2. Have you done any writing in English before (not only academic)? If so, What type and for what purpose? Have you done any presentations or speaking exams in English? If so, provide some details. What are your strengths and weaknesses in writing and speaking?

3. What kinds of music do you listen to? Describe a favourite piece of music/song and why you like it. Do you find it easy to describe music? 

 

I’m currently majoring in Musicology at the University of Sheffield and I want to be able to think critically about what I study because it helps me to deepen my understanding of things. In addition, I also want to learn how to build a good paper framework so that I can improve my dissertation writing skills.

 

I've given a few English speeches and my oral fluency is okay, but I always like to make sentences complicated and use words that are not accurate enough. The most difficult part of writing is argumentation, as I am not good at reading academic articles, which requires reading a lot of literature to find relevant data to support the point of view.

 

I like to listen to pop music and piano music. My favorite music is Jay Chou's blue and white porcelain, which incorporates many elements of Chinese national Musical Instruments. I think it’s very novel and interesting. For my part, describing music is more of an intuitive feeling, and I may not be able to find the right words to describe it, so it is not easy.

I usually listen to pop music and hip-hop. My favourite song is Lana Del Rey’s “Young and Beautiful”. I like her voice and the melody of this song. I find it is not easy to describe music, since everyone's perception of music is different, and sometimes it is difficult for words to express the emotions of music.

 

When I came to Sheffield, I deeply fell in love with the city and the school, I hope to learn more in-depth music knowledge during my postgraduate study in Sheffield and become a professional music researcher as soon as possible.

 

I have taken oral exams and attended English speeches, but they were all very short. Among them, I found my grammar was confused, especially when listening to and speaking long sentences. It is precisely because of this that I have some grammar problems in my writing.

 

For me, music is an indispensable part of my life, and describing music makes me feel very relaxed. I like to listen to pop music and R&B. For example, Ed Sheeran, my favorite British male singer, whose "Thinking Out Loud" is a song that moves me very much every time I listen to it. The simple melody of guitar, the perfect match of rhythm and drum beat, and Ed's clear singing make me drunk.

 

In the past year, when preparing for IELTS, I have written some essays on some topics and practiced some simple oral dialogues. In writing, I may use a lot of simple sentences or elementary words, which makes the article seem less rigorous and formal. In oral expression, I cannot express my ideas clearly due to my lack of language ability.

 

I like classical music, because I think classical music has beautiful melody, but also can be magnificent, will give people a different feeling. I think music has a great power to heal the heart in ways that words can't.

 

The course I am studying is music performance. During my year in Sheffield I hope to improve my piano skills and performance and gain more experience on stage.

Unfortunately I have no experience of speaking in English. However, I have had a speaking test in English. I have taken an oral examination in English, and I have introduced myself briefly. I think my strength in speaking is that I can express myself bravely. But my weakness is that I can't hear very well. I need to work on my listening skills.

My favorite type of music is classical music. My favorite composer is Chopin. His music can fulfill all my fantasies about music! I've played a lot of his music.