Fluency at your fingertips by Seb Answers

Fluency at your fingertips by Seb Answers

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Fluency at your fingertips by Seb Answers episodes

  • Seb Answers - IELTS Speaking Model - Toys, Play, and the Commercialization of Childhood

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    Part 2: Describe a toy that you enjoyed playing with when you were a child.

    You should say:

    What kind of toy it was 

    When and where you got it 

    How you played with it 

    And explain why you enjoyed playing with this toy

    Part 3

    Toys in general

    -What kinds of toys are popular with children in you country now?

    -How are toys children have nowadays different from those in the past?

    -Should parents give children lots of toys instead of spending time with them?

    Benefits of play

    -What can young children learn through playing?

    -What benefits do team sports bring to children?

    -Does online gaming, or traditional games and sports benefit children more?

    Childhood and commercialization

    -Is it acceptable to aim advertising, like toys, games or food at children?

    -How much pressure is put on children to conform with their peers (e.g. brands of clothes and toys)?

    -Does the increasing focus on children as consumers damage the experience of childhood?

    12 min
  • Seb Answers - TOEFL Speaking Model - New College Experiences

    Two examples of TOEFL 3-choice independent speaking questions

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    1. If you were going to choose a roommate, which of the following characteristics would be the most important to you?

    A. cleanliness

    B. friendliness

    C. quietness

    2. Imagine that you have just begun studying at a new university. Which of the following do you think would be the best way for you to learn about the new campus?

    A. a second-year student gives you a personal tour of the whole campus

    B. you are given a detailed map of the campus designed by the student services department

    C. you join a group tour of the campus together with all the other new students

    2 min
  • TOP Tips for TOEFL

    Top tips for TOEFL

    Reading and Listening

    · Get used to the computer-based test, especially the 10 question types for reading and listening.

    Use TEDtalks for listening practice. TED.com is a great resource for three reasons:

    · It’s got lots, and lots of materials.

    · It’s free.

    · There’s an interactive transcript.

    These three reasons make it the single best resource for leaning in English on the Internet.

    Speaking

    · Practice audio-recording your speaking with the strict time limit.

    · And learn to maximize the time in speaking.

    Writing

    · Practice writing essays that follow the standard format for each type of writing.

    · And learn to touch-type so that you can write faster on the laptop, and thereby write a long and more accurate essay.

    Grammar

    · For higher scores in writing and speaking, learn how to use complex sentence structures including dependent clauses, adjective clauses, and prepositional phrases.

    · Learn how to show the connections between your ideas by using linking and reference words.

    Sleep quality and well-being

    · Understand that anxiety is normal when taking tests.

    · Sleep well every night of the week before your test.

    · This will be easier if you make time for 30-minutes of intense exercise every day.

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    3 min
  • Seb Answers - IELTS Speaking Model and Useful Vocabulary for Art and Artists

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    Part 1: Useful Vocabulary

    clip art (n)

    cut-outs (pl. n)

    poster board (n)

    (to) color (something) in

    rubber cement (n)

    contribution (n)

    collage (n)

    spare time (n)

    two dimensions (pl. n)

    (to) praise / praise (n)

    (to) value / valuable (adj) / valued (adj) / invaluable

    (to) motivate / motivation (n) / motivated (adj)

    (to) support / (feel) supported (adj)

    (to) keep (something) up / kept it up

    trepidatious (adj)

    (to) get into / fall out of (the habit of...)

    capacity (n)

    hard copy (n)

    (to) sort through

    subscription to cloud storage

    contracts (pl. n)

    studios (pl. n)

    (to) pose for a photo

    (to) frame

    (to) crop

    color value (n)

    light and dark contrast (n)

    (to) exhibit

    marketing (n)

    (to) promote

    (to) get a following

    (to) become recognized

    (to) establish themselves

    (to) get attention

    (to) attract the attention of viewers and buyers

    (to) support themselves

    investment (n)

    well-established (adj)

    buyers bid up the prices

    Part 2: Describe a picture or photograph you have in your home that you like very much.

    You should say:

    • What the picture shows
    • Where the picture is in your home
    • How you got this picture
    • And explain why you like this picture so much
    • Part 3

      Learning to paint

      -Should all children have art lessons in primary and secondary school? Why / why not?

      -What are the benefits of having art lessons as an adult?

      -Can everyone learn to paint or draw? Why / why not?


      Photography

      What are some advantages and/or disadvantages of taking photos with mobile phones?

      Do you think working as a photographer would be a satisfying job? Why / why not?

      Do you agree with the view that photography is not really art? Why / why not?


      Famous artists

      -How do some artists today succeed in attracting widespread attention?

      -Do you agree with the view that works by a country's most famous artists should not be sold to private buyers? Why / why not?

      -Why do the works of some famous artist sell for ever-increasing prices?

      17 min
    • Seb Answers - IELTS Model Answer - Stars and Planets

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      Part 2: Describe a time when you remember looking at the sky, either by day or by night.

      You should say:
      Where you were and who you were with
      What you were doing
      What you saw in the sky
      And explain how you felt when you were looking at this beautiful sky

      Part 3: Learning about the stars and planets

      Do you think all children should learn about stars and planets at school? Why / why not? 

      Why do some people spend a lot of time studying the stars? 

      How does technology help ordinary people learn about the stars?


      Stars and planets in culture

      Does reading about the stars and the planets help to develop children's imagination? 

      Why do you think films about stars, planets and space are so popular? 

      How has the importance of stars and planets to people's lives changed from the past to today?


      Exploring the universe

      Do you think space exploration is a waste of money? Why / why not? 

      How might humans might exploit other planets in the future? 

      Would discovering life on other planets benefit humanity? Why / why not?

      16 min
    • Seb Answers - IELTS Speaking Model - Education and technology

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      Facebook Group

      Part 2: Describe a school you went to in your childhood.

      What type of school it was

      What you remember about the teachers

      What you learned there that has been particularly useful

      And explain how you feel about this school now

      Part 3

      Schools in your country

      -What are the main types of school in your country?

      -Are teachers today more or less strict than in the past?

      -Do students have to study too hard at school nowadays?


      Technology and learning

      -How can computers be used in the classroom?

      -What are the advantage and disadvantages to online study?

      -Do you think technology will one day replace teachers? Why / why not?


      The purpose of education

      -Is the primary purpose of education to prepare people for the workplace? Why / why not?

      -In what ways has the purpose of education changed over time?

      -Is education the primary responsibility of parents or the state?

      14 min
    • Seb Answers - TOEFL iBT Speaking Model - Roommates, Movies, and Family or friends

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      TOEFL Questions:

      • Some people think that family members are the most important influence on young adults. Others believe that friends are the most important influence. Which do you agree with? |
      • Some students would prefer to live with roommates. Others would prefer to live alone. Which option would you prefer? |
      • Some people prefer to go to the movie theatre; others prefer to stream a movie online. Which do you think is better? |
      • 5 min

      About Fluency at your fingertips by Seb Answers

      From the publisher's feed

      TOEFL, IELTS, GRE and the College Essay - I began these recordings with a friend who asked me about idioms for IELTS Speaking. However, idioms include many common collocations native speakers use…