PART 2

Talk about a memorable landmark you have visited.
You should say:
-What the place is?
-Who you were there with?
-What happens in this place?
-And, why this landmark is so memorable for you?

You will have one to two minutes to talk about this topic.
You will have one minute to prepare what you are going to say

TOPIC (What I need to talk about) – A memorable landmark I went to.

CATEGORY (object, place, person, idea, event) 🡪 Place: location, appearance, history, attendees, function, importance (*when you include this info, you will do a great job. Speak, organize your response in this order!)

TENSE – Present perfect (the question is expecting you to emphasize your experience.) 

PPF (past, present, future) – this technique only applies to questions that ask for this information. In this case, only the past and present are of importance. 

*If you go off topic, you will lose marks.

NEXT! – think of 2-3 landmarks that you have visited and pick the one that is easy to talk about, lots of information and it is ORIGINAL (not 90% of the choice for candidates, ex. In India, Taj Mahal would likely not be the best because many candidates will choose this.)

Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, Rose Garden in India, Golden Temple in Amritstar, Niagara Falls Canada, Colosseum in Rome, 

Colosseum in Rome,

NOTES: 

Location – in the heart of Rome, Italy (The heart of the Roman Empire)

Appearance, – oval shaped theater, stone, restored, stadium, 30m height, seats 2500pople, prisons, cages, underground tunnels, open windows, main stage in the middle, carvings

History – chariot races, music, entertainment, gladiator battles, symbol of power

Function – tourist site

Attendees, romans, gladiators, toursits,

Importance – historical landmark, see in many movies, powerful emotions, empathy with the past.

***Before your one-minute preparation time is up, make sure to get your First Sentence ready!!! -***This is a direct response to the topic statement.

(Do NOT start with, “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk about a landmark that I have…”)

(Do NOT start with, “I have visited many landmarks around India and the world, but the one I would like to talk to you about today is my visit to the…”)

TIP – The goal of a band 9 response in Part 2 is not to speak super fast without any breaks. When candidates do this, they tend to make many grammatical mistakes and repeat information. This does NOT make for good communication. 

***It is okay, to stop, look at the card, look at your notes, collect your thoughts and give clear and coherent information. 

A very memorable landmark that I have visited back in 2005 is the Great Colosseum in Rome, Italy. This world heritage site is located in the heart of central Europe which was at one point the epicenter of the Roman Empire. The colosseum is built on ten acres of land, it is an oval shaped theater or stadium made of stones and is a reflection of the advanced Roman engineering back in 72 AD. The stadium is about 30 meters in height and houses roughly 2500 spectators sitting around a main stage or area where entertaining events were held for centuries.  The Romans had originally built the colosseum for gladiator battles and chariot races in order to entertain the citizens of the empire. The gladiators would emerge from underground tunnels and battle each other or animals often to the death. Later in history, the colosseum was used for music and theater, and nowadays it is mostly for tourism. I had visited there in 2005 with my friend Corey when we were on a European tour after graduating university. It was an incredible experience to see the place which I had not only read about in school, but have also seen depicted in so many Hollywood movies. The colosseum has been restored somewhat to reflect its former glory, and certainly during our visit, there had been a moment where I felt the roar of the Roman citizens as they cheered for their favorite gladiators. I took many pictures when I was there, and it is an amazing memory that I will treasure for the rest of my life.