What raters reward
Raters reward a clear description for a listener who cannot see, adjectives and comparisons that make it easy to picture, a tone that matches the situation, and handling any object you cannot name confidently.
Your time plan
How to structure it
Fill the [slots] with your own ideas, then adapt the frames; don't recite them.
Suit the greeting to who you are calling.
Grammar Informal opener
- Hey [name], I have something interesting I need to bring up.
- You won't believe what I'm looking at.
If you do not know an object's name, say so confidently and describe it. There is no fixed formula here.
Grammar Present continuous + comparison (looks like / as if)
- There's [an object], which looks like [comparison] and is about the size of [comparison].
- The strangest part is [detail], and everyone looks [feeling].
Match the tone to the news (excited or worried).
Grammar with that said
- With that said, [your reaction or what you'll do next].
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.
- believe it or notBelieve it or not, there is a man wearing a full winter coat at the beach.
- out of the ordinarySomething really out of the ordinary is happening in this picture.
- it screams insanityThe whole scene is so chaotic that it screams insanity.
- ironicIt's quite ironic, because the wet-paint sign is itself covered in wet paint.
- flabbergastedThe people around him look absolutely flabbergasted.
- it looks likeIt looks like a giant balloon shaped like a purple elephant.
- resemblingThere is a tall object resembling a lighthouse in the middle.
- about the size ofThe strange machine is about the size of a small car.
- sort of likeThe costume is sort of like a robot made of cardboard boxes.
- in the foregroundIn the foreground, a dog is calmly wearing a pair of sunglasses.
- in the backgroundIn the background, you can see people pretending not to notice.
- to the left ofTo the left of the tree, there is an upside-down umbrella.
- what caught my eyeWhat caught my eye first was the floating chair near the ceiling.
- with that saidWith that said, that's pretty much everything I can see in the picture.
- all in allAll in all, it's one of the strangest scenes I've ever tried to describe.
- I hope you can picture itI hope you can picture it now, even without seeing it yourself.
From the lesson
The full phrase bank from Task 8: Describing an Unusual Situation. Bookmark whatever you'd actually use — everything you save shows up in your library.
Opening / where you are
5I'm at ___ and I've just come across the strangest thing…
You're not going to believe what I'm looking at.
I need a second opinion on something.
I've stumbled across something bizarre and I had to call you.
So I'm standing in ___ right now, and there's this ___ in front of me.
When you don't know the word, use these freely and confidently
7I don't know what you'd actually call it, but…
There's no proper word for this, it's like a ___
I'm going to describe it badly, but bear with me…
It's the closest thing I can think of to a ___
Whatever this bit is called, the part near the top, …
I'm sure there's a technical name for it. I don't know it.
Picture a ___, except difference.
Describing, size and shape
6It's roughly the size of a shoebox / a kettle / your hand.
It's about knee height.
It's shaped a bit like…, except…
It's vaguely cylindrical / rectangular / spherical.
It tapers towards one end.
It's oddly flat / bulky / narrow for what it seems to be.
Describing, material and condition
4It appears to be made of some kind of metal / moulded plastic / carved wood.
It's clearly seen better days.
It's remarkably well preserved for its age.
The surface is rough / glossy / pitted to the touch.
Describing, the unusual part
5What's odd about it is…
The strangest part is…
Here's the bit I can't work out…
It's got this feature that makes no sense to me.
There's something adjective about the way it's verb-ed.
Speculating about function
5As far as I can tell, it's meant to…
My best guess is that it's used for…
It looks like it's designed to…
Either it's X, or it's **[Y].** I honestly can't tell.
It strikes me as deliberate rather than decorative.
Reacting naturally (this reads as confident, not unprofessional)
4Honestly, I'm a bit lost here.
This is going to sound ridiculous, but…
I wish you could see this.
I've genuinely never seen anything like it.
Making your request
6Do you reckon it's worth…?
Any idea what I'm actually looking at?
Would you go for it, or walk away?
What would you do in my position?
Could you have a look when I send you a photo?
Am I overthinking this, or is it as strange as it seems?
Common mistakes to avoid
- Describing it as if the listener can see it.
- Listing ordinary details and burying the unusual part.
- Freezing on an object's name instead of describing it confidently.
- A weak or rushed ending.
Quick tips
- There is no fixed formula; adapt to the picture.
- Lead with what is strange and compare it to something familiar.
- If you don't know an object's name, say so confidently and describe it.
- Match your tone to the scene (excited for good news, worried for bad).
