This recent test includes IELTS questions about:
- Friends
- Animals
- Boats
- Moving to a new city/country
- Job satisfaction
- Quality of life
IELTS Speaking Part 1
Friends:Do you have the same friends as you had in primary school? Why? Why not?
No, I don't. After I attended primary school, my family moved to another part of the country, and so I lost touch with the other children I went to school with.
Why do you think friends are important?
Because they can make you feel good. You can share experiences with them, and some of your best memories are made with your friends.
Apart from your immediate family, they’re probably some of the most important and influential people in your life.
They’re a source of support, encouragement, and comfort when things go bad in life.
Do you chat online with friends? Why? Why not?
Yes, all the time, especially now because I have several friends in other countries, so we always chat or call each other regularly.
And my friends here, we always chat, at least a couple of messages a day, I would say, sometimes much more depending on what's happening.
Boats:
Do you like boats?
Yes, I do. After I graduated, I spent a year living in another country near the coast, and boats were everywhere.
Nearly all my friends there had boats, or their family had boats, so we used to go out on a boat for the afternoon or even a whole day was a common activity.
Have you ever traveled on a boat? Who did you travel with?
Yes, I have. I traveled on a ferry across the English Channel, with my boyfriend, and to Sicily on a boat.
So, I've traveled on different kinds of boats on several different occasions.
Where did you go on the boat?
As I said before, once I went to France using the cross0-channel ferry. There was also a time when I went with a group of friends in a small launch to an island when I was on vacation.
Would you like to have your own boat in the future?
Maybe, it would depend on where I end up living. If I live by the ocean I suppose it would be fun to have a boat to go out on the weekends and so on.
It’s not one of my goals though. It only makes sense to have a boat if you live near water. And at the moment I don’t so it’s not a priority.
Animals:Which is your favorite wild animal, and why?
Any of the big cats; lions, leopards, cheetahs, I think they look beautiful and so graceful and strong when they’re moving around. I find the mixture of strength and graceful movement fascinating.
Do you like seeing animals in the zoo?
I’ve only ever been to a zoo once, when I was at school there was a class trip to visit the local zoo.
I thought it was interesting at the time, and as long as the animals are well-cared for I don’t think there’s any problem with it.
What I don’t agree with is taking a wild animal and putting it in a zoo – it’s not natural. But if they are born in captivity, then it’s different.
Is it good for children be able to see wild animals in a zoo?
It’s good in the sense that they get to experience something they wouldn’t normally and learn something new.
Like anything else, exposure to new things is essential as a child to help stimulate interest. And who knows, maybe a child who visits a zoo will become interested in animals and end up becoming a veterinary doctor or working with animals in their natural habitat.
IELTS Speaking Part 2
Talk about a city/country you would like to move to.
You should say:
- why you want to move there
- how you know about it
- when you would like to go there
and say what you think you would enjoy most about living there.
I’d really like to move to the UK and live in London, but not permanently, just to spend a year or so living there and enjoying the culture.
A few years ago, I spent a semester there studying English, and I really enjoyed my time there.
I met lots of interesting people while I was there, and although I saw a lot of things, you know like the tourist attractions, I was just beginning to really learn about the culture when it was time for me to come home.
So, I’d like to go back and spend longer this time. In fact, it’s part of my plan. I’m investigating postgraduate study options in London at the moment because I want to take my master’s degree there.
That’s one of the main reasons why I want to go as well because the educational institutions in the UK, and London in particular, have an excellent reputation and I believe it will help me in my future career.
Hopefully, if things go well I’ll be able to go next year. Assuming I can get everything organized and manage to get the visa and everything.
As for what I would enjoy about living there, I’d say it would be the cosmopolitan atmosphere. People from all corners of the world are in London - it’s very eclectic, and you can literally come across people from everywhere in the world while there.
It’s also a very dynamic place, very similar to New York, there’s always something happening, and the city never seems to sleep.
IELTS Speaking Part 3
How can you measure the quality of living in a city or country?
Well, I think there are lots of measures, or factors, which are used such as air and noise pollution, the cost of living such as property, food and the basics of life, the transport system, facilities available such as schools, hospitals, etc.
It depends on whether you talk about measuring it on a personal basis or on a more academic basis.
For example, if living in a quiet place is the most important thing for you, then living in a city will not make you happy. It won’t matter if it has excellent facilities or it’s the most interesting place in the country. If you prefer peace and quiet, then your quality of living will probably be better in the suburbs or even further away in the countryside in a small village.
Are there certain countries where job satisfaction is, generally, higher than in others?
Honestly, I don’t know. I guess in terms of some jobs it’s probably true. I mean, for example, a doctor in one country who has access to all the latest technology and medical facilities will probably feel more satisfied with their work than a doctor who only has access to more basic medical equipment and feels frustrated sometimes because of this.
But if you think about a waiter or someone cooking food in a restaurant, maybe the level of satisfaction is more or less the same because the conditions are generally similar.
I think it’s a bit difficult to say that certain countries have workers that are all happier in their work than all the workers in other countries. It’s better to compare types of work, or specific jobs, to decide the level of job satisfaction.
What are some aspects of job satisfaction that can be measured?
Some of the obvious would be salary, working hours, benefits such as health insurance, pension, paid vacation, etc.
It’s easy to ask if people are happy or satisfied with these aspects.
Then there are less tangible aspects such as people’s relationship with colleagues, or coworkers, or the feeling of achievement, contributing to something worthwhile, or being part of a team or organization. These are less easy to quantify.
Would you prefer to take a job which pays more or a job you really enjoy?
Ideally, I’d like a balance between the two. I wouldn’t take a job just because of the money if I didn’t want to do it or if I thought I wouldn’t enjoy going to work every day.
On the other hand, I wouldn’t choose to do a job just because I liked it if it didn’t pay enough so that I could afford to live.
There has to be a balance, not one extreme or the other. That’s the only way it would last – otherwise, I'd be fed up after a short while and want to do something else.
How important is salary in terms of job satisfaction? Is there anything else that is more important?
No doubt, it’s important. After all, it’s your salary that pays the bills and allows you to do all the other things you want to apart from work.
But many other aspects contribute to overall job satisfaction. For example, the colleagues you share your time with every day. Then, there’s the organization you work for and their contribution to society – what they produce or do – if it’s a positive influence or not.
Then, there are other tangible benefits such as health insurance, pension, bonuses, promotion, and advancement opportunities, and the potential to work in areas that you care about or that are important for your career.
Even the organizational culture, the atmosphere at work, and so on can play a part in your overall job satisfaction.