IELTS Speaking Sample # 2

IELTS Speaking Mock Test # 2

Part 1 Topic: “About yourself and your family”.
Part 2 Topic: “Describe a course you took in your college or university”.
Part 3 Topic: “Studying overseas” & “Future plans”.

---

Part 1 – Introduction

[This part of the test begins with the examiner introducing himself or herself and checking the candidate’s identification. It then continues as an interview. In the interview, the examiner asks the candidate about his/her home, work or studies and other familiar topics.]

Topic – Your family & living place

Q. Good Morning. Could you tell me your name and candidate number, please?
A. Good Morning. I am Rahul Sharma, and my candidate number is BIE45120.

Q. And what would you like me to call you?
A. Please call me “Rahul”.

Q. Tell me something about your family.
A. Well, I live in a joint family, and there are almost 12 family members in it. My grandparents, my parents and I, my sisters, my uncles and their children live together, and that makes it a large family. My grandpa was a teacher, and he is now around 70 years old. My father owns a small business, and two of my uncles work there. My mother is a housewife, and she, along with my grandmother, takes care of the family. I have two younger sisters, and they are in school. My father primarily takes care of the financial part of our family. The house we live in is quite large, and it has more than 15 rooms in total.

That’s the summary of my family. If there is anything particular you would like to know about my family, I would be happy to answer.

Q. What do your brothers and sisters do?
A. I have not got any brothers of my own. I have two sisters, and both of them are students. The older one, Radhika, is in grade ten, while the younger one, Dina, reads in class seven. Besides their studies, sometimes they help my mother with her household chores, and often help my cousins prepare their homework. My sisters are very close to me, and I like them very much. They are both very adorable.

Q. So, where are you from?
A. I am from …… (tell the city/ village/ area name) of …… (District/ County/ Area/ State). I was born in this city, but for my university education, I later moved to ..…. (Area name). Currently, I am living in …… (Your present area) And I came here to take my IELTS exam from my current living place.

Q. What are the advantages and disadvantages of living there?
A. The place where I am currently living is a residential area. Among the advantages of living there, I would say, it has adequate security in place, and there are very few incidents to bother about. On top of that, local residents are friendly and amiable. A transportation facility is another advantage of this area. You do not need to wait for a long time in the queue to get a public car. Finally, amusement parks, gardens, playgrounds, shopping complexes and other community facilities are all nearby.

Among the disadvantages, I would like to mention that the house rent is comparatively higher and it is skyrocketing every year. Moreover, the roads are busy during school and office hours.

Overall, I enjoy living in this area, and compared to my previous living place, this is much better.

 

Part 2 – Cue Card/Candidate Task Card

Topic:

Describe a course you took in your college or university.

You should say:

• what it was
• when you took it
• what you learned from this course

and explain why you took this course.

[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.]

[Examiner: All right? Remember, you have one to two minutes for this, so don’t worry if I stop you. I’ll tell you when the time is up. Can you start speaking now, please?]
 
Click here for the answer to this Cue Card Topic

 

Part 3 – Detailed discussion.

Topic: Studying overseas

Q. How do you think studying overseas will be different from studying in your own country?
A. Studying in a foreign country is significantly different from studying in the home country. First of all, a student would have to leave his family, relatives, friends and be on his/her own to continue his/her studies in a different country. In the home country, he/she can attend classes from home or stay in the university residence. Thus, he/she can meet family and relatives frequently and can make new friends very quickly.

While studying in a foreign university, students often suffer from homesickness and have to get enrolled in a part-time job to support their expenses. However, they can learn about different customs, culture and tradition in this way. Overseas universities most often offer better education, and they offer better prospects for the future careers of such students. Among other differences, the language, exam system and syllabus could be different.

Q. So what problems do you think you will have while studying abroad?
A. I will miss my family, and I think for the first few weeks, this would be terrible. All my life, I have lived with my family, and being in a foreign country would mean that I can contact them over the phone and have video calls only, but I can’t spend time with them in person.

The language barrier would be another problem. My English is better than that of ordinary people, but still, understanding and communicating with people in a different country who have a different accent is sometimes troublesome. Hopefully, this won’t last for a long as I am a quick learner and I will try my best to learn the manners, customs and accent of the native people very quickly.

Another problem that might arise is loneliness. This is going to be a new country, and I won’t have any friends or relatives. So the first few days would be lonely, I guess. Travelling and not knowing the route and bus number would be another problem. The different kinds of food in this country might be a dilemma, as I am accustomed to eating common types of food available in my country. It might happen that I won’t find food of my preference near my living place.

Q. Do you think you will have many difficulties adapting to a new culture?
A. I guess it would not be too difficult for me to adapt to a new culture, as I am already exposed to diverse customs and cultures in my home country. But of course, it is a bit tough to adapt to a new culture, especially when the culture and traditions are quite different from my home country. But I have the confidence that I won’t face many challenges there, especially related to the new culture, as I will do my homework on the common customs and traditions of this new country. I hope nothing will be completely new and shocking for me.

 
Topic: Future plans

Q. Do you think that there will be any major changes in your field of study over the next few years?
A. Yes, the subject – ‘Computer Science’, by its own nature, changes over time. Since this is a pure technology-based subject, unlike other traditional subjects, changes are very obvious. Programming languages and computer hardware are ever-changing from the very beginning, and many changes will occur in my field of study.

The courses change very frequently, and many new algorithms are introduced to make computing and software development more efficient. For instance, the data security, search mechanism, and encryption are very core subjects of Computer Science, and they are changing very fast. It is not unlikely that new computing concepts would emerge, and that would be included in my field of study.

Q. How do you think an overseas degree will improve your professional skills?
A. I am planning to have an overseas degree mainly because of the finest quality and facilities this university can offer in my area of study. The overseas degree would actually ensure a better study environment and superior learning opportunities for me. Thus, I would be able to learn more and have better skills to pursue a better career.

In my country, a foreign degree is given priority in a job interview. So having a foreign degree would open more opportunities for me in my professional life, I believe.

The foreign universities, especially universities in the first world countries, are renowned for their professionalism, study environment and facilities. I am sure I would be able to take advantage of these facilities and would be able to learn more. The top-notch universities in a first-world country are often renowned for their research, and I will put every effort into getting involved in such research facilities to enhance my skills.

Q. What do you intend to do once you have finished your studies?
A. I will go back to my country and look for a suitable job. In fact, in a job, I would be able to learn even more and use the knowledge I have learned to further enhance my skills.

So in a nutshell, starting a job to enhance my skills would be the first thing I will do after I finish my graduation. Apart from that, I have a plan to work on a personal e-commerce project that I have been planning for years. The potential of e-commerce in my home country is immense, and I would try to tap into this sector to establish a large e-commerce business.

These are the plans I now have for my immediate future, but time often drives us to new tracks and brings different motivations. So if something bigger and better comes across my pathway, I will plan accordingly in the future.

Q. What do you see yourself doing professionally in 10 years’ time? And how do you see your personal life changing?
A. Umm, predicting what I will be doing after 10 years is a bit tricky! But if everything goes according to my plan and the Almighty drives me to the right track, I will own an E-commerce business after 10 years. I will be able to quit my day job at that time and will be able to fully concentrate on my own business. Moreover, I have a plan to establish a night school in my village, and hopefully, in ten years, that will help many unprivileged people.

After 10 years, I will probably be a married person with 1 or 2 children of my own. That would be a big change, I guess. There would be many responsibilities and some changes in my way of life. I will devote more to doing humanitarian things than concentrating on personal gains. Probably my choices of dresses, food, music, movies and books would change, and I would become more mature. Finally, I assume I will have fewer friends than I have now, but they would be very close. I think those are very significant changes that are most likely to take place in my personal life after 10 years or so.

[OK, I think that’s all I want to ask you today. Thank you very much. It was very interesting talking to you, and I wish you all the best with your future studies. Goodbye now.]