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Getting Older: Speaking Practice

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getting olderWelcome to our free lesson ‘getting older’ to give you practise for the IGCSE ESL exam. This is just one of the many lessons available to reinforce your learning so you feel confident when the IGCSE ESL exam day arrives. Our lessons are centred around common themes featured in the reading, writing, speaking and listening parts of the exam.

Getting Older: Speaking Practice

speaking practiceIn this lesson, we will practice our speaking skills to talk about getting older. Watch our video that will guide you through the lesson. You will be asked to pause the video to complete the activities in the tabs below.

Exercise 1Exercise 2Exercise 3Word List

You are going to watch a video about Ronaldo thinking he is getting older.

Click here to view transcript

What happens when 800 of the world’s most elite footballers and their managers live together under one roof? Players stop being polite and start getting Real. This is The Champions

I kick shins and knees like they’re balls. I also kick balls like they’re balls.

I am so pumped to join Chelsea, because I was in danger of actually winning things at Dortmund, and that would go against everything the U.S. men’s national team believes in.

Every time we get a bad result, I take a hard look in the mirror… and I blame the officials, the wind, the cut of the grass, the smells of the stadium, the 

I’m back, and winning, I’m back, and winning is in my jeans. 

Nice to finally be out of that shadow.

Hey Cristiano not to be that guy, but would you sign my Ronaldo jersey?

Of course.

It is very tiny.

It’s from when I was a baby. It’s from when you were a baby? Oh my God, you’re like a man now. And you…are a legend. Merci, mon ami.

A legend? Like…Raul? Or Pele? Or Figo? Legends are old. No. Am I…old?

Thank you for seeing me doctor Iceland guy. I’m having an emergency.

Oh no, did you chip a tooth? What? No! My teeth are perfect. I’m here because… I think I’m ageing.

I don’t think he understands what a dentist does. Cristiano, you have the body of a 23-year-old.

23? Oh no. Just a year ago all the doctors say I have the body of 22-year-old. Now he tells me 23?! This is more serious than I thought. I thought it best to seek out advice from another Juventus legend. One who has suffered for many years with…the ageing. 

Ageing is nothing to fear. I have been 50 years old since I was 25. 

It’s just scary to think that one day I might not be the best player in the world.

Maybe it’s time for you to take a long look in the mirror.

Oh nice, do you have a mirror?

No, what I mean is, do you expect to play this game forever? 

Umm… yeah? 

Nobody can play this game forever. You are mortal. You can die. You are going to get old. You are going to die. 

So at this point, I’m like, whoa. For someone known for his passes, Andrea can be quite a straight shooter. So, so what… am I going to have to…like…retire someday?

Not yet. You still have a few years with the Old Lady.

What do you mean Old Lady? Oh…Georgina is 25.

I mean Juventus.

OK, but then what? 

Then…you do what all the former elite players do.

Are you an ageing soccer er…sorry, a football star in Europe? Come join MLS!

Where you can score three goals a game! Make hundreds of millions of dollars! And you won’t get bothered on the streets because no one will recognize you! Note: The U.S. dollar may be worth less than euros and pounds. In MLS you may be forced to play defence and take commercial flights. Also, everyone has guns. 

Come on over! It’s actually more challenging than you think! Believe me.

Oh God, I need to go. Hello, worse Ronaldo. I’m so scared. Please tell me retirement will be OK. 

Oh, no, it’s great you get to eat whatever you want!

In the future, people may live much longer. Listen to Emma talking about how she celebrates her birthday and getting older as well as what age she would prefer to be.

Here are the prompts from the speaking test that Emma is using:

  • how you, and people you know, celebrate birthdays and getting older
  • what age you would prefer to be, and why

Click here to view transcript

Brian: Emma, how do you celebrate getting older?

Emma: Well, of course, like everyone else I have a birthday and invite my friends. This year, I’m 16 so instead of having a birthday at home, I went out with my friends for a meal and then we went bowling. It was a lot of fun. When I got home, my mum left a cake on the kitchen table with a card. She always makes me a cake on my birthday.

Brian: That’s nice of her. Do you think you’ll celebrate all your birthday like that?

Emma: It depends on how I feel. I suppose.

Brian: So, you are 16 now. What age would you prefer to be?

Emma: I can’t wait until I’m 18 so I can learn how to drive a car. My dad said he’ll teach me and then he’ll buy me a car.

Brian: Wow! You’re lucky.

Emma: Yes, when I’m 18, I can stay out later too and of course I’ll go to university.

Brian: What university?

Emma: I think maybe London or Manchester, but it will depend on my exam results. That’s the thing about getting older. You have to worry about taking exams and trying to go to a good university.

Brian: Yes, there’s a lot of things to think about when you start getting older.

Choose one of the prompts below and discuss it with your friend.

  • how you, and people you know, celebrate birthdays and getting older
  • what age you would prefer to be, and why
  • ways of keeping everyone active as they get older

Here are the keywords and phrases covered in this lesson:

  • celebrate birthdays
  • challenging
  • commercial flights
  • depends on
  • emergency
  • get bothered
  • getting older
  • look hard in the mirror
  • retire
  • suppose
  • suffered
We add activities and exercises regularly on various themes, so why not bookmark our site, so you can come back to practice anywhere or at any time of the day.

Explore the way we use technology and science in the modern world

Here you will find exercise to practice for the reading and writing section of IGCSE ESL examination for either the core or extended papers.

Exercise 1 - Read a text and answer a series of questions.

Exercise 2 - Read a text and answer a series of questions testing more detailed comprehension.

Exercise 1 (Questions 1 -4) - Short answer exercises

Exercise 2 - (Question 5) Gap-filled exercises

Exercise 3 - Matching

Exercise 4 - Multiple Choice

The more words you encounter and understand, the broader your day-to-day vocabulary will become. So, our IGCSE ESL Word searches are an excellent way to help to reinforce spellings. Word puzzles require not just a good vocabulary and a knack for spelling, but the ability to think logically and strategically. In the case of puzzles like our IGCSE Crosswords, it’s crucial to spell linked words correctly to be able to complete the task.
Learning English requires not just a good vocabulary, but a strong foundation of all skills to communicate well. Here we provide activities for the IGCSE ESL for all the skills required to be successful in this examination.
Levels Links:
Learn English with our free material for different levels of English. We add exercises on grammar and vocabulary as well as whole text activities on a regular basis. In addition, we provide test practise activities for students who are preparing for the Cambridge Assessment English Main Suite as well as the English Language B for the IB Diploma. The material will also support students studying for the Cambridge Advanced courses.

We provide free resources across the full range of levels to provide the tools to communicate in English well.

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