Task 1
Imagine that you are preparing a project with your friend. You have found some interesting material for the presentation and you want to read this text to your friend. You have 1.5 minutes to read the text silently, then be ready to read it out aloud. You will not have more than 1.5 minutes to read it.
Taking a gap year between school and university is quite common in the UK and there are a lot of different ways to spend your time. A ‘gap year’ is a period of time, usually an academic year, when a student takes a break from formal education. It is often spent travelling or working.
People used to think that taking a gap year was negative. In the past you took a gap year if you had to retake exams or had problems between finishing school and starting higher education and then starting a career.
But now, universities positively encourage a gap year, and employers are happy to give jobs to students who take a gap year. A year out between school or college and higher education or employment, or between higher education and a job, can give young people useful learning experiences, help them pick up new skills and make them more independent.
Task 2
Study the advertisement.
Zetland Park offers a great family day out
with plenty of fun for everyone!
You are considering visiting Zetland Park, situated in the centre of Grangemouth (Scotland), and now you’d like to get more information. In 1.5 minutes you are to ask four direct questions to find out about the following:
- free entrance days
- amenities
- tennis courts
- picnic areas
You have 20 seconds to ask each question.
Task 3
You are going to give an interview. You have to answer five questions. Give full answers to the questions (2–3 sentences). Remember that you have 40 seconds to answer each question.
Tapescript for Task 3
Interviewer: Hello everybody! It’s Teenagers Round the World Channel. Our guest today is a teenager from Russia and we are going to discuss shopping habits. We’d like to know our guest’s point of view on this issue. Please answer five questions. So, let’s get started.
Interviewer: What are your shopping habits?
Student: _________________________
Interviewer: What factors influence teenagers’ purchasing decisions? Is a brand image the dominant factor?
Student: _________________________
Interviewer: Do customer reviews and feedback influence your decisions when you shop online? If so, how do they impact your choices?
Student: _________________________
Interviewer: Do you think the pandemic has had an impact on our shopping habits? If so, how do you think they have changed?
Student: _________________________
Interviewer: What will our shopping experience look like in the future, in your opinion?
Student: _________________________
Interviewer: Thank you very much for your interview.
Task 4
Imagine that you and your friend are doing a school project “Masterclasses”. You have found some photos to illustrate it but for technical reasons you cannot send them now. Leave a voice message to your friend explaining your choice of the photos and sharing some ideas about the project. In 2.5 minutes be ready to:
- explain the choice of the illustrations for the project by briefly describing them and noting the differences;
- mention the advantages (1–2) of the two masterclasses;
- mention the disadvantages (1–2) of the two masterclasses;
- express your opinion on the subject of the project – which of these masterclasses you’d prefer to attend and why.
You will speak for not more than 3 minutes (12–15 sentences). You have to talk continuously.
