Cynthia Transcript - Part 1

Examiner: Good Morning Cynthia

Candidate: Good morning.

Examiner: This is the IELTS Speaking Test. Er, first of all, let’s talk about what you do. Do you
work or are you a student?

Candidate: Um, I’m a stay-at-home mum, actually, and I’m taking care of my childs.

Examiner: Uh-huh, and what was your job previously?

Candidate: I, I have worked for almost 3, 3 or 5 years for a – um – fragrance company, as the
marketing department.

Examiner: Ok, and you did this job for between 3 and 5 years?

Candidate: For almost, yeah, 3 years in this company and marketing also in another company
for almost another 3 years.

Examiner: Mm-mm, ok, and what do – or what did you like about this job?

Candidate: Er, lot of things. I used to communicate with people a lot, er, speak with people
from other countries, from France, from Germany, and I loved talking other languages and know
other cultures. And, it was very, very interesting.

Examiner: Ok, in 10 years time, what job do you hope to be doing?

Candidate: Mmm, I hope the same, or better. (uh-huh) I hope to, to return to the same company,
um, and do some sales also. (uh-huh) It’s interesting.

Examiner: Ok, let’s talk about where you live. Um, what sort of home do you live in?

Candidate: We live with my family in a lovely flat. We love the light of, of our flat and the, the
rooms. It’s very comfortable.

Examiner: And how long have you lived here?

Candidate: For almost, I think for almost 5 years, yeah.

Examiner: And what do you like about your home?

Candidate: Er, I love the light, the light and especially the distribution of the rooms, the kitchen,
it’s very well-organised.

Examiner: Ok, is there anything you would like to improve about your home?

Candidate: Maybe the rooms of the children. Now I’m waiting my third kid so I have to, to
organize them in a better way, because I have two, two young boys and a girl and I have to
organize again.

Examiner: Now, let’s move on to talk about food and eating. Er, when do you eat your main
meal of the day?

Candidate: Breakfast, in the morning. If I don’t have my breakfast I can’t go on with the day.
Um, so, I take orange juice, coffee, toast … complete.

Examiner: Uh-huh, and who do you usually eat your meals with?

Candidate: Um, with the children and my husband.

Examiner: And do you prefer eating at home or in restaurants?

Candidate: Um, when I have – bueno – at lunch I just eat a sandwich or something easy and
when I have dinner, I prefer to, when my husband is here because he travels a lot, we prefer to go
to restaurants because we are alone, can speak, and it’s our time.

Examiner: Ok, and on what occasions in your country do people eat special meals?

Candidate: I guess it’s for Christmas, or birthdays, or, we do special food and the family’s all
together (mm-mm) and that’s lovely I think.

Examiner: Ok, next I’m going to give you a topic and I’d like you to talk about it for 1-2
minutes. Ok, before you talk you have 1 minute to think about what you’re going to say. You can
make notes if you wish. Do you understand?

Candidate: Yes.

Examiner: Ok, here’s some paper and a pencil. And I’d like you to describe an interesting city
you have visited. You should say:

- where it is
- how you went there
- what you did there

and explain why you found it so interesting.

Candidate: Ok.
Cynthia’s Video: Part One
Fluency and coherence Lexical resource

Willing to speak at length but with evident Demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to deal with
linguistic pauses and slow speech. Some most questions but little evidence of idiomatic or
basic linkers (so, because, on the other hand) collocational knowledge except 'drives like crazy'.'A lot' is
are used well but 'for example' is utilised repeated many times and 'things' is used due to a lack of
many times. precise lexis.

Grammatical range and accuracy Pronunciation

Generally understandable with some good use of word

Generally utilises basic tenses (present/past
stress and intonation but the latter is overused due to
simple, present continuous/perfect) with few
obvious influence of the L1 (down up intonation and
errors ('I have worked' used to talk about a past
the end of clauses and sentences). Also, some words
time). An If structure is utilised ('if you live in the
(glamour, queens?) are difficult to comprehend and
country you have to..') but only once.
create difficulty for the listener.
Cynthia Transcript - Parts 2 & 3
Examiner: All right, remember you have 1-2 minutes so don’t worry if I stop you. Can you start
please?

Candidate: Um, ok, the, the place where I was, er, last week was Dubai and I was there because
I was visiting my best friend, so what I really like about Dubai was the fact that I was there
visiting my friend and I found it very, a very great place, er, it’s not so far from Spain, first of all
and erm, it has many contrasts, Dubai, because you have a lot of poor people, lot of er, rich
people, there is no middle class there and the places you go it’s (bueno) it’s the typical Dubai
places with too much gold and (bueno) much glamour and um, on the other hand you have the
typical er places er it remind me Pakistan - I lived in Pakistan a couple of years of my life when I
was young - it remind me Pakistan or Sri Lanka or (bueno) there are a lot of people from there,
because I think in Dubai you have er 85% of the people living there are immigrants and you have
a lot of people from Pakistan, from Sri Lanka, from Philippines. Erm, I think they need so much
immigrants to build a city, that’s what they are doing there. One, one thing that it’s not, (bueno) I
found it a problem, er, in Dubai was the fact that, there’s a lot, there are a lot of cranes
everywhere so there are no buses, there are no er, subways, so you have to take the car for
everything, going to the supermarket, taking the kids to school, erm, going to, to, to work so
there are a lot of traffic everywhere. You can maybe, not so, so, so far away, but you spend one,
an hour in a, in a car.

Examiner: Ok, thank you. Do you expect to go there again?

Candidate: I hope so. I hope so. Now she will come to Spain and I, I hope to go again.

Examiner: Uh-huh. Ok, we’ve been talking about an interesting city you have visited and now
I’d like to ask you one or two more general questions about this. Let’s consider first of all cities
and the countryside. Erm, what are the main advantages of living in cities?

Candidate: Well, I think one of the better things living in a city is that you, everything is close
at hand. Erm, you don’t have to take a car to go to cinema, to supermarket, to school, so you just
… Everything is walking distance for me, no?

Examiner: And do you think some things are better in the countryside?

Candidate: Of course. One of the better things in the countryside, living in the countryside is the
fact that you have more contact with the nature, when you have kids for example, I think living
in the countryside is much better for them, riding bikes, playing with friends.

Examiner: So why do you think so many people choose to live in cities?

Candidate: Everything is easier. Everything is easier, close at hand and, and you have a lot of …
for, I think for young people and older people you have theatre, cinemas, for young people,
there’s er, nightclubs, discos and for, for kids or families you have shoppings or everything is, is
better and easier. If you live in the countryside you have to take the car for everything.

Examiner: Mm-mm. Ok, so do you think cities are more suitable for young people to live in than
older people?

Candidate: Without doubt. Yeah, yeah because (bueno) they, they prefer to, to be in contact
with friends, if they study, go to university, er, to meet people in a club, or in bars. (bueno) For
example Barcelona have a, has a lot of night, nightlife and it’s wonderful.

Examiner: And do you agree that transport is the biggest problem in cities?

Candidate: It’s one of the biggest problems, yeah. It’s one of the biggest problems because um,
not for example in Barcelona or in Madrid, big cities from Spain, er, because everything is very
er, controlled and the, the traffic it’s not a problem, but for example, in, in Buenas Aires in
Argentina, where I am, where I am from, people drive like crazies, not, not as in Italy but drive
like crazies and (bueno) it’s a big problem there … big problem.

Examiner: Ok, and in what ways do you think city life could be improved for everyone?

Candidate: Er, I think that one of the, one of the points that I think it’s very important in a city
is the cleanliness. Um, I think for example Barcelona has, has to, has made a lot of things
improving cleanliness. When you go to Barcelona you see a very clean city and that’s one of the
things that love the, the tourists from, from Barcelona. Not for example in Buenos Aires where
you can’t find that. T he water there is very dirty and for example here you find, you find
beaches, very nice beaches, (bueno) the typical Mediterranean beaches and that is, I think that is
one of the points that could be improved to attract tourists to the city.

Examiner: Ok. Thank you. That is the end of the speaking test.

Candidate: You’re welcome. Thank you.

Cynthia’s Video: Part Two

Fluency and coherence Lexical resource
Willing to speak at length but with Demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to deal
evident linguistic pauses and slow speech. with most questions but little evidence of idiomatic or
Some basic linkers (so, because, on the collocational knowledge except 'drives like crazy'.'A
other hand) are used well but 'for lot' is repeated many times and 'things' is used due to a
example' is utilised many times. lack of precise lexis.
Grammatical range and accuracy Pronunciation
Generally utilises basic tenses (present/past Generally understandable with some good use of
simple, present continuous/perfect) with few word stress and intonation but the latter is
 overused due to obvious influence of the L1 (down
errors ('I have worked' used to talk about a
up intonation and the end of clauses and
past time). An If structure is utilised ('if you
sentences). Also, some words (glamour, queens?)
live in the country you have to..') but only
are difficult to comprehend and create difficulty
once.
for the listener.