speaking ielts for learner

Take notes if you like and remember to include reasons and examples.. Take notes if you like and remember to include reasons and examples.. Take notes if you like and remember to include

….Family Tradition

Take one minute to prepare a talk on the following subject

Take notes if you like and remember to include reasons and examples

You should then speak for between one and two minutes

Describe your favourite family tradition.

You should say:

• what the tradition is

• when it occurs

• what you do

and explain why it is your favourite tradition.

My favourite family tradition is most certainly Thanksgiving, which is celebrated

on the fourth Thursday in November Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday Actually, everyday should be a day of Thanksgiving My family loves to celebrate this

holiday

It is a yearly tradition for our family to gather at my grandma’s house for

Thanksgiving I always look forward to this event My cousins and other family members that I do not get to see often are there My grandma and other family members prepare a big meal There is always plenty for everyone The main thing

is of course the turkey I like turkey, especially the legs My uncle never eats

turkey He says it is an ugly bird, and he doesn’t want to eat it When I was

younger, I would always want to get the wishbone and break it We also have sides

to go along with the turkey Everyone loves my grandma’s mashed potatoes We also have rolls, dressing, cranberry sauce, and yams Then, for dessert we have fresh pumpkin pie with whipped cream Before we eat everyone always gathers around the table and someone says the blessing

Thanksgiving is always a good time of fellowship and bonding for my family We usually watch some of the parade on television or a football game Sometimes

after everyone is done eating, we play card games like Rook You can see why this

is a favorite tradition for me and my family I wish we could do it more often

…Childhood

Take one minute to prepare a talk on the following subject

Take notes if you like and remember to include reasons and examples

You should then speak for between one and two minutes

Describe a happy childhood memory.

You should say:

• when and where the incident you remember happened

• who you were with

• what happened exactly

and explain why it is a happy memory.

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

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

Successful Family Member

1) The format of the test is as follows:

In the first part of the interview you will be asked questions

about yourself and familiar topics In the second part you will be given a card

with a topic and some prompts You will have one minute to prepare this topic

and then you will talk about it for one to two minutes In the last part the

examiner will develop this topic into a more abstract discussion You will be asked for your opinions and ideas on related issues

2) Try to talk as much and as fluently as possible In the actual test, do not let concern about accuracy obstruct fluency

3) Do not prepare specific answers: they will not be useful and they will make it more difficult for you to do a good interview

4) Relax, be confident and enjoy using your English

Part 2

Take one minute to prepare a talk on the following subject

Take notes if you like and remember to include reasons and examples

You should then speak for between one and two minutes

Describe the member of your family who is the most successful.

You should say:

• who this person is

• how often you see each other

• what this person does

and explain why he/she is successful.

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

Describe a museum you have visited and liked

IELTS Cue Card Question 91 With Model Answer:

Topic :Describe a museum you have visited and liked.

You should say:

• what kind of museum it was

• when you first went there

• what you saw and did there

and explain why you liked this museum.

Museum is an exciting place to learn about the past and histories of numerous issues A few weeks ago, I went to the War Remnants Museum with some of my friends

The War Remnants Museum is located in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam This

museum is a place of wonderful collections of Vietnam War The museum also contains relics and collection of the first Indochina war where the participation of the French Colonialists was a notable issue The museum is currently operated by the state The museum exhibits mostly the relics of the war associated with the

Americans and the French In the 1970s, the relics were exhibited on the

temporary basis and were termed in a different name Such exhibitions were also held in different parts of Vietnam to let people know about the war crimes which Vietnam has suffered The exhibition name was changed in the 1990s

When I was a teen, I went to the museum with my high school mates It was an educational trip for us and we visited the museum from our school The school authority organised for the tour and all the students of the high school had to participate in the trip I learnt a lot of information during the trip but it was not that much popular as it in the current days Around one million visitors come to see the war relics in this museum and it has turned into one of the most attracting places both for the natives and global travellers But the foreign visitors are more

in number than the local visitors and the opinions are different among the

travellers Some of them cannot bear the horrors of the Vietnam wars during the visit

Reading

1 Do you like reading books? Why or why not?

2 What (kinds of) books do you like to read?

3 Did you read much when you were a child?

4 What (kinds of) books did you like reading when you were a child?

5 Do (young) children like reading books?

6 For children, what do you think are the benefits of reading?

7 What do you think are the benefits of reading to children?

Yes, I’m really into reading because I believe that reading can be both entertaining and educational Reading broadens my knowledge by opening up the whole world

to me While I’m reading, I can be visiting another country or a different time period, or traveling through space I can find out how people solve problems or think up new ideas

Oh, it’s a tough question, or it should be more of what books I don’t read I have a really open mind to books and what genre they are Classic literature, novel, autobiography, historical story…whatever

Yes, I remember when I was a kid, I’d like to take some historical books from my father’s bookshelf, and read the historical stories, which were really entertaining

and educational to me As a result, I’m very familiar with our Chinese ancient history

It’s kind of hard to say but young children that I know around me tend to read fairy tales to cultivate their mental development, but maybe for others, they just want to watch TV and play toys

I believe if you want your children to be smart, they have to acquire a love for reading, which has numerous benefits Reading opens the door to child’s early academic success, imparts a love of learning and leads to higher grades in every subject Besides, reading can help children Improve linguistic skills in the form of a richer vocabulary, correct grammar, and more articulate oral communication On top of that, books teach child about relationships, situations, personalities, and what is good and what is bad in the world he lives in

Music

1 Do you often like to listen to music?

2 When do you listen to music?

3 How much time do you spend listening to music every day?

4 What kinds of music do you like to listen to?

5 What’s your favourite kind of music?

6 How often do you listen to that type of music?

7 When did you start listening to this type of music?

8 Where do you listen to it?

9 How do you feel when you listen to this music?

Yes, I am a big fan of music all these years I sometimes listen to music before sleeping at night for one hour and when I am driving, which will both help me relax I am very fond of pop music from Taiwan and Hong Kong, and I also

frequently listen to some American pop singers, like the Backstreet Boys I can feel the energy when I hear the tune

Personally, I am interested in the traditional instrumental music, like erhu, mixed with pianos and guitars I always get time to listen to these music during the

weekends It is an impressive combination that can give you a both nostalgic and modern feelings I firstly encountered this type of music when I was driving and listening to the radio five years ago, I forgot the name, but the tune sounded really amazing

Oh, yes, I saw a pop singer performance several years ago It was a really

memorable night as the live performances were very exciting I remembered that after the song, when the singer talked to the audience, everyone cheered and clapped crazily It made me feel so cool being there

Unfortunately, I had not learned to play any type of musical instrument when I was a little boy I remembered that in schools, teachers always told us to put all energy into studying and preparing exams The music lessons, along with physical exercises and paintings, were not so important as the schools claimed to be I really felt pity when I grew up

I didn’t get enough time to listen to music because I had to give all time to study That was my biggest pity during my childhood, so when I got to the university, what I firstly did was to buy me a new mp3 player

I believe currently in China, the most popular music is pop music There are many famous pop singers now, releasing numerous albums every year, and they are always trendy for a period of time

…Describe a newspaper or a magazine.

You should say:

• What it is and why you read it

• What are the benefits of reading a newspaper or a magazine

• How often you read it and what are the contents of it

and explain why do you like reading this newspaper or magazine.

Follow-up Questions:

• What do you think are the important qualities for a news reporter?

• What's the main difference between newspaper and magazine?

• What’s the function of a report to the society?

• What kinds of books/newspapers/magazines do adolescents read in your

country?

• With the popularity of Internet, do you think newspapers and magazines will disappear?

Possible Answer:

I read the newspaper almost every day and sometimes I purchase or borrow magazines to read as well I'd like to describe a magazine that I usually buy each month and enjoy reading a lot The name of this magazine is PC World which is a global computer magazine published monthly by IDG in the USA It offers advice

on various aspects of PCs and related items, the Internet, and other personal-technology products and services In each publication, PC World reviews and tests hardware and software products from a variety of manufacturers, as well as other technology related devices such as still and video cameras, audio devices and televisions

I have been reading this magazine for the last 6-7 years or so It is specifically useful for people who love computers, other technology devices; software and IT-related news and updates I am doing my graduation in Computer Science and Engineering and love to learn about new hardware and software This is a

magazine that offers great hardware & software reviews, tips on advanced

computing and many other useful articles

Reading a newspaper or a magazine is always helpful for learning new

information Newspapers provide contemporary local news, international news, editorials, entertainment, news, sports news and so on Without reading

newspapers or magazines one can't keep himself / herself updated with the latest news and views of the world I purchase the PC World magazine every month and read it for about 7 days Sometimes I read older versions as well to find out any particular reviews or articles This magazine is helpful for basic, moderate and advanced computer users and techno lovers Someone who has a computer

should read it to increase his/ her knowledge of hardware and software Even it’s helpful for those who are going to buy computers, printers, cameras, scanners, software or other hardware devices I enjoy reading it a lot

Travelling

1 Do you like travelling?

2 In which seasons do you prefer to travel?

3 Would you say your country welcomes travellers? (or tourists)?

4 Would you say your country is a good place for travellers to visit?

You bet! I am a big fan of travelling around I spend months all together each year

to go somewhere else I feel that it’s not only an indispensable part of my life, but also can culture my mental development

I guess the autumn is the best time to travel As it is neither too hot nor too cold, people will feel comfortable to go out Besides, as the foliage of trees will turn yellow or red, you will find the picturesque views all around you Wherever you

go, you will experience a memorable trip

Yes, Chinese people are renowned for their hospitality to visitors And there are also numerous tourist attractions around the country For instance, you can visit the natural landscape to see the picturesque views, or you can go to the historical relics to know the events through the long Chinese history, or you can just stay at the metropolises to experience the local people’s lifestyle

Describe your favourite item of clothing.

You should say:

• What it is

• When you bought it

• Why you bought it

and say why you like it so much.

Ooh, my favourite item of clothing! I’m not much of a clothes horse to be honest, I’m not very interested in fashion so at first, I thought this topic might be quite hard However, I’ve thought of one I’ll tell you what it is, when and why I bought

it and why I like it so much

The item is in itself unremarkable It is a purple craghoppers’ long-sleeved shirt It

is made of a quick-drying poly cotton blend and the fabric has some stretchy qualities which make it easy to wear The fabric keeps out the sun, and the design incorporates a couple of pockets, one of which has a zip so you can keep small items securely on your person It is designed as a travel shirt, and to be honest, was rather expensive compared to clothes I would normally buy

I bought the shirt online ahead of travelling to South East Asia It was just coming out of winter in the UK, but I’d be going to a hot climate I wanted something