ABOUT SPEAKING EXAM

Question 1:

Candidate:

Not a lot, but I have a few very close friends … I think it is better to have one reliable friend that a thousand fair-weather friends… Although it’s not easy to meet someone you have a lot in common with, I think managed to do it.

Question 2:

Candidate:

As often as I can… We enjoy each other’s company, so we see each other almost daily… What’s more, we live very close to each other, so it’s easy for us to meet up.

Question 3:

Candidate:

Oh, that’s an interesting question… I guess there are lot of things… For instance, my best friend can draw unbelievable art, good enough to sell. And my other friend is really keen on cooking… But most importantly, they are people, who are near and dear to my heart.

Question 4:

Candidate:

I’ve known my friends since my childhood… We’ve been through thick and thin together… Probably that’s why we’re so close now.

Candidate:

I would like to talk about my friend William… I wouldn’t say he’s my best friend, but I would rather call him as a good friend of mine… So, I met him last year at local sports centre. It turned out that we were studying at the same college… Then, miraculously, I got into the same class with him, and we got on like a house on fire… He’s the sweetest person I’ve ever met! He’s smart, helpful, caring, funny and somehow good-looking… And most importantly, we have a lot in common and he understands me as nobody else does.

Question 1.

Candidate:

Yes, certainly! Without my friends I’d be very sad and lonely, but they cheer me up and help in every way possible… Of course, all relationships have their ups and downs, but we should definitely try not to lose touch with our friends.

Question 2.

Candidate:

Hmm… Probably, the best time to get new friends is your school and university years. You have many possibilities to get in touch with different people… And it is easier to find friends with similar interests…Examiner: Is there anything special about your friends?

Question 3.

Candidate:

Yes, it very important not to lose touch with your friends… Surely, everyone changes, and even close friends can drift apart. But, in my opinion, friends are your second family, and we should highly appreciate them. Examiner: For how long do you know them?

Question 1:

I grew up very far from most of my family so I only saw them once a year. Every summer I would go to stay with them, while my parents continued working. Although I missed my parents, I used to really enjoy spending time with my grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. I spent all summer there, nearly two whole months, so from time to time my cousins and I would get bored. We would ask my grandparents if they had any ideas for interesting things we could do. Sometimes they suggested going for a bike ride, sometimes into town to do some shopping. At other times, they showed us a new game to play. Then we were happy again.

One day – it must be about 30 years ago (doesn’t time fly!) – all of us got really, really bored and we kept complaining to my grandparents. They were tearing their hair out, trying to think up ideas of where we could go and what we could do. Suddenly, my granddad came up with the idea of going to a new water park that had opened that summer. I hadn’t heard about it but my cousins had, and they told me all about it. It was a park with vast numbers of different pools, some inside, some outside. There were water slides as well. And, on top of there was not one, but two playgrounds with swings, a merry-go-round, see-saws. We were so excited.

We set off and on the way we were all singing songs and laughing, we couldn’t wait to get there. When we arrived, my cousins and I ran into the park and changed into our swimming costumes. Then we went looking for the most exciting-looking pool, and we found it, one with brightly coloured tiles and slides, we jumped straight in. We played all day in the park and had a lovely lunch, sat on some benches in the sunshine.

My granddad loved a pool that was filled with spa water. It was dark brown and stank of rotten eggs. I didn’t want to go in but he eventually convinced me. I’m pleased he did because the water was really warm. I’d never swam in water that warm. I didn’t want to get out, despite the terrible smell.

I consider it such a happy memory because we enjoyed ourselves so much and I remember so vividly how I felt that day. But there’s more to it than just that. When I look back now, I understand how caring my grandparents were and how much they wanted us all to be happy. They would have done anything to help us have a good time. I appreciate that more now that I’m older and have children of my own. I hope we thanked them, I can’t remember. But, anyway, they were content, I’m sure, to just watch us have an amazing time, playing and laughing in the water. So, as you can see, it was a wonderful day and is one of my favourite childhood memories.

Question 2:

What other activity did you use to enjoy when you were staying with your family?
I loved going for walks in the local park. There were people selling all kinds of delicious foods from carts, so my grandparents would invariably buy us some treat, like homemade ice-cream or cakes.

Question 1:

Candidate:

I’m studying history at university. It’s a four year course, and I started it three years ago, so I have just one year left. I’m enjoying it a lot so it will be sad to finish.

Question 2:

Candidate:

We learn about many things from the past such as politics and wars, but I like learning about how people lived in the past the most. It’s amazing to see how our lives have changed so much from the past up until now. In some ways our lives have got much easier now, but in other ways the simplicity of life in the past made people much happier. Learning about all that is fascinating.

Question 3:

Candidate:

I’m not sure at the moment, but I may go into teaching. This is why I’m doing the IELTS, as I intend to carry on and do a Masters in a specific area of history. I’ll probably decide for sure what to do when I have completed that.

PART 2

Question 1:

Candidate:

I do quite a lot of sport actually. I play football mostly – on Wednesday nights and Sunday afternoon with a local team. So, I also play tennis and squash when I can but I don’t really get the time to do them as well every week. I work quite hard at the moment, so I don’t get a lot of free time unfortunately.

Question 2:

Candidate:

Not a great deal actually. I used to love playing football when I was young as well – I played a lot at school. Though of course I did all the other things kids loved to do such as going out on bike rides after school and things.

Question 3:

Candidate:

It depends on my mood really. I think most people need some time on their own. Sometimes my work is quite stressful, and I spend a lot of time there with others, so it’s good to just get home and relax and read a book or something. But I get bored if I am alone too much, so I like to go out and meet friends in the evening or play football.

I think that the person who is the most successful in my family would be my father. I think also that the answer to the question ‘Who is the most successful person in your family?’ basically depends on what you think ‘success’ means, so, my answer is in the context of working life, rather than personal life. And that’s why I’ve chosen my dad. He has a job that is rewarding. He feels like he’s accomplishing something, that is obviously personally and professionally satisfying, but he also feels like he’s contributing to society in a positive way, which is a quality that a lot of jobs these days seem to lack and is something that I gauge success on.

It’s a bit hard to explain exactly what he does, but basically he works for a charitable organisation that runs retirement homes for old people, especially old people who haven’t got much money. It’s a management job, but working in a context which is really worthwhile.

His success is due to a lot of different things basically … finding the right job for him, one that suited him and his personality as well as his qualifications, and the goals that he wants to reach in his working life. But he’s also just worked hard over a lot of years, which means that it’s more likely that he’ll be successful, I guess, if success comes from hard work, which it often does.

I see my dad very regularly, about once a week. We often eat breakfast together before we go to our respective workplaces, so, yes, I think that I’d have to say he was the most successful because he enjoys what he does, as well as making a decent living out of it and I admire that in him. I think that in a work context this is what success means.

In my recent visit, that I took about a couple of months ago, I stayed at a hotel in Bangkok. Frankly speaking, I think that it was one of the best hotels in a very serene environment, in which I have ever stayed, and today I would like to talk about it here.

Anyway, located in the Dusit district of Bangkok, little more than 8 kilometres away from Bangkok downtown, this stunningly-beautiful looking, private urban sanctuary sits on 3 acres of a lush garden and by one of the famous rivers of Bangkok. Easily being considered as one of the best heritage-style, luxury hotels in Bangkok, it has all the ingredients to “awe-inspire” the guests with its marvellous antiques and decoration.

Taking elegance to the extreme, this hotel offers plenty of panache with its silent marble corridors, arranged around a central courtyard under glass with some incredible vegetation and plenty of natural light. With about 40 spacious rooms, this vast property is scattered with pieces from the owners’ art collection, including breathtaking wooden Buddha statues from 16th century, and has everything from an infinity pool to multiple dining venues to a library, cinema, gym, and spa — while maintaining an intimate vibe. Secluded Villas offer private pools, hot tubs, and rooftop terraces.

All rooms include breakfast, butler service, and free long-tail boat service along the river. Besides, its huge public area, and enormous banana trees, surrounding its water pond on three stories high atrium, would make one feel like he or she is in a huge garden.

Anyway, I think that this is one of the nicest hotels, I have ever seen and where I have stayed. One of the best features of this hotel is that it makes sure that all of its guests have plenty of space around them so that they never feel congested. Another remarkable aspect of this hotel is that every element in it, including the art pieces, decoration and design, feels like they all are the functional parts of the overall design of this luxury retreat.

Part 3

Question 1:

Candidate:

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.

Question 2:

Candidate:

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.

Question 3:

Candidate:

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.

Part 1

Question 1:

Candidate:

My hometown’s in Hanoi, which is the capital city of Vietnam. It’s located in the north of the country, not really that far from the southern Chinese border.

Question 2:

Candidate:

They are mostly quite friendly, but as with most big cities everyone is often busy so it may seem as if they are not interested in speaking or having a chat. But if you live there you know that most people are quite happy to have a chat if they have time and will help you if needed.

Question 3:

Candidate:

Oh yes, there’s certainly lots to do there as it’s a fairly big city. If you like going out in the evening there are a lot of good restaurants and bars. If you prefer cultural activities there are museums and art galleries. But if you like nature there are lots of other things outside of the city which are easy to reach.

Part 2

Question 1:

Candidate:

I currently work as an office manager at a large marketing company. I’ve been in the job for about five years now. I’m usually assigned to work with a specific business in order to improve their sales through various marketing strategies.

Question 2:

Candidate:

Well, that’s not something I’m thinking about at the moment as I really enjoy what I do and it’s a really good company to work for. The pay is good and they have other good benefits such as flexi-time and end of year bonuses. But that said, change is always a good thing, so I can’t see me being there forever. I’m sure I will change one day.

Question 3:

Candidate:

Oh yes, all the time. It’s a big office and we all have to work as a team if we want to achieve results. I have colleagues I need to liaise with such as the graphic designers and I also have administration staff who work under me. And of course I also have to work alongside the companies that we provide marketing for. So yes, I definitely have to work with other people.

Question 1 answer:

A place that I enjoy visiting is Prague. It’s the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic, with a population of nearly 2 million. It lies in the north-west of the country, in the centre of the Bohemian region, which is a green and lush part of Czech Republic.

There is lots to do in Prague. It has several universities, so first and foremost it’s a fantastic place to be a student. It’s buzzing, with a good nightlife, good restaurants and a lively cultural life. In fact, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a cultural and economic centre of central Europe a few years back.

If you climb up to the hill overlooking the old town, you have an amazing view of the city. What strikes me most when I go up there is all the traditional, pale buildings with their red roofs, and then right in the middle of it all, a remarkable piece of art and engineering, the Charles Bridge. It is one of the most loved attractions in Prague that crosses the Vltava River. It was built between the 14th and 15th centuries and connects Prague Castle with the Old Town.

Today you can walk across it and find many souvenir stalls or have your caricature drawn. There are many statues on the bridge and some people think that if you touch the statue of St John of Nepomuk you will receive good luck and return to Prague soon.

The last time I went to Prague, they were having a wine festival. People were tasting all kinds of wines from stalls on the street, very informally and chatting with friends while they drank. It was wonderful.

How has it changed since I first visited it? Well, I would say it has undoubtedly become more trendy. Like I say, they have built a stunning new museum. Another example is “the Lennon Wall”, a monument of recent vintage: It is a wall covered in graffiti and pictures inspired by John Lennon and the Beatles. People have been drawing on the wall since the 1980s and they continue to do so today. I would say the local inhabitants have become more overtly proud of their city too. It has received quite a bit of recognition in recent times, which has really placed Prague well and truly on the cultural map; something the inhabitants are always happy to talk to you about. In fact, that is something else I enjoy about going there: the local people are invariably friendly and helpful.

Question 2 answer:

When did you last go to Prague?
I last went there the year before last. I wish I could go more often, but unfortunately work commitments mean I can’t.

Topic – “Travel & Holidays”

Question 1:

Candidate:

Yes, definitely! I think seeing the world, from great historical monuments to white sandy beaches, is what life is all about. It’s a very interesting way to learn about new cultures and explore new places.

Question 2:

Candidate:

I prefer visiting various museums and places of interest. For instance, on my last vacation I was to Rome and I visited 12 museums. It was fantastic! Of course, sometimes I go shopping with my friends or relatives too… But I don’t find it near as exciting.

Question 3:

Candidate:

I really like going to the countryside, getting away from it all. Nothing relaxes me as much as wilderness… I am tired of tourist traps and usually go off the beaten track.

Question 4:

Examiner: Are there many tourists visiting your country?

Candidate:

Probably yes… My country has different tourist attractions in many cities, especially the capital… For example, my country has old-time religious traditions… That’s why we have a lot of ancient cathedrals and churches that are interesting for both tourists and local citizens.

Topic – “Your Neighbourhood”

Question 1:

Candidate:

Yes, I do like the neighbourhood, in which I live, mainly because I have lived in this neighbourhood for a long, long time where everything is so familiar to me. Besides, this is a rather clean neighbourhood where houses and homes are built in a planned manner. I like my neighbourhood also because people here are mostly very friendly.

Question 2:

Candidate:

No doubt, my neighbourhood is a nice place which has pretty much everything from nice and wide streets to clean ponds and lakes. However, it would be always nice to have new things, like a large swimming pool and a large playground for the children, to make my neighbourhood even a better place for living.

Question 3:

Candidate:

To tell the truth, these days, I don’t really get much free time to do anything outside because of spending too much time at work. However, whenever I get some free time, I try to exchange greetings with good neighbours I know. I also try to take part in social events like birthday parties or picnics in my neighbourhood when I have free time. I also sometimes join some voluntary works that aim to help others or make our neighbourhood clean and green.

Question 4:

Candidate:

No, I wouldn’t exactly like to live in another neighbourhood in my city, primarily because, I have spent a very significant part of my childhood and life in this place, and as such, I am too much emotionally attached to this place. Besides, my work is very closed to my neighbourhood which makes it even a more convenient place for me to live.

Topic – “Trains”

Question 1:

Candidate:

Yes, I quite like them. If you are on a train you can relax and look out the window, read, use your lap top – it’s all quite comfortable. On the bus it’s more difficult to do those things because there is less space and the movement can make you travel sick too. The only problem with trains in my country is that they are often delayed or late. That can ruin your journey.

Question 2 :

Candidate:

It’s usually on long trips across the country if I want to visit friends or I have an appointment somewhere. For short journeys around where I live or to work it’s much easier to drive or take the bus. As I said before, you can do things such as read on the train so it’s good for long journeys.

Question 3 :

Candidate:

Er….I’m not quite sure, let me think. It was a while ago now. I think the last time was last year when I went up to see some friends I had not seen for a while in the north of the country. Yes, that was it. It was a journey of about 3 hours and I had to change trains once during the journey. The first train was a bit crowded and noisy as I think there were people on there going to a football match, but it was an ok trip most of the way..

Topic – “Technology”

Question 1:

Candidate:

Yes, surely I do… Although I don’t consider myself a geek, I quite enjoy using all the new items like laptops and smartphones… All in all, we’re living in the computer age and it’s impossible to ignore cutting-edge technology.

Question 2:

Candidate:

I use Internet every day… It helps me with my studies and it entertains me when I’m down… Surfing the Internet is my hobby… I also frequently use World Wide Web for communication purposes… Though I don’t like social media like Facebook, I often use video conferencing for talking.

Question 3:

Candidate:

Yes, I have a personal computer and a laptop… I use my laptop mainly for education… It is very light and fits in my bag easily, so I take it with me to school… Meanwhile, my PC has a large screen and convenient keyboard, so I use it for word processing and browsing websites. It is an old, but still well-oiled machine…

Part 1
Topic: Sports

Now, in this first part of the test I’m going to ask you some questions about yourself.

First I’d like to ask some questions about sport

Question 1.

Candidate:
I have always been a fan of almost all kinds of sports except sports like boxing and wrestling because I find boxing and wrestling to be a bit too violent for my test. Anyway, just to name a few of the sport I like, they are football (soccer), cricket, hockey, tennis, badminton, ice hockey and volleyball.

Question 2.

Candidate:
I would say that cricket is the most popular sport in my country, given the huge crowds this sport attracts, followed by soccer and hockey. Of course, some would also argue that soccer/football is the most popular sport in my country.

Question 3.

Candidate:Yes, I did play volleyball in my childhood, which I no longer play, primarily because I have become busy with other priorities of life. Besides, since I have grown up, I have begun to like other kinds of sports instead of ‘volleyball’.

Question 4.

Candidate:
Sachin Tendulkar is my favourite sports star because of his mastery skills in cricket, unbelievable innings that helped his team to win, unforgettable shot selections while batting and the magical power in influencing the game with his talent and abilities. Perhaps no other cricketer in our continent has influenced and motivated people to watch or enjoy this sport as he did for years after years.

Question 5.

Candidate:
I prefer team sports, mainly because the team sport encourages interaction with other players and learn to cooperate, and thus improving the skill level of an individual team member further, which wouldn’t be possible otherwise. Team sports provide more opportunities for us to learn meaningful things such as responsibility, unity, teamwork and bravery.

I would like to talk about my local gym that I visit three times a week… It’s a new sports centre with the latest fitness equipment… It has everything you would ever need to keep fit: treadmills, various dumbbells and exercisers for different muscle groups. Moreover, it offers a wide range of different classes for every taste… I developed my own strength-building strategy, so usually I start with a short warm-up when I jog on the treadmill for a few minutes to sweat… Then, I go to the weights sections and start doing lifting exercises… Finally, I end my workout with stretching… I try not to miss my trainings, because they help me to relax and forget about the daily routine.

Part 3
Topic: Role models

Question 1.

Candidate:
If young people lack good role models, it is very possible that they are becoming very confused over time with what kinds of roles they should take in their families and societies. Besides, without strong and good role models, young people very easily become ‘prey’ to the “bad” elements of our society. As a result, our society will have to struggle with generations of young people devoid of any good morals and values who would bring no good except chaos, crimes and social unrest.

Question 2.

Candidate:
Unfortunately, gone are those days when young people used to consider their fathers, teachers and medical doctors as their role models. Nowadays, it is mostly movie stars and famous sportspersons who become role models in my society. Some of us would even argue that anybody, with plenty of money, has a shot to becoming a role model in our society which is really unfortunate.

Question 3.

Candidate:
We, more often than not, look upon the teachers for guidance since they are still some of the most valued and respected members of our society because of their tremendous contribution to building the nation. Therefore, it should be incumbent upon our teachers to set some good behaviour standards for others, as well as for themselves, by teaching discipline, good moral values, honesty, the value of hard works, and respect. With these behaviour standards, we can expect to build an ideal and functioning society where we will be able to live and co-exist happily with each other.

Question 4.

Candidate:
Yes, I do agree that famous people have more responsibilities than ordinary people because ordinary people look up to them for some kind of leadership roles in fixing some of their problems. And, that’s exactly why sometimes we see world-famous persons like Angelina Jolie (Hollywood actress) and David Beckham (British soccer superstar) acting as some special UN (United Nations) envoy and goodwill ambassador in order to raise awareness on different urgent issues that are affecting our world community negatively.

Question 5.

Candidate:
I have never found a reason which would suggest that I should never meet my heroes. On the contrary, I have always believed in meeting my heroes since it would inspire me, even more, to become like the heroes I have always admired.

Part 1
Topic: Laws

Question 1.

Candidate:
Law and order are important and necessary in order to maintain an ideology for a society to be bound together by. It defines a set of conducts and norms that one must comply to be considered a part of a civilized group of people who don’t undermine the right of other people.

Question 2.

Candidate:
No, I don’t think that the laws should be any more universal than they already are, simply because people in different parts of the world live under different codes of behaviour, religious principles and cultural values, and trying to force them to live under some so-called universal laws would prove out to be counter-productive.

Question 3.

Candidate:
I would say that people in my country are generally law-abiding citizens, given the mountains of problems and adverse situations the people have to deal with on a regular basis.

Question 4.

Candidate:
The judiciary branch of the government is most responsible for enforcing the law in a society and country. Law and order enforcement agencies like police, army, military and paramilitary forces help the judiciary branch to effectively enforce the law.

It may sound strange, but my favourite weather is when it is cloudy, windy and drizzling as it makes me feel calm and relaxed… I like such weather especially at night because I can hear the little raindrops falling and see the dew on the window, and it helps me to sleep… It is very pleasant… Also, I love foggy weather… It’s very romantic and gives me a sort of feeling like I’m in an old black and white movie. However, I don’t like heavy rains and downpours. And I hate when temperature goes below zero, it’s too cold for me. Probably, the type of weather I like is common for the United Kingdom… But in my hometown such type of weather is very rare. Usually, we have dry and sunny days with occasional spells of rainy weather.