002（7.5）

Okay, we can get started now. To begin, can you tell me your full name?

My Korean full name is Song Minjo, but you can just call me Eric. Sounds good, and you gotta put an H behind the C.

Yeah, a silent H behind the C. I gotcha. All right, can you tell me, are you working or studying now?

I'm a student at Johnson University. I'm a senior right now, but I finished my whole semester, so I'm about to graduate this August. I'm also working as an intern at SMU Hospital as a robotic engineer.

Oh, interesting. Do you enjoy your studies?

Uh, not exactly. I mean, it's too hard, so I had a hard time thinking about, I mean, getting a good grade.

Yeah. And what do you hope to do after you graduate?

Oh, well, after I graduate, I just want to go to a company as normal as a lot of people do, but I want to do something that's kind of a collaboration between what I've done so far, for example, engineering and also talking with foreign people, so using English. I want these to be combined, so I want to do a job that's related to these two.

And what do you enjoy doing in your free time?

In my free time, I usually watch YouTube and also do a workout, such as push-ups and pull-ups, things like that.

Okay. Let's see, where is your hometown?

My hometown is near Gangnam Station. It takes about 10 minutes by walking from Gangnam Station to my house.

What kind of things do you like about your hometown?

Well, if you ask anyone about what they think about Gangnam, it's the center of Seoul, and there are lots of facilities around, so it is really convenient to get what I want. I can just walk to the store and get anything that I want. For people who are into education, there are a lot of academies, so you can get a good quality of education anywhere.

Yeah, true. What kind of things do you not like about your hometown?

Maybe when I go to work or go to a subway station, it is too crowded during certain periods. For example, when I finish my work and go back home, around 7 to 8 PM, if you go to Exit 7 at Gangnam Station, it is too crowded and it takes about three to five minutes just to go upstairs. So, I don't like that people being too crowded.

I think I know what you mean. Okay, we can talk about change now. Have you changed a lot since your childhood?

Yeah, I think I changed a lot. Back in childhood, I was really quiet and only focused on studying, but as I grew and met a lot of people, I became extroverted. I changed to liking to talk with other people.

Okay, and what do you plan to change next year?

Probably being more positive, because usually I think in a negative way. It's not like thinking, "Oh, I cannot do this." It's more about when I think about the future, I think in a negative way. I think about what I should do to not make something bad happen. But I think just thinking positively, as lots of people suggest, is much better because it gives me less stress. So yes, I'm going to change my mindset to be more positive.

Okay, and do you like changes?

Yeah, I definitely like changes.

Why?

If nothing changes, then it's too boring. I like something dynamic and always changing. If it changes a lot, I can learn more regarding those changes, so I prefer change more than just not changing and living a boring life.

Okay, and are there any changes in your hometown recently?

Well, recently there's a park nearby. At first, that park was not pretty developed. If you just walked around, there was dirt everywhere on your shoes. But recently it changed, and they made a path and covered something over the dirt. So now, when I walk around the park, my shoes stay clean.

Okay, good. We can end part one there and move on to part two. For part two, you'll have a minute to prepare your answer. You can take some notes. Here's your question and a pencil. Take a minute to make some notes, and then you'll have up to two minutes to talk about the topic.

Okay, that's a minute there. So, you're going to describe a tradition in your country.

Well, I'd like to introduce Chuseok, which is a really famous holiday and one of the representatives of our Korean tradition. During Chuseok, the whole family members, including cousins and aunts, all participate in this tradition. They usually participate not for the whole three days but just for one day because everyone is too busy living their own lives. They make a plan to gather for just one day. The activities they do include playing a game called Yutnori. It's a game where you throw four sticks that have two different sides. According to the result, you move a piece on a board. They also make songpyeon and eat it. I've also tried it, and I think it's one of the most interesting activities I've done so far.

How I feel about this tradition? Well, I think it's really good, of course. I feel really relieved because, during this holiday, I feel like I'm outside of my reality. In my reality, I'm full of stress, but during this holiday, I feel really happy and don't have to think about what I'm doing right now. So basically, I'm happy.

Okay, good. That was just about two minutes. What is your favorite part of Chuseok?

My favorite part is eating delicious food.

Okay, good. We can move on now to part three. The first question is, how do people value traditional festivals?

Since I'm used to talking with workers, they mostly say that tradition is just a resting period, a holiday. They feel really happy because they don't have to go to work. For younger people, it's similar. They also feel happy because they don't have to go to school. Instead of actually enjoying the true meaning of the tradition, they just feel happy because they don't have to live their normal lives during that short period. So, I think most people think of it as just a resting period.

Good. What's the difference between festivals now and festivals in the past?

In the past, when there was some kind of festival, lots of people gathered together and enjoyed the activities, like Yutnori and other games. But nowadays, it's really hard to find people gathering and enjoying these activities. If I ask someone what they did on a holiday or during a festival, they usually say, "Oh, I just watched YouTube. I just took a rest and lay in bed." So, I think that's the biggest difference.

Do you think Western festivals or holidays like Christmas are replacing traditional festivals or holidays in your country?

I think instead of replacing, adding would be a more appropriate way to say it. I've never felt that Western holidays or festivals are replacing our holidays. I think it's just adding, not replacing.

Do you think it's wrong for children not to celebrate traditional festivals within a culture?

You mean even though they want to enjoy it, they cannot?

No, like they decide they don't want to. If children decide they don't want to, is that a problem?

Well, I've never thought that would be a problem because that's their own choice. Even I didn't always enjoy holidays or festivals. So, I think it's just their own choice, and it's not wrong at all.

Okay, good. We've made it to the end. Nicely done.

Thank you.

Now we can move on to a little bit of feedback. As you know, the IELTS is scored on four parts: fluency and coherence, pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. I think you did a nice job on all of these categories, but we can just comment on each quickly. We'll start with the first two that are the easiest. Fluency and pronunciation are both very strong. You've got a natural rhythm of speech and no pronunciation issues at all, really. So, those are both very strong.

Vocabulary and grammar are often linked. It can be hard to actually say exactly what's a vocabulary thing and what's a grammar thing. Broadly speaking, I think it was quite good. You have good control of the present and past tenses and good accuracy for the most part. There are kind of two ways you want to think about it: there's accuracy and there's range. Accuracy is whether there are errors, and range is whether you're reaching for idioms and natural phrases and very advanced vocabulary. The errors that you made were very small.

In part one, for example, the question about your hometown might have been a little misunderstanding. I think you wanted to—you could just say Seoul is your hometown. I know Seoul is not a town, but hometown just refers to the place where you grew up. That would have made that question a little bit easier because you can talk more generally about the city. But I guess that's a vocabulary thing in a way. When you were describing the train, too, you described it as too crowded, which is true, and a good way to describe it, but there are more advanced words that you could have used as well in that position to sort of advance your score. You could have described it as cramped, claustrophobic, or suffocating. Reaching for these slightly more advanced phrases is good for progressing in your score.

In terms of grammar, let's see—small things. At one point, you mentioned that something was "more better." It's just better. Using comparatives is actually very good on the exam. It shows a level of accuracy and range. Those questions that ask you to compare the festivals now and festivals in the past—that's a good place to use comparative forms. The "more better" was a part one

 question, but again, it's an accuracy issue.

Really small other things, like plurals and singulars—you mentioned that the park had "lots of dirts." Dirt is not countable. Those are small little accuracy things that might hold you back just a little bit. One other point would be that in part three, part three is hard because you get these general questions and they want you to talk generally without using your own example. You want to avoid using "I" statements or approaching it from a personal perspective and try to keep it as general as possible. It can be hard because the questions come from various different angles.

Overall, I think it was a very good test, and I would estimate your score at around 7.5—a very strong 7.5. With a little bit of extra refining on the vocabulary, a little more advanced phrases, you'd be able to move up. Very good job, and thanks for coming in.

Oh, thank you.

All right, take care.

好，我们现在可以开始了。首先，你能告诉我你的全名吗？

我的韩文全名是宋民乔，但你可以叫我Eric。听起来不错，记得在C后面加个H。

对，在C后面加个静音的H。我明白了。好的，你能告诉我，你现在是工作还是学习？

我是一名约翰逊大学的学生。我现在是大四，但我已经完成了整个学期，所以我将在今年八月毕业。我还在SMU医院实习，担任机器人工程师。

哦，真有趣。你喜欢你的学习吗？

呃，不太喜欢。我是说，太难了，所以我很难拿到好成绩。

嗯。那你毕业后希望做什么？

哦，毕业后，我想像很多人一样去一家公司工作，但我想做一些与我迄今为止所做的事情有关的工作，比如工程学和与外国人交流，所以使用英语。我希望这两者能结合起来，所以我想做一份与这两者有关的工作。

你空闲时间喜欢做什么？

在空闲时间，我通常看YouTube，也会锻炼，比如做俯卧撑和引体向上之类的。

好的。你的家乡在哪里？

我的家乡在江南站附近。从江南站步行到我家大约需要10分钟。

你喜欢家乡的什么？

嗯，如果你问任何人对江南的看法，大家都会说这里是首尔的中心，有很多设施，所以非常方便，想要什么都可以步行去店里买。对于那些重视教育的人，这里有很多学院，所以你可以在任何地方获得高质量的教育。

是的，确实如此。那你不喜欢家乡的什么？

也许是当我去上班或去地铁站时，人太多了，特别是在某些时间段。例如，当我下班回家时，大约是晚上7到8点，如果你从江南站7号出口出来，那里人太多了，上楼梯大概需要3到5分钟。所以，我不喜欢人太多。

我明白你的意思。好的，我们现在可以谈谈变化。你从小时候起变化大吗？

是的，我觉得我变化很大。小时候我很安静，只专注于学习，但随着成长和认识很多人，我变得外向了。我变成了喜欢与别人交谈的人。

好的，那你明年打算改变什么？

可能是变得更积极，因为我通常会以消极的方式思考。不是那种“哦，我做不到”的消极，而是当我思考未来时，我会以消极的方式考虑。我会想如何避免不好的事情发生。但我认为像很多人建议的那样积极思考会更好，因为这样压力更小。所以是的，我打算改变我的心态，变得更积极。

好的，那你喜欢变化吗？

是的，我肯定喜欢变化。

为什么？

如果没有变化，那就太无聊了。我喜欢动态的、不断变化的事情。如果变化很多，我可以学到更多关于这些变化的东西，所以我更喜欢变化，而不是一成不变地过着无聊的生活。

好的，那你家乡最近有什么变化吗？

嗯，最近附近有一个公园。起初那个公园不太完善，走在里面会弄脏鞋子。但最近它变了，他们铺了一条小路，把泥土覆盖了。所以现在我走在公园里，鞋子保持干净。

好的，很好。我们可以结束第一部分，继续第二部分。在第二部分，你有一分钟准备你的答案。你可以做一些笔记。这里是你的问题和铅笔。花一分钟做笔记，然后你有两分钟时间谈论这个话题。

好了，一分钟到了。你要描述一下你国家的一个传统。

嗯，我想介绍一下秋夕，这是一个非常著名的节日，也是我们韩国传统的代表之一。在秋夕，整个家庭成员，包括堂兄弟姐妹和姑姑都会参加这个传统活动。他们通常不会参加整个三天，而是只参加一天，因为每个人都太忙于自己的生活。他们计划在一天内聚集在一起。他们的活动包括玩一种叫做“尤里”的游戏，就是扔四根有两个不同面的棍子，根据结果移动一个棋子。他们还制作松饼并吃它。我也尝试过，我认为这是我迄今为止做过的最有趣的活动之一。

我对这个传统的感觉？嗯，我觉得很好，当然。我感觉非常放松，因为在这个假期里，我感觉自己脱离了现实。在现实中，我充满了压力，但在这个假期里，我感到非常快乐，不必想着我现在在做什么。所以基本上，我很开心。

好的，很好。这大约是两分钟。秋夕你最喜欢的部分是什么？

我最喜欢的是吃美味的食物。

好的，很好。我们现在可以进入第三部分。第一个问题是，人们如何看待传统节日？

因为我现在习惯与上班族交谈，他们大多数人会说传统节日只是一个休息的时间，一个假期。他们感到非常高兴，因为他们不必去上班。对于年轻人来说，也是类似的，他们也感到高兴，因为他们不必去上学。与其说是真正享受传统节日的意义，他们只是感到高兴，因为在这短暂的时间里，他们不必过正常的生活。所以，我认为大多数人认为这只是一个休息的时间。

很好。现在的节日和过去的节日有什么不同？

过去，当有某种节日时，很多人会聚在一起享受活动，比如尤里和其他游戏。但现在，很难看到人们聚在一起享受这些活动。如果我问某人在假期或节日期间做了什么，他们通常会说：“哦，我只是看了YouTube。我只是休息了一下，躺在床上。”所以，我认为这是最大的不同。

你认为像圣诞节这样的西方节日或假期正在取代你们国家的传统节日或假期吗？

我认为与其说是取代，不如说是增加更为恰当。我从未感觉到西方节日或假期正在取代我们的节日。我认为这只是增加，而不是取代。

你认为孩子们不庆祝文化中的传统节日是错误的吗？

你是说即使他们想享受，但他们不能？

不，我是说如果孩子们决定不想庆祝，这有问题吗？

嗯，我从未认为这会是个问题，因为这是他们自己的选择。即使是我，也有很多次没有享受假期或节日。所以，我认为这只是他们自己的选择，这一点都不错误。

好的，很好。我们已经到达了最后。做得很好。

谢谢。

现在我们可以进入一些反馈。正如你所知，雅思的评分有四个部分：流利度与连贯性、发音、词汇和语法。我认为你在所有这些类别中都做得很好，但我们可以快速评论一下每个部分。我们将从最简单的两个开始。流利度和发音都非常强。你的说话节奏自然，几乎没有发音问题。所以，这两项都非常强。

词汇和语法通常是联系在一起的，很难确切地说什么是词汇问题，什么是语法问题。总体而言，我认为这部分也很好。你对现在时和过去时的掌握很好，准确性也大多不错。你需要考虑两点：准确性和范围。准确性是指是否有错误，范围是指你是否在使用习语、自然短语和非常高级的词汇。你犯的错误都很小。

在第一部分，例如，关于你家乡的问题可能有点误解。我认为你可以直接说首尔是你的家乡。我知道首尔不是一个“镇”，但“hometown”只是指你长大的地方。那样会让这个问题更容易回答，因为你可以更一般地谈论这座城市。但我认为这在某种程度上是一个词汇问题。

当你描述火车时，你说它“too crowded”，这确实是正确的，但在那个位置上，你也可以使用更高级的词汇来提高分数。你可以描述它为“cramped”、“claustrophobic”或“suffocating”。努力使用这些稍微高级一点的短语是提高分数的好方法。

在语法方面，让我们看看——小问题，比如在某个时候，你提到某事是“more better”，其实只需说“better”。在考试中使用比较级实际上是非常好的，它展示了你的准确性和范围。这些问题会让你显得更专业。比较形式的使用在回答那些让你比较现在和过去的问题时很有用。“more better”是在第一部分中的一个问题，但仍然是一个准确性问题。

还有一些小问题，比如复数和单数。你提到公园有“lots of dirts”，但“dirt”是不可数名词。这些都是小的准确性问题，可能会稍微限制你的分数。还有一个问题是第三部分，第三部分比较难，因为你会得到一些一般性的问题，他们希望你用一般性的观点回答，而不是用自己的例子。

你需要避免使用“I”的陈述，尽量保持一般性。这可能很难，因为问题来自各个不同的角度。

总体而言，我认为这次测试非常好，我估计你的分数大约是7.5分，非常强的7.5分。如果在词汇方面再多加些高级短语，你就能提升到更高的分数。做得非常好，谢谢你的到来。

哦，谢谢。

好，保重。