E.C.C.E
SPEAKING -
PART 1 – Personal Information
TUTOR: KARAKOSTA RANIA
1. Do you come from a big or a small family?
I come from a big/ small/ single-parent/ nuclear family. There are …
members in my family: my father/ my mother… and me.
2. Can you tell me a little bit about your family?
Well, my family is… (small/ big…). There are …. of us in my family: my
father… and me. We (don’t) live with my grandparents.
My father is… years old and he is a/an….
My mother is …. and she is a/ an…
My brother / sister is….
I have no siblings. I am an only child.
3. Do you have a good relationship with your
parents? OR
Do you get on well with your parents?
I get on well with my parents. / I get along with my parents. It’s nice
to have people to depend on, somebody to stand by you, to give you advice and
help you deal with problems./ We don’t get along these days. We fight a lot. ….
4. Which person in your family are you closest to?
I am closest to my sister/ brother because we are almost the same age;
we have lots in common / enjoy each others’ company; she /he is trustworthy,
reliable, compassionate; we can share our secrets …
5.
What
are your hobbies? OR What do you like
doing in your free/ spare time?
In my free / spare / leisure time I like/ I prefer / I enjoy playing
football/ doing sports/ watching TV/ going to the movies/ hanging out with
friends/ painting / reading books….
6.
Do
you have much free time?
I have lots of free time as…….. / I don’t have
much free time since I go to school on weekdays and I have lots of homework
every day. I do have some free time on weekends.
7.
What do you like to do on weekends?
I like going out / hanging out with my friends
or visiting relatives, but I also enjoy staying in, watching a good film on TV,
reading a book or listening to music and relaxing.
8. Can you tell me something about the place where you
live? OR
What is your town / village / neighbourhood like?
I live in ….. (Corfu,
Greece)
I live is a small village / small town / big city… in the south (north, west,
east) of … (Corfu).
There is a lot of green. / It’s a quiet/ noisy/ clean/ polluted place.
I live in a(n) agricultural / industrial / suburban / rural / urban / touristic
area.
It’s near the centre of the town/ in the suburbs / on the outskirts of …It’s
conveniently located near the shops… There aren’t many shops where I live.
It’s a small/ quiet neighbourhood and all my friends live nearby. Everyone
knows each other. My neighbours are very friendly.
9. Do
you live on this island/city?
Yes. I was born here
and I’ve been living here since I was born.
10.
Why
are you learning English?
I am learning English because it is an
international language. Lots of people use English as a lingua franca / to
communicate with each other. It is a necessary qualification if you want to
have more opportunities in today’s workplace.
Generally speaking, I like learning foreign languages because I believe
it helps you understand
the world better. As regards, English I think that it has become an international
language and it will help me with my future career.
11.
How long have you been studying English?
I’ve been
studying English for about seven years now.
12. Is
there anything you don't like about your island/town /city?
Although it is a
very beautiful island/town / city, and a very nice place for someone to live, I
still think that there are some things that could be improved. For example, …
(it could be cleaner...)
13.
Do you like
music? OR What kind of music do you like
to listen to?
Yes, I do. I particularly like Pop/ Hip Hop/
Rock/ Jazz/ Classical / Greek music… I also enjoy listening to Foreign music/
House/ Reggae/ … I also like folk music…
I love music. I also play the (guitar…)
14.
Are you a school or university
student? What subjects do you study?
I am in my
first/second/ third year of (senior) high school. I study ….. (Math, English..)
I am first/second-year university student. I study Medicine at the University of Athens.
I am a graduate/post graduate student in
Social Sciences. I study...
I am looking forward to graduating so I can look for a job.
15.
What is your
favourite subject at school? Why? OR
Which subjects do/did you enjoy at school?
I like/ liked Maths and Physics because they are
very interesting to me. I also enjoy/
enjoyed chemistry, but my favourite is/ was biology. I want to be a biologist
one day.
(English, Greek, ancient Greek, Latin, Music, Art, Physical Education, Computer
Studies, Geometry, Geography, Science, …)
16.
What are your ambitions / plans for the
future?
When I grow up I want to become a
/ an… / My ambition is to become a / an……..I want to become a / an……., so I
need to be patient / polite…., good at Maths, speak many foreign languages…
Next year I am planning to do a course on.../go to university.
I m finishing my studies this year so I am going to look for a job.
Well, I hope I will finish school, go to university and get a degree. Then I
hope to find a good job and make a family.
17.
Where do you usually go on vacation
/holiday?
Well, we usually spend the summer holidays on this island/city, but
sometimes we may visit other Greek islands or go on a tour around Greece.
Well, we usually spend our summer holidays on this island because my parents
work in t he summer. However, we visit other places/ towns/ cities in Greece on our
Christmas holidays.
18.
What are your vacation/ holiday
plans for this year?
Well, we haven’t decided yet. We may go to.. . We would like to visit…
I haven’t got any plans yet./I am planning to go to... with friends/family.
It’s an island/village... in the... of Greece.
19.
What kind of books and magazines
do you like to read?
I read computer or music
magazines and when I have time I like reading science fiction books.
I read (sports/ animal/ art / teens…magazines. I enjoy reading adventure
stories/ novels/ police stories/ mystery books…
20.
Where would you like to spend
your summer vacations/ holidays?
For my holidays, I
would like to go to… because… / I would like to spend my vacations (in Italy /
on a tropical island / at the seaside / on a mountain) … because …
I would like to see traditional houses / historical sites / ancient monuments /
lots of trees and flowers / sandy beaches / picturesque villages / the locals
and their lifestyle / etc
I would like to go on a camping / sailing / exotic beach / mountaineering /
adventure / family / skiing / biking / spa / group / music / holiday. /
I would like to go on a city break / a cruise / safari /
21.
Do you have a
balanced diet? What do you normally eat?
I think I have
quite a balanced diet since I usually eat lots of fresh fruit and
vegetables / eat at regular hours / avoid junk food / foods high in fat, fizzy
drinks and sweets / drink lots of water and fresh juice / prefer foods high in
vitamins, proteins / low in fat, carbohydrates, / I have three meals a day :
breakfast , lunch and dinner. Etc
22.
Do you lead a healthy lifestyle? Why? Why not?
I think I
lead quite a healthy lifestyle. I am cautious of what I eat and I take exercise
regularly… / I am afraid I do not lead a healthy lifestyle as I eat lots of
junk food because I don’t have much time to cook and I don’t take any exercise.
I find it boring.
23.
Do you prefer fast food or home-cooked meals?
Why? OR
How do you feel about ready meals?
OR Do you eat a lot of junk food? Why?
I prefer home-cooked meals because they are
healthier, freshly-made and my mum is an excellent cook.
As for ready meals, I believe that they are full of preservatives and other
substances that are harmful to our health. The ingredients may be stale / old ,
smell musty / may have gone off / etc
I eat a lot of junk food because it is tasty /I don’t eat a lot of junk food
because it is bad for my health/ full of fat….
24.
Do you enjoy going out to eat? Why? Where do you like
eating when you go out?
Yes, I enjoy eating out. I mostly enjoy going to
cosy restaurants with my friends, although we sometimes go to fast food places,
as well. I guess peer pressure plays a role, too.
25.
Have you ever been abroad?
No, I have never been abroad but I
like travelling and I hope that one day I will have the chance to visit some
foreign countries such as England,
France and Italy.
Yes, I have travelled abroad. When I was… (eight/ ten..)I went to … (Belgium/ Germany…) with my … (family/ mum)…
26. Which
countries would you like to visit?
I’d like to visit England,
Italy maybe or France in Europe.
I would also like to visit some countries in Asia, like China, Japan or India.
PART 2 – ASKING QUESTIONS
AND GIVING ADVICE
In
Part 2, the questions that you will need to ask are already provided to you.
However, after you have asked them, you will need to give advice.
Here are some useful phrases that you can use:
GIVING ADVICE
I (would) (strongly)
suggest/advise that ...
If I was/were you, I'd ...
In my experience, ... works
really well.
It's generally best/a good idea
to...
The best/most important thing
(to do) is to ...
If I was/were in your place,
I'd ...
If that happened to me/In that
case/If I had that problem, I'd ...
In this (kind of) situation, I
(would) always recommend/advise ...
(If I was/were) in that (that kind of)
situation, I'd ..
I think you should/could/would
My advice/ suggestion is to...
Why don’t you...
I think the best thing to do
is...
I’ve been in a similar
situation and I...
I can understand how he/she
must feel …
Personally, I would love/hate
it if...
I think/I really think) you
need to/must/should ...
How about ...?
It is usually a good idea to
...
You could (try) ...
You probably/definitely/really
should ...
EXPLAINING/
JUSTIFYING YOUR CHOICE
I d’ probably choose... because…
I think... would suit me because...
My first choice would be... because
I d’ choose... because it is important to me to...
I d’ rather (not) go to... because...
I ‘d prefer (not) to see... because...
Personally I am interested in...
I think most students would find... more
interesting.
I don’t think young people are into... and that’s
why I wouldn’t choose it.
I think ... has more to offer.
GIVING YOUR OPINION
In
my opinion / view...
Generally
speaking, I think...
To
my mind...
I’d
just like to say...
As
far as I’m concerned...
I’m
quite convinced that
To
be quite honest / frank...
If
you ask me...
EXPRESSING A
PREFERENCE
I would rather (+ bare inf.)…
I would prefer to ….
I would/wouldn’t like to...
I suppose I‘d prefer...
If I had to choose, I’d...
If it were up to me, I would..
