This IELTS speaking test includes the cue card: Describe an unusual or interesting thing you did recently. Other topics include:
- Typical food in your country
- Eating dinner together
- An unusual activity
- Travelling
- Children and free-time
- Free-time for men and women
- Using computers
IELTS Speaking Test Part 1
What is your full name?
My name is ...
Can I see your ID please?
Of course, yes, here it is.
Do you work or study?
I'm a student at the Asian University for Women in Dhaka.
What is considered typical food in your country?
In general, the most common ingredients consist of flat bread and rice, but there are many regional foods which are also popular.
We like to eat chicken, beef and mutton, and vegetables, dal and many dishes are prepared in the form of a curry.
I think chatpati, mutton rezala and kheer are the favorites in my family.
Do parents usually have dinner with their children in your country?
Traditionally, yes, and in my house we always eat together unless my father is away travelling on business.
Maybe things are changing slowly as more young people seek employment in the large cities and develop their own lives independently of their families, but in general mealtimes are very important and sharing food together has a very strong tradition and is seen as important for families to share this time with each other.
In your opinion, is it important that parents and children eat together?
Personally, yes, I think it's very important. As I was growing up as a young girl I can still remember my father telling us about things while we ate together.
I also remember when maybe some other family members, like one of my uncles, would visit, eating together was always very interesting and an opportunity to share and learn more. I still like having meals with my family.
IELTS Speaking Test Part 2
Describe an unusual or interesting thing you did recently
You should say:- Where did you do it?
- When did you do it?
- Who did you do it with?
Part 2 IELTS Cue Card Sample Answer
Okay, so an unusual or interesting thing I did recently I can tell you about was a trip I made a few months ago. I went to London in the UK with one of my professors from university.
We were part of a research team that went from Bangladesh to meet with some other teams from around the world in London and discuss an international project that we have been working on for the last few years.
I had never been to london before, so it was amazing for me. I had often seen pictures from my father, who used to spend a lot of time there on business, years ago, but I never dreamed that I would be visiting it myself this year.
My professor and I spent about a week in London, three of the days were basically for work and then we had one free day and the weekend to see some of the local sights and experience a little of the culture of London.
It wasn't a lot of time but it was still nice to be able to see some of the famous places and see all the people from around the world. It's such a cosmopolitan place.
We spent hours looking at famous buildings and every now and then we would stop and sit in a cafe and drink something, to rest a little before continuing.
On the second last day we actually got lost on 'the tube', that's what they call the London underground train system, it's massive and we got our directions completely wrong.
Luckily for us some local people helped us get to where we wanted to visit. I think they must be used to seeing lost 'tourists' all the time.
It was a really wonderful and interesting experience for me, as I had always dreamed of visiting England, I just didn't think it would be this year - the trip was a surprise, but it was the most unusual activity I did recently.
IELTS Speaking Test Part 3
In your country, is travelling a typical activity people do during the weekend or in their free time?
Yes, I think it is. Obviously people don't always travel abroad at the weekend, but now that many families have members living in different parts of the country.
I think that travelling to visit family and maybe friends is a very common activity that most people do.
I've made two trips this month so far to visit family here in different parts of the country.
Do people have less free time now than in the past? [Why?]
Honestly, I know that everyone says they have less time, but I'm not sure that it's true for everybody.
I think it maybe applies to certain people, but there are still a lot of people that live and do the same things that they have always done - I don't think that they feel they have any less time than before.
It's different if you compare, for example, teeenagers and their grandparents, then of course, young people are involved in much more than their grandparents were.
But they still have free time, it's just that their free time is often occupied with activities, while in the past people spent more time doing nothing, simply talking, and not always 'doing something'.
What do children do in their free-time in your country?
I think the normal things that children do - play soccer - play cricket - computer games and things like that. Homework for school and chores at home if they have to.
Do you think children should be doing these kind of things in their free time? [why?/Why not?]
I think that children need to have a balance between things they have to do and things they enjoy doing.
It's important that they study and learn even when they're not in school - but it's also important that they spend time with their friends and participate in sports or some kind of physical activity to keep them healthy.
Should there be the same amount of free time for women and men? [Why?/Why not?]
I think maybe women are still occupied more than men sometimes, although when I see my mother preparing a meal and sometimes it takes her hours, she's talking to her sister or the children at the same time.
So sometimes I think she's occupied, but it's different from being at work and being occupied because at work you can't chat with your family and do things like that. I think men are generally more occupied with work and so have less real free time.
In your opinion are computers important?
In the world we live in today - essential! We could not live without them now. I don't think there is one area of our daily lives that has not been affected by the increasing use of computers.
Business, banking, shopping, study, computers are everywhere nowadays and even in some aspects of life that we maybe don't even think about.
Do you use a computer often?
Yes, every day. For work and pleasure. I use it as part of my studies and work at the university and I also use it for fun, socializing and surfing on the internet, and now I'm using it to chat with some of the other delegates we met in London on my recent trip.
They come from different universities in countries all over the world, so it's great that we can chat online and share ideas.
What kind of things do you use your computer for?
As I said, work, study, social. I've bought things on the internet, I reserved tickets for the theater once a couple of months ago. I use it to find information, send emails, watch videos and many other things. Oh, and of course, banking, although that is just more recently, but I think it's good.