□ Yes. There will be five speakers.
□ Yes. Both the membership secretary and the president will speak.
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C. Read each question below and scan the schedule from Part A to find the information
requested. Then complete the template to answer the questions. Practice your responses aloud
and record them if you can. Be sure to check the amount of time you use!
Question 7: When will the main meal begin?
The_______________________ ? Just let me check that for you. OK.
________________________________ will be served in the East Dining Room at
_________________________________________
Question 8: Will the Radford Orchestra provide the music?
>> No, I don’t think so, but let’s see here. There will be music and dancing, but the
music will be played by ______________________
Question 9: What will happen during the awards ceremony itself?
So you’d like to know what will happen during the ceremony? OK. Well, let me take a
look. There are several parts to the ceremony. First, there will be a
________________________________by _________________________ Then
________________________will________________________________ Finally,
everyone will enjoy a________________________________ I hope that answers your
question.

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 LESSON 12: PRACTICE
TASK 1:
A Scan the schedule. What is the information mostly about?

B Listen to the questions. As you listen to each one, scan the schedule in Part A and circle
the information you will need for your answer. Can you find all the information needed for
each response? Listen to the model responses to check your answers.
QUESTIONS:
7. Can you tell me the exact date and time of Mr. Green’s arrival?
8. If I pick up Mr. Green at 12:15 to his lunch with the Board of Directors, would that be
early enough?
9. What about after lunch? Will he be needing transportation to any other places that
afternoon or evening?

C Listen to the questions in Part B again and complete the templates to answer the
questions. Then practice your responses aloud and record them if you can. Be sure to
check the amount of time you use!

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TASK 2:

57
QUESTIONS:
7. How many performances of Romeo and Juliet will there be throughout the summer?
8. I understand that the plays will be performed in the outdoor theater, so that means that
performances will be canceled if it rains, right?
9. I will be out of town for most of July, so I’m wondering whether there will be any plays
performed in August?

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TASK 5:
FREE Pet Grooming Training Session
Do you have a cat or a dog with a shaggy coat of fur? Would you like to learn how to groom
your pet yourself? This weekend learn how to turn the anxiety of grooming into a bonding
time for you and your pet. We will teach you how to:

 trim stubborn nails

 remove nasty knots

 brush your pet's teeth

 choose the perfect brush and scissors

 remove tear stains from your dog's face

 shampoo and bathe your pet

 give your pet a before and after massage

Who are we?

Tammy and Mike Power are an animal loving couple who have volunteered their time for the
protection of animals for more than 20 years. Their Chicago based pet spa Paws 4 U was
voted #1 in the animal care category for Chicago's Best Small Businesses two years in a row.
For more information on this event visit the Pet Workshop website at
www.chicagopetworkshops.com or call Tammy Power directly at 1-800-tam-mike. No
registration required.
Special Request: Though this event is offered free of charge, the organizers ask that you
bring a pet food (or monetary) donation for the local animal shelter. Examples of other types
of donations can be found on the Pet Workshop website.

Question 7: What kind of experience do you have with animals?

Question 8: My dog's face never looks clean. Will there be any tips for dealing with this?
Question 9: Is there any sort of fee for taking your workshop?

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