Practise, review, and improve your response
Knowing strategies does not replace practice. Turn your recordings into evidence: listen, identify one priority, and respond again.
Work through each lesson and mark the module complete when you finish practising.
10.1 Practise with the correct timing
| Task | Preparation | Recording |
|---|---|---|
| Tasks 1 and 7 | 30 seconds | 90 seconds |
| Tasks 2, 3, 4, and 8 | 30 seconds | 60 seconds |
| Task 5 | 60 seconds to choose and 60 to prepare | 60 seconds in Part 2 |
| Task 6 | 60 seconds | 60 seconds |
Start practising without pressure if you are still building the skill. Then gradually reduce preparation to the actual time limit.
10.2 Use an improvement cycle
- Respond: Record without stopping to edit.
- Listen: Identify one strength and one priority.
- Transcribe: Write out a passage if you need to see repetition or errors.
- Review: Improve content, vocabulary, listenability, or task fulfillment.
- Repeat: Record again without reading the corrected version word for word.
Recording is a very useful tool, but you can also practise with someone and ask them to summarize what they understood.
10.3 Review the four dimensions
Content/Coherence
- Do my ideas answer the prompt?
- Are they developed with reasons, examples, or details?
- Is the sequence easy to follow?
Vocabulary
- Do the words communicate exactly what I mean?
- Did I repeat a word because I did not try to paraphrase?
- Does the language match the situation?
Listenability
- Are my pronunciation and sentences understandable?
- Does my pace allow the listener to follow the ideas?
- Do pauses or corrections interrupt too much?
Task Fulfillment
- Did I follow every instruction?
- Did I address the right person?
- Did I use an appropriate tone and length?
Do not turn this checklist into an official score. Use it to choose what to practise in the next recording.
10.4 From a first response to an improved version
Task 6 prompt: Decline John's shift and offer help.
First response
"Hi John. I can't work Friday because I have a concert. It is important. Maybe ask someone else. Sorry."
The decision is clear, but the reason is very general, and the alternative leaves all action to John.
Revised version
"Hi John, I'm sorry, but I won't be able to cover your Friday shift. My wife and I bought tickets for an anniversary concert several months ago, so I can't change those plans now. I know you still need someone, and I can help by contacting the rest of the team this afternoon. If necessary, I could also offer to exchange my Tuesday shift with someone who is free on Friday. I wanted to let you know quickly so you would have time to arrange another option."
What changed
- Kept the original decision.
- Added a specific reason without making it too long.
- Turned a vague suggestion into concrete actions.
- Maintained an appropriate tone.
The revised version is not better because it is longer, but because it better fulfills its purpose.
Mini-test
Choose a priority
You listen to a well-pronounced response but discover that it never answered the prompt's final question. Which dimension should you work on first?
10.5 Final practice test
Complete all eight tasks in order and follow each task's timing. Use new prompts to check that you can transfer the strategies.
Afterward:
- Do not judge the entire test by one response.
- Select two recordings for detailed review.
- Note one pattern that worked and one you want to change.
- Repeat those two tasks with different prompts.
During the real test, if you make a mistake, correct it briefly only when necessary and continue. When the screen changes, focus your attention on the next task.
Final checklist before recording
- Did I understand my purpose and listener?
- Did I choose ideas I can explain?
- Do I know which sentence I will begin with?
- Do I have a simple order?
- Did I remember the final requested action?
- Am I ready to speak at an understandable pace?
Complete your Speaking practice
Practise all eight tasks and review your responses.