Is local news still necessary?
A strong Part 3 answer takes a position in the first clause, supports it with one reason and one concrete case, and then names where it stops being true. Around a minute.
The question, as the examiner gives it
Is local news still necessary?
no preparation, about 1 minute to speak
A band 7 to 8 answer
About 123 words at a natural pace — roughly what 60 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.More necessary than ever and considerably less viable, which is the whole difficulty. National news is abundant and local news is disappearing, and the consequence is that nobody attends council meetings any more. There is quite good evidence that where a local paper closes, borrowing costs rise and turnout falls, which suggests the reporting was doing real work even when it looked trivial. The problem is that the business model was classified advertising and that moved online permanently, so there is nothing to replace the revenue. What I have seen work, on a small scale, is subscriptions from readers who understand they are funding the scrutiny rather than buying the news, but that requires a level of civic attention that is unevenly distributed.
The words that earn marks
Each one links to how it is pronounced.
- viable
three syllables with the stress on the first
- abundant
three syllables with the stress on the second
- council
the precise noun for local government
- turnout
compound noun for electoral participation
- classified
the exact adjective for a category of advertising
- scrutiny
three syllables with the stress on the first
- civic
the right adjective for public-minded attention
How a strong answer is built
- 1Give the paradox in the first sentence.
- 2State the consequence of the decline.
- 3Support it with evidence.
- 4Explain the economics and the partial remedy.
Sounds to watch
The ones this answer leans on most.
Straight answers
How long should my answer to “Is local news still necessary?” be?
About 60 seconds. Long enough for the answer plus a reason or an example, short enough that the examiner can get through the rest of the set.
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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