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Written by IELTS Mentor

IELTS Speaking Test # 61

Part 1 - Introduction & Interview

Topic: Dictionaries

Q. Do you often use a dictionary?
Answer: Yes, I do use a dictionary often as a part of my English language learning process and to find out the meaning of some uncommon words in my native language.

Q. What do you mostly use dictionaries for?
Answer: I mostly use a dictionary for finding out the meaning and spelling of the English words which I am not familiar with when I am reading a book or some English news and articles. Apart from that, I also use a dictionary just for the purpose of remembering the meaning of some other English words during my leisure time. Finally, I also look at a dictionary when I need to find the synonyms or antonyms of a word and find examples of the use of a word in natural language.

Q. What kinds of dictionaries do you think are most useful?
Answer: I think that it all depends on the needs and personal preferences of individuals. As for me, I find only those dictionaries useful which “explain” the meaning of the words with enough examples and elaborate interpretation. Besides, I also find those dictionaries very useful which use the “images” next to the meaning of the words, provide grammatical information, synonyms and antonyms of the words I look for.

Q. Do you think dictionaries are useful for learning a language?
Answer: Yes, I do think that dictionaries are very useful for learning a new language because there is no other better and easier ways to understand the meaning of new words and terms than using a dictionary. Moreover, a dictionary also helps us understand the “context” in which particular words are used besides giving synonyms of that word which enhance our vocabulary tremendously.

Q. What kind of information can you find in a dictionary?
Answer: Several types of information can be found in a dictionary. But the main information, of course, is the “meaning” of the words. Then, it also provides us with information on how or from where a particular word “originated” and “changed” over time. A dictionary also contains information on how a particular word should be “pronounced”, how it should be "used" in natural language and the synonyms and antonyms of this very word.

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 an occasion when you met someone you hadn’t seen for a long.

You should say:

• who the person was
• how and when you met the person
• how long it was since you had last seen him/her

and explain how you felt about meeting this person again.

[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.]

Model Answer:
We have become so busy in our lives that sometimes we don’t really get to meet our loved ones or special people in our lives for years, if not more. Then, we suddenly meet them when we least expect them. Anyway, today I would like to talk about one such occasion when I got to meet one of my best friends from my university years.

His name is Boris Rafael, and we used to study together, and hang out pretty much all the time whether we were going to watch a newly-released movie, going for swimming at a nearby lake during the summertime, or camping at a mountain site. But, Boris suddenly had to leave our home town (a small town in that) to live in a bigger city, far from me, because he wanted to find a better employment opportunity after finishing his university.  Anyway, all this was before at least 4 years, I would reckon, and that was also for the last time when I saw Boris. Then, one day, before a few months ago, I had to attend a job fair in another city as I wanted my younger brother to have an internship during the next summer, and then I suddenly found that Boris was sitting on a chair, interviewing some new graduates at the job fair.  As soon as Boris saw me, he stood up and hugged me like a brother.

I was so happy to meet Boris after such a long time that I forgot about the “formalities” of a job fair for a while. In fact, I felt so excited after seeing Boris again that we both wanted to get out of the job fair and hit a cafe in order to catch up with each other’s life story over some coffee. But, then again, Boris came to do work, and he just couldn’t leave in the middle of it. So, I decided to wait instead and invited him to visit my place as soon as he finishes his job interviews. Finally, I didn’t forget to thank Boris (which was long overdue) that it was because of him that I managed to finish my university thesis with a good grade.

Part 3 - Details Discussion:

Now let’s talk about keeping in contact with people we know...

Q. In what different ways can people keep in touch with each other?
Answer: It all depends on how far apart people live from each other. If they live close by from each other within walking distance, then the chances are that they physically visit each other in order to keep in touch. But, if they live far apart from each other, they can call each other over the phone or exchange emails through their computers or smartphones to keep in touch with each other.  Some people might also use postal mails (which probably rarely happen these days) if they live far apart from each other in order to keep in touch.

Q. How important do you think it is to keep in touch with friends? Why/Why not? Which way of keeping in touch do you think is most popular with young people?
Answer: I think that it is very important to keep in touch with friends because we all need help and support from our friends one way or another at some points in our lives. Friends make our life colourful and worth living and we should not forget friends with whom we have spent some of our best years and have many happy memories together.   

Today, young people probably choose to use their phones the most in order to keep in touch with each other. By using their smartphones, they send “text” messages or make voice calls to their friends. Sometimes, they also use social media platforms and “chat messengers” in order to remain in touch with each other.
 

Now let’s consider the ways in which people change as they grow older...

Q. Why do you think some people change more than others?
Answer: Some people change more than others because of a number of factors which they just can’t seem to control. For example, family factors which influence the way people think and behave in a very significant way can change some people more than others. Then, there is also the “peer pressure” and “influences of friends” which force us to change, no matter how hard we try not to. Besides, the environments, we live in, and the professions, we choose, also change us in a tremendous manner. Finally, some people also change more than others because of their “genetic” structures.

Q. At about what age do you think people change the most? Why/Why not?
Answer: People tend to change throughout their entire lives, but they change the most up to the age of 30 (according to Harvard psychologist William James’ text “The Principles of Psychology”) or so. And, that’s exactly why, when we are older, we regret many of the decisions that we took when we were rather young. Anyway, we change because our brains develop and so does the way we think and behave. However, the most interesting thing is that even though most people acknowledge that their lives have changed over the years, they seem to believe that who they are now is pretty much who they will remain forever.

Now let’s discuss long-term relationships...

Q. How valuable do you think long-term friendships are compared with new relationships? Why/Why not?
Answer: Long-term friendships, compared to the new ones, are more valuable primarily because the long-term friendships are time-tested whereby all the parties in the friendships know and understand each other better. Besides, in a long-term friendship, people usually know what to expect in which circumstances when the situation is really demanding. On the other hand, with a new friendship or relationship, there is always a level of “unease” on what to expect when.

Q. Do you agree that maintaining long-term relationships sometimes requires effort? Why/Why not?
Answer: Yes, I do agree with the suggestion that maintaining long-term relationships sometimes require extra efforts, care and time because understanding each other’s need is not always an easy thing. Besides, a relationship is not a “linear” thing where everything goes smoothly all the time, rather all relationships have ups and downs, no matter how hard we try to understand and meet each other’s needs. So, little extra efforts always go a long way in dealing with those ups and downs from time to time.

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