IELTS Speaking Part 1 – Animals – Band 9

Examiner’s Questions

May I see your identification?

Certainly, here is my id card that I used to register, and it’s a pleasure to meet you. 

What is your full name? (What should I call you?)

My full name is Sandra Lisa McKinley, please just call me by my nickname Sandy. 

What did you do yesterday?

After having had a very busy day at work yesterday, finishing a project for a client, I went to the park to play with my kids and then I watched some Netflix to kick up my feet and unwind, I watched my favorite sci-fi the new Startrek series. 

Did you do anything to relax?

Well, aside from watching Netflix, I took 15 minutes in the evening to do some stretch-yoga, and I also read a few pages from my book, Mystic River, which helped me to enjoy life and recharge my batteries. 

TIP*** – The trick to getting high band scores is not only using accurate English responses to the question, but also including many subtle, yet very important details. These can be the names of specific nouns, such as the title of a book, as well as quantitative language, using specific numbers to give a clear idea for your examiner. 

PART 1

Let’s talk about animals

What is your favorite type of animal and why? 

My favorite animal is the dog, specifically the German Shephard, not only is this type of K9 one of the smartest breeds but it is also extremely loyal to its master. I have had two German Shepherds in my live, Rex and Hercules, I loved both of them and had tonnes of fun playing catch and other games with them. 

***Keep in mind that a band 9 is an expert user of English. You should ask yourself, “If I’m giving a popular response to a question, ex. “dog”, what makes my response better than the other 150 candidates today? – Why is my response unique?

(I love dogs because they are loyal to their master = band 6.5 to 7)

Do you have any pets? (***Be very careful expressing the truth when it is difficult to talk about, especially when it is emotional and complex, such as a pet dog that passed away. In this case, just keep in mind that your goal is to get a high band and make up a white lie)

Yes, I have  a large salt water aquarium with tropical fish and coral. As well I have a tabby cat name stripes and I hang out with them in the evenings while watching Netflix, they make for great company because they listen to my problems and never judge me. 

Why is it good to keep pets?

There are several reasons for keeping a pet, a larger dog, such as my shepherds, not only keep the home safe but also make for great companionship after a long hard day at the office. Whenever I returned home tired, it was such a relief to find them at my door waiting to lick my hand. 

Are there any animals that you are scared of?

Which is the most unique animal in your country?

Have you ever seen an elephant?

***Make sure to identify and reflect the key grammar of the questions that you are asked, ex. present perfect – here you should use the present perfect in your answer at least twice. 

I have not only seen elephants in several zoos around the world, such as the San Diego Zoo, but I have also seen them in Thailand. In fact, I had seen a man ride an elephant in downtown Bangkok, he was selling bananas to tourists to feed to this beautiful creature. 

If you could choose to be animal, what would you be? Why?

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