描述一件你成功做成的难事
困难必须真实且具体。“It was hard”正是把这张卡限制在6分的那句话。
话题卡
Describe something difficult that you succeeded in doing.
You should say
- what it was
- why it was difficult
- how you managed it
- and explain how you felt at the end
准备1分钟 · 最多说2分钟
如何说满两分钟
是四个节拍,不是四个答案。卡片上的提示只是脚手架——一段自然流过这些提示的讲述,比四个互不相连的回答得分更高。
- 那是什么事,具体是什么让它困难——时间、技能、恐惧、金钱。
- 你当初为什么要去做。
- 最低谷的时刻,你以为自己做不到了。
- 局面是怎么扭转的,完成时是什么感觉。
这张卡适合用的词汇
词汇丰富度占你分数的四分之一,而7分的标准明确允许偶尔用错词——一味求稳、只用简单词汇,正是很多人卡在6分的原因。
easier said than done
用于计划与执行之间的差距
stick with it
用于在艰难的中间阶段坚持下去
throw in the towel
通常用来表示你差点做的事
a steep learning curve
用于在短时间内艰难地学习
push through
用于熬过低谷继续前进
it took everything I had
用于真正的努力,而不夸大
这张卡的陷阱
描述了成就,却没有描述困难。
这张卡的一半在于“difficult”这个词。说出具体的障碍,并在它差点打败你的那个时刻多停留一会儿。
一个8分回答,以及它为什么有效
读它是为了看清其中的技巧,而不是背下这些话。考官每个工作日都会听到背诵的答案,这会体现在你的流利度分数上——背诵者的停顿方式和真正在思考的人完全不同。下面的细节都是虚构的,你的回答应该讲你自己的故事。
The hardest thing I've done is learning to swim properly at twenty-eight, having been genuinely frightened of water since a bad experience as a child. I'd avoided it for two decades and constructed an elaborate set of excuses that I half believed. What made me finally do it was a holiday where everyone else went in and I sat on a beach pretending to read, and I was too old to find that acceptable any more. I found an instructor who taught adults specifically, which mattered — the first four lessons I didn't swim at all, I just stood in shallow water and got used to putting my face in. It took about nine months to be able to do a length without panicking. What made it difficult wasn't physical. It was that every lesson required deciding again to go, and the fear didn't diminish for a long time. I'm not a good swimmer now. But I can, and I no longer arrange my life around not being able to.拿到这个分数的关键
- “I no longer arrange my life around not being able to”精确描述了这项成就实际带来的改变。
- 前四节课根本没游泳这个细节具体、出人意料,而且立刻让人信服。
- 它把身体上的困难和真正的困难区分开来,用一个洞见直接回答了“why it was difficult”。
第三部分接下来会问什么
第三部分和你的长篇独白有松散的联系,但问题会变得抽象——问的是一般人,而不是你自己。这张卡之后通常会谈到:
- whether difficulty makes achievement more satisfying
- how people stay motivated over long periods
- the role of determination compared with ability
其他“事件与经历”话题卡
Describe a journey or trip that you remember well.
关键词是journey(旅程),不是目的地——这个区别值一分。
Describe an important decision you have made.
这张卡建立在一个人生岔路口上。如果当时并没有真正的另一个选择,就换一个决定来讲。
Describe a celebration you enjoyed.
文化细节在这里是白送的分——考官可能真的不知道这个节日是怎么过的。
Describe a time when you were late for something.
一个自带张力的叙事——只要按顺序讲,这是最容易讲得流利的话题卡之一。
Describe a time when you helped someone.
与“帮助过你的人”那张卡互为镜像,同样的规则适用:先把问题铺垫好。
Describe a problem you solved.
这张卡奖励过程。你尝试过又放弃的方法,比最终奏效的方法更有价值。
把这张卡说出来
Oliver会给你读一张卡,等你准备满一分钟,然后整整两分钟一句话也不说——这正是你一个人没法练的部分。之后的报告会分别给流利度、词汇、语法和发音打分。第一次测试免费。
本指南依据公开发布的IELTS口语评分标准,用我们自己的话写成。官方原文请参阅 British Council的评分标准。MockLive AI是独立的练习工具,与IELTS、British Council、IDP及Cambridge University Press & Assessment均无关联。