Tag Archives: exam

Picture Description : Global Warming

Are you in exam mood already? I hope you are just with your nose in you books and practising Speaking  in front of the mirror.

Here is another example of picture description at Intermediate level, kindly sent by Fedra Neila Moro. Thanks Fedra, well done!

The first picture shows a group of people sitting on chairs, in the middle of San Marcus square in Venice. The square is full of water, so they are wearing swimsuits. They look pretty funny and carefree, despite being in the water.
The second picture shows a child with his back to us. It looks as if he is staring at the dry landscape in front of him. Maybe, he is worried, thinking about his future and the horrible scenery, although it is difficult to say, because I can’t see his face.
In the third picture I can see a modern city with skyscrapers. It looks like quite a polluted city. Its sky is completely full of thick smog.
Currently, carbon pollution is the main reason our planet is getting hotter, increasing the risk of weather disasters, drought and flood, and damaging our health.
Since the past century scientists are warning us about the dangers of global warming.
In fact, lately, in the north of Spain, winter is being especially hard and extreme. For example, three years ago it was freezing for months with temperatures below six or five degrades. Two years ago it was pouring from November until June, and last winter was very windy and rainy. Even some people, who live on the coast, had to leave their houses because huge waves had flooded them.
Personally, I think that global warming not only affects the climate change but also the economic problems. So far, governments have spent a lot of money dealing with the damages caused by weather disasters. However, the most affected, the poorest countries, hardly ever receive enough help.
To sum up, from my point of view , if we want to stop global warming we should change our life habits, for example: we should share our vehicle, take more often public transport, have a shower instead of a bath, and above all, we should teach the future generations to take care of our environment and to protect it.
Finally, in my opinion, perhaps the most difficult and necessary thing to do is changing how we produce energy. We’d better reduce the fossil fuels and use clean and renewable energies, so that if governments don’t take the climate change seriously, in the future, the earth will end up being a big ball of smog.

Picture Description: Beaches

Kindly sent by Carmen Muñiz from the Elementary Level.

Both photos show a beach, but they are very different.
I suppose it’s summer, because the weather is nice and sunny and everyone is wearing summer clothes.
In the photo on the right, the beach is next to the city. There are a lot of people sunbathing. It’s really crowded. In the background I can see many high buildings. The sea is on the left and it’s full of bathers. The sand is on the right and there are a lots of colourful beach umbrellas. I think it’s a modern big city, it seems a lively place.
On the other hand, in the photo on the left, the beach is far from the city, and there are few people. At the back you can see green mountains and some little houses. The sea is on the right, there is no one bathing. On the right corner, there are two women next to rocks, they seem very relaxed, they are sunbathing in sun beds and they are reading a book. They look like friends, it looks as if they are having a great time.
The scene in the photo on the right looks very noisy and it’s packed with people, while in the photo on the left, it looks very peaceful and quiet.
Personally, I prefer the photo on the left, because it looks like a perfect place to spend a summer’s day. I love going to the beach and swimming in the sea, but I don’t like beaches which are close the city, and the crowds.

Picture Description: Jobs

Kindly sent by Ana Suárez Meana from the Intermediate Level.


Well, I have decided to talk about one of the most important topics in our lives, as I consider it is work because it is what drives the way we live every day.
To do this, I have decided to select these two contrasting pictures.
In the first picture, we can see an old man. He looks like a coal miner, although it is difficult to tell because I can´t see much of the background and I can´t really make it out. On the other hand, in the second picture, to our surprise, we can see the image of a woman priest. I think she might be
wearing a costume because it isn´t very common to see a woman priest.
In my opinion, the picture of the man is the image of one of the least common jobs today. In fact, more and more mines are closing down .I think that it is one of the most difficult jobs because they are people who daily risk their lives and whose earnings are low.
In contrast is the image of the woman, whose job I consider more relaxing and less complicated than that of the coal miner, but it is not less important for many religious people in our society and until now, done only by men because many jobs do not welcome women .
Today, there are different types of jobs that a few years ago would be difficult to imagine, because nowadays, more people study than in the past, men and women go out to work, and this often causes that families in their jobs are affected by the serious crisis we are living in our country.

Two more role-plays

I don’t know. I think I need  a holiday. I drag myself through the week and then Saturday and Sunday I just feel so sleepy I cannot bring myself to do the little things that not so long ago brought me a great deal of pleasure. I must be getting old though I am trying to convince myself that it is just another case of  spring depression. And why not embrace it? Why should I be expected to be up and cheerful all the time? why not sit quietly , enjoying my mood ? It is just another part of me and there is beauty to be found in all parts of me , for sure 🙂

Meanwhile, while I would be happy to stay at home nursing my current mood , my students still deserve to get the best of me.  Here it is, more role plays to practise for the certificación oral test. Don’t forget to check my Role Play Section.

BOOKING A ROOM IN A HOTEL

AT THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF LANGUAGES

Tips to Describe Pictures: Music

OMG! Where does time go? It seems only like yesterday when with butterflies in my stomach I greeted my new students. It was early October and, at that time, the course seemed long enough to last a lifetime, and just now I ‘ve realized that spring is technically here,  in fact, it ‘s been here for several days though I don’t feel exactly in on spring-mode and… it doesn’t help that it’s been raining on and off for the last few days. 🙁

Anyway, the Certificación exam is fast approaching and we need to practise a lot, especially speaking.

In the second part of the oral exam you will be asked to describe pictures ( a max. of three) and, in this part, you will be on your own. The examiner won’t ask you any questions.

REMEMBER

♥the pictures are just an excuse to talk about the topic

♥describe what you can see, comparing and contrasting the pictures. We don’t want you to describe in detail, just give a general description.

♥Use a wide variety of vocabulary and structures. Join your ideas using connectors.

Talk about the topic explaining your point of view.

Normally the pictures show different sides of the same issue. Say which one you would choose and why.

You have three minutes to shine 🙂

LET’S PRACTISE WITH THESE PHOTOS.  (click here to see the original)

Some ideas to help you talk:

How important is music in your life?
How much time do you spend listening to music each day or week?
Do you think music is getting better or worse?
Do you ever go out to listen to music live? When was the last time you went to a concert/gig? Gig /ɡɪɡ/ is a slang word than means live performance

Now, let’s try this one. Original here



How important is music in your life?
How much time do you spend listening to music each day or week?
Do you think music is getting better or worse?
Have you ever illegally downloaded music? Do you think it is okay or not okay to download music illegally?
With the increasing rise of downloading from the internet, what do you think the future of the music industry is?
Do you think music is getting better or worse?