IELTS SPEAKING SAMPLE WEEK 10

TEST SAMPLE 1:
Part 1:
Q. Good morning. My name is XX. Could I have your name, please?
Q. And your candidate number?
Q. Can I see your ID?
Q. Well, great. Where are you from?
Q. What do you do?

Topic - Friends:
Q. Do you have many friends? [Why/Why not?]
A. I have more than 10 friends and I am not sure if I should say this is many!
However, I had more than 30 friends in my school days. With the passage of the
time, the number plummeted. If I count my Facebook friends as real friends, the
number would go high!

Q.  How often do you go out with friends? [Why/Why not?]

A. I meet my friends almost twice a week. I love to spend my weekends with
them and sometimes I visit different places, watch movies and discuss different
topics with them. I do not go out with all of my friends. I mostly hang out with
2-3 close buddies and go out with them almost 3-4 times a month.

Q.  Tell me about your best friend at school.

A. My best friend in school was John and he was a great friend. He was tall and
brave. He taught me how to show courage when we are in trouble. He has a
great impact on my life. Though he lives in Australia now, we regularly
communicate via Skype. I specifically liked him because he was more like a
brother than a friend to me. 
Q.  How friendly are you with your neighbours? [Why/Why not?]
A. I must say I am quite lucky to have good neighbours who are always
supportive and well-behaved. I am quite close to them. We have been living in
our neighbourhood for more than a decade and our neighbours have become our
close relatives. We have a mutual understanding and an invisible bond that ties
us together as good neighbours. I respect their opinion, privacy and try to step
forward whenever they need me.  

Q.  Which is more important to you, friends or family? [Why?]

A. To be honest, family comes first. However, there are some friends who
become our family members. The bond between family members is often
stronger but this does not mean that we do not have friends who are less
important in our life. Being with the family makes us who we really are and
friends make our life worth living.
 

Part 2: IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card.

Describe a language other than English that you would like to learn.

You should say:

 what the language is

 where it is spoken

 what you think would be difficult about learning it

and explain why you would like to learn it.

[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one
minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes to
help you if you wish.]
SAMPLE ANSWER:

This is an absolutely marvellous topic and I am fortunate to have been given the
chance to talk about a foreign language, other than English, that I would love to
learn.  

 I believe, learning a second language not only benefits our cognitive

developments but also adds up our skills and helps us look at the world from a
different perspective. Our skills in a foreign language offer enormous benefits
for our personal growth and open up new possibilities. Additionally,
multilingual ability expands our knowledge beyond borders and provides
meaningful access to the understanding of other cultures and thus makes us
tolerable to other people and their culture. 

Therefore, I would love to learn Spanish, a spectacular language that stands

high in my must-learn list due to its wide range of application and beautiful and
rich culture. Spanish is not only one of the most spoken languages in the world
but also one of the richest languages ever. I had been briefly introduced to this
language in my childhood by one of my uncles but that was it, and I did not get
any further opportunity to learn it. Now that I have the freedom to learn a
language or to enhance my skill set, I will definitely give it a try.    

Spanish is spoken in most of the countries in South and Central America and in
the US; with over 400 million global speakers of Spanish as their first language
and millions more as a second language, this is an official language in many
international organizations. It is the official language of 21 countries, including
Spain. Besides, Spanish is the official or co-language in Spain, Argentina,
Chile, Colombia, Bolivia, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto
Rico, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

I believe, knowing Spanish will be a great opportunity for me to learn about the
cultural aspects and rich history associated with this language. It will develop
my sense of appreciation for Hispanic culture as well as transform my travel
experience. Who knows when I'd bump into some Spanish friends on my next
travel! 

I was told by my uncle and two other language teachers at school that Spanish is
comparatively easier to learn for people who know English - thanks to its
phonetic pronunciation and its similarity with English, in terms of vocabulary.
However, I believe that without steady commitment and self-discipline, being
able to speak Spanish would be a far-fetched idea. Therefore, in order to meet
my goal and not to get demotivated along the way, I would have to find a
teacher and one or two learning partners and we would fight this tough war
together. Thanks to the development of the internet and I will definitely seek
help from online resources to accelerate my Spanish learning process.

Part 3 Topic: Historic Place.

1. How do people in your country feel about protecting historic buildings?
2. Do you think an area can benefit from having an interesting historic place
locally? In what way?
3. What do you think will happen to historic places or buildings in the future?
Why?
4. How were you taught history when you were at school?
5. Are there other ways people can learn about history, apart from at school?
How?
6. Do you think history will still be a school subject in the future? Why?

Q. 1: How do people in your country feel about protecting historic

buildings?
Answer: I believe people from my country would want to protect and preserve
important historic buildings except maybe a few who put business ahead of their
morality and rational thinking. We had our moments when people
spontaneously protested the plan to demolish such sites in the past. Due to a
huge public backlash and outcry, the authority had been forced to abandon their
plan to build multi-storied commercial buildings by smashing the old buildings
that have historical significance. Thus citizens in my country are sensitive about
protecting anything that has historical importance.

Q. 2: Do you think an area can benefit from having an interesting historic
place locally? In what way?
Answer: Definitely an area with an interesting historic place can reap the
benefits from different perspectives. First, such a place would attract a huge
number of tourists and help grow different local businesses. Besides, such areas
are strategically important for the local government and it can bring more
development projects to the area. The government takes extra measures to
protect such areas from natural disasters and thus get more attention. On top of
that, the flourishing tourism of the area spreads the local custom and tradition to
other parts of the country. Thus, the development of such a region occurs faster
than other areas.

Q. 3. What do you think will happen to historic places or buildings in the
future? Why?
Answer: That is hard to tell and all would depend on the future generation. If
they feel that such locations and buildings are worth preserving, the authority
would take steps to protect them. Otherwise, many of them, which are less
internationally known, would disappear and would be converted to ultramodern
commercial buildings. Prominent sites, on the other hand, would be preserved
as they will attract many international tourists. Some of them will be debilitated
due to the lack of maintenance and a few new ones would emerge as historic
places and buildings in the distant future. The main reason some of the historic
places and building will disappear is that they are less popular and can't sell
tickets to tourists. So, the authority or the owner would like to convert them for
business purpose. The urbanisation, pollution and the need for more buildings
for the increasing population are threats to such historic sites.

Q. 4: How were you taught history when you were at school?
Answer: Our teachers mainly taught us history from the textbooks and we were
lucky to have a few amazing teachers who explained how history is important to
understand the future. They often explained important events and characters
from history and told us how these events and powerful men have shaped future
events. We were required to study history books and watch documentaries made
on real historical facts and those were not included in our syllabus. Thus, we
were able to learn more about history. Our school authority took us to different
museums and historic sites, generally two to three times a year, and those
excursions were our chances to explore more and witness the artefacts from the
past. I can recall one particular occasion when we were taken to a war museum
and we learned how wars that we hate so much had such profound impacts on
our human society.

Q. 5: Are there other ways people can learn about history, apart from at
school? How?
Answer:  I believe reading about history and researching them online is the best
way to learn more about it. What we learn about history in our school is just the
beginning. To truly explore the past, we need to read a lot of books and the
book choices should be based on the interests of the readers. The Internet is an
amazing tool that can help us learn about our past and the interactive videos
found on different websites are truly helpful. It offers us to dive deeper into
history.  Finally, travelling is an excellent way to learn about the world we live
in and how this world was shaped by different civilisations. Someone who
travels extensively learns about history faster and witness history instead of
assuming them.

Q. 6: Do you think history will still be a school subject in the future? Why?
Answer:  I believe history is not merely a collection of past events, stories of
civilisations and powerful characters. It is rather a way to look at the future.
Thus, the importance of history in the future will increase and more students
would be interested to learn about it than today. We are yet to comprehend the
full potential of history and it is still frowned upon as a subject for weaker
students. But in the future, we will realise how important it is for people to learn
it for a prosperous future. So, I do not see any reasons history will disappear
from the school syllabus.

TEST SAMPLE 2:
Part 1:

Topic - Names:
Q.  Did your parents choose your name(s)?
A.  Yes, my parents selected my name. When I was born, my parents wanted
me to have a great name, at least to them. I have heard from my mother than my
father brought a baby-name-book even before I was born. So the credit of my
name solely goes to them.
Q.  How did your parents choose your name(s)?
A. I learned that they were inspired by a name they found in the book and they
took the surname from my grandfather. Thus they combined the name and
selected it for me. However, this was the final step they went through to pick
my name. As far as I know, they had to choose from hundreds of names, spend
considerable hours to finally become satisfied with the name.

Q.  Does your name have any special meaning?

A. My name is very special to me as it is to my parents. The first part of my
name, Clyde, came from the name of a river, more specifically it is a Scottish
river. The river was close to the location where I was born and I believe my
parents wanted me to be as big as a river! The second part of my name, which is
Entriken' is a family name of a famous ancient dynasty from Great Britain.

Q.  Is your name common or unusual in your country?

A. Statistically speaking, this is not a very common name. However, from my
experience, I can tell that I have personally met at least 10 others with the same
name but with a different family name. 

Q.  If you could change your name, would you? [Why/Why not?]
A. My name is very special to me and I would never change it. For anyone,
his/her name is quite unique and significantly important. I might take an alias
someday if I need to ghost-write some articles, but changing my real name to
something for the sake of modernism or style, is something I will never accept. 

Part 2: IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card.

Describe a recent progress that your country has witnessed.

You should say:

 what it is
  how long it took to finish or is it still ongoing

 how you feel about it

and explain how it is beneficial to your country.

[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one
minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes to
help you if you wish.]

SAMPLE ANSWER:
I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for the chance you have given
me to talk about a contemporary advancement that our country has witnessed.
The development work that I am going to talk about was much anticipated and
highly desired, and I believe it will be enormously positive for the country and
the citizens.

Progress, in my opinion, is a meaningful improvement or development in an

area or sector to have something better than it is used to be. When a country
progresses, it ensures better living standard to its citizens. However, not all
progress or development works come without negative consequences.

My country - (say your country's name), has recently completed a highly

ambitious project known as Kankas Super Highway. This project has taken
more than two decades, and now it ensures better inland communication and
transportation throughout the country. In terms of the outcome, it has connected
several districts with the capital city and people are already getting benefits
from this grand project. Many experts believe that it will dramatically change
the trade and transport facilities in our country, especially for people from rural
areas.
The scheme was initiated in 1998 and took almost 20 years to finish. However, I
have read in a recent newspaper article that some works are still going on,
perhaps those were planned at a later phase, and the ministry of rural
transportation has allocated more budget to add diversity to this development
work. For instance, the rail transportation system is expected to be integrated
with this project and I guess, this work is still ongoing.

It makes me sad that the development works didn't come without a price we
were not ready to pay. We had to sacrifice two small forests, vast agricultural
lands and a few hilly areas- the natural habitat of the flora and fauna, not to
mention the overwhelming number of trees that had been cut down to carry on
the project. I hope we would be able to take some initiatives to cover the loss, at
least a portion of it, and make sure the progress in the transportation sector
ensures a better life for all citizens.

Considering the advantages, I am quite positive this progress will bring

tremendous benefits. The old highway didn't connect all parts of the country to
the capital city and couldn't cope with the number of increasing vehicles
running on the roads. Now that the development works are almost done, people
from any part of the country have better access to the capital city and that would
definitely improve our overall trade facilities, and as a result, people will get
better access to education, treatment, and employment.
Part 3 Topic: Sports and competition.
1. Why are some sports fans so passionate?
2. Is there any violence at sporting events in your country?
3. Should athletes be better role models?
4. What benefits do international sporting events bring?
5. Is it important for a country to win lots of medals?
6. The money professional sportsmen earn is significantly higher than that the
earning of other professionals. Is it justified?

Q. 1: Why are some sports fans so passionate?

Answer: I believe some people love sports than other forms of entertainment
and competition and they always follow their favourite sports on TV. ‘Watching
and playing sports’ is their favourite leisure activity while many of those
passionate fans once were players themselves and played the game in their
youth. Growing up, they see their family, friends, and city go wild when a goal
is scored or a game is won. So, it’s natural to follow other’s enthusiasm and
cheer for their local teams. Such attachment often increases their love for sports.
In my country, many youths are ardent fans of football and they have their
favourite teams. When their favourite team plays, they take every opportunity to
support them and sometimes go to the stadium to show their support. Sportsmen
are often idolized by youths and they love to follow their favourite sportsmen as
enthusiastic followers.

Q. 2: Is there any violence at sporting events in your country?

Answer: Generally speaking, such violence is very rare in my country.
However, a dispute among fans are quite common and most of the time they are
verbal than physical. They often take social networking platforms and blogs to
criticise their rivals. I can, however, recall a very unfortunate event that took
place probably three or four years ago when the fans of two completing teams
got agitated and three people died due to this incident while several others were
critically injured. The security of the stadium has been revamped to address
such unexpected events and hopefully, it wouldn't happen again.

Q. 3. Should athletes be better role models?

Answer:  I believe most fans start adoring an athlete or a sportsman due to the
spectacular performance he or she shows. Thus football magicians like
Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi have several million fans and many of them
started idolising them without knowing them personally. However, when these
youths start following their favourite sportsmen or athletes, they sometimes
follow them blindly. Thus, considering the impact, famous sports personality
should always try to lead exemplary lives as thousands of others mimic them.
They are also famous and the media is always watching them. Any bad conduct
can bring controversy to their fame and they should try to become better role
models for youths as it is a social and moral responsibility for any celebrity.

Q. 4. What benefits do international sporting events bring?

Answer: International sporting events bring nations together and eliminate the
tension and hostility among them. Such an event is highly popular and can be a
great reason for people to enjoy the competition in the stadium. Thus such
competitions foster tourism and help local businesses to flourish. Such
prestigious events sometimes encourage young children all around the world to
take some sort of sports. This is good for spreading the essence of sports
globally and I think sports have economic, political and cultural impacts on
society.

Q. 5. Is it important for a country to win lots of medals?

Answer: I believe every country wants to win as many trophies as possible
since it represents how great a nation is in sports and athleticism. Being at the
top of the medal list is often considered a great achievement but I personally
believe that it is not absolutely necessary. Participating in international sporting
events like the Olympic is often inspiring for many small nations. A few medals
could be often satisfying and inspiring for them. The most important thing in
international sporting competition is being able to perform and enjoy it, not the
number of medals won. When athletes and sportsmen from all around the world
gather at a common platform, they not only represent their own country but also
the whole humanity and this is important for maintaining global peace and
harmony.

Q. 6. The money professional sportsmen earn is significantly higher than

that the earning of other professionals. Is it justified?
Answer: I think a very few fortunate sports celebrities earn a hefty amount of
money while most others do not. Considering the training, dedication, challenge
and sacrifice that are part of their lives, the earning, in my opinion, is justified.
We have to keep in mind that their career is short spanned and they earn
because they perform really well. The payment to those celebrities is high
because people buy tickets when they perform and different companies that earn
millions of dollars each day want them as brand ambassadors. Since these
payments are legit and transparent, I do not see any problem if they earn a lot.