In this task you will talk about yourself. You may be asked to discuss either
- what you want to study at university and why
- your experience learning English and studying English for academic purposes.
There are a number of skills that are specific to Task 1.
Skill 7: Planning and presenting information about a familiar topic
In the course of academic study you will often be asked to make presentations. Some of these will be more formal than others. In the test you are asked to prepare in advance to present information about yourself. You need to carefully consider what information will be most useful to present and the amount of time you are allowed to present it. Use your time effectively. Don’t underestimate the importance of planning in advance what you are going to say.
Skill 10: Telling a story from your own experience to support a point
In addition to quoting directly from readings or summarizing main points or details in support of a particular position you are taking, you may also – naturally – want to tell others about your own personal experience. These kinds of short, personal stories or anecdotes from our own experience may best illustrate the point you want to make. In the test you will be asked to relate a topic to your own personal experience.
Skill 13: Speaking clearly and comprehensibly
Speaking clearly and comprehensibly is a critical part of effective oral communication. The test will provide you with important diagnostic information about what is working and what needs work. See the list of strategies in this section for some tips on how to make your English speech more comprehensible. Overall, the test is designed to evaluate the clarity and comprehensibility of your talk across a number of different academic tasks, levels of formality, audiences, and purposes.
Skill 14: Using appropriate expressions, phrasing, or words in relation to the purpose (formal presentation, group discussion) and the audience (professor, classmates)
The ways in which we say things in English changes in relation to whom we are saying them to and for what purpose (see above). You should for example, find the kind of talking you do in your academic classroom differs in many ways from the kind of talking you do when you meet your classmates outside the class. It is important to be aware of what is appropriate. Overall, the test is designed to evaluate how appropriate your talk is across a number of tasks, audiences, and purposes.
Skill 15: Controlling the task by managing how much detail is included
When you are speaking in any language, it is important to gauge how much time you have to get your message across. The test is timed. You need to take into account how much information you will be able to communicate given the limitations of time.