IELTS Speaking Samples and Answers
IELTS Speaking Test # 114
- Details
- Last Updated: Thursday, 04 May 2023 01:00
- Written by IELTS Mentor
- Hits: 176379
IELTS Speaking Test # 114
IELTS Band 8/9 Speaking Sample.
Part 1 Topic: "Email".
Part 2 Topic: "Describe a hotel that you know."
Part 3 Topic: "Staying in hotels" & "Working in a hotel".
Part 1 - Introduction & Interview
[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 - "Email".
Q. What kinds of emails do you receive about your work or studies?
Answer: At my work, I receive at least a few emails every day either from my boss or co-workers. Most of these emails are sent to me either to update me about the work progress on a certain task or project, or to inform me about the tasks that I should take care of.
Q. Do you prefer to email, phone or text your friends? [Why?]
Answer: I always prefer to send text messages or emails to my friends, instead of calling them, mainly because it allows me to organize my thoughts more thoroughly. Besides, it also allows me to become more flexible with my communication since I don’t get “forced” to say something that I don’t want to.
Q. Do you reply to emails and messages as soon as you receive them? [Why/Why not?]
Answer: Yes, I do have a habit of replying my emails as soon as possible because I want the message senders to know that the message has reached the right person. Besides, I do it also because doing so gives me peace of mind, knowing that I value other people as well as their needs.
Q. Are you happy to receive emails that are advertising things? [Why/Why not?]
Answer: No, I don’t really feel happy to receive emails that send advertising because they waste my valuable time by confusing me to a point where I just don’t know whether to read them or not. Besides, sometimes such emails carry computer viruses or other harmful things.
Part 2 - Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card
[The topic for your talk will be written on a card which the examiner will hand over to you. Read it carefully and then make some brief notes.]
Describe a hotel that you know.
You should say:
- where this hotel is
- what this hotel looks like
- what facilities this hotel has
and explain whether you think this is a nice hotel to stay in.
[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?]
Click here for the answer to this Cue Card Topic
Part 3 - Details discussion:
Discussion topic: "Staying in hotels".
Q. What things are important when people are choosing a hotel?
Answer: Well, I can’t really speak for other people here because, frankly speaking, there could be “millions” of important things for them for which they choose a hotel. But as far as I am concerned, I choose a hotel based on a couple of important factors: one is how far it really is from the noises, hustling and bustling of city life so that I can have a sound and interruption-free sleep at night. The other important factor is how spacious the hotel really is so that I don’t feel congested or suffocated in it, especially, when there are too many guests there. From the reviews I often read about hotels, I can say that people often prioritise rent amount, location and amenities of a hotel while booking or deciding to stay there.
Q. Why do some people not like staying in hotels?
Answer: In my opinion, some people don’t like to stay in hotels for a couple of reasons. The number one reason probably is that they don’t just feel enough comfortable (probably even feel a bit unsafe and scared as opposed to living in a familiar place with familiar people) in such environment where too many unknown and strange people live. Another reason could be that they don’t get enough privacy (again, it is “privacy”, not a fear factor) at a hotel, especially, when they need to finish some important tasks in an isolated environment.
Q. Do you think staying in a luxury hotel is a waste of money?
Answer: As far as I am concerned, I never really like to stay at a “luxury” hotel, (even though, luxury is a “relative” term) and pay too much money to rent it because I do think that it is a terrible waste of money. Of course, if you are celebrating a wedding anniversary or celebrating multi-million dollar business deal, then it is a different thing. But, just to have some nice sleep at night and a place to relax, spending anything extra beyond a “reasonable” amount of money is certainly considered to be a waste of money in my book. But, it is quite different for rich people who would be ready to spend an exorbitant amount of money to stay in a luxury hotel due to the amenities and environment these hotels offer.
Discussion topic: "Working in a hotel".
Q. Do you think hotel work is a good career for life?
Answer: Speaking from a personal experience (Yes, I have worked as an Assistant Manager at a hotel when I was a young college student), I don’t really think that hotel work, in most of the cases, is a good career choice for life, mainly because it is a “service-oriented” industry or career. In other words, in service-oriented careers, there isn’t any tangible skills or abilities to display, be it to a customer or the superiors, and as such it is not always easy for others to value the skills, no matter how good one really is at his or her job. So career growth is a big issue here. But if someone is really passionate about working in a large hotel and meeting new people daily, it could be a different story for him or her.
Q. How does working in a big hotel compare with working in a small hotel?
Answer: I think that working in a big hotel has more advantages than working in a small hotel. For example, a big hotel usually would have more opportunities for career growth since they will always need more skilled people to do the jobs. Besides, the chances of getting “laid-off” at a big hotel are rather slim since there will probably be another opportunity in a different department. Finally, working at a big hotel, like a large hotel chain, will offer you a better job satisfaction since people would value you more for working at a bigger and famous place.
Q. What skills are needed to be a successful hotel manager?
Answer: Well, in order to become a successful hotel manager, a person would pretty much need to know anything and everything that is related to hotel operation, finance, customer service, hygiene and cleanliness, superior communication skills and team building. Besides, in order to become a successful hotel manager, one would also need to understand the industry trends, as well as the taste and preferences of a diversified group of prospective customers during different times of the year so that the manager can make an informed decision about his or her service and pricing strategies.
Report