描述一个你做过的重要决定
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。
话题卡
Describe an important decision you have made.
You should say
- what the decision was
- when you made it
- how you made it
- and explain why it was important
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。
- 迫使你做出选择的处境，以及当时看来的两个选项。
- 是什么把你往两个方向拉——包括谁建议你怎么做。
- 你做出决定的那一刻，感觉是果断还是勉强。
- 结果如何，老实说，包括你放弃了什么。
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。
weigh up the pros and cons
表示深思熟虑的标准短语
at a crossroads
形容人生岔路口的习语
sleep on it
用于有意推迟决定
go with my gut
用于凭直觉而非分析
there was no going back
用于不可逆转的情况
I've never regretted it
或者它坦诚的反面，得分同样好
这张卡的陷阱
把这个决定说得理所当然，这就抽走了张力，也抽走了素材。
给被放弃的选项足够的分量。只有一个合理答案的决定算不上决定，也撑不满两分钟。
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 most important decision I've made was leaving a stable job to go back and study something completely different, which I did at twenty-six against a fair amount of advice. I'd been in the job three years, I was reasonably good at it, and I was extremely bored in a way I'd started to think was just what work felt like. The decision took about eight months of not deciding, which I think is how most real decisions actually go. What tipped it was working out that I was more afraid of being in the same seat at thirty-five than I was of the money. I gave notice in the January. It was not a clean triumph — the first year was genuinely hard and I nearly went back twice. But I'd make it again. What I learned is that I'd been treating the decision as a prediction, and it isn't one. It's a bet, and you can make a good bet that goes badly.拿到这个分数的关键
- “A good bet that goes badly”是一个犀利的区分，也正是这张卡第四个提示所期待的那种抽象推理。
- “The decision took about eight months of not deciding”是关于决定如何产生的真正原创的观察。
- 它拒绝整齐的结局——两次差点回去——这让整个回答比一个成功故事更可信。
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：
- how people make big decisions
- whether it is better to decide quickly or slowly
- the role of advice from others in decision-making
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 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。
Describe a mistake you made that you learned from.
需要有转折。一个没有后果、没有教训的错误只是一则趣事。
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。