Greeting the IELTS Examiner
Greeting the IELTS examiner is the first thing you do as soon as you enter the IELTS speaking examination room. As a result, you can create a good first impression on the IELTS examiner if you greet him/her professionally. Greeting the IELTS examiner takes place before Part 1 of the IELTS Speaking section. That’s why greeting the IELTS examiner is technically called Part 0.
Video of greeting the IELTS examiner
Questions about Your Name
During greeting, the examiner introduces himself/herself to you in the following ways:
Good afternoon. My name’s Dr. Mohammad Hossein Hariri Asl. What’s your full name?
Could you tell me your full name, please?
Your Possible Responses
Good afternoon.
Good afternoon, Dr. Mohammad Hossein Hariri Asl. My name’s Kourosh Afshar.
You can mention the examiner’s name or not. It’s your choice.
You should not give a title to the examiner and mention his/her first name as it is incorrect in English.
Wrong: Good afternoon, Dr. Mohammad Hossein.
Right: Good afternoon, Dr. Hariri.
Right: Good afternoon.
It’s better to use a contraction while mentioning your name to show that you are accustomed to a higher level of pronunciation and fluency. Besides, in the rest of your interview with the examiner, try to use contractions as far as you can:
My name is Kourosh Afshar.
My name’s Kourosh Afshar.
You can also give the examiner your English name if you have any. For example:
You can call me by my English name, Alex.
Questions about Your Nationality
Where are you from?
Could you please tell me where you come from?
Your Possible Responses
I’m from China.
I come from Iran.
I’m from Tehran, which is the capital city of Iran.
In the sentence above, some further information has been given about the candidate’s location, which is recommended. However, remember that you should not give too much information about your location or nationality.
Note that in this part of your exam, you should not ask the examiner any question, for instance:
I come from Berlin. Have you been there?
I’m from Moscow. I think you should really go there.
While referring to the city or country where you live, bear in mind that you should pronounce your homeland in English, and not according to your mother tongue:
I’m from Afghanistan. /æfɡænəstɑn, -stæn $ -stæn/
Questions about Your Identification
Could I see your identification please?
Can you show me your identification please?
May I see you ID please?
Note that “ID” is the abbreviation for identification.
Your Possible Responses
Here you are.
Certainly, here you are.
Of course, here it is.
Some Further Points That You Must Consider in the Greeting Section
- Try to have a nice smile on your face.
- Strike a pose that shows you are relaxed and confident.
- have eye contact with the examiner, but do not stare at him/her.
