Speaking Sample 18

IELTS GT Test – Speaking Mock Test # 18

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

PART 1:

Topic: Food and cooking

Q. What sorts of food do you like eating most? [Why?]
A. In our country, rice, bread, pizza, shepherd’s pie, sweet and sour chicken, meat and spaghetti bolognese are some very common food items and I like all of them. As long as the ingredients are fresh and the menu is delicious, I do not hesitate to try it.

Q. Who normally does the cooking in your home? [Why/Why not?]
A.  My mother is in charge of cooking at our home. We have a housemaid who helps my mom in cooking. My mother is the only person who stays at home and she loves cooking. She is one of the best cooks I personally know about and she knows how important it is for her to ensure a healthy meal for the family. I believe this is the reason she cooks for all of us.

Q. Do you watch cookery programmes on TV? [Why/Why not?]
A. I do not follow such programmes all the time but once in a while, I like to watch it. Good Eats, MasterChef and The Great British Bake Off are some of the cookery programmes I have watched. I believe I am not so passionate about cooking and like to watch sports or talk shows on TV instead.

Q. In general, do you prefer eating out or eating at home? [Why?]
A. I prefer eating at home most of the time. Considering the cost and hygiene, home-made food is far better than outside junk food. However, whenever I hang out with friends in a restaurant and cafe, I like to eat a menu they have. But I try to avoid junk food most of the time.

PART 2:

[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.]

Describe a house/apartment that someone you know lives in.

You should say:

• whose house/apartment this is
• where the house/apartment is
• what it looks like inside

and explain what you like or dislike about this person’s house/apartment.

Cue Card Answer:

My friend David lives in a 2-bedroom apartment on the 2nd floor of a busy neighbourhood which is, of course, conveniently located only about 10 minutes drive away from the downtown area of a big city. Apart from having 2 bedrooms, the apartment also has a sitting area, 3 bathrooms of which one is attached to a bedroom, a kitchen, one small dining hall, a storeroom, and two balconies.

Having been nicely designed, the apartment seems to be more spacious than its original size of about 1350 square feet which, in my opinion, is one of the best features of this apartment. The interior of this apartment is quite impressive with its “easy on the eyes and relaxing” pastels colour. I like the apartment’s fully equipped kitchen with its distinctive looking kitchen cabinet, hanging on its kitchen wall, from a very famous German furniture brand. The apartment also has some elegant-looking, expensive, wooden furniture from leading brands which seem to be matching perfectly with the colour of the carpets (from Turkey, I assume) covering its floors. Besides, the widows of the apartment are perfectly designed to ensure that enough light enters its interior any time of the day.

However, even though my friend made every effort to make his apartment look really nice and contemporary, I feel like its small balconies are rather crowded with flower pots on their floors. Besides, I don’t quite like the switches, as if they look obsolete with their “out of fashion” designs, which are attached with the walls in the apartment. I also feel like the rooms of this apartment could have been designed with a better layout in order to ensure a bit more privacy from each other.

But, overall, I like this apartment for the price my friend is paying for its monthly rent, as well as for its prime location which can be accessed pretty much from all directions.

PART 3

Discussion topics: Different types of home

Q. What kinds of home are most popular in your country? Why is this?
A. The type of houses people have in my country depends on the location and average economic condition of people of this area. For instance, most of the rural people have traditional bungalows built with wood and bamboo. Comparatively rich in rural areas like to have large bungalows and a garden in front of it. Apartments and high rising building are not available in such an area. I believe tradition, economic condition and lifestyle have something to do with the choices of houses in our rural areas.

On the contrary, city people mostly own or rent apartments and rich citizens have large houses. Multistoried buildings are quite common in such an area and despite city people’s dream to live in an independent house, they mostly end up buying or renting a flat. The property price in recent years has skyrocketed and middle-class can’t afford to buy an independent house in a large city.

Q. What do you think are the advantages of living in a house rather than an apartment?
A. A house gives a sense of ownership of the entire living space including the garden, pool and the barbeque area while apartment buildings are shared by multiple owners. Thus freedom of living in a house is an obvious advantage. A house owner can have parties at their backyard, listen to loud music and allow children to yell and pets run free. These can’t be done in an apartment as freely as in a house. Moreover, the neighbours on the top often drop things on the floor and drag chairs and it is hard to ignore a bad neighbour in an apartment. A house owner can plant trees, enjoy enough sunlight and fresh air which are absent in many apartments in the congested area. Finally, the market value of a house increases more rapidly than an apartment.

Q. Do you think that everyone would like to live in a larger home? Why is that?
A. I believe if people are given free will, almost all of them would choose a large house to live in. The advantages of a large house are obvious and people would opt to live in a large house considering those benefits. Many city dwellers rent or buy an apartment because they are cheaper.

Discussion topics: Finding a place to live

Q. How easy is it to find a place to live in your country?
A. In rural areas, we have plenty of lands and someone can easily buy a plot and build a house of their choice. However, renting a house is not that easy in such an area as people do not have large buildings or houses to rent out to others. I believe, people migrate to cities for a better lifestyle and job, and this leaves the villages with fewer demands for property renting.

On the contrary, large cities in my country have thousands of multistoried buildings and the landlords rent out apartments to tenants. This is why it’s easy to find a flat in such a city but the rent is a bit higher these days. Buying property, on the other hand, is so expensive that a few people can actually purchase them.

Q. Do you think it’s better to rent or to buy a place to live in? Why?
A. I believe buying a property is always a better option if someone can afford it. This not only gives freedom of living but also benefits the owner financially. Property price is increasing rapidly and someone who owns a house can rent out a portion of it to earn from the property. Even if a person who owns a house needs to relocate, he can easily rent it out or sell it at a higher price.

Q. Do you agree that there is a right age for young adults to stop living with their parents? Why is that?
A. I think that depends on the county and culture we consider. For instance, a young adult in a western country is expected to have his own earning source and a living place. Such young adults should leave their parents’ house as soon as they are 21 years old and have some sort of earning.

In most Asian countries, on the contrary, parents expect that a boy would live with them and take responsibilities of the family after they become earning members. These young adults often bring their brides to the house and they live together as a family. It those cultures, adult girls live with their parents until they get married. This tradition expects that children would take care of their parents when parents become old. Many youths temporarily leave the house for studies and job but eventually return to the family.