Use this free lesson to teach students the GEPT speaking test format.

There are four components to the GEPT speaking test.

1. Read a passage out loud.
   • The elementary level passage will be several sentences followed by a short paragraph. The intermediate level passage will be several paragraphs.
2. Repeat after a listening.
   • Students will hear a sentence twice and then must repeat it immediately.
3. Answer a few questions.
   • Students will have 15 seconds each to respond for the first five questions and 30 seconds each for the last five questions.
4. Talk about a photograph. (This 4th part is only for intermediate level students. The elementary level test does not have this component.)
   • Students should speak about an image for 90 seconds.

You can download the PDF worksheet for this lesson for students here.

Step 1: Warm-up question (5 minutes)

Ask older students how their day was. For younger students, write “How was your day? Why?” on the board. Call on a few students to hear their answers.

Step 2: Read aloud (5-10 minutes)

Allow students to read Activity 1 out loud together. Make sure students say the date correctly. If they don’t, then quiz them on other dates by writing “June 20, 1937” and other dates on the board. In addition check that students are saying bus number “four “oh” five” and “two “oh” six.”

Then call on a few students individually to read the text out loud. Correct any pronunciation errors.

Here is the reading.

Mike was born January 21, 1989, so he is very excited because his birthday is soon. He will spend his birthday in Taipei, but to get to Taipei, he must catch bus 405. Mike goes to the bus station, but when he arrives, he sees only bus 206, not 405. He asks the bus attendant, but the worker doesn’t know where bus 405 is. The bus attendant asks to see Mike’s ticket. The bus attendant starts laughing when he sees the ticket. Mike’s ticket is for train 405, not bus 405.

Step 3: Repeat after the listening (5-10 minutes)

Play this video and pause after each sentence to allow students to repeat. The real GEPT exam listening will not include a video, but this is still excellent practice. Students can practice repeating all together at first, but then call on individual students to repeat.

(Playing the whole video is probably unnecessary. Just play until you feel enough students have had a chance to practice.)

Step 4: Practice answering questions in pairs (10-15 minutes)

For the first five questions students will be given 15 seconds to speak in the exam, and for the last five questions students will be given 30 seconds. It’s best to use a timer that the students can see or hear so they know how long they’ve spoken for.

Students do not need to fill the entire time, but students should avoid saying answers that are too short or taking too long to answer. It is very important NOT to hesitate during the GEPT speaking test, but for this introductory lesson, it’s okay if students are not yet confident.

Put students into pairs, indicate which people should speak first, and start the timer, letting them answer the first question. When the timer has gone off, let the other student say their answer. Repeat for all of the questions.

The teacher should be listening to students’ answers and providing feedback. One of the best ways to provide feedback in this case is to take notes and once everyone has finished speaking, correct their mistakes as a class.

Here are the example questions.

1. How many people are in your family? Who are they?
2. What did you do yesterday?
3. Do you have any pets?
4. What clothes are you wearing today?
5. Do you play sports?
6. Is English important to you? Why or why not?
7. What is the best season, and why?
8. Do you like to go to the movies? Why or why not?
9. Your friend needs advice about how to improve their English. What would you tell them? Why?
10. What job do you think you will have in the future?

Step 5: Speak about the image. (10-20 minutes)

Give students a few minutes to plan what to say about the image and the questions below the image. In the real exam, students won’t have time to prepare before speaking; however, for this introductory lesson it’s best to allow students to build up their confidence levels. If students are shy or weak, then this can be done in partners.

You can also provide students with any vocabulary words about the picture that they don’t know.

Make sure students answer the following questions as they speak.

1. What are these people doing?
2. How do these people feel?
3. What else do you see in the picture?

After students have had some time to prepare they should speak about the image for 90 seconds. Allow students to see or hear a timer and talk about the image in partners. Once students have finished, allow the other partner to speak about the image. Finally, you can allow a few confident students to speak out loud in front of the class.

Provide feedback on any grammar or pronunciation errors you hear.

If you enjoyed this GEPT practice lesson, check out these 10 TEFL/ESL Conversation Topics for Teenagers which can help your students improve their speaking ability.