topic thi nói mẫu cho kỳ thi chứng chỉ chuẩn Châu Âu B1, B2,C1

Sample Answer to IELTS Spoken Topics
1. special gift:
Describe the best present/gift you have received :
i. Who send it? What is the gift? What is it for?
ii. When did you receive it?
iii. Detail information about the present.
Last year , my wife celebrated my birthday at home. She bought a
electronic dictionary as birthday gift. I like the electronic dictionary very
much. It's blue and quite small. It fits into my pocket. I remember at that
time, my wife said to me :"she decided to immigrate to Canada with me. In
future, we must study very hard .And she hoped that the electronic
dictionary could help me to improve my English." On that day, I was very
happy because my wife agreed to immigrate to Canada finally. Also, with
the help of the electronic dictionary , I made such rapid progress that before
long I began to write articles in English.
1) In China, when will people send the present?
Oh, attend the party, such as Wedding Party, Birthday Party. During Spring
Festival, people give presents each other, including clothes, books, flowers
and foods.
2) Compare the gift which people have received 10 years ago to the
present that people now are receiving, what's the difference between
them? ( try to compare the gift you received in your teenage with the
gift children received now )
Oh, I think the gift was monotonic before. For example, I often received a
notebook as gift. But now, there are various gifts to choose from. Such as
flowers, wine, food, clothes etc.
3) Just image the gift in the future children will receive.
In the future, I think more and more children will receive intellectual
gifts, such as electronic dictionary, notebook computer and so on.
4) Just image the gift in the future people will receive.
In the future, oh, in most case, people will give flowers each other. I think

flowers will be the most popular present.
2. building
What is the interesting building in your country?
What is it located?
What is it used for?
Explain why you think it is the most interesting?
I think the interesting building is the Great Wall. It runs across north
China like a huge dragon. It was used to enemies. Soldiers used to keep
watch on the Great Wall. When the enemy came , fires were lit to warn
other soldiers. I think the Great Wall is the most interesting building.
Because it is one of the wonders of the world and it was one of the few
man-made objects on earth that could be seen by the astronauts who
landed on the moon. Also, the Great Wall has become a symbol of both
China's proud history and its present strength.
1) Are there some old buildings in your hometown? Where and
Describe it?
Wenfeng Tower, built in 1420, is located in the southern of Anyang City.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, people came to the tower to worship
the God of Heaven and pray for a good harvest. Nowadays, it serves as a
museum of history . Murals of Wenfeng Tower give visitors a feel for the
great artistic achievements of ancient Chinese civilization. In a word, I think
the Wenfeng Tower is the most interesting building, and it is the oldest
building in my hometown.
2) Compare the differences between the constructions in your city
with them in 20 years ago? Describe the building styles in detail?
The traditional buildings are made of the red brick and always have curved
eaves. Thousands of buildings look the same. But now, various buildings
with different colors and styles have been going up in my hometown. In
addition, room is equipped with kitchen and bathroom. This is very
convenient.

3) What are people's attitudes to old building today and that of our
later generation? Should we protect them? Why?
People, including our later generation, advocate that government should
protect old buildings .Because old buildings represent the great artistic
achievements of ancient Chinese civilization.
4) What role do you think the old and modern buildings play in the
society?
Oh, modern buildings are for us to live and work, while old buildings are for
us to visit and research.
5) Compare the differences between house and apartment?
In China, there is a big yard beside house, where we can plant some
flowers and trees etc. But house is more expensive. Apartment is
convenient and cheap but small.
3. friend:
Who is your best friend?
How did you meet?
What do you do with your friend?
Tell me the way you make friends with others and youu think what
people should be your friends?
My best friend isxxx. We were in the same class for 5 years. At that time,
we often gather together to study and play. Now, we work in the same
company. Friendship is extremely important to me. It’s like being brothers or
sisters, but even more than that. I mean, I would do nearly anything for my
friend, and I would expect that he would do the same for me. If he didn't
help me when I was in need, then I would not consider him a good friend. I
have a lot of different kinds of friends. Some are loud, others are shy. I
prefer having a real variety of friends.
1) Do you think it is easy to make friends in China?
Yes, of course. Nowadays, transportation and communication are easy and
convenient. We have more opportunities to meet all kinds of people and

make friends with them.
2) what do you think the difference between adults and children
making friend?
The difference is attitude or mindset between adults and children making
friend. In general, children like to make friend with good students because
they
can help each other in studying. But adults make friends with anyone they
like.
3) How do children make friend?
Children to children.
4) What is the most important thing in friendship?
Trust.
5) What is the second important thing in friendship?
Helping each other.
6) What makes friendship break up? Misunderstanding
For example, when I studied in Chongqing University, one day, my
roommate
lost his watch. He thought I had taken it. At that moment, I was very angry
but I
said nothing, and then I helped him to look for the watch. Finally, we found it
in his pocket. My roommate apologized to me. I forgave him his rudeness.
So, I
think trust is the most important thing between friends.
4. Festival
There are many festivals in China, such as Spring Festival, National Day
and
Yuan Xiao Festival etc. The Spring Festival is the biggest festival in China. I
suppose it's somewhat like Christmas is in western countries. Spring
Festival is
the only time when all families gather together and stores and business are

closed
for several days. During the Spring Festival, we eat delicious food, visit
relatives and friends, and watch TV to welcome the New Year. I also like to
try and contact some friends before and see how they’re doing and what
they’ re up to.
We give each other presents for the New Year.
5.travel:
Describe your latest interesting travel in detail.
When and where you go?
Whom you go with?
What things you do?
Last year, I went to Shilin with my wife. Shilin, is located about 80
kilometers from Kunming. Kunming is the capital city of Yunnan Province .It
took us 3 days to get Shilin. Shilin is famous for its large areas of stone
forests. All stones in Shilin are vividly shaped, resembling various figures.
Some stones look like a monkey, and some stones look like a bird. In a
word, the stones are fantastic. In addition, I met a classmate of Chongqing
University in Shilin. We talked about the things and persons which we
remembered in school. I think that is an interesting trip.
1) Describe some interesting things happened during your travel. Can
u describe it for me?
Ok. I met a classmate of Chongqing University .We talked about the things
and persons which we remembered in school. I think that is an interesting
thing.
2) What is your goal to travel and your reason to travel is
I enjoy traveling. It is so interesting to see how other people live, and
it is really an amazing way to learn about different cultures.
3) Describe the advantage and disadvantage of travel for the country
Tourism is a useful source of foreign currency for the country, but
sometimes so me visitors destroy cultural heritage.

4) Why China can attract people to travel?
A 5,000 year cultural heritage attract more people to China.
5) Do Chinese people like to travel now?
Yes, of course. Since the opening-up, transportation is easy and
convenient. Also, we have ample money for the journey.
6) Which festival do people travel in and where do people travel to?
We often go to resorts around National Day, such as Forbidden City,
Summer Palace, and Temple of Heaven in Beijing.
7) Compare the difference about traveling among Chinese people
between 100 years ago and now?
100 years ago, transportation was very difficult; few people could travel in
China because most of people were very poor. But now, transportation is
easy and convenient and we have ample money for the journey.
6) natural scenery
What is the most beautiful natural scenery you have ever seen? What
is the specific point? Where did you see it? Who did you go with?
Last year, I went to Shilin with my wife. Shilin, located about 80 kilometers
from Kunming. Kunming is the capital city of Yunnan Province. It took us 3
days to get there. Shilin is famous for its large areas of stone forests. All
stones in Shilin are vividly shaped, resembling various figures. Some
stones look like a monkey, and some stones look like a bird. In a word, the
stones are fantastic. Also, there is a lake in Shilin. Surrounded by green
mountains and forests, the lake is not destroyed by any pollution. Travelers
can row a boat on the lake or stroll on the shores to enjoy its special quiet
beauty.
(1)What measures does your government take to protect natural
scenery?
The government establishes protective zones of natural scenery .Educate
people to protect natural environment. People who destroy natural scenery
will be punished.

(2) Do you think it is effective?
Yes, of course. Establish protective zones can prevent pollution.
(3) What role does tourism play in your country's economy?
Tourism is playing a more and more important role in our country's
economy. Since the opening up, the number of tourists has increased
quickly, and this is a useful source of foreign currency for the country. (159
Also, tourism can accelerate other industry to develop.)
(4) What should you pay attention to in travel?
Safety, weather, and I think it is necessary to bring some medicine.
7. Transportation
Give me some opinion on the transportation in your city?
In my opinion, one of the biggest problems of transportation is traffic jams in
Anyang city. It has become common to see passengers and drivers having
to wait in long lines of buses and cars moving at a snail's pace on the
streets during the rush hours. There are several reasons for this problem.
First, the number of vehicles is increasing much more rapidly than the
building of roads. Second, there seem to be too many private cars and not
enough public buses. Third, many people, including drivers, pedestrians
and cyclists do not obey traffic rules properly, especially at busy
intersections.
In my opinion, one of the biggest problems of transportation is traffic jams in
Anyang city. In view of the seriousness of this problem, effective measures
must be taken before things get worse. On the one hand, the government
should invest more money in the building of new roads and the repairing
and maintenance of old ones, particularly those in busy areas of the cities.
On the other hand, the number of private cars in urban areas should be
limited while the number of public buses should be increased. At the same
time, it is essential that stricter traffic rules and regulations be issued to
strengthen traffic control.
1) Compare the different transportation, such as between plane, train

and car.
Drive car to travel is convenient because we can set out at any time. But it
is too slow and it may spend us much more time. Plane ticket is more
expensive. So, I think train is the best transportation for me.
2) Can you just image the transportation in the future and describe it
for me?
In the future, the speed of car, train and plane will be faster. And, the
transportation will be easier and convenient.
3) Just compare the transportation in the past and now? What
transportation do you like and why?
Nowadays, we have more choice on the transportation than the past. Such
as tube, plane etc, even though in the small city. I like tube, because tube is
safety and tube ticket is cheap.
8. meaningful things ( = handcraft )
9.music:
What role do you think music plays in our life?
Just as other kinds of art, music has become an indispensable part of
human culture. It brings us with nutritious spiritual foods, enriches our
leisure life .In addition, music can do good to us very much. It can elicit the
imagination of us. And, it teaches us how to distinguish beauty from nature.
Listening to the music, I am sure you will soon be refreshed from a day's
hard work and relax.
1) Can you tell me the western music's impact on the world music?
Oh, it is a difficult question, the western music is definitely great, and it
plays an important role on the world music. Many musical talents and
eminent musicians have been trained in western country, such as
Beethoven, Mozart and so on.
2) Do you think it's necessary to open a music course in high school?
Yes, of course. There is usually 1 or 2 hours each week used for teaching
music. I think there should be more, such as at least 3 or more.

3) What effects will take place u think to let children (students) study
an instrument?
Music can do good to children (students) very much. It can elicit the
imagination of children (students). Also, it teaches them how to distinguish
beauty from nature.
4) It’s often more easy for children to learn music than adults. Can you
tell me why?
Oh, that’s because it’s important to have soft fingers and palm to learn a
music mechanism, such as guitar. Children have more flexible fingers and
they are more likely to find the correct feeling.
5) Do u like music or not? Why?
I like music. I like singing, especially in front of many people. I often sing for
my friends. When they praise me, I feel happy. Also, listening to the music, I
am sure you will soon be refreshed from a day's hard work and relax.
6) Describe the music you like most and tell me why?
I like classic music. It usually has a slow rhythm and a pleasant melody.
Listening to the music; I can soon be refreshed from a day's hard work and
relax.
7) What are the differences in music between China and western
countries?
Oh, it is a big question; in general, the symphony of western countries is
long while most of Chinese music is small piece.
10. Clothes:
u like what clothes?
Clothes aren't only used to keep us warm. It has become a important part of
modern civilization. Different nations have different styles clothes. And
different styles clothes represent different cultures. All people want their life
to be filled with variety, color and comfort by wearing clothes. We will have a
good mood when we wear beautiful clothes. I like leisure clothes very
much. Because it is not only cheap but also convenient to wear. (In

addition, the material of leisure clothes is more environmentally friendly.)
But I must wear work clothes when we are working. Otherwise, I will be
fined.
1)What's the prescript on clothes when you are working? and just the
prescript on clothes in school.
We must wear work clothes ( a school uniform ) when we are working (in
school). Otherwise, we will be fined
2)the different between the older and younger people on clothes.
The older people think a lot of style and material. But the youger people
would like to follow the fashion. Personality is the first consideration when
younger people choose clothes.
3)compare the differences between the clothes in ur city with them in 20
years ago. In the past, the colors and styles of clothes were very
monotonic. Thousands of people look the same .But now, we can wear
clothes with different colors and styles .
11 Think of a person in your family that is the most similar to you.
Who is this person?
How is he/she similar to you?
What kind of family is yours? Is it of a typical family structure in China?
My family is a typical family in China. There are grandparents, parents, a
brother, my wife and I in my family.I look just like my father. Medium build ,
pointed nose and dense black hair. My father is very kind and easy going.
His love
is the most selfless love. I am luck enough because I have a good father.
My
father has been specially thirsty for knowledge as he had only a few years
of
schooling himself. He believe that knowledge can change fate. So, my
father offer more opportunity for me to study (no matter how poor my family
was) To sum up, my

family is harmony and our life is very happy.
1) What do you think are the differences between families in and past and
today, and what have caused these changes?
In the past, there were several children in a family. But now, government
has is sued "one child policy" to limit the size of the family. So, there is only
one child in a family. Couples will be punished financially if they have more
than one child. This is "one child policy ".
2)What is your opinion of "one child policy"?
I agree with one child policy. Because it is difficult to provide enough
food and education for a large number of people. So, government must
control the
population. Also, it is the best way that we can find to control population.
3)What has your government done to support families?
Such as Project Hope . It means that government supports the students in
poor families to continue their schooling and improving their education
conditions.(6/1999 P10) In addition, our government establishs beadhouse
to provide services for old people who have more difficulties or no families
to take care of them. (3/199 9 P34)
12 Describe a teacher who has greatly influenced you in your
education. You
should say:
where you met them
what subject they taught
what was special about them
and explain why this person influenced you so much.
I think my first English teacher has greatly influenced me in my education.
I had some trouble in studying English when I studied in middle school. I felt
English was very difficult,so I did't like to study it .One day, my English
teacher spoke to me about the study of foreign languages . He said :" You
must do a lotof reading , listening and speaking . Never mind, keep on

trying, I believe you are a good student." In the years that followed , I
studied hard and made greater progress. My English teacher loved his job
and he was knowledgeable in his
field. I love and respect him.
1) compare the differences between education in ur city with them in 20
years ago? In the past, many children can't go to school, and educational
conditions were very poor. But now, government provide 9 years
compulsory education. Each child who is 7 years old must go to school. And
government provide much better facilities
and staff. Also, schoolyards are beautiful than before.
2) compare the differences between university and middle school?
We study basic knowledge in the middle school. But the course of university
is practical and special, such as computer and business courses.
3)compare the differences between students now and past . At present , it is
difficult for student to find job. So, their pressure is he avier than before.
13 Sports , Hobby
Describe an interest or hobby that you particularly enjoy:
1)What this interest or hobby is?
2)How long have you been doing it?
3)What effect has it brought to your life?
What do you think about the balance between the work and the leisure ?
I am a big table tennis fan, even though I am not very good at playing table
tennis myself. I love to watch the game on TV. I have played table tennis
whenever I
get a chance since I studied in the middle school. Playing table tennis not
only
refreshes my body and makes me mentally alert ,and ready and eager to
engage in the work of the day. In addition, a reasonable amount of exercise
prepares the
body for a good night's sleep. However, over-indulgence in physical

exercise can do more harm than good. Because it will make you too tired to
stay awake during the work.
1/Is it dangerous for people to spend too much time on hobby?
Yes, over-indulgence in physical exercise can do more harm than good. I
have
noticed that some of my friends spend too much time on sports make
themselves
too tired to stay awake during the work.
2)Do you think hobby is beneficial to social life?
Yes, of course.I make many friends during playing table tennis. So, I think
that hobby is beneficial the social life.
3)Why do people like to watch games?
Oh, it is a interesting question. Watching games can enrich our leisure
life. Also, it is very exciting to watch a close game.
4)What is advantages and disadvantages for watching games?
Watching games can enrich our leisure life. Also, it is very exciting to
watch a close game. But over-indulgence in watching games can affect our
rest.
5) What is the advantages and disadvantages between watching games
and
playing games/sports /
Watching games can enrich our leisure life. Also, it is very exciting to
watch a close game. Take part in sports can build our bodies and keep us
healthy.
But, over-indulgence in watching games or in physical exercise can affect
our rest.
6) Do you think which sports demand enough courage ?
Oh, I think it is boxing . It is very dangerous and it can do harm to health
of athlete.
7) What are the sporting facilities like in your hometown?

Anyang City has a lot of modern indoor facilities offering bowling, table
tennis, swimming etc. But , it's too expensive for most Chinese, and you
have to
belong to the club in order to use the facilities.( P144 )
14. Reading
Do you often read newspapers? What's is your reading everyday?( how
frequent
do you read? what do you like to read the best , I read newspapers
everyday, such as Workers Daily, Henan Daily. I enjoy reading.
It is so interesting to see how other people live and it is really an
amazing way to learn about different cultures. In addition, reading can do
good to us very much. It can elicit the imagination of us . I also like to read
the China
Today and China Daily. Both of these magazines are in English , and it is a
good
way for me to improve my English.
1) Do you like to discuss with others when you read books ?
Yes, I do . Because it is easy to understand the difficulty of books.
2) How long do you read ?
Usually, I read books or newspapers for 1 hour before I go to bed.
3) where do you like to read ?
In the library, because there are all kinds of books which I can read.
15.Handcraft
Decribe a handcraft which is made by yourself Kite flying is popular in
China. Kites are often played with around the Qingming Festival in April. I
like kites very much and I can make kites myself. Once, I made a kite . It
was a beautiful swallow. Firstly , I collected 3 sticks and paper. The paper
was adorned with paintings. Secondly , I used 3 sticks to control the paper ,
one linked to its neck , the other two linked with its wing. And then ,
the work was completed . The kite flew lightly in the sky as if the swallow

was
greeting the coming of the spring season. (2000/6 )
What handcraft are there in China? ?
Folk papercuts , lanterns and kites , shadow play etc.
16 . Restaurant
on the test card
1) talk about your favorite restaurant.
2) why do you like it?
Sichuan dish features pungent , spicy and salty flavors and tend to go well
with
rice. Sichuan Restaurant is the largest restaurant in Anyang City. The
restauran
t is a beautiful , clean and it's price is cheap. My wife and I often have
dinner
in the restaurant on the weekend. Stir Fried Shredded Beef is one of the
restau
rant's best dishes. It's made of fresh tenderloin and celery . Condiments
include
vinegar, rice wine and ginger etc. When finished cooking , the beef is red
and the vegetables are green. The dish is very delicious.
extension of the card topic
1) What is the general ideas about fast food among Chinese people?
Although fast food has little nutritional value , but it is a blessing for
busy people .Few people eat fast food all the time usually for breakfast
and/or
lunch so they can help to balance their diet by eating a sensible evening
meal.
And I like to eat fast food.
2) what do you think about science in food processing(production)?
Scientific processing(production) is important. Because it can keep us

healthy.
3) what is your opinion on food production and the world's population.
At present, it's difficult to provide enough food for world's population.
So, on the one hand, we should limit population of world. On the other
hand, we
should manage to provide enough food.
17. Environment protect
Is there any pollution in your city?
( In Anyang City , pollution is serious. )With the development of modern
agriculture and industry, more and more waste is produced. Most of this
waste is
harmful. It goes into the water , the soil and the air. Especially the air is
often made very dirty by factories. In places around big factories , trees and
vegetables are often killed by the bad air. Also, when we breathe the air ,
harm will be done to our health. Fortunately, people are beginning to realize
just how
serious the whole situation is. Government is taking measures to prevent
pollution.
1)What has your government done to prevent pollution
The measures are:
(1)First, all new projects are to have lower discharge levels ;
(2) Second, all sources of pollution must be identified and monitored. (3)
Third, all enterprises should assure a clean and safe work place .
18. Learn
What do you plan to learn in the future?
Why do you want to learn it?
Where and how will you learn it?
I plan to learn computer science in the future. I am very interested in it.
There are too many things that I don't know about computers. Also,
computers

play an important role in our life and are of great use in every field. I think
the whole society will be computerized soon. I need more knowledge in this
field to
meet the great demands of the application of computers. If things go well , I
'd
like to further my study in computer science and I want to work on my
Master's
degree in Canada.
1)What's the most important skill nowadays?
I think it is computer. Because computers play an important role in our life
and are of great use in every field.
2)Are there any traditional skill in your country? what are they?
Yes, such as sewing and weave cloth. I remembered that my grandmother
used
to sew clothes herself. But now, few people can do it.
3)Do you think it necessary to learn these skills?
No, I just don't like to spend much time on sewing. Because we can buy all
kinds of clothes in shop.
4)Is there any difference between your parents' study and nowadays
children?
In the past, when our parents studied in school, educational conditions were
very poor. But now, children are lucky enough because government
provides much
better facilities and staff.
5)Do schools teach non-academic courses?
Yes, of course ,such as music, physical education, and painting etc.
6)Should school responsible for teaching these non-academic courses?
Yes, of course. Because school should stress student's moral , intellectual
and physical development in a comprehensive way.
7)teacher

describe a teacher you like or dislike
8)useful machine
for example: you can talk about computer
9)national dish
Real interviews
IELTS Speaking test model, part 1: Recording script
After you have introduced yourself and the Examiner has checked your ID,
he or she will ask you questions on three topic areas. The first topic area
will be about your studies, your work or where you live.
Examiner: Let’s talk about your home town. Where were you born?
Candidate: I was born in a place called Rochester in the Medway towns in Kent.
Examiner: Do you still live in Rochester?
Candidate: No, I haven’t lived in Rochester for a long time now, since I
went to college. I live in London.
Examiner: Do most people like living in Rochester?
Candidate: I guess they do. I always wanted to live in London, so… my
family still live there, but I guess it’s a nice place.
Examiner: Why?
Candidate: Well, it’s got beautiful architecture and it’s the home of Dickens
and so there’s quite a lot of historical interest there and you’ve got
countryside nearby and it’s easily accessible for London.
Examiner: Do you think you’ll stay in London?
Candidate: Oh, I don’t know. I’ve been here for quite a while now and although
I love it, I can’t imagine spending my whole life here.
The next two topics will be more general.
Examiner: I’d like to move on to talk about sport. What’s your favourite sport?
Candidate: My favourite sport to watch is football, but to participate in, it’s
swimming.
Examiner: When did you first become interested in swimming?
Candidate: Gosh, when I was a child, my dad used to take me swimming

every week and I swam for my school.
Examiner: How often do you participate in swimming now?
Candidate: I try to swim at least two times a week.
Examiner: What equipment do you need for swimming?
Candidate: The great thing is that you don’t really need any equipment
apart from goggles and trunks.
Examiner: Where do you go swimming?
Candidate: Anywhere I am. I love swimming in the sea but mainly I swim at
my local pool.
Examiner: Now, let’s move on to talk about shopping. How do you feel
about going shopping?
Candidate: I don’t mind going shopping. I like to know exactly what I’m
going shopping for, though, I like to get in, buy it and go home again.
Examiner: Do you like buying clothes or goods on the Internet?
Candidate: I’ve never bought clothes on the Internet because I like to try
them on before buying them but I’ve certainly bought electrical goods and
other things on the Internet.
Examiner: What don’t you like about shopping?
Candidate: I don’t really like big crowds of people and fighting my way
through them to get what I want. I guess I don’t like paying for it all.
The Examiner will introduce part 2 by saying:
Examiner: Now, I’m going to give you a topic and I’d like you to talk about it
for one to two minutes. Before you talk, you’ll have one minute to think
about what you’re going to say. You can make some notes if you wish. Do
you understand?
Candidate: Yes, I do.
Then the Examiner will give you some paper and a pencil for making notes,
and read the topic to you.
Examiner: I’d like you to describe a minor accident that you had in the past.
After your one minute preparation time, you will give your talk.

Candidate: When I was about seven, I was very ill after school and I was
sent home from school and I was lying on the sofa feeling sorry for myself,
watching TV, and I got bored and decided to go and ask my mum if she
could go and find a game for me or a book or something else to do, and
when I went into the kitchen, my mother was cooking. And so, as I sort of
went behind her, I had no shoes on and she didn’t hear me coming, and
she was making boiled potatoes, and as I got behind her she turned around
with the boiled potatoes in the saucepan to take them to the sink and I was
right behind her, so she hit me round the head with the saucepan of boiling
water and it all spilled down onto my shoulder and splattered my face and
went all over my shoulder and burnt me. But because she didn’t let go of
the saucepan, she still had it in her hand, she didn’t realise that I was crying
because I was burnt, she thought I was crying because she’d hit me and
bumped my head, so she didn’t respond quickly enough, which made the
whole thing worse. At the time, my dad was a plumber and of course that
was before mobile phones were invented, so dad was out at work and mum
didn’t drive, so I had to wait about seven hours on the sofa with a dressing
on my shoulder for my dad to come home from work so that he could take
me to hospital. My poor mum, bless her heart, must have been very worried
and not known what to do, with not being able to drive, but I guess there
wasn’t anything else she could do, she did as much as she could, bathed it
in cold water, put a dry dressing on…
Examiner: Thank you. Now, we’ve been talking about…
In part 3, the Examiner will ask you some questions related to the part 2
topic. This candidate has just given a talk about a book that he enjoyed
reading.
Examiner: We’ve been talking about a book you enjoyed and I’d like to
discuss with you one or two more general questions related to this. Let’s
consider first of all why people decide to write a book. What sort of reasons
do you think people have for writing novels?

Candidate: Well, some people say that every one of us has a good book
inside us, but I think there are many various reasons why people write.
Perhaps they have a political message, but I think that the main thing is that
you just feel that you have a story to tell, perhaps you can’t not write it.
Examiner: And some people have an ambition to write, don’t they?
Candidate: Exactly.
Examiner: What personal qualities do you think a writer needs to have?
Candidate: Well, I think the ability to be self-disciplined and to work alone, to be
able to understand people, to get into the minds and hearts of other people.
Examiner: Do you think it’s something that many people could do?
Candidate: No, I don’t think so, otherwise we would all write that book.
Examiner: Could you ever write a novel?
Candidate: I’ve had a go, but it was a teenage experiment and it’s been
long gathering dust.
Examiner: Yes. What about newspapers? Do you think newspapers are a
good source of information?
Candidate: Providing you remain aware of the political inclinations of any
particular newspaper, yes, I think it’s a good way of learning about the
news, etc.
Examiner: Yes. What other information do we get from newspapers?
Candidate: Well, sport, facts and things like that, weather, and its good sort
of editorial content, you know, gossip.
Examiner: Which type of newspaper do you think is best?
Candidate: I think certainly in England the broadsheet newspapers are
better than the tabloid. I think you have to be aware again, that they may
have their own agenda but I think a paper that’s not committed to any
particular political cause.
Examiner: Right. You need a lot of time to read the newspaper, don’t you?
How often do you read a newspaper?
Candidate: I try to read the paper every day. I don’t always read the paper

during the week but the paper I love to buy is on a Sunday, because so much
comes with it, a great culture section, you can read about the arts and catch up
on all the things that have been going on during the week, the news review
section, the sport section, money section. I really enjoy the editorial on a
Sunday.
Examiner: Do you think newspapers should contain illustrations? A lot of
papers have cartoons in them and photographs, is that helpful?
Candidate: Yes, I think so. I think certainly they can be a sort of a powerful
way to convey a story, to draw your attention to something, photographs
possibly more than illustrations, although I do really enjoy cartoons.
Examiner: Right. Thank you very much, that’s the end of the Speaking test.
IELTS Practice Speaking Test 1
Good afternoon, my name is Andy. Could you tell me your name
please?
Michael Galovic is my name.
Thank you Michael. I’d like you to tell me about your home- town or
city please.
It is Belgrade, ah capital of former Yugoslavia, now Serbia. Uh One and a
half million inhabitants placed at uhhh the congregation of two big rivers –
[unknown].
Can you tell me about the most interesting things in Belgrade?
Um probably its past – uh a colourful past I would say. And then physically,
the configuration and dynamics of the place.
And could you describe places of special interest I could visit near
where you live?
Oh yes, there are ah many ah wonderful, ah natural interest places so to
say, and places of historical interest. But mostly the famous monasteries –
medieval monasteries from say 13th century on.
Hmm and what would be the best way for me to get to those places?
I guess the best would be to simply umm look up the travel agency that

deals with err inter-Serbia tours, especially the monastery tours. And they
are well guided, and you will be well taken care of.
Hmm should I go there at any special time of year?
Uhh certainly, as in whole Europe, I think the best time is sometime in
Spring or Autumn.
Hmm … Springtime or Autumn?
Yes, say April, May uh; and then perhaps September, early October.
Oh I see, Ok, thank you for that. I’d like to ask you a few questions
about food and diet now. What do you usually eat for breakfast?
Umm well I’m not much of a breakfast eater…but so I tend to have a light
breakfast. But say, people tend to eat a lot for breakfast, and uh it’s also
things I guess that are meat-based and milk - hot milk, and hot tea is
accompanying all that.
Mmhmm and what is the most important meal of the day, in your
opinion Michael?
Uhh well in my opinion, as I am told it should be the breakfast. But for me
personally I love early dinners – that’s my preference. I am not saying it is
the most important; it’s the one that I like the most.
Mmhmm mmhmm and what should we eat to stay healthy?
Um I would say certainly not err heavy food that takes a lot to digest, so I
would recommend a lot of vegetables and fruit, and err fish and chicken
rather than red meat although I wouldn’t discard red meat just like that at
all.
Mmhmm will peoples diet change in the future?
I have impression, because we are witnessing the obesity daily in many
countries. So it’s all around us and it’s uh becoming a very serious problem.
And I have impression that everybody starts focusing on that, so I have
impression that we’ll get err more attention to diets that will make us feel
light and agile and err being able to perform. So I guess the clever
combination of our food intake is more important than only what we eat. Err

it is not just about what we shouldn’t eat I think, it’s more about how we eat
it and when. So we should maybe start our meals with easily digestible
things such as fruit and finish with heavier stuff, rather the other way round.
Thank you thank you. Speak one-to two minutes on topic, with one
minute to plan answer. Topic: Describe a celebration you recently
participated in.
Um By the end of um January, precisely on 27th of January last, I was at a
friend’s place on Central Coast. As err err a guest to his family feast, and he
was celebrated- celebrating sorry- his family was celebrating, their family
patron Saint day, which is a very important feast for the Serbs in the
orthodox tradition. So it was interesting to see how that particular feast is
being celebrated. Umm originated centuries ago, it is still very strong, going
strong.
And very few things have changed I was amazed to witness. But the main
thing was that err um over there in Europe err, given the time of the year,
these feasts are usually celebrated in November, December, January – it is
cold, so the food, accompanying food is corresponding, it’s heavy, and all
that you need to eat during that time. Whereas here we were sweating in
the hot January and yet we had the same type of food that we would be
eating in January in Europe. So that was interesting. But the most important
thing
about that type of feast and celebration is that the host, both my friend and
his wife, were standing on their feet all the time-the whole day, absolutely
um err being impeccable hosts to every whim or need that we ah guests
would have, some 20 of us. So um it was really a special day and all of us,
20 people there, felt very, very special.
Thank you Michael. Michael, are there many similar celebrations
where you come from?
Yes, but this is the most important one I think.
Thank you. Now let’s talk more about traditions and celebrations.

What role do traditional ceremonies play in the social life of people in
your country?
Umm they have always played an important role. But I have impression that
it is err more so the case these days, when even the youth is embracing
them – simply feeling need to go back to their roots.
And what traditions were important for your grandparents, say 50
years ago?
Apart from- Apart from that Slava, or family patron saint day, all other major
and secondary orthodox Christian festivities or err festive days are
important, or were important as well. Such as Christmas or Easter for
instance, or that keeps being the major focus of my tradition and people.
Mmmhmm. And which traditions are we likely to continue to celebrate
inthe future?
Umm But, I will say precisely those that we mentioned before. I have a
feeling that they are simply going strong, that they err are not fading. Simply
because in this time and era people are overwhelmed by-by the velocity, by
the speed, so at the same time they feel need to go back to their own
beginnings and traditions, so it is simply err reviving what we already have.
How would you describe young people’s attitudes towards tradition?
Um I would say that at the beginning many of young people would maybe
not embrace fully the idea of going through every painstaking detail of
preparations and err behaviour codes for all these celebrations and feasts.
But then uh, gradually it will become a part of their lives, and um that would
be their connection with their families and extended families, so they would
kind of grow more and more into it, and trying to adhere to every rule that
tradition was brought to them by their parents and grandparents. So at the
beginning maybe the youth would take it lightly on the surface only, but then
later um I think the traditions will be embraced fully.
And do you think customs and traditions are changing these days?
Um, I would say so inevitably because of the adjustment to urban- to the

urban living if you wish, and to the fast times that we live in. So definitely
there are concessions to what err used to be done before. But the core,
which is much more important, is always preserved. At least has been the
case so far.
Do you think traditions and customs are affected by advertising?
I never actually gave it a thought. Uh there might be, but again in my
personal experience I haven’t seen any kind of uh direct influence that
would uh change or alter, take people from their original directions whatever
the advertisement is about.
Do some countries celebrate traditions more than others?
Um I wouldn’t say so, I have impression that all countries celebrate
traditions, or rather the people who live in these countries. Even in some
new countries, a conglomerate of different people, and all these people
would stick to their
old traditions. That’s how I see it. So, people who wouldn’t follow the
traditions would do it in all sorts of countries, or in any country.
Thank you Michael, that’s the end of the speaking test.
IELTS Practice Speaking Test 2
Good afternoon, my name is Anna. Could you tell me your full name
please? Roberto Rossi.
What should I call you? Robert.
Thank you. Do you work, or are you a student? I’m a student.
Can you tell me about your studies?
Um well, uh my studies are in relation to cultures in the world. Uh When I
was-when I was young, my father used to travel a lot and used to come
back home, giving me a picture of a very vast world where people used to
live and think and behave in different ways. So in comparison to what I used
to study in geography, the world seemed to be a lot more interesting to go
and- and explore. So as soon as I got rid of all that and I finished school I
decided to uh go and experience uh first-hand what it really means to live in

direct contact with a different culture. So I ended up looking for the most
traditional and isolated cultures in the world at that time a few years ago,
and uh I decided to go and live as one of the local people; which I did for a
period of time. So that experience really changed my life and made me
understand also, a lot better, what I wanted to study umm at University.
What is your favourite subject?
Anthropology, and social anthropology in particular. So in reality what I do,
is I go back to one of these places where I’ve been in the past and I- and I
see in what way the society changes as the rest of the world changes, and
uh in what way it is affected by the outside world. So I ended up learning
the language and I and I ended up understanding probably a lot more what
really goes on in uh- in uh the inside of a person who lives in a little dot in
the middle of the ocean, and all he or she knows is that and that is the
universe- in comparison to us, um being sort of constantly bombarded by-
by a lot more information.
What is your study plan?
I’m starting to and- I’m thinking of furthering my studies by doing a Masters
and perhaps a PhD. I’m very interested in following umm what I started
already. And err, and err, again, not only from my professional point of view,
but also for a personal point of view I think it is very important to do things
combined together, and what we learn and understand in life can really be
of help to other people if we- umm if we develop it to a certain extent.
Thank you. Do you have any hobbies or interests?
Oh yes, a number of them. I like to umm read a lot, and I also like to play
soccer. Um But err, I can say that lately, unfortunately, I don’t much time to
do either of them.
What hobbies are popular with young boys and girls in your country?
Well, young boys and girls mm like to interact and meet and have a good time
together. So, we start generally since we very young by meeting at the end of
the day when we get out of school at the local bar or corn- corner in the area

where we live in the square and in the same area with lots of other people,
older and younger than us. And uh hobbies generally for the young boys umm
are sport and socialising and dancing. And same for the girls, except that the
girls are certainly a lot more into fashion and umm dancing.
Do people usually continue their hobbies when they get older?
When they can, they do. Generally that depends on what kind of
commitments they are involved to and uh with, and if they can afford, only
also in terms of time uh in what they like to do.
Thank you. Now I’d like to ask you to speak one-to two minutes on a
topic. You have one minute to plan your answer. Topic: Describe a
movie, which made a strong impression on you.
Well um, the name of the film is [inaudible]. It is actually a very famous
movie. It won the Oscar in 1989. And um…it’s a movie about the story of a
kid who grows up in a small village in Sicily. And we can see very clearly
through the film uh in what way the community influence him, and uh also
his first love story with a local girl and how much they affect his life. So it’s
actually a movie in retrospective because it goes back, and uh he tries to
get in touch with the same girl. And by doing that, you basically revisit the
most important part or his life. Parts. And uh, it is really showing us in what
ways all these things really affect all us. How much we keep on dreaming,
and how much we keep on hoping in our lives; especially when we can’t
leave- err what we really wish and desire to leave, especially when it comes
to emotional things. And uh it’s a film that ah is also based on a true story,
and um I think um the public can really feel that. So it’s also shot in a very,
very good way and we can see Sicily through 50 years of life. And from the
end of the Second World War to today, which is also more or less perhaps,
you know, the period of time of my life, of my father’s life. Anyway, the main
actors in the film are [unknown] and the famous actor who I don’t
remember.
Thank you. Do you go to the movies often?

Yes, yes, most often as I can. I really like films, especially the European
movies - French, Italian, and English. I really like the way they represent
the- the European culture.
Thank you. Now I’d like to ask you a few more questions about films
and movies. Are films popular where you come from?
Yes, they are very popular. Actually, cinema and movies is a big industry in
Italy. And uh it has been the second major industry in the world in terms of
films uh in the 50’s, so you have probably seen yourself a number of Italian
movies. But uh, actually, it is a particular kind of way of making films and uh
they still remain very popular. Yes.
Do you think people are going to the cinema more these days
compared with 25 years ago?
Umm…No, I don’t think so. I think that today TV and videos and DVDs actually
have replaced often what people used to go only going to the theatre. A few
years ago when I was younger, I remember, there were a lot of people going to
the cinemas and it was packed, and the same movie was left there for weeks
and weeks and weeks where now normally, a show in the same cinema for a lot
less.
What films are popular with young people these days?
We have in Italy a very strong American influence and as well, so a lot of
American movies, and a lot of high-tech movies with special effects. And uh but
at the same time we also keep maintaining a kind of our own genre and some
Italian movies they never get to the overseas market, they also remain-
become very popular in Italy.
Do peoples taste in films change as they get older?
I think so; I think so- I think movies also a little mirror of how we change in life,
what interests us and what we see in them. And um ah, as you know, in our
20s we are perhaps a little more romantic and we like certain kinds of movies,
and then perhaps we like to think a bit more about our life… and we see
different kinds of films.

Has technology made a difference in the quality of modern films?
I think so, yes, a big difference. Um the effects now seem to really suck you
in when you see a movie. And the way the film edited, they also keep your
attention a lot better than in the past. You can see the way that they are put
together, and also the sound quality is a lot better, and umm I think there’s
been certainly, technologically speaking, a big improvement there.
How will technology be used to improve films in the future?
Well, ah I am not an expert but I think that if we will ever get 3-D movies, ah
or movies in 3-D, ah we will uh find ourselves even more immersed in what
uh for only at the moment only our eyes and our ears can see in two
dimensions.
Why have the forms of popular entertainment changed over the
years?
Because the society has changed a lot. And now uh we seem to be rushing
all the time, and we want to consume everything a lot faster. So I think
every form- form of entertainment is also reflecting that kind of very fast,
quick way of ah wanting something different, and wanting something very
quickly and ah…yes.
Will people still go to the cinema in the future?
I hope so. I don’t know, but I think there will be people that, like today, like to
see not only the new movie but also the old movie because it represents
what they have seen what they were younger and what they and also what
they were dreaming at that time and I think that remains within us all our
life.
Thank you, that is the end of the speaking test.
IELTS Practice Speaking Test 3
Good afternoon, my name is Renee. Could you tell me your full
nameplease? My full name is ah Jahan Verki.
Can I check your identification? Sure.
Thank you. Do you work, or are you a student?

At the moment I’m working.
Could you describe what kind of work you do?
Uh…At the moment I’m a manager of the um Persian T.V. This is essentially
a 24-hour station that’s going to operate in Sydney. This station is going to
be for the Persian people. And at the moment we are trying to televise
some program from America but we are trying to build our studio in Sydney
as well. The plan is I’m going to operate and organise for this studio to be
able to produce some program from Sydney as well. So at the moment I’m
doing
everything, like to do- to organise for everything like subscription, studio,
anything – equipment, but a little bit later I’m going just to focus and stay
just in the studio for producing and directing the program, which is going to
happen later.
What do you like about your job?
I have to confess, this job is my passion from long time ago. Umm just, I
start from drama I study drama in my country and then when I move to
Australia I continued in different course which was T.V. and film production
and because all the time when I act, I really- finally I wanted just to make
my film. I made some children program in my country for T.V. Here I start to
expand my
experience and then I got lots of new experience: I made some film- short
film, documentary and I find, okay, I’m in the right pathway so I wanted to
continue. So now I think I- I catch it, now I need a little bit more time just to
do this job.
What kind of job do you hope to do in 10 years time?
That’s a good question. My dream is finally- without having any problem,
like life and the other problem that comes to the anybody- my dream is just
to direct my film. That’s the thing that I’m going to do. I have, in my past,
I’ve had lots of experience- life experience, lots of things that I want to talk
to the people. So, for me, film is a tool to talk to the people.

Do you play any sports? Yes.
What are the most popular sports in your country?
Good question. In my country is just the people are mainly- I come from
Iran- in my country people mainly play soccer. Anywhere – in the street, at
home, anywhere you can see- people play soccer.
Is it better to play sport or to watch it?
Okay, um you know it’s it’s very um, it depends. To me, sometimes when
you are in the right mood or the right time you are better just to play. But
sometimes, particularly when it is- when it is a professional sport, you would
like to watch it. That depends to the situation, to you, and many, many
things.
Can sport be dangerous?
Ah I think it could be dangerous, or it’s not going to be dangerous. Its
depend. I think even if you’re walking in the street it could be dangerous for
you, so I cannot say. But I can say – if you’re not playing a sport it’s going to
be dangerous, because it’s just affecting your health. But- But playing-
Accident could be anywhere – this is my opinion.
Do men and women play different sports in Iran?
Of course. I mean, as you know during the last 24 years. Because of the
Government and the things that happen in my country, so women couldn’t do
the same sport that men do. Even, they couldn’t go to the stadium like watch
the soccer. However, recently, there has been a movement for the women, they
have a chance. There is not enough facility for them just to do lots of sport.
Thank you very much. Now I’m going to give you a topic and I’d like you to
speak on it for one or two minutes. Topic: Describe a vacation you have really
enjoyed.
Alright, um we went to the [unknown] actually, we went to the [unknown]
with my wife and kids, just mainly to visit my wife’s family. I liked [unknown]
because when I went to the [unknown], which is about five hours far from
Sydney, the road, the nature – uh it was very similar to the scene that I had

in my country and it remembered me the nature and the road that we had
over
there. I liked [unknown], I liked everything over there, I can tell you. The
smoke, the fog, I liked the environment, I liked the friendship that was there.
I loved the food, I loved everything over there- the stars at night. I love the
moon, I loved morning, and when it was morning it remembered the
morning that I had in my country- it was very similar because nature are
similar anywhere. So, I spent lots of time over there and it helped me to
remember
the things that I had before. It gives security, it’s very mysterious feeling to
me. So I loved them because it helped me more and more back to the
memory that I had from my country. Animals, horse, you know farm –
everything, it really attract me- see the people who work in the farm. That
was a nice thing- I like these things and I think this is my nature and I love
to be in this nature and that nature was very similar to the things that I had
before, and
I liked just to be there. That was something that I had over there.
So I spent time with my wife and I explained the things that had happened
to my country and I told her ‘look, Calla, I will show this to you in my country
again.’
Would you go there again?
Sure, I love it. If I get any chance, I’m sure I will go over there.
Now I’d like to ask you a few more questions about vacations and
holidays away. Are people taking more holidays and travelling more
these days?
I have to say I don’t think so, because the lifestyle is not letting the people
to do the things that they want. They have to work more and more, and
even you know when they got some family they have to work more. To me,
in my point of view, I think they haven’t enough time to pay attention to
holidays.

Where did people go on holidays in your randparent’s time, say, 50
years ago?
I think in that time, you know, to go to another- another city, which was very
far – like 5 to 10 hours, they go to visit their relative somewhere else in their
country.
Where do people usually like to go for a holiday away these days?
Uh it’s easy things that people like just to go to a very- very close and easy
things. If they can get to anywhere around themselves you know, even if in
Sydney they will go to Harbour or Opera House or anywhere around as
because it’s very cheap and it helps them just to stay sometimes out of the- you
know the routine of their life.
Why do people want to travel, to go away for a holiday?
Life is very hard. All of us need just to go- to go out of this stress during the
week. You know- the technology, the Government, the people, the boss and
so on and so on and so you know, just pushing you shoulders, so that’s a
time that you can say that okay, I am human so you can just do something
that you like.
Is tourism having an effect on the environment, do you think?
Sure, I think tourism just definitely effecting the environment because they
bring the wave of the culture and you know, many, many things by
themselves and they bring it and show to- to the new culture. So I’m sure,
it’s very effective. Like if you think- like when I’m coming from my country,
the food that I’m having, the think I interests, the way that I treat you know
my family and the way that I love, the way that I dance- all of these things
when
they come together, it’s giving things like [unknown]. It’s giving some
information about outside to anybody, to the other people.
How important is the tourist dollar for the economy?
I love their dollar. Hahaha. You know, it’s very good. I mean you have to
think –you have to think about this issue and just have some study. You

have to prepare yourself for the tourist interest. You have to put these things
in their hand. Not in the country, in their country. You have to advertise you
have to show what things is available here. Because they bring more.
Money. It’s very easy. Lots of countries just depend on the-just the tourism
when they put their money. And you have to think about all the issues. To
make the situation ready for them to let them to be happy to spend their
money and when they back- back again. For as it as it as it as it revisit
again to advertise for the other people to come over here.
Will the tourist industry grow in the next 10- 20 years?
I’m sure you know. Because many people are still um the attraction of
seeing- And the tech I think is helping the people just to be more close
together and find. If it was in the hands of a few countries just had the
attraction for the tourism. Now, many people from far, they can just
advertise themselves on the Internet. They say look- I’m very far here, I
have a nice beach, you don’t
need to pay this money you know - to that company… half the price for you
come over here - and we’re right.
What do you think of tourism designed not to damage the
environment?
I think the government and the council - all of them and all and all the policy
has to help - has to really have a close watch to this issue. If they think it is
going to affect anywhere they have to put this policy to not things - you
know, to not do anything wrong.
Thank you, that is the end of the speaking test.
IELTS Practice Speaking Test 4.
Good afternoon. My name is Deborah. Could you tell me your full
name please?My full name is Pilar Montesdeoca.
May I check your identification please?
Will you like to see my passport?
Thank You. Do you work or are you a student?

I’m a student.
And what are you studying at the moment?
At the moment I’m studying theatre studies.
And why did you choose to study theatre studies?
Because I arrived here five years ago and my background is in theatre. In
my home country in Ecuador I was studying theatre and I was also working
as an actor and as a director. And then I had the opportunity to go overseas
to England and study theatre there. But once I moved to Australia, I thought
it was going to be a good idea to get into the profession again and to start
all over again from the basics so I thought it would be good to do some
drama studies. And that’s why I joined it and I’m learning so much at the
moment, I’m very excited about all these amazing teachers I have and I can
understand now how the business works. And the main things about my
theatre studies is that after that it’s going to lead me to the- a real theatre. I
have to see how it works in real life in Australia. And I thought that was
going to be important for me.
Ok. And ah what do you hope to do when you’ve finished your current
studies?
I really would like to finish in the area. Because I’m also a teacher so I
would like to combine my teaching skills with my theatre skills. I know it’s
hard to get a job as a theatre director or as an actor anywhere in the world
and in Australia as well.
So I’m hoping that of course once I’ve finished to be able to direct plays,
and to work on projects to work for the community and with the community.
But I’m also hoping perhaps to get some work as a –as a teacher where I
can combine also my skills in theatre.
Mm. And how do you spend your spare time?
Ooh I love swimming and I love dancing so those are the two activities I
mainly do when I have the opportunity. But then, sometimes when I’m at
home I love reading, I love to read novels or poetry or theatre as well.

And when you go out, do you usually go out alone or with others?
Mm It depends. Australian life is very busy, so ah sometimes I have to go on
my own. Usually if I go swimming I go on my own, if I go to the beach
sometimes I go with friends, so it depends. But I don’t mind being on my
own.
And is there a particular time in the week where you prefer to go out?
Mm not really, mainly in the afternoon. Depends on the season. Sometimes in
the morning, early morning, I love walking as well. So sometimes I tend to do
that at around 6 o’clock in the afternoon.
Do you think it is important to do regular exercise?
I think it is vital for everyone. I think it is part of life and the good thing about
Australia- I wish there were less cars- but also because I love walking it’s
ok, I can do a lot of exercise. We should do that really. We all should go out
and enjoy ourselves and do a bit of exercise because this society is getting
bigger as well. You know the size, people are getting bigger and bigger so I
think it is important to do it- you know jogging or walking or swimming, it’s
important.
Why?
Because if you are not happy with your body it’s very hard to be happy with
everything else. I think your body is the base of your life. Mind and body are
always connected and if you do not exercise your body you won’t exercise
your mind. And I think once you walk or once you swim, it’s a good chance
to really think who you are and what you want in life and what things can
you do.
Thank you. You’re welcome.
Topic: I’d like you to describe someone you admire very much.
I have a person who I really admire and she’s an ex-teacher from university.
Her name is [inaudible]. She’s a wonderful, talented lady. She’s around
60.She’s married and has four kids. What I admire about her is that she has
time to look after her family and at the same time to teach kids at school,

and to teach kids at primary school as well and then she went on and was
teaching at university. And I had the privilege to meet her when I was fifteen
and when I was twenty I went to uni and she really encouraged me to write.
She opened a lot of windows for me through the literature and she taught
me how to analyse texts and she made me love literature- that’s something
really hard. Because when you are at the school, you don’t really want to
learn a lot about literature, you just want to play around with your friends.
But she was a teacher that really really kept us captivated by all these
stories and all these composers and songwriters, and writers in general.
And she played us some music and she read poems for us, and we
watched films and we discussed. And I think it was so important to have her
as a teacher because she really made us see the world in a different way.
We were studying mainly in a catholic school and we couldn’t analyse
things but once we had our literature teacher, we were able to expand our
whole world. And I think what she really brought us it’s these differences in
life. Literature and life, in a way they are very similar but in a way are very
different. So we interpreted life in a different way from that point.
Thank You. Is this person admired by others do you think?
Yes definitely. I think she made a huge mark in this group that had the
opportunity to have her as a teacher. We were like fifty of us and she did it
for many many years.
What makes a person famous?
Mm I think there are different ways to see what makes a person famous.
One is the machinery behind the publicity and the marketing around the
person, but I don’t think that’s a real honest way to be famous. I think if I
have to choose I’d rather be famous for being honest, for being kind, and
for trying to help and solve conflicts or problems in the world instead of
being in a magazine, in the cover of a magazine…so my characteristics for
a famous person I would go for honesty and kindness.
What kinds of people were famous in your grandparent’s time?

In my home country we had different, mainly two political parties and the
heads of those political parties were very famous. Especially one guy called
[inaudible] and he made a lot of changes in Ecuador during my
grandparent’s time because he gave the vote to women and he also made it
compulsory, the vote for all the citizens in my home country. And he worked
for the Liberal education, not ties with the religious or anything like that but
very open to everyone.
In your opinion, is being well known easy to live with?
No I don’t think so. I think well known…. It’s…It can be hard. I think to be
famous sometimes you pay a price for it. So I’d rather be anonymous I
think.
What kinds of people will be famous in the future?
Mm. Ah it’s hard to say, but I guess the famous people are the ones that people
create. And you know the media has so much impact on that, and it has so
much influence on who is famous or who is not famous, who is good or who is
bad. The media made us see- makes us see the world and the people in
different ways. So I guess, yeh, if you have machinery behind, you will be
famous.
What responsibility to society do famous people have?
They have a huge responsibility because people really look up on them.
You know they look upon and they want to copy models. I think we are a
very sensitive society and we would like just to copy. And if someone is
famous they should have- they should use this power to give things back to
the community. Like you know, like for example, the Tsunami Disaster or
things like that… you to use this power to call for people to stop children
detention, things like that you know, they should use that in order to make
people aware
of what’s going on. Not just to be part of entertainment, but I think they
should have a political voice in the community.
Do you think that the children of famous people have an easy time?

No, I don’t think so. It must be very very hard. Ah…you know, to live in, in
my home country I know a lot of famous people, and they always have to
have bodyguards, or they have to live behind bars, you know or behind big
walls. And children are always protected and they don’t have the freedom,
it’s a big price to pay, I don’t know why.
W-Would you like to be famous? No, not really no.
Would- would being famous change you?
Yeah I’m sure it will. But I like to be popular, but I don’t like to be famous.
And I think that’s good. You know, I can be popular with my students, with
my actors, you know, that’s what I’m like, and I’m happy with that.
And should the media be able to invade the privacy of famous
people?
No, I think there should be a very strong and tough code that they shouldn’t
allowed to interfere in other people’s lives, even if they are famous.
Thank you. That is the end of the speaking test.
IELTS Practice Speaking Test 5
Good Afternoon. My name is Darrell. Could you tell me your full name
please?
My name is Shi-in Lee.
And what should I call you?
You can call me Shi-in please.
Thank you. Do you work or are you a student?
I work. I do interpreting and translation.
Oh. Can you tell me about your job?
Well, there are different types of um interpreting. There is medical
interpreting, and there’s legal interpreting, business interpreting, and
conference interpreting etc. And they are all very different and you get to
meet different types of people. Um, it’s very rewarding because you are
helping people who doesn’t have much English and you get paid for you job
as well. So you get to learn a lot about current issues, and at the same

time, you get a lot of headaches too, because you get to hear a lot of
problems from your clients.So it’s a very interesting job, and I’m enjoying it
still, after seventeen years.
And err, when is the busiest time in your job?
I can’t say that um…my busiest you know at a certain time of the year, it’s
very hard to predict so I really can’t say - say around, well Summer is the
busiest time of the year, or winter is the busiest or, I really can’t say that a
certain time of the year is the busiest.
And if you could change your job, what would you prefer to do?
Sometimes umm, although I’m working and I’m helping people and without
an interpreter I guess nothing much can happen, because there won’t be
any communication, proper communication between you know, two parties.
But then again, interpreters are not supposed to give an opinion. So you are
left with the feeling that you are not contributing at all towards the result of
the session. So if I changed my job I think I would pick something which is
completely different from interpreting and where I can actually contribute
towards the result of the discussion. So that’s what I might do in the future,
you never know.
What kind of music do you enjoy listening to?
Well actually, I like all sorts of music. My husband says I have Catholic
tastes in music. So I like classical music, of course, because I played piano
when I was a little girl. Actually, not just as a little girl, I still play. So I like
classical music, and I like jazz, blues, you know, even heavy metal.
Whatever is good I can appreciate it.
Do you play a musical instrument?
Yes I play piano and I play a little bit of violin as well.
And what musical instruments do most people play in your home
country?
Um in Korea, I think most girls from a proper family would play at least one
musical instrument and which is normally piano. So, a lot of girls would you

know, start playing piano when they are five or say seven. And I started
playing piano when I was six I think.
If you can play a musical instrument, does this help you to enjoy
music more?
Yes and no. In some ways it makes you, I guess take more interest in music
and when you listen to the music you know how to appreciate it properly.
But then again if you get to hear certain pieces of music on the radio which
you’ve played before, straight away you find yourself sort of analysing the
performer. So you really can’t relax, so it’s sort of- it’s not maybe enjoyable
as much. It suddenly, it becomes a chore; your mind is at work, analysing
and assessing the performance. So I guess yes and no.
Thank you. Now I’d like you to speak for one or two minutes on a
topic. You have one minute to plan your answer. Here is a pencil and
paper to make notes. Here is your topic: I’d like you to describe your
favourite teacher. Thank you. Can you start speaking now please? You
have one to two minutes. I will tell you when the time is up.
My favourite teacher, um, his name is Kwan Sing Pak. He was my English
teacher when I was in High school in Korea. You know in Korea, all the
English teachers are basically Korean. Umm he was my teacher um, for
two years, um Year eleven and Year twelve. You know the girls of that age
um they normally like teachers, you know good looking, with the looks, with
good sense of humour and- and all. But this specific teacher was not
physically attractive at all. He was rather, not terribly good looking. (I’m
sorry to be saying this). But I really adored this teacher because um, I
guess to start with I loved studying languages and he was teaching English
and I really loved learning English from him. And he was very passionate
about his job, teaching, and he was actually enjoying it, and I could tell he
was enjoying it. He had good teaching skills. He encouraged and nearly
coerced, you know, contribution from the students. And you could actually
be quite sure sitting in his class that when you give answers, how silly they

might sound, you would never be laughed at or anything. So you were
feeling quite free to have a conversational discussion with the teacher or
other students in the class. And what was also quite special about him was
that he had good sense of humour, much so much so that you only
remember his jokes when actually you have the test paper in front of you
and you look at all the questions and you couldn’t remember the
answers but his jokes only!
Thank you. And did other students also like this teacher?
Oh yes. Yep. Most of the students just loved this teacher. He was very
popular.
So we’ve been talking about teaching. I’d like to ask you some
questions about teaching and education. What are the qualities of a
good teacher?
I should say a good teacher is one who always is well prepared for the
class. And I guess if the person has a good sense of humour that would
help because, you know, boring, ah, session, nobody would sit in the class,
you know, hours after hours
And what differences in teaching styles have you experienced with
different teachers?
Some teachers can be very knowledgeable. I could tell that the person had
a lot of knowledge and experience and everything. But the person just didn’t
have the skills to convey all that to the students. And so the rendering was
really boring and everybody was just falling asleep, whereas some teachers
they knew how to pass that down to the teachers somehow and the session
was completely enjoyable.
Should teachers use discipline in the classroom?
Coming from where I, um, am, I think yes, teachers should discipline
students. In Korea, students would respect the teachers. My mum’s
generation was more so, and my mum had to say one day, she thought
teachers don’t eat, don’t go to the toilet, they are demi-Gods and wouldn’t

even step on the shadow of the teacher, because you respect the teacher
so much. But I don’t think same kind of respect is here and students
sometimes misbehave during
class hours and I just find it hard to understand. There is not enough
respect for the teachers and also for the learning itself.
And can students learn from computers?
I guess yes and no. I see my children, they’re sitting in front of the computer
sometimes writing their essays and getting information through the net. In
that case, I guess comps can be educational and helpful. But sometimes I
see my son sitting in front of the computer hours after hours doing you
know, video games. I don’t think in that case computers are educational or
healthy.
Can you describe the education system in your home country?
In some ways it is quite similar to the Australian education system. The only
difference I can tell straightaway is that Kindergarten is not part of the
primary school education in Korea whereas here, we start from
kindergarten. And three years we call it junior high. And then three years
high school, and then four years, normally four years, we call it university
education, tertiary education. So I don’t think there is big difference between
two systems.
When should children start formal schooling?
Formal schooling, I guess it starts in Australia from the age of five whereas
in Korea, from six? I don’t know, sometimes when I see little K students
looking a little bit tired, makes me wonder whether they’re a bit too young to
be starting schooling at that age. But, I really have no idea.
Has education changed since your parents’ day? You know, in the last
twenty-five years?
I think it’s changed a lot, although I can’t say that I understand what
education was like when my mum and dad, when they were in school. But
definitely, well I’m talking about the Korean situation, in Korea, you have to

study many many more subjects than your father or your mother would
have, you know, in the
past. And you use like different equipment, like computer and things, all
these audio-visual teaching material. I guess in that way education has
changed a lot.
Ok thank you. That is the end of the speaking test.
Speaking Lab 1
Part 1: Transcript
Q1: Can we talk about an aspect of your home town? How easy is it to
travel around where you're from?
A1: Yes. I'm from Mitchford. The most beautiful place on earth! It's quite a
small coastal city. There's about 230,000 people who live there and we
have quite a good transportation system there I'd say most people travel
by car – our roads are pretty modern and well sealed but people who don't
have a car usually catch a bus. The bus travels to most parts of the city and
it's quite cheap. For example, to travel by bus from one end of the city to the
other it costs about 2.00. That's pretty cheap compared to what I pay for
here in England.
Q2: Ok, Which kinds of public transport do you use most and why?
A2: Actually, that's a difficult question to answer because back home, I have
my own car I sure do miss that. When I was younger I used to catch the
bus to school. In my city all students under 16 who lived more than
four maybe it was 3 anyway about 3 or 4 kilometres from the nearest
public high school were given a bus pass which allowed them to catch the
bus to school for free The problem was there was never enough seats to
allow for all the students so usually most students had to stand up in the
bus all the way until they arrived at school but it was much better than
having to walk I can assure you of that! Occasionally, I caught the taxi but it
was a very rare thing taxis are about 4 or 5 times more expensive than
regular bus fares so taxis were only used if there was no other option.

Q3: But what about here? Do you use public transport here in England?
A3: Oh yes, here I mostly use the underground. It's totally different from
back home. At Mitchford we don’t have enough people to warrant an
underground rail system at least I think that’s the reason we don’t have
one. That’s been a really interesting part about living here, getting used to
the rail system.
Q4: How do you compare public transport here in England with public
transport back home?
A4: Well, actually, back home public transport is always late. It’s not
unusual for the bus to be like 15-20 minutes late. We have a saying, “If
you want to arrive on time and you’re catching the bus, prepare for one
hour of travel”. Well, here the underground is always on time. It's been
interesting in that it's always on time and extremely reliable.
Q5: Ok, let’s move on to the topic of movies. Do you enjoy watching
movies?
A5: Yes, I do enjoy movies do you know anyone who doesn’t like movies?
I don't! I must say that I’m a bit of an action person. I love action movies I
like it when the tough bad guy gets beaten. I love happy endings the
hero’s always got to win!
Q6: How often do you watch movies?
A6: Well, it's actually been quite a while since I've been to the cinema to
watch a movie. I think the last movie I saw was Action Force - a real action
movie which I enjoyed immensely. It's actually too expensive to go to the
movies these days and besides, if I wait for a while I can watch it at
home besides I'm too busy studying at the moment there's really not
enough time to watch movies!
Q7: Ok. Let's talk about what you like to do in your free time. What sorts of
activities do you like to do in your free time?
A7: Free time we’ll I don’t have too much of that nowadays but when I
do I enjoy reading. I mostly enjoy reading business books and

magazines my father has a business back home and once I finish my
studies, I'm going to return home and help him with the running of it I enjoy
studying about business and learning about new ideas and ways of making
a business more successful and effective.
Part 2: Transcript
Q1: Ok, good. I'm now going to give you a topic that you will need to speak
about for 1-2 minutes. You can take notes if you want. You have 1 minute to
prepare what you want to say. I want you to talk about the best holiday you
have ever had.
Ok? You have a maximum of 2 minutes to speak so if you go over 2
minutes, I will ask you to stop. Can you please begin speaking now?
A1: The best holiday I have ever been on is a very difficult question to
answer because I’ve been on so many excellent holidays I guess I’ve
been very lucky. In the summer time back home, when I was young, my
family used to go to the beach and we’d camp under the stars that has
always been an excellent memory for me. But, I'd have to say that the most
wonderful holiday I've ever had was when I was 19, when I went to
Minnesota in the United States for a summer camp experience. It was just
so much fun! I met over 200 teenagers and we participated in some
excellent camp activities! Let me see we had swimming in the lake, where
the camp was situated. We also had water skiing, which was excellent
fun it was really difficult to hold on to the rope while the boat pulled us
around the lake! Another fun activity was camping. We our dorm went on
a 3-day canoe trip I think there were about 10 of us in our group which
took us to the Canadian boundary waters. There I saw some of the most
beautiful alpine scenery I've ever seen in my life! The lakes were so clear
and we could drink the water from them by dipping our cups as we canoed
along it was just amazing. I wish everyone could witness the incredible
beauty we saw on that trip. Let’s see, what else? Ahh yes, there was
basketball and volleyball which we played in the big indoor gymnasium.

Some of the Americans were really good basketball players they even had
cheerleaders at some of the games! I got to know so many people, in fact I
still write to some of the people I met there isn’t email a great way to keep
in touch! There were other things but I can’t think of them at the moment I
will say this: I would love to go back there again in the future. Now, of
course I’m too old to be a camper but it would be excellent to be a staff
member, they are always looking for volunteers. If you volunteer at the
camp they pay for your food and accommodation for the whole summer and
that’s around 3 months in America.
Speaking Lab 1
Part 3: Transcript
Q1: We've been talking about the best holiday you've ever had and I'd like
to discuss one or two more questions that are related to this. Firstly, let's
consider the effect of holidays. What effect do holidays have on people?
A1: I believe holidays have a big, positive effect on people. For many, I
know that holidays are the highlight of the year. People wait all
year especially those who don’t like their job they wait for the holiday
periods they plan and prepare for what they will do and they get excited by
what they're going to do on their holidays. Typically people are in a good
mood when they are on holiday. They're smiling and alert, they show
interest in their new environment. I believe that for most people, holiday
time is the best time of their year.
Q2: Many people refer to their holidays as 'highlights' of the year. Why do you think
holidays are highlights for people?
A2: Yes um well, I think holidays are highlights for people because if a
person doesn't like his or her work, a holiday represents a break in what
they would otherwise normally do. You know, it gives people a chance to go
in a different direction, to do something they want to do instead of being a
slave to their job. Holidays allow people to re-create, to refresh their mind
and body. I read somewhere recently that it's actually a very healthy thing

for a person to take a complete break from what he or she normally does
and then to do something different. I guess what I'm saying is, a holiday is a
change. It's a change in location and activity. That reminds me of the
expression, 'A change is as good as a holiday' - it's a good one, and I think
it's true.
Q3: Good. Let's talk about a related issue, the issue of tourism. Do you see any
negative aspects with regard to tourism?
A3: Yes, absolutely. I come from a coastal town and there is a constant,
steady stream of people who pour through it. These people often cause
problems in the accommodation industry which is obviously related to
tourism. They come in and kind of 'let their hair down' they show no respect
for the facilities. Often there is damage to the places where they stay. I've
heard of broken lamps and chairs, dirty marks on walls and carpets you
know, those kinds of things. They drink heavily and make a lot of noise,
constantly in a 'party mode'. This has had a very negative impact upon our
town and gives tourists a bad name in the minds of some of the local
people.
Q4: What could be done to stop the negative aspects of tourism from
happening?
A4: I guess stricter laws could be introduced. If people don't obey the laws,
then the consequences might be a financial penalty. You know, an
expensive fine, or perhaps throw the offenders into prison for a day or two.
That would certainly I imagine have a big effect upon the bad behaviour
of people visiting a city while on holiday.
Speaking Lab 2 Part 1:
Q1: Can we talk about your home town? Tell me about the biggest
industries in your town.
A1: Yes. Um, I’m from Mitchford which is a coastal town. We've got a lot of
white, sandy beaches and a pleasant climate all year-round so, I'm sure
you can guess what our main industry is? Tourism. Each year we get about

a quarter of a million visitors to our town so as a result another big industry
is building and construction so all our visitors have got somewhere to stay!
ummm Restaurants the food industry is another big industry in my town.
We have all kinds of restaurants – Indian, Thai, Chinese, Italian, Turkish,
you name it, we've got it! If you like eating out, Mitchford is a wonderful
place to visit. There's one restaurant called 'Curry in a Hurry' which, you can
probably guess, is an Indian restaurant if you ever visit Mitchford I highly
recommend it!
Q2: It sounds like you really like your home town. Are there any things that
you dislike about it?
A2: Mmmmm, that's a difficult question. Honestly, there aren't many things I
dislike about Mitchford but I guess I'd have to say one of the things I
dislike about Mitchford is the fact that my grandparents don't live there! My
grandparents live about 9 hours away by car, so we don't get to see them
that often. It would be great if they lived in Mitchford.
Q3: Fine. Let’s move on to the topic of food and restaurants. What kinds of
foods do you like to eat?
A3: Food my favourite topic! Well, that's an easy one for me to answer.
Ever since I was a child, my favourite food's been Chicken Kiev. Have you
tried it before? (EXAMINER: “NO, I HAVEN’T”) It's made from the leg and
thigh of a chicken. The chicken is wrapped in butter and garlic. It's then
covered in bread crumbs and fried. The chicken comes out golden brown
and when you cut it, the butter and garlic runs out it's absolutely
delicious probably not too healthy for you but the taste is incredible!
Q4: What about dislike? Are there any foods you don't like to eat?
A4: Well, the first thing that comes to mind is brussel sprouts! I remember
the first day my mother served them for dinner. Needless to say, my brother
and sisters complained loudly! They have such a sharp taste I don't like
them at all. Also, at times um zucchini has the same kind of sharp taste.
In fact, I had zucchini on top of a home-made pizza recently and in my

opinion, the sharp taste of the zucchini ruined the pizza.
Q5: What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of home-
cooked meals?
A5: Home cooked meals mmm well, the first idea that comes to mind is
home cooked meals are generally healthier. The idea, I guess, is that if
you're cooking the meal at home, you know what ingredients are that have
gone into making it so the food should be healthier. For example, if you're
using oil to cook your meal, it will be with fresh, unused oil. I know that
some restaurants reuse their oil over and over again I don't think that's
good for health. [INSTRUCTOR: “DISADVANTAGES?”]
Disadvantages um yes for a start, the kitchen is left in a mess! I'm
speaking from experience here! At the moment I share a flat with 2 other
people and every evening around dinner time, the kitchen looks like a total
mess! Pots and pans containers half opened the sink full of dishes and
cutlery stuff everywhere! After cooking our flat looks like a danger zone.
So, related to this point is that it takes so long to clean all the mess up.
Most times, I couldn't be bothered with all the hassle of cooking I pick up
some kind of fast food it's much more convenient!
Speaking Lab 2
Part 2: Transcript
Q1: OK that was very good. I'm now going to give you a topic that you will
need to speak about for 1-2 minutes. You can take notes if you want. You
have 1 minute to prepare what you want to say. I want you to talk about a
young person who has influenced your life. Ok? You have a maximum of 2
minutes to speak so if you go over 2 minutes, I will ask you to stop. Can you
please begin speaking now?
A1: A young person who has had a big influence on my life is my niece my
sister's child. I'll never forget the day that I first met her it was at the
hospital and my mother and I went to visit my sister and it was only a few
hours after she had had the baby. She’s now six years old. Her name’s Kate.

She's got blonde hair and brown eyes - she's so cute! My sister always dresses
her in cute clothes and puts her hair in pig tails. She has her mother's
personality too! She's quite shy and reserved around strangers but when she's
around my family, she really comes out of her shell she starts talking and
talking and my sister is actually teaching her to sing. My sister's always asking
her to sing for people you know, 'twinkle, twinkle little star', the 'ABC/ alphabet
song'. My parents - her grandparents - delight in her performances, I'd say
she's become the 'centre of attention' at Dad and Mum's place
I do miss her. In some ways, her being born reminded me that I'm growing
up and that I needed to start thinking more seriously about my own future.
I suppose I began to wonder what it would be like to have my own children.
For a long time, I didn't care too much about kids, but after spending time
with Kate, I realised that I'd love a child or two of my own. Umm let’s
see I’d have to say that I think there are more advantages than disadvantages
with having children. I've learned that of course, it's not all easy looking after a
child all day. When Kate was really young, my sister seemed to hardly get any
sleep and they never seemed to go out all that much. But when you see her cute
little face and her cute little smile, all that sacrifice seems to be worth it. I've never
seen my sister so happy since Kate came into her life.
Speaking Lab 2
Part 3: Transcript
Q1: Ok, that's great. We've been talking about a young person and I'd like
to discuss one or two more questions that are related to this. Firstly, let's
consider attitudes. In your country, what is the attitude older people have
toward younger people?
A1: Hmmm. I think, the older generation tend to look at the younger
generation as being in a hurry to go somewhere or do something. I suppose
this is pretty natural considering when a person gets old, they tend not to
move so quickly you know, instead of going out, most old people tend to
just stay at home. I don't mean all old people are like this, but I think it's

probably true of a majority of the older generation.
Q2: Right. In your country, what are the advantages and disadvantages of
being younger?
A2: Yes, well I'm young so I obviously think it's an advantage! The first thing
that comes to mind is the fact that technology is changing so quickly, it
takes an alert, young mind to keep up with it um there are benefits in
keeping up with technology um you can do things quicker. For example, if
you understand email, then you can communicate faster with people all
around the world. A lot of older people may use email but they may not
know all the functions um to use it to their best advantage. If you don't
know how to properly use new computer software, you can end up wasting
great amounts of time um disadvantages well the disadvantage of
being young um let's see well, I think one disadvantage is that you
have a little life experience. What I mean is that you don't have much
wisdom, you're starting out. You might make a lot of silly mistakes in your
life because you don't know any better um that's a definite disadvantage.
Q3: Good. Let's now consider young people and education. Can you tell me
about the numbers of young people in your country studying overseas?
A3: I'm not too sure about that the total numbers, that is um I know from
my high school um when I graduated there were 4 or 5 students who
wanted to travel and study in England. I've lost contact with them, I assume
they went ahead with their plans. Considering my high school had around
1000 students um and we had 4 or 5 who wanted to study overseas, I
assume there are a lot of students who had the same goal.
Q4: Do young people receive any government assistance in your country
when it comes to education?
A4: Actually, yes and no. Yes, because if they decide to study at university
and they have no money - this is assuming they are accepted into a course
- um they can apply for a student loan. What happens is the government
pays the money for their education – that's the good news but the bad

news - and this is the ‘no’ part of my answer - is you have to pay the money
back once you get a job. I believe if you don't pay it back by a certain time,
the government starts to charge you interest on the loan
Q5: OK. What future changes would you like to see in your country
regarding young people and education?
A5: That's another difficult question to answer you seem to know how to
ask difficult questions! Um, I guess a change I would hope for is that the
student loans would not have to be paid back! I don’t think this is realistic,
after all, it would be too expensive for the government perhaps removing
the repayment with interest part of the loan would be a good change for the
future oh yea another thing that came to mind I think education will
become more ‘hands on’ – less theory and more practical. I think 'head
knowledge' is fine, but it must be backed up with practical application I'd
like to see this change in the future.
Speaking Lab 3
Part 1:
Q1: I'd like to talk with you about what you do. Are you a student or do you
have a job?
A1: Actually, I’m both. I have a part-time job and I also study!
Q2: OK! You must be busy. Can you tell me about your job?
A2: Sure. I’m a waiter. It's not much I don't do too much it's only part
time not my ideal job but it does offer me a modest income. I'm usually on
the breakfast shift. You see I work in a hotel and most of the guests of the
hotel come to the restaurant for breakfast.
Q3: What is it you like most about your job?
A3: I guess it's interesting to meet and greet new people. Most of the
patrons of the restaurant are from overseas so the restaurant is a good
place to meet people from other countries. It's a good working environment,
the restaurant is air conditioned which is also a plus.
Q4: Is there anything you don't like about your job?

A4: Yes, it's fairly repetitious work. There's not a lot of thought involved you
take away dirty plates and cutlery and you replace them with clean plates
and cutlery and on and on the process goes. You serve coffee or tea, the
rest is up to the customer it's really a self-serve buffet. I guess I'd like to do
something which involves more thinking so that's probably the main thing I
dislike about my job.
Q5: Anything else you dislike?
A5: No, I guess not oh oh well, the boss. The supervisor, is really
quiet in fact, he's so quiet that he seems unfriendly. I don't really
understand him he's an unusual man [EXAMINER: UNUSUAL?] Well,
he's just so quiet. I like people who are a bit more friendly and show a bit
more enthusiasm. He rarely smiles, he's always so serious. I guess that's
what I mean by ‘unusual’.
Q6: I see. OK. Let's change topics and talk about television. Do you like to
watch television?
A6: Yes I do watch television but I try to mainly watch the news and
documentaries. I don't like watching a lot of the shows on television
because they can waste a lot of time - especially soap operas! Some
people I know spend hours watching those sort of shows, especially when
you get to know the characters and the story line. I do like some comedy
shows though, some are hilarious!
Q7: Tell me about your favourite television show.
A7: Actually I really don't have one favourite television show but I do like
watching nature programs - programs about animals and birds and things.
Last week I saw one on crocodiles. I didn't realise that crocodiles lay so
many eggs! I also remember one show about hummingbirds. The camera
showed the wings of the hummingbird in slow motion, and it was just
amazing they go so fast. These are the sort of shows I like, I wish there
were more of them.
Q8: How popular is television in your country?

A8: Television is very popular in my country and I imagine that nearly every
home would have one. In fact, I think that many homes in my country have
more than one television. Televisions are very popular when there is a big
sporting event on - like a soccer match. People will invite their friends over
to watch the match on television and to cheer for their team. Another
popular television program which people in my country watch is the news,
especially in the evening.
Speaking Lab 3
Part 2: Transcript
Q1: Ok, that's good. I'm now going to give you a topic that you will need to
speak about for 1-2 minutes. You can take notes if you want. You have 1
minute to prepare what you want to say. I want you to talk about something
you have made which you are proud of Ok? You have a maximum of 2
minutes to speak so if you go over 2 minutes, I will ask you to stop. Can you
please begin speaking now?
A1: Something which I have made and am quite proud of is a shoe rack for
my sons - a place for them to put their shoes, when they're not wearing
them. Maybe you're thinking, why are you proud of a shoe rack? The main
reason I'm talking about it is because honestly, my mind's gone blank and I
can't think of anything else I've made! Anyway there are a number of
reasons why I was proud of this thing that I made. Firstly, I'm not a
carpenter! I've never made anything before with wood, and also I solved a
problem One night, about 2 years ago, my wife walked into our son's
bedroom and it was a really dark night. Anyway, she nearly sprained her
ankle on one of his shoes. They were always their shoes scattered
around the bedroom. Her ankle looked quite bruised the next day. So at that
time, I decided to make a shoe rack. With my oldest son, we took a tape
measure and measured how long and wide it should be. Next we bought a
piece of timber. Anyway, we got home and I got out my my saw and a
pencil and ruler. We measured the lengths and then cut the pieces. OK. We

cut the lengths, then we smoothed off the rough edges with a file. Next we
got some nails and a hammer and we nailed the pieces together. My oldest
son, Aaron said, “Dad we need to paint it”. I agreed. We got out
some ahhh cream-coloured paint. We put two coats of paint on that shoe
rack. I was proud of what the boys and I had accomplished. We'd solved a
problem and, at the same time, spent some quality time together. We still
have that shoe rack. It's still helping to keep my boy's room tidy and no
more sprained ankles for my wife!
Speaking Lab 3
Part 3: Transcript
Q1: We've been talking about something that you made and I'd like to
discuss one or two more questions that are related to this. Firstly, let's
consider hand-made versus machine-made items. Can you comment on
the popularity of hand-made versus machine-made products in your
country?
A1: Unfortunately, these days hand-made items tend to be more expensive
than machine-made and as a result machine-made items are more popular
in my country because they're cheaper. I think this is due to labour costs. If
a machine can produce large quantities of products automatically, this will
always be cheaper when compared to human labour. A person needs to be
paid a wage, but a machine well, it can work day and night, I guess.
Q2: Are there any things in your country which are only made by hand?
A2: Only hand made well, I know that some types of furniture are only
hand made. Of course this furniture is quite a lot more expensive and
generally of better construction than the umm machine made. Another
thing that comes to mind is jewellery. Most women desire a unique piece of
jewelry I know my wife when I got a ring made for my wife it was
completely hand made in fact, we gave the design we wanted to the
jeweller and he made it by hand. I guess there are other things but I can't
think of any others at the moment.

Q3: Do you think in the future that handmade products will no longer be
made?
A3: That's an interesting question. Of course we understand that machine
made products are cheaper to make. The bottom line for companies is that
they need to make profits. If a company can make more and more products
and pay less and less to make them, then I believe that mechanisation will
win over hand-made products.
Q4: OK. I'd like us to lastly consider creativity in general. Do you think
people learn creativity or is it something that comes naturally?
A4: Learn creativity do people learn creativity mmmm. Well, I know some
creative people, especially artists, and I say to them, how can you draw like
that? You know I can only draw 'stick figures' but they can draw in such
detail. They usually say to me, I've always been able to draw and it comes
naturally to me. I think that if you're good at something and if you like it, you
spend time at it. So what usually happens is the naturally good artists tend
to draw more so they get better and better.
Q5: Do you think that there are more or less creative people living in your
country today?
A5: Well more or less creative in my country we are often coming up with
new inventions – especially in the area of environmentally friendly products.
I saw in the newspaper recently that a new device for removing - or at least
reducing - carbon monoxide in vehicle emissions was made available to the
public. I don't remember how it worked but I remember thinking that there
are still creative people around in my country so I guess I would have to say
that there are still some around, but whether there are more or less than in
the past, I couldn't say with any certainty.
Q6: What might be the effects of reduced creativity in society?
A6: If people are less creative, then I believe society as a whole suffers. We
need creative people, problem solvers who are able to find problems and
devise solutions. I guess if a society becomes lazy, you know, sitting all day

and night in front of the television, if they have no goals or ambitions in life,
nothing to drive them toward achievement, then creativity suffers and
society, I believe would suffer. People would loose the spark or interest in
life, it would be a terrible thing for any society to lose its creative people!
Speaking Lab 4
Part 1:
Q1: I'd like to talk with you about what you do. Are you a student or do you
have a job?
A1: Well, I'm a student. I have been studying full-time, preparing for the
IELTS but I've also been preparing in my own time for the university
courses I plan to take.
Q2: I see. Can you tell me about your studies?
A2: Yes. I've been preparing online for IELTS with Scott's English Success
and it's been excellent. I've learned a number of academic study techniques
which I will definitely be able to use in the future, when I begin to study full-
time at the university um I've always felt that emersion learning is the
best way to learn a language so I came here to England. If I don't achieve a
7.0, I won't be able to study dentistry which is exactly what I want to do.
Q3: What is it you like most about the profession you're studying?
A3: Hmmm well my father is a dentist and he and my mother always
wanted me to become one. I guess one of the things I like most about it that
you can help people to have good, strong teeth we need our teeth and
we'll need them all our lives. Do you enjoy going to the dentist?
[EXAMINER: Not really!] I know most people hate going to the dentist so
my goal - when I become a dentist - is to make it an enjoyable, happy
experience for people.
Q4: Is there anything you think you won't like about your studies?
A4: As I said, I've been doing some study into the course in my own time,
my own personal study so I'll be really ready if I'm accepted into the
course it really depends upon how well I do in this IELTS test! Anyway, I

am aware well my father told me about this that part of my studies will
involve dealing with cadavers – for study of the human anatomy – I don't
think I'm going to like that part of my studies!
Q5: Ok, good. Is it ok if we talk about your childhood?
A5: Yes, that would be fine.
Q6: Well, can you tell me a bit about where you grew up?
A6: Yes. I was actually born in Alaska in the United States and I grew up in
a little town called Palmer before my family moved to Poland. We lived in
Palmer for um let me think 9 years.
Q7: Was it a good place to live?
A7: Well, the thing I remember most about living in Palmer was the cold
weather that prevailed most of the time. Although it's over 20 years ago that
I lived there, I think that living in Palmer is a lot like living in England and
Poland for that matter! We did have some warm days in fact on a few
occasions in Summer I remember it was very hot, but for most of the year it
was typically cold and wet.
Q8: What are some of the fond memories of living in your home town?
A8: Well, actually I do have some happy memories of the place - playing
sports such as baseball and tennis in the summer and football in the winter.
But, as I said it was just so cold, the predominant memory I have is that it
was cold and wet! However, I had some good friends in Palmer. In fact, one
of them I still keep in contact with to this day he's married now and his
wife just had a baby. Anyway, overall, I guess it was a nice place to live the
first 9 or so years of my life.
Speaking Lab 4
Part 2: Transcript
Q1: I'm now going to give you a topic that you will need to speak about for
1-2 minutes. You can take notes if you want. You have 1 minute to prepare
what you want to say. I want you to talk about a beach, lake, river or dam
you have visited. Ok? You have a maximum of 2 minutes to speak so if you

go over 2 minutes, I will ask you to stop. Can you please begin speaking
now?
A1: When I was 13 years old, my family um, and I went to Wisconsin in the
USA to visit my relatives um We stayed at my uncle’s cabin on a lake
for 2 weeks. It was during the summer so the water was so warm to swim
in - which was different to where I come from it's always cold and rainy.
Staying on the lake was like having our own private beach. The houses
were so spread out that we weren't close to anyone else. My sister and I
and our cousins loved playing in the lake. We would take blow up rafts out
onto the lake near a floating platform and then jump or dive off of it to swim
in the water. We tried not to touch the bottom of the lake since it was so
shallow, because there were all these little crayfish all over the place and
we were afraid that they would pinch our toes, like a crab. I also loved to go
fishing on the lake with my Grandpa in a little tin boat. We did this probably
two or three times and we always seemed to catch some sort of fish -
mostly bass which we cooked for dinner. I also remember staying in the
basement of the cabin, which to me was really scary because there were all
these spiders all over the place and I'm extremely frightened of them! The
worst part about the basement was when we had some um thunder and
lightning storms in the middle of the night — it seemed the shadows of the
spiders were enormous when lit up by lightning in the darkness but anyway,
it was still a great holiday which I'll always remember.
Speaking Lab 4
Part 3: Transcript
Q1: We've been talking about a beach, lake or dam you've visited and I'd
like to discuss one or two more questions that are related to this. Firstly,
let's consider the numbers of people in your country who like to holiday near
water. Can you comment on the popularity of holidays near water in your
country?
A1: Yes um, holidays by the water are extremely popular in my country.

Many of the people travel long distances to holiday beside a lake or the
ocean. A couple of times when I was a teenager, my family used to travel to
a big dam which had a camping site next to it and we've had many
holidays at the beach in the past, too! The most popular time for the beach
is, understandably, the summertime so because people have to travel so
far, in the winter most people tend to travel less distance and camp near a
lake.
Q2: What do you think are the benefits of having a holiday beside a large
body of water?
A2: Um. I'm not really too sure about that one I could guess that people
find it peaceful different from their usual environment. Yes, I think people
like to be close to a large lake or the beach because it is peaceful Oh, and
also the air. Yes, the air is fresher and cleaner especially at the beach. I
remember hearing somewhere that there are a lot of negative ions in the air
which work in the body to make you feel good. Yes, I'd say the major benefit
is fresh air - a peaceful, healthy atmosphere.
Q3: Can you compare the popularity of beach-side holidays to holidays in
the mountains?
A3: Um well I think that holidays beside the beach will always be more
popular but maybe I'm being biased, because I prefer the beach to the
mountains. I guess skiing holidays are very popular in many countries.
However, I believe that if a comparison was done - between seaside
holidays and holidays in the mountains - well I think, probably the beach
would win, it would be more popular. It could be because there are more
beaches than ski mountains, but I'm not too sure. People certainly continue
to go on holidays, coastal communities seem to flourish around holiday
time. I think beaches are more popular than mountains when it comes to
holidays.
Q4: OK, thank-you. I'd like us to lastly consider the issue of water shortage.
Can you describe the current water situation in your country?

A4: Well, fortunately in my country we have been blessed with an
abundance of rainfall. In the winter, especially, the rains just come and
come and come! It seems as though they never stop. Last winter, I
remember it rained for nearly 3 weeks continuously! Not all areas receive
such good rainfall, but I don't remember there ever being a drought back
home.
Q5: Can you identify ways in which water is improperly used?
A5: Um, well since I've been living in Britain, I've been reading about the
inappropriate ways people waste water. The number one reason that stood
out in my mind was that people fail to simply turn off the tap when they're
finished. This is obviously a problem. Another seems to be people taking
long showers or wasting water outside around their gardens of course this
is domestic use of water. I'm not really too sure about how water is misused
in industry but I'm sure that it is - especially when waste is dumped into
waterways making them unfit for human use.
Q6: Can you suggest ways we can use water more efficiently in the future?
A6: If people remembered the basics you know, as I mentioned maybe
taking shorter showers or remembering to turn off the tap when they're not
using water. I think it starts with the small things, the individual households,
it's all about education, really. I think governments must also enforce
penalties on companies and industries that pollute waterways. In some
countries, people catch water in large tanks as it falls on the roofs of
houses. Imagine if every household did this I think this would be an
effective use of water!
Phuong Anh_Chim ut'
Part 1: introduction and interview _Friends
1. How much time do you spend with friends?
Every day I have to go to university, therefore I spend almost time with my
friends. We study together, talk gossip and whenever having free time we
go shopping together.

2. What kinds of things do you like to do with your friends?
I'd like to spend hours chatting with my best friends. We usually meet each
other in Chic café, a nice and quiet place. Not only each member's studying
but her problems as well are told to the other ones and by this way we help
to relax. They are always behind me, as a result every thing done with them
makes me happy.
3. What kinds of work or studies do your friends do?
My group has 7 people. Most of them are students, who study different
subjects in various universities such as: Institute for International Relations,
Law University, Foreign Trade University, etc. The rest person is an
exception, who is a model and the miss photo of Vietnam. She is preparing
to study abroad. All of us like charity work and learning foreign languages.
4. What does being a good friend mean to you?
Every one has friends but being a good friend has a special meaning to
anyone. Only good friends help me whenever I need them, when I
encounter obstacles and difficulties. In my opinion, a good friend is actually
significant to me, which cannot be replaced by anything.
Part 2: Individual long turn.
Describe a party you went to which you enjoyed.
You should say: Where the party was? Why the party happened? Who
was at the party? Explain why you enjoyed the party.
In the modern life, having free time to take part in a party is really difficult,
however whenever possible I and my friends try to hold a small party to
meet each other and to relax. The party I enjoyed most took place 1 year
ago when we prepared to finish our study at high school. It was hold at my
mother's restaurant. We spent one day to go shopping although the
restaurant has more than 300 dishes. And we bought food we like best. I'd
like to introduce to you but regret that I don't know what it called in English.
I and my best friends invited not only our friends in other classes but our
teachers in 3 years as well. The party began at 10a.m and lasted 4 hours.

All people wanted to cook by themselves instead of eating dishes prepared
by my cooks. Of course, this task was more difficult than we had ever
imagined and a big mess was created immediately after we had finished
cooking. Many reasons make me remember this party, first of all, it is our
fare welled party. Moreover it was very funny. At the end of the party, all of
us cried because of getting partly sad and partly happy. The happiest
memory I have ever had.
Part 3: Two - way discussion.
• What kinds of social events are most popular in your country?
Raising funds for charity is one of our most popular events in my country.
Vietnam is a poor country, 80% of population has very low income, just
under 10$ a day, therefore, programs to raise money is significantly
necessary. By these ways, we can help other people and devote a bit to the
development of our country.
• What are the differences between the social events that older
and younger people enjoy?
Not mentioning to charity, sometimes there are some differences between
old and young generation. Young people care entertainment events more
than the old, and I think it is an easily understandable thing because of the
distinction between 2 generations. The old like programs concerning history,
tradition or traditional music, whereas we neglect them. Perhaps raising
funds for charity is our mere common.
• Do you think it is a good idea for colleagues at work to spend
time socially together?
In my opinion, there is no reason for colleagues at work to spend time
socially together. It is a good way to make friends. The more friends you
have the happier person you are. Moreover, going shopping or having a
meal together is very useful to know more about your colleagues, by this
way you find a suitable behavior to each person.
• What changes have there been recently in social life in your

country?
Social life has changed much in recent years. We seem to be busier and
spend less time taking care of family. 50 years ago, the life was more
simple and quieter and safer but nowadays human has to face risks caused
by ourselves such as traffic accidents, dangerous diseases, environmental
pollution, etc.
• Would you agree that technology can have negative effects on
the way people spend their leisure time?
Everything has its own advantages as well as disadvantages, and modern
technology is not an exception. We can see that not mentioning to positive
side; it has caused many negative effects on human. Before in free time
people used to visit friends or relations, but now they spend hours at the
computer to play game or to chat with strangers. The technology sometimes
badly affects our lifestyles and our health.
Ha phuong
Part 1:
1. What journeys do you make everyday?
I often go to university by bus everyday. It takes me about half an hour. But
sometimes, when I am busy, I go by motorbike because it will take me less
time. I think it is more convenient to travel by motorbike than bus ….
2. What do you do during journeys?
During journeys, I often read short stories or listen to music. It makes me
feel relaxed and the journeys will also be shortened. And it is very
interesting when I can make friends with many people when traveling.
3. Do you sometimes have problems with transport?
Of course , It takes me hours and hours to wait for a bus. Or sometimes,
the bus is too crowded and people often hustle to get on bus. Unfortunately,
bus seems to be unreliable because nowadays there are many pickpockets
on bus so, well I think that fewer people go by bus than in the past
4. What is your favourite form of transport?

I like train best. It is also a popular means of transport in my country, which
is not expensive. When I travel by train, I can enjoy the scenes outside. It is
quite exciting , in fact .Besides I also do like traveling by plane, even though
it is rather expensive.
Part 2: Talk on a topic for 1 or 2 minutes:
Describe a conversation you had which was important to you.
You should say: When the conversation took place
Who you had the conversation with
What the conversation was about
And explain why the conversation was important to you.
In daily life, I make many conversations, but the one I remember most and
very important to me is when I registered to volunteer in APEC summit
several months ago. This conversation took place in my university and
before that, I felt very nervous. I was interviewed by a representative of
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He asked me many questions in English what I
knew about APEC and then he gave me some suppositional situations to
see how quickly I reacted. One of these situations is that I had to guide a
diplomatic corps of America. It is not allowed to take photos. But there was
a paparazzi following closely and wanted to photograph & interview them.
What would you do? It is only a simple example. After the interview, he said
that I was accepted. I cannot describe how happy I was at that time. I think
that this conversation is a chance for me to practise my English ability as
well as my reaction. I also want to contribute a small part to APEC summit,
building the image of the host country. So it is very important to me. I can
feel that this conversation brought us something new and strange.
Although time goes by, this interview stays forever in my mind. I hope that I
will have many chances to attend these interviews like this.
Part 3: Discussion Topics:
A. What differences are there when using channels of
communication (face-to-face, telephone, writing)?

Each channel of communication has its own characteristics. For
example, when you telephone, you cannot see the other person, you
only hear his/her voice. When you face to face a person, you can see
his body language or feelings directly. Or when you write, you have
much time to think about what you want to say, but sometimes it is
difficult to explain what you mean if the person doesn’t understand.
B. To what extent do you think films and TV influence how people
communicate with each other?
I think that films and TV have large influence on the way people
communicate. People often imitate the way actors or actresses do in a
film. Furthermore, they help people understand more and deeper
others’ feelings because on films, we can see both thoughts of 2
people, while in real life, it is very difficult to see. One thing very
important is that they teach us how to behave well with other people
surrounding.
C. Do you think that there are differences in the way men and
women communicate?
I think that women are much cleverer than men in communication
because they are relatively sensitive. However, they are sometimes
limited by some moral rules in their own culture. For example, in
oriental countries, women are usually reserved and seldom take part in
dynamic social communication. On the contrary, men often
communicate with people freely without concerning about being tied by
any rules in the society.
D. Do you agree that education has a strong and positive effect
on people’s ability to communicate effectively?
Yes, I totally agree. I think that if we are taught how to communicate
effectively, we will have good ability to find out what others are thinking,
what we should do and what we shouldn’t do. Moreover , people with
communicative skills can show their dominance in the society. So

educating people about communication is very necessary.
E. What impact do you think the growth of technology might have
on communication in the future?
I think that the growth of technology brings us both positive and
negative impact on communication in the future. On the one hand, it will
help human communicate quicker and more comfortable. For example,
the most popular means of communications, mobile phone and
computer, will be added more functions so people can talk without
server with internet from far away distance. Or with mobile phone, we
can not only call but also see others’ faces on the screen. On the other