IELTS Speaking Sample # 5

IELTS Speaking Mock Test # 5

Part 1 Topic: “Festivals”.
Part 2 Topic: “Describe a film or a TV programme which has made a strong impression on you”.
Part 3 Topic: “People’s cinema-going habits nowadays”, “Making a film based on real/fictional events” & “Censorship and the freedom of the film-maker/TV producer”.

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: Festivals:

Q. Tell me about the most important festival in your country.
A.  The most important festival in my country is “Eid”. A majority of our population is Muslim, and this is why Eid is the most celebrated and most important festival in our country. We have two Eids – ‘Eid Al-Fitr’ and ‘Eid Al-Adha’, which are religious festivals, and Muslims celebrate these two days with great fervour and religious spirit.

Q. What special food and activities are connected with this festival?
A.  On the day of ‘Eid Al-Fitr’, which is a special day after a month of fasting, Indonesian people cook and eat a variety of food, including Ketupat and Rendang, which are served with spices and fried chicken. Among the activities, people go to pray in the morning, visit relatives and friends, wear new dresses and embrace each other to greet people and cook delicious food to celebrate this day in a special way.

On the day of ‘Eid Al-Adha’, we commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim to follow the Almighty’s command to sacrifice his son. Muslims around the country observe this event with enthusiasm and religious ardour.

Home to the world’s largest Muslim population, Indonesia gets even more fascinating during the celebration of Eid.

Q. What do you most enjoy about it?
A.  As a Muslim, I enjoy the way people forget their differences during the Eid days and embrace each other to wish them good luck. They pray in the mosque in the morning and then dine together with the invited guests. They visit the neighbours and relatives on the day, and this is a great way to strengthen the family and social bonds.

People are usually busy around the year, but during the Eid festival, they get a long vacation and meet the people they care about and love. I also like the way young children celebrate this special day. They are exhilarated the whole day, and all of them wear new dresses, which gives me immense pleasure to see them happy and juvenile.

Q. Do you think festivals are important for a country? [Why?]
A.  Yes, I do believe that festivals are immensely important for a country and its people because these celebrations represent the cultural and national identity of the country. Besides, festivals also attract international tourists and boost the tourism industry. Finally, working-class people need vacations, and the festivals are great ways to refresh and invigorate ourselves from the monotonous daily routines. The important festivals also bring people together and eliminate the differences we have in our society.

 

PART 2 – Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card

Describe a film or a TV programme which has made a strong impression on you.

You should say:

• what kind of film or TV programme it was, e.g. comedy
• when you saw the film or TV programme
• what the film or TV programme was about

and explain why this film or TV programme made such an impression on you.

[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 for answer: Describe a film or a TV programme

 

PART 3 – Detailed Discussion

Discussion topics:  People’s cinema-going habits nowadays:

Q. Do you think the cinema has increased or decreased in popularity in recent years?
A.  I believe that the popularity of cinema has increased in recent years. It can be seen from the number of movie theatres that have been built in many big cities during the past few years. Apart from that, more television channels are showing movies daily, and the number of movie viewers is increasing day by day. Globalisation, as well as easy access to the internet, has made it possible for people to watch movies that are made on the other side of the planet.

The large TV screens, internet facilities, and movie streaming services like Netflix have contributed to the increasing demand for movies all around the world.

Q. In your opinion, will this trend continue into the future?
A. Yes, I do believe that the popularity of cinemas will keep on rising in the future. It is because we are living in a modern world where we have more opportunities to enjoy various genres of movies from different countries, even without going to a cinema hall, and that facility will improve in the future. Office hours of the working-class population have become longer these days, and it will become even longer in the future, which means that people need some sort of entertainment to relieve their tension and work pressure. And enjoying a favourite movie is a great way to achieve that.

Moreover, movies are becoming more popular among teenagers, and because of the variety of movies and the use of technology, people are going to watch movies more than ever before.

Discussion topics:  Making a film based on real/fictional events:

Q. What are the advantages and disadvantages of making films of real-life events?
A. The advantages of making films based on a real-life event are that we can learn many things from such films. For example, when we watch a film based on World War I or II, we can learn about the cruelties and catastrophic outcomes of wars. Therefore, we should learn to avoid any kind of war and support world peace. The movies based on real events are more important in terms of their underlying stories, lessons, historical figures and facts. These types of films reveal past history to us and create a lasting impression on the viewers.

However, among the drawbacks of such films, we can say that it is not easy to produce such movies that would be based on true facts and entertaining at the same time. Producers often need to put extra emphasis on choosing casts, costumes and locations to make such movies. Such films might be biased sometimes and would spark a flame of criticism. Then there is a chance that it won’t be able to attract all types of movie viewers, and the possibility of box office hits of such movies is often uncertain.

Q. How important do you think it is for a filmmaker to remain true to the original story?
A. Well, I think it depends on how the filmmaker wants to convey the message of the film. If his/her purpose is to present history to the audience, then I believe that it should strictly adhere to the original story. Meanwhile, if the aim of the films is to entertain people, then the director could develop and change the story.

Sometimes films are based on books and novels, and in such cases, the filmmakers often change the dialogue and story of the original. If the story is a fictitious one, I think the filmmaker should change the story to some extent to make the movie more attractive. However, if the story is based on a prominent historical event or a famous person, it should remain as authentic as possible to the original event or character.

Discussion topics:  Censorship and the freedom of the film-maker/TV producer:

Q. Should films and television be censored, or should we be free to choose what we see?
A. In my opinion, films and TV programmes should be censored since they might contain some inappropriate scenes which could be embarrassing for the whole family. The amount of violence, blood, drug abuse scenes and slang used in TV programmes and movies should also be censored as it might not be appropriate for people of all ages.

Many films use unnecessary adult or violent scenes these days, and they should be censored, since they could have negative effects on people, especially on children’s imaginations.

Q. How do you think censorship laws will change in the next 20 years?
A. Well, even though I support necessary censorship, I think it will be extricated in the future because people will be able to access movies from many different sources, including the internet. For example, children will be able to download films on their tablet PCs and watch films that they like. Therefore, it is important for us to monitor our children’s gadgets to ensure that they watch appropriate films and TV programmes.

The trends of movie censorship reveal the fact that movies are not censored as strictly as they used to be in the past. The freedom of creative arts will also be a dominating factor for the loose censorship of movies in the future.

[Written by – Darwin Lesmana]