What kind of things advertise most in your country?

IELTS Speaking Test Vietnam
IELTS Speaking Test Vietnam

IELTS speaking test questions from a recent IELTS Speaking Test in Vietnam

IELTS Speaking Test Vietnam

Part 1

What is your full name?

Elizabeth Thủy Tiên

Can I see your ID?

Here is my passport

Where are you from?

I'm Vietnamese, from here in Hanoi.

Do you work or study?

I'm studying at the moment, my Masters Degree in Business, specializing in Strategic Planning.

Do you live in a house or an apartment?

I still live with my parents in their house, our family house.

Do you like your home?

Yes, I love it. I have so many happy memories growing up there with my brothers and sister.

What will your future house look like?

I really don't know. If I stay here in Vietnam then I suppose I would like to have a traditional family home like my parents. But at the moment I'm planning to emigrate to Australia, so I don't really know what type of house there I would like to get eventually.

Topic: Transportation

What public transport do you normally use?

I use the buses almost every day. It's the best option for me at the moment. Maybe next year, if I don't go to Australia I will get a car.

Why do you use them?

The buses? because they're cheap and frequent and I can catch one close to my home and it takes me all the way to the university. I only have to walk maybe one block.

Like I said, buses are convenient. Maybe if I lived out of town or had to go someplace different to work - then maybe I wouldn't find them so good - but for me at the moment, they are the most convenient transport.

Do you think people should use public transport more?

Here, lots of people use public transport. Many people don't have much choice. I remember when I spent a year studying abroad in South America, the buses and taxis were very similar to here.

They were cheap and frequent and most people used them. I think it's in western countries where people use private cars more maybe - and use buses less in the city.

What would you do to improve Hanoi's public transport?

I really don't know. There are a lot of people here in Hanoi, more than six and a half million people, so of course there is going to be a lot of traffic also.

Maybe, more bus lanes and restrictions would help reduce the volume of traffic. Or more control of the moto-taxis; there are more of them than any other form of transport, but it's really a case of planning and only the local authorities know what the plans are for the future.

Do you think public transportation is expensive in your city?

No, it's really cheap - well buses are - it's only about 14 cents. Taxis can be expensive if you use them a lot, or go long distances. But in general, transport is cheap.

Is there good public transportation in your hometown?

Absolutely, my hometown boasts an excellent public transportation system. It's quite comprehensive, with buses, trams, and trains crisscrossing the city, ensuring every corner is accessible.

The service is prompt and reliable, making it a popular choice for daily commuters. Moreover, the authorities are proactive in maintaining the quality of the infrastructure and continuously implementing measures to improve efficiency.

The ease and convenience offered by our public transport system significantly contribute to the city's bustling lifestyle.

What will public transport be like in the future?

Looking into the future, I envision public transportation to be smart, sustainable, and highly efficient. I believe we'll see a rise in autonomous vehicles - imagine hopping onto a self-driving bus or tram!

And, with advancements in renewable energy technology, more public transport vehicles might harness solar or wind energy, reducing our carbon footprint significantly.

An even more fascinating possibility is hyperloop technology, which could revolutionize intercity travel, making it super quick and efficient. And, I expect integrated apps to become the norm, giving us real-time updates and making ticketing a breeze.

All these developments will make public transportation not just a necessity, but a preferred choice.

Will you use public transport more in the future?

You know, I'm actually leaning towards using public transportation more often in the future. With urban areas getting more crowded and traffic becoming a real headache, it's becoming clearer that public transport can help reduce congestion and lower carbon emissions.

Plus, it's a chance for me to kick back and relax, maybe even catch up on some reading, which is something I can't really do while driving. And thanks to technology, using public transportation has become super convenient with digital ticketing and real-time tracking. Pretty cool, right?

Topic: Your Day

What time of the day do you like the most? Why?

I like the evening the best when I'm at home with my family and relaxing. The air is fresh and everything is quiet and peaceful.

Because I love to sit in our garden and look at the sky at night and see the stars sometimes - it's almost hypnotic I think.

How is the structure of your day now different compared to the past?

I suppose a few years ago when I first started studying I was more relaxed and more social than now.

Now because I'm doing my Master's Degree there is a lot of reading I need to do and I seem to have much less time for other activities. So I don't go out as often as I used to.

But really, my life hasn't changed much in the last few years, it just feels a little more busy at the moment than usual. I still live in the same place - see the same people - do the same things.

Maybe if I do go to Australia, I will be able to tell you about many changes in the future!




Talk about an advertisement which made you want to buy a certain product

You should say:
- what the product was
- what was shown in the advertisement
- what you liked about the advertisement/product
And explain why the product was important to you.


Sample Answer

Let me tell you about an ad I saw a few weeks ago. It was on the internet and it was advertising a service to buy and sell gold online. It's something one of my friends told me about some time ago, but I never really thought about it seriously after he had told me about it.

The image used in the ad was what caught my attention first. It was an image of a gold bar, gold bullion, and it just looked so beautiful.

I clicked on the ad and it linked me to a website which sold gold. I didn't really know much about this so I read all the information on the page and they were selling gold bullion, gold coins and other gold products.

I had no idea that you could buy all these different gold products online and some of them weren't expensive - well the price varies - but you could buy gold for less than $100 and they shipped it directly to you.

It seemed like a good idea - everybody loves gold - and I thought it would be a good investment for the future. Anyway, I didn't do anything about it at the time, but I did decide to do some more research about the subject.

Over a week I visited some other websites and read a lot more about buying, selling, and investing in gold. I learned so much and began to get really interested in the topic.

Eventually I decided to buy some gold rounds and coins, simply because I liked the design, and I learned that the price of gold is relatively low at the moment so it seemed like a good time to buy.

This was last week, and they delivered my order a couple of days ago. I think I must have spent about 20 minutes just looking at these gold items when I first opened them. they were so beautiful and I had never bought anything gold before in my life so it was like a special moment.

Now, I have a plan to try and buy some more gold every month, little by little. some coins are really interesting but I also want to buy gold because I think it's a good idea for the future.




IELTS Speaking Test Vietnam Part 3

Do you think advertising influences people’s choice of products?

, a lot of people are very easily manipulated by advertising, everyone knows that. Companies know it and take advantage of it to make money.

We all buy things we don't really need sometimes, just because of the marketing or the advertising which makes us think we need to have or buy a certain product.

There are many products for sale which quite similar, but those companies who tend to spend more on marketing and advertising sell more of their product than the others, even though the actual product may be quite similar.

Who shows advertisements in your country?

They're everywhere, on TV, on the internet, on the streets, in magazines, I mean - any company selling a product or service is advertising - maybe they choose to advertise in different places, but they're all showing ads all over the place.

I guess if you stopped to count them all, you would be counting hundreds of ads every day that you see just walking around or on TV.

Apart from food and clothing, what products are advertised? What kind of things advertise most in your country?

Besides food and clothing, Vietnam has a ton of products being advertised. But you know what's really popular? Electronic gadgets and motor vehicles.

With the country rapidly urbanizing and modernizing, people there are craving advanced tech and transportation options. So, it's no surprise that you'll see ads everywhere for smartphones, laptops, and motorbikes, which are a big deal in Vietnam.

These ads typically highlight the cool features, dependability, and affordability of the products. It's all about keeping up with the latest and greatest!

What are your views on showing or mentioning children in advertising?

Well, if it's an ad selling things for children then it makes sense. You wouldn't want to see an adult advertising something for children - it wouldn't seem real - and personally I don't see anything wrong with children appearing in ads or marketing campaigns.

In fact in some cases the child has gone on to become like a celebrity, which isn't a bad thing because then they have more opportunities in life, maybe they can become an actor or something like that or maybe a TV presenter.

What are some other methods of advertising in your country?

I think we have all the normal methods of advertising here, TV, radio, newspaper and magazines, then there are the paper leaflets some people hand out in the street, we have internet advertising, billboards on the street and other advertising activities.

Some of the large car companies here sponsor events, like sports or maybe something similar. I think the type of company, or product, might have something to do with the way they advertise it or where they advertise it.

In your view, What is the most effective advertising media?

I'm not sure. Doesn't it depend on the product or service that a company is trying to sell? That is why marketing companies get paid a lot of money - to design the best plan - to reach the right people.

Maybe there are some products that can be advertised anywhere and be effective, but most have a preferred media or style of advertising depending on who they are aimed at. For example, you wouldn't try and sell cheap products in a high-quality magazine or advertise expensive cars in a poor neighbourhood.

So each company has to decide what kind of product it is they are selling and choose the most effective channel for their advertising.

Do you think any advertising could be harmful?

No, not really, after all, ads only inform or suggest that something is good and we should buy it. It's the people who make the decision to buy - or not. I can't imagine how an ad could harm someone, it doesn't do anything - it's passive.

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