Your priority in part 1 of the speaking test should be to demonstrate fluency, not difficult grammar or vocabulary. You'll speak more fluently if you keep your part 1 answers simple.
Here are some examples of how I would simplify students' answers.
Note: the students' answers contain some mistakes.
Student's answer:
Logically people from different generation will have taste variation. Depending upon the maturity, music stars of their own age, impact of globalisation as well as technological development in music industry will divide younger and older generation.
My simplified answer:
Of course, people from different generations have different tastes in music. Popular music changes all the time, and most of us are influenced by whatever style of music is popular when we are growing up.
Student's answer:
Yes, I am fond of music. It is simply the medicine for my mind. When I am stressed, music remove stress. When I am happy, music inspires me to be more. It always in the centre of all my parties with friends. When I am sad, music takes me out glue and move forward.
My simplified answer:
Yes, I love music, mainly because it helps to put me in a better mood. When I'm stressed or sad, music picks me up and puts me in a positive frame of mind.
Thanks Simon! I'm note-taking phrases and collocations forever and ever.
Posted by: Binh Thai | December 13, 2019 at 12:55
Excellent comment Binh Thai. Noting phrases and collocations is one of the best language learning activities that you can possibly do!
Posted by: Simon | December 13, 2019 at 16:04
Have you ever given a perfume bottle as gift? Question
Answer. Yes, of course many time even last month I had given a bottle of perfume one of my acquaintances and it's a special gift because it's something people don't but very often and giving someone a perfume bottle shows that you have put a lot thoughts who the recipient is and why they might like.
Could you tell me sir whether this answer is well or not I mean is there any need to simplify
Posted by: Fuzz | December 13, 2019 at 17:44
Hi Simon,
I am interested in your member website and I want to subscribe, but I saw that you have already posted 10 or more lessons. So if I join today, can I have access to the previous lessons as well?
Posted by: Laura | December 14, 2019 at 01:52
Hi Laura,
Yes, you’ll have access to all previous lessons.
Posted by: Simon | December 14, 2019 at 09:45
Hello Simon, first I want to thank you for all your wonderful lessons. They are very helpful. And now I have a question.
You give us a method for answering questions in Speaking Part 1, which is to answer the question and give a simple reason or add some extra information. I've been adopting this method, but now I find that my longest answer only lasted for 13 seconds. I've recorded your answers on the worksheet to see how long they last, and it's the same. But we are supposed to be talking for at least 20 seconds for each question in Part 1.
So what I want to ask is, won't a short answer lead to a low score? What if I did the Part 1 in less than 3 minutes?
Posted by: Sun Ling | June 13, 2020 at 06:38