tip #15 Speaking stage 2 The Event card. The importance of creating a checklist for strategies

.IELTS Speaking Part 2: Master Checklist for an Event Card Topic
🎯 Structure & Timing (2:00 Total)

1. 0:00-0:25 – Extended Background
   • Set scene with Where/When/Who
   • Use transitions: "At that time...", "Back then..."
   • Add sensory detail: "The air smelled of...", "I remember the sound of..."
     
2. 0:25-1:10 – Core Story (Past Tense)
   • Turning Point: "What happened next was...", "Suddenly..."
   • Dialogue: "My dad yelled, ‘Watch out!’" (gesture: hand raise)
   • Conflict: "I panicked because...", "Everything went wrong when..."
3. 1:10-1:45 – Reflection & Meaning
   • Present Perfect: "This has taught me..."
   • Emotional Weight: "The reason this matters is..." (lower pitch)
   • Digression: "Oddly enough...", "My friends still tease me about..."
4. 1:45-2:00 – Forward Conclusion
   • Future Twist: "Nowadays, I...", "Next time, I’ll..."
   • Humor/Sarcasm: "Though knowing me, I’d probably..."
     

Delivery & Fluency
✅ Voice & Body Language

• Pitch: High for excitement ("BEST day EVER!"), low for gravity ("I’ll never forget...")
• Gestures: Mimic actions (e.g., pretend to hold a camera for "took photos")
• Pace: Slow for drama ("And then... [pause] silence.")

✅ Transitions

• Chronological: "At first...", "By the time..."
• Reflective: "Looking back...", "I realize now..."
• Future: "Now I wonder...", "Maybe someday..."
  

✅ Divergent Thinking Prompts

• Senses: "The taste of...", "The way the light..."
  
• Modern Twist: "These days, we’d just... [snap fingers] Instagram it!"
  

Model Answer (2:00)
Topic: Describe a memorable birthday.
[0:00-0:25] Background
"I’ve always been cynical about birthdays—until my 17th. At that time, I was stuck in Nanjing, miserably far from my grandparents in Beijing. The dorm walls were thin, the winter air bitter, and I missed home desperately."
[0:25-1:10] Story
"Then—BAM!—the door flies open! My grandma screeches ‘SURPRISE!’ like a tea kettle, waving a lopsided cake. What happened next? They’d taken a midnight train, freezing in hard seats for 12 hours! Instead of gifts, Grandpa unpacked this moth-eaten album. ‘Look,’ he grinned, ‘this is me trading cigarettes for chocolate in the war!’ My friends’ jaws dropped—imagine bartering snacks like Pokémon cards!"
[1:10-1:45] Reflection
"Looking back now, the reason this guts me is... it was our last birthday together. He died the next year. That shaky-handed photo album taught me joy hides in absurd, tiny moments—like how he’d taped candy wrappers next to the photos."
[1:45-2:00] Future
"Now? I dream of pranking my grandkids the same way. Though let’s be real—I’ll FaceTime them from the airport instead of riding a train. Progress, right?"


Word Count & Timing

• Background: 45 words (~25 sec)
• Story: 85 words (~45 sec)
  
• Reflection: 50 words (~35 sec)
• Future: 30 words (~15 sec)

Total: 210 words (fills 2:00 at a natural, slow pace)

Self-Assessment Drill
After practicing, ask:
✔ Did I hit all 4 time markers?
✔ Did I use 2+ gestures?
✔ Did I include:

• 1 dialogue
  
• 1 sensory detail
• 1 future twist

Band 9 Tip: Record yourself and transcribe. Highlight transitions in yellow, sensory words in green, and tenses in blue. Aim for a "rainbow" page!