IELTS Speaking Test # 76
Part 1 Topic: “Travel”.
Part 2 Topic: “Describe a child that you know”.
Part 3 Topic: “Relationships between parents and children” & “Children’s free-time activities”.
Part 1 – Introduction & Interview
[The examiner asks the candidate about him/herself, his/her home, work or studies and other familiar topics.]
Topic: Travel
Q. Do you enjoy travelling? [Why/Why not?]
Answer: Yes, I do enjoy travelling a lot because it allows me to learn about different places, different people, different cultures and different kinds of lifestyles. Besides, it helps me to recuperate from the stress of my work life as well as the boredom of following the monotonous daily routines of my life.
Q. Have you done much travelling? [Why/Why not?]
Answer: No, unfortunately, I haven’t managed to do much travelling primarily because of limited financial opportunities. Besides, I don’t really manage to make much time either outside of my work life, so that I could actually do much travelling. But, of course, I am not giving up my hope as yet to visit some places in future that I really like.
Q. Do you think it’s better to travel alone or with other people? [Why?]
Answer: I would think that it is better to travel with other people, especially partners or family members, because it helps strengthen our bonds and relationship even more with them while enjoying some quality time together. Besides, travelling with other people provides a better sense of security, especially when travelling far from home.
Q. Where would you like to travel in the future? [Why?]
Answer: I wish I could travel all over the world because there is just so much to see and enjoy. But one special country, which I would really like to visit in the future, is Japan because, in my opinion, this country has the perfect mix of vibrant culture, history and modern comforts. Besides, I would like to visit this country because of some breathtaking natural beauty.
Part 2 – Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card
[The topic for your talk will be written on a card which the examiner will hand you. Read it carefully and then make some brief notes.]
Describe a child that you know.
You should say:
- who this child is and how often you see him or her
- how old this child is
- what he or she is like
and explain what you feel about this child.
[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.]
Click here for the Model Answer to this cue card topic:
Part 3 – Two-way Discussion:
Discussion topics: Relationships between parents and children:
Q. How much time do children spend with their parents in your country? Do you think that is enough?
Answer: As far as I can see, parents in my country these days are not managing enough time to spend with their children, mainly because in most cases, both parents are busy working outside of their homes. Besides, children are also becoming busier with their studies and other activities, and as a result, it is becoming even more difficult for parents to spend enough quality time with their children. After all, seeing off the children by their parents just before their bedtime and talking to them for a few minutes at breakfast almost every day should never be considered as “enough”.
Q. How important do you think spending time together is for the relationships between parents and children? Why?
Answer: It is extremely important for parents to spend their time together with their children, especially during the first five years of their lives, as it will create a very strong bond between the parents and children, which will pretty much define their relationship for the rest of their lives. Besides, it will help the young children to learn proper human behaviours such as love, respect and empathy, along with other important social and communication skills/etiquettes, which are essential to growing up as some good and ideal citizens.
Q. Have relationships between parents and children changed in recent years? Why do you think that is?
Answer: Yes, I would say that the relationship between parents and children in recent years has changed a great deal, primarily because the parents have grown overly cautious about how to raise them and how to help them have a better future and career in a world which has grown more dangerous and difficult. Besides, they are also struggling with whether to become strict or lenient when raising their children because of receiving conflicting messages from different kinds of media, and as a result, children are just not too sure about how to use their freedom and free time in order to explore and utilise the environment around them.
Discussion topics: Children’s free-time activities:
Q. What are the most popular free-time activities with children today?
Answer: Children love enjoying different kinds of activities during their free time, which may include visiting a local zoo or park, watching animated movies and cartoons on small and large screens, enjoying swimming and water sports, and playing different kinds of sports. Too many children these days are playing video games and spending time on the internet at home, and these are also considered to be the most popular free-time activities, as they don’t really enjoy outdoor activities that much.
Q. Do you think the free-time activities children do today are good for their health? Why is that?
Answer: It all depends on what kinds of free-time activities the children are doing. Suppose they’re enjoying outdoor activities like swimming and playing different kinds of sports, and any other activities that allow them to remain in touch with Mother Nature as well as their friends, then they will certainly prove to be good for both their mental and physical health. On the other hand, if they are enjoying too many video games in isolation at their homes and eating fast food aplenty at fast-food restaurants, then it is fair to suggest that these activities will do no good for their physical and mental health.
Since spending time in front of a computer screen and watching videos are so common among children these days, it is quite alarming how these activities could negatively affect them.
Q. How do you think children’s activities will change in the future? Will this be a positive change?
Answer: I have a feeling that the children’s activities that are expected to come in the future will not bring many positive changes, as they will be more brain and technology-oriented instead of enough physical and outdoor-oriented. Besides, the future activities are expected to be “more indoor” type where children would be encouraged to stay at home and enjoy their activities alone. And, if such is the case, it will have some negative impacts on the social and communication skills of the children in the long run.
Please send me answers.