- Studying
- Happiness
- Important skills for children
- Skills for the future
IELTS Speaking Test
Part 1Do you work or study?
Actually, I graduated last month, but I haven’t started working yet. I studied International Business with a specialization in Marketing.
Why did you choose that subject?
I thought it was a good choice because business is global nowadays and doesn’t really depend on which country you are in, apart from the language. So there are many opportunities to work with interesting global companies and build a good career in the future.
I chose marketing specifically because it’s something I became interested in during the first semester at university. I’d really like to get a position in the marketing department of a well-known brand to develop my professional career.
Do you prefer to study individually or in a group?
It depends, sometimes I like to study alone. At other times it can be more interesting and useful to study with other people and share ideas. But overall, I probably spent more time studying by myself when I was at university.
If you have free time after studying, what do you like to do normally?
Well, at the moment, I have quite a lot of free time, and I like to get out and about on my bike and see different places. Last weekend I went with some friends to a place about 10km from here, it was a beautiful day, and we all enjoyed the ride out.
When we got there, we had something to eat and a short rest before riding back. One day I’d like to tour all around the country on my bike, maybe with a small group of other riders.
How do people in your country usually show their happiness?
The most common way is by smiling – most people smile when they feel happy, so it’s easy to tell how they are feeling. Another common one that you see kids doing – is jumping up and down when they are happy or excited.
What kinds of things usually make you feel happy?
A lot of different things make me happy. Let me see, for example, I was ecstatically happy when I graduated from university, and when I came here to Australia to improve my English I was super happy! And then, as I said, last weekend we had a great bike ride with some super people, and I felt happy about it too.
So I guess there are many different things which can make me feel happy. Sometimes they’re big important things like graduating and other times it can be just doing something fun with people you like.
IELTS Speaking Test
Part 2Describe a skill that you learnt in your childhood
You should say:
and say if it has been a useful skill for you.
- what it is
- how you learned it
- when you used it
A skill you learned in your childhood
Okay, so probably one of the most useful skills was learning to ride a bike because it’s still something I use now – and have used throughout my life ever since I learned how to. There were many other things I learned to do when I was a child, but they’re things I don’t do now.
I actually learned to ride a bike by myself. Nobody taught me. I just decided to try and ride my big brother’s bike one day when nobody else was around. The first couple of attempts were hilarious – I fell off and ended up with my leg tangled up in the bike.
I got quite a few bumps and scratches while learning. First, I tried to just balance on the bike without trying to move it, and then I balanced on the bike and went down a very slight hill, just steering the bike and trying not to fall off.
At the bottom of the hill, I fell off. I got up and walked back up the hill with the bike and did it again. I kept on doing this until I could go all the way down the hill and use the brakes to stop the bike without falling off.
The next step was to learn to balance and peddle at the same time without wobbling all over the place. This was quite difficult at first – but I kept on trying and trying and eventually I was able to pedal for about 50m without any problems.
After that, I just kept practicing whenever I could, and I learned to control the bike better, and that’s how I learned to ride a bike by myself.
I would say it’s definitely been a useful skill because it’s allowed me to go out and go to different places that I wouldn’t have gone to if I hadn’t been able to ride a bike. And now it’s also a good way to socialize, as I told you about before. So it’s not only a practical skill but also very useful.
IELTS Speaking Test
Part 3Which skills do you think are important for children to learn at school? Why?
I suppose schools are expected to teach children the skills they need for life. Most people would say subjects like science, math, reading and writing, and other academic skills. But schools must teach other skills like critical thinking and analytical skills.
One of the important things that schools must do is try and anticipate what skills children will need in the future. The world is a very different place from when, for example, my parents went to school.
There’s much more technology in everyday life and work, so schools need to ensure that children are technologically equipped to deal with modern work practices.
Are there any skills they don’t learn now but you think they should learn? Which skills are they?
I can’t really think of any specific skills at the moment. There are only a certain number of hours in the day when children are at school and many things to learn. All children must receive a good academic grounding. If schools can incorporate other creative activities into the curriculum as well – then that’s great.
Unless educators can invent a way for children to learn the basics, like reading and writing and math quicker than they do now – I don’t see how they could include teaching more skills in the same amount of time.
What might be some other skills children will need to learn in the future?
Based on the current trend of globalization, you could anticipate that children in the future will need to have a greater awareness of other cultures, in some circumstances. And possibly be proficient in more than just one language would also be helpful. Although, new translation apps might make that idea obsolete.
As working practices become more dynamic and fluid, it might also be a good idea to learn how to manage your time and keep yourself motivated. More and more people are working over distances and even though they might collaborate in a team – they often spend many hours working on their own.
It’s vital they can solve their own problems and stay on track, so learning how to manage yourself efficiently might help. But that’s not something you would learn at school, I don’t think – maybe later at college or university.