Task 1: Giving Advice

Understanding Task 1

Task 1 asks you to give advice to a specific person — always someone you know in some capacity, such as a friend, a family member, a colleague, or a neighbor. The person is facing a real-life challenge or decision, and your job is to give them practical guidance in a warm, supportive, natural way. You have 30 seconds to prepare and 90 seconds to speak.

Task 1 is the longest speaking task on the test and the first one you will face. A strong Task 1 response sets a positive tone for your entire test. The key to a high Task 1 score is understanding that raters are looking for advice that is: specific to the scenario (not generic life advice that could apply to anything), practical (concrete actions the person can take), supported with reasons or examples (not just bare suggestions), and delivered in a tone that feels warm and genuine, as if you are actually speaking to someone you care about.

The CARE Planning Frame

The CARE frame is a four-part planning structure designed specifically for Task 1. It ensures your response addresses every component that raters look for while keeping your delivery feeling natural and conversational rather than formal or list-like.

C — Connect: Open by acknowledging the person's situation. This does not need to be long — one or two sentences that show you understand what they are going through. This immediately establishes a warm, supportive tone and signals to the rater that your advice is going to be context-specific, not generic.

A — Advise: Give your first specific, practical suggestion. Use direct language — "I would suggest...", "One thing that really helped me was...", "Why don't you try..." — not vague encouragement. State the suggestion clearly in one sentence before supporting it.

R — Reasons and Examples: Support your advice with a reason (why it will help) and/or a concrete example (a time you or someone you know did this and it worked). This is the section that earns the most Task Fulfillment and Vocabulary points. Vague advice without reasons produces average scores. Advice with a specific supporting story or reasoning produces high scores.

E — End result: Close with a brief, forward-looking statement that connects your advice to a positive outcome. This can double as your wrap line. It brings the response to a natural close and reinforces the warm, supportive tone throughout.

Tone Calibration for Task 1

The tone of Task 1 should be warm, encouraging, and practical — like talking to a real friend. Many candidates make the mistake of delivering advice in a formal, lecture-like tone because they think it sounds more intelligent. This actually hurts the Listenability score because it sounds unnatural for the scenario. Raters want to hear that you can communicate naturally and empathetically in an informal, personal context.

Signals of warm, natural tone include: using the person's assumed relationship with you (even if not named: "I know starting something new can be tough..."), using casual contractions ("don't, it's, you'll, I've"), using inclusive language ("I think you'll find that..."), and expressing genuine encouragement at the end.

What to avoid in tone: sounding like you are reading a list ("First, second, third, finally"); being overly formal ("I would advise you to consider the following approaches"); sounding dismissive of the person's difficulty ("It is not that hard, just..."); or ending abruptly without a warm close.

Full 90-Second Template for Task 1

This template shows the structure of a complete, high-scoring Task 1 response. The bracketed sections indicate where you insert content specific to the prompt.

Connect (8–10 seconds): "Hey [implied name], I heard about [the situation] and I just wanted to share a few thoughts that might help. I know [acknowledging their feeling] can feel really [overwhelming / stressful / daunting], but there are definitely some things you can do."

Advise — Point 1 (5–7 seconds): "The first thing I would suggest is [specific, practical suggestion 1]."

Reasons and Example — Point 1 (18–22 seconds): "The reason I say this is [reason why it helps]. For example, when I [personal or observed example], I found that [concrete outcome or learning]. That made a real difference and I think it could do the same for you."

Advise — Point 2 (5–7 seconds): "Another thing that I think could really help is [specific, practical suggestion 2]."

Reasons and Example — Point 2 (18–22 seconds): "This matters because [reason]. I have seen this work for [a friend / in a similar situation] — [brief example]. It can really change how you approach the whole thing."

Optional third point (10–12 seconds): "One more small thing — [brief third suggestion, no full example needed]."

End result (8–10 seconds): "I really think that if you [action from your advice], you will feel so much [better / more confident / more in control]. You have got this — good luck!"

Phrase Bank for Task 1

Connect Phrases

• "I heard you are going through [situation] — that can be really tough, and I want to help."
• "Starting something new always comes with some uncertainty, and I totally understand why you feel that way."
• "I have been in a similar situation, so let me share what worked for me."
• "It sounds like you are dealing with quite a bit right now, so here are a few things that might ease the pressure."

Advise Phrases

• "My first suggestion would be to..."
• "One thing I would really recommend is..."
• "Something that worked really well for me / for a friend of mine was..."
• "Why don't you try..."
• "It might be worth considering..."
• "Have you thought about...? I think it could make a real difference."

Reasons and Example Phrases

• "The reason this helps is that..."
• "This matters because..."
• "In my experience, [detail]... and it made things so much more manageable."
• "I remember when [example] — and what I learned from that was..."
• "A good friend of mine did exactly this and said it completely changed their outlook."

End Result Phrases

• "I genuinely think these steps will help you feel much more prepared."
• "Once you get started, I think you will be surprised how quickly things fall into place."
• "I know it feels big right now, but you are more ready than you think. Good luck!"
• "I am rooting for you — I think this is going to go really well."

Worked Example: Complete Task 1 Response

Prompt: "Your cousin is about to move to a new city for work and is feeling anxious about making friends and fitting in. Give them advice."

Response: "Hey! I heard you are moving to a new city soon — that is such a big step, and I completely understand why it feels a bit overwhelming. Building a social life from scratch takes time, but there are definitely things you can do to make it happen faster. The first thing I would really suggest is to join at least one regular activity or group in the first month — something like a sports league, a book club, or even a volunteer group. The reason this works so well is that you see the same people repeatedly, which is how real friendships form. When I moved cities a few years ago, I joined a hiking group and within two months I had a solid group of people I genuinely liked. It gave me something to look forward to every week and took the pressure off trying to force friendships in other settings. The second thing I would say is to be patient with yourself and not compare your social life to where you were before. It takes time to build depth, and that is completely normal. I would also suggest saying yes to any invitation in those first few months — even if you are tired. You do not have to stay long, but showing up is how people get to know you. I really think that if you put yourself in one consistent social environment early on, things will start to click naturally. You are going to do great — enjoy the new adventure!"

Task 1 Practice Topics

Practice with these prompts using the CARE frame and the 90-second template. Record every response and evaluate it on all four scoring dimensions.

1. Your friend is thinking about quitting their job to start a business but is scared of the financial risk. Give them advice.
2. Your younger sibling is struggling to balance university studies with a part-time job. Give them advice.
3. Your coworker has been assigned to lead their first team project and feels unprepared. Give them advice.
4. Your neighbor wants to learn to cook healthy meals but does not know where to start. Give them advice.
5. Your friend is considering adopting a pet for the first time but is unsure if they are ready. Give them advice.

Key Takeaways from Lesson 6

• Task 1 is 90 seconds — the longest task on the test. Use the full time with two developed suggestions plus examples.
• Use the CARE frame: Connect → Advise → Reasons and Examples → End result.
• Be specific to the scenario — generic advice that could apply to any situation loses Task Fulfillment points.
• Warm, conversational tone is required — avoid formal, list-like delivery.
• Support every suggestion with a reason and a concrete example. This is what differentiates average from high-scoring responses.
• End with a genuine, forward-looking wrap that brings the response to a natural close.