IELTS GT Test – Speaking Mock Test # 4
[The examiner asks the candidate about him/herself, his/her home, work or studies and other familiar topics.]
PART 1:
Topic: Travel
Q. Do you enjoy travelling? [Why/Why not?]
A. Yes, I love to travel whenever I have time. I really enjoy being in a place where I have never been to, and exploring new cities is a passion for me. I believe travelling offers us first-hand experience about the world we live in and through travelling, we can understand the diverse cultural aspects and demographics of the world and its inhabitants.
Q. Have you done much travelling? [Why/Why not?]
A. I could not travel much when I was a student as I had little money to visit foreign countries and distant parts of my country. As I have a job and a steady earning now, I visit at least two countries each year apart from visiting different parts of my country now and then. So far, I have explored most parts of my country and 11 countries in total. I hope the list will go on and I would be able to travel extensively during my late thirties and forties.
Q. Do you think it’s better to travel alone or with other people? [Why?]
A. I believe travelling with a group of people is better than taking solo tours. Firstly, group travelling is affordable and safer. It also lets us know about new people and share and adjust our tour plans. I can recall at least two events when a fellow traveller’s advice saved me from a disaster. In a group tour, a traveller has others to rely on and share the cost. Thus I personally prefer a group of fellow travellers with me whenever I am in a distant city I have never been to.
Q. Where would you like to travel in the future? [Why?]
A. I would like to explore most of the countries in Asia. I have only been to Malaysia and Japan among the Asian countries and I believe all of the Asian countries have great destinations and distinctive cultural aspects. People are very friendly there and these countries have so many adventures to offer to the tourists.
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 child you know.
You should say:
- who the child is
- how you know him/her
- how you act with the child
and explain why you like/dislike this child.
Model Answer:
Every time I got to visit my younger sister’s place, I have to make sure that I have a box full of Coco chocolate and a few packs of chocolate milk. Now, please don’t think that my sister needs them for herself, but, rather I buy them for my little four-year-old nephew whom I love with my life.
I don’t really visit little Mike during the afternoon since he remains just too busy riding his favourite bike from 4:00 pm until 6:00 pm in the evening. So, I visit him when he is just about to finish his afternoon activities, of course, only to hear him complaining as to why I didn’t join him earlier during his bike riding time. Then comes the part when I actually get him to talk to me only after making sure that his chocolate box and chocolate milk are “secured” from the “intruders”, followed by some “sacred” “uncle-nephew” talks which involve taking little Mike to the nearby zoo as well as buying him his favourite new bike the next day.
Little Mike doesn’t really consider himself a “child”. So, when I call him my two-and-half-feet “big man”, the little chubby boy, with his straight hair, never forgets to thank me. But, I am afraid that I don’t exactly get the same kind of “thankful reception” when I score a “goal” against him by accident during a “serious football match” between “Mike the great footballer” and me, the silly footballer.
I love Mike because he is a little sweet and gentle boy with his occasional mood changes. But I love him, even more, when he hugs me and tells me that I am the best uncle in the world. I also like our little “bike riding hero” because I have seldom seen him forgetting to thank me after bringing him his favourite chocolates and chocolate milk. Being a smart kid, Mike knows that it is not a good thing to lie. So, I really like the fact that he never really lies, nor he likes it somebody lies to him. I also like him a lot because of his curiosity, and some honest questions about many things in this world which we normally take for granted. Besides, who wouldn’t like a nephew who thinks that he can buy me the biggest helicopter in the world after becoming the richest man in this world?
PART 3
Discussion topics: Relationships between parents and children
Q. How much time do children spend with their parents in your country? Do you think that is enough?
A. Overall, parents in our country spend a good amount of time with their children. However, this amount of time varies based on the professions of the parents and their socio-economic conditions. Interestingly, mothers spend more time with their offsprings as they stay home while fathers remain busy at their workplace and thus cannot always manage time to spend quality time with their children. I think average parents spend good enough time with the youngsters, but for nuclear families in which both parents work show a contrasting scenario.
Q. How important do you think spending time together is for the relationships between parents and children? Why?
A. The relationship between parents and children is divine and their bond becomes stronger if they spend quality time together. A child who gets enough attention and care from both parents is usually happier and possesses a positive mentality while children who do not get enough time from their parents grow up with depression and melancholy. Since parents are the most reliable persons for a child and perhaps the best mentors, it is important that they spend enough time together.
Q. Have relationships between parents and children changed in recent years? Why do you think that is?
A. I believe the eternal relationship between parents and children remained the same but some social depravities are quite visible in this modern era where some parents put their career ahead of their children’s well-being and many children do not hesitate to leave their parents in their adulthood. Our craving for more materialistic and wealthy life and moral degradations are the primary reasons for this. A false sense of freedom and yearning for economic stability have further fueled this trend.
Discussion topics: Children’s free-time activities
Q. What are the most popular free-time activities with children today?
A. Children from rural areas in my country mostly play outdoor games with other children, watch television programmes, collect stamps and coins and visit different places with their parents in their free time. While children from cities more often watch TV and play video games. Their pastime activities include fewer outdoor ventures, and the availability of modern technology like the internet and handheld gadgets glue them to the digital screen. However, many city children, especially girls, take arts & crafts, dancing and singing. Collecting stamps and coins and visiting different amusement parks with parents are also common among them.
Q. Do you think the free-time activities children do today are good for their health? Why is that?
A. If we consider the pastime activities of modern children, many of them are attached to the TV and computer screens, which is detrimental for their psychological and physical health. Evidence shows that many such children end up having weaker eye-sights, obesity and poor performance in schools.
However, free-time activities like arts & crafts, dancing and outdoor sports have positive outcomes as those pursuits are creative and good for health. Parents should make sure their children take more outdoor activities in their free time rather than staying home and watching TV or YouTube all day long.
Q. How do you think children’s activities will change in the future? Will this be a positive change?
A. I’m afraid the trend shows that in the future children will spend more time inside their home and spend their leisure time either browsing the internet or playing video games. This can’t be a positive change as those activities involve less physical movements and more time in front of a digital screen. This will aggravate the health-related issues and make them apathetic towards socialising and participating in outdoor activities.