dear student,welcome to this new oriental ielts preparation course and the speaking book in particular.ielts, the international english language testing system, is one of the world's most popular english language tests for entry into university or higher education where english is the language of communication. in other words, it is your academic passport!the speaking test, although relatively short (11-14 minutes), is often the most nerve-wracking module in ielts because you are face to face with the examiner. not only that, but you have to listen, process the examiner's language, and answer the question clearly, using correct grammar structures and with only a minimum of hesitation.this book is designed to help you to prepare for all these elements of the test in a sytematic way. firstly, you will learn a lot of useful words for dealing with familiar and abstract topics, and  you will be encouraged to expand your vocabulary. having a wide range of vocabulary will give you confidence in the test.you will also find extensive pronunciation exercises to help you with some of the more problematic sounds of english. grammar exercises have been chosen specifically so that you are ablt to answer familiar questions, using propriate tenses, and to talk about unfamiliar, more abstract issues, using appropriate functions (for example, expressing opinions, comparing, contrasting, analysing, or speculating).this book will guide you through the best approaches to all the three parts of the ielts speaking test, using the most typical topics with opportunities for extensive practice and consolidation.thank you for choosing to study for the ielts with new oriental.rod ellis.