- your job
- people and handwriting
- winning a prize
- rewards for employees
- money earned by professional athletes
IELTS SPEAKING TEST PART 1
What is your full name?
My name is Julia Morales
Can I see your ID?
Yes, sure, here’s my ID card
Where are you from?
I’m from Caracas
Do you work or study?
I do both. I’m working at the moment and also studying for my degree in business administration and international finance.
What do you do?
I work in administration in a national company here in Caracas. I’m an assistant in the Human Resources department.
Do you like your job?
Yes, I like it a lot – I get to be involved with lots of different projects and work with a variety of people so it’s always interesting. One of the things I like most about the work I do is that most of the projects we deal with are aimed at improving things for the employees of the company – so that’s a good thing and it’s nice to be part of it.
What do you think about handwriting?
I don’t know, I’ve never really thought about it. I suppose it’s important if you have to do a lot of writing. I mean you must have good handwriting so that people can read it and understand it easily.
I know that certain people such as doctors are supposed to have really bad handwriting, but maybe now that much more writing is done on computers and other devices, it’s not so important anymore for people to have nice handwriting… as long as it is legible.
Do you think it is possible to know somebody by their handwriting?
I don’t think many people would be able to tell much about a person just by looking at their handwriting – they might be able to guess some aspects of their character – but I think you would need to be an expert in handwriting to say with any certainty what a person was like just based on a sample of their handwriting.
IELTS SPEAKING TEST PART 2
Describe a prize that you would like to win
You should say:
- What prize is it?
- Why would you like to win it?
- What do you have to do in order to win it?
and explain if winning such a prize will change your life or not.
Describe a prize that you would like to win
I’d love to win the women’s national speed skating gold medal. That would be a wonderful prize to win. I’ve been skating ever since I was a little girl and I think next year will be my best chance to win a gold medal in the competition.
It would be great to be able to do it after all these years of practice and also because I think in the future I might find it hard to commit enough time to the sport to be able to perform as well, so next year might be the last year that I compete due to pressure of time. I would like to win it because it would be a great way to end my competitive career as a skater. After that, I’ll probably just skate for fun or maybe help coach young skaters.
The first step will be qualifying for the regional competitions and hopefully, if I’m successful there I’ll get to represent my region at the national event and compete against the best skaters in the country. It requires a lot of training and discipline but I feel that this year I will be ready for it both physically and mentally.
As for changing my life - well, I don't think simply winning the medal would change my life much, but it would be a nice way to finish my competitive skating career. But it's not the most important thing in my life, so I don't think winning it will change my future at all.
IELTS SPEAKING TEST PART 3
Do you think employers should reward their employees more?
I think it depends on how well they reward them at the moment. The important thing is that employees feel valued and appreciated by their employers and that they feel motivated to do their best at work at all times.
Sometimes, it’s not just a case of giving ‘rewards’ such as a bonus or promotion, sometimes employees like the opportunity to grow and develop through training or participating in other opportunities at work.
It’s important that employees feel their efforts are rewarded, but it doesn’t always have to be just about money, there are various ways to reward people for their hard work or contribution.
How do you think they should do it?
Well, there are various methods which employers could use. There’s money, which could be in the form of a one-off bonus or a permanent increase in wages or salary, special prizes such as a gift, holiday, or another treat, and then there are the mutually beneficial rewards such as encouraging employees to participate in professional development and training opportunities which reward the employee with additional skills and knowledge which also benefits the employer.
A lot depends on whether the idea of the reward is a one-off short-term thing or part of a longer-term career plan. What’s probably most important is that employers understand what is important for individual employees – not all people are motivated by the same type of reward.
Do you think professional athletes earn too much money?
No, I believe that athletes, like entertainers, earn what the market values their contribution to be to their sport or art. If people didn’t think they were worth what they earn – they wouldn’t be paid so much money.
You have to look at the difference between those athletes at the top of their sport and those that compete at lower levels – it’s only the best who earn lots of money and usually only in sports which are highly popular and commercialized like football, soccer, motor racing and so on.
When you consider these athletes are the best in their business and then compare what they earn to international bankers and the top CEOs in the world, it’s easy to understand why they earn so much – they are all at the top of their respective fields.
IELTS Speaking Test