IELTS Speaking Samples and Answers
IELTS Speaking Test - Sample 103
- Details
- Written by IELTS Mentor
IELTS Speaking Test # 103
Part 1 Topic: "Friends".
Part 2 Topic: "Describe a writer you would like to meet".
Part 3 Topic: "Reading and children" & "Reading for different purposes".
Part One - Introduction
[This part of the test begins with the examiner introducing himself or herself and checking the candidate’s identification. It then continues as an interview. In the interview, the examiner asks the candidate about his/her home, work or studies and other familiar topics.]
Topic - Friends:
Q. How often do you go out with friends? [Why/Why not?]
Answer: I go out with my friends almost two or three times a week. During my university years, it was more frequent but these days, I cannot hang out with friends or see them that much as I have got busy with my job and other responsibilities.
Q. Tell me about your best friend at school.
Answer: Well, my best friend in my school days was John and in fact, he is still my best buddy. He is a compassionate, talented and honest individual. We had our ups and downs in our school days but he had always been there for me. He is now an architect and works for a large company in our city. He is married to Maria, a girl from our college, and they are happily married. I value our friendship and so does he.
Q. How friendly are you with your neighbours? [Why/Why not?]
Answer: Except for a particular rude neighbour, I have a good relationship with almost all our next-door-neighbours. We live in our area as if we are close relatives. There were times they extended their helping hands to me when I most needed them. On every major occasion, they invite my family and so do we. Despite our cultural, religious and other differences, we are all good friends and I am lucky to be in such a great neighbourhood.
Q. Which is more important to you, friends or family? [Why?]
Answer: This is a tough question to answer! I value my family over my friends. However, this does not mean that my friends do not have a special place in my heart. Family comes first and they are the individuals I feel most connected with. Everyone has a responsibility to look after his/her family and support them unconditionally. This is true for friends as well but the responsibility and bond between family members are acuter, I believe. Some of our friends are quite important while some are not. This is not the case for the family members as all of them are supremely important to me.
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 writer you would like to meet.
You should say:
- who the writer is
- what you know about this writer already
- what you would like to find out about him/her
and explain why you would like to meet this writer.
[ 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.]
[Examiner: All right? Remember you have one to two minutes for this, so don't worry if I stop you. I'll tell you when the time is up. Can you start speaking now, please?]
Answer to this Cue Card Topic:
Part 3 - Two-way Discussion:
Discussion topics: Reading and children.
Q. What kinds of books are most popular with children in your country? Why do you think that is?
Answer: Well, from my experience and observation I can say that comics, detective books, rhyme collections, fairy tales, and fictions are more popular among children in my country. Young children prefer comics and books that have nice illustration while teenagers like to read detective books and fiction. Among girls, fairy tales are more endured. In my childhood, I had been a great fan of detective books and mystery books.
Q. Why do you think some children do not read books very often?
Answer: Reading books is a habit and once a child starts feeling the unbound pleasure a book can offer, he/she becomes a book-lover. However, there are some who do not develop this habit either because he/she was too busy with other activities to dive his nose on a good book or because his parents did not inspire him to try reading books outside of the academic syllabus. Young children mimic their parents and if neither of the parents is a good reader, it is less likely that a child would start reading all by himself/herself.
Q. How do you think children can be encouraged to read more?
Answer: As I have already said, parents need to be readers and motivate children to read books. They should read books to their children every night and let the young minds search for a world hidden in books. They should also be very prudent while selecting books for the offspring and can take help from the Internet as many websites list down " the most suitable books" based on a child's age. Teachers, on the other hand, can play a great role in school and can motivate young students to read more books by arranging reading sessions.
Discussion topics: Reading for different purposes.
Q. Are there any occasions when reading at speed is a useful skill to have? What are they?
Answer: Well, as far as I can recall, being able to read at a fast speed is quite helpful for everyone, especially for students. Many exams, including IELTS and TOEFL, require a student to skim through the passages and get the gist as quickly as possible to answer the questions. Slow reading would deter a candidate to effectively end the exam in time and score well.
Besides, some reading competitions arranged in schools demand a student to read very quickly and meticulously. Finally, to finish some assignments given in the college, a student has to read many books and chapters. Those who do not have the speed-reading skill, find it very challenging to complete those assignments.
Q. Are there any jobs where people need to read a lot? What are they?
Answer: Well, I can say that researchers, journalists, teachers, bloggers, business analysts, writers and editors need to read a lot. I am pretty sure there must be many other professions, apart from the ones I have mentioned, where people are required to read every now and then. From my experience, I can say that reading is a must for a researcher and so is it for a journalist. Bloggers have to read a lot to generate ideas and get to know the competitors and this is true for a business analyst and editor as well. Writers, always prefer to read and they are natural readers.
Q. Do you think that reading novels is more interesting than reading factual books? Why is that?
Answer: This is really a tough question to answer and I am sure the answer will vary from person to person. Personally, I was a die-hard fan of novels in my whole life and found factual books less interesting. But this choice of mine has changed very recently. These days, I prefer factual books more than a novel. I believe this choice has something to do with the reader's taste, experience and age.
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