Task 5: Comparing and Persuading
Format
- 60 seconds to select your option, 60 seconds prep, 60 seconds to speak.
- Two options are presented with images and feature lists.
- A third option is then introduced as someone else's suggestion.
- Persuade that your choice is better than the suggested option.
Strategies
Example
Your family is planning a week-long vacation for the upcoming summer, and you and your spouse have narrowed it down to two exciting options. Look at these two options, choose the one you prefer, and explain why.
Tropical All-Inclusive Beach Resort
- 7 days/6 nights at a 4-star beachfront resort
- All meals and drinks included
- Kids' club and water sports activities
- $3,500 for a family of four
Rocky Mountain National Park Camping Adventure
- 7 days/6 nights in a mountain cabin
- Guided hikes and wildlife viewing
- Self-catering with nearby markets
- $2,200 for a family of four
Your spouse has now suggested a different vacation option. Persuade your spouse that the vacation you chose in Part 1 is more suitable for your family than the one your spouse is suggesting.
Other's Suggestion
Historic European City Cultural Tour
- 7 days in Rome and Paris
- 3-star hotel accommodations
- Guided walking tours and museums
- $4,800 for a family of four
Your Choice
Tropical All-Inclusive Beach Resort
- 7 days/6 nights at a 4-star beachfront resort
- All meals and drinks included
- Kids' club and water sports activities
- $3,500 for a family of four
I understand that a European cultural tour sounds exciting, but I truly believe the beach resort is the far superior choice for our family vacation this summer.
First and foremost, consider the children. At a beachfront resort with a dedicated kids' club and water sports, they will be actively engaged and having the time of their lives. In contrast, walking through European museums and historic sites for seven straight days would likely exhaust and bore them.
Secondly, the all-inclusive package at thirty-five hundred dollars covers every meal, every activity, and every amenity. The European tour at forty-eight hundred dollars does not even include meals, so the real cost could easily exceed six thousand dollars once you factor in dining out in Rome and Paris.
Most importantly, we both deserve genuine relaxation. The beach resort allows us to truly unwind, whereas navigating foreign cities with two young children would be more stressful than our regular work week.
For all these reasons, I strongly encourage us to choose the beach resort.
- Strategy #1 (Prep wisely): Specific facts like the price comparison ($3,500 vs $4,800+) strengthen the argument.
- Strategy #2 (State recommendation immediately): The opening sentence declares the beach resort as "the far superior choice."
- Strategy #3 (Comparative structures): Uses "in contrast," "unlike the European tour," and direct cost comparisons throughout.
- Strategy #4 (Acknowledge and counter): The other option is acknowledged briefly ("a European cultural tour sounds exciting, but...") before being countered.
- Strategy #5 (Clear recommendation): The closing line delivers a firm, persuasive recommendation.
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