Part 3

Band 6+: Do you think schools should piroritize practical skills over academic subjects?

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77% Accuracy The overall pronunciation accuracy of your speech, reflecting how well a native speaker can comprehend it.

Polished transcript:

Male Female

I totally agree with the idea that schools should prioritize practical skills over academic subjects. I don't really know much about how schools are working in other countries, but at least in my country, Japan, schools prioritize academic subjects over practical skills. I grew up in this typical Japanese-style education system. During that time, students only listened to what they were told and took notes, then crammed that knowledge right before the exams. To be honest, I forgot almost everything I learned in school. This means this education system doesn't work well for children's futures. I once considered which subjects or skills should take priority for students' future lives.

Actual audio transcript (What native speakers are likely to hear):

I totally agree with the idea that schools should prioritize practical skills over academic subjects. I don’t really know much about how schools are working in other countries, but at least in my country, Japan, schools prioritize academic subjects over practical skills. And I grew up in this typical Japanese-style education system. During the school era, the students only listened to what they should say and take notes, then crammed those knowledge right before the exams. To be honest, I forgot almost everything I learned in school. So it means this education system doesn’t work well for children’s future. So, I once was to consider which subject or skill should take priority for students future lives.

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Speaking Time: 44 seconds

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Overall Band Score

(+/- 0.5)

Vocabulary Complexity:
C1 - Intricate
Strive to incorporate even richer and more precise language.

Vocabulary Repetition:

that: 3

schools: 3

skills: 3

subjects: 3

this: 3

should: 2

prioritize: 2

practical: 2

academic: 2

education: 2

system: 2

Try using synonyms for the above words

Pronunciation

Your pronunciation is quite good. Working on consistency and tackling difficult sounds may enhance clarity.

Task Response

The response addresses the topic but fails to meet the requirements of an IELTS Speaking Part 3 answer. In Part 3, the examiner expects a general, abstract discussion about society or education systems rather than personal anecdotes. The answer relies heavily on personal experience ('I grew up...', 'I once considered...', 'In my country...') instead of discussing the broader implications of prioritizing practical skills versus academic subjects. To improve, avoid using 'I' and instead use general subjects such as 'students,' 'society,' or 'the current education system.' Try to expand on the benefits of practical skills (e.g., employability, life management) and the benefits of academic subjects (e.g., critical thinking, theoretical foundation) to provide a more balanced and generalized argument.

Fluency & Coherence

The candidate provides a coherent response and follows a logical progression: stating an opinion, providing a personal context (Japan), describing the current situation, and concluding with a reflection. However, the coherence is slightly hindered by repetitive sentence structures (starting several sentences with 'So'). To improve, use a wider variety of cohesive devices such as 'Consequently,' 'As a result,' or 'From my perspective' to link ideas more smoothly.

Lexical Resource

The vocabulary is appropriate for the topic (e.g., 'prioritize', 'crammed', 'typical education system'), but it remains somewhat basic for a Band 7 or 8. The candidate uses 'work well' and 'forgot almost everything,' which are quite common. To reach higher bands, try using more sophisticated collocations or idiomatic expressions, such as 'rote learning,' 'theoretical knowledge vs. hands-on experience,' or 'to be ill-equipped for the real world.'

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

There are several grammatical inaccuracies in the raw transcript that affect the score. Specifically: 'what they should say' (should be 'what they were told'), 'crammed those knowledge' ('knowledge' is uncountable, so it should be 'that knowledge'), and 'I once was to consider' (incorrect structure; should be 'I once considered'). While the meaning is clear, these errors in subject-verb agreement, countability, and tense usage prevent a higher score. Focus on mastering uncountable nouns and complex past tense structures.

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Do you think schools should piroritize practical skills over academic subjects?

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