Hometown

Where is your hometown?

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.
Is there much to do in your hometown?
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.
What are the people like in your hometown?
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.
Metropolitan populous

Studies
What are you studying at the moment?
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.
What do you like most about your studies?
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.
What do you hope to do in the future when you have finished?
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.

Work
What is your job?
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.
Do you have to work with other people?
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.
Do you think you will change jobs in the future?
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.

Leisure time
What do you like to do in your free time?
I do quite a lot of sport actually. I play football mostly - on Wednesday nights and Sunday
afternoon with a local team. 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.
Have your leisure activities changed since you were a child?
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.
Do you prefer to spend your free time alone or with other people?
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.

Trains
Do you like to travel by train?
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.
Where do you usually go by train?
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.
When was the last time you travelled by train?
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..

Time
Are you good at managing your time?
Actually I'd say I'm not too good! I don't really have a system in place to organize things. I
know some people have an electronic organizer or use some device to plan what they are
doing but I don't do that. But I always make sure I am on time for appointments and things
like that, and I meet deadlines and get things done.
How do you manage your time?
As I said, I don't have any specific system in place to manage my time. For example, if I am
at work and I have a lot of cases, I just go through them each day and decide which I need

to tackle first. At work we do have an online diary which I guess I use, so in that sense I do
manage my time to an extent.
When is it most important for you to manage your time?
I think it is probably when you are at work. When out of work, it's not really going to affect
things too much, or at least only yourself, if you are late to meet friends or for an
appointment, or if you are getting things done in your house. But at work, it will cause
problems if you don't manage your time effectively because you could miss deadlines or
miss appointments. You could lose your job. So at work is when it is most important to
manage your time.
___________________________________________________

Books
What kind of books do you like to read?
I mostly like to read biographies. I'm not sure why but it is interesting to read about people's
real lives, especially when they have had interesting lives and have had to deal with many
problems. I do read fiction as well, but I often find it difficult to get hold of a book that I really
like. I also like reading about books to do with current affairs.
Do you read the same kind of books now that you read when you were a child?
Not really, no. Actually I didn't read that much when I was a child, but if I did it was mainly
fiction books, such as fairy tales. Things like The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Fantasy things.
When do you think is the best time to read?
I think any time is ok, but when I read I like to concentrate, so I can't read for a short time
like on a bus ride like some people do. I like to put time aside to enjoy it. So if I have some
free time at the weekend I might read for a few hours. And I nearly always read before I go
to bed - this really helps me to sleep.
___________________________________________________

Art Galleries
Are there many art galleries where you live?
No, not that I know of. I live in a small town so I don't think there are any, though we do
have a few museums and other cultural institutions. In our capital city there are quite a few
art galleries, however.

Did you like to go to art galleries when you were a child?

I've never been that interested in art to be honest, so not really. We were taken to one as
part of a trip when I was at school. It has a lot of paintings from famous artists from our
country. It was quite interesting to see I guess but I've not been to any since.
Should people have to pay to go to art galleries?
I think it depends really. If possible they should be free because if people do have to pay
they are less likely to go and see it. But on the other hand these things cost money so a
small fee may be necessary if it can keep the art gallery going and keep it open. Ideally
though the government should pay for this as I believe this kind of thing is paid for by our
taxes.
___________________________________________________

Swimming
Can you swim?
Yes I can. I learnt at school when I was about 7 years old. Swimming lessons were
compulsory at our school, like most schools I think.
Are there many places to swim near you?
Yes, there are a few public swimming pools. There is the main indoor one at a big sports
complex in the center of town. There are also a couple of outdoor ones, but you can only
use them in summer as it is be too cold in winter. One is a big one in a park, the other is a
much smaller one.
Do you think everyone should learn to swim?
Of course, I think it's very important. Firstly, you spend much of your life on holiday by
water, for example, when you go to the beach on holiday, so you won't be able to enjoy
yourself with your friends if you can't swim. Also, for safety reasons it's very important. You
often hear about sad accidents involving young children so it's very important.

IELTS Speaking Examples - Cue Card 1

Describe a present you have given someone.

You should say:

Who you gave it to
What kind of present it was
How it compared to other presents you have given

Explain why you decided to give this particular gift.

IELTS Speaking Examples - Model Answer

Im going to talk about a present that I gave to someone.
The person that I gave it to was a very good friend of mine at the time. His name was
Kumar Yadav and he came from India. I knew him because we studied together at a
Business school in UET. Although we were from different backgrounds and cultures, we got
on really well and we had the same sense of humour so we became very good friends.
The present was a picture that had been painted of the Chanab River near Lahore city. It
was not so big one - maybe around 10 inches by 14 inches, but it was very beautiful. It
came in a gold plated frame and the picture had been drawn by a particularly well-known
female artist Ms. Alina Shah Nazawz an old Uetian and very good friend of mine. It had
been signed by her as well.

Its the first time I have given this person a present, and I guess its quite different from
presents that I have given to other people before I dont recall ever giving someone a
picture actually. If Im buying for family then Ill usually buy clothes or maybe some jewelry if
it is a special occasion. Normally when Ive bought something for friends its something
more jokey so we can have a laugh about it, nothing that serious.
The reason why I decided to give this particular gift is because we had spent a lot of
time together in UET and we had some really fun times on Chanab River thats obviously
why I thought this was an appropriate present. We used to go for sailing and fishing over
their at least once a month. On one occasion there was a group of about ten of us that went
down there, and we spent the whole day sitting by the river in the sun and as usual we went
on a boat trip together. We all have a lot of photos to remind us of this great day.
So my friend, Kumar Yadav, is the person that I gave a present to and this was because I
felt it would always remind him of the fun times that we had and also of UET.

________________________________________________

IELTS Speaking Examples - Cue Card 2

Describe an old person that you know.

You should say:

What your relationship is to this person
How often you see them
What people think about this person

Explain why you like them.

IELTS Speaking Examples - Model Answer

Ok, Id like to tell you about an old person that I know.
His name is Mr. Ali, and he is the owner of a small convenience store at the end of my
street.

I would say that my relationship with him is as a friend. I know him because I regularly
go to the shop in order to buy things when I dont have time to go to a supermarket. Hes
quite friendly and I always have a chat with him. Ive known him now for about five years since Ive lived in the area in fact. Thats why Id now call him a friend.
Id say that I see him fairly regularly. Like I said, I go to the big supermarket out of town
sometimes to stock up, but you always need odd things during the week such as milk, or
some snack or other. So when this happens I just have a walk down to his shop. So Id say I
see him every one or two days.
I think Mr. Ali is pretty popular as hes been there for years as far as Im aware, so most
of the locals around the area know him. There will always be someone in the shop having a
chat with him. They like him because hes not just the shopkeeper but hes also very
involved in activities in the community. For example, I know he helps out at the old peoples
home some nights, and he runs the quizzes at the local pub. He also helps to organize the
fete that is held each year in the town.
The reason that I like him is that hes great to have a chat with. For instance, a while back
I was having problems with my work, and I was really feeling stressed. I didnt really have
anyone to talk to at the time as my family is abroad and a couple of my good friends were
not around. I mentioned it to Ali and he was great. He listened and also gave me some
really good advice. He didnt need to do that so it was great that he made the time to
anyway. Generally, though, hes really welcoming when you go to his shop. Hell always
have a smile on his face.

________________________________________________

IELTS Speaking Examples - Cue Card 3

Describe a happy childhood event.
You should say:
When it happened
Who was involved
How you felt at the time
Explain why you remember this particular occasion.

IELTS Speaking Examples - Model Answer

Im going to talk about a happy childhood event that I remember, and that event was my
13th birthday.
It was 10 years ago now because Im 23. My birthday is on the 7th May. What happened
was my parents surprised me on my birthday by telling me that they were going to take me
to a theme part that is a few hours from our house. Id never been before - it had only been
open a few months and they knew that I really wanted to go. As I recall it was a Saturday
that we went. They didnt tell me until the morning when I woke up that day.
My whole family was involved in the event. I have a brother and a sister so of course
they came as well as my Mum and Dad, and not only that, we also picked up my cousins on
the way so they could join us.
The theme park was really amazing. There was a huge roller coaster which I remember
was really scary but still excellent fun. One particular thing I remember is the ghost train. My
younger sister was not allowed to go on the ride because she was too young and she was
really upset and eating her heart out and so I went on ride with my elder brother. It was
really realistic there were real people in there who were actually dressed up as ghosts
and they jumped out just when you were not expecting it it made us jump so many times!
How I felt really depended on what I was doing. Obviously I was excited the whole day,
but I remember that I felt really excited when I was on the rides such as the roller coaster,
and scared but still excited on the ghost train.
The reason that I remember it so well is that I had been so desperate to go to the theme
park. I remember it so well because all of our family was together. My Dad was pretty busy
most of the time with his work so we didnt always have much time to do things together
when I was a younger.
So for these reasons, is was a really special occasion that Ill never forget.

________________________________________________

IELTS Speaking Examples - Cue Card 4

Describe an environmental problem that has occurred in

your country.
You should say:
The cause of the problem
What effect it has had on your country
The steps, if any, that have been taken to solve this

Explain why you think this problem is so important to solve.

IELTS Speaking Examples - Model Answer

Ok, I'm going to talk about a problem with the environment in pakistan.
One of the most serious problems at the moment is flooding. This happens every year
and each year it seems to get worse. I think it may be caused by a number of factors. Firstly
there has been a lot of deforestation in Pakistan, a lot of it from illegal logging. Another
factor may be global warming. Scientists believe that this is causing more severe weather
so this may account for the increasing amount of rain that we seem to be seeing. Finally,
there are only few dam to hold and store the water in our country.
Unfortunately, there have been really serious effects on Pakistan. The excess water
runs into the villages and the towns through the rivers and the rivers then overflow causing
massive flooding. This effects thousands of people who then become homeless. Several
hundred usually die each year as well. This also has repercussions for the government as
they have to spend so much money managing the disaster each year.
The government should try to tackle the problem. They should prohibit the
deforestation but a lot of the damage has already been done. They should also invest more
on dam development and maintenance of lot dams because that is the ultimate solution for
this problem.
I think this problem is a top priority to solve because it has such devastating impacts.
As I mentioned before, it causes suffering for so many people and it is also a huge expense
for the government and as we are not a rich country we cannot afford this. So, that is the
serious problem in my country, and I only hope that it does not continue to get worse.

Describe a Festival in your country

There are many festivals in Pakistan, such as Eid Azha, Eid-ul-Fitar, Independence day and
Basant Festival etc. The Eid-ul-fitar and Azha is the biggest festivals in Pakistan. Eid-ul-fitr
is celebrated after the holy month of Ramadan. Musims fast during the month of Ramadan
with full devotion and for the sake of finding Allahs blessings. This month is considered a
month full of blessings by God. Muslims of all over the world make preparation for the
festival of eid-ul-fitr. Then they see new moon of next month of shawal then they celebrate
that night also by the name of chand raat. Girls enjoy that night with friends, bangles and
mehndi on hands. At the day of that festival Muslims wear best clothes and goes for eid
prayer in the mosques.
Eid Festival is the only time when all families gather together and stores and business are
closed for several days. During the Eid Festival, we eat delicious food, visit relatives and
friends, and watch TV to welcome the New islami Year. I also like to try and contact some
friends before and see how theyre doing and what theyre up to.
We give each other presents on the day of Eid.

---Cue Card--Describe your Favourite tourist attraction in

your country..
One of the most popular hill station and a summer resort in Pakistan is Murree. Murree is also
visited as one of the hottest destination for Pakistani tourists in summer and during snowfall of
winter. Murree is located about 30 km northeast of Islamabad.

I also visited Murree many time the Murree region is known for its scenic beauty of pine- and oakcovered mountains, dotted with lawns and orchards. On clear days a good view of the snowy peaks of
Kashmir is possible, and the crest of Nanga Parbat can sometimes be seen from the highest point in the

murree. Tourist attractions in the area include the Murree Wildlife Park, Kashmir Point, Pindi Point,
Burban, Pateriata and River Neelam as well.
Patriata (also called New Murree), is one of the central attractions of Murree. This place, which is 15 km
away from Murree Hills, is famous for its chairlift that gives a bird-eye view of the Kashmir green hills. It
is at the highest point of Murree Hills that subsequently makes it the highest point of Punjab as well.

Murree to Bhurban
Bhurban is celebrated as one of the only resort areas of the country where there is a 5 star
hotel built by Pakistan Services Limited, the Pearl Continental Hotel. Bhurban is only 9
Kilometers from Murree.

----Cue Card---Describe a Museum you visited:

I have visited 2 museums one in Lahore and one in Taxila. But here I like to talk about the Taxila Museum because
that inspired me the most. I went to the museum 2 years back while visiting the city during an official tour. I went to
Taxila to attend a meeting on stone crafts of Taxila..Visiting the museum was not in our tour plan and yet we went
there as it was prominently expressing its present in front of us. I went there with my 2 colleagues.
After we bought our tickets, we entered in to the museum and the huge front side of the museum building and the
large open garden in front of it mesmerized us. At that time I had a feeling that our time would worth the visit.
After we entered inside the museum, we found that the place is even larger than we initially anticipated. It was
double story museum and the inside architecture reminded us the imperial age. People from different age groups
and countries were closely observing the museum. Taking photo was prohibited and yet I took some hidden snaps
especially when I saw the old statues of ancient buddish civilizations and some strange and beautiful artefacts of
antiquity. They displayed lot of sculpture made during splendid Buddhist establishments in Taxila a century ago the
sculptures were totally made in black stone which inspired me the most. They provided lot of historical background
with every sculpture which was quite knowledgeable for me and for my colleagues. I tried to read most of them but
due to short of time It was impossible.
The first floor of the museum had some art from famous artist of taxila such as Ms. Allina Shah nazawz famous
female artists of Taxila and also some stone crafts artefacts from different era. The first floor gave us the impression
of visiting a theatre or art gallery rather than museum.
We had visited the whole museum as much as possible and spent almost 3 hours. We were so enthralled to visit the
place that we literally forgot to have our lunch. The overall experience was fantastic and I learned so many things in
few hours. As soon as I left the place, I planned to revisit it someday.

Thank you very much for giving me the chance to talk about my favourite restaurant. The name of my favourite
restaurant is BoneFire and its situated at the centre of the city I am currently living in. Not only I like the spacious,
peaceful environment, tasty menus that the restaurant serves, but I have lots of memories related to this restaurant.
I remember that my parents celebrated some of my birthday parties there, our college friends arranged the gettogether parties, one of my cousins marriage ceremony was celebrated there and similarly I attended lots of other
parties at this very restaurant.
The restaurant has 2 floors and the sitting arrangement is quite nice. Paintings of famous artists have been hanging
on the walls and the place is quite neat and clean. The interior decoration is charming and gorgeous feeling. The
ground floor is spacious and can accommodate more than 50 cars' parking.
The restaurant offers several dishes including exotic desserts, ice-creams and also offers a separate place for the
kids to play and have fun. The restaurant offers Chinese, Italian, Indian, Thai, Pakistani and local menus that gives
you a wide ranges and options to pick from. The prices are reasonable and the foods are served quickly as opposed
to some other restaurants where you will have to wait for a long for your foods to appear on your table. The waiters
and other staffs are friendly and welcoming.

The book that tremendously influenced me in my University level is titled "7-habits of highly effective people" by
Stephen .R. Covey . This book was published in 1989 and won national best sellers book award in the same year. In
this book covey describes seven habits of successful people. Haibts are activities that we repeatedly do in the same
manner, day after day. Our character is a composite of our habits. If we want to become successful, we have to
adopt seven habits.
The seven most effective habits which inspirited me and changed my life are
123-

Be proactive
Begin with the ending in mind
Put first thing first

4567-

Think win win

Seek first to understand then to be understood
Synergize
Sharpen your saw

I've been using the internet for more than 10 years and from the very beginning till now there are some websites
those I use almost every day. Google.com is one of those web-sites and possibly I'll use this site forever.
Google.com is basically an e-mail service provider and a very popular search engine. I can still remember my first
day at a cyber-cafe where I opened the first web site of my life and that was Google.com and the cafe owner helped
me to open an e-mail address and I still use this email address to send and receive e-mails and for chatting.

Google.com is a popular search engine possibly next to Yahoo.com but it is more popular than every other search
engine or email provider in my country .This web-site has many other useful features like: the homepage contains
up-to-date news and feeds, World map, local maps, Music, Videos and many more.

Describe the best gift/ present you have received.

What is the gift

Who sent it to you

When did you receive it

In my life I have got numerous gifts and presents and among them most exciting and best gift was the Laptop my
father gave me when I was 18 years old. When I was 15 years old, I found that many of my friends had their own
laptops and desktop computers. I was heavily fascinated about this wonder machine and dreamed about owning
one someday. After getting admission in ICS, I got admitted in a computer training centre and learned the basic
computing. Whenever I visited any my friends who had a computer, I felt overwhelmed playing games, learning new
software, trying to browse internet etc. over there. Thus this machine became the only dream of my life. As I knew
that my father wont be able to buy a computer for me, I did not ask for one.
On my 18th birthday, my father told me that he wants to take me to the computer shop and purchase one for me. I
could not believe what I was hearing. That night it was tough for me to sleep. In the morning I wake up earlier than
usual and went to the computer shop with my father. He bought a Dell Laptop that was Pentium 4 machine. While
returning home, I found myself flying in joy. I opened the box after returning home and showed it to my mother and
other
relatives.
As a kid, that was a long expected gift that my father gave me and till now its the best gift/ present I have ever
received.

Describe Your Favorite movie

You should say:
1) Whats the name of the movie/ film?
2) Whats the theme of the movie/ film?
3) Why do you like it?

Maj. Mujtaba is brought out of retirement to help the army prevent a devastating terrorist attack

Waar (Wr; meaning "The Strike") is a 2013 Urdu-English language Pakistani action thriller and drama
film directed by Bilal Lashari[1] and written and produced by Hassan Waqas Rana.
The film is a stylized depiction of events surrounding the war on terrorin Pakistan, including the attack on
a Police Academy at Lahore in 2009
Major Mujtaba Rizvi (played by Shaan Shahid) is a former Pakistan Armyofficer, who took an early
retirement from the service. The plot involves acounter-terrorism operation being conducted in the
northwestern tribal regionof Pakistan, led by Ehtesham Khattak (played by Hamza Ali Abbasi) and
coordinated by his sister, Javeria Khattak (played by Ayesha Khan), an intelligence officer. Ehtesham

and Javeria come to know of a major terrorist attack that can only be countered with the help of Major
Mujtaba.
Major Mujtaba's family was assassinated by Ramal (played by Shamoon Abbasi), a spy of India spy
agency Research and Analysis Wing's (RAW) operative. Major Mujtaba wants to take revenge from
Ramal. Recognizing Ramal's through his actions and tactics, Major Mujtaba is able to counter his
attacks. Mulla Siraj, a Taliban working with Ramal, operating from a fort in the tribal area gives Ramal
two bombs which Ramal is going to plant somewhere in Pakistan. Planned by Laxmi, a spy of RAW,
terrorists conduct an attack on a police training center in order to divert the attention of the security
agencies aimed at watching any suspicious activity as they are reported that a big terrorist activity is
imminent. Out of the two bombs, one is loaded in a vehicle and Ehtesham drives this vehicle away to
dispose the bomb off and is killed in the explosion. Second bomb is planted in Jinnah Convention
Centre,Islamabad but Major Mujtaba counters this attack and saves the country from another deadly
terror incidence. He takes his revenge by killing Ramal. His powerful words are "Good wins over evil in
the end" and this happens.

Describe one of your favourite photographs

Follow-up Questions:

What do you think about 'Photography' as a career?

What makes a good photograph?

What are the improvements latest technology has bought in photography?

How often do you take photographs?

Possible Answer:
The photograph that was taken when I was only 4-5 years old with my parents, grandfather and grandmother is one
of my very favourite photographs. I do not have clear memory regarding the event when the photograph was taken
but I have seen it thousands times and still I look at it with a delight and sadness. The photograph is a black-andwhite one and later I have enlarged it and framed it in my living room. The small kid (me), the grandparents and
young parents make the picture a really significant one to me. I look with amazement in to the picture and
sometimes can't believe I was so small and different looking at that time The picture gives me a gloomy feelings as
my grandfather and mother are no longer with us. In the picture they seems so lively but I can't be with them
anymore!

Talk about your most favourite Season in your country

Give some reasons why you particularly like this season. For this you can mention some of the points listed below:
1. This is the most comfortable season in our country.
2. The nature appears like a queen in this season and the nature shows all of her beauty during the time of this
season.
3. People get vacations and enjoy this season.

4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Different activities are performed in my country during this season.

I get vacation and enjoy my stay at my village during this season.
After a long extreme weather, this season brings a comfortable temperature which I really enjoy.
No serious diseases outburst during this season.
People in my country mostly enjoy their activities during this season.
Our cultural and historical events somehow are related to this season and thats why a festive mode stays

during this

Describe a foreign country you have planned to visit

You should say:

Where is the country?

When are you planning to go there?

Why have you planned to go there?

I have planned to visit Dubai after my graduation is done. I have a relative there and he has invited me to visit his
family several times. Earlier this year when I was promoted to the final year of my graduation, I have planned to visit
at least one foreign country just after my graduation day. I have considered many countries and finally planned to
visit Dubai. It is a country in southern Europe and has around 11 million populations.
I have planned to visit Dubai in the middle of the next year and would stay there for about one month. The relative I
have there is my maternal uncle and he lives at Abu-Dhabi with his family. There is a good chance that I will be
staying with them during my visit there. I also chock down a plan of my tour to dubai I will going to visit the best
place first such as
Burj Ul Arab The word Burj UL Arab means the tower of the Arabs. It resembles to a billowing
sail by its shape. Its height dominates it making the fourth tallest hotel from all around the world
Burj Khalifa
With the height of about 828 meters one cannot miss the worlds tallest structure while having a
trip to Dubai. Burj Khalifa is one of the most dominating and amazing art of engineering.
The Palm Island
The palm island in Dubai is a very unique and a very beautiful and also a must visit place for a
visitor. It is an artificial archipelago island of Dubai. As the name of this island, its shape has been
designed as a palm tree. Thats why it is called the palm island.
Ski Dubai
Ski Dubai from its name is an indoor ski resort, in fact it is the first one all around the world.
The Dubai Mall
The Burj Khalifa in Dubai has the worlds largest behemoth shopping mall at the base levels.
Dubai Museum
The Dubai Museum is a must visit place which presents the traditional lifestyle of Dubai Emirates.

Describe a shopping center you often go to

You should say:

Where is the shopping center

How often do you go to the center

Why do you often go to it and its characteristics

Possible Answer:
The shopping center that I often go to and would like to talk about is (...tell a shopping center name from your
city....). This is the largest shopping center of the city and is probably the most popular one. This shopping center is
at the middle of the city and is 20 storied. You can find almost everything in this shopping center and the price and
quality of the products make it a popular shopping mall where people from all classes come to shop. You name it
and you can find it here; from grocery shop to 3d cinema, food court to play ground, gym and thousands of
shopping shops are there. The market authority imposes a strict rule about the quality and price and that's why you
can find products at a reasonable price here. The neat and clean environment, the rigid security, the arranged shops
and shopping convenience are the main reasons I visit this shopping mall very often. There is a dedicated floor only
for social gathering and there you can sit and talk to your friends as long as you like.
I go there almost 2-3 times in a months. If there are more shopping to do or before any festival I go there more than
2-3 times. I go there not only for shopping but also some times for social gathering, party, to have lunch or dinner or
to watch a movie.

Describe an occasion or event when you were congratulated

What was the occasion

When was it

Who congratulated you and why

We all get appreciations for the good things we do for others or for our great achievements or personal excellence.
One such occasion when I was congratulated was the time when I won the national level Business Idea competition
and received one lac prize from CM Punjab.

-------

Describe one of your neighbours

You Should Say:

When did you become neighbours?

Do you often meet?

State whether your neighbour is a good one

Follow-up Questions:

What is the difference between neighbours and friends?

How do you think of the relationship in the city?

How to improve the neighbourhood?

Model Answer:
Mr. Ali Khan is one of the neighbours whom I like very much. Since I live in an urban area, people are close to each
other and maintain a strong neighbourhood relationship unlike the metropolitan area.

In our neighbourhood, we know almost each and every people living there, what they do, what are their updates,
what are their profession and their overall personality and characteristics as well. Mr. Ali Khan house is adjacent to
ours and I meet him almost every day. Mr. Ali Khan is a retired army person who is now around 50 years old. He
lives in his house alone and I have never found his relatives visiting him except some old colleagues. He stays
inside his house most of the time and in the evening he sits in the balcony. He is a quiet man and likes to read a lot.
I have seen him coming to live in his house almost 5-6 years ago. He bought the house from our previous
neighbour. I like him because of our unclaimed friendship, his personality, honestly, morality and his great mind.

Describe a teacher from your past who you remember

You should say:

What class the teacher taught you

What subject did he teach

How old were you and why do you remember him/ her

What are special characteristics of the teacher and explain why do you like him.

Possible Answer:
Throughout my academic life, I found and came in to contact with several teachers whom I'll never forget mostly
because of their personality and quality teaching. Such a teacher who I remember clearly was Mr. Ali Khan who
taught us Maths at our 8th grade. I was then about 13-14 years old and was in class Eight. He had an admiring
personality and a different way of teaching. He was very punctual and honest and inspired us to be so. He never
pressurized us on studying and always told us stories and teach as simultaneously. His teaching method was
unique and effective. In his classes we never felt bored. He had a gift of making the lessons interesting and
attracting students to his way of teaching. Much of the math I now know is because of him.

Describe a practical skill you have

You should say:

Follow up Questions:

What skills are important for jobs sector in your country?

Why students should focus on practical aspects of education than theoretical aspects?

Why having technical skills are important?

Possible Answer:
The practical skill that I have is digital / computer designing. I had a passion on designing and art in my childhood
and after my father bought me a computer when I was in class 7, I started my journey towards the designing.

I still remember that I started my painting on MS- Paint and later on I learned 2-3 major designing software namely
Photoshop and Illustrator. I tool 2 year's diploma course on designing and have worked for card, banner, poster,
logo and web designing. Besides, I have learned how to create a webpage after designing it.

I have gained the skill by practicing a lot. I read different books on designing how to and concepts, spent numerous
hours on designing and learned many things from the teachers who used to take our classes. I have learned many
designing aspects, tips and tutorials from different design related websites as well.

Practice and the opportunity to work on several tasks helped me master the skill. I still need a long way to go and I
am still a passionate designer. Besides my academic study, I still work on designing specifically on freelancing
projects and that brings me a good amount of money.

I am sure this skill will help me do even better in the professional sector in the future.

Describe an outdoor activity that you did for the first time
You should say:

What did you do?

Where and when did you do it?

How did you feel later?

and say if you would recommend this activity to your friends

Model Answer:
I usually go out for walking in the evening every day and play some outdoor games sometimes, but the outdoor
activity that I did for the first time was something different.
It was in the middle of last year when I noticed that some of the people have gathered in a field and they had
bicycles with them. They were dressed like professional cycler and were discussing something. That day I was with
one of my friends and we went out with our bicycles as part of our evening exercise. My friend and I went closer to
the group and heard that they are some members of bicycling group who do the gathering and cycling as part of
their outdoor activity and exercise.

After few minutes we found that they were planning to round the city in 3 hours with their bicycle and they would
start that in next 30 minutes. The team leader asked us to join them just when we were planning to leave. They
made us member of the group and it was free. We started cycling with them starting from this place and went
through the major parts of the whole city. Cycling for the whole 3-4 hours was not an easy task and yet we enjoyed it
and were close to the group whole time. After few hours we came back to the place where we started and I found

that I was totally absorbed and exhausted.

The team leader congratulated us because it was our first day and we did well. I looked at my friend and he was
looked exhausted and tired. The team gave us a membership card and told that they do it twice in a month. Though
we had plans for joining them again, but we could not do so. I found the whole idea of cycling very interesting and a
good chance to meet new people. I felt well that we actually did it and the feeling of travelling the whole city riding a
bicycle was thrilling.

Describe an irritating neighbour of your locality

You should say:

Model Answer:
Most of our neighbours are amiable and well-behaved and they are good neighbours except Mr. Ali Khan who
seems very irritating to me. He is living in our community for about 3 years after he bought the house from the
previous owner. So he is our neighbour for the last three years and shortly after he started living here people started
noticing his annoying behaviours.
He is a retired person who has only 4 family members and though other family members are well-behaved, this
person has some issues that make him a bad neighbour. He does not behave politely and often we find him rude
with others. He often shouts on very silly issues. Even with kids he behaves rudely.

He often complaints about people standing in front of his house while it is a street and people stand there for a while
to look for an auto. In my opinion he has no right to yell with the neighbours who play in the nearby playground. He
does not go out very often and stays at his home most of the time. But he complaints about everything, about
everyone. Since he has complaints on other people, he should have followed the strict rules not to disturb others but
in reality he does the opposite. He sometimes shouts with his family members that other people can hear and that's
very disturbing especially in the middle of the night.

Describe a life changing experience

You should say:

where it took place & who was with you

what happened

how it made you feel

and explain how it changed your life.

Model answer:
I was only 6 or 7 years old then and went to visit my grandpa in our village. I had lots of cousins and many of them
were similar to my age. Visiting the village was very exciting to me. One day I along with my cousins went to play in
the evening and all of a sudden we decided to catch some fished from the nearby pond. We had no hook or net to
catch fishes so we decided to do it with our bare hands.

There were no people around so no one was there to warn us. As we did not know how to swim and had no idea
about the depthless of the river, we lost control and all of a sudden I found that I and my cousin were trying to get
out of the water. We already got ourselves trapped in the deep water and were struggling to breath. I barely
remember what happened except that I was trying with my last effort to fight with water and get into the land. I can't
recall how much time had spent but suddenly I found that I was lying on my mother's lap and was trying to find my
cousin who faced the same fate as I did.

Later I heard that both of us were almost sinking in the water and a old woman came to rescue us. She was a
village dweller who came to take water from the pond and had noticed us. She single handedly rescued me and
then my cousin.

Tell me about your most favourite Music Band

You should say:

Follow-up Questions:

Why do people listen to music?

Talk about the type of international music.

What are the some types of traditional music found in your country?

How does the internet affect the sales of CV, DVD and Music Albums?

What is more important: Traditional music or International Music? Why?

Model Answer:
There are many music bands that I like very much but Pink Floyd is my most favourite music band. This band is a
famous music band for their music which falls under the genre progressive rock, psychedelic rock and art rock.
Though the band is not active anymore yet they are heard by millions of music lovers. They are basically English
rock band that was founded in 1965 and remained active till 1995 and reunited in 2005. I have become a big fan of
this band mostly because of their distinguished philosophical lyrics, sonic experiment and mind-blowing music
quality.

The Pink Floyd is considered to be one of the most musically influential and commercially successful bands of all
time. Their albums have been sold well over 250 million records worldwide. Regarding the question how people

react to their music; it depends on the listener and their choice of music but people good music choice and quality
lyrics choice are bound to love the songs of this band. Each of their album got high appraisal from the music critic
and their album "The Wall" is widely known all over the world.

I have first listened to their music (most probably songs from the album 'Atom hearted mother') when I was in my
10th grade of school and after than I have listened to almost all of their songs countless times.

There are many reasons we should listen to music. It is considered to be the food of soul. Music is refreshing and
washes away the tiredness, boredom and monotonousness. Good lyrics help us brainstorm, understand things
more deeply and from different perspectives, and help grow positive inspiration and motivation. Music inspires us
deeply and eliminates our boredom and narrowness in life. It is one of the best entertainments and inspirational
sources for human being.

Who is your favorite person in the family?

My favorite person in my family is my brother.

Is this person important for the family?

He is very important for the family because he loves everyone and he also provides guidance
to the family members.

What impact does this person have on you?

My brother has a great impact on my personality. My brother is a very honest person and after
being inspired from him, I have also become an honest man. My brother is also a very soft
hearted person. I have also started taking care of other people, and I have also started
feeling the pain of other people.

Possible Answer:
I've got a small family with only 5 members and all of us are very close to each other and we love each other very
much. Among them I love my mother more than anyone else in the whole world. I adore my mother for her caring,
loving, adorable behaviors and wit. She is the person I can share everything with and that's the reason I worship her
so much.

Possibly she was the first human I saw when I opened my eyes in this world. A relationship with a mother is divine
and all of my childhood memories are either related to my mom or my school. I can still remember a day I was late
to come back home after school and that's because there was a ceremony at the school I did not know about. All of
a certain I found that my mother was entering through the school-gate to find me. I was so frightened that my
mother would rebuke me for being late unnoticed and she must be mad at me. But to my best surprise, when my
mother saw me she had a warm smile in her face that I'll never forget till my last breath in this earth. Then she
hugged me and gave me a kiss. I felt then that I love my mother more than me. She attended the program at the
school and afterward we came back home together.

I spent my 19 years or so with my father and mother but I stay at a metropolitan city now for my education.
Whenever I get vacation I meet my mother at my village home. On an average I spend 2/3 months with my mother
each year but I talk to her over phone almost twice a day.

IELTS Speaking Samples: Values

Lets consider values and the way they change.

What kinds of possessions give status to people in your country?
Thats a good question. Let me thinkId say it depends on where you are and who you are
with. If you are out in public, its things like the car you are driving. If you have the latest
Mercedes Benz model, then in my country that is a sign of status, as most people cant
even afford a car at all, whatever the make. Property, or the house you own, and the
possessions you have in it are also a sign of status. If you have a nice house in a nice area,
then this shows you have money and are someone important.
Has it always been the same or were different possessions thought of as valuable in
the past?

Im too young to remember exactly what it was like a long time ago, but yes, I think it was
different. For example, cars as I mentioned before only really came to our country in the last
ten years or so. That kind of consumerism is a fairly recent thing so this couldnt have been
used as a representation of something valuable. I think it was things like gold and jewelry
that were seen as valuable. Of course these are still seen as valuable today, but previously
it was these things over anything else as a lot of the modern day possessions were not
available.
Why do you think people need to show their status in society?
I believe that this is because it's important in society to show you have money or are
successful it is nature, or the way we are brought up, that makes us feel like this, but also
the pressure that society puts on everyone to be successful. And showing status is basically
showing that you have money and you have success, so this is what people want to do.
Going back to the example of the car, driving around in a Mercedes is a very conspicuous
show of status it basically says to people, Look, I am successful and I have money.
Another reason is possibly for respect. In many cultures, if someone has high status, then
they will be respected by others and they may receive preferential treatment.
_________________________________________

IELTS Speaking Samples: Advertising

Now we'll discuss the role of advertising.

Do you think advertising influences what people buy?
Yes, definitely. If there were no advertising and you went to a shop, then you would just buy
what you wanted based on maybe what others have told you, what the product looks like,
or, depending on the product, what it says on the label. Advertising builds up a brand and
people then trust a certain thing because they have seen it on television or elsewhere. Also,
there is so much advertising around it must influence us. You cant escape it as it is fed to
us constantly in our daily lives not only in magazines, radio and television, but on
billboards, on TVs installed on trains and platforms, even in schools and universities. So
yes, advertising influences what we buy.
Do advertisements give correct information, or do they encourage people to buy
things that they may not need?

I think some do and some dont, but its difficult to know which are giving us the correct
information. For example, the skin whitening products I do not believe that these work but
we see them everywhere in Asian countries, and we are encouraged to buy them even
though they are not actually necessary. The adverts, though, tell us they are necessary as
they will improve our lives and we will become more accepted and successful. This then, is
an example of advertising encouraging people to buy something they do not need. I do
think there are checks in most countries these days to make sure that adverts are giving the
correct information and not lying to people, but I think it is still easy for advertisers to
exaggerate or to do this without breaking the regulations.
Is advertising really necessary in modern society?
It could be seen to be necessary in terms of the fact that, as I mentioned before, there is so
much choice that we need someone to guide us in what to buy or to give us some extra
information about products. Without this, it would be difficult to know where to start.
However, that said, Im not sure that I would regard it as necessary as overall I think it may
do more harm than good. As we just discussed, advertising encourages people to buy
things they possibly do not need. We live in a consumer society and many people are in
debt because we are encouraged to buy and buy, and Im sure advertising plays a major
role in this. Without advertising we could just do our own research and decide what we
really need. So no, I would not say that advertising in necessary in modern society.
_________________________________________

IELTS Speaking Samples: The Internet

Now we'll move on to the influence of the internet.

Do you think people take notice of advertisements on the internet?
Despite the fact that there are many adverts on the internet these days, I think actually
many people tend to ignore them, or at least that is my experience. People usually go onto
the internet to find something specific that they are looking for, which may be a product, or
to read about something, so they will ignore what is not relevant to that. But of course there
is no doubt that some people take notice of them. Advertising on the internet is a practice
most companies partake in now, and they have to pay quite substantial sums to advertise
on highly ranked sites. Of course they would not do this if it were not attracting customers
for them.
How do you think it will change people's buying habits in the future?

Buying from the internet is becoming more and more popular. For example, weve seen
many book shops close down because people can buy online at cheaper prices from sites
such as Amazon. It makes life much easier if products can be delivered direct to our door,
especially with our busy modern lifestyles. I think this will only increase in the future as
more people feel safe to buy online and online shops make it easier to purchase this way.
Also, I think our lives are only going to become busier, so more people will choose to shop
this way.
Are there any disadvantages to shopping on the internet?
There certainly are some. Firstly, buying clothes can be a problem. When you go into a
shop you can check what you are buying fits you and suits you, but it is obviously not
possible to do this online. Shopping does not become less hassle if you have to send
something back in the post. Another problem is the security. We have to give out our bank
details to people we dont know. There have been several recent reports in the press about
sites that have had their security breached and credit card details have been stolen. So far
this is fairly uncommon, but it is a risk none the same. Another disadvantage is to society as
it could destroy local shops and businesses if people are not going out to shop in their local
town.
_________________________________________

IELTS Speaking Samples: Transport

Let's talk about transport.

How do most people travel long distances in your country?
Id say that the main ways are cars, buses and trains. If someone has a car, I think this is
their preference because to be honest the trains are not that much cheaper where I live.
Also there are often delays with the trains which can be a real pain, so you may end up with
a really long journey. The buses are a bit cheaper but I dont think that is such a comfortable
way to travel. There is the option to travel by plane as well of course, but most of the
bucket airlines go abroad you cant really travel that cheaply by plane within the country.
So then, cars are really the best option, and of course they give you the most freedom when
you are travelling.
Have the types of transport people use changed much over the last few decades?

I dont think they have really. Weve had the transport I mentioned before for many decades
now in my country, and it is much the same today. Of course cars have become much more
popular as peoples incomes have risen which accounts for the problems we see on the
roads today such as congestion and more accidents and pollution. This has probably led to
some changes within cities. Many have now introduced environmentally friendly forms of
transport such as trams and guided buses that dont run on gas and mean that people can
travel without the use of the car. There has also been an increase in air travel, but like I
said, this is quite expensive in my country so most cannot afford it.
What kinds of improvement have there been in transport in your country in recent
years?
There has been several ways that transport has improved. More major roads have been
built which means it is easier to travel long distances, though of course some would argue
that more roads are not an improvement. They can be an eyesore in the countryside and
they have encouraged more people to drive which may mean these improvements
ultimately dont work because there are more cars using the roads. As I mentioned before,
there has been the introduction of mass transit in many cities, such as trams and trains. In
our capital city they have also extended the underground system so it now links many more
areas of the city. This has helped many people as commuting times are horrendous if you
have to travel on the roads. Those are the main improvements.