Archives for November 2019

Why the IELTS Speaking Examiner Stops your Answer

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Learn why the IELTS speaking examiner might interrupt your answer in the IELTS Speaking Test. A lot of IELTS candidates are shocked that the examiner stops them in the middle of their answer to ask a new question. They are not prepared for interruptions and when it happens, they lose focus, get stressed and their performance suffers. Don’t let this happen to you. Be prepared and understand why the examiner is interrupting your answer.

Why the IELTS speaking examiner interrupts your answer

There are three main reasons why the IELTS speaking examiner might interrupt you and not let you finish your answer.

  1. The main reason is that time is limited. If your answer is slow, lengthy or not giving enough good English, the examiner might choose to stop you and start with a fresh question. It’s one way that the examiner can help guide you and keep you on track.
  2. Another reason is that you already gave the examiner the aspect of language they wanted to hear. When this happens, the examiner doesn’t need to hear the rest of your answer and can interrupt you to move on. Let me give you an example:
    1. Question: What changes would you make to your home if you could?
    2. Answer: If I could, I’d expand the living room so that we have more space and maybe build a patio. But I’d also like to ….
      1. Comments: Why would the examiner stop the answer after only one sentence? Well, this question was testing if the candidate could speak in the hypothetical tense (second conditional). The candidate already showed that this tense was easy for them, so the examiner can stop them and move on to a new question. Remember, some questions are testing specific language functions and once you’ve shown that ability in your answer, the examiner could stop you so that they can test other aspects of your language.
  3. The examiner will also interrupt you if time is up in any part of the test. This is actually obligatory.

It is important that you understand this fully:

  • The IELTS speaking examiner is not being rude or lacking concentration by interrupting you. In fact, when they change questions, they usually have a valid reason for doing so, which is neither bad or good as far as you are concerned.
  • The examiner is not trying to undermine your confidence. You actually should be prepared for interruptions to your answers if you have prepared fully for the test. This aspect of the IELTS speaking test should not be a surprise to you.
  • Being off topic does not affect your score in IELTS speaking. So, when the examiner interrupts you to redirect the question, it won’t affect your score. It is the examiner helping you.
  • The examiner isn’t interrupting you because you gave the wrong answer. There are no right or wrong answers – only opportunities to showcase your English. Interrupting your answer gives you a chance to tackle a new question.
  • The examiner does not rapidly ask questions to test your ability to handle stress – this is not how the IELTS speaking test works. The examiner only has a certain amount of time to test your English thoroughly so that they can give you a fair and valid score. Often you might show a wider range of English when you are given more different questions and topics.
  • Each examiner is different. Some examiners do tend to interrupt more than others so always be prepared. Whether they interrupt a lot or not at all doesn’t mean one examiner is better than another.

Always remember that the examiner is only testing 4 things: fluency, vocab, grammar and pronunciation. Nothing else is marked. 

Will interruption to your answer lower your score?

No. 100% not. This is a choice made by the examiner to cover all language functions and direct the test in the way the examiner wants.

How Can you Prepare and Cope for Interruptions

  1. You should know that the IELTS speaking examiner might interrupt you before you enter the test room. This is knowledge about the test that you ought to learn during your exam preparation.
  2. When it happens, don’t be upset or confused. 
  3. Being interrupted isn’t bad or good. It’s just part of the testing system and will help the examiner assess many parts of your language.
  4. Don’t think you made a mistake. The examiner might be moving on because your answer was actually excellent already. For whatever reason, it is simply a way for the examiner to manage the test and you don’t need to be concerned about it.
  5. Keep talking until you are interrupted. Let the examiner manage the test their way.
  6. As soon as you are interrupted, focus on the new question.
  7. Regardless of interruptions, be confident and try to enjoy the test. It is an informal speaking test.
  8. Remember, interruptions are normal.

Free IELTS Speaking Tips & Model Answers

Click here to learn more about IELTS Speaking for free: IELTS Speaking Tips & Answers

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Filed Under: IELTS Speaking

Answers to Autism Hour Listening

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Below you can find the transcript and answers to the listening exercise about Autism Hour. If you have not completed this lesson, please do so before looking at the answers below. Click here: Autism Hour Listening Lesson

Transcript & Audio

There are 700,000 autistic people in the UK. Autism is a lifelong disability which affects how a person communicates and responds to people and how they experience the world around them. Although most of the public have heard of autism, few actually understand what it is like to live with it and how to support someone with autism. Autism Hour is when businesses agree to dim their lights and reduce background noise, such as music, to create an environment that is more suitable for autistic people. Autistic people have difficulty processing sensory information leading to sensory overload which can cause great stress and even physical pain. In a world geared towards neuro-typical people, this problem can leave autistic people restricted in where they can go and what they can enjoy. Autism Hour not only opens doors to autistic shoppers and their families, it also provides an opportunity for staff members to learn more about autism which is essential if autistic people are to get the support and respect they need from society. Autism Hour is also important in bringing to light the general affect that sensory information can have on people who are not neuro-typical or who have an illness affecting their ability to cope with light or noise or any other type of sensory information.

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Answers

  • 1. Autism can affect how someone ……….. with others and how they experience the world.
    • Answer: COMMUNICATES
    • You cannot have “COMMUNICATE” or “COMMUNICATION”. 
    • The sentence must be grammatically correct when it is completed. 
  • 2. Businesses should ………. their lights and reduce noise during Autism Hour.
    • Answer: DIM
  • 3. Too much light and noise and lead to a sensory ………… which can be painful for people with autism.
    • Answer: OVERLOAD
  • 4. Society is mostly …………. towards neuro-typical people.
    • Answer: GEARED
  • 5. Some people with other illnesses can also struggle to cope with ………… information.
    • Answer: SENSORY
      • It is not possible to have the words “LIGHT” or “NOISE” or any other word as the answer. You cannot write “light information” as a compound noun in English.

Tip: Always remember that the listening test is also testing your understanding of English grammar and English vocabulary.

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Listening Practice: Autism Hour

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This lesson focuses on sentence completion questions which basically means filling the gaps with a word or words from the recording. It’s a common question type in IELTS listening tests. To do well at this type of question you need to be good at paraphrasing and being able to spot keywords in the question to help you navigate the audio.

I chose the topic of Autism because I feel it is one we all need to know more about. Autistic people experience the world in a very different way to people who are neuro-typical. The more we understand, the more we will love, value and respect people with Autism.

Listening Practice for IELTS 

AUTISM

Questions 1-5: No more than two words.

  1. Autism can affect how someone ……….. with others and how they experience the world.
  2. Businesses should ………. their lights and reduce noise during Autism Hour.
  3. Too much light and noise and lead to a sensory ………… which can be painful for people with autism.
  4. Society is mostly …………. towards neuro-typical people.
  5. Some people with other illnesses can also struggle to cope with ………… information.

Recording: Listen only once.

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Answers

Answers for this lesson are now available.

Click here: Answers to Autism Listening Lesson

Message from Liz:

Autism is something close to my heart. Please take the time to learn more by choosing one of the following links:

The Reason I Jump. This is one of the most remarkable books I have ever read. It opened my eyes to the incredible world experienced by autistic people. Written by Naoki Higashida, who has severe autism, it provides a special insight into what someone with autism experiences and the reasons for their reactions so we can understand and support them. You can purchase this on Amazon. Here is a link to it for UK buyers: The Reason I Jump 

National Autistic Society, UK. This website will give you information about autism and what you can do to help: https://www.autism.org.uk/

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Filed Under: IELTS Listening
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