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C2 Sample Essay 39 (School or family shapes one's personality)

In the minds of ESL exam candidates, e ssay writing is one of the most daunting tasks they are required to complete, regardless of the level of the exam, the administering body or the ease with which they themselves use the language. The same applies to students who are asked to write an essay by their teachers at school.  In the previous sample essays posted on the blog, the main point I stress is the need to become acquainted with this form of writing (as opposed to writing a letter, review or report, for instance), to get a feel of what authorial voice is and how to organize and progressively express the arguments you wish to make in a coherent manner.  Unfortunately, the best way to prepare for exam writing or learn how to write good essays for school is to read as many essays from as many sources as possible, then write as

MSU-CELC / MSU-CELP Examination: Speaking Topics (Narration)

https://argutelegacy.blogspot.com/2019/12/msu-celc-celp-speaking-narration-1.html
Just like the two previous lists with topics that cover the Description section of the MSU-CELC exam in English (if you'd like to take a look, go here and here), this list moves on to cover the next section of the exam which asks candidates to talk about an event in their lives for approximately one to two minutes.

If you are an MSU-CELP candidate, feel free to go over the topics but make sure to extend your answers to cover two minutes for all questions.


This narrational task requires sequencing skills in addition to the usual dose of grammatical aptitude and lexical range. In plain English, a candidate must show they know how to use a variety of grammatical concepts correctly as well as vocabulary words, and also place events in a logical order, using time expressions and sequence words like "then", "eventually" or phrases such as "in the end", "all of a sudden".

http://argutelegacy.blogspot.com/2018/06/ielts-oral-part-2-list-1.html
Click on the image for IELTS Speaking tips



 How to use the list
You should time yourself and be able to continue to speak for about one minute on the topics in the list below.

For the second question of the CELC exam in the Narration section of the test, you will need to continue speaking for two minutes instead of one, as the question you will be asked to answer will include some kind of complication. For the questions on the list below, try to reach two minutes on all topics, regardless whether they contain an element of complication or not, to be sure you do well the day of the exam.

By practicing regularly, you should be able to know how long your answer should be to cover the time set aside for this task. Prepare a rough response for each question by thinking of key words to include in your answer, but do not memorize full-length texts.
 
For instance, if the question asks you to describe your favorite book, you should make a list of words related to the topic to review the day before the test. In other words, your list would include words like:


MSU-CELC ORAL EXAM

Speaking Topics - Narrations


1)    Tell us about a time when someone disappointed you.

2)    Tell us about a time when you achieved something wonderful.

3)    Tell us about a time when you learned an important lesson in your life.

4)    Tell us about a time when telling the truth hurt someone.

5)    Tell us about a time when you had to deal with an impolite person.

6)    Tell us about a time when you had a bad experience at a restaurant. 

7)    Tell us about a time when you found out something you shouldn’t have about a classmate. What did you do?

8)    Tell us about an experience that boosted your self-confidence.

9)    Tell us about a time when you helped someone. What did you do?

10)  Tell us about a time when you argued with an adult. Why did you argue and what happened in the end?



Looking for topics dealing with the Description section of the test? Click the image below.

https://argutelegacy.blogspot.com/2019/11/msu-celc-celp-speaking-description-1.html
 

11)  Tell us about a festival you attended recently. What kind of festival was it and what happened?

12)  Tell us about a time when you arrived late at an appointment or lesson.

13)  Tell us about a time when you had to talk to a teacher about homework you didn’t hand in on time. 

14)  Tell us about a concert you went to.

15)  Tell us about a time when you had to order something from a store or the internet.

16)  Tell us about a time when you told a lie. What happened afterwards?

17)  Tell us about a school play or performance you participated in. 

18)  Tell us about a recent visit to a doctor. What happened?

19)   Tell us about a time when you either needed help from or gave help to someone about a device.

20)  Was there a time when you found out that something you believed was true turned out not to be true?







FOR MORE BLOG POSTS RELATED TO SPEAKING EXAMS, CLICK ON THE IMAGES BELOW.


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http://argutelegacy.blogspot.com/2018/07/vocabulary-describe-people.html




https://argutelegacy.blogspot.com/2018/07/instead-of-nice.html




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