Crash Course

Day 3 Guidebook

Speaking + Listening

Fluency phrases, cue card templates, and audio trap patterns

🎤 Speaking

📋 Part 2: Cue Card Template

Use this structure to speak for 2 minutes without running out of things to say:

Describe [TOPIC]

You should say:

  • What it is / What happened
  • When/Where it was
  • Who was involved
  • And explain why it was important/memorable

Response Structure (30-30-30-30)

  • 0:00-0:30 → Introduce + What
  • 0:30-1:00 → When/Where details
  • 1:00-1:30 → Who + more context
  • 1:30-2:00 → Why important + feelings

💬 Fluency Phrases (Sound Natural)

Replace hesitation with these natural-sounding fillers:

Instead of "Ummm..."

Well, let me think... That's a good question... I'd say that... To be honest...

To Add More

What I mean is... In other words... For example... Actually, now that I think about it...

To Buy Time

Let me put it this way... How can I explain this... It's hard to say exactly, but...

To Conclude

So basically... All in all... That's why I think...

🎯 10 Most Common Cue Card Topics

Practice these and you'll cover 80% of possible questions:

A person who influenced you
A memorable trip/journey
A book/movie that affected you
A skill you want to learn
A place you'd like to visit
A gift you received
An achievement you're proud of
A childhood memory
A piece of advice you received
A change you made in life

💡 Pro Tip

Prepare 3-4 versatile stories that you can adapt to multiple topics. A "trip to another city" story can work for: travel, culture, memorable experience, learning something new, etc.

🎧 Listening

⚠️ Audio Trap Patterns

The recording is designed to trick you. Watch for these patterns:

🚨 THE CORRECTION TRAP

"The meeting is at 3pm... oh wait, I meant 3:30pm."

They say the WRONG answer first, then correct it. Write the FINAL answer.

🚨 THE DISTRACTOR TRAP

"I was thinking of visiting Paris, but I've decided to go to Rome instead."

They mention multiple options. Listen for words like "actually", "instead", "but".

🚨 THE SPELLING TRAP

"My name is Katherine, that's K-A-T-H-E-R-I-N-E."

They spell it out for a reason. Write EXACTLY what they spell, not what you think.

🚨 THE NUMBER TRAP

"It costs £15... per person, so for two people that's £30."

Read the question carefully. Do they want per-person or total?

🔢 Numbers, Dates & Spellings

These cost easy points. Don't lose them:

Numbers

  • • "Fifteen" (15) vs "Fifty" (50) - Listen for the "-teen" vs "-ty" ending
  • • Write numbers as digits (15, 30) not words
  • • Phone numbers: 0-7-7-9... (say individually)

Dates

  • • "The 3rd of May" → 3rd May OR 3 May OR May 3
  • • "June 15th" → 15th June OR 15 June OR June 15
  • • All formats accepted - just be consistent

Common Spelling Traps

  • • Double letters: accommodation, necessary, committee
  • • British vs American: colour/color, centre/center
  • • Names: If spelled out, write EXACTLY as spelled

📖 Before You Listen

Use the 30-second preview time wisely:

  1. 1. Read all questions for that section
  2. 2. Underline keywords (names, dates, numbers)
  3. 3. Predict answers (what type of word? noun? number?)
  4. 4. Listen for paraphrases of your keywords

💡 Final Tip

If you miss an answer, LET IT GO. Don't waste time thinking about it - focus on the next question. You can guess later.