General statement in IELTS Speaking
IELTS speaking is a face to face, informal discussion with an IELTS examiner. Moreover, it is same for both academic and general training IELTS. The test is divided into 3 parts and is designed to test the candidate’s fluency, pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary.
The examiner who asks the questions will decide your result at the end of the test, the test lasts between 11 and 14 minutes.
The test comprises of three parts:
Part 1:- Introductory questions and answers to make the candidate comfortable which is of 4 to 5 minutes.
Part 2:- A talk of 2 minutes for which a candidate is given 1 minutes to prepare.
Part 3:- It will be the discussion for 4-5 minutes.
Now the point comes how to make your speaking effective.
One of the prominent ways is to start the answer with the general line.
Now the question arises what is general statement and what are its uses and so on.
General statement is the one which introduces the topic and it should be of one line. It will act as the introduction to your cue card.
General statement will not only make the cue card impressive but also add length to the cue card as it will give the purpose of any answer as it is a sentence that defines or declare some large and overarching truth. Moreover, primary role of general statement is to support thesis.
How to form/make general statement:
With the regular practice of IELTS speaking, most probably some candidates are able to learn/revise the statement but it’s better to avoid such statements and tries to create new according to the topic. Do keep in mind to not to create any bluff that examiner would point it and cut the scores.
Try to make general statement on normal basis that is related to real life or which a listener can easily understand your view point.
Let’s consider an example, if the candidate gets cue card:
# Discuss a prize that you received
– What it was
– When you received it
– What did you do for it
– And explain how you felt about it.
– When the 1 minute is given for preparation, them do think about general statement what to speak to introduce the topic along with how to cover bullet points of particular cue card.
General statement of aforementioned cue card can be either on hard work, prizes. A test taker has to think of it to relate it with the cue card.
One of the way to start cue card is
– I have always believed in working hard and not worrying about the outcomes. But I would be lying if I would say I don’t care about the prizes. During my school days I have participated in various competitions in order to get/achieve the prize, here I would like to talk about………………..which I received.
– It is one of the general statements to introduce the cue card.
– I have achieved various prizes not only in academics but also in sports. But here I would like to talk about which I had received ……………………is………………… .
– While calculating band score, general statement (introduction of the topic) also matters. So, be carefully while speaking. Moreover, it would be beneficial if the general statement is realistic either answering any question or cue card.
