Talk About A Skill You Learned, Skill Development Courses, Practical Skills

IELTS questions about hometown, skills, learning skills, practical skills, team building, and how children and adults learn from a recent IELTS test in Vietnam.

Talk About A Skill



IELTS Speaking Part 1

What is your full name?

My name is ...

Can I see your ID?

Sure, here's my ID card

Where are you from?

I'm from Ho Chi Minh City

Topic: Hometown

What is your hometown famous for?

I guess that most people would know it as the capital of South Vietnam in the past when we were two separate republics.

Most people agree that it is the economic heart of the country and makes possibly the largest contribution, as a business center, to the overall economy of the country.

And of course most people have heard of the famous musical "Miss Saigon" which was based on some of the historic events that took place here in the past.

Do you still live in your hometown?

Yes, I do, I still live with my family there.

What do you like about living there?

It's a large international city, it's busy and exciting and yet you can find quiet places to spend time too.

I grew up there so that's one reason I like it. There are many people from other countries who live and work in the city and there is a lot of international influence which makes it more interesting than some other places in Vietnam.

Topic: Work, Studies, Job

Are you working or studying at the moment?

I'm working and studying. I'm studying theater and working as a model and actress sometimes.

Do you enjoy your job?

Yes, very much. It's interesting and I get to meet lots of different people and sometimes go to different places.

I'm a very creative person so the theater and working in drama are two things that I love.

Is it difficult to get such a job in your country?

It can be. I spent a lot of time doing part-time work and learning about acting before I got some good jobs. One of the reasons I'm studying theater, which covers many more aspects than just acting, is that it will give me more opportunities in the future for different projects.



IELTS Speaking Part 2

IELTS Speaking Test Part 2 Cue Card Topic Question

Talk about a skill you have learned to do very well (e.g. cooking or driving).

You should say:
  • What skill did you acquire?
  • How did you acquire that skill?
  • How is it important for you?
and if you want to learn more about this skill.
IELTS TIP
Before you respond to the cue card, you are given 1 minute to prepare.
Make short notes - bullet points - to help organize the flow of your answer.

IELTS Cue Card Sample Answer - Talk About A Skill You Have Learned

When I was a little girl I used to love dancing to music so my mother took me to dance classes.

I loved them and learned lots of different styles of dancing. I started when I was about 7 or 8 years old and practiced all through the time I attended school.

I even entered some competitions but I never won them, there were always girls better than me.

Competing wasn't really important for me though, I just loved dancing and the rhythm and the movements and stretching helped me keep fit.

I didn't really appreciate it when I was younger but I think I learned a lot of self-discipline from my dance classes when I was a little girl.

I also learned that if you keep practicing then even something which seemed impossible can become easy or at least easier, so I guess I learned perseverance also.

My teacher was an ex-ballet dancer trained in classical dance in France, but she also taught us more modern dancing so I grew up appreciating many different types of dancing.

Even now I still love to dance and find it very comforting ... almost therapeutic you might say ... it helps me relax.

I'm not sure if I would learn or study more about dancing now, I'm more interested in drama and acting, but I will always be very grateful to my mother for giving me the chance to learn and take dance classes and to my dance teacher for giving me such a special gift that I can still enjoy now.



IELTS Speaking Part 3

Topic: Children & Practical Skills

What are some practical skills that children acquire at school?

Well, they learn to read and write, and they learn analytical and thinking skills, and they also learn social skills as well. I think those are the main ones. Obviously, as they get older they learn about specific subjects in more detail.

How important do you think these skills are?

Very important. Especially reading and writing. If a child can read then it is possibly the most important skill they can learn because then they can learn about anything else by reading about it.

The other skills are important too but I think reading is by far the most important one - it can make a person into an independent learner and then self-education is possible.

Do children learn certain skills faster or easier than most adults?

In some cases yes. Most people agree that children learn foreign languages easier and faster than most adults.

Maybe adults might learn some skills faster that depend on previous experience, an advantage they would have over children.

But in general I think children have more open minds and can accept information more easily rather than questioning everything or comparing it to what they already know.

Topic: Team Building & Skills Development

Do you think that team building is important in the workplace? [Why?/Why not?]

Generally, yes, because in most work environments you need to collaborate with other people to get anything done. It is easier if everybody works together instead of against each other, so knowing how to work in a team or how to manage a team is a good skill to have.

Do you like learning new skills or learning about new things related to work?

Yes I do, I'm constantly learning new things on the course I'm studying at the moment and I think it's good. The more you know the more you can do or the easier things become - and you can also help other people more if that is something you like doing.

Is it important that employers provide opportunities and pay for skill development courses for their employees? [Why?/Why not?]

In an ideal world that would happen, yes. However, not all employers have the resources to provide such opportunities for all their employees.

I think it is something that large multi-national companies do for their employees, or some of their employees, because they can see the benefits in the long term future, but many smaller companies simply can't afford to pay for constant training or provide the resources for employees to always be developing their skills.

So it is important, but not always practical, depending on the circumstances.

How would you answer these IELTS speaking test questions about skills?