Examples, anecdotes and analogies

Match each piece of support to its type. There is one extra type.

1. 1.Look at how quickly contactless payment spread once shops started encouraging it.
   Choose…ABCDEF
2. 2.Suppose a shop assistant is told she'll be judged only on sales. Of course she'll push the most expensive products.
   Choose…ABCDEF
3. 3.Something similar happened to me in my first job: nobody explained the rules, so I learned them by breaking them.
   Choose…ABCDEF
4. 4.Choosing a university course at seventeen is a bit like ordering from a menu in a language you don't speak.
   Choose…ABCDEF
5. 5.It's often said that older people can't cope with new technology, but that's not always true: plenty of people in their eighties video call their grandchildren every week.
   Choose…ABCDEF

1. 1.Point: “Working from home can blur the line between work and rest.” Which support is the most relevant and convincing?

   ASay you've got your laptop on the kitchen table. It's always there, so it's very tempting to answer one more email at ten at night.BMy office is in a very modern building with a nice canteen.CAbout 87 per cent of all workers in the world now work from home.DWorking from home became popular for many different reasons.
2. 2.Which analogy best supports the point “A good teacher gives students just enough help and then steps back”?

   AIt's like the weather: sometimes it rains and sometimes it doesn't.BIt's like a library, which has lots of books.CIt's like a computer, because computers are very useful.DIt's a bit like teaching a child to ride a bike: you hold the seat at first, then let go once they've got their balance.
3. 3.In Part 3, a candidate's anecdote about cycling has lasted 40 seconds and is now about a holiday abroad. What should they do?

   AFinish the story in one sentence and link it back: “…which is why I think cycle lanes only work if they're properly connected.”BKeep going until the examiner stops them, because more speech is always better.CStart a second anecdote to balance the first one.DApologise for talking too much and stop speaking.
4. 4.Which ending links an example back to the point most effectively?

   A…and that was in 2019.B…anyway, that's my friend.C…which just goes to show that a small change in price can change people's behaviour.D…so yes, that's an example.

Question: “Do people learn better by doing things or by reading instructions?” Put the sentences in order to make a short anecdote that supports the answer.

1. 1It was only when a colleague walked me round the building that it all clicked.
2. 2That just goes to show that people learn far more by doing than by reading instructions.
3. 3I saw this first-hand when I started my current job.
4. 4My manager gave me a long document explaining how everything worked, and I read it twice.
5. 5But on my first day, I still had no idea where anything was or who to ask.

No preparation, as in Part 3. Make your point first, then support it with at least two different kinds of support (an analogy, a hypothetical example, a brief anecdote or a counter-example). Link each one back. Aim for 45–60 seconds.

No preparation, as in the TOEFL interview. Start the story straight away, say why it worked, and finish with what it shows. Stop at 45 seconds.