MEDIA

Unit 7: Exercise 1
In this unit, you will learn how to answer IELTS Speaking test questions on the
.topic of television
Look at the phrases in the box. Then watch the video of three native English
speakers discussing television. Notice how the speakers use some of the phrases
for self-correction, clarifying and omitting details. Complete the table with the
.phrases

and so on sorry, I should have said … by that I mean … let me clarify that
… what I mean by that is … et cetera what I meant to say was
to put that (in) another way … and stuff like that

self-correction omitting details clarifying

Unit 7: Exercise 2
Watch the video again. Put the questions that the speakers ask in the correct
.order. There are more questions than you need
 ?Do you think our TV habits will change again in the future
?How do you think our TV watching habits have changed over the last few years
?How do you think watching TV will change in the next few years
?How will virtual reality change the way we watch TV
?What do you think the advantages of watching TV online are
?What do you think the disadvantages of watching TV online are

:Question 1

:Question 2

:Question 3

Unit 7: Exercise 3
Read the information. Then watch the video of the native English speakers
talking about the types of television programmes that they watch. Complete the
.conversation with the phrases that you hear
A good way to prepare for the IELTS Speaking test is to listen to native speakers discussing
different IELTS topics, such as health or the media. This will help you to learn phrases that
are typically used by native speakers to clarify what they mean (e.g. What I mean by that is
.…), support their argument (e.g. for example) or round off a list (e.g. and so on)

Speaker 1: So, moving on to that. So, what type of programmes do you end up
?watching, then
Speaker 2: I watch a lot of documentaries, ______________ , to learn different
things, ________________ , quite a bit of sport, before, and also random stuff –
so it will be property programmes, or, I don’t know, a bit of cooking, get some
ideas for what I’m gonna make. Yeah, I mean, _______________ , I kind of
watch them. I also don’t really – often, I’ll have other stuff on in the
background, or the television will be in the background, and I’ll be doing
something else, so maybe not 100% of my focus is on the TV
_______________ . Yeah, I don’t know whether that chimes with what you
?guys do
Speaker 1: For me, I can’t … I love watching cooking shows, but I get hungry
watching cooking shows. Like, Saturday mornings, it’s always cooking shows,
and I think, ‘I’m so hungry!’ But, yeah, I’m a bit boring. I like watching
 . _________________ ,documentaries, David Attenborough, history shows
Speaker 3: I’m definitely the same. I like, kind of, nature programmes, wildlife
. _________________ programmes, historical documentaries

Unit 7: Exercise 4
Read the information. Then look at the phrases in the box. What are their
.functions? Complete the table with the phrases
Sometimes in the IELTS Speaking test, you will need some extra time to think of an answer
to a question. The phrases in the box allow you to continue speaking while you think of an
.answer. They can be useful, but don’t overuse them

… It depends on … I tend to believe … So, I think, for me … so, for instance

… It tends to differ. such as … To illustrate what I’m saying
.As far as I’m concerned … It depends what you mean by that
.It’s an interesting question

giving an example giving your opinion

saying that something changes with the delaying your answer

situation

Unit 7: Exercise 5
 Read the information. Then watch the video of two native English speakers
responding to IELTS Speaking Part 3 questions. Choose the correct impersonal
.phrases with it to complete the responses
Impersonal phrases with it can help you speak in general, for example about
groups of people and their beliefs and feelings. They can help you sound more
objective. Using these phrases correctly will help you to improve your Lexical
.Resource and Grammatical Range and Accuracy marks

It has been estimated that/It is widely accepted that watching too much TV can .1
contribute towards a sedentary life style and that this can make people more
.susceptible to health problems, such as diabetes and obesity
TV habits are already changing. It could be argued that/It has been reported that more .2
and more people are turning to online TV and in particular features like catch-up TV,
.which allow viewers to watch programmes when they wish
It has been proven that/It has been reported marketing companies target young .3
children and teens, who are more vulnerable to persuasion. I think this needs to
.change and new laws should be introduced to prevent this
I think it is obvious that we spend a lot of time on social media. In fact, it has been .4
reported/it is said somewhere that some people spend more than seven hours a day
online. That means that more than half of most people’s day is spent on social media.
.That’s too much
If I could change one thing, it would be to remove advertising from TV. It could be .5
argued that/It is claimed that the world would be a much better place without
advertising. For a start, my favourite TV shows would not be interrupted every 15
.minutes, something which I find very frustrating at times

Unit 7: Exercise 6
Read the IELTS Speaking Part 3 questions. Then listen to the responses. Which are the best
.responses? Choose the correct answers

?How are our TV watching habits changing .1

o
?Do you think there is too much advertising on TV .2

o
 o
?Do you think that it is important to follow international news .3

o
?Has social media changed the way we access news .4

Unit 7: Exercise 7
.Choose the most logical phrases to complete the responses
I think that TV is a very positive thing. And stuff like that/ Let me elaborate on that/ .1
What I meant to say was . It allows us to know what is going on in the world and can
.provide children with a lot of educational information
Children should be allowed to watch TV online unsupervised. By that I mean/ It is .2
claimed that/ To illustrate what I am saying they should be allowed to watch it
without their parents, as long as there is some security installed to prevent them going
.to inappropriate sites
I don’t like watching TV programmes that are too serious. I prefer watching comedies .3
. and cartoons and stuff like that/ briefly/ but I won’t go into the details here
Watching TV online is a much better experience than watching it on a conventional .4
TV. By that I mean/ It tends to differ/ Such as it offers us the opportunity to choose
.what we want to watch and where we want to watch it
As far as I’m concerned,/ It could be argued that/ It’s an interesting question, .5
watching TV is a complete waste of time. I’d much rather spend my time at home
.reading a book
It has been reported that/ It’s an interesting question/ So, for example , but I have .6
.never thought about the impact of TV on people’s health before
As far as I’m concerned,/ I tend to believe that/ To put that another way, people spend .7
.too much time on social media, but I don’t have a strong opinion on it. It’s up to them
It could be argued that/ It has been estimated that/ It’s an interesting question printing .8
newspapers is a waste of time, as most people get their news online and it is a waste
.of natural resources

Unit 7: Exercise 8
.You are going to do IELTS Speaking Part 1
.Listen to the examiner. Record your answer. Play to hear your answer

Unit 7: Exercise 9
You are going to do IELTS Speaking Part 2. You will need some paper and a
.pencil
.Listen to the examiner. Record your answer. Play to hear your answer

.Describe a TV programme which you enjoyed

:You should say

.what kind of TV programme it was, e.g. a comedy, a documentary, etc
when you saw this TV programme
what this TV programme was about
.and explain why you would recommend watching this TV programme

Unit 7: Exercise 10
.You are going to do IELTS Speaking Part 3
.Listen to the examiner. Record your answer. Play to hear your answer