Talking About Family

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Part 1 & 2 Preparation

Intermediate

Learning Objectives

In this lesson you will:

Practice answering questions based on Part 1 and 2 of the IELTS Speaking test.
Learn and practice some different ways to talk about family members and hobbies.
Practice pronouncing /tʃ/ as in "chain" and /dʒ/ as in "Jane."

Exercise 1

Warm-Up: Pronunciation Practice

Listen and Repeat

Listen and repeat after your tutor.

A) chain

B) Jane

A) chin

B) gin

A) cheap

B) Jeep

A) cherry

B) Jerry

Quiz

Your tutor will choose 5 words and say them aloud. After each word, say whether it is from Group A or Group B.

Quiz Your Tutor

Choose 5 words and say them aloud. After each word, your tutor will say whether it is from Group A or Group B.

Exercise 2

Helpful Vocabulary

Describing People

Listen and repeat these words with your tutor. If you don't know a word, ask your tutor to read the definition and example sentence.

kind

Adjective

thoughtful

Adjective

nice

Adjective

funny

Adjective

helpful

Adjective

annoying

Adjective

relaxing

Adjective

boring

Adjective

Tell your tutor which of the above words are positive and which are negative.

For example:

"Kind is positive."
"Thoughtful is positive."

Listen and repeat these phrases with your tutor.

Talking About Hobbies

to be into something
to enjoy something
to be a fan of something
to like something
to hate something
to be bored by something

Tell your tutor which of these phrases you would use to describe an activity that you don't like.

Pictures and Questions

Choose from the Answer Pool below and say what each picture shows.

Answer Pool

window shopping
playing basketball
hiking
cooking
playing pool
cycling

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

Picture 4

Picture 5

Picture 6

Tell your tutor how you feel about each activity.

For example:

"I'm into cycling."

"I'm bored by window shopping."

Exercise 3

Speaking Test Part 1 Dialogue

Read the dialogue based on Part 1 of the IELTS Speaking test with your tutor. You will be the examiner. At the end, you will need to answer 3 questions.

	Examiner Who in your family do you get along with the best?
	Liam I like to think I get along well with most of my family, but I'd say I have the best relationship with my dad.
	Examiner What do you like about him?
	Liam My dad is really kind and thoughtful. He's always thinking of other people and he is really helpful, too. He's also funny! When we are together we laugh a lot.
	Examiner What do you like doing together?
	Liam We are both really into basketball. He is a little too old to play, but we like watching games together. We also enjoy hiking and cooking. He is much better at cooking than I am, though!
	Examiner Why do you think you get along so well?
	Liam I think the main reason is because we are very similar. We have the same sense of humor and we enjoy doing the same things. He's just fun to hang out with and chat with.

Questions

Who does Liam get along best with in his family?

What three things do they like doing together?

What is the main reason Liam thinks they get on so well?

Exercise 4

Fill in the Blanks

Read the following instruction based on Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking test.

Describe a family member that you get along well with.

You should say:

who they are
why you like them
what you like doing together

And explain why you think you get along so well.

Model Response

Read the response based on Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking test and fill in the blanks.

I like to think I (1) a good relationship with most people in my family, but I'd say I get (2) best with my mom. I really like her for lots of reasons: she is funny, kind, and a (3) person to be with. We're both really (4) fashion and go shopping together most weekends. If we don't have any money, we just go (5) shopping and we enjoy that just as much! We both also enjoy playing pool and going cycling. Why do we get along so well? I think the (6) reason is that we have the same sense of humor. We also enjoy the same things, so the time we spend together is never boring! I think that's why we have such a good relationship.

Choose answers from the options below that fit in blanks 1 to 6

Answer Pool (Questions 1-6)

main
along
have
into
window
relaxing

Exercise 5

Part 1 Test Practice

Useful Language

The speakers above use these phrases to talk about their family members and to structure their answers. Listen and repeat them with your tutor.

I like to think I have a good relationship with most people in my family, ...
I'd say I get along best with ...
For lots of reasons …
We are both really into ...
I think the main reason is ...

Questions

Use the phrases above to answer these questions based on Part 1 of the IELTS Speaking test.

Who in your family do you get along the best with? Why

Why do you like them?

What do you like doing together? Why?

Why do you think you get along so well?

Exercise 6

Part 2 Test Practice

Complete this task based on Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking test. You have 1 minute to prepare your answer and up to 2 minutes to speak. Your tutor will stop you when the time is up.

Describe a family member that you get along well with.

You should say:

who they are
why you like them
what you like doing together

And explain why you think you get along so well.