IELTS Speaking – Part 3

Colour has a large role in advertising. We associate different products with their colour. Often people can’t be bothered to remember the name of the product, but they do remember the colour of the packet.
Could you describe how society can benefit from people working at night?
Society can benefit a great deal from people working at night such as policemen as a necessity for security of the whole society, taxi drivers for people to travel from one place to another or nurses and doctors at hospitals for treating people in case of emergency. Without their working at night, life would be more difficult.
Can you compare going to the cinema or other entertainments at night with going to the same entertainments by day?
I think it’s the atmosphere is different. If you are going to a concert or a cinema at night, the lights, the music and the atmosphere are different. After a long day’s work, its relaxing, entertaining and fun. There are not so many people going to the cinema or concert during the day.
What would you recommend people to do if they have to work at night?
I would recommend they get enough sleep so that they can maintain a high level of energy at night to work well. Also, they should find time to be with other family members.
Can you identify ways in which attitudes towards working at night have changed?
Nowadays, most people accept that night work is essential, because we want all sorts of things to be available at night, from hospitals to supermarkets.
Could you outline the effects on family life of people working at night?
Some parents work at different times, so one of them is available to look after the children. It’s difficult for them to do things together as a family.
How would you evaluate the importance of public transport operating all night?
In a 24/7 society, busses and trains are very important. They need to operate all night. Otherwise, it would be very difficult for people to get to work or to provide the services we wanted.
Could you speculate on whether we will move even more towards a 24/7 society?
It’s difficult to tell, but on the whole I think we are more likely to move back towards working during daylight hours, except for emergency services.
Can you suggest ways in which people could be encouraged to work at night?
People could be offered higher salaries or working at night, or could be working fewer hours for the same salary.
Choose two different forms of transport and compare their advantages and disadvantages.
Cars are far more convenient than busses, because you can go from your home to your destination without changing.
Trains have a very good safety record, far better than cars.
It’s much cheaper to travel by bus than by car, if you consider all the costs of driving.
Planes are very harmful for the environment, because of the gases they emit. Ships do much less damage.
Many city centres and major roads are congested. How can the problem be solved? Consider the advantages and disadvantages of these suggestions.
Banning non essential traffic: would greatly reduce the number of vehicles, but would make it very difficult to get to where they need to go.
Making driving very expensive: would encourage people to find cheaper alternatives, like public transport. On the other hand, it would be much more difficult for people living in rural areas, and people without much money.
Improving public transport: would reduce the number of private cars being used, but would need a lot of investment by the government, and people would probably object to paying higher taxes.
Encouraging people to live near their work: would make life less stressful for people who commute to work every day. However, people won’t want to move home every time they change jobs, if their new job is in a different area.
Can you suggest reasons why people move to another country?
To join friends or family; to get a better job; to increase their income; to learn a foreign language; to gain religious or political freedom; to study.
Can you comment on the benefits for a country of receiving people who have moved from abroad.
They work, and the taxes they pay contribute to national income; they provide skills that may be in short supply; they help to make the country more cosmopolitan, e.g. by adding to the variety of food and festivals.
Can you speculate on possible future movements of people between different countries?
People might move because of conflicts in their own country; as countries like India and China become richer, they may attract immigrants from poorer countries.
What are the benefits of becoming a member of a sports club?
If you join a sports club, you will be able to go there whenever you want and make use of all its equipment. It’s also a good place to make new friends.
Do you think enough sport is taught in schools nowadays?
I think more sport should be taught in schools because children need to take exercise and have the chance to breathe fresh air.
Why do international sports competitions encourage strong nationalism?
People get very excited watching their national team and many wave the national flag to support them. I think it’s a way of identifying with your country and feeling proud to be one of its citizens.
Is it always important to win at sport? Why or why not?
There’s a saying that goes something like this: it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, what’s important is taking part. I agree with that because you can get a lot of enjoyment from sport, whether you are good at it or not.
Could you describe how people use plastic credit cards?
They are used instead of cash, to buy goods in shops or pay bills. They can be used for paying online too when you just need to give the number on the card and some other details.
Can you contrast carrying credit cards with carrying cash?
I think the biggest difference is that when you pay for something with a credit card, you don’t really feel that you are spending money. So the danger is that you might spend far too much.
Can you identify ways in which credit cards have changed our spending habits?
When we see something we want, but can’t afford it, in the past we generally saved up to buy it. But nowadays we are more likely to buy it on credit card. As a result a lot of people get into debt.
How would you account for the popularity of credit cards?
One of the main reasons why people like using credit cards is that they can buy things that they can’t afford. Another reason is that they are convenient especially when you are shopping or traveling overseas because you don’t have to carry a lot of money with you.
Can you outline the methods used to encourage people to borrow money?
Banks advertise a lot, both on TV and by sending junk mail to your home. Often you are told you won’t need to start repaying a loan for six months or a year.
Can you suggest ways of educating people about the dangers of borrowing a lot of money?
I think this would be difficult, but maybe the government should run an advertising campaign emphasizing the danger of getting heavily into debt.
Could you speculate on whether people will change their attitude towards borrowing money?
I’m afraid that people who borrow a lot will carry on doing that, and that fewer and fewer people will try to avoid getting into debt.
Could you outline changes in the types of goods and services available in your country?
A lot more fruit and vegetables are imported than ten or twenty years ago, so we can buy the same things all year round, and not just when they are in season, in my own country.
How would you assess the impact on our lives of having a greater choice of goods?
I think it’s good to have a choice, because it gives us opportunities to have a better lifestyle. On the other hand, we sometimes waste a lot of time trying to make up our minds.
Is there enough time in the primary school curriculum to introduce music?
There is very little time because the focus is on basic literacy and numeracy – learning how to read, write and do maths.
Does every school have the financial resources to support such a programme?
Schools car usually short of resources for music can’t afford to pay extra teachers. They often rely on class teachers running music clubs in their lunch hour.
What are the benefits of learning a musical instrument at a young age?
It’s good because counting time and reading music can help children in other subjects.
What are the challenges in teaching music to young children?
They need to be able to concentrate and sit still.
Can you identify ways in which human beings use the oceans?
We explore the ocean floor to find out about the movement of continental plates, and to drill for oil and gas from under the sea. We’re also beginning to use the oceans to store waste materials.
Do you consider that life is less interesting, now that a great deal is known about eh Earth, the oceans and space?
We no longer have the excitement of discovering that people live in part of the world that did not know existed. But a lot of exploration nowadays focuses on space and I find that interesting.
How would you account for the fact that explorers used to be willing to take great risks, by sailing across the sea without navigational instruments?
Of course, they didn’t realize what navigational aids would be available hundreds of years later, so they probably took the risks for granted. They may also have found the idea of discovering unknown land much more exciting than we can understand as we have found all the land on Earth.
What can dream tell us about ourselves?
In my opinion, dreams can reveal our innermost feelings, things that we don’t want to think about.
Do you think it is helpful to interpret someone’s dreams for them?
It’s a complex question. I’m sure it must sometimes be helpful to have your dreams interpreted by a professional psychologist, but equally it could be quite upsetting for the individual concerned.
Why are dreams consider important in many cultures?
Might it be because they could provide answers, even if we don’t fully understand why we dream?
Are psychological issues more prevalent in modern society? Why or why not?
Definitely. We are leading more pressurized lives and this means we suffer more psychological problems. I also think we understand psychology better than we did, say, a hundred years ago.
How far should we try to investigate our inner selves?
It could be risky to dot this, couldn’t it? On the other hand, our inner selves are our true selves, rather than the masks we often choose to wear for other people, so we should attempt to discover them.
Is psychological well-being more or less important than physical fitness?
Mightn’t they be both equally important? There’s the famous saying “a healthy mind in a healthy body” and I think it’s valid.
Can you explain why the birth rate is falling in may countries?
Many couples are choosing to have smaller families. In addition, birth control is more readily available than it used to be.
What impact does an ageing population have on society?
It puts an added burden on the state in terms of providing social care.
Should the state provide completely free care for the elderly?
Ideally, but this would cost a great deal of money especially given an ageing population.
In the future, will working people have to retire at a later age than they currently do?
It’s highly likely that people will retire later and in fact the government in my country is considering this.
What can young people learn from their grandparents and great-grandparents?
Young people can learn many things from their grandparents, because they have so much more experience of the world. Grandparents often provide a better examples of moral value, for example.
Why are people generally living longer nowadays, in your opinion?
Longevity is due to a combination of better diet, advances in modern medicine and perhaps less personal risk than previously.
Could you describe any risks that you take in your hobby?
Yes, I’ve got a passion for potholing, which means climbing down into underground caves and trying to make your way through them. There’s always the risk of losing your balance and falling, or even of getting lost , if you explore a cave system that you are not familiar with.
What is your attitude towards taking risks at work or in your hobby?
I tend to be fairly cautious, and assess risks before doing something, though I usually ignore the dangers of everyday activities.
Evaluate the importance of considering the risks before choosing a means of traveling?
If you thought about the risks every time you traveled you’d never go anywhere. So I think it’s better to ignore them, except when there’s an obvious danger, like overcrowding on a boat or bus.
Explain the attitudes of people in your country towards nuclear and non-nuclear power stations?
On the whole people don’t like power stations, because of the pollution they cause or, in the case of nuclear power stations, the possibility that an accident would be very serious. On the other hand, there isn’t much support for alternatives like wind farms, because some people don’t like the way they look.
Why do you think people emigrate to other countries?
People often emigrate in search of a better life for themselves or their families, for example because of enhanced employment prospects, a better standard of living or a more favorable home environment.
What issues are there to do with immigration today?
If a country already has high unemployment, immigration can cause dissatisfaction and even civil unrest, in that immigrants are taking jobs that its citizens might do.
What is your government’s current policy towards immigration?
My government is currently reshaping its policy on immigration. I believe that a certain quota of asylum seekers are permitted to enter, as well as professionally qualified people where there are skill shortages.
How can migrants help a country’s economy?
Migrants often do the jobs that others don’t want to do and also bring skills that may be in short supply, for example in the nursing profession.
Are books essential in the 21st century?
I believe books are certainly less important than they were, especially now that we have the Internet as a research tool. However, they are essential to me and I have quite a large collection of novels and short stories.
Can the books we read tell us about real life?
Some books written in the past can inform the reader about how life was lived at a particular time. Contemporary fiction may show us a lifestyle that is different to our own.
Is it possible to define literature?
I’m not sure, but I think literature comprises of novels, poetry, plays and short stories. I suppose there’s also a question about “good” and “bad” literature. Can a poorly written blockbuster novel be described as “literature”?
What benefits are gained from studying literature?
As a reader of literature, you become more knowledgeable and more articulate too. I also think that your own writing can benefit from studying literature extensively.
Describe the range of job opportunities in your country, for example small businesses and international companies.
Most businesses are very small, with only a handful of employees. The majority of them are shops or offer services. There are some large companies, like manufacturers of cars and electronic goods, but in the last few years, quite a few number of foreign companies have moved into the country and are competing with them, and some local businesses are struggling.
If you ran your own business, what would it be? Why?
I’d love to offer a service for busy people, where someone would do all the things the customers don’t have time for like shopping, cleaning and looking after pets.
Make a list of things you think it’s important to consider before setting up your business.
I think the most important thing is to decide what you are really interested in and whether you’d enjoy doing it as a job. For example, I love cooking , but I would hate to be a chef and have to cook for dozens of people every day. It’s also essential do decide on a realistic income to aim for.
Speculate on possible development in your country affecting the types of work available.
One possibility is that manufacturing will decline, and the demand for services will grow. I think, too, that fewer people will be employed in agriculture.
How far do you agree with the idea that studying history can help countries to avoid repeating past mistakes?
I think it’s very important to know the results of past policies, so that governments don’t make the same mistakes. We need to study history to gain knowledge.
Could you comment on the suggestion that studying our own country’s history can help us understand present-day situations?
It seems to me that most aspects of present-day life have been affected by past events. Conflicts that go back for years can’t be solved without understanding why the communities involved feel as they do about each other.
How important do you consider it to study the history of other countries?
Just as I believe studying our own country’s history helps us to understand our lives better, I think we need to know about other countries’ histories, to get some insights into their present-day situations.
What are the newspapers like in your country?
Erm, well, I suppose there are two basic kinds. Firstly, there are the more intellectual ones, the more serious ones. Then there’s another kind which are not so serious, they are for – maybe less educated people. They have more articles about celebrities and crimes and things like that. And they have more pictures. Also the language they use tends to be simpler.
Tell me some of the rules about talking that children in your country learn such as when they can talk and when they can’t.
I used to be a teacher and one of the things we had to teach children was to make them wait their turn to speak. They were taught that it’s rude to interrupt people. You know, if they are in the classroom, they should put their hand up if they want to speak or ask a question or say something. I think children are also taught to use a certain volume when they are speaking, that it’s rude to speak too loudly, to shout out. And I suppose there are things about politeness, you know, saying “please” and “thank you”, things like that.
What effects do you think using computers could have on children’s writing skills?
Well, I think it must affect their handwriting skills. I mean neatness and how easy it is for other people to read. Because if children use the Internet a lot, they just don’t get enough practice at holding a pen or forming letters. And then there’s the effect that emails have on writing. I mean people don’t usually write full sentences in emails, or start and finish them like proper letters. So if children only send emails, their use of English might not be so good. They might not be very good at spelling, because if children use the computer’s spell check, they don’t have to memorise correct spelling in the way that people who don’t use computers do.
What do you think would happen if cities stopped investing in public transport?
Well, I’d imagine there would be a lot of problems. People would waste a lot of time traveling to and from work, which means that the city would not be a very enjoyable place to live in. People’s quality of life would certainly get worse.
Mmm, well, I think people wouldn’t be very happy. There would be more people in cars, more traffic jams and more pollution. Also, cities with poor public transport aren’t good places to do business, so I think companies wouldn’t go there.
How do you think transport will change in the next 100 years?
Well, it’s difficult to say, but maybe with new technology people will work more and more from home, so they won’t need to travel so much. In this kind of situatio