Speaking Part 1 · Technology & the Internet

About today's practice

A very modern Part 1 topic. There’s rich vocabulary here (apps, screen time, downsides) — but watch for students who lecture instead of answering. Keep them conversational and personal.

Questions — Technology & the Internet

1. How often do you use the internet?
2. What do you mainly use your phone for?
3. Do you think you spend too much time online?
4. How has technology changed your daily life?
5. Which app could you not live without? Why?
6. Did you use computers much when you were younger?
7. Are there any downsides to so much technology?

More questions — build a bank

Your tech use

1. What was the first piece of technology you learned to use?
2. Which device do you use the most, and what for?
3. How would your day change without the internet?
4. Do you prefer messaging or calling people? Why?

Online life

1. How do you usually find information when you need it?
2. Do you buy things online? What was the last thing?
3. How do you decide whether something online is trustworthy?

The bigger picture

1. Has technology made people more or less social, in your view?
2. Should children have limits on screen time? Why?
3. What’s one way technology has improved life in your country?
4. Is there any technology you think we’d be better off without?
5. Do you worry about privacy online?
6. Would you like a job that involves a lot of technology?

Example answers — short reply grown into a full one What do you mainly use your phone for? Mostly messaging and maps, if I’m honest. I rely on it to stay in touch with family who live abroad, and I’d genuinely get lost without the maps — my sense of direction is hopeless. Do you spend too much time online? Probably, yes. I notice I pick up my phone without even deciding to, so lately I’ve started leaving it in another room while I work, and that one small change has made a surprising difference. Are there downsides to so much technology? The main one for me is that it’s hard to switch off. Work can reach you anywhere now, so you have to be quite deliberate about protecting your evenings — it doesn’t happen by itself.

Pair-work sequence (~30 min)

▸ Interview · 13 min — A asks every question, B answers (~6 min); swap so B asks and A answers (~6 min). The examiner-partner keeps the pace brisk, like the real test, and resists chatting back. No planning — straight in. ▸ Extend & re-run · 13 min — New partner. Run the set again — but now every answer must carry a reason (“because…”) and one example or detail. Faster, more natural delivery. ▸ Feedback · 4 min — Whole-class: read out two answers you overheard that grew from one word into a full, natural reply.

Listen for / feedback: Mark any answer that stops at one word — push that student for a reason and a detail. Praise natural extenders: “Well, actually…”, “I’d say…”, “It depends, but…”. Note tense slips (“I go yesterday”) for a quick thirty-second correction at the end.

Flexibility: Short on time today? Assign the whole set as paired home practice — a quick voice call or an in-person run — and have each student record one answer to bring back. If the room runs ahead of schedule, this slots straight in after the wrap-up.