This is a paired speaking task, so it has to be performed, not written out and read. The book has already given you the same five questions in two registers — your job is to hear the difference and keep it up for a whole conversation.
| What changes | Informal (Sports Captain — a fellow student) | Formal (Sports Coach — a teacher) |
|---|---|---|
| Greeting | “Hello! I’m so glad that you agreed to meet me for this interview.” | “Good morning, it is my privilege to get this opportunity to have this interaction with you.” |
| Asking | Imperatives and direct questions — “Tell me about yourself…”, “Did you face any challenges?” | Modal requests — “Could you tell me…”, “Could you share something about…” |
| Vocabulary | Everyday words — “impressive achievements”, “how do you feel about them?” | Formal words — “accolades”, “accomplishments”, “aspiring athletes” |
| Contractions | Used freely — I’m, you’ve, didn’t | Used sparingly; full forms sound more formal |
| Address | First name, or none at all | “Sir” / “Ma’am”, and a thank-you at the close |
- Follow-up questions. An interview is not a questionnaire. If the Coach says a match was a turning point, ask which match. The interview with Dr. Malik does this all through — the interviewer picks up ‘firsts’, then challenges, then advocacy.
- Listening noises — “I see”, “That’s interesting” — and eye contact. Do not read from a paper.
- One consistent register. The commonest mistake is starting formally and slipping into “Yeah, cool” by question three.
- A proper close. Thank the interviewee and say what you found most striking, as the interviewer does on page 142: “Thank you for sharing your insights.”
Sample answer — the formal interview, opening exchange:
Interviewer: Good morning, Sir. It is my privilege to get this opportunity to have this interaction with you.
Coach: Good morning. It’s a pleasure.
Interviewer: Could you tell me how your journey in sports began?
Coach: I was a middle-distance runner at college in Nashik. I was never the fastest in the group, but I was the one who never missed a morning session, and my coach noticed that before he noticed my timings.
Interviewer: Could you share something about the challenges you faced and how you overcame them?
Coach: A stress fracture in my second year ended my own running. I could either stop or learn the sport from the other side. I took a coaching certificate that winter.
Interviewer: You’ve received many accolades. What do these accomplishments mean to you?
Coach: Honestly, the trophies in the office cupboard mean less to me than the four girls from our school who are now in the district squad.
Interviewer: What advice do you have for aspiring athletes?
Coach: Turn up on the days you don’t feel like it. That is the whole secret.
Interviewer: Thank you, Sir. What stays with me is that you built a second career out of an injury.
Sample answer — the informal interview, opening exchange:
Interviewer: Hello! I’m so glad that you agreed to meet me for this interview.
Sports Captain: Of course! Ask away.
Interviewer: Tell me about yourself and your love for sports.
Sports Captain: I’ve played kho-kho since Class 5. My sister used to play, and I basically followed her to practice and never left.
Interviewer: Did you face any challenges? How did you deal with them?
Sports Captain: Balancing practice with board-year subjects, mainly. I now finish homework in the free periods so that evenings belong to the ground.
Interviewer: What are some impressive achievements you’ve had? How do you feel about them?
Sports Captain: We reached the zonal semi-final last year — the first time our school has. Proud, but a bit annoyed too; we lost by two points.
Interviewer: What would you like to say to your peers or juniors who are interested in sports?
Sports Captain: Just come for the trials. Nobody is judging you at a trial — that is the point of a trial.