Describe a television programme you enjoy.
A strong long turn names the subject in the first sentence, spends most of the two minutes on the last bullet — the why — and arrives at a prepared final line rather than trailing off.
The question, as the examiner gives it
Describe a television programme you enjoy.
You should say
- what the programme is
- how often you watch it
- what it is about
- and explain why you enjoy it
60 seconds to prepare, up to 2 minutes to speak
A band 7 to 8 answer
About 202 words at a natural pace — roughly what 120 seconds holds.
Answer it yourself first
Record your own answer first. A model you have read three times comes out with a flattened rhythm, and examiners are trained to hear exactly that. Read it afterwards for the vocabulary and the shape, not to memorise the sentences.The programme I watch most reliably is a documentary series about restoration, in which people bring broken objects to a workshop and a specialist repairs them. Each episode covers perhaps three objects, and it is about as far from dramatic television as it is possible to get. I watch it most weeks, usually on a Sunday evening, and I have seen some episodes twice. What it is about, on the surface, is the repair itself, and there is a great deal of genuinely interesting detail about tools and materials and why a particular glue is wrong. Underneath, it is about the owners, because every object arrives with a story and the story is almost always about somebody who has died. Why I enjoy it is partly the competence. It is deeply satisfying to watch somebody who has done one thing for forty years. And partly it is the only programme I know that takes ordinary objects seriously, which I find quietly moving. I have started fixing things myself as a direct result, badly, which is presumably not what the programme intended but I am counting it. My sister received a very poorly repaired lamp last year and was extremely polite about it.
The words that earn marks
Each one links to how it is pronounced.
- documentary
five syllables with the stress on the third
- restoration
four syllables with the stress on the third
- specialist
three syllables with the stress on the first
- episode
three syllables with the stress on the first
- materials
four syllables with the stress on the second
- competence
abstract noun naming the appeal exactly
- moving
the right adjective for quiet emotional effect
How a strong answer is built
- 1Name the programme and its format.
- 2Give the frequency and when you watch.
- 3Describe what it is about on two levels.
- 4Explain the enjoyment with two distinct reasons.
Sounds to watch
The ones this answer leans on most.
Straight answers
How long should my answer to “Describe a television programme you enjoy.” be?
You get 60 seconds to make notes and then speak for up to two minutes without interruption. Aim to still be talking at ninety seconds: finishing at forty is the commonest way to lose marks on this part.
Should I memorise the model answer?
No. Record your own version first, then read the model for the shape and the vocabulary. A memorised answer changes rhythm and pace noticeably, and examiners are trained to hear it — it usually costs more than the better wording gains.
Does sayit score this answer?
It scores what a microphone can observe: an estimate from fluency and pronunciation only — not an official band, and not a mark for vocabulary or grammar.
What the band on your result means
An estimate from fluency and pronunciation only — not an official band, and not a mark for vocabulary or grammar.One question a day until your test
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