Speaking Part 1: Good and Bad Answers Compared
Updated: Feb 28
In this lesson we will:
😔 Look at some bad anwers to Speaking Part 1 questions
😊 Look at some good answers to Speaking Part 1 questions
1. 😔 Bad Speaking Part 1 Answers
Look at the answers to the following questions.
What is wrong with each of them?
Q: Where are you from?
A: I come from a city called Cali. Its full name is ‘Santiago de Cali’ and it was founded by the conquistador Sebastián de Belalcázar in 1536 and it is a city which has a lot of history.
👈 What's wrong with this answer?
❌ The candidate is introducing themself in an overly long way or with memorised speech.
Q: Do you ever shop online?
A: No, I don’t.
👈 What's wrong with this answer?
❌ This answer is too short and so doesn't demonstrate enough fluency or language.
Q: Do you prefer to email, text, or phone your friends?
A: I prefer to text my friends because it's better. I don't like phoning people, and I only use email for work.
👈 What's wrong with this answer?
❌ This answer is better than the last one, but it still doesn't demonstrate much good language.
Q: Do you ever shop online? A: Yes, I do. I love shopping online and do it all the time. In fact, just this morning I bought some jeans and a T-shirt from a really nice website … The website is called AliExpress, and it’s got some of the cheapest prices you’ll ever find … That’s why I really like it. I think these days people really love shopping online and err, it’s really convenient … My parents both do a lot of shopping online too and, um, you can save a lot of money that way too and … uh, Also I sometimes buy stuff from err, Etsy ... Because sometimes I see really nice, uhh, designs on there, but sometimes the deliveries take errr, a long time ... And uh, yeah, that’s it.
👈 What's wrong with this answer?
❌ This answer is too long. The candidate has spoken so much that they've started to ramble, go off-topic, lose coherence, and lose fluency.
Q: Do you ever shop online?
A: Nowadays many people prefer to shop online because it is cheaper and more convenient.
👈 What's wrong with this answer?
❌ This answer doesn't exactly answer this specific question. In fact, it sounds more like something the candidate has memorised about the topic in general.
Q: Do you ever shop online?
A: Yes, I do. I use many websites, for instance AliExpress. Moreover, these days I shop less and less in physical shops.
👈 What's wrong with this answer?
❌ This candidate is using very formal connectors which you would rarely use in normal conversation. These words are very useful in the writing exam, but there are usually less formal equivalents you can use in the speaking exam.
Q: Do you like watching TV?
A: Hmmm …. That’s a good question … Hmmm … No, not really.
👈 What's wrong with this answer?
❌ For most Speaking Part 1 questions, you should be able to answer quite spontaneously without having to think too much about your answer. In Speaking Part 3, you might want to take a moment to think of your answers, but in Part 1, the questions are usually about your everyday life, interests and preferences, so you shouldn't have to think too much.
Q: Do you have a favourite plant or flower?
A: (omg why is this guy asking me about flowers?? This exam is so unfair!!) Errr … No. 🙄
👈 What's wrong with this answer?
❌ This candidate thinks it's unfair that they are being asked about an unfamiliar topic or a topic they aren't interested in; therefore, instead of answering the question and explaining why they don't have a favourite plant or flower, they've panicked or sulked. They probably think there is a problem with the exam, not with their English or their attitude.
2. 😊 Good Speaking Part 1 Answers
Look at the answers to the following questions.
What is good about each of them?
Q: Where are you from?
A: I’m from Cali, Colombia.
👈 What's good about this answer?
✅ The candidate has introduced themself briefly and normally.
Q: Do you ever shop online? A: Yes, I do. I love shopping online and do it all the time. In fact, just this morning I bought some jeans and a T-shirt from a really nice website called AliExpress.
👈 What's good about this answer?
✅ The candidate has given a common sense length answer, telling the examiner some detail, but without going over the top.
Q: Do you prefer to email, text, or phone your friends?
A: I pretty much always send my friends text messages because it's much more convenient for me, like, I can send a message then go off and do something else while I wait for a reply. I'm not a big fan of making phonecalls because they sometimes go on forever, and I only use email for work related stuff ... So yeah, I prefer texting.
👈 What's good about this answer?
✅ The candidate has used the question as an opportunity to show that they know some good, natural, conversational, topic-specific vocabulary. Also, to avoid rambling, and to show the examiner that they've finished answering the question, they capped off their answer with a very brief summary of the answer.
Q: Do you ever shop online?
A: Yes, I do. These days I use a lot of different websites like AliExpress, but when I was younger, I used to shop more in person.
👈 What's good about this answer?
✅ The candidate has used natural conversational connectors.
Q: Do you like watching TV?
A: No, not really, I used to when I was a teenager, but these days I much prefer reading. Sometimes I might watch a movie with my family, but I’m not really into TV in general.
👈 What's good about this answer?
✅ The candidate has demonstrated fluency and spontaneity.
Q: Do you have a favourite plant or flower?
A: Haha, no, I don’t, actually. I know absolutely nothing about plants and flowers … My girlfriend loves them though and she’s always buying new ones to decorate our living room. 😄
👈 What's good about this answer?
✅ When asked about a topic they don’t know much about, the candidate has explained what you do know / offered an ‘alternative’ / refered to people they know who do have some connection to the topic.