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Written by IELTS Mentor

IELTS Speaking Test # 47

Part 1 - Introduction & Interview

[The examiner asks the candidate about him/herself, his/her home, work or studies and other familiar topics.]

Q.  What is your full name?
A. Well, my full name is John Nicholas. You can, however, call me simply "John".

Q.  Can I see your ID, please?
A. Yes, sure. Here it is.

Q.  Do you work or study?
A. I am a student at the undergraduate level at a local university. My major is "Civil Engineering". I am expecting to finish my course in October next year and then pursue a Master's degree in the same major.

Q.  Can you tell me more about your hometown? Is it a countryside or a big city?
A. I am from Woodlands in Singapore. Woodlands is a town in the North region of Singapore and this is a residential town filled with modern architecture. This town is connected to some of the parts of Malaysia. Our town is also famous for its beautiful gardens, playgrounds, eateries etc.

Q.  What do you like or dislike about it? And how long have you been living there?
A. I like the views and friendly neighbours of the town most. I dislike traffic congestion and large industries in this city. I have been living here for over 17 years. My parents migrated here from Hong Kong in 2002 and since then we have been living in this town.

Q.  Do you like walking? [Why/why not?]
A. Yes, I do like walking and there are a good number of reasons for that. Walking is an excellent form of exercise and it helps me remain fit. I can manage some time to walk in a park or our neighbourhood now and then but managing time to go to a gym or playing with friends is not that easy for me basically due to the busy life schedule. Moreover, when I walk, I can think of important issues and come to a solution to many of these problems. I feel like my mind works pretty well when I am in motion and thus walking is immensely helpful to me.

Q.  Where do you prefer to walk, in the country or the city? [Why?]
A. Theoretically speaking, I would like to walk in the countryside more. In city areas, numerous obstacles may slow down the walking pace and the public gardens and parks are filled with crowds where someone cannot walk in peace. However, practically speaking, I do live in a city and I have been walking here for as long as I can recall.

Q.  Would you like to increase your walking time in the future?
A. Yes, I will increase my daily walking duration in future. At present, I walk for around 40 minutes a day and I have a plan to increase the time to more than one and a half an hours each day. Walking more would be definitely beneficial to me considering the health issues and fighting stress created by modern lifestyles.

Part 2 - Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card

[The topic for your talk will be written on a card which the examiner will hand you. Read it carefully and then make some brief notes.]

Describe a place where you would like to visit in the future.

You should say:

• where would you go
• what you will do there
• whether you are going there soon

and explain why you want to visit this place.

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

Sample Answer: 
I would like to visit "Greece" and that's a dream destination for me. Greece is a historical place and ordained with beautiful spots throughout the country. It is located in the European belt and shares its coastline with the Mediterranean. The exotic beaches of the country provide an exciting and refreshing experience to the visitors. This is a great topic to talk about and I am feeling happy with this one in my share. I will answer the remaining questions in brief now.

There is a lot to do in Greece, and this country is filled with historically important structures, scenic beauties, breathtaking beaches and I would like to visit all those once I am there. I would like to pay a visit to Acropolis, a few museums, Delphi Ruins, and the other notable places and I am eagerly waiting to spend some quality time on the white sandy beaches in Greece. I would also like to take part in some watersports on the beach while I am there. Enjoying the sunset at the beach is another exciting thing I wold like to do.  

I think I will go there very soon. Actually, I am planning to spend the next summer vacation there. I can make a short trip to Greece whenever I want but that's not something I am looking forward to. I am planning to be there for at least two weeks and that's why the summer vacation would be an ideal time for me to be in Greece. 

I want to visit Greece for some specific reasons. This is a nice place indeed and the islands of this country are unbelievably amazing. There are lots of places to see and tons of things to do. The locals are also cooperative and helpful to tourists. Due to all the reasons, I want to visit Greece and make the memory unforgettable.

Part 3 - Details Discussion:

Discussion topics: Travelling and Tourism.

Q.  Why do you think people like to visit new places?
A.  People like to explore different places and want to get acquainted with diverse cultures and customs. Visiting the same place over and over again goes against the basic nature of a tourist. Different places have different architects, landscapes and historical significances and people want to witness all of them. Moreover, visiting an entirely new place gives a kind of fulfilment and refreshment to the travellers.

Q.  Why is travelling important for learning?
A.  We travel to enjoy our time by witnessing a different place or by getting away from our routined life. Travelling also helps expand our outlook and allows us to witness something we have only seen on TV or read about them on books. When we see the things that we read in a book, our perception is enhanced. We try to match what we read with what we see and also try to find dissimilarities subconsciously. As a result, our real-life skills and knowledge increase to a higher extent. So travelling is important for developing our perspective, learning new things and refreshing our mind. While we are away from home, we meet new people, get to know their culture and lifestyle, experience different food and talk to others in a different language. All these are quite helpful in learning new things and honing our skills. Finally, travelling helps learn practical skills, and witnessing things with our own eyes has a more lasting impact on our minds.

Q.  What type of places are popular among foreign tourists in your country?
A.  Thank you for this question. Singapore is primarily an island and is located near Malaysia. Despite being an island, it has a good number of attractive places and tourists across the world gather here to enjoy their time. Foreign tourists mostly like to visit the places with historical importance, natural beauties, luxurious resorts, beaches, shopping malls, open-air shops, and enjoy street food in my country. Following the demands of the tourists, a substantial number of places have been modified and the tourists around the world get immense pleasure by visiting these spots in my country. Some of the notable places in Singapore are – Marina Bay Sands, Changi Chapel and Museum, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore Flyer, Botanic Gardens, Chinatown, Arab Street and Little India among others. The Singapore Zoo is another such place that draws a huge crowd.

Q.  How tourism has changed over the years in your country?
A.  Well, tourism has changed greatly over the last few years in Singapore. Earlier, people used to visit our country mostly for business and shopping purposes. Tourism was not quite expanded in the past as it is now. But now the scenario is quite the opposite. People now love visiting attractive places in my country and we get far more foreign tourists each year than the actual number of citizens of our country. Over time, tourism has developed gradually in Singapore. The government played a great role in the uplifting of the tourism industry while the initiatives from the private sectors helped as well.

Q.  Do you think cheap air travel has positively affected the tourism industry? How?
A.  A faster and convenient transportation system is essential to visit distant tourist spots and when it is about visiting beyond the border, people think carefully about the transportations. Luckily, cheap air travel has had some positive impacts on the tourism industry in Singapore as well as in the rest of the world. Now people across the globe prefer to visit our country and definitely, cheap air travels attract a lot more people than ever before. Air travel is comfortable and comes with some other special benefits for the passengers. Booking air ticket is easier now and the travel agencies play the booking agents' roles for the travellers. The number of domestic and international flights is also on the rise for the cheap ticket price and that has a direct impact on the faster growth of the tourism industry.

Q.  What sort of places students should visit? Why?
A.  This is a critical question to deal with. First, I think students should visit places with historical importance as they offer plenty of learning opportunities and ignite interests among them. They should also go to museums, science and art galleries, other universities, large libraries, and similar other places where they will learn something interesting and new. Besides, to increase their outlooks, they should visit places with natural beauties. International travel may also help them know more about different cultures and customs.

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