What raters reward
Raters reward a clear decision, sound reasoning, the right register for a sensitive message, and tact: naming the downside and how you will handle it. A calm, apologetic 'guilty' tone fits the bad news.
Your time plan
How to structure it
Fill the [slots] with your own ideas, then adapt the frames; don't recite them.
Pick formal or informal from the real relationship.
Grammar candid (fancy) + present
- Hey [name], there's going to be an uncomfortable discussion, but let me be candid.
- [Briefly explain the situation].
State it plainly, then give the logic.
Grammar since (complex sentence)
- I've decided to [choice], since [the practical or ethical reason].
- I understand it's [hard / tough / unprecedented], but I need you to understand [why].
Name the inconvenience and offer a small fix.
Grammar Apology + intent
- Sorry to spring this on you, but I promise I have your best interests at heart.
- To make up for it, I'll [fix].
Delivery & exam-day toolkit
Your content is not scored; your English is. These delivery habits apply to every speaking task and protect a level 9 and up.
- Start speaking the moment the timer begins. Delaying is penalized, so open with a quick 'hi' if you need to.
- Aim to finish about five seconds early (55s on a 60-second task, 85s on a 90-second task); you always run longer than you plan.
- The first prompt is unscored. Speak through it anyway to warm up your voice, so you do not stumble on the scored tasks.
- People finish other sections at different times, so someone will be talking while you speak, and you do not get noise-canceling headphones.
- Practice with the news playing in the background (people talking, not music) so the real room feels normal.
- Drop 'um', 'you know', 'so', 'like', 'etc.' and 'and so on'. Say 'for example' instead of 'like'.
- Never say 'I don't know'; it reads as a lack of confidence.
- A short pause (under two seconds) reads as confidence, not a blank. Pause after a connector or before a difficult sound.
- Vary your pace: slower with pauses to emphasize a point, a little quicker through a list.
These carry their own marks.
- Raise your volume on adjectives; sound excited on good news, quieter and slower on bad news.
- Let each sentence fall at the end. A rising ending sounds like a question.
Never fill a gap with 'um'. Use a ready line while your next point forms.
- 'Another important point about [topic] is that …'
- 'It is worth understanding that …'
- 'Based on where things stand, it is clear that …'
- If nothing comes, apologize once and calmly ('sorry, I lost my point for a second') and move on; a calm recovery costs far less than flailing.
- If you slip, fix it and say 'sorry' or 'pardon me' once or twice. Native speakers do this, and the mark is recovered.
- Task 1 and friendly messages: warm, with a smile in your voice.
- Task 6 bad news: calm, lower, and apologetic.
- Task 7 opinions: passionate and firm.
- Task 5 persuading: enthusiastic, but never belittle the other option.
- Picture tasks (3, 4, 8): neutral is fine, except when you voice a feeling in the scene.
- Record yourself, play it back, and judge it like a rater. Note the single biggest weakness and fix just that on the next take. Run uncertain sentences through a grammar checker.
Useful vocabulary
Vocabulary is one of the four scored dimensions, so weave a few in (don't force all of them). Bookmark the ones you want to use — they show up in your saved library.
- I'm afraidI'm afraid I have some news that you might not want to hear.
- let me be candidLet me be candid with you, because you deserve to know the full picture.
- sorry to spring this on youSorry to spring this on you, but I need to be honest about what happened.
- with all due respectWith all due respect, I don't think we can keep the original plan.
- after weighing my optionsAfter weighing my options, I decided the trip has to be postponed.
- deemed necessaryIt was a change I deemed necessary once the costs kept climbing.
- the most sensible thingCanceling now is the most sensible thing we can do for everyone.
- unprecedentedThe situation was completely unprecedented, so none of us saw it coming.
- I had no choice but toIn the end, I had no choice but to give your shift to someone else.
- to make up for itTo make up for it, I'd love to cover dinner next weekend.
- I only have the best of intentionsPlease believe me, I only have the best of intentions here.
- let me offerLet me offer another date that works better for both of us.
- I'll do my best to fix thisI feel terrible about it, and I'll do my best to fix this soon.
From the lesson
The full phrase bank from Task 6: Dealing with a Difficult Situation. Bookmark whatever you'd actually use — everything you save shows up in your library.
Signalling (prepare them, then say it)
6I'm afraid I've got some news you're not going to love.
I'd rather tell you straight than dance around it.
There's something I need to be upfront with you about.
I wanted you to hear this from me rather than anyone else.
This isn't an easy call to make, so I'll just say it.
Brace yourself, it's not great news.
Saying the hard thing plainly
4The fact. There's no gentler way to put it.
The short version is…
To be blunt about it…
Let me be candid with you…
Owning it
5It was completely my fault.
I'm not going to make excuses for it.
I should have been more careful, and I wasn't.
I take full responsibility for this.
There's nobody to blame here but me.
Apologizing (once, properly, not five times)
3I'm genuinely sorry.
I feel awful about it.
I really am sorry to have put you in this position.
Offering solutions (the highest-scoring section)
8Here's where things stand…
I'd suggest one of two things…
In the meantime, let me…
I'm not going to let you be out of pocket for this.
I've already taken care of step.
There are a couple of ways we could handle this.
Whatever you'd prefer, I'll sort it out.
Let me make it up to you by…
Empathy
5I know how much this matters to you.
I realize this puts you in an awkward position.
I completely understand if you're annoyed.
I know the timing couldn't be worse.
I appreciate this isn't what you needed today.
Professional register (colleague / manager / company)
6I wanted to raise this with you directly.
I appreciate this isn't ideal timing.
I'd welcome your thoughts on how best to proceed.
I thought it best to flag this early rather than later.
I'm confident we can find a workable solution.
Please do let me know how you'd like to handle it.
Complaining politely (when *you're* the affected party)
5I don't want to make a fuss, but…
I'd really appreciate it if…
Would it be possible to…?
I'm sure it wasn't intentional, however…
I'd be grateful if this could be looked at.
Closing
4Give me a call when you get this.
Let's talk it through properly.
Again, I'm really sorry.
I'll make this right, I promise.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Not actually choosing.
- Forgetting the downside or the person's feelings.
- Wrong register (too blunt with family, too casual with a boss).
- A rushed or missing conclusion, which caps the score.
Quick tips
- Use a calmer, lower, apologetic 'guilty' voice for bad news.
- Be candid: name the hard part, then explain your reason.
- Match the register to the relationship.
- Offer a small fix, and do not rush the ending.
