Speaking lab test 7

Sample Speaking Test

Speaking Lab 7

Speaking Lab 7
Part 1:
Q1 Can we talk about your country? Tell me about the kinds of sports that are
popular in your country.
A1 Yes, I come from New Zealand. In terms of sports there are two distinct seasons –
summer and winter. In the winter, Rugby Union is the most popular sport. People
are especially interested in their beloved ‘All Blacks’ – our country’s champion rugby
team. In the summer, there’s cricket. Not as many people are as interested in the
cricket…because our national team – the ‘black caps’ – are not as successful on the
world cricketing stage.
Q2 Are there any sports that are only played by either men or women in your
country?
A2 Do you mean exclusively men or women? [Examiner: Yes] Well…of course, rugby
is played only by men. I’m not sure if we have any women’s rugby teams…I don’t
think we do. Rugby’s definitely dominated by men…the same is true for cricket –
although we do have a national ladies team. There is one sport that we are
internationally famous for and it’s Netball. Have you ever played netball? It’s a bit
like basketball except you can’t bounce the ball and the ball is a little bit smaller than
a basketball. To score a point in netball, a player has to throw the ball through a hoop
– as in basketball except the goal has no backboard, it’s just a hoop at the end of a
pole. Netball is played only by women…our national team is called ‘The Ferns’ and I
believe we are the best in the world, the world champions. Everyone is really proud
of our women’s netball team! It seems no one can beat us well, for the moment,
anyway!
Q3 Are there any sports in your country that are becoming more popular than they
were in the past?
A3 I’d definitely say that Ruby League - one of our winter sports - is becoming more

popular in New Zealand. I don’t think it’ll ever become more popular than Rugby
Union…but since we started participation in the national Australian Rugby League
competition, New Zealanders have become more interested in this version of rugby.
I’d say that our New Zealand team, the Auckland Warriors, has brought more
popularity to the rugby league code in New Zealand.
Q4 OK. Let’s talk about housework. Do you do much housework where you are
currently living?
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Speaking Lab 7

A4 Ha! Housework what’s that? At the moment, I’m sharing an apartment with 3 other
guys…messy fellows they are! Our apartment looks like a disaster zone most of the
time! Dishes in the sink, rubbish on the floor, beds unmade the place looks terrible! I
need to do more housework…you know, be responsible for my own living area. One
thing I’ve learned from living away from home…I really appreciate all the work my
mother did to keep our house clean in the past.
Q5 Good. What do you think is the most important household job? Why?
A5 Most important? Umm, well, that would involve keeping things hygienic,
particularly with food. Keeping food well looked after – things like chicken and
other meats…but chicken in particular…can become very dangerous if it’s not kept
refrigerated. A friend of mine had food poisoning and it was a terrible thing to
witness – it made me realise that good hygiene in relation to food is absolutely
essential!
Q6 How did you share household tasks when you were growing up?
A6 That’s easy! My sister and I were responsible for doing the dishes – she washed and I
dried. I was always responsible for drying the dishes. I got sick of this job…but now

I still do it! There’s no escaping the dishes! Umm, let’s see…household tasks…well,
Mum expected us to make our beds every day – especially as we got older. In fact as
we got older, we were given more and more jobs to do – that’s how it seemed
anyway. I ended up being responsible for folding all the clean washing in my house.
As the years passed, I gradually ‘branched out’ – no pun intended - into the garden! I
was the household’s chief gardener…and I must say I enjoyed it.
Q7 What about changes in housework in the future? Can you talk about why or
why not housework will change in the future?
A7 Changes in housework…well…I can’t see it getting much more different than it is
today. I mean the electric dishwasher and the washing machine they’re pretty modern
machines. I guess if someone invented self-cleaning plates and utensils that would be
pretty amazing…maybe a dishwasher built into the table where you eat…now that
would be amazing. But someone would still have to put them away once they are
cleaned and dried! I’m not too sure about how household jobs will change in the
future, but I guess they will.

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Sample Speaking Test

Speaking Lab 7

Speaking Lab 7
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 describe a company
or organisation where a relative or friend works.
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

Well, what I’m going to talk about is the organisation my Dad works for. He’s a
school teacher and the name of the school he works for is Wellington High
School. Of course, as its name suggests, it’s located in Wellington, in the
southern part of New Zealand. Ever since I was a boy, Dad worked at
Wellington…he started back…um well I think it was in the early 1980s…yes, in
1981…because they recently him a special watch celebrating 25 years of service
at the school. Anyway, Dad really enjoys his job he teaches Mathematics and
Science and I’ve often wondered how a person can stay in a job for so many
years but Dad says he’ll never leave – he loves being a high school teacher.
One of the things that I often hear him talk about is that ‘teachers can make a
difference in the lives of others’. When he says this it’s usually after a student
has called or written to thank him for helping them to get into university or to
achieve some other goal. This really makes him happy. I guess there are a lot of
advantages to being a teacher. Teachers in New Zealand, get quite a lot of
holidays and the hours aren’t too long…and the pay is quite good too. I guess a
disadvantage in teaching is when the students don’t really want to learn the
subject and they can tend to be badly behaved. Anyway, Dad really likes his job
and that’s great. Perhaps one day I’ll follow in his footsteps…
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Speaking Lab 7
Part 3: Transcript
Q1 We’ve been talking about a company in which a relative or friend works and I’d
like to discuss one or two more questions that are related to this. Firstly, let’s
consider what makes a job attractive or unattractive to people. Can you suggest
some of the most important things people look for in their jobs?
A1 Yes, well I’d have to say pay is one of the main things people look for in their jobs.
People want to be well paid for the work they do. I think ‘working conditions’ is
another area that people carefully consider when they begin working. If the place has
no basic facilities, people get upset. In my country, workers must get access to a
refrigerator; they must have a lunch room or a place to eat in peace and quiet. They
must have a safe working environment and our government has laws to ensure this is
the case. I think holidays are also a big thing people look for when it comes to work.
Everyone needs to take a break from work so holidays are a big consideration for
many people. Umm, some people look for after-hours employee activities. You
know, staff parties, sports days, that kind of thing. I guess the most important thing is
job satisfaction. If a person is satisfied with his or her job, then usually, the other
things naturally follow on.
Q2 Ok. Let’s talk some more about working conditions. Tell me about any changes
in staff working conditions that have occurred in recent years in your country.
A2 Well…I’m not too sure about this one. Working conditions…well, the government is
responsible for making sure that the working conditions are fair for workers. Um…
come to think of it, there was a change that happened recently. I’m not sure about all
the details but it gave employers…you know, bosses, more power to terminate
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Speaking Lab 7

employees if they weren’t doing their jobs satisfactorily. Of course, many people
were angry that more power was being put in the hands of the bosses but, in my
opinion, I think it’s fair. I mean, if a person is not doing their job well enough and is
given enough warning about how they should change, and they don’t…well, then
they should be asked to leave…the job should be given to one who will do it well.
Q3 OK. Good. Could you please comment on any jobs which are no longer done in
your country.
A3 Jobs no longer done. Umm, (I’ve) never really thought about that before…jobs no
longer done. You mean, jobs that were done in the past but are no longer done today?
[Examiner: YES]. Well, I guess farming has changed. You know, the old-style
farming with the ox and the plough. Now we use machinery to do the job. When I
was a boy, we used to use horses and carts to deliver milk to homes in the morning.
Now, of course we use trucks. I guess new technologies have changed industries.
The record manufacturers needed to change to CDs so that job has changed too!
Q4 To what extent is the Internet and the computer a part of people’s jobs these
days?
A4 Um, well the Internet and computer is very much a part of most jobs today. I guess
some occupations like a chef or a builder might not rely too much on the Internet
however, I bet they use a computer when it comes to placing an order for new
supplies. Actually, I can’t think of a single job right now that wouldn’t make use of a
computer. I guess Internet usage would be less than computer use. It probably
depends on the job you do as to whether or not you’d use the Internet. I mean, if you
were a teacher, you’d probably use the internet to read up on the latest teaching
methods or things like that. If you were a banker, you’d use the internet for
information about your job too. I think both the Internet and the computer play a
really big part in most people’s jobs these days.
Q5 Ok. Globally, which industries do you think will employ the most people in the

future?
A5 Well I’m interested in communications and I think that the communications industry
will employ the most people in the future. I mean look at the number of people who
use a mobile phone these days. Everyone, it seems throughout Asia, Europe,
Australia the USA…they’re everywhere! The Internet also comes under this
category. The Internet will continue to be used more and more all over the world.
It’s a cheap way to communicate and it’s great! It’s fast and it’s effective. Regular
telephones in people’s homes are also part of the communications industry. It’s so
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Speaking Lab 7

huge. I heard a few months ago that a big telephone company invested, I think it was
2 or 3 billion dollars in the UK. It made me think that communications are going to
be very important in the future.
Q6 One final question. Work takes up a lot of people’s time. Can you suggest ways
people can find a balance between work and leisure activities?
A balance between work and leisure is very important. Some people spend too much
A6 time at work. When they’re old and about to die, most people regret all the time they
spent at work and wish they’d spent more time on other things…particularly their
family.
One suggestion that comes to mind is for people to take the time to actually schedule
and plan their time. Too many people let life happen to them, they tend to be reactive
instead of being considered and well-planned. To achieve a balance between work
and leisure, we’ve got to plan to be balanced or we won’t be…and time will pass by
and we’ll end up spending more time on one or the other.

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