Items
1. Read Aloud
prep 35s · record 40s · ~1:15Read the text on screen aloud, as naturally and clearly as you can. Recording starts when the timer ends.
Prompt ra-001 · target · environment / cities
Skills: speaking · Traits: content, pronunciation, oral fluency
Urban heat islands form when concrete, asphalt and dense buildings absorb sunlight during the day and release it slowly at night. As a result, city centres can be several degrees warmer than surrounding suburbs. Planting street trees and using lighter roofing materials are two of the most cost-effective ways councils can reduce this effect.
Content key
- The passage, word for word.
2. Repeat Sentence
audio ~5s · prep 3s · record 15s · ~0:23You will hear a sentence once. Repeat it exactly as you heard it.
Prompt rs-003 · target · science · plays as audio
Skills: listening + speaking · Traits: content, pronunciation, oral fluency
Because the experiment was repeated three times, the researchers were confident in their results.
Content key
- The sentence, word for word, in order.
3. Repeat Sentence
audio ~6s · prep 3s · record 15s · ~0:24You will hear a sentence once. Repeat it exactly as you heard it.
Prompt rs-002 · target · university life · plays as audio
Skills: listening + speaking · Traits: content, pronunciation, oral fluency
Although the lab report is due on Friday, students may request an extension through the online portal.
Content key
- The sentence, word for word, in order.
4. Describe Image
prep 25s · record 40s · ~1:05Look at the image. When recording starts, describe it in detail: the main trend, key numbers, and how the parts relate.
Prompt di-002 · target · transport / society
Skills: speaking · Traits: content, pronunciation, oral fluency
Content key
- Main feature: the car remained the most common way to commute, but its share fell steadily from 68% in 2015 to 52% in 2024.
- Detail: public transport rose from 18% to 31%, with the biggest jump between 2021 and 2024 (24% to 31%).
- Detail: walking or cycling grew slightly, from 14% to 17%, and was flat between 2021 and 2024.
- Relationship: the gap between car and public transport narrowed from 50 points to 21 points.
- Relationship: most of the share lost by cars went to public transport rather than walking or cycling.
5. Re-tell Lecture
audio ~75s · prep 10s · record 40s · ~2:05You will hear a short lecture once. Then re-tell it in your own words, covering the main points.
Prompt rl-001 · target · environment / urban planning · plays as audio
Skills: listening + speaking · Traits: content, pronunciation, oral fluency
Today I want to look at why some cities flood more than others after heavy rain. First, it's tempting to blame the rainfall itself, but the bigger factor is usually what covers the ground. In a forest, most rain soaks into the soil. In a modern city, roads, car parks and roofs don't absorb water, so it runs straight into the drains. As a result, when heavy rain arrives, those drains fill up and the water comes back onto the streets. Second, older cities have an extra problem. Their drainage systems were built for the rainfall of a hundred years ago, and storms today tend to be more intense. Finally, some cities are now trying a different approach, often called sponge design. Instead of bigger pipes, they build permeable pavements, rain gardens and small wetlands that hold water and release it slowly. This is usually cheaper than replacing pipes, and it has side benefits: it cools the city and gives wildlife somewhere to live.
Content key
- Ground cover matters more than rainfall: soil absorbs rain, but city surfaces like roads and roofs don't.
- Water therefore runs into drains, which overflow onto streets in heavy rain.
- Older cities' drainage was designed for past rainfall, while today's storms are more intense.
- Response: 'sponge design' (permeable pavements, rain gardens, wetlands) stores water and releases it slowly.
- Detail: sponge design is cheaper than new pipes and also cools the city and supports wildlife.
6. Answer Short Question
audio ~4s · prep 3s · record 10s · ~0:17You will hear a question. Answer it with a single word or a few words.
Prompt asq-004 · foundation · geography · plays as audio
Skills: listening · Traits: contentListening only, not counted in speaking score
What do we call a large, dry area of land that gets very little rain?
Accepts: desert / a desert / the desert
Content key
- desert
7. Answer Short Question
audio ~4s · prep 3s · record 10s · ~0:17You will hear a question. Answer it with a single word or a few words.
Prompt asq-001 · foundation · arts · plays as audio
Skills: listening · Traits: contentListening only, not counted in speaking score
What do you call the person who leads an orchestra?
Accepts: conductor / a conductor / the conductor / maestro
Content key
- conductor (also accepted: maestro)
8. Respond to a Situation
audio ~18s · prep 10s · record 40s · ~1:08Read and listen to the situation. Then respond as you would in real life, speaking directly to the person involved.
Prompt rts-002 · target · work / study balance · plays as audio
Skills: speaking · Traits: content, pronunciation, oral fluency
You work part-time at a café. Your manager has asked you to cover an extra shift this Saturday because two staff members are away. You have an important exam on Monday and had planned to spend the weekend studying. Speak to your manager and decline the extra shift.
Content key
Goal: Decline the extra Saturday shift while keeping a good working relationship.
Register: Respectful workplace register: polite and clear to a manager, neither blunt nor over-apologetic.
- Clearly says they can't take the Saturday shift.
- Gives the reason: an important exam on Monday and the weekend set aside to study.
- Acknowledges the manager's situation (staff away) and ideally offers an alternative, such as a shift after the exam.
9. Summarize Group Discussion
audio ~170s · prep 10s · record 120s · ~5:00You will hear three people discussing a topic, once. Then summarize the discussion: each speaker's main view and how their views relate.
Prompt sgd-001 · target · education · plays as audio
Skills: listening + speaking · Traits: content, pronunciation, oral fluency
Three students discuss whether first-year university exams should be replaced with continuous assessment.
Priya: I think first-year final exams should go. Everything depends on one three-hour sitting, and for students who've just moved to a new country, that's a lot of pressure in their first semester.
Daniel: I understand Priya's point about pressure, but continuous assessment just spreads the stress over the whole term. You'd have something due every week. With an exam, at least you can plan around a single date.
Mei: I'm somewhere in between. Exams check whether you can recall things under time pressure, which matters in some subjects. But in subjects like design or writing, a series of assignments shows much more about what you can actually do.
Priya: That's true, Mei, and regular tasks mean you get feedback early. If you've misunderstood something in week three, you find out in week four, not after the final.
Daniel: Fair enough. But there's also cheating to think about. Take-home assignments are much easier to get someone else to do now, especially with AI tools. An exam room is at least supervised.
Mei: That's exactly why I'd combine them, Daniel. Keep a shorter exam, worth maybe forty percent, and make the rest in-class tasks. Students get early feedback, and there's still some protection against cheating.
Daniel: I could accept that, as long as the in-class tasks aren't every single week.
Priya: I'd agree with Mei's plan too. Even every two weeks would be much better than everything depending on one day.
Content key
- Priya: wants to replace first-year exams; one high-stakes exam puts too much pressure on new (especially international) students.
- Priya: continuous tasks give early feedback, so misunderstandings are caught sooner.
- Daniel: prefers exams; continuous assessment spreads stress across the term with constant deadlines.
- Daniel: take-home work is easier to cheat on, especially with AI; exams are supervised.
- Mei: middle position; exams suit some subjects (recall under pressure), assignments suit others (design, writing).
- Mei: proposes a mix, a shorter exam (about 40%) plus in-class tasks, combining feedback with cheating protection.
- Outcome: all three move toward Mei's mixed model; Daniel's condition is that tasks aren't weekly, and Priya suggests fortnightly.
Cross-references
- Daniel accepts Priya's pressure concern but argues continuous assessment only spreads it.
- Priya builds on Mei's point with the feedback argument.
- Mei answers Daniel's cheating concern with in-class tasks.
- Priya and Daniel both end up endorsing Mei's plan.