Lesson 9 of 24
Part 2 topic families and flexibility
Recognise what the topic needs
| Topic family | Details to prepare | Common development problem |
|---|---|---|
| Person | Relationship, behaviour, one incident, influence | Listing adjectives without showing what the person does |
| Place | Location, features, activity, atmosphere, significance | Describing every feature without a central impression |
| Object | Appearance, origin, use, personal value | Explaining the category instead of the particular object |
| Event | Setting, actions, turning point, outcome | Talking about events in general instead of one occasion |
| Skill or activity | Motivation, process, difficulty, progress, benefit | Describing the activity while omitting learning or participation |
| Book, film or other content | Subject, one memorable element, response, significance | Retelling the entire plot without explaining your reaction |
Prepare memories rather than scripts
Create a small experience bank: a helpful person, a meaningful object, a local place, a challenge, a useful activity and something you watched or read. Note real details and useful language for each. The same memory may fit more than one card, but only if it genuinely meets the request.
A community workshop might fit a useful skill, a person who taught you, or an enjoyable group activity. It would not automatically fit an expensive purchase or a journey abroad. Adapt the emphasis to the new question; do not force every cue card into your favourite story.
Stay flexible in the exam
You may not have the perfect example. Choose a plausible, manageable one and explain it clearly. Elaborate imagination is not a requirement. If you invent too much, you may struggle to keep times, people and events consistent. Language and development are more valuable than a sensational story.
Practice: describe the same bicycle-repair lesson first as a skill, then as a helpful person. In the second version, spend more time on the neighbour’s teaching behaviour and less on the technical steps. Compare how the organising purpose changes the talk.