Talk about yourself

This is a very common task at the beginning of a speaking exam. It is something you can prepare at home and practise. If you know what to say, you will feel more relaxed and confident at the start of the exam.

Instructions

Watch the video of two students talking about themselves in a speaking exam. Then read the tips below.

Transcript

Examiner: Hi. What’s your name?

Kelvin:  My name is Kelvin.

Examiner: Kelvin, OK. So, Kelvin, I’m going to ask you a few questions. I’d like to ask you about your school. So, what subjects do you like most?

Kelvin: I think I like economics most because I can study different kinds of demand and supply theory and I can use it in my daily life to observe the market. I think that’s very interesting, yeah, and very useful.

Examiner: OK. And are there any subjects that you don’t like so much?

Kelvin: Actually, I don’t like physics too much because I need to calculate many difficult questions and all those mathematics words. I’m not really used to them. So, I don’t like physics.

Examiner: I see. All right. Well, how about in the future? Are you hoping to go to university?

Kelvin: Yeah, sure.

Examiner: OK, and what would you like to study there?

Kelvin: I think I would like to study something about business. So, I think nowadays we can only make a lot of money by participating in the financial sectors. So, I would like to study something about financial business. I want to get rich, yes.

Examiner: OK, that’s great. Thanks, Kelvin.

......

Examiner: Hi. What’s your name?

Melissa: My name is Melissa.

Examiner: Melissa?

Melissa: Yeah.

Examiner: Hi, Melissa. And, can you tell me about your family?

Melissa: I’ve got no sisters and brothers. I live with my father and mother and my dog.

Examiner:  And your dog?

Melissa: Yeah!

Examiner: Great. All right, I’d like to ask you a few questions about your school. So first, what subjects do you like most?

Melissa: I like mathematics the most because I think it’s satisfying to calculate the solution.

Examiner: OK. So, mathematics ... is there any other one?

Melissa: And English, I think, because it’s fun to learn a language.

Examiner: Great, OK. Which subjects do you think are most useful for you?

Melissa: I think accounting is the most useful because every company needs an accountant and to be an accountant I need to study this subject.

Examiner: Sure, OK. And are there any subjects that you don’t like?

Melissa: I hate Chinese because it’s difficult to study the passages. Yeah, and I don’t really understand what it’s about.

Examiner: OK, that’s great. Thanks, Melissa.

Here are our top tips for talking about yourself in an exam.

Do:

  • Think about the types of topics and questions you may be asked before the exam. School, family, free time, daily routines and future plans are common topics.
  • Practise answering simple questions about yourself. Work with a friend to practise or record yourself and listen to the recording.
  • Listen carefully to the questions. If you don’t understand the question, ask your teacher to repeat it.
  • Give complete answers in full sentences.
  • Look at the examiner. His/her face may tell you when you’ve said enough and he/she is ready for the next question.

Don’t:

  • Memorise your answers. It’s good to have ideas ready, but it’s better not to memorise long replies to typical questions.
  • Just reply with ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
  • Panic if you are asked an unexpected question. Take a few seconds to think before you answer it.

Here are some examples of things you can say about yourself:

My name’s ...
I’m from ... / I live in ...
I was born in ...
I’m ... years old.
I go to ... school.
I like ... because ...
I don’t like ... because ...
In my free time / After school, I ...
My best friends are ... because ...
My favourite (school subject, actor, pop group, sport) is ... because ...
I have ... brothers and sisters.
In the future, I’d like to ... because ...

Discussion

Everyone loves talking about themselves! Have you ever had a speaking exam like this? Can you think of any other sentences that might be useful?

Average: 3.7 (11 votes)
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Comments

Profile picture for user patiair

Submitted by patiair on Tue, 01/25/2022 - 00:29

My name is Fer, I was born in september 17th, I am 12 years old. In my free time I like play basketball and football, I like to draw and listen to music. I have one sister, her name is Gigi. My favorite subjects are arts snd ethics.
Profile picture for user Tina - Coordinator

Submitted by Tina - Coordinator on Tue, 01/25/2022 - 08:37

Hi Fer,

Thanks for your comments on LearnEnglish Teens. You wrote that you are 12 years old. This website is specially for teenagers aged 13-17 years old. This means we can't publish any more of your comments, but you can still use the website and do the activities :-)
You can also use the LearnEnglish Kids website! This website is for children aged 5-12, so if you join this website, you can also write comments. You can find it here:
https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/ 

We hope you have fun learning English with our websites!

Best wishes,
Tina (LearnEnglish Teens team)

In reply to by patiair

Profile picture for user Kalenkhoe

Submitted by Kalenkhoe on Tue, 08/18/2020 - 13:51

Hey, I'm Jaspreet I'm almost seventeen and in final year of school. I love learning English and my zeal has tripled because it's the last year to learn English so patiently. My favourite subjects are Economics, Accountany, Business, History and Environmental studies. I favourite destinations to study further are Taiwan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia and Scandinavia. I love to adventure and gardening is core to my heart.

Submitted by AngelLearningEnglish on Thu, 05/27/2021 - 01:12

Hello! My name is Ray. I am 14 years old. I am from Tel Aviv. I am enthusiastic about learning English. I am lazy sometimes LOL and I am creative and restless. My favorite subjects are Literature and Science. Nice to meet you Jaspreet :))))))) :*** Bye bye!

In reply to by Kalenkhoe

Submitted by Hi5_2110 on Sat, 02/17/2024 - 10:16

I'm also from Israel.But I live in Germany because of my parents. I

In reply to by AngelLearningEnglish

Submitted by Kluska on Wed, 11/10/2021 - 15:45

Hello! My name's Kostek I'm seventeen years old and I'm learning English I like doing sports and playing computer games. I'm from Wroclaw. i'm usually funny and quaiet I think I'm very frendlly I'm really interested in English I'm into judo and books I'm learning German at the moment i'm into school Right now I'm writing at the computer

In reply to by Kalenkhoe

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