Creating Opportunity Worldwide
Pro-ELT Teacher Training MaterialsLevel: B2 and C1
SURVIVAL GUIDE TO APTIS SPEAKING
PART ONE PERSONAL INFORMATION
Three questions about your life. 30 second for each answer. WHAT
CAN YOU EXPECT?INTERESTS AND LEISURE TIME
I enjoy reading non-fiction in my free time.Im interested in
politics. I love listening to traditional Malay music. I thoroughly
enjoy playing with my kids.When I can, I usually watch TV, in
particular the news. When I have the chance I make my own skirts
and dresses on my old sewing machine. One of my interests is
traditional Indian dance.My preferred leisure activity is
gardening. I love to watch my plants grow. My favourite pastime is
shopping. I absolutely love it!
FAMILYI have a large/small family.My family has seven members.
This is my immediate family. My extended family consists of at
least 40 relatives. . We are a close-knit family and meet each
other for family gatherings at least five times a year. My family
are quite close. I have been married for 14 years. I was raised in
the city/country. I have five siblings. I get on well with all of
them.
MY JOBI am a secondary school teacher. I teach English and
science. My job is very demanding, but its rewarding too. I often
work long hours. Apart from teaching, one of my responsibilities is
to organize exams. In my work I deal with difficult teenagers. My
work involves not only teaching, but running the English Club as
well. This job needs a lot of experience, paper qualifications are
no good.I commute one hour to work.
THE WEATHERIts incredibly hot today, but it may rain in the
evening, as the weather has become quite unpredictable recently.
Its boiling hot today, but I hope it will cool down a bit in the
evening. Its very sunny and, as always, very humid. Its a lovely
day today, bright and sunny with only a few clouds in the sky.
LIKES AND DISLIKESI enjoy visiting my in-laws. My mother-in-law
always prepares my favourite food and my father-in-law loves
playing with my kids. I adore playing with my nephew. Hes so
funny.I am mad about fashion. I am crazy about handbags. Ive got
quite a collection now and I now I have my eyes on a fabulous new
one. I dont mind doing most household chores, but I absolutely hate
ironing. I thoroughly dislike loud parties. I cant stand traffic
jams. I get so frustrated when Im stuck in one, which is almost
every day.
LEARNING I love learning new things. At the moment Im learning
computer skills and Im getting better and better at it. When I was
at school I used to hate maths, but now I am helping my youngest
with his homework and surprisingly, I enjoy it very muchI graduated
from the English Department a couple of years ago, but I feel I
need to upskill my knowledge all the time, so whenever I can, I
attend conferences and seminars for teachers.I have never had a
chance to learn how to swim, so Ive asked my friend to teach
me.
HOLIDAYS AND TRAVELI have never been to Australia, but I want to
go there one day.I have been to the Perhentian Islands a few times
and I thoroughly enjoyed the place. I am planning to go to Japan
next summer. I want to do some sightseeing.When Im on holiday, I
like to put my feet up and do nothing. I sometimes do some
snorkelling and sunbathing, thats it. I would like to go on a
walking holiday one day.
MEDIAI spend quite a lot of time watching TV. I mostly watch
documentaries.I occasionally read newspapers, but I mostly read
about the news on the internet. My favourite website is BBC News,
as its so comprehensive and the information is quite accurate. I
often use the internet to search for information, but I find that
many websites are unreliable and the information there is either
misleading or simply not true.
FUTURE PLANSMy dream is to visit Australia. I have never been
there and sister tells me its a really exciting place. My ultimate
goal is to complete my studies and get a degree. Im thinking about
changing my job. I would like to work as a secondary school
teacher, as I feel its more challenging than my present job. Im
going to start a family soon, so I wont have much time for
professional development.
BOOKSIm now reading a book called The Fault in Our Stars. Its
about teenagers suffering from cancer, but the book is not gloomy
at all. In fact, its very funny at times. I am an avid reader of
romantic comedies. I cant help it!This book is a real page
turner.The book has a strong plot with twists and turns, likeable
characters and vivid descriptions of the jungle.Its the best book
Ive read for a long time.The book is hilarious so I do recommend it
to anyone who wants a good laugh.
FILMSIve recently seen a really good film. Its called Gravity
and its about two astronauts in the space. The special effects are
amazing. I am addicted to soap operas. I need light entertainment
to relax at the end of the day. The film is based on a true story.
Its a thriller starring Bruce Willis. Its not suitable for
children, as there is quite a lot of violence in it. I do recommend
it.In fact, Ive never seen such a good film.
FOOD A the moment I am on a diet, so I avoid deep fried food,
but I make sure I have at least one nourishing meal a day. I never
skip breakfast. My family often eat out and our favourite place is
Rebung Chef. This restaurant is very popular, so you need to book a
table in advance. I have a sweet tooth, so my favourite part of
dinner is, of course, dessert. I particularly like chocolate cake
with vanilla ice cream on top.
HEALTH AND FITNESSIm off colour today.Im a bit under the weather
today. I think Ive got a cold coming on. Im out of shape, so Ive
decided to do some yoga and aerobics in my local fitness club. Its
important to keep your body in good shape. Besides, exercising also
uplifts your mood.
EXAMPLES OF POSSIBLE TOPICS Who do you spend your free time
with? What kind of things do you do together? How much time do you
spend at home? What do you enjoy doing? What sort of music do you
listen to? Why do you enjoy it? Does anyone you know have an
interesting hobby? What does he/she do? Have you got any plans for
this weekend? What are you going to do? Do you prefer to spend your
free time on your own or with other people? Why? Do you like
cooking? What sort of things do you cook? Whats your favourite
food? Why do you like it? Do you like going to parties? Tell me
about a good party youve been to. Tell me about a day youve really
enjoyed recently. Is there something new youd really like to learn
about? Why? Are you happier doing mental or physical work? Why? Do
you prefer working on your own or with other people? Why? What kind
of work would you really like to do if you could choose? Which area
of your country would you like to get to know better? Why? Whats
the most interesting place youve visited near here? Tell me about
it. Have you ever used English on holiday? Where were you? What did
you use it for? Do you like to plan your holidays carefully or do
you prefer to just go? Why? Where would you really like to go on
holiday in the future? Why? How much TV do you watch in a week?
Would you prefer to watch more TV than that or less? Why? Tell me
about a TV programme youve seen recently. Do you have a favourite
newspaper or magazine? Why do you like it? Do you use the Internet?
What sort of things do you look for in the Internet?
PART TWO DESCRIBING A PICTURE
Three questions. 45 seconds for each question. Question One is
to describe a picture. DESCRIBE, SPECULATE and REACT. DESCRIBE THE
PICTURE: Who is there? Where are they? What are they doing? What do
they look like? How do they feel? Whats in the background (if
important). Whats the weather like (if important). A general
impression is better than separate details. You wont have time to
go into them, anyway.
This is a picture of a peaceful place in the country.There are
three people in the picture. I think they are at a family
gathering. The woman on the left is making a speech.We can see some
skyscrapers in the background.
SPECULATE This is a lively, bustling city. It must be Tokyo. She
looks quite surprised. Perhaps shes forgotten about her own
birthday. I suppose its their anniversary. They all look very
smart. The woman on the right is wearing quite formal clothes. They
might be getting ready for some special occasion. The woman is
wearing baggy trousers and an oversized T-shirt. She must be
American The man behind her looks impatient. They are all wearing
casual clothes. They might be getting ready for a picnic. The child
in the middle seems to be exhausted. He must have had a really
exciting day. She must be the childs grandmother. She could be his
wife. They seem to be enjoying themselves. She looks very happy. He
looks worried. Perhaps hes missed his train. I get the impression
she is not happy about this situation. It's not clear whether its a
marketplace or a jumble sale.
REACTI like this photo. It reminds me of my childhood days.This
photo makes me think of my own grandmother and the time we
celebrated her birthday.I would love to try this. In fact, Im going
on a trip like that next month. I like this picture, though Im
scared of heights and I am not keen on trying out things like
that.
Question Two and Three: comparison with own situation.I would
definitely choose picture 1, as I like being on my own. I guess my
first choice would be picture 2. For me the most important thing is
to work with friendly colleagues. I dont think it really matters
where you go as long as you have good company.Personally, I would
prefer this place. Of course, the good thing about living in the
city is an abundance of facilities and entertainment. On the other
hand, life in the country is much less stressful. I wouldnt mind
being on a beautiful island like that, but on the other hand I
think I would be bored to death after a couple of days there. If I
had to choose one of these places, I would definitely go for the
one in the picture at the top.
PART THREE COMPARING TWO PICTURES
3 questions. 45 seconds each. Question One: describe
(expressions from Part Two), compare and contrast. Question Two:
react to one of these situations (expression from Part Two).
Question Three: compare with your own situation (expressions from
Part Two)The pictures are based on a clear contrast. For instance:
Being with your family or friends vs. being alone Working in a team
vs., working by yourself Active holiday vs. lying on the beach
Watching a match on TV vs. watching it live in the stadium with a
bunch of friends Peaceful, quiet countryside vs. bustling, noisy
city Unspoilt nature vs. a polluted city Listening to the teacher
vs. studying by yourself in the library Learner-centred vs.
Teacher-centred Outdoors vs. indoors
COMPARE AND CONTRAST Both pictures show a classroom. However, in
the top picture the children are listening to the teacher, whereas
in the bottom picture they are working on their own. Apart from
that, the classrooms look quite different form each other. There
are animals in both pictures. In the first one they are in a zoo,
kept in cages, while in the other one they live in the wild.,
Although both pictures show a city, they must have been taken at
different times of day, as there are so many differences between
them. Both of these people look exhausted, but I imagine its for
very different reasons. Both pictures show people doing sports, but
there are a few important differences between them. The main
difference seems to be that in the first picture its their job,
whereas in the other picture they are doing it for fun. PART FOUR
LONG TURN
DO NOT describe the picture. 1 minute preparation. Dont write
full sentences, just key words. Plan a logical development of your
talk (from PERSONAL to GENERAL).A 2-minute talk, based on three
questions. Here youre on your own, but you may want to use one of
the expressions listed before or one of the discourse markers and
fillers below. DISCOURSE MARKERS First of all,
Then again,All the same,Still, Instead, Of course,
Well,Despite that, Even so, Similarly,
Obviously,Naturally,
Anyway,
On top of that, Another thing is,
Whats more,
For instance
The first thing Id like to say is
In fact,I mean,What I mean isIn other words,On the whole,At the
same time,
Actually,What I'm trying to say isNow, about the next
question,
One of the reasons why
Because of this,As a matter of fact,
I forgot to mention that As a result,Let me think,Lets see,such
as
In contrast,
as well asBesides,
In particularMy point isRight, that is
That is to say I feelI supposeIm afraid I guessI reckon
Examples of possible topics: Tell me about a good book you read
recently. What kind of books do you usually read? Do you think
paper books will be replaced one day by e-books?
Tell me about a time when you were late. How did you feel? Are
people in your country usually punctual?
Tell me about something that you have done recently to keep you
fit. Will you continue doing that? What are the reasons people do
sports activities?
Tell me about the time you received some good news by letter or
email. Did you tell other people about the good news? What is the
best way to communicate good news: by letter, email, telephone or
in person?
Tell me about the time you enjoyed shopping. Did you buy the
things you needed? Some people enjoy shopping a lot. Why do you
think this is?
Tell me about a recent party you went to. Did you enjoy
yourself? What makes a good party: food, people or the place?
Tell me about the time you visited an older relative. Did you
enjoy the time with her/him? What did you do? How do people in your
country look after older members of the family?
Tell me about a good film you saw recently. Do you usually watch
films like that? Which films are popular in your country?
Tell me about a holiday you had recently. Did you enjoy it? What
makes a good holiday?
Tell me about the time you met your whole family. Did you enjoy
yourself? What did you do together? How important is it to keep
good relationships with your relatives?
Contributed by: Alicja Bartosiewicz The British Council, 2013The
British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation
for cultural relations and education opportunities.British Council
Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered
as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland
(SC037733)