Skip to main content

Tips → How can I respond if I have no experience of the subject?

Many candidates worry that they do not have knowledge of some of the topics that examiners might ask them about, for example a favourite building, an eye-catching advertisement or a memorable trip. Maybe you feel the same way?
The first thing to understand is that IELTS is not a test of knowledge or experience. If you do not have the knowledge or experience of a specific area, that’s not a problem. There are no correct or incorrect answers expected in the IELTS speaking test.
The first point to remember is that all IELTS questions are checked and trialed many times all around the world to ensure that they are fair and equal no matter where the test is conducted. You might have heard that Cambridge Examinations can spend two to four years in testing their exam questions! So you can be 100% sure that there is an effective way of answering the question whatever your level of knowledge.
This means you must avoid irrelevant answers – sometimes it seems candidates assume that if they don’t know anything about a specific topic they can talk about a different but similar topic. That is a dangerous tactic. If your the examiner consider your answer irrelevant, that specific response cannot be used to assess your speaking test score. As a result, you will generate no marks.
So, how can you respond if you do not know anything about a specific subject being asked about? Let’s look at two options.

Option 1: look for an alternative way to answer the question

One option is to admit that you do not know much. This is an opportunity to use some signposting language that helps your listener understand what you will say next. For example, assume you need to talk about an eye-catching advertisement. Start by saying ‘That’s an interesting question, I have never thought about that before, but ….’ Then start talking about any advertisement you can remember (after all, what’s eye-catching to one person may not be to another). You could describe the advertisement from foreground to background or from left to right, highlighting the key features.

Option 2: speaking from the others’ experience


Another option is to talk about an experience that a family member or a friend might have had. You can do this if the topic is to talk about a memorable trip you have made, for example. You may not have had the chance to make any trips, but you recall your father talking about his favourite journeys. It’s OK to tell the examiner you do not have any experience of this theme. But maybe you would like to share your father’s experience. Doing this, you are still following the instructions and sticking to the topic.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Weekly Assignment (AC)

Line Graph Worksheet - Gap Fill The line graph illustrates the number of spreads consumed from 1981 to 2007, in grams. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant. Gap Fill - Choose the correct word The graph shows the quantity of margarine, low-fat spreads, and butter consumed between 1981 and 2007. The quantities are measured in grams. Over the period 1981 to 2007 as a whole, there was  1.   ............................ in the consumption of butter and margarine and  2.  ...................................... in the consumption of low-fat spreads. Butter was the most popular fat at the beginning of the period, and consumption   3 . ........................................... of about 160 grams in 1986. After this, there was  4.   .......................................................... The consumption of margarine began lower than that for butter at 90 gra...
Post a Comment
Read more

Writing-AC-Task-1 (Diagram)

Task 1 The diagram below shows the life cycle of a salmon, from egg to adult fish. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant. Tips: Write your description of the diagram by answering the following questions: Where and in what form do salmon begin their lives? When the young salmon emerge from eggs, where are they reared? Before swimming to the ocean, where do the young fish migrate to? What happens to salmon during their time in the ocean? Where do the adult fish then travel to, and why? What happens that completes the cycle? How do you write an overview or summary about a 'life cycle' diagram?  Count the number of stages in the life cycle. Decide on a beginning and an end point in the cycle. Sample Answer ▼ The provided diagram displays the life cycle of a salmon fish dividing it into different stages, from birth to maturity. Overall, a salmon fish g...
Post a Comment
Read more

Writing-AC-Task-1 (TABLE)

Task 1 The tables below provide information about the consumption and production of potatoes in five parts of the world in 2006.  Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Sample Answer ▼ The table data illustrates per person potato consumption and total production of this crop in five different regions in the world- South and Central America, Africa, North America, Europe, and Asia, in 2016. According to the information provided, Europeans ate more potatoes than the citizens of other regions on an average and Asia harvested the largest quantity of potatoes in 2016. In details, Europeans were the chief consumers of potatoes in 2006 as each European ate 96.1 kilograms potatoes. Then, North America and Asia followed the second and the third highest consumer list of this crop, 57.9 and 25.8 kg per person intake respectively. It is interesting to note that an average European consumed almost the ...
Post a Comment
Read more