Schwa in IELTS Speaking Part One question stems

Schwa in IELTS Speaking Part One question stems

Find and change the parts below which are not spelt in the usual way.

 

Present IELTS Speaking Part One questions

• Are some parts of your country… thern others?
• Do you have er favourite…?
• Do you like the same… now as you did when you wer younger?
• How do you userlly spend…?
• How do(es)… erffect you?
• In what ways are… importernt to you?
• Is there any kind erf… you do not like?
• Is your… commern or unusual in your country?
• What do you remember about… ert school?
• What is the balernce between… ernd… in your…?
• What is there ter do in your free time in…?
• What places are there fer… where you live?
• Who normerlly… in your home?

Past Speaking Part One questions

• Have you ever fergotten to…?
• What did you like erbout…?

Future and hypothetical Speaking Part One questions

• Do you think it would be more enjoyerble to… or…?
• Do you think you will… more or fewer… in the futer?
• In the future, do you think that you will… more oftern?
• Is there anywhere you would perticularly like to…?
• On what erccasions would you…?
• What… would you like to… ten years frerm now?

Try to find a pattern in the parts that you have changed, and use that to help with the others and to start checking your answers.

Check with the suggested answers, and use that to check the patterns that you found.

How are the parts spelt “er” above usually pronounced?

What is the connection between stress (= words said more strongly and softly) and the sound spelt as “er” above?

Without looking above, try to find examples of schwa in the suggested answers below. If you are not sure, think about which syllables are and aren’t stressed.

Suggested answers

Present IELTS Speaking Part One questions

• Are some parts of your country… than others?
• Do you have a favourite…?
• Do you like the same… now as you did when you were younger?
• How do you usually spend…?
• How do(es)… affect you?
• In what ways are… important to you?
• Is there any kind of… you do not like?
• Is your… common or unusual in your country?
• What do you remember about… at school?
• What is the balance between… and… in your…?
• What is there to do in your free time in…?
• What places are there for… where you live?
• Who normally… in your home?

Past Speaking Part One questions

• Have you ever forgotten to…?
• What did you like about…?

Future and hypothetical Speaking Part One questions

• Do you think it would be more enjoyable to… or…?
• Do you think you will… more or fewer… in the future?
• In the future, do you think that you will… more often?
• Is there anywhere you would particularly like to…?
• On what occasions would you…?
• What… would you like to… ten years from now?

Test each other on the pronunciation and spelling of the words above:

• Say one of the words as it is written on the top page above and see if your partner can spell it
• Spell one of the words that you changed above (with the correct spelling/ normal spelling) and see if your partner can pronounce it in the way that it is spelt on the first page above
• Choose one of the words above, say it in the way that it is spelt above and in a way that is closer to the normal spelling on this page (or vice versa), and see if your partner can say which is which
• Ask your partner three questions made from the stems above and see if they can answer those questions. You should ask the questions at natural speed with natural pronunciation like that on the first page above, but they can ask you to repeat or rephrase before they answer if they need to/ if they like.

When your teacher stops you, ask about any question stems which you couldn’t make questions out of, couldn’t pronounce, are not sure that you answered well, etc, working together as a class to make suitable questions and answers each time.