topic range

personal information

daily routines

things you did

things you own

your hobbies

other topics

Questions types

ability

conditionals

negatives

personal/place

resons

specifying

time

comparing

describing

options

preferences

rensons

superlative

yes or no

Can you ...

Are you able to ...

Do you know how to ...

Are you capable of ...

Are you good at cook

How good are you at ...

Position → State level of proficiency

high proficiency

I’m an expert/ a professional

I can

I have a knack for

I’m a bit of a know-it-all when it comes to

low proficiency

I don’t know the first thing about

I’m not much of a

I can't

Position → Identify the similarities/differences

What are the (main) differences/similarities between

How are state and public schools alike?

How is/are A different from/similar to B?

Total different

Some differences /similarities:.

Exactly the same:

They are like chalk and cheese

There’s a world of difference between A and B schools, especially ...

bear no relation to ...

One of the major contracts/distinguishing feature is

**What sets A and B apart is sth as ....

The most striking resemblance is ...

I can’t tell them apart. ..., ... and ... are all identical as far as I can tell

I can’t draw a distinction between A and B; as far as I know they are identical in .... and .....

Support → Provide an example

Support → State reasons

The reason why I can ... is

The most obvious explanation is

The chief/most compelling reason is

The reason behind this is the fact that....

coupled with the fact that

It's all thanks to my time in .... when I was ...

I’d attribute it to the fact that

It’s all thanks to

Every student in the interview will use “because”, so be careful not to overuse it. Show how wide your range of vocabulary and grammar is by not just learning one way to state a reason.

A classic/prime/fine/typical example of this is ...

Take .... for example

There’s no better example than ....

In one case,

In some instances

What do you do if you (have a headache)?

What will you do if (the weather’s fine this weekend)?

What would you do if (you lost your job)?

What would you have done if

Position → State result (try and avoid repeating “if”)

Support → Discuss the benefits

if expression

As long as the sun’s out, I’ll go to the beach.

Provided that there are no clouds about, I’ll head off to the beach.

Unless there’s rain, I’ll be making my way to the beach.

On condition that ... (it’s not overcast, the beach will be my destination.)

Say that .... (I no longer had a job, I’d probably bring forward my plans to study abroad.)

The good thing about this is I'll be able to ...

The major advantage is I may....

The beauty of this is I can

Support → Mention the drawbacks

The bad thing about this is I may

The main disadvantage is that I'll

One of the weaknesses/shortcomings is I may

On the downside ... will be (upset) that I'll

What’s your (hometown) like?

How’s .... How is the weather in your hometown in summer?

What does your ... look like? What does your best friend look like?

How do you like your ...(hometown)?

Can you describe your ... (hometown)?

Position → State the most striking feature

Positive

negative

terribly overcrowded

an absolute waste of space

one of the most backward places in the nation

incredibly interesting

an absolute hive of activity.

one of the most ... (picturesque views in the country)

Support → Touch on personal experiences

In my experience, I have never visited a city anywhere in the world which compares with mine.

Speaking from experience

One of my most unforgettable/memorable experiences was

If I remember rightly,

I distinctly/vividly/vaguely remember a time when ....

I distinctly/vividly/vaguely remember a time when my parents took me hiking to a spot high in the mountains over looking the ocean for sunrise.

Why don't you like/enjoy about your job?

Is there anything you don’t like/enjoy about your job

Why don’t you like/enjoy your job?

Position → State what you least like/enjoy

I am sickened/disgusted by ....

Support → Give a result

Every student in the interview will use “so”, so be careful not to overuse it. Show how wide your range of vocabulary and grammar is by not just learning give a result..

At the end of the day it’ll be their loss, as I’ll leave the company in search of greener pastures.

The implication of unfair work conditions is insecure employees.

A direct result of an unsatisfactory work environment is a decrease in productivity.

What do you think about/of overseas travel?

How do you feel about traveling abroad?

What do you think is the benefit of travel?

What problems do you think will happen in a long journey?

Position → State opinion immediately

In my opinion

Personally,

I strongly believe

I’m of the opinion that

If you ask me

To the best of my knowledge

As far as I’m concerned

To my mind

click to edit

Support → Explain a point more clearly

What I’m trying to say is

That is to say,

In other words,

By this I mean,

The thing is

To put it another way,

Let me explain/rephrase that

things you know

Environment

Wildlife

Nature

Recycling

Clean Environment

Hometown/Cities/Countries

Neighborhood

Cities

Countries

Lifestyle

How can you improve your quality of life?

What are the advantages of living in the country?

Where would you like to live when you retire?

What’s the standard of living like in your country?

What can you do to make the world a better place to live?

What are some social issues your country has?

What’s the area like where you live?

What kinds of jobs do people have in your neighborhood?

Do you get along with your neighbors?

Is your neighborhood a safe place to live?

What should a tourist do if they visit your city?

What would you like to change about your city?

What are the main industries in your city?

Why do people move to the city?

What can you recycle?

How is garbage collected in your neighbourhood?

Do you waste energy?

What types of pollution are there in your city?

Do you often take public transport?

Are you educated about protecting the environment at schools?

What do you do to protect the environment?

What animals can you see in the wild in your country?

Are you afraid of bugs?

Do you like watching animals in the wild?

How often do you enjoy nature?

What are some places tourists can visit to enjoy nature in your country?

Does your country often suffer from natural disasters? Which one(s)?

What do you do if there is a typhoon or an earthquake?

Enviroment

air quality

adj

good/bad/terrible/great

noun

smog

hazy

It can still get hazy in the winter

you'd often get thick smog covering the whole city

better

The air quality is better than it was ten years ago

Adj

Good

Bad

  • ... is good
  • ... is better than it was ten years ago
  • ... is great for such a big city

What do you think the government, companies or individuals can do to minimize air pollution

Government

air pollution

verb

bring in new laws and regulations

introduce/impose restriction on ....

driving in the city center

make it illegal to use/buy ....

use wood or coal fires for heating

move ... away from city

move a lot of heavy industry away from the city

Traffi

traffic

banned vehicles with diesel engines

have created large pedestrian

Changing

Position → discribe the changes

Change a lot

I wasn't excepting it to be like this

Support → Provide an example

I/He/Sb came here a few years ago and I found / he said sth here was really bad

Times

Past

Future

Now

a few years ago

ajv

really

actually

absolutely

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It used to be terrible..... But it's improved greatly in the last decade or so

Support → State reasons

I think the reason is that ....

I think it was driven by people's attitudes.

Ten years ago, no one was interested in ....., but nowadays there's much more awareness of things like ...

wood or coal fires

impressive

  • it's impressive that they can ....

It's impressive that they can make such a big change in a short time

adv

such a big change

Support --> feel about the changes

It's impressive

It's impressive that they can make such a big change in a short time

Long

... isn't long for these things

There's still more to do

invest in public transport infrastructure

I think it'll carry on getting better

This movie bears no relation to the book by the same title

recycling

noun

blue/green/red bin

bio-waste

food waste and stuff like that

black basket

the black basket is for glass and tins

verb

recycle a few things like glass

sort

we don't sort our garbage like that

feel about recycling

it seems very complicated

landfill

all of your garbage just go into landfill

Expression about feel/ think

feel

It seems very complicated/interesting/useful/funny

I

think

I don't know, I never thought about it

I guess

I just throw stuff away and forgot about it

It was the same here not so long ago, but now we've got used to sorting our rubbish and recycling as much as possible

It's much more environmental friendly

agree

I'm sure you're right

garbage / rubbish / trash

several different types of garbage

recyclable garbage

you can sort garbage into recyclables and non-recyclables

  • glass
  • paper
  • tins
  • cans
  • plastic
  • bio-waste

Waste which is not recycled is often sent to landfill

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farming

Verb

Book

How is the book

It's interesting

Farming produces the food you eat

Expression about relation

It not like it doesn't affect you

What is the book about

It's about ...

It's about farming and how we can make farming more sustainable

It's basically saying that + clause

Noun

farming methods

Support --> describe the details

It's about...

It's basically saying that ...

Expression about time

long

short

in a short time

immediately

rapidly

in a long time

slowly

in the long term

in the short term

modern farming methods

Expression about thing happend

end

start

end up doing

end up by doing sth

good e.g.

It can ... in the short term but in the long term it ... and end up doing sth

The modern farming methods can produce more in the short term, but they degrade the land and end up costing more

end up costing more

One thing it talks about is ...

Expression about describe

In my experience, I have never visited a city anywhere in the world which compares with mine.

Speaking from experience

One of my most unforgettable/memorable experiences was

If I remember rightly,

I distinctly/vividly/vaguely remember a time when ....

I distinctly/vividly/vaguely remember a time when my parents took me hiking to a spot high in the mountains over looking the ocean for sunrise.

One thing it talks about is ...

ecosystem

an ecosystem which depends on ....

artificial products

pesticide

pesticide use

herbicide

herbicide use

adj

harmful

They're / It's often harmful for the environment

Modern farming methods can produce more in the short term, but in the long term they degrade the land and end up costing more

traditional farming methods

grow food organically

You can produce the same amount of food without using pesticides at all

Expression about go

go back to ....

We should go back to mediaeval farming or something

It's not just theory btw

I read book about...

livestock farming

you definitely like this book

heavily machanized

depend heavily on:

  • machinery
  • automation
  • chemical product, like pesticides and herbicides

adj

sustainable

bigger/ smalller

mechanized / using more traditional methods

climate change / global warming

greenhouse gases

carbon dioxide

  • we need to cut carbon emissions significantly

rising sea levels

measures

carbon taxes

Holiday/Vacation

  • where
  • who with
  • How long for

I wen to the country side with my family for a couple weeks

several days

for a long weekend

go for three or hour days

Noun

public holiday

I went to Thailand with my best friend last year.

What you did on your holiday

adj

went

We just hung out in the village

We did some sightseeing in somewhere

I went to somewhere with someone for some days

Hit:

  • We just hit the beaches for some sun
  • We hit the bars

went hiking in the hills and mountains nearby

went on a walking tour of the centre and somewhere

went to restaurants and cafes

sample

sampled as much of the local food/dishes as we can fit our stomachs

explore by myself

went sightseeing

Place/City/Hometown

adj

adj

  • modern
  • international
  • worldly
  • cosmopolitan
  • overwhelming
  • stunning
  • fascinating

  • peace
  • small
  • sleepy
  • nice
  • good
  • dramatic mountains
  • impressive

a very nice, sleepy village surrounded by dramatic mountain scenery

There is so much to take in that you don't know where to took!

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touristy

out of this world

What make the holiday so better

It's like no where I have ever been before

  • It's a cool place but it's a bit big and noisy for my tastes
  • It's a nice place but it's too developed and touristy for my tastes

walking around in the little streets in the centre felt like being in an old film

I like .... the most of all. I wish it had been less crowded

Two years ago, I went to Thailand with my friend for 9 days. We did some sightseeing in the Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is for nature-lovers and those who prefer the calm and slow lifestyle. There are a few wild attractions that let you connect to nature. We sampled a lot of local food such as rice noodles, salads, and many kinds of seafood. The fruits there were very delicious and cheap. I enjoyed eating mango, pine·apple, coconut. My favorite fruit is a kind of mini pineapple. It tastes really good. My friend liked durian but I couldn't stand its smell. We also did skyline adventure in the local hills and mountains. In the beginning, both of us were kind of afraid. While then, after some warming up practices, we started to get used to it. It was so exciting and we took many photos. That was a very impressive journey.

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