Part 2

Band 6+: Describe a skill you learned without formal training. You should say: - What the skill is - How you learned it - Why you wanted to learn it And explain the challenges you faced while learning it.

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78% Accuracy The overall pronunciation accuracy of your speech, reflecting how well a native speaker can comprehend it.

Polished transcript:

Male Female

So today I want to talk about a skill which I learned by myself without any mentors, without any supervisors, just me and YouTube videos. It is gardening. So, last year, I graduated with my PhD degree. That's why I experienced huge stress and depression at that time, due to having a lot of jobs, complicated tasks, and being a mother of two kids. Of course, with my supporting family, there was less responsibility on my shoulders, but all the time I experienced it, I felt a huge amount of stress in my chest. I couldn't breathe normally. So then I started to therapy myself. I started to work in this environment. Gardening was really helpful for me. And with YouTube videos, I started to learn how to raise several kinds of trees and several kinds of flowers. I started to buy seeds of flowers or small plants of flowers and started to put them in the soil, I bring them, give them water, touch them every day. And it really helped me release my stress. And it really was helpful. I also faced challenges with the conditions and character of flowers and trees. And I couldn't manage sometimes. That's why I a little bit faced with this situation. But overall, actually, it was an amazing skill for me. Nowadays, I have a very beautiful garden in my home. It is very visible, and when you look at it, my eyes really have to say smile, and it takes enjoyment.

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

So today I want to talk about the skill which I learned in my practice without any mentors, without any supervisors, just myself, this YouTube video. It is gardening. So, previous year, I graduated my PhD degree. That’s why I experienced huge stresses, depression at that time, it’s due to having a lot of jobs, uncomplicated tasks, and your mother of two kids, of course, with my supporting family, it was a lesser responsibility in my shoulders, but all the time I experienced it, I felt the huge amount of stress in my chest. I couldn’t breathe normally. So then I started to therapy myself. I started to work this environment. Gardening was really helpful for me. And with YouTube videos, I started to learn how to, I have to say, rise, several kinds of trees, several kinds of flowers. I started to buy cities of flowers or the small plants of flowers and started to put in the soil, I bring them, give them water, touch them every day. And it really helped me realize my stress And it really was helpful. Just I faced with challenges also with the conditions and character of flowers, character of trees. And I couldn’t manage sometimes. That’s why I a little bit faced with this situation. but overall actually it was amazing skill for me. Nowadays I have very beautiful garden in my home. It is very visible and when you look to this, my eyes really have to say smile and it takes enjoy.

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Speaking Time: 100 seconds

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Overall Band Score

(+/- 0.5)

Vocabulary Complexity:
B1 - Intermediate
Using more sophisticated words could be beneficial.

Vocabulary Repetition:

with: 5

started: 5

really: 4

flowers: 4

them: 4

stress: 3

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 answer addresses the topic well, covering the skill (gardening), the reason for learning it (stress relief after PhD), the self-teaching method (YouTube videos, hands-on practice), and some challenges (managing plant conditions). It includes personal experience and specific details, such as buying seeds, watering plants, and the resulting garden. However, the response could be more fully developed in terms of explaining the learning process in greater depth and elaborating on the challenges faced. Additionally, some parts of the answer are slightly off-topic or repetitive, such as the extended description of stress and the final comment about the garden. To improve, focus on clearly structuring the response around the four bullet points, providing more concrete examples of how you learned, and discussing challenges in more detail.

Fluency & Coherence

The answer is generally coherent and organized, with a clear structure: introduction, reason for learning, method, challenges, and outcome. However, there are noticeable issues with fluency, including frequent self-corrections ('I have to say, rise', 'I started to buy cities of flowers or the small plants'), repetitions ('it really was helpful' repeated), and some awkward phrasing that disrupts the flow. The use of cohesive devices is basic, and the answer could benefit from smoother transitions between ideas. To improve, practice speaking more smoothly, avoid unnecessary self-corrections, and use a wider range of linking words (e.g., 'moreover', 'in addition', 'despite this').

Lexical Resource

The vocabulary used is adequate for the topic, with some good expressions like 'huge stress and depression', 'therapy myself', 'release my stress', and 'amazing skill'. However, there are several lexical errors and imprecise word choices that affect clarity, such as 'cities of flowers' (likely meant 'seeds'), 'uncomplicated tasks' (likely meant 'complicated tasks'), 'lesser responsibility' (should be 'less responsibility'), and 'it takes enjoyment' (should be 'it brings me joy'). The range of vocabulary is limited, and there is some repetition. To improve, expand your vocabulary related to hobbies and emotions, and practice using precise words in context.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

The answer contains a mix of simple and complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that hinder accuracy. Examples include: 'the skill which I learned in my practice' (should be 'by myself'), 'it's due to having a lot of jobs' (should be 'it was due to'), 'your mother of two kids' (should be 'being a mother'), 'I started to therapy myself' (should be 'I started to therapy myself' or 'I started self-therapy'), 'I bring them' (tense inconsistency), and 'my eyes really have to say smile' (awkward and incorrect). There are also issues with articles and prepositions. To improve, focus on tense consistency, subject-verb agreement, and using correct prepositions. Practice constructing more complex sentences with accuracy.

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Band 6+: Describe a skill you learned without formal training. You should say: - What the skill is - How you learned it - Why you wanted to learn it And explain the challenges you faced while learning it.

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Generate A Band-9 Sample With Your Idea?

Overall Band Score

Pronunciation

Task Response

Fluency & Coherence

Lexical Resource

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

Answers On The Same Topic:

Describe a skill you learned without formal training. You should say: – What the skill is – How you learned it – Why you wanted to learn it And explain the challenges you faced while learning it.

Describe a skill you learned without formal training. You should say: – What the skill is – How you learned it – Why you wanted to learn it And explain the challenges you faced while learning it.

Describe a skill you learned without formal training. You should say: – What the skill is – How you learned it – Why you wanted to learn it And explain the challenges you faced while learning it.

Describe a skill you learned without formal training. You should say: – What the skill is – How you learned it – Why you wanted to learn it And explain the challenges you faced while learning it.

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Check Your Own Answer On This Topic?

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Fluency & Coherence

Lexical Resource

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

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