What raters reward
Raters reward a focused story told in order, steady past tense, at least one complex sentence for range, and using the full time. With 60 seconds, one narrow moment with detail beats a broad summary.
Your time plan
How to structure it
Fill the [slots] with your own ideas, then adapt the frames; don't recite them.
This opener fits any prompt.
Grammar There are many … one of them is
- There are many [things], and one of them is [your specific one].
- To begin with, a few years back, I [set the scene: when and where].
Work in one complex sentence to lift your range.
Grammar Past simple + given that (complex sentence)
- Given that [a detail], it also [a second detail].
- At first [setup], then [the turning point].
End on a feeling, not mid-event.
Grammar Adverb opener (evidently)
- Evidently, [how you felt or what you learned].
- Looking back, it [meaning].
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.
- there are many, and one of them isThere are many trips I've taken, and one of them is a road trip I'll never forget.
- to begin withTo begin with, I should mention that this happened while I was still in school.
- a few years backA few years back, I signed up for a marathon almost on a whim.
- it all started whenIt all started when a friend invited me to volunteer for a single weekend.
- given thatGiven that I had never cooked before, hosting a dinner felt terrifying.
- ended up with the scenarioI ended up with the scenario where I was completely in charge of the whole event.
- it turned out thatIt turned out that the venue had double-booked our time slot.
- even thoughEven though I was exhausted by then, I decided to keep going.
- evidentlyEvidently, nobody had planned for the rain, so we had to improvise.
- I'll never forgetI'll never forget the look on my mom's face when she finally saw it.
- to my surpriseTo my surprise, the entire team showed up early to help out.
- I couldn't believeI couldn't believe how well the whole day ended up turning out.
- at firstAt first, I honestly had no idea what I was doing.
- thenThen, a complete stranger stepped in and offered to lend a hand.
- after thatAfter that, everything started to fall into place quite quickly.
- eventuallyEventually, we finished the whole project a full day ahead of schedule.
From the lesson
The full phrase bank from Task 2: Talking About a Personal Experience. Bookmark whatever you'd actually use — everything you save shows up in your library.
Setting the scene
7A couple of years ago…
This happened back when I was…
I'd say the most memorable was…
It's still the one I think about most.
This goes back to when I was living in…
I'll never forget the time I…
Out of everything, one occasion really stands out.
Introducing theme one
4The first thing that made it memorable was…
What struck me most was…
The part I remember most vividly is…
To begin with, what made it special was…
Shifting to theme two (the hinge of your answer)
5The other thing that really stood out was…
But beyond that, what mattered just as much was…
On a completely different note…
What I didn't expect, though, was…
The second thing worth mentioning is…
Cause and effect
6…which meant that…
…and as a result…
…that's exactly why…
…so naturally…
…which ended up verb-ing…
…and because of that…
Adding vivid detail
5I remember sensory detail as if it were yesterday.
What I picture most clearly is…
There was this constant sound/smell/sight of…
I was completely lost for words.
It genuinely took my breath away.
Expressing feeling (raises your descriptive range)
4I felt an enormous sense of…
I was quietly proud / relieved / overwhelmed.
It was oddly moving.
I couldn't quite believe it at the time.
Takeaways, always plan one before you start
6Looking back, that's the part I really cherish.
It taught me something I still carry with me.
That's why it's stayed with me all these years.
In hindsight, it mattered far more than I realized at the time.
If nothing else, it reminded me that…
It's one of those experiences that quietly changed how I see things.
Common mistakes to avoid
- A topic too broad to tell in 60 seconds.
- Short, simple sentences with no complex sentence or range (this caps your level).
- Mixing past and present tense.
- Fillers and a 'so yeah' ending.
Quick tips
- One specific moment; detail beats breadth.
- Work in one complex sentence (given that …).
- End on a feeling with an adverb like 'evidently'.
- Sound genuinely interested; do not go monotone on the best part.
