Practising with a partner: speaking and feedback exercises

Alone, you cannot hear the habit you stopped noticing years ago, such as starting every answer with "So, basically". A partner hears it in the first minute. A partner also gives your speaking a real listener, which is worth rehearsing in itself. The risk is that a session slides into a chat about the weekend, so a few rules matter as much as the exercises.

Five exercises to choose from

• Shadowing. One of you reads a short passage at a natural pace while the other speaks along, half a beat behind, copying the rhythm and stress, not just the words. Swap after five sentences. It trains the ear and helps with Read Aloud and Repeat Sentence.
• Picture swap. One of you describes a chart or photograph for one minute while the other, who cannot see it, sketches what they hear. Then compare the sketch with the original. Every missing detail is something the description left out.
• Retelling. One of you reads a short paragraph of around 80 words from a newspaper or textbook. The other listens once, jots notes for ten seconds and retells it in 30 seconds. The reader ticks the main points that survived.
• Essay swap. Both of you write on the same prompt, to the time limit you use in practice. Swap, and mark each other's work with the checklist below.
• Role-play. One of you reads out a situation and plays the other person. The other responds aloud for about a minute.

Here is an original situation to try:

The partner playing the classmate should react like a real person: a little annoyed, but open to a fix. Afterwards, check that all three parts were there. Respond to a Situation: what to say and how to say it covers the task itself.

A session that runs to a clock

Thirty minutes is enough, and a clear shape keeps the chat in check:

1. 5 minutes: warm up with shadowing, one short passage each.
2. 10 minutes: one main exercise, you first and then your partner, with the stopwatch running.
3. 5 minutes: feedback, using the rules and the checklist below.
4. 10 minutes: repeat the same exercise, each of you applying the one point you were given.

The repeat is the step people skip, and it is where feedback turns into a change.

Rules that keep it useful

• One point at a time. After each attempt, the listener names one thing that worked and one thing to change. A speaker can fix one thing on the next try. Five things produce a nervous speaker.
• Be specific. "You paused twice before 'environment'" helps. "It was a bit slow" does not.
• Keep to the clock. The listener holds the stopwatch and stops you when time is up. The real test will not give you extra seconds.
• Do not interrupt. Correct afterwards. Interruptions teach hesitation.
• Record the session, with your partner's permission, and listen again alone. You will hear things that neither of you caught live.

A feedback checklist

The listener ticks what they noticed, then picks one item to share:

• Did the answer cover what was asked?
• Could I follow it without effort?
• Where were the long pauses or restarts?
• Which two words were hard to understand?
• Which grammar slip came up more than once?
• Was the pace steady, or did it speed up towards the end?

Finding a partner online

Look where people already want to practise: a study group at your college or institute, a class chat group, a language-exchange app or website, or a group for test candidates on social media. In your first message, say what you want to practise, how long a session lasts and when you are free. Try one session before agreeing to more, share the time equally, and keep private details such as your address or ID to yourself. If a conversation drifts away from practice, end it politely.

Your partner does not need to be a teacher. A partner at a similar level is ideal. A stronger one will help you, but make sure they get something back, such as choosing the exercise half the time. If you want an expert opinion, take one recording to a teacher and ask what they hear.

This week, find one partner and run the shadowing exercise for ten minutes. Between sessions, keep practising alone on the practice tests on this site, and for a solo habit to go with it, try a fifteen-minute daily speaking routine.