VSTEP Practice

VSTEP Speaking Part 2 (Solution Discussion): Choose and Justify

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Quick answer: In VSTEP Speaking Part 2 you get a situation and three options, one minute to prepare and about 2–3 minutes to speak. Your job is to choose the best option, explain why, and — just as important — explain why you rejected the other two.

Sample task

Your neighbourhood council has 2,000 USD to improve a local park. The options are: (1) install more lights, (2) build a children's playground, (3) plant more trees and add benches. Which should the council choose?

Using the 1-minute preparation

A 3-step structure

  1. Introduce (15 seconds): restate the situation and give your choice. In this situation, I think the best option is…
  2. Defend your choice (60–80 seconds): two reasons, each with explanation and an example.
  3. Reject the others (40–60 seconds): Although option 1 has some benefits, …; As for option 3, …

Sample answer (shortened)

In this situation, I believe the council should spend the money on more lights. My main reason is safety. At the moment, the park is quite dark after six, so many people, especially women and the elderly, avoid walking there in the evening. Better lighting would make the park usable for many more hours a day. Secondly, lights are a one-off cost and need very little maintenance.
A playground would certainly be popular with families, but it would only benefit young children, and 2,000 dollars is probably not enough to build a safe one. Planting trees is a lovely idea, but the park already has quite a lot of green space, so it wouldn't solve the biggest problem. That's why lighting is the most practical choice.

Useful phrases

Examiners reward weighing up all three options. An answer that only praises your own choice usually stays at B1.

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