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IETLS 7
TEST 1
PART 1:
Topic: Keeping in contact with people
Q. How do you usually contact your friends? [Why?]
A. Most of my friends live in Peru, so I usually call or chat with them online. I have two best friend,
and we try to keep in contact once a month.
Q. Do you prefer to contact different people in different ways? [Why?]
A. Yes, I usually prefer to meet my close friends who live nearby (not now when I was in Peru, here I
don’t have friends yet. When I was there I sent emails and messages to my work partners.
Q. Do you find it easy to keep in contact with friends and family? [Why/Why not?]
A. I believe I have a healthy relationship with my friends and family and keeping in touch with them is
easy for me. It’s my priority. I always make time to spend with my family and my best friends.
Q. In your country, did people in the past keep in contact in the same ways as they do today?
[Why/Why not?]
A. The ways people keep in touch with friends have changed. In the past, people either visited others
in person or wrote letters to keep in touch. Nowadays, we take advantages of technology. We greatly
rely on the internet and mobile phones to contact others. I guess, this has made it easy for us to
communicate with others but sadly, it lacks the personal bonding.
PART 2:
Describe a party that you enjoyed.
You should say:
 whose party it was and what it was celebrating
 where the party was held and who went to it
 what people did during the party
and explain what you enjoyed about this party.
Niece’s Party:
I am going to talk about a party that I enjoyed. That was my niece’s party. We were celebrating her
birthday. She was four years old.
The party was in Hatton Park, here in Warwickshire. Her family (her dad – my brother, her mother and
her brother), and her nursery friend with their parents were to the party. Everybody were casual
clothes and they gave her a lot of gifts and she was really happy to receive all those presents.
We spent the first half hour just by talking about how old she, and we are waited that all people arrive
to start the party. When we were ready, we walked around the camp/field and we saw cows, sheep
and horses too. Then we had a show with a snake and other wild animals. That was funny.
The second hour we went to play with mechanical games for children. And then we finished washing
our hand because we should go to party room to eat something, drink y song happy birthday. The
food included nuggets, chips, chicken and hamburgers, was delicious. As soon as we finished our
meal, it was almost 1:00 pm, we song happy birthday and ate the cake.
I enjoyed this party, for many reasons. The main reason is because was my nice party. The second I
was the official photographer and I can spent all the time following her and was interesting. The third
reason is because maybe the next year or in the future I couldn’t be with her.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Family parties
Q. What are the main reasons people organise family parties in your country?
Answer: Well, this is an interesting question. Family parties in my country are mostly organised to
celebrate a special occasion and to spend some quality time with the people we care about.
Q. In some places, people spend a lot of money on parties that celebrate special family events.
Is this ever true in your country? Do you think this is a good trend or a bad trend?
Answer: I believe expensive parties are thrown mostly by the people who can spend money. This is
also the case in my country you can found people with money where they spend money to parties and
another that not spend anything. I think this is not a good or bad trend, but is a choice.
Q. Are there many differences between family parties and parties given by friends? Why do
you think this is?
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Answer: I believe that the core objective of a party – be it a family party or a party of friends, is the
same. We want to meet people we like, enjoy our time, have drinks and meals, socialise and
celebrate a special occasion.
Discussion topics: National celebrations
Q. What kinds of national celebration do you have in your country?
Answer: In Peru, we have numerous national celebration and the ‘National Day’ – the declaration of
independence of Peru is the most notable one. On 28 July, we got our independence and we
commemorate the day each year with great fervour to show our patriotic feelings.
Q. Who tends to enjoy national celebrations more: young people or old people? Why?
Answer: I believe both the youth and old like to celebrate national festivals. If you are in Peru during
a national festival, you will notice many children, youth and elder citizens on the street who are all
enjoying the festival.
Q. Why do you think some people think that national celebrations are a waste of government
money? Would you agree or disagree with this view? Why?
Answer: A group of people do not like the fact that a large portion of the government budget is being
spent on celebrating different national festivals. They suggest using the fund to help the people who
need healthcare, social security and education. Their argument is somewhat justified especially for a
country where many people are deprived of their basic human needs and rights. However, we also
need to consider the fact that these festivals are important for people to come closer, forget their
differences, and nurture their patriotic feelings.
TEST 2
PART 1:
Topic: Laughing
Q. What kinds of thing make you laugh?
A. Well, that’s an interesting question. Anything funny that is not intended to hurt anyone’s feelings
makes me laugh. I often laugh out loud when I find a child doing something entertaining, or see a
funny act of a movie or TV actor or actress.
Q. Do you like making other people laugh? [Why/Why not?]
A. No really, I do not able to make someone laugh, but when I play with my nephew or niece, I try to
do funny acts to him or her because I love when we enjoy spending time together and I am happy to
see them happy.
Q. Do you think it’s important for people to laugh? [Why/Why not?]
A. Yes, it is very important for us to laugh whenever possible. It is good for our health and is helpful to
fight our stresses. Some years ago, I listening a doctor who told me that the laugh is important for
people who are sick, because in some cases there are evidence the illnesses were reduced.
Q. Is laughing the same as feeling happy, do you think? [Why/Why not?]
A. I would say that there is a difference between laughing and feeling happy. Both are in a special
moment, but when you are happy not necessarily you are laughing, but is sure that we are laughing
when we are happy.
PART 2:
Describe an idea you had for improving something at work or college.
You should say:
 when and where you had your idea
 what your idea was
 whom you told about your idea
and explain why you thought your idea would make an improvement.
Improving something at work:
Ideas can completely change our lives. If we tell them in a good moment maybe we can have new
opportunities and that happened to me.
It was about 3 years ago when I my boss did a meeting to give her new technology ideas about how
could we be better respect the competition. In this meeting were my boss, our vice-president and
some senior’s manager. I remember that day I was calm because I really have a lot of ideas in my
mind, and never had the opportunity to tell them, and this meeting was perfect for me because there
were important people with good position and maybe one of the could see me or my boss could do.
When my boss started the conversation, I try to order my ideas in my mind. I put them in order to
improve the customer experience. She gave us a moment to think, and them each one had to explain
the idea and the benefits. I was the third or fourth in the group, I don’t remember exactly. The idea
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was about interactive communication with the customer and potential customer, when they need
information about their credit card or new credit card they can take it by online.
I was certain that my suggestion/idea would go a long way to reduce the cost of some process and
would help bring more customers and keep them. Everybody loves my ideas. And some month later I
had an upgrade in my work.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Ideas and education
Q. Some people think that education should be about memorising the important ideas of the
past. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
Answer: I do not agree with the idea that education is all about memorising important ideas and
theories of the past. I believe education is a dynamic process in which students learn about the world
and important life skill. For instance, the acceptable education system in the modern world not only
teaches us how the world was in the past or a mathematical theory also teaches us to solve problems
of the future and become more human.
Q. Should education encourage students to have their own new ideas? Why?
Answer: The purpose of education is to help them to be creative, know about the world and prepare
them for the future. Honestly speaking, we need more creative students than those who are good at
memorising theories for a better world.
Q. How do you think teachers could help students to develop and share their own ideas?
Answer: I believe good teachers inspire students to develop their ideas, and make them ready to
take challenges. If we really want our children to be creative, we first need to change the way we
teach them in the classroom. Education should be fun and not hard.
Discussion topics: Ideas in the workplace
Q. Should employers encourage their workers to have new ideas about improving the
company? Why?
Answer: I believe new ideas from employees are extremely important for a company to grow,
especially in this highly competitive era. This is why management should always encourage their
workers to provide feedback and opinions on how a process in a company could be developed.
Q. Do you think people sometimes dislike ideas just because they are new? Why?
Answer: I believe some people are open to new ideas while many others do not feel comfortable with
changes. Some individuals are not ready to accept anything new because they are afraid to try, and
feel that their position would be challenged.
Q. What is more difficult: having new ideas or putting them into practice? Which is more
important for a successful company?
Answer: I believe both are difficult to do. If you want to have new idea, you need time, space and you
need to know the real situation and what do you want to do. And if you have the idea, is difficult find
the time and the person who want to listen to you because sometime putting them into practice don’t
depend of you. I think both are important, one person who is creating new idea is a person who helps
to be better every day. And when you applied them you can see the results.
TEST 3
PART 1:
Topic: Cold weather
Q. Have you ever been in very cold weather? [When?]
A. Yes. In fact, I always was in hot weather but this year I came here to England, and I arrived in
January and really was very difficult for me, because I don’t like the cold weather.
Q. How often is the weather cold where you come from?
A. I am from Peru and the Peruvian climate varies from region to region. I come from Lima Province
that is located in the centre coast part of the country and we have sun nine months a year and the
others three month is not hot but I not like here maybe warm. Usually the temperature is around 28.
Q. Are some parts of your country colder than others? [Why?]
A. Yes, we have three regions, Coast, Mountain and the Jungle-Amazon. The mountain is the part of
my country colder than others regions. I am not sure why, but maybe is because is high.
Q. Would you prefer to live in a hot place or a cold place? [Why?]
A. I would say I prefer to live in a location that has a moderate temperature. There has to be summer
to enjoy the beaches but the temperature should not be extremely hot. I enjoy snow in winter but I
don’t like freezing cold.
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PART 2:
Describe a competition (e.g. TV, college/work or sports competition) that you took part in.
You should say:
 what kind of competition it was
 how you found out about it
 what you had to do and what the prizes were
and explain why you chose to take part in this competition.
Competition:
I am going to talk about a competition that I took part in my School. This competition was about
religion, history and geography. All the school had an exam about this three subject and the teacher
gave us material to study. My best friend and me decide to study because was interesting, wasn’t
obligatory pass it, but was obligatory did it. So we studied a lot, every afternoon and night during one
month and we not only pass the exam, we were between the 10 first students with high score.
Then we had to do a second exam, because the three first position would go to a national competition
with other schools. Again I was very interesting, and I still studying, the truth that was more memory
than understood it. We did the exam and I pass it again and I was de second position. I went to the
national competition.
That day was amazing, we started to answer question in front to everybody, and it wasn’t with paper it
was with microphone. I don’t remember how many people were in that competition I saw a lot of
students with their parents. That day I went with my mother. We were there maybe four or five hours.
There was rounds of question and if you had a mistake you was eliminated. I pass a lot of rounds. In
the end of the competition I had the third position, and they gave me a box of chocolate. I was really
happy.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Competitions in school
Q. Why do you think some school teachers use competitions as class activities?
A. I think their main objective is to instil a great skill among the students. Things learned in childhood
have a paramount impact on our future life. Competitions help us try harder, bring out the best in us
and work in a team.
Q. Do you think it is a good thing to give prizes to children who do well at school? Why?
A. I think this is an excellent idea. Teachers and school authorities should encourage students to try
their best in academic performance, sports, manners, disciplines and humanitarian causes. The prize
is a way of recognition but not always they have to receive a prize, they can confuse the meaning to
study or do well things.
Q. Would you say that schools for young children have become more or less competitive since
you were that age? Why?
A. I believe that schools these days are more competitive for youngsters than they used to be in our
time. This competition begins even before they get admitted to a school. We did not take part in an
admission test and had fewer subjects and exams in school. Children these days have more
academic subjects, class tests and other activities than that of our era.
Discussion topics: Sporting Competitions
Q. What are the advantages and disadvantages of intensive training for young sportspeople?
A. Well, this is a complex issue. While intensive training for aspiring youth sportsmen foster health
benefits, keep them on track and help them hone their sporting skills, it has severe negative aspects
as well. Young athletes who undergo intensive training and high-level competition from an early age
often suffer from stress-related issues and psychological problems. I believe measures should be
taken to keep a balance to avoid the deleterious effects of intensive physical activity on these youth
athletes.
Q. Some people think that competition leads to a better performance from sports stars. Others
think it just makes players feel insecure. What is your opinion?
A. I have a mixed opinion on this issue. I believe that without competition and either-win-or-defeat
scenario, sports would lose its charm and appeal to its audience. That’s why sportsmen should go
through tough competition, practice and challenges to actually perform well in a real sporting
tournament as it hones their performance. When I wholeheartedly believe that competition should be
a tool to train sportsmen, I cannot deny how high-level competition and stress can negatively affect an
athlete’s psychological well-being. I would say it should be systemic and proper symmetry should be
maintained in it.
Q. Do you think that it is possible to become too competitive in sport? In what way?
A. I would say it is possible but it should not be the case. Too much competitiveness would actually
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spoil the personal life of the sportsmen and would create pressure on their psychology which is
incomprehensible and unexpected in the long run.
TEST 4
PART 1:
Topic: Travelling to work or college
Q. How do you usually travel to work or college? [Why?]
A. I usually take a public bus from the nearby bus depot from my house to reach the nearest bus
station to my college and then I walk for a while to reach my campus. I use the public bus as it is the
cheapest mean of communication in the city I live in. Recently I have started to walk. And the time
that I spend on the bus is the same walking.
Q. Have you always travelled to work/college in the same way? [Why/Why not?]
A. No, I have been using a public bus. On some rare occasions when I need air fresh and relax I
decide travel walking and sometimes my sister in law drop me of.
Q. What do you like about travelling to work/college this way?
A. I like the fact that we have frequent buses and their fare is reasonable. I also walk about 15 to 20
minutes from the nearest bus stop to my campus and it is good for health.
Q. What changes would improve the way you travel to work/college? [Why?]
A. I really don’t change anything. For me is perfect. I would like walk more but everything Is depend of
the weather. If it is raining I don’t like walk.
PART 2:
Describe a piece of electronic equipment that you find useful.
You should say:
 what it is
 how you learned to use it
 how long you have had it
and explain why you find this piece of electronic equipment useful.
My Phone:
I love my Phone. He is with me and help me all the time. I have had my phone three years ago. My
husband gave me for my birthday. I learned to use it too quickly. Is easy to use. This phone is useful
for me for because:
1. I can heard music – I have Spotify and I can chose the music that I want.
2. I have a program to walk – this program tell me how miles I have walked and in how long
time.
3. I have my wh – this is very important because I call my mum, sister and husband by this
apps. And our communication is interactive.
4. I can take picture and then I pass all my photos to one drive or some cloud
5. I have my Hotmail and Gmail/ My Hotmail I use for personal thing and Gmail for work and
studies, and I have the possibility to manager everything with my phone.
6. Is not heavy, I can take it in my handbag
7. I have an app where I can read a book and another app it is the bible.
8. I have my candy crush game, and when I am worrying I play.
9. I upload all my English paper to study , and when I am walking or on the bus all the time I am
reading
However, the best thing that I really like about my phone is that I can carry it with me wherever I go,
And I can communicate with my family. My phone is my friend and I am glad that I have it.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Technology and housework
Q. What kinds of machine are used for housework in modern homes in your country?
Answer: In my country, some people have or use vacuum cleaner, dishwasher, refrigerator, oven,
iron, washing machine, this machine make living easier and to reduce the housework. While a middle
or low -class family have a few of these.
Q. How have these machines benefited people?
Answer: I think most of these machines save time – which is an obvious benefit. For instance,
washing clothes manually require a great deal of time while a washing machine can do it in no time.
Moreover, these modern machines have reduced the effort and manual labour needed to do most of
the household tasks and thus helped people spend more quality time with the rest of the family.
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Another great advantage of having modern household appliances is that they often save additional
costs. For instance, we can store leftovers in a refrigerator and eat later. Without it, we would have
wasted the food. The precision of completing many tasks by the use of these tools is amazing.
Q. Are there any negative effects of using them?
Answer: Yes. They consume energy and many of them are harmful to our health and environment.
For example the microwave, we should have careful because there are some research about it,
where the food lose their nutrition’s.
Q. Do you think all new homes will be equipped with household machines in the future? Why?
Answer: I think there is a possibility that almost all new homes in a metropolitan city will be equipped
with household tools in the future as the trend already reveals that people in many developed
countries prefer to have furnished homes.
Discussion topics: Technology in the workplace
Q. What kinds of equipment do most workers need to use in offices today?
Answer: I think the types of equipment used in an office depend on exactly what they do for work.
However, computers, laptops, fax machines, printers, scanners, phones, Wi-Fi devices are some
common equipment that most of the workers need to use in their workplace these days.
Q. How have developments in technology affected employment in your country?
Answer: I believe technological progress has revolutionised the way employees work in our country.
They use a computer to prepare a document, a presentation or a budget and the emails are their
main way of communication. They do virtual meetings, use project management software to track
progress, and use a projector for training or presentation purpose. Thus the use of technology has
increased efficiency.
Q. Some people think that technology has brought more stress than benefits to employed
people nowadays. Would you agree or disagree? Why?
Answer: I do not believe that technology has offered little and burdened our employees more.
Technology itself isn’t the problem – it’s the way some people deal with it or struggle to adapt to it in
their professional life. Since technology is being used everywhere, we have no other way than to learn
it and enhance our performance. If our employees are stressed out in the modern era, it’s because of
their work habit, lack of work-life balance and their employers’ increasing expectations. Imagine an
office where everyone has to do everything manually and has to finish their work before leaving the
office – it would be an impossible environment to work in.
IELTS
TEST 1
PART 1:
Topic: Dancing
Q. Do you enjoy dancing? [Why/Why not?]
A. I enjoy dancing and I enjoy see people dancing. Because it is so magical and you can feel so free.
Q. Has anyone ever taught you to dance? [Why/Why not?]
A. Yes, when I was in the school I participate in a club where everybody dancing and we had a
teacher. We have a special teacher because the dance was Peruvian Dance.
Q. Tell me about any traditional dancing in your country.
A. Traditional Peruvian dances are easy to find in Peru. The top three such traditional dances in my
country are “Saya” from Puno, the “Marinera” from Trujillo and “Huayno” from Huancayo. Among
these three, the “Saya” is a musical dance and one of my favourites. Each dance have special
dresses and feeling. For example Saya is light, you don’t move too much. Huayno you really move
your foot but usually in the same place, and Marinera you move all your body around a big space,
sometime you can dance with a horse, this is very special.
Q. Do you think that traditional dancing will be popular in the future? [Why/Why not?]
A. I am afraid, modern dancing is replacing traditional dancing. As more people, especially the youth,
are learning modern dancing without sense.
PART 2:
Describe someone in your family who you like.
You should say:
 how this person is related to you
 what this person looks like
 what kind of person he/she is
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and explain why you like this person.
My mother:
I am going to talk about my mother. Her name is Ana Maria, she is psychologist. She is 65 years old.
Her eyes are small and brown. She has long straight brown hair. She is medium-small. She is slim
and attractive. When you met her for the first time maybe thought she is serious, but that isn’t true,
she is so funny.
I love her for many reasons. First is my mum. She is really strong person. When I was child, my father
died, and she was alone with three kids in Italy. After one year, she decided return to Peru, because
her family was there. She started again, she finished her career when my sister, brother and I were in
the school. She worked too and she always was with us. I remember when she finished her career we
went to the ceremony with my grandmother and Uncle Eugenio.
Then she started to work full time like a teacher in two universities. But she always was with us. I
remember her in all my special moments, giving me the best of her. She helped me with my career,
she was my mother and my friend, and I talked to her about everything. When you are young the life
in intensive.
Now we still together. Our relation is different now. Because I try to give her everything than I can. I
try to be with her when she need me, I am her confidence too. She still studying, teaching, and
dancing! She really love go out to dance.
Anyway, my mother certainly is exactly the kind of person with whom one can easily admire and
adore.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Family similarities
Q. In what ways can people in a family be similar to each other?
A. I believe our genetics and DNA have a great role in determining what we look like and how we
behave. Since members from a family share the same genetic codes, they are often very similar to
each other – in look and behaviour.
Q. Do you think that daughters are always more similar to mothers than to male relatives?
What about sons and fathers?
A. I believe there is a 50% chance that a daughter would look like her mother if we consider how the
genetic codes impact the way we look. However, a girl spends more time with her mother, especially
in her adolescence and youth, and thus acquire more of her qualities, and due to this, end up being
more similar to her mother. On the other hand, a son, who oftentimes follows his father and mimic
many of his behaviours usually idolise the father and want to become like him. However, there are
many exceptions and I can recall many boys I know about are more like their mothers while many
daughters are greatly influenced by their fathers.
Q. In terms of personality, are people more influenced by their family or by their friends? In
what ways?
A. I believe, the family has a greater influence than friends in shaping someone’s personality and
character. Since we spend more time with family and often learn from them in our childhood, our core
personality is formed by the influence of our family.
Discussion topics: Genetic research
Q. Where can people in your country get information about genetic research?
A. I think the internet is the primary source of information related to genetic research in our country. I
am not sure if we have some genetic research centre.
Q. How do people in your country feel about genetic research?
A. I am not sure. It is not a topic or subject that people are interesting in my country. We have some
universities who teach it but the people who study it usually are teachers too.
Q. Should this research be funded by governments or private companies? Why?
A. I believe the government should fund and carry out the research. Private companies often invest a
huge sum of money in research and development and use the outcome to make even bigger profits
from it. Thus their research is often subject to business interest than the benefits of mass people. The
government, on the contrary, can be more transparent in carrying out such research and use the
result to change the fate of the ordinary people.
TEST 2
PART 1:
Topic: Musical instruments
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Q. Which instrument do you like listening to most? [Why?]
A. My favourite musical instrument is the guitar. I like the fact one type of guitar, like acoustic. I love
the variety of beautiful music a guitar can produce.
Q. Have you ever learned to play a musical instrument? [Which one?]
A. No, because I prefer to dance.
Q. Do you think children should learn to play a musical instrument at school? [Why/Why not?]
A. Yes, I absolutely love the idea of teaching children to play a musical instrument at school. It would
encourage them to appreciate good music and reduce the stress they feel sometimes. Learning to
play a musical instrument is fun, refreshing and thoroughly enjoyable.
Q. How easy would it be to learn to play an instrument without a teacher? [Why?]
A. I think it is quite difficult to learn to play a musical instrument without the supervision and guidance
of a teacher. It takes time to master a musical instrument and requires passion and inspiration and a
teacher can provide both to a leaner. Without a teacher, most of the leaners would be more focused
on learning some particular tunes rather than learning the grammar and rules of it.
PART 2:
Describe something healthy you enjoy doing.
You should say:
 what you do
 where you do it
 who you do it with
and explain why you think doing this is healthy.
Walk:
I am not exactly obsessed with my health, but I do like to remain active and healthy without spending
too much time on it. One such activity I have started doing lately is walk with some of my close friends
when I was in Peru or alone now that I am here. I have actually started to enjoy it since I am getting
better at it by every passing day.
Anyway, it wasn’t exactly easy in the beginning for me. I started with some friend, when the traffic was
too hard in Lima, and we live near, and we decide to walk after work. We save money, because in
Peru at 6pm the taxi are very expensive, and we save time, because for the traffic, we spent maybe 2
hours to return home, and when we return walking we spent only 45 minutes or one hour. But the best
part is that we talked about job, people and different topics.
Here, I am “alone”, I live with my brother but he is working and my sister in law is whit the babies, for
this reason I try to walk, but I usually do alone. I try to do 5 miles around the house or walking from
the house to college.
I really feel good these days even after some long hours. But the best thing about walking for me is
my healthy is better.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Keeping fit and healthy
Q. What do most people do to keep fit in your country?
A. In my country, the majority of youth play different sports, do cycling and go to the gym to keep their
body fit. Adults and elder people, who are health conscious, go to the gym and follow a light exercise
routine every day. Many of them also follow a balanced diet. I regret to say that, a great portion of our
population still do not follow a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.
Q. How important is it for people to do some regular physical exercise?
A. I think regular physical exercise has a direct relation to our wellbeing and good health. Without it,
someone can’t lead a healthy life. It is perhaps more important than ever before as in this modern era,
we have fewer physical activities, and to remain fit, we have no other alternatives than to get engaged
in different sports and physical exercise.
Discussion topics: Health and modern lifestyles
Q. Why do some people think that modern lifestyles are not healthy?
A. Today we have different technologies and modern amenities to reduce the need for our physical
labour. For instance, most of the city have cars to move to different places. Besides, we have inclined
to a sedentary lifestyle as we are less interested in outdoor activities and more interested to stay
home. Busy office employees have no time to take part in physical exercise and on top of that, fast
food and packaged food comprise a big portion of our daily diet. Sedentary lifestyle and choice of our
meals are both detrimental to our health. This is why it is a growing concern that the modern lifestyle
is not good for health and it is indeed true.
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Q. Why do some people choose to lead unhealthy lives?
A. I believe a healthy lifestyle is a choice for all of us. Those who lead an unhealthy life are
responsible for their own choices and it is often caused by our ignorance and lack of determination to
have a positive lifestyle. The daily routine and the diet we follow are our own decisions. Some would
argue that their financial conditions do not allow them to have a salubrious lifestyle and honestly
speaking, this is often not the case. On the contrary, if a child has an unhealthy lifestyle, the parents
are to blame. But when this child grows up, he/she is liable for his/her own lifestyle.
Q. Should individuals or governments be responsible for making people’s lifestyle healthy?
What could be done to encourage people to live in a healthy way?
A. The major portion of the responsibility to lead a healthy life goes to the individual citizens. As I
have already said, a healthy lifestyle is a choice and the state can’t do much in this regard. However,
the government has a responsibility to ensure a better environment, clean street, enough recreational
and sports centre, health education and awareness programmes to encourage people to live in a
healthy way. It is the government who can make sure that air, water and sound pollutions in an area
remain within a tolerable level.
TEST 3
PART 1:
Topic: Traffic where you live
Q. How do most people travel to work where you live?
A. In my city, most of the office-goers take the public bus to travel to and from their workplace. Some
affluent executives have their own cars and chauffeurs and they use their private cars to commute.
Q. What traffic problems are there in your area? [Why is that?]
A. The roads in my city are congested and busy during the office hours and the increasing use of
private cars by the rich makes is worse. Some people do not follow the traffic rules and increase the
misery of all commuters. I believe, all the roads in our city should be transformed into four-lane roads
and more people should ride bicycles than driving cars.
Q. How do traffic problems affect you?
A. Every day I travel about 25 kilometres to reach my office and then take the same route to get back
home. The unbearable traffic jam kills more than 2 hours of my personal time a day. Without any
traffic congestion, it should take me only 35 minutes to reach the office, but it often takes me more
than one and a half hour. I could have better utilised the time with my family or friends. Bad traffic on
the road often bores me and after I reach home, I feel tired on such a day.
Q. How would you reduce the traffic problems in your area?
A. I would increase the number of public buses and enhance their facilities so that more people take
buses instead of driving their own cars. Apart from that, I would enhance the roads and engage more
traffic police so that traffic rule violators are detected and brought to justice.
PART 2:
Describe a game or sport you enjoy playing.
You should say:
 what kind of game or sport it is
 who you play it with
 where you play it
and explain why you enjoy playing it.
Walk:
I am not exactly obsessed with my health, but I do like to remain active and healthy without spending
too much time on it. One such activity I have started doing lately is walk with some of my close friends
when I was in Peru or alone now that I am here. I have actually started to enjoy it since I am getting
better at it by every passing day.
Anyway, it wasn’t exactly easy in the beginning for me. I started with some friend, when the traffic was
too hard in Lima, and we live near, and we decide to walk after work. We save money, because in
Peru at 6pm the taxi are very expensive, and we save time, because for the traffic, we spent maybe 2
hours to return home, and when we return walking we spent only 45 minutes or one hour. But the best
part is that we talked about job, people and different topics.
Here, I am “alone”, I live with my brother but he is working and my sister in law is whit the babies, for
this reason I try to walk, but I usually do alone. I try to do 5 miles around the house or walking from
the house to college.
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I really feel good these days even after some long hours. But the best thing about walking for me is
my healthy is better.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Children’s games
Q. How have games changed from the time when you were a child?
A. In my childhood, most of the time we used to play outdoors with other children and classmates. We
were not up to win a game, rather running, shouting and enjoying were our main objectives. We often
invented our own rules for a game and parents scarcely intervened during our playtime. We had many
large fields, parks and places to go to and play. These days, children are more interested in playing
computer games and many popular games from our time are no longer played. Parents often look
after their offspring in the field and games are more competitive than our time.
Q. Do you think this has been a positive change? Why?
A. I don’t think that it is a positive change except for the fact that children have their parents to look
after them when they play outdoors. First of all, the games were more enjoyable and thoroughly
entertaining in our time. We did not have to bother too much about the rules and most of the children
were fit due to their extensive physical movements. I can’t recall a single friend of mine who was
obese. However, I must say that we did not have different types of equipment to play in our time
compared to today’s children. Considering the sedentary lifestyle children these days have due to
their inclination to video games, the trend is negative.
Q. Why do you think children like playing games?
A. Playing games with friends and family is thoroughly entertaining and children like it today as they
always had. All sorts of games and sports have been invented to entertain us and the enjoyment
increases significantly when we participate in it. During the play time, a child can run, shout, compete
with others and their parents actually allow them to do all these. So it is more enjoyable for children.
Besides, having others to play with help they break the monotony on life for a while and they
extremely like it.
Discussion topics: Games and competition
Q. Do you think competitive games are good or bad for children? In what ways?
A. I think I have mixed feelings about it. To begin with, competition in a game encourages a child to
perform his best and outwit the rivals to become the winner. This nourishes their talent and inspires to
do excellent to achieve something. Such competitive games often teach them that everything is not
for granted and they have to fight to become a champion. However, I also believe that children should
be taught to be cooperative rather than encouraging them to compete all the time. Otherwise, they
would end up becoming more prejudiced than helpful.
Q. How can games sometimes help to unite people?
A. Most of the popular sports engage teamwork and they can’t be won by an individual’s effort. Thus
such games and sports teach us how we should work together to achieve something important.
Besides, such a game competition often brings nations together which foster a healthy relationship
among countries. When our national team performs at a big stage, we forget our social differences,
political rivalry and come closer to cheer up as a nation. This has great importance in maintaining
regional and global peace, I believe.
Q. Why is competition often seen as important in today’s society?
A. The world has more than 7.5 billion people and a limited resource for all of them. So in every stage
of our life, only the best are rewarded today. We have to go through a huge competition throughout
our career and life and this is why we are expected to be able to compete and win. Since so many
people are expecting to achieve the same thing in the modern era, we can’t survive and perform our
best without being competitive and diligent.
TEST 4
PART 1:
Topic: Your friends
Q. Do you prefer to have one particular friend or a group of friends? [Why?]
A. I have a few close friends, four to five to be precise, and all they are dear to me. To answer the
question, I like to maintain my friendship with all of them rather than a single friend.
Q. What do you like doing most with your friend/s?
A. I like to discuss personal issues with them, talk about contemporary news and events, express our
opinions on political news, share our plans, sometimes play sports and watch movies together.
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Q. Do you think it’s important to keep in contact with friends you knew as a child? [Why/Why
not?]
A. I think childhood friends are special to us in many ways and they share the most magical memories
of our childhood. So whenever possible, we should contact them and keep in touch with them.
However, with the passage of time, we often lose contact with these friends and cannot meet them
even though we wish we could.
Q. What makes a friend into a good friend?
A. I would want a friend to be trustworthy to become a close friend of mine. Besides, common
interests, similar mentality and shared objectives often make some friends special to us.
PART 2:
Describe an important choice you had to make in your life.
You should say:
 when you had to make this choice
 what you had to choose between
 whether you made a good choice
and explain how you felt when you were making this choice.
Come here:
In important choice I had to make in my life was come to here. I took the decision the last year. That
was very difficult because I am married, and I was working in a big company- One of the best in Peru
and I had a good position. I had to choose between came here without my husband al leaving
everything that mean a job and a salary too.
I put in a balance my life> I wanted to continue studying for a DBA and for that I had to have time to
study English and prepare. I want a new position too. But I was not happy in my job because I was
working too much 7am to 10pm. And in my weekend I was working too. I really don’t have time for
study and for me or my married. And my new boss was a woman who is not nice with the people.
And probably with her I never going to promote or have a new position.
My brother propose me to come here, and live with while I studied English for a time. And my
husband told me, that was a good idea. And I thought the same thing.
And now I am here, my husband is coming the next week, I want to pass this exam and return with
him and still studying. But the idea is to find a work for some months no more than 4 month to practice
everything that I learn here.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Important choices
Q. What are the typical choices people make at different stages of their lives?
A. Well, in our childhood, our parents make most of the choices for us, but as we grow up, we start
doing more and more of it ourselves. We become selective about our friends, and often decide which
subjects to study and what activities to get involved in. Then we pick up our majors at the college and
chose the music we like, the sports we play, the friends we make, the food we eat and we plan for our
future. Afterwards, we chose our life partner, chose a career, pick our tour destinations, select a
house to live in and make many financial decisions. At a later stage, when we get old, we decide a
place to live in and take some leisure activities to spend our time and wish to live the rest of our life
happily. In between, we make a thousand other choices and few of them are so ordinary like picking a
dress for a party while some of them are so important that they determine our future till we leave our
last breath on earth.
Q. Should important choices be made by parents rather than by young adults?
A. I think that depends on the type of choices we are considering. If it is about which school to pick for
a teenager, parents are better suited to do so. However, if it is about the sports the young boy or girl
should take part in, then the children’s choice should get a priority. I believe, parents should make
most of the important choices for their young children but should leave very personal choices like
music, sports, leisure activity and type of friends for their offsprings to decide. Parents can, however,
provide guidance and support to their children to make sure they do their best.
Q. Why do some people like to discuss choices with other people?
A. I believe every important choice we make has a great influence on the later courses of our life. This
is why we often seek advice or opinion of others we trust to be assured that we are on the right track.
Some people are not good decision makers and often rely on their close friends and relatives for the
guideline. Others, however, just want to get a second opinion before deciding something.
Discussion topics: Choices in everyday life
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Q. What kind of choices do people have to make in their everyday life?
A. I believe we are knowingly and unknowingly making a large number of choices every single day of
our life. People decide what to have in their breakfast and then what to wear before leaving home. A
mom decides what to do for her kids and an officegoer decides which route to take to reach the office.
Thus we decide our food, clothes, routes, tasks, shopping list, to do list, a book to read, a movie to
watch, whom to contact, which websites to browse, and so many ordinary things on a daily basis. We
are, however, often forced to make important decisions every now and then like switching our job,
taking a course, buying something expensive, making a lifestyle change, taking a new activity and so
on.
Q. Why do some people choose to do the same things every day? Are there any disadvantages
to this?
A. I believe some people are happy to follow a strict routine as they think a daily routine is much
better to follow than not having one at all. Others, however, find it difficult to take up challenges and
thus want to stay in their comfort zone all the time. These people love to lead a secure life and often
become contented in things they do regularly. So they end up doing the same thing over and over
again. Some of these people are convinced that they have nothing more interesting and rewarding to
do.
I think this approach has some downsides. They often miss out the excitement of life and never try
something challenging yet highly rewarding. I believe, they often miss the hidden opportunity in life
and career.
Q. Do you think that people today have more choices to make than in the past?
A. I quite believe so. We are living in an ultra-modern age where we have so many options and
choices. Despite this fact, the number of choices we have to make has increased with the passage of
time. With the ever-increasing number of the world population, things are highly competitive and our
lifestyle shift has forced us to make frequent choices than ever before.
The good news is that the spectrum of options we have in our lives today has increased significantly
than the past, and these choices range from simple consumer products to major life decisions and we
have the internet to do research before we decide something.
IETLS 5
TEST 1
PART 1:
Topic: Your country
Q. Which part of your country do most people live in?
A. Approximately 32 million people live in Peru. The population distribution in urban areas is much
higher than that of rural areas. The population density varies significantly from east to west. The coast
(west) is located Lima. There is around 9 million people.
Q. Tell me about the main industries there.
A. Peru is a highly developed industrialised country and one of the top exporters in the South
America. The industry with high productivity is the agricultural.
Q. How easy is it to travel around your country?
A. I would say, it’s very difficult to travel around Peru. Often seems too small to travel by plane and
too big to travel by bus. Air. Many people prefer air over air transports because is a little dangerous.
We don’t have train.
Q. Has your country changed much since you were a child?
A. I would say I have yes, maybe during the last two decades. We had terrorism and it was really sad
and there was a lot of difficulty – now we are in an era of progress, gender equity, better trade policy,
improved lifestyle and so on. On the downside, the rapid urbanisation has somewhat diminished
some of the old ways of life where people in a community were closer and happier and our political is
not stable. We have corruption.
PART 2:
Describe a well-known person you like or admire.
You should say:
 who this person is
 what this person has done
 why this person is well known
and explain why you admire this person.
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My mother:
My mother:
I am going to talk about my mother. Her name is Ana Maria, she is psychologist. She is 65 years old.
Her eyes are small and brown. She has long straight brown hair. She is medium-small. She is slim
and attractive. When you met her for the first time maybe thought she is serious, but that isn’t true,
she is so funny.
I love and admire her for many reasons. First is my mum. She is really strong person. When I was
child, my father died, and she was alone with three kids in Italy. After one year, she decided return to
Peru, because her family was there. She started again, she finished her career when my sister,
brother and I were in the school. She worked too and she always was with us. I remember when she
finished her career we went to the ceremony with my grandmother and Uncle Eugenio.
Then she started to work full time like a teacher in two universities. But she always was with us. I
remember her in all my special moments, giving me the best of her. She helped me with my career,
she was my mother and my friend, and I talked to her about everything. When you are young the life
in intensive.
Now we still together. Our relation is different now. Because I try to give her everything than I can. I
try to be with her when she need me, I am her confidence too. She still studying, teaching, and
dancing! She really love go out to dance.
Anyway, my mother certainly is exactly the kind of person with whom one can easily admire and
adore.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Famous people in your country
Q. What kinds of people become famous these days?
A. Well, from a global perspective, actors, sportsmen, musicians, authors, scientists, and political
leaders become famous these days as they get huge media coverage. Some influential bloggers and
YouTubers have gained fame due to a large fan base and this has been possible with the widespread
use of technology, especially the internet.
In my country, political leaders, football players and celebrities become popular among the mass
population in this modern era.
Q. Is this different from the kind of achievement that made people famous in the past? In what
way?
A. I would say people with notable contributions in shaping a nation became national heroes in the
past. Scientists and political leaders, despite some of their controversial actions, were famous.
Besides, sportsmen who could bring glory to the nation would have been respected and
commemorated.
Q. How do you think people will become famous in the future?
A. I think the fundamental rule will remain the same. Someone does something that brings national
pride, helps or inspires millions of people will be famous and respected by generations to come.
Discussion topics: Being in the public eye
Q. What are the good things about being famous? Are there any disadvantages?
A. Famous people, in most of the cases, contribute to form a public opinion and their words are taken
seriously. They enjoy economic freedom, media coverage and love from fans. Among disadvantages,
I fathom privacy is the most concerning issue for famous people. They are constantly followed by
media people and often are subject to the scrutiny of media.
Q. How does the media in your country treat famous people?
A. There are other types of gossip magazines, TV programmes and online portals which often
exaggerate to get public attention and often falsifies what famous people are up to.
Q. Why do you think ordinary people are interested in the lives of famous people?
A. That’s a difficult question to answer. It’s so obvious that mass people treat famous people as if they
are from a different planet and have a different lifestyle. They want to know what they are up to, who
they talk to, what they wear, how they have become successful and how would they react in public.
For instance, some people learn about a famous writer or scientist who inspire.
TEST 2
PART 1:
Topic: Colour
Q. What’s your favourite colour? [Why?]
A. I like black the most and this is my favourite colour. I think this colour is conventional. I personally
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like to wear black dresses and I think this colour is liked by a large number of people in many
countries.
Q. Do you like the same colours now as you did when you were younger? [Why/Why not?]
A. I liked the same colour in my childhood. My choice of colour in my childhood had been
predominated by the gothic places where I usually go.
Q. What can you learn about a person from the colours they like?
A. I think the colour don’t represents the personality of a person and don’t tells about a person’s
background. It is only a colour. For example, many people use black colour because is more formal or
they can combined with everything.
Q. Do any colours have a special meaning in your culture?
A. That is an interesting question. I really don’t know if any colours have a special meaning in my
country. However, I suppose there are many colours, which represent meaning in various cultures
and traditions. But the colour of Peruvian flag is red and white.
PART 2:
Describe a song or a piece of music you like.
You should say:
 what the song or music is
 what kind of song or music it is
 where you first heard it
and explain why you like it.
Condor Pasa:
I love so many songs in Italian and Spanish speaking for example Gigliola Cinquetti who is an Italian
singer. She was born in Verona. She started to sing at the age of 16 years old. Her voice is famous
and I think she is recognising here in England. But in this opportunity I would like to talk about a
special song from Peru “El condor pasa” in English “The condor passes”. It is about us, Peru.
Describe in the best way my country for example when they said: “The Andean Condor descended,
when a happy sunrise arrived”. I think is very poetic. I really love that song. Another interesting thing
is the instrument, that we use in this song are “quena” or “zampona” in English are flute and
reed pipes, but the material of these instruments are in base of wood. The sound is amazing. Usually
this rhythm is used in many songs, like Gigliola Cinquetti use this it to sing a romantic song. But I am
not sure where the origin of this beat (rhythm) is but I am sure many countries know about it for
Peruvian song “The condor passes”. Many other songs have touched me as profoundly as this song
did and I can still listen to this song with intense attention as if this is the lyrics I always wanted to
hear. No doubt this is one of the best songs I have ever heard or will hear in life.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Music and young people
Q. What kinds of music are popular with young people in your culture?
A. I am not sure. I am 36 years old. I don’t have young people around me. Probably young people
like pop, rap and rock music the most. Some of them like to listen to country songs but the percentage
is lower.
Q. What do you think influences a young person’s taste in music?
A. I believe friends and family members have a great impact on the type of music a young person
listen to in my country. A teenager first starts listening to music his or her parents prefer and play at
home. Moreover, the music channels they listen to or watch shape their choices. The internet, these
days, play a great role in shaping young minds’ choice for music. Finally, may the friends are
influenced to try a particular type of music.
Q. How has technology affected the kinds of music popular with young people?
A. As I have already said, the FM radio, the Internet, satellite TV channels and other technologies
allow us to tune in to any sort of music we want to listen to and that has a great impact on our music
choice. For instance, YouTube has made pop music even more popular these days among youth than
it was in the past. With the extensive use of social media, teenagers these days can follow their
favourite singers and observe what their friends are following. This way their choice of music is
shaped to a great extent. Finally, smartphones allow us to listen to music more often and share our
music with our friends.
Discussion topics: Music and society
14
Q. Tell me about any traditional music in your culture.
A. In my country, the country song is amazing. We have a great number of folk songs and they are
popular among the elder population. I really love that music and I usually dance that music.
Q. How important is it for a culture to have musical traditions?
A. I believe music represents the lifestyle, tradition, history and love of people and musical traditions
for culture is quite important. Lyrics, musical instruments and music composition are often unique to a
nation and thus represents the heritage of this nation. This is why I consider music an essential
ingredient in any culture.
Q. Why do you think countries have national anthems or songs?
A. National anthem in a country is an official capacity to inspire and represent patriotism to the fellow
country-people. With it, we show our pride for the country we love. The national anthem is generally a
patriotic musical composition and lyrics and eulogies our country, its history and the people who
sacrificed themselves to build the nation. It often inspires us to show how much we appreciate our
country and our admiration for it.
TEST 3
PART 1:
Topic: Entertainment
Q. Do you prefer relaxing at home or going out in the evening? [Why?]
A. I prefer relaxing at home. Over weekday I am doing a lot of thing studying, working, thinking about
many things. In the weekend for me is relaxing time, and I would like prepare a cake for the family,
sleep without time o responsibilities, drink a cup of coffee, order my room and sleep more.
Q. When you go out for an evening, what do you like to do?
A. I don’t like go out for an evening. But if a do, I like to walk for about an hour each evening. This
way I can enjoy some outside views and finish my daily exercise. I often go to a park and the natural
sceneries, and colours of flowers refresh my mind. Now I don’t have friend but it is ok, I can walk
alone.
Q. How popular is this with other people in your country?
A. I think young people mostly play different types of games in the evening and people over 40 like to
walk.
Q. Is there any kind of entertainment you do not like? [Why/Why not?]
A. Yes, there are a few forms of entertainment I do not like at all. For instance, I do not like to kills
hours scrolling through Facebook posts or spending time looking stores. It is really boring for me.
PART 2:
Describe one of your friends.
You should say:
 how you met
 how long you have known each other
 how you spend time together
and explain why you like this person.
My friend Alexandra:
Thank you for letting me talk about a friend I have and I would like to say who this person is, how I
met him, what we do together, how long we know each other and why I particularly like this friend.
Well, the friend I will be talking about is Alexandra and she is my best friend. She has a bubbly
personality. She is open-minded and loves travelling. I met het at my School we were seven years old
and till now we are best friends. She is like a sister. When we were child, our parents let us stay
together one afternoon in my house and the other in her house. And we spent all our weekend
together. Usually play with rollers or bike. When we finished the school we started the university, and
we separated a time but always we were in the moment that the other need help. When we started to
work I moved in the same building where she lived. And in the same floor. That was amazing.
Now she is living in Chile. She married there and she has a beautiful baby Benjamin. We cannot visit
each other because are really separated. But always we are talking, I send photos all the time about
this months. She is very reliable and I can always depend on her. An important aspect of his
personality is his natural-born talent and helpful. I love her.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Qualities of friends
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Q. What do you think are the most important qualities for friends to have?
Answer: In my opinion, good friends not necessary have common interests or possess similar
personalities. Empathy and openness are the first two steps to grow friendship and it gets matured
when friends start forgiving each other’s fault. Someone has to accept a friend as he or she is and
never tries to manipulate each other. When friends show their unconditional support to each other,
their friendship becomes stronger.
Q. Which are more important to people, their family or their friends? Why?
Answer: I will be completely honest with this answer. I believe family comes first and we should do
everything humanly possible to help our family and make them proud. However, this does not
diminish the value of good friends in life. When our family is the very entity that shapes our existence,
friends make life worth living.
Q. What do you think causes friendships to break up?
Answer: Lack of communication and distance sometimes crack the friendship. However, if you ask
me why we break up with friends, I would say hypocrisy, selfishness, arrogance, lack of sympathy and
breach of trust are the main reasons for that. From my experience, I can say that someone would
abhor a friend when this very friend breaks his trust.
Discussion topics: Other relationships
Q. What other types of relationship, apart from friends or family, are important in people’s lives
today?
Answer: Well, this is an interesting question. I have not deeply thought about it before. But, I would
say the relationship that teachers and students share has great importance in our life. These days, I
think it was applicable in the past as well, teachers have a great contribution to their followers’ lives.
It’s a reciprocal relationship and shapes our society. Apart from that, our relationship with our colleges
has prominent importance. Finally, our neighbours are persons who determine a great deal of our
happiness by being with us whenever we need them- in sorrow and in joy.
Q. Have relationships with neighbours where you live changed in recent years? How?
Answer: To be honest, the relationship among neighbours is not close.
Q. How important do you think it is for a person to spend some time alone? Why/Why not?
Answer: I think being alone sometimes helps us explore our inner self. I usually like to be alone but
everybody should spend some time with people. And I try to do it. When a person is alone, gives time
to understand the life, to search for the truth and think about many things.
TEST 4
PART 1:
Topic: Clothes
Q. Where do you buy most of your clothes? [Why?]
Answer: I buy most of my clothes from regular shops in regular markets where clothing items are
affordable. However, when it comes to buying some special clothes for special occasions, I try to buy
them from shopping malls where I can choose some clothes from a large collection of clothing items.
Q. How often do you buy new clothes for yourself? [Why?]
Answer: I don’t really buy new clothes that often for myself as it usually takes a long time to wear
them down. And, unless my clothes are worn out to make them look old, I don’t like to buy any clothes
for myself. So, anyway, if you are asking me to be precise, I would say that I buy new clothes as often
as twice or thrice a year unless I have a very good reason to buy on more occasions than that.
Q. How do you decide which clothes to buy?
Answer: I decide which clothes to buy largely depends on what time of the year I want to wear them.
In other words, if I want to wear then during summer time, I would go for heat-resistant clothes.
Similarly, if I want to wear them during winter time, I would buy warm clothes to keep myself warm
and comfortable. I also decide which clothes to buy depending on whether I want to wear them
casually or for some special occasions such as attending parties or enjoying a soccer game in the
field.
Q. Have the kinds of clothes you like changed in recent years? [Why? /Why not?]
Answer: No, I do think that the clothes, which I like, have not changed. I use the same colours “black,
beige, grey”. Sometime I use pink or white when my husband tell me that I need some colour in my
life.
PART 2:
Describe an interesting discussion you had about how you spend your money.
You should say:
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


who you had the discussion with
why you discussed this topic
what the result of the discussion was
and explain why this discussion was interesting for you.
My money:
There is no doubt that money is one of the most important things, if not the most important thing, in
life as it just can’t only build our life but also can destroy it. Therefore, it is absolutely important that we
just don’t earn our money, but we make sure that we spend and manage it properly by discussing it
with the elderly and wise. And that’s exactly what I tried to do a couple of years ago with my husband.
After opening up a savings account right after starting my new job about a 10 years ago, I didn’t really
know that I had managed to save up a “substantial” amount of money (substantial for me, at least)
little by little every month. In fact, suddenly I felt like I was a “rich” as the money was all mine and only
mine. On the other hand my husband was passing the same situation, he saved account 10 or more
years ago. And he had a good amount of money.
One day I decide to talk about it. And we were thinking how we could spend that money to let in the
bank for our elderly. In the end of the conversation, we decide to buy our second apartment. And that
will be our pension in the future.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Money and young people
Q. Why do some parents give their children money to spend each week?
Answer: I think some parents give money to their children in order to spend each week because some
children have their own “ideas of food” such as “cakes” or “ice creams”, and they have to eat those
“food” every day, if not every hour, no matter how full they are in their “stomach”. Some other parents
offer money to their children as some precious “gifts” probably to show their “love and affection” for
them, even though I just don’t quite fully share the idea of such “gifts”. Then, of course, there are
another group of parents who would give money to their children to make them understand the
“importance” of money so that they could actually learn how to “manage” money from their childhood
in order to become a “successful” person in future.
Q. Do you agree that schools should teach children how to manage money?
Answer: Yes, I do agree that the schools should teach children how to manage money because,
whether we like it or not, money probably is the single most important factor of our adult lives which
helps us decide whether we are “successful” or not. In fact, I believe that the schools make it
“mandatory” for all children to learn about “money management” in the classes.
Q. Do you think it is a good idea for students to earn money while studying?
Answer: Yes, I do think that it is a good idea for students to earn money while studying, but, only if the
money earning thing doesn’t affect the studies negatively. If students earn money while studying, they
can actually learn even more about the idea of shared responsibilities and punctuality that are
associated with the role of a job position. Students can also learn how to work as a team member as
well as the “art of compromise” with other employees and the employers alike when the situation
comes. Finally, the act of earning money will also teach students about not only the value of money
but also the value of “hard works”.
Discussion topics: Money and society
Q. Do you think it is true that in today’s society money can’t buy happiness?
Answer: In my opinion, money can buy a lot of things in today’s world, but it certainly can’t buy
happiness. But that, of course, depends on how we like to define “happiness” in the great scheme of
things.
Q. What disadvantages are there in a society where the gap between rich and poor is very
large?
Answer: In a society where the gap between rich and poor is very huge, the first “casualty” there, of
course, is “humanity”, or lack of it thereof, I should say. But the greatest disadvantage of income
inequality, in my opinion, in a society, is that the poor resent the rich with a lot of hatred and animosity
inside their hearts which we don’t get to see often. But, if such a situation goes on for a long period of
time without trying to find its remedy, it is only natural that a society will witness a lot of ‘crimes’
“violence’ and unrest as the poor will also want their “fair” shares of food, clothes, medicines and
shelters at one point or another by hook or by crook.
And I must say that it is a “doomsday” scenario for any society. Besides, the consolidation of wealth
and capital in few hands is economically inefficient because it depresses demand to such a point
where the economy is sure to “collapse” which is even worse, and which is certainly not good for
anyone whether you are rich or poor!
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Q. Do you think richer countries have a responsibility to help poorer countries?
Answer: Yes, I do think that richer countries have a responsibility to help poorer countries only so far
so that the poorer countries don’t become fully dependent on the help of rich countries. There are
many reasons for helping poor countries, but primarily, the help goes mainly for humanitarian
reasons.
IETLS 4
TEST 1
PART 1:
Topic: Friends
Q. Are your friends mostly your age or different ages? [Why?]
A. Most of my friends are contemporary to me. However, I have two best friends who have same age.
I think we become friends because we love to spend time together and have common interests. From
this regard, age is not always a determining factor for making friends.
Q. Do you usually see your friends during the week or at weekends? [Why?]
A. I don’t see them now because I am here studying English and one of them is in Peru and the other
is living in Chile. I used to see my friends on weekends.
Q. The last time you saw your friends, what did you do together?
A. The last time I saw them was six months ago. I don’t remember the day but was in mi house. We
talked about our plans, our life, and we ate pizza and I prepared cupcakes.
Q. In what ways are your friends important to you?
A. I believe good friends are always important to us. My friends remain on my side no matter what
and come forward to help me. They make life more enjoyable and I can share everything with them.
They are like our reflection on the mirror and we can learn about ourselves by looking at them. There
are numerous occasions when my friends extended their helping hands selflessly. They are often my
inspiration for doing something good.
PART 2:
Describe an interesting historic place.
You should say:
 what it is
 where it is located
 what you can see there
and explain why this place is interesting.
Machu Picchu
I am going to talk about Machu Picchu, is a Inca Citadel, located in Peru, in the Eastern Cordillera of
southern Peru. It is located in the Cusco Region, Urubamba Province, Machupicchu District above the
sacred Valley. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was constructed as an estate for the
Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472). The Incas built the estate around 1450 but abandoned it a
century later at the time of the Spanish Conquest. Machu Picchu was built in the classical Inca style,
with polished dry stone all. Its three primary structures are the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun,
and the Room of the Three Windows. Most of the outlying buildings have been reconstructed in order
to give tourists a better idea of how they originally appeared. By 1976, thirty percent of Machu Picchu
had been restored and restoration continues. Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historic
Sanctuary in 1981 and in 2007, Machu Picchu was voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the World
in a worldwide Internet poll.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Looking after historic places
Q. How do people in your country feel about protecting historic buildings?
A. People in my country are active vocal for protecting historic buildings and any heritage related to
our past history. We believe such structures and monuments are a part of our national pride and are
irreplaceable. They signify how as a nation we were always so great and why we should be proud of
our history as a glorious nation.
Q. Do you think an area can benefit from having an interesting historic place locally? In what
way?
A. I certainly believe so. Take my area as an example where we have got two prominent historic sites
and due to their historic significance, people know about our area and whenever I say them that I
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come from this particular area, they react like – ‘Oh! Your place is famous and I had been there!’
Apart from this, such a famous area attracts more tourists which flourishes the local businesses.
Finally, the government’s budget allocation for such areas is another advantage.
Q. What do you think will happen to historic places or buildings in the future? Why?
A. I think significant historic sites in rich countries would get a priority from their respective
government as the demand to protect such sites has already begun. An increasing number of tourists
each year along with climate change issue has already caused harm to many such sites. In the future,
affluent nations would be more serious to preserve and protect their historic areas while the fate of
such places in poor and war-torn nations is unknown.
Discussion topics: The teaching of history at school
Q. How were you taught history when you were at school?
A. Well, that’s an interesting question. Our school teachers used to explain a historic event and then
described the outcome of it from the textbook. They often told us about the characters from history
and a great deal of their life, work and ambition.
Sometimes, they used a projector or large images to give us a glimpse of the event and people from
history which was quite interesting. They often gave us assignments and wanted us to study
comprehensively before we submit the assignments. Our school often arranged a trip to a nearby
historic site or to a museum to let us witness some of the historical artefacts. I enjoyed my history
class, I must say.
Q. Are there other ways people can learn about history, apart from at school? How?
A. Definitely! I believe people who have a passion to read can learn a great deal of information
regarding history. Travelling is another excellent way to learn more about history while my favourite
method is to watch the documentary on YouTube or on a television channel. I think people who are
famous historians are great researchers and travellers.
Q. Do you think history will still be a school subject in the future? Why?
A. I believe it will be a mainstream school subject in the coming decades and centuries. The
importance of learning about history lies in its capacity to reveal the future to us. It is often said that ‘to
learn about the future, study the past.’ So, every generation will need to learn about history.
In the future, the method of learning and teaching would change, but history as a subject will not be
replaced, I believe.
TEST 2
PART 1:
Topic: Food and cooking
Q. What kinds of food do you like to eat?
A. I like to eat cakes and healthy food like vegetables or fruit. I don’t have problem with food. I eat all.
I like eating.
Q. What kind of new food would you like to try? [Why?]
A. I would like to try Arabic Food. I have heard about this delicious and low-calorie from some friends
and ever since wanted to try it. I would also like to eat Japanese Food. I think this could be delicious.
Q. Do you like cooking? [Why/Why not?]
A. I am really fan of cooking. I do enjoy cooking at all. I love the idea of preparing a meal for me and
for the family.
Q. What was the last meal you cooked?
A. Well, interestingly I cooked a meal with my sister in law. That was lasagne for my nephew birthday
that was delicious.
Q. Do you prefer home-cooked food or food from restaurants? [Why?]
A. I always prefer home-made food as they are more hygienic, made of fresh ingredients and do not
contain any harmful ingredients unlike the food from the restaurants. Once in a while, I take a meal at
a restaurant to celebrate an occasion with my family or friends but those are exceptions. Most of the
time I try to avoid dining at a restaurant and take home-cooked food.
PART 2:
Describe an interest or hobby that you enjoy.
You should say:
 how you became interested in it
 how long you have been doing it
 why you enjoy it
and explain what benefits you get from this interest or hobby.
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Walking:
I am not exactly obsessed with my health, but I do like to remain active and healthy without spending
too much time on it. One such activity I have started doing lately is walk with some of my close friends
when I was in Peru or alone now that I am here. I have actually started to enjoy it since I am getting
better at it by every passing day.
Anyway, it wasn’t exactly easy in the beginning for me. I started with some friend, when the traffic was
too hard in Lima, and we live near, and we decide to walk after work. We save money, because in
Peru at 6pm the taxi are very expensive, and we save time, because for the traffic, we spent maybe 2
hours to return home, and when we return walking we spent only 45 minutes or one hour. But the best
part is that we talked about job, people and different topics.
Here, I am “alone”, I live with my brother but he is working and my sister in law is whit the babies, for
this reason I try to walk, but I usually do alone. I try to do 5 miles around the house or walking from
the house to college.
I really feel good these days even after some long hours. But the best thing about walking for me is
my healthy is better.
PART 3
Discussion topics: The social benefits of hobbies
Q. Do you think having a hobby is good for people’s social life? In what way?
Answer: To a certain extent, it depends on the type of hobby we are considering. For instance, if
someone’s hobby is reading books, listening to music, creating a piece of artwork or collecting coins,
he or she usually does it alone. But eventually, these hobbies bring like-minded people together in the
long run and promote social relationship. On the contrary, playing soccer or cricket and going to a
gym or doing charity works, require interactions with others and it helps us make new friends. Such
hobbies are beneficial for exchanging ideas and opinions and more importantly work as a team.
Q. Are there any negative effects of a person spending too much time on their hobby? What
are they?
Answer: I believe spending many hours each day on a hobby for a long has some downsides that we
should be aware of. If someone becomes obsessed with a hobby and spend too much time on it,
he/she may perform poorly in academic and professional life.
Q. Why do you think people need to have an interest or hobby?
Answer: When our daily routine gets tedious and overly predictable, we lose focus and become
pessimistic. To enjoy our life, to rediscover ourselves, to reduce our stress and to have new
challenges and experiences in life, we need hobbies and personal interests. Spending time doing an
enjoyable activity that is not attached to our work or other commitments will help us become happy
and satisfied in life.
Besides, hobbies allow us to explore hidden talents in us that can be beneficial to our further learning
and career. It also prevents us from wasting our valuable time and creating bad habits. Finally, some
hobbies keep us physically fit and spiritually uplifted. Thus for a balanced life, everyone needs at least
one hobby.
Discussion topics: Leisure time
Q. In your country, how much time do people spend on work and how much time on leisure? Is
this a good balance, do you think?
Answer: The work-life balance and time spent on leisure activities greatly vary based on people’s
profession in my country. A higher office executive in a large city scarcely have time to pursue
personal interests and they are highly focused on their job and career growth. However, small
percentages of them, despite a busy schedule, manage time to read books, enjoy social events and
get engaged in outdoor activities. Students, elderly and children have enough time to do what they
enjoy in their leisure time, and finally, females mostly socialise with other women and do arts or crafts
when they have time.
I believe the time spent in the office is much higher these days for many employees in private
organisations and they should rethink about their work-life balance. Females should take more
outdoor activities and children’s free time activities should be more productive and guided by their
parents.
Q. Would you say the amount of free time has changed much in the last fifty years?
Answer: I definitely believe that people these days have fewer hours for their leisure activities than
the past generations. If we compare our freedom and time to have leisure activities than those of five
decades earlier, we are much busy and less fortunate these days. The increasing population, per
capita resource, demanding job requirements and our expectation to gain worldly success have
changed the fact that we used to have enough time to pursue activities which are not related to
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education, job or other commitments in the past. Sadly enough, we spend our free time staying home
or browsing the internet and this is even worse.
Q. Do you think people will have more or less free time in the future? Why?
Answer: I believe people will get busier in their workplace and spend more time on the road due to
traffic congestion in the future. As a result, they will have fewer hours per week to pursue their
interests and many of them would be forced to take a second job to support the family. During the
economic recession, the condition would be worse. Children and the elderly will have fewer places to
go to and city life would be more mechanical than today. Thus the free time people have these days,
which is by the way not enough according to many, would shrink further.
TEST 3
PART 1:
Topic: Leisure
Q. Do you have any hobbies or interests? [What are they?]
A. Yes, I like to walk to prepare cakes. I try to prepare birthday cakes for my family.
And my cakes are amazing and with love.
Q. How did you become interested in (whatever hobby/ interest the candidate mentions)?
A. I became interested in cooking for my grandmother, because I lived with her and she really loved
to explore different types of prepare the best cake. She passed away ten o more years ago but his
legacy still remains with me! The diversity of cakes that she thought me to cook and it was amazing
and now I try to prepare everything.
Q. What is there to do in your free time in your hometown/village?
A. I live in Lima, the capital and largest city in Peru. The city has warm summers and Swarms of
tourist’s crowd the historical streets, packing out the alfresco restaurants every day. Walking is an
interesting thing you can do in Cuzco. Besides, local people often delve deep into of Machupichu and
enjoy street food. Perhaps, there are quite a few reasons to watch a sunset in the coast of Peru, but
the most obvious one is because they are awesome! I often do it.
Q. How do you usually spend your holidays?
A. I try to spend my holidays with my family and take them to a different city if the duration of the
holiday is more than 5 days. For the shorter holidays, I take them to amusement parks, museums and
theatres. Sometimes, we watch movies at home and enjoy home-made delicious food. Apart from
that, I sometimes take the reading challenges during a holiday and finish a few books before the
holiday ends.
Q. Is there anywhere you would particularly like to visit? [Why?]
A. I would like to visit Florida - Disney. I have, in fact, a plan to go to this beautiful place sometime
next year. Disney has a distinctive funny aspect and its lush beauty and exotic architecture are
recommended by many of my friends and relatives who had visited this country. Visiting Disney would
be a great experience, I believe.
PART 2:
Describe a river, lake or sea which you like.
You should say:
 what the river, lake or sea is called
 where it is
 what the land near it is like
and explain why you like this river, lake or sea.
River Arno:
The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after
the Tiber. The river originates on Mount Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially
takes a southward curve. The river turns to the west near Arezzo passing
through Florence, Empoli and Pisa, flowing into the Tyrrhenian Sea at Marina di Pisa. It
crosses Florence, where it passes below the Ponte Vecchio and the Santa Trinita bridge (built
by Bartolomeo Ammanati but inspired by Michelangelo). Before Pisa, the Arno is crossed by the
Imperial Canal at La Botte. This water channel passes under the Arno through a tunnel, and serves to
drain the former area of the Lago di Bientina, which was once the largest lake in Tuscany before its
reclamation. The flow rate of the Arno is irregular. It is sometimes described as having a torrentlike
behaviour, because it can easily go from almost dry to near flood in a few days. I love this river
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because I was living in Italy near to Ponte Vecchio and I usually spent my days walking around this
river because was my point of orientation to return home. The memory I have makes me a fan of this
marvellous river.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Water-based leisure activities
Q. What do people enjoy doing when they visit rivers, lakes or the sea? Why do you think
these activities are popular?
A. I believe, people mostly visit rivers and lakes to enjoy the view, do boating, go for a swim or do
water sports like surfing or waterskiing. They also lie on the beach, take a sunbath and enjoy the
vastness of the sea. Personally, I like to enjoy the sunset on a seashore and sometimes go fishing in
a lake.
I think people who do not live near a river or a sea go there to enjoy their vacation and take part in
those activities to enjoy their time. For fishermen, the scenario is different who travel across the water
to catch fishes.
Q. What benefits do you think people get from the activities they enjoy in the water?
A. Activities, like swimming in a river and enjoying the sunset, are refreshing. Whenever we are near
a lake, a river or a sea, we try to enjoy our time and get involved in numerous recreation activities.
These activities allow us to concentrate on things that are far away from the daily routine and thus
release our stress. For many others, enjoying the view is like a medicine to their souls. In my
experience and for me this is the best benefit.
Q. What are the different advantages of going to the sea or to a swimming pool to enjoy
yourself? What do you think the disadvantages are?
A. Going to a sea does not happen quite often and it is more refreshing. Taking a bath in the
seawater or just lying on the beach can animate our mind. Swimming in a pool, on the other hand, is a
good exercise and can be a part of our regular activity.
Among the disadvantages, taking a vacation near a sea is expensive and time-consuming. We often
enjoy the view beside the sea and do not get engaged in physical activities. Finally, this can be a
dangerous activity if we are not expert swimmers. Swimming pool, on the contrary, can be good for
doing exercise but not so good to take a break for our daily routine.
Discussion topics: The economic importance of rivers, lakes and the sea
Q. How does water transport, like boats and ships, compare with other kinds? Are there any
advantages/disadvantages of water transport?
A. Boats, ferries and ships run on water and can be more refreshing as a mean of journey compared
to a train or bus journey. A large ship can be used to carry heavy goods and oils while small boats
can carry people from one port to another. On the contrary, road and air transports are usually faster.
If I want to travel to a different country I would prefer the air travel to save time but if I am to go to a
different part of the city I live in and have a water transport available, I would prefer the boat.
Water transports, especially non-motorised boats, are environment-friendly and offer a great aqua
view to the travellers. However, they are slow and take a considerable amount of time. An accident on
water transport could be more deadly I believe.
Q. How important is it for a town or city to be located near a river or the sea? Why?
A. I think a city or a town located near a river or a sea has several advantages. Historically speaking,
such cities always enjoyed economic benefits as they were often the gateway to international trades
and the strategic location of an empire. This is why a city beside the sea or river had often been the
most significant city in the country. It was a common scenario that a capital city was often located
near a sea of a river and in many countries, it is still the case. Rivers allow many industries to be
located nearby and thus help the development of the area.
Moreover, people near the river enjoys fertile lands and have better environment compared to the
overcrowded cities in other parts of the country. A city or a town near a sea can reap the benefits of
the blast of the tourism industry.
Q. Have there been any changes in the number of jobs available in fishing and water transport
industries, do you think? Why do you think this is?
A. I believe the number of fishing-dependent population in my country has shrunk. I think the global
scenario is also the same. The rapid urbanisation, global environmental changes and damages made
to the water by industries are the Reasons Rivers and oceans have fewer fishes these days
compared to the past. So it is natural that fishermen and their dependents have shifted to other
occupations. The dependency on ships as goods carriers has also decreased with the advancement
of large commercial flights and cargo-carrying aeroplanes.
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Nevertheless, the global trade facilities, a boom in export industries, an increase in the number of
merry time cruises in water and career in the navy and marine engineering has created a different
segment of career opportunities in many countries.
TEST 4
PART 1:
Topic: Your favourite place
Q. What place do you most like to visit? [Why?]
Answer: I like to visit museums and in particular, the Ashemolean Museum is my favourite. It has a
very rich collection and the whole museum is spectacular.
Q. How often do you visit this place? [Why?]
Answer: Whenever I have a vacation, I try to get to such places and enjoy the scenic beauty.
Sometimes I take a long vacation once a year to visit historically significant cities. I went only one time
to the Ashemolean museum.
Q. Why do you like it so much?
Answer: I believe, a naturally beautiful place gives us an opportunity to rediscover ourselves, enjoy
the time to the fullest and shed some burden from our mind.
On the contrary, visiting a historically important place is like witnessing history and learning about the
world from a different perspective. The Museum offers an enriching experience and has over eight
million exhibits. The museum takes me back in time to the ancient eras of human development and
civilization. The entire museum is devoted to the history and culture of humankind, with exhibits from
all continents. I find it highly entertaining, exquisite and educational.
Q. Is it popular with many other people? [Why?]
Answer: More than 7 million people visit this museum each year and the number talks for itself.
There is hardly any history, arts and museum lover who had not been in Oxford and missed the
chance to pay a visit to this museum. I believe it is one of the most famous and most visited museums
in the world. The Ashmolean Museum is the oldest national public museum in the world and has more
than 8 million items in its display. It is a museum that would take the visitor to the past and then take
back gradually to the present. Someone with a little interest in human history, ancient civilisation and
arts would find it highly relevant and exciting.
Q. Has it changed very much since you first went there? [In what way?]
Answer: I went to this museum this year in May with my family. And I went only one time.
PART 2:
Describe a useful website you have visited.
You should say:
 what the website was
 how you found the address for this website
 what the website contained
and explain why it was useful to you.
Google:
We live in an era when the internet is one of the driving forces for the whole world and we need to get
online every now and then for many different personal and professional reasons. Thus we browse
different websites regularly and some sporadically. For this cue card topic, I would like to describe a
website that I often use and find extremely useful. Thank you for letting me talk about this website.
The name of this website is google and its full URL is www.google.com. Google Search, also referred
to as Google Web Search or simply Google, is a web search engine developed by Google LLC. It is
the most used search engine on the World Wide Web across all platforms, with 92.74% market share
as of October 2018, handling more than 3.5 billion searches each day. This is a searching website
that shows everything, for example if you want travel you can see all about travel: hotel and
restaurant reviews, accommodation bookings and other travel-related content. It also includes
interactive travel forums that are highly important to deciding a destination and picking a hotel to stay
in. But this in an example, there are a lot of topic that you can search.
I don’t remember when and why I browsed the website but I am sure I was searching information for
academy homework. I believe this website is the best, and the majority of people use it. I like it
because if you have a question you can find there. And maybe a synonym of Internet is Google. I
usually use for study, work and for search information that I am interesting. So this website has
always been (and still is) useful to me to a great extent.
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PART 3
Discussion topics: The internet and communication
Q. What effect has the internet had on the way people generally communicate with each other?
Answer: I believe the internet has revolutionised the way people communicate with each other both
in personal and professional. We have SMS and chatting platforms that have replaced the pagers and
we hardly write letters to our relatives as we have a better alternative called email. We are connected
with our friends and relatives via social media platforms and making a video call is just a few clicks
away. Office communications, on the other hand, are mostly done using emails and application like
Skype or similar apps. The communication with others in this modern era is faster and less expensive
than the past.
However, the apathy to socialise in real life is often attributed to the overreliance on the internet and
seen as a negative trend by many.
Q. Why do you think the internet is being used more and more for communication?
Answer: I think the reasons are obvious. We do not need to write a letter and then post it only to wait
a few days for its recipient to read it. We have emails and we can send an email that the reader
receives instantly and the process virtually costs nothing. So people have naturally accepted the more
convenient, less expensive and the fastest mean of communication method available. Moreover, the
internet allows us to get connected with people no matter the distance and social networking sites
enable us to get updates of people we care about instantaneously. For all the conveniences and the
widespread availability of the internet, we love digital communication more than the conventional way
of getting in touch with others.
Q. How reliable do you think information from the internet is? Why? What about the news on
the internet?
Answer: I believe the authenticity of information depends on the source of it. So the reliability of
information should be judged based on the provider. For instance, if I find a piece of information which
is supplied by Wikipedia or BBC, I would believe it. But if this same information is provided by another
website, I would not rely on it until I verify it from a more trustworthy source. I guess false information
is all around us and they are made available for political, personal or some other gains by some
miscreants. They also exist due to the fact that anyone can build a website and provide information
that is not always accurate.
Discussion topics: The internet and shopping
Q. Why do you think some people use the internet for shopping? Why doesn’t everyone use it
in this way?
Answer: Online shopping is a relatively new trend and offers a convenient way of choosing and
purchasing products. It saves our valuable time, offers special discounts and a shopper can get the
product staying at home. Personally, I often rely on the internet for shopping as online shops have a
huge collection, let me compare prices and offer home delivery.
I believe some people still prefer to touch and feel a product before deciding to buy it. So they avoid
online shopping. Many others who hardly use the computer and the internet, naturally bypass online
shopping.
Q. What kinds of things are easy to buy and sell online? Can you give me some examples?
Answer: Global trends show that virtually every product is available online. Be it a car, property or
simply a showpiece or a book, you can buy it online. The same goes for the online merchants who
can sell their home-made cookies, customised t-shirts, used cars, electronic goods and so on without
a brick and mortar shop.
The online shopping giants like Amazon, eBay and Alibaba are a few examples of how diverse the
range of online products could be.
I think here in England, fashion wear, electronics goods, flowers, household items, furniture,
electronic books, and different gadgets are common online merchandise. However, the products that
we can buy or sell online can be sometimes surprisingly uncommon. Stamps, coins, groceries,
innerwear, wooden sunglasses and paper-bags are few examples of such less common online
products available for sale. But in my country is not common use online to buy. You can pay service
but not buy products.
Q. Do you think shopping on the internet will be more or less popular in the future? Why?
Answer: I believe it will be highly popular in the future and in some places probably will replace the
traditional shopping trend to a great extent.
From my personal experience, I can say that the percentage of the global population with internet
access is increasing rapidly than ever before. This new segment would surely get connected to the
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online shopping trend making online shopping transaction a daily activity. Plastic money, virtual
currency and online payment method like PayPal would further enhance the trend.
IETLS 3
TEST 1
PART 1:
Topic: Family
Q. Do you have a large family or a small family?
A. I have small family, I usually live with my husband and my mother and for me we have a nuclear
family. My father passed away a more than 30 years ago for this reason and others we leave with my
mother.
Q. Can you tell me something about them?
A. Well, my mother is a psychologist. She is specialises in organizations. I and my husband are 36
years old. We love each other very much and I am lucky to have such a blessed and happy family. I
have my sister and brother who live in another countries. They are the most important persons in my
life.
Q. How much time do you manage to spend with members of your family?
A. Now I am living here with my brother and his family. I am an English student and have classes
from 9.15 am to 5.00 pm. When I return to home I spend time with my niece and nephew. We often
go out to walk around the house, or watch a video for 20 minutes. Weekends are particularly exciting
as we spend time together the whole day and play some indoor games. In the weekend I have more
time to speak with my husband and mother because during the week it is a little difficult for the
difference of hours.
Q. What sorts of things do you like to do together?
A. Having dinner together is a kind of family ritual for us. We never eat alone or skip our dinner at
home. During dinner time, we discuss our days, school and works. Finally, I enjoy playing with a
balloon, and other indoor games with them.
Q. Do you get on well with your family? [Why?/why not]
A. I believe I am so blessed to have such a happy family. We get on very well with each other. All of
us understand how important we are to each. Family comes first and we believe in it from the deep
down of our heart and mind. This feeling gives us the sense to do everything humanly possible to
support our family and live in harmony.
PART 2:
Describe a teacher who has influenced you in your education.
You should say:
 where you met him/her
 what subject she/he taught
 what was special about him/her
and explain why this person influenced you so much.
Teacher Madre ClaraMaria:
I am going to talk about my mother “ClaraMaria”. When I was child I lived in Italy with my mother and
father, but when he passed away my mother decided return to Peru with her family. I started a School
but I didn’t speak Spanish. But there was Madre Clara Maria she helped me a lot. The first two year in
my School I spent my time only with her, I was six and seven years old. She taught me Spanish and
the rest of courses. She was really special for me, because she was dedicated to me. I remember her
with love. She was a nun, in the end of the school she stayed with me waiting to my mother picked
me up. This person influenced me so much for many reason. First reason I think I know about the
bible and always read it and that is for her. She told me that the bible always say something new in
one part of your life, you can read twice, three or four times and always you can see some new
lessons. The second reason is she make me realisable because I know what the meaning about trust
in somebody is.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Developments in education
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Q. How has education changed in your country in the last 10 years?
A. I am proud to say that the education system in my country has developed remarkably in the last
decade. Government subsidiary in education and we have many new colleges and universities today
than in the past. The most inspiring trend to mention here is that all parents are sending their children
to schools and more girls are in education than ever before. Schools have adopted digital classrooms
and the education board has updated its curriculum to make lessons more interesting, interactive and
useful. Education is no longer a luxury for the poor and the use of technology in education has
already begun.
Q. What changes do you foresee in the next 50 years?
A. I'm not sure if I'll live another 50 years to see the changes, but I think our education system will
reach a new level after five decades. I think we will reach a milestone in the literacy rate and by then
we will have some digitized classrooms. In addition, education will be more related to problem solving
than the memorization of theories, and science and technology will be the students' favourite careers.
Educators and institutions will be forced to adapt and students will have a voice. Finally, students will
learn online and interact with others remotely.
Discussion topics: A national education system
Q. How do the expectations of today’s school leavers compare with those of the previous
generation?
A. School graduates in the past generation mostly wanted to get a job and become an earning
member. However, many such youths today want to enrol in further studies and start a job afterwards.
In the past, their expectation was not that high as they are today. Sadly, the unemployment rate was
low in the past but due to increasing demands from the employers and higher competition, students
often feel uncertain about what to do once they complete their schools in this modern age. On the
positive side, they had fewer academic and career choices in the past but that has enhanced to a
great extent these days.
Q. What role do you think extracurricular activities play in education?
A. Extracurricular activities play a critical role in education as they prepare students to face the
challenges of the real world. They teach us cooperation, leadership, patience and build the soft skills
we need to shine in our life. These activities enhance our social, physical and moral aspects and we
discover how to apply what we have learned in our classrooms. They help us continue our journey in
life once we get out of our schools. Without having some sort of extracurricular activities, students
lose their interests in learning and end up building an apathy towards further learning. I believe when
someone participates in different extracurricular activities, he gets the opportunity to explore a range
of interests and unlock passions he never knew he had! Subsequently, it broadens his perspective
and makes him more interested in education.
Discussion topics: Different styles/methods of teaching and learning
Q. What method of learning works best for you?
A. Well, I prefer reading books for learning or understanding concepts and also rely on technology to
understand how something works in the real world. For instance, to learn how a mathematical theory
works, I first try to read a book to get the idea but for further information on the topic, I search it online
and browse different sources. Oftentimes, I discuss with a group of friends to understand their
viewpoints and this also works for me.
Q. How beneficial do you think it is to group students according to their level of ability?
A. I believe students who have similar learning curves and skill sets learn better as a group since they
understand each other quite well and do not feel shy to interact with the teacher. While teaching such
a group, a teacher does not struggle much as he knows the capability of his students and can prepare
study materials accordingly. If a highly talented student is put in a group of dull students or a dull
student in a group of talented students, he might feel isolated and lost. This is why I believe a group
should comprise pupils of the same capability and learning ability.
TEST 2
PART 1:
Topic: Festivals
Q. Tell me about the most important festival in your country.
A. I come from Peru. The Festival of Sun or Inti Raymi is one of the most
exciting festivals of Peru that is celebrated in the city of Cuzco on 24th of June every year. It is
observed in honour of Sun God, who is considered as supreme power to bestow the people on earth
with his power and illumination
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Q. What special food and activities are connected with this festival?
A. Served on special occasions such as Inti Raymi, the food is placed on a tablecloth made up of
colourful ponchos and shawls. The meal often consists of beans, mellocos, corn, boiled potatoes and
jars of chicha de jora. People eat with their hands. By eating on the ground, they receive energy from
Pacha Mama which involves building and sailing our own raft which is a truly adventurous venture.
Q. What do you most enjoy about it?
A. The priests of Inti would bless the people, and the procession would return to Cusco.
Q. Do you think festivals are important for a country? [Why?]
A. Every festival has its special appeal and when it connects people from all around the country, it
becomes a magnificent one. Festival brings people together and are a great occasion for us to enjoy
and forget our stress and anxiety from our day to day life. It signifies the culture and history of a
country and this is quite important I believe.
PART 2:
Describe a film or a TV programme which has made a strong impression on you.
You should say:
 what kind of film or TV programme it was, e.g. comedy
 when you saw the film or TV programme
 what the film or TV programme was about
and explain why this film or TV programme made such an impression on you.
Candy:
Candy is a 1976 to 1979 Japanese anime television series based on Kyoko Mizuki manga series of
the same name. The animated series was produced by Toei Animation. The series was first
broadcast in Japan by TV Asahi from 1 October 1976 to 2 February 1979. Two pieces of theme
music sung by Mitsuko Horie are used through the entire series. The opening theme is "Candy" and
the closing ending theme is "Ashita ga Suki". The first time that I saw I was 8 years old, and I
remember I write all the story in my diary. That was about two abandoned girls, Candy White and
Annie, grow up as the best of friends at Pony's Home - an old church and orphanage run by Miss
Pony and Sister Mary. They sabotage visits from possible future parents in order to be unadopted.
While the dark-haired Annie is a docile girl, the blond-haired Candy is an incorrigible tomboy who
climbs trees, loves mischief and has an excellent lasso throwing skill. Annie is happy at her new rich
home; she feels as if living a dream and hopes to invite Candy to her new home. But Mrs. Brighton
does not want people to know Annie lived at Pony's Home and Annie has to break all contact. Candy
felt in love and started to have many adventures. There are a lot of end, but the common is when she
returned to Pony’s home alone. This TV programme made such an impression on me because she is
a great girl who spend her life fighting and living the life. She is so strong and good person. She made
me strong girl.
PART 3
Discussion topics: People’s cinema-going habits nowadays
Q. Do you think the cinema has increased or decreased in popularity in recent years?
A. From my personal experience, I can say that movies have gained huge popularity in recent years
but interestingly, the number of people who enjoy movies in a cinema hall or a movie theatre has
decreased remarkably. Particularly in my country, people have large screen TVs, DVD players, Blueray video players, home theatres, the internet, YouTube, Netflix and so on and these technological
advancements allow them to enjoy any movie they like staying at home. The number of movie-goers
is steadily declining due to the influence of Hollywood movies and amenities to enjoy movies with
family and friends at home.
Q. In your opinion, will this trend continue into the future?
A. I believe so. The overwhelming popularity of Netflix – a popular media streaming company that
provides video on demand, outlines how people would enjoy movies at home rather than visiting a
theatre in the future. Low-quality local movies often fail to attract discerning viewers who eventually
switch to high-quality foreign movies. Since most of the movie theatres in my country offer local
movies, a huge portion of movie-viewers is no longer interested in going to a theatre and this will
continue in the coming days with fewer movie-goers.
Discussion topics: Making a film or TV drama of real/fictional events
Q. What are the advantages and disadvantages of making films of real-life events?
A. I believe real-life movies are entertaining and educational. These movies often deal with famous
historical events and prominent figures from history. This is why they have many pedagogical aspects
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and are not forgotten as just another dull movie. For such movies, viewers have more to relate to and
a realistic storyline. The producer and director already have a plot, script, actors in mind, and the
settings which make things easier for them.
Among the downsides, when dealing with real-life events and famous people, producers need to
secure lifetime rights, which is always tricky and costly. The producer, director, actor and actress are
all under scrutiny to tell the closest-to-the-truth story and there are critics who make things harder for
them. Finally, despite great stories, many such movies do not become box office hits as people
already know the story and do not buy tickets to enjoy them.
Q. How important do you think it is for a film-maker to remain true to the original story?
A. I believe if a movie plot is taken from a real-life event, the movie producer should adhere to the
original story as much as possible. Otherwise, the film would be highly criticised and face a backlash
from the viewers who are well aware of the event. However, remaining true to the original story might
be challenging sometimes as the audience already know the story. Using a highly engaging script,
modern technology, skilled actors and having a talented director who has an excellent vision and can
see the film from its conception through to its final product could nevertheless add some appeal to the
movie which would make it worth enjoying despite being a known story.
Discussion topics: Censorship and the freedom of the film-maker/TV producer
Q. Should films and television be censored or should we be free to choose what we see?
A. I believe censorship makes sure a movie or a TV programme is suitable for the general audience.
Without some sort of censorship, many cinemas and TV series would include terribly violent and
offensive scenes which would ultimately diminish their quality and their acceptance to the family. The
idea of freedom of expression in a movie varies from people to people and even from country to
country. Thus a censorship panel can determine what is suitable for the audience and how much
editing is required for a cinema to be released or for a programme to be broadcast on TV. This
ensures a balance in the entertainment industry.
Furthermore, the young generation constitutes a major percentage of cinema and TV audience and
they are often influenced by the movie they watch and by their favourite actors or actresses. If no
censorship is in place and they are free to watch any movie or programme they want, we would end
up having a society with more juvenile delinquency.
Q. How do you think censorship laws will change in the next 20 years?
A. I believe the censorship laws would become more rigid to eliminate violent and offensive scenes
from a movie but would allow creative artists to express their viewpoints more freely in the future.
Specifically, after 20 years, we will have more laws related to movie censorship and ordinary people
would be allowed to express their views about movie censorship. By that time, many programmes
would be released worldwide and we will have global censorship panels who would determine what
TV programmes and movies are suitable for what countries.
TEST 3
PART 1:
Topic: Visitors
Q. What would you suggest a visitor should see and do in your country?
A. I am from Peru and this is one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in the world. With a
remarkably unique tradition, this country has so many places to visit and so many things to do.
I would recommend a tourist to visit and enjoy The Cathedral of Lima in the Center, Larcomar in
Miraflores Park, the MachuPichu in Cuzco, The withe city in Arequipa, The Titicaca Lake in Puno, and
this lake is shared with Bolivia.
Among the activities, I would suggest that someone should experience the Inca culture in Cuzco, eat
Ceviche (is fresh fish) and Rice with Chicken (this is green in you us coriander)
Q. Are there any traditional arts or music you would recommend?
A. Traditional dance and food have been a source of fascination and inspiration for centuries.
For music and dance, I would definitely recommend a place namely ‘la candelaria’ that includes music
with flute and traditional instruments, beverage with our typical drink ‘pisco sour’ and of course dance
with Peruvian folklore.
Q. Tell me about the kind of foreign visitors or tourists who go to your country.
A. I really not sure about the answer. But when I travelled around my country I usually see two types
of tourist. The first type are national or local people and the second visitors o foreign people, they
usually are North American or European people.
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Q. In what ways has tourism changed your country?
A. My country has relaxed visa restrictions for many nationalities and tourism has emerged as a new
economic. Tourism helps to our economy. And more people have jobs in this sector and this is good
for us. Not only the tourist visit places, they go to restaurants, museums, need translation people,
some place to spend the time in the night, they need a good transportation, and maybe more. And the
tourism give us job.
PART 2:
Describe a memorable event in your life.
You should say:
 when the event took place
 where the event took place
 what happened exactly
and explain why this event was memorable for you.
My Weeding:
I like that topic. I am going to talk about my weeding day. I married in October 2011 in my church.
That was really special for me, because that church gave me my first communion, my confirmation,
my catechesis and that they gave me my married. All my family and best friend went to my wedding.
That they my husband and me prepared a party for us. After the church everybody and I went to
celebrate. We started the party with the first dance, then we took some pictures with each guest. We
choose special food and beverage for that day. All drinks have a name about us, for example the wine
had a different name I don’t remember the name but I think was ‘pure love’ because was red wine and
red is love. The food was a buffet, so my friend and family could serve themselves. While the people
was eating Piero (my husband) and me, went to took special photos in a lake near to the place where
we were celebrating. We have beautiful pictures. When we returned, we ate something, and then we
started to dance. First my family followed us and then our friends, well my friends. Before 3 hours we
had one hour for full dance with balloons, clowns. We prepared a sweet and cheese table too. That
tables were amazing! The people started leaving at 8pm, but we stayed there with our best friend until
midnight dancing and drinking champagne. Obviously this event was memorable for me because was
my wedding.
PART 3
Discussion topics: The role of ceremony in our lives
Q. How important are ceremonies in our lives?
A. in Peru, ceremonies and social events are part of our nationalism and tradition. Such events are
the best way to socialise and get familiar with new people and people love it. Ceremonies inspire us
and let us forget our woes and distress.
Q. Do you see the role of private and public ceremonies changing in the future?
A. I personally believe that the role and appeal of ceremonies are universal and though the way of
celebrating would change in the future, their role would be quite similar as they are now. However,
public ceremonies would be more widely accepted and participated by the people from all walks of life
in the future. They will bring people closer and help forget our class divisions. Such ceremonies will
promote nationalism, the religious norm and strengthen social bonding. Private ceremonies, on the
other hand, will become more complex and engage a group of people with similar social status and
thus focus on celebrating special occasions like a birthday, a wedding and so on. They will be more
important in our social life and give us more chances to get together and enjoy the event.
Discussion topics: Attitudes to marriage in your country
Q. Have attitudes to marriage changed in recent years?
A. I believe people want to choose their life partners after spending a considerable amount of time
with them and the attitude towards marriage has shifted significantly in recent days. Many of them
remain single and even same-sex marriage is allowed. Many prefer to choose their own life partner
unlike the past when marriage was mostly arranged by the family.
Q. In what ways do men and women feel differently about marriage, in your opinion?
A. I believe the reason for getting married is to have a life partner and a family, and this feeling is the
same for both men and women. However, boys and girls don’t exactly think alike when it comes to
marriage, at least not in traditional marries. In such a marriage, the bride is excited to have a partner
but also worries about leaving her own house and making a whole new life. A groom, on the contrary,
29
thinks about all the responsibilities and cost he will have to bear from the time he gets married.
Besides, the number of elder men getting married is much higher than that of women.
Discussion topics: Events of national/global significance
Q. What sorts of national events make headlines in your country?
A. Big political agendas and sports news. Apart from that, a big national event, any political
movement which is controversial are often the headlines in our national news and TV channels.
Q. Does the media in your country pay more attention to global or national events?
A. I believe media in Peru give equal emphasis both on national and international events and they
have dedicated pages for both. I would like to mention that regional newspapers, radio stations and
TV channels focus more on national news.
TEST 4
PART 1:
Topic: Daily Routine
Q. What would you like to change in your daily routine?
A. Well, first, I would like to get up before 6.30 in the morning so that I get enough time to do
exercises. I would also like to dedicate an hour or two to read some books and I wouldn’t like to take
my dinner maybe at 5pm I would like to eat a bread with the and finally, go to sleep before 11.30 pm.
Those are the obvious changes I would like to have in my daily schedule.
Q. Are all your days the same?
A. Now, yes really. The usual college days are kind of same, but days off and vacations are quite
different. On a weekday, I have to spend the whole day at my college studying English while on a
weekend, I can spend the day playing with my niece and nephew.
Q. Tell me about your typical weekday and your typical weekend.
A. On a typical college day, I leave home at 8.30 am and study till 5.00 pm. Then I take a bus to
return home and sometimes when is not raining I return home walking. Once I am home in the
evening, I do eat my dinner and at around 8.30, I either watch some videos for a while or read some
news. Then go to bed at around 12.30 am.
On a weekend, I wake up late and then read the newspaper. I take my big breakfast and sometimes I
do some shopping from a grocery shop. Usually I play with my niece and nephew till the evening.
Otherwise, I prepare cake for my brother. I stay in home with my family.
Q. What is the balance of work/study and free time in your normal day?
A. I am not working now. I am studying English, I would like to work, but it is not the moment. I try to
maintain a balanced routine with some exercises so that I do not have to be stressed out in my
college or at home. Because sometimes I feel stressed because I am not working.
PART 2:
Describe something you own which is very important to you.
You should say:
 where you got it from
 how long you have had it
 what you use it for
and explain why it is so important to you.
A ring:
I am really sentimental personal. This topic is interesting for me. I am going to talk about a ring. It is
similar an engagement ring. My mother gave me this ring then years ago when I had finished my
university. I use this ring when I feel afraid, alone, happy or when I am doing something important and
I want my mother to be here with me.
To understand why this ring is important for me, I need to explain my past or our past. When I was
child, my father died, and she was alone with three kids in Italy. After one year, she decided return to
Peru, because her family was there. She started again, she finished her career when my sister,
brother and I were in the school. She worked too and she always was with us. I remember when she
finished her career we went to the ceremony with my grandmother and Uncle Eugenio.
Then she started to work full time like a teacher in two universities. But she always was with us. I
remember her in all my special moments, giving us the best of her. She helped me with my career,
she was my mother and my friend, and I talked to her about everything. But she never had time for
her.
30
When my brother and sister decided to live in different countries my mother and I stayed together.
One day I told her, ‘mother is time for you’ and she decide travelled to Colombia in South-America.
She had one of the best trips of her life. One of that days she saw this ring and she thought in me.
Because that trip was meaning something special for her because it was the beginning of a new stage
of our lives. Now, we are separated but it will only be a while until I pass this test.
Anyway, my mother certainly is exactly the kind of person with whom one can easily admire and
adore. She is my life.
PART 3
Discussion topics: How values can change
Q. What kinds of possessions show status in your country?
A. Well, in my country an expensive car is often a symbol of status when you are out in public. When
most people in my country cannot afford a car, someone who has a BMW or a Mercedes Benz
automobile is thought to be a rich man with some sort of social influence. Besides, a large house in a
posh area is also a symbol of status as a very few fortunate people have houses in such areas. I
believe status symbols are a prevailing phenomenon in every part of the world and disposable
income, luxurious furniture, electronic gadgets, political power, education and job are also being
considered for status in modern society. A tiny percentage of our population owns their own yacht and
private jets. Such ultra-rich are also members of private clubs and own large businesses. These
possessions and positions are also considered high status.
Q. Do you think it was different for your grandparents?
A. As far as I recall, expensive cars, private jets and costly electronic gadgets were not widely
available during my grandparent’s era. That kind of consumerism is a fairly modern thing, so this
couldn’t have been used as a representation of something valuable, I guess. So basically, money,
large houses, cultivable lands, gold and jewellery, social status and political power were the
possessions and positions people considered as symbols of status in the past. Many of these things
are still considered important for having status in society and they will matter in the coming years, I
believe. But I think that we are living in a more competitive and materialistic era and we have a
tendency to show off our earthly possessions than that of our ancestor’s time.
Discussion topics: The consumer society
Q. Modern society is often called ‘materialistic’. Why do you think this is?
A. We are living in a time when our ambitions are higher than the sky and we have so many options
to choose from. The Industrial Revolution and technological advancement have created a society
where we have easy access to abundant of things we need and want. We take pride in our material
possessions than our inner values and moralities. Some believe that, with terribly high competition, it
is hard to achieve success and own a portion of the resources and money that billions of people are
fighting hard to gain. So we feel somewhat special to achieve material gains, and others envy us for
our luxurious cars, large houses and a hefty bank balance.
Gone are the days when people valued someone’s quality, kindness and morality more than their
possessions. With a declining shift towards early possessions, we no longer are satisfied with a few
things. Our necessity and expectation know no bound and no doubt our modern society is largely
based on capitalism and materialism.
Q. Do you think consumerism is a positive or a negative development?
A. An obsession with buying material goods or items, which we often do not need, can never be a
good trend. We are already living in an era where the lion’s share of the world resources are
distributed among the fortunate few and the rest of the population are struggling hard to earn their
basic needs. Thus the consumerism habit makes the disparity of resources more acute.
Moreover, consumerism is a plague that lures us to buy things that we scarcely need. Thus with it, we
are jeopardising our economic stability and increasing our debts. The throwaway society that we have
created for our consumerism habits is actually harming the world and its environment. The
unquenchable thrust we feel for buying every new model available in the market is making us more
selfish and diverting us from the feeling that our life is more than owning material possessions.
Discussion topics: The consumer market
Q. What is the role of advertising?
A. In general, the advertisements are meant to inform the customers about a product or a service. In
this modern era, adverts are basically paid promotions that use different strategies to highlight the
benefits of a product or service to influence a target audience’s attitudes and/or behaviours. For
instance, all the advertisements from the beauty industry are aimed to sell their products by
highlighting how they can make us more elegant.
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However, some advertisements aim to enhance the brand reputation of a company or a product.
Finally, the government and the non-profit
organisations often use adverts to aware people or inform them about something
Q. How do you think the Internet will affect buying patterns in the future?
A. I believe a large proportion of the consumers will use the Internet and e-commerce platforms to
buy products of their choice in the future. With the rapid popularity of e-commerce websites, people
would not like to visit a shop to get a product. The convenient means of payments, including credit
cards and virtual money, would be more widely used and online merchants would be ready to sell
everything online. Companies will get even better at using data to predict consumer needs and make
more accurate recommendations.
Moreover, people would sell their used products online besides buying and compare a single product
from different vendors from shopping comparison sites. Since many young people would be using the
Internet, young consumers would rise in the future and they would often buy products for the elders.
Finally, it is often predicted that mobile Internet shopping will dominate the overall shopping trend and
online shopping would become more ubiquitous and more simplified in the future.
OTROS
TEST 1
PART 1:
Topic: Art
Q. Did you enjoy doing art lessons when you were a child? [Why?/Why not?]
Answer: I did enjoy learning art lessons when I was a child primarily because I felt like I could actually
“create” something on my own with the help of my colouring pencils and drawing papers only. Another
reason, for which I enjoyed drawing, was that I was actually very good at it as a child.
Q. Do you ever draw or paint pictures now? [Why?/Why not?]
Answer: Not really. I never draw or paint pictures. I don’t know why but I don’t do it. I prefer cook in
my free time.
Q. When was the last time you went to an art gallery or exhibition? [Why?]
Answer: I don’t remember. I went to an art exhibition maybe ten years ago. I am not sure. I have been
in a museum but not an art gallery or exhibition.
Q. What kind of pictures do you like having in your home? [Why?]
Answer: I don’t have pictures in my home now. But When I return to Peru I am going to arrive to my
new apartment, and part of the design is to have two pictures in my living room. One of these picture
is going to be about “Ponte Vecchio” is a place in Florence-Italy. And the other would be about
“mantaro” is a place in Huancayo-Peru. I really love these two places.
PART 2:
Describe a time when you visited a friend or family member at their workplace.
You should say:
 whom you visited
 where this person worked
 why you visited this person’s workplace
and explain how you felt about visiting this person’s workplace.
Visiting my mother:
I don’t normally like to visit a friend or family during the regular working hours as they remain very
busy. But three years ago, my mother was working like a teacher in a University. But this place was
too far for our house. And she was finishing her classes at 10.30pm and that was too late to return
alone. We decide that every day I picked her up, but I usually arrived to her office at 9pm. So I visited
my mother in her work too far of our house because was too dangerous that she returned alone. I felt
really good because I was helping and protecting to my mother. She wanted to work in this place
because they gave her many facilities. And she worked a lot, when I was there everybody knew it that
I was Ana’s daughter. And they gave me facilities too because I had to wait for more than two hours.
For example I had the library for me, they gave me a lanyard too and sometimes the director invited
me a coffee and we spent the time speaking about differences topics. And I remember this person
had a problem with an event, and I help him to do the plan. If my mother didn’t have the car and my
husband doesn’t have classes in the university he picked us up, but that wasn’t usual. In many
opportunities I was in her classes and was great, I learned in her lessons. She is a good teacher.
PART 3
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Discussion topics: Different kinds of workplaces
Q. What things make an office comfortable to work in?
Answer: Interesting question. I think the idea of a “comfortable office” depends on what kind of job
one has. But ideally, an office should have all the facilities and amenities such as large workspace or
workstation with a perfect size desk and a chair, comfortable enough to offer me a “relaxed and painfree” experience as long as I am sitting on it and working. But, when I am in a “mood” to take a little
break from my work, my office should arrange for a little sitting area where I would be able to enjoy a
cup of fresh coffee.
Q. Why do some people prefer to work outdoors?
Answer: Some people prefer to work outdoors mainly because they don’t like to stay in the same kind
of working environment. Besides, there are some people who are simply “outgoing” and prefer to
meet new people and experience new things without getting bored with the same kind of things. Or
maybe they are extrovert and need to be in movement all time.
Q. Do you agree that the building people work in is more important than the colleagues they
work with?
Answer: I think both are important. They are the ones who do "things" They are possible by constantly
guiding me or consulting me so that my life is "easier" or more "difficult", according to the types of
"colleagues" with whom I am working. And it is always useful to have a comfortable construction
structure to guarantee a better or more complete work environment.
Discussion topics: The importance of work
Q. What would life be like if people didn’t have to work?
Answer: I think we returned to the past. Trade involves the transfer of goods or services from one
person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. In the past we don’t have money so
probably an early form of trade was the barter, saw the direct exchange of goods and services for
other goods and services. Barter involves trading things without the use of money. Maybe don’t work
go earn money but the people work to survive.
Q. Are all jobs of equal importance?
Answer: I think all jobs are equal importance but they are not valued in the same way. For example if
you work in an office, you are a business man/woman, you produce money for the company, but
every day when you arrive to your office, this is clean , that is because there is a person who was
cleaning your office while you were in the house. Her o he gave you a good space to work. If she
didn’t clean probably you should need spent time cleaning and not thinking about a strategy. Maybe
she or he received less money than you, but her o his work is important for the people who work
there.
Q. Why do some people become workaholics?
Answer: I think there are many reasons. The firs not necessarily the main one person could become
workaholics because they don’t have any life outside. A second reason some people can become
workaholics also because they simply “love” their jobs too much due to the sense of the “success” or
“satisfaction” they enjoy after doing “perfect jobs”, or because that their jobs pay them good money.
The fourth reason is probable they want to be promoted and for that they need spend time in the
work.
TEST 2
PART 1:
Topic: Health
Q. Is it important to you to eat healthy food? [Why/ why not?]
A. Eating healthy is absolutely important to me because it makes us healthy and helps us feel better.
And if we feel better about ourselves, chances are we will perform better in our life.
Q. If you catch a cold, what do you do to feel better? [Why?]
A. No matter how hard I try to maintain my health, there will always be a “naughty boy” named “cold”
around the corner, waiting for me, to give me a headache (literally speaking), a runny nose, and
probably more sneezes than I can bargain for once in a while. So, if I ever end up catching a cold, or
“cold” is strong enough to catch me (however you want to look at it), I just keep eating hot soup and
drinking hot tea/coffee along with some occasional honey and lemon juice mixed in hot water to make
me feel better.
Q. Do you pay attention to public information about health? [Why/ why not?]
A. I guess that I have just about enough information to keep me healthy, but it always helps to pay
some attention to public health information for the purpose of receiving some important health tips
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once in a while, especially, when I am not in a mood to waste my time and money by running to a
doctor more than I really have to.
Q. What could you do to have a healthier lifestyle?
A. Remaining healthy doesn’t just mean to me that I only eat healthily, but it would also mean that I
maintain a healthier lifestyle by sleeping enough and taking enough rest while also remaining
physically active enough at the same time.
PART 2:
Describe an occasion when you had to wait a long time for someone or something to arrive.
You should say:
 who or what you were waiting for
 how long you had to wait
 why you had to wait a long time
and explain how you felt about waiting a long time.
Waiting to my mother:
I don’t normally like to visit a friend or family during the regular working hours as they remain very
busy. But three years ago, my mother was working like a teacher in a University. But this place was
too far for our house. And she was finishing her classes at 10.30pm and that was too late to return
alone. We decide that every day I picked her up, but I usually arrived to her office at 9pm. So I visited
my mother in her work too far of our house because was too dangerous that she returned alone. I felt
really good because I was helping and protecting to my mother. She wanted to work in this place
because they gave her many facilities. And she worked a lot, when I was there everybody knew it that
I was Ana’s daughter. And they gave me facilities too because I had to wait for more than two hours.
For example I had the library for me, they gave me a lanyard too and sometimes the director invited
me a coffee and we spent the time speaking about differences topics. And I remember this person
had a problem with an event, and I help him to do the plan. If my mother didn’t have the car and my
husband doesn’t have classes in the university he picked us up, but that wasn’t usual. In many
opportunities I was in her classes and was great, I learned in her lessons. She is a good teacher.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Arriving early
Q. In what kinds of situations should people always arrive early?
Answer: In life, it always helps to prepare better and arrive early in every kind of situations unless, of
course, there is a possibility of getting penalized for such actions. So, whether we are attending an
important meeting, going to a job interview, appearing for an examination, or just going to meet our
friends and families on time as promised, it is always better for us to arrive early than to be late.
Q. How important is it to arrive early in your country?
Answer: Arriving early and doing things on time requires a certain degree of planning and their
proper execution, but, unfortunately, none of it seems to receive enough attention from the people in
my country these days unless, of course, there are some “extra” incentives for doing so. So, they
almost always choose to arrive “on time” instead of arriving early, of course, only to become “late” in
the process.
Q. How can modern technology help people to arrive early?
Answer: I am not too sure if modern technology can really help people that much to arrive early.
Again, arriving early requires some extra efforts as in leaving early for the destination or choosing
faster vehicles (if not walking) for a ride. But, above all, one has to be really committed and respectful
to his/her commitments in order to arrive early on any occasion. Of course, if you are using private
transportation, and a mobile phone with certain types of applications installed in it, it is possible to get
information on the traffic situation on a certain road and thus changing the route for a quicker
commuting. But, other than that, I don’t really see much of a role of modern technology in helping
people to arrive early.
Discussion topics: Being patient
Q. What kinds of jobs require the most patience?
Answer: In my opinion, medical doctors or physicians require the most patience. A doctor has to be
really lenient in understanding the needs of his/her patients even if it means he/she has to observe
the suffering person for days, month or even years, especially when the “symptoms” are not so
obvious. Then, and only then, the doctor is able to prescribe the right medicines or the right treatment
to a patient. Other than that, a computer programmer and a designer have to show endurance to do
their jobs effectively.
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Q. Is it always better to be patient in work (or, studies)?
Answer: The general rule says that it is better to be patient and encourage patience with whatever
we do in our lives. But, does that mean it is “always” better to be patient regardless of our situations?
My answer would be a “no”. When it comes to working, if we see that we are not getting the benefits
of our hard works and sincere efforts that we deserve at our work, it is probably better to find a
different job and move on with our lives. But, as for the studies, it is always better to be patient until
we can do it no more. After all, studies are all about having the highest degree of patience and
concentration without which we won’t be able to learn the things that we need to.
Q. Do you agree or disagree that older people are more patient than young people?
Answer: Yes, I would agree with the view that the older people are more patient than young people in
general since the older ones usually have got more time and opportunities to learn a few more “tricks”
about life and the world than their younger counterparts. So, it is fair to assume that the older people,
more often than not, know when to exercise their patience, and when not to. But, of course, my view
holds true only up to a certain age, because, as my experience shows, once a person becomes older
than 65, he/she starts to grow impatience gradually with the things that he/she was once mostly
patient.
TEST 3
PART 1:
Topic: Songs and Singing
Q. Did you enjoy singing when you were younger? [Why/Why not?]
A. Yes really, I enjoy singing when I was younger but only in my house with my mother and my
grandmother. I didn’t sing outside or with friends.
Q. How often do you sing now? [Why?]
A. Usually I sing everyday with my niece and nephew when they go to sleep. And when I am alone
walking around the house I hear “Jesus Adrian Romero” I sing his song but softly.
Q. Do you have a favourite song you like listening to? [Why/Why not?]
A. Yes! I have one favourite song. The name is ‘Open the heaven’ of Jesus Adrian Romero. Is a
Christian song. The first time that I heard that song was two years ago.
Q. How important is singing in your culture?
A. Singing and songs are important aspects of my culture since they blend in perfectly with our
lifestyles as well as our desires, dreams and emotions, making them almost like our integral parts of
our daily lives and culture. Many important occasions in our country seem incomplete without the use
of traditional music.
PART 2:
Describe a film/movie actor from your country who is very popular.
You should say:
 who this actor/actress is
 what kinds of films/movies he/she acts in
 what you know about this actor’s/actress’s life
and explain why this actor/actress is so popular.
Carlos Alcantara:
Carlos Alberto Alcántara Vilar (born 12 November 1964) is a Peruvian stand-up comedian and actor.
He was born in Lima. Alcantara grew up in a working-class family, in the Unidad Vecinal de Mirones
in Cercado de Lima. Carlos first appeared in a film with Los 7 pecados capitales of Leonidas Zegarra,
in 1981 at age 17.In 2010, after 17 years together, Alcántara married Jossie Lindley. They have two
children. Alcántara joined the Drama Club of Lima, where he debuted as an actor in 1986 with works
like La malquerida, Los tres mosqueteros, Cuatro historias de alquiler, La mujer del año and Viva el
duque nuestro dueño. In 1991, he led the children's program Yan-Ken-Po with Gloria María
Solari and Johanna San Miguel. Alcántara had participated as an extra and in small roles in various
soap operas of the time, but managed high popularity as the star of Patacláun (1997-1999) playing
"Machin" that due to the success of the plays of Patacláun. Then, he appeared on the films Muerto de
amor (2002), Ojos que no ven (2003), Polvo enamorado (2003) and Doble Juego (2004). He
participated in various television projects, until they started the television miniseries La gran sangre,
which was broadcast on Frecuencia Latina, having him as the main character of the series where he
represented "El Dragón", proficient character wielding martial arts and was the leader of an
association of urban heroes along with "Mandril" (Pietro Sibille) and "Tony Blades" (Aldo Miyashiro).
He finished the project participating in La gran sangre: la película in 2007. In 2007 he began his one-
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person show Asu Mare,with which in the following years has made presentations to the Peruvian
community abroad. He also appeared in the TV show El santo convento. In 2008 he competed in the
dance reality show Bailando por un sueño (Perú), which won the first season ended. From 2009 to
2011 Alcántar was Dance jury member of the dance reality show El Gran Show. In February 2011,
Alcántara participated in the International Humor Festival organized by the Caracol of Colombia. On
April 11, 2013, the film Asu Mare, was released. It was inspired by his one-peson show of the same
name, starring and co-produced by Alcantara. It became the highest-grossing film in all of Peru with
about twelve million dollars receipts at the box office. He is very popular because is a gentle person,
good hearth, help people, and he is a simply man.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Watching films/movies
Q. What are the most popular types of films in your country?
Answer: Peruvian love to watch various types of local and Hollywood movies including action,
adventure, comedy, drama, romance, horror, science fiction, thriller and western. Young kiwis prefer
movies based on comics and action movies while adults often choose to watch classical and dramas.
Q. What is the difference between watching a film in the cinema and watching a film at home?
Answer: As for the difference between watching a film in the cinema and watching a film at home,
one is able to enjoy a movie on a really big screen in a cinema while usually on the small screen at
home. Of course, with the advent of home theatre system, it is possible to watch a film also on a
bigger screen, but certainly not as big as the cinema, at home. Besides, one can easily watch his/her
favourite movies in a very relaxed and comfortable family environment at a time of his/her
convenience, be it with the help of a satellite/cable network or home video, at home while the same
may not be possible in a cinema theatre. Of course, if someone is really big on the ‘quality of sound
system’ of a film, it is better to watch a movie in cinema since watching it at home just won’t offer the
same quality sound.
But, overall, it looks like watching a film at home is more enjoyable and relaxing than going to a
cinema because of our busy schedules and time constraints.
Q. Do you think cinemas will close in the future?
Answer: I believe more people will enjoy movies at home due to the advancement of technology, but
this does not mean that cinema halls will cease to exist in the future. In fact, watching a movie at a
theatre with friends or family has a different appeal and people will always enjoy a nice movie at a
large screen with the digital sound system at a theatre while enjoying hot and delicious popcorns.
Discussion topics: Theatre
Q. How important is the theatre in your country’s history?
Answer: Peru has quite a strong history of drama, theatre acts and singing. It was generally the sort
of entertainment intellectual and wealthy people sought for in the past. And they used to enjoy such
performance with great fervour and enthusiasm.
People who were involved in creating and producing dramas and theatrical acts have helped preserve
our own cultural values and ideologies, and we are proud of this glorious past. However, it is a matter
of great regret that, this trend is declining day by day and people, specifically the youth, are becoming
more smartphone-oriented rather than enjoying a great performance at a theatre.
Q. How strong a tradition is it today in your country to go to the theatre?
Answer: Despite a declining trend, it is still a much stronger trend in my country for people to go to
the theatre and enjoy movies and dramas. Watching a theatrical performance or a movie at a theatre
is more than just enjoying the acts, it is rather a social activity that brings people together.
Q. Do you think the theatre should be run as a business or as a public service?
Answer: As far as the issue of “whether theatre should be run as a business or public service” is
concerned, let’s just say that in an increasingly free-economy, it is not possible to run a cultural thing
like “theatre” as a public service since they receive very little or no public funds from the governments.
Besides, theatre is not an “absolute necessity” for the people, and as such, it is not entitled to receive
any public funds. So, the theatre has to be run as a “business enterprise” if it has to survive.
TEST 4
PART 1:
Topic: Flowers
Q. Do you like to have flowers in your home? [Why/Why not?]
A. No. I really like flowers but I do not buy them or have them in my house because they usually
wither.
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Q. Where would you go to buy flowers? [Why?]
A. The few times I buy flowers is for my husband's birthday, and I buy them in a special flower shop.
Q. On what occasions would you give someone flowers?
A. Only in my husband’s birthday but I don’t give him, I use it for decoration.
Q. Are flowers important in your culture? [Why/Why not?]
A. I am not sure if the flowers are important in my country. But I supposed there are important.
PART 2:
Describe a meeting you remember going to at work, college or school.
You should say:
 when and where the meeting was held
 who was at the meeting
 what the people at the meeting talked about
and explain why you remember going to this meeting.
Niece’s Party:
I am going to talk about a party that I enjoyed. That was my niece’s party. We were celebrating her
birthday. She was four years old.
The party was in Hatton Park, here in Warwickshire. Her family (her dad – my brother, her mother and
her brother), and her nursery friend with their parents were to the party. Everybody were casual
clothes and they gave her a lot of gifts and she was really happy to receive all those presents.
We spent the first half hour just by talking about how old she, and we are waited that all people arrive
to start the party. When we were ready, we walked around the camp/field and we saw cows, sheep
and horses too. Then we had a show with a snake and other wild animals. That was funny.
The second hour we went to play with mechanical games for children. And then we finished washing
our hand because we should go to party room to eat something, drink y song happy birthday. The
food included nuggets, chips, chicken and hamburgers, was delicious. As soon as we finished our
meal, it was almost 1:00 pm, we song happy birthday and ate the cake.
I enjoyed and remember this party, for many reasons. The main reason is because was my nice
party. The second I was the official photographer and I can spent all the time following her and was
interesting. The third reason is because maybe the next year or in the future I couldn’t be with her.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Going to meetings
Q. What are the different types of meeting that people often go to?
Answer: I believe the type of meetings or assemblage’s people go to depends on their professions,
ages and objectives. For instance, higher executives decide different future strategies in their meeting
while a group of employees discuss their work and deadlines. On the contrary, neighbours in an area
have meetings to solve a problem or to plan for the coming events. Besides, students meet mostly to
discuss a topic or their preparation for coming exams. This way the meetings and gatherings vary to a
large extent.
Q. Some people say that no-one likes to go to meetings – what do you think?
Answer: I believe when meetings are boring and have no productivities to yield people find them
uninteresting and a waste of time. However, there must be occasions when people look forward to
joining a meeting. For instance, most of the students like to join the meeting where they are allowed to
express their view. Similarly, employees love to be present at a meeting where they are allowed to
talk, express their opinions and can participate.
Q. Why can it sometimes be important to go to meetings?
Answer: Meetings are meant to bring out a solution to a problem or let people discuss, complain or
share opinions. This is why it is important to share our opinion in a meeting. For a professional,
meetings are almost mandatory and they need to answers many queries from the top management.
For all these reasons, attending a meeting is often important.
Discussion topics: International meetings
Q. Why do you think world leaders often have meetings together?
Answer: World leaders often meet to address important global issues, discuss pressing regional and
international concerns and make critical decisions related to the fate of humanity. One notable such
event is UN assembly, where most of the prominent world leaders gather and make decisions on
important issues. They often vote in favour of a proposal or veto the motion.
Q. What possible difficulties might be involved in organising meetings between world leaders?
Answer: World leaders often have opposite views and interests. Their dividing views often creates an
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antagonistic approach to each other. Due to this dividing views and interests, it is often difficult to
bring the world leaders to a single platform.
Q. Do you think that meetings between international leaders will become more frequent in the
future? Or will there be less need for world leaders to meet?
Answer: I am quite positive that meetings between world leaders in the future would become more
frequent. If we look back at history and compare it to the current era, we can notice that the meetings
among the global leaders have become more common. I believe the need for meetings among global
heads would become more prevalent in the coming days.
TEST 5
PART 1:
Topic: Neighbours
Q. How well do you know the people who live next door to you?
A. I know my neighbours quite well. Since I live in a town where people know each other very well, I
am no exception. We often have neighbours at our home and they are always invited to an event we
celebrate. This is a reciprocal approach as we are invited to their special events as well.
Q. How often do you see them? [Why/Why not?]
A. I would say I see them daily. We do not live in a cosmopolitan city where people hardly know or
meet their neighbours. For example, when I leave home to go to my university or on my way back
home, I see my neighbours. We often talk to each other. On special occasions like someone’s
birthday, neighbours are our main guests.
Q. What kinds of problem do people sometimes have with their neighbours?
A. Well, decent neighbours always try to maintain a good relationship with the people in his
community. But from my experience, I can say that there are some exceptions when the harmony
among neighbours is broken. Disagreement with the fence around the house, loud sound, wild pets
and personal issues often create a hostile relation among neighbours. I am lucky to have sensible
neighbours who are well-mannered and prudent in their behaviours.
Q. How do you think neighbours can help each other?
A. It is said that good neighbours make our life happier. I believe that neighbours can support each
other if they possess a positive mentality. They are the people who can come to our rescue in difficult
times. If someone gets sick, a neighbour is the first person to extend his helping hand. They share
both of our happy and sad moments, can make a special event more special with their presence and
can support us mentally. After a certain time, our neighbours become our relatives and share
everything with us to make our life meaningful.
PART 2:
Describe a time when you were asked to give your opinion in a questionnaire or survey.
You should say:
 what the questionnaire/survey was about
 why you were asked to give your opinions
 what opinions you gave
and explain how you felt about giving your opinions in this questionnaire/survey.
Political survey in my country:
The last time ha I was asked to give my opinion in a questionnaire or survey was the last year I am
not sure the month maybe September. I did a Political survey questions; they are questions asked to
gather the opinions and attitudes of potential voters. Such questionnaires are used by political action
committees, city council members, political consultants, school board districts, government agencies,
and political candidates. Political survey questions help you identify supporters and understand what
the public needs. Using such questions a political candidate or an organization can formulate policies
to gain support from these people. Such survey questions can help map the political landscape,
strategize marketing messages, and increase support from potential voters. In this case the
questionnaire was about our president “Vizcara” If he had my support if I agreed with him or not. The
company who did this question chose people in the street, they didn’t ask me for a special reason,
and my opinion was that I didn’t support him. Always I feel bad giving my opinion in politics. Because
the politics in my country is really sad.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Asking questions
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Q. What kinds of organisations want to find out about people’s opinions?
A. I believe government organisations, media, product manufacturer, websites owners, travel agents
and service providers want to know people’s opinion more than other organisations. Many
organisations want to learn about people’s preference for a product or service even before they come
to the market. This is mainly because they want to tap into the consumer market and offer products or
services that people would prefer. Besides, governments and other political parties that mainly work
for people have an urge to know what ordinary people think about them. Print media, online news
portals and TV channels run the highest number of surveys in my city.
Q. Do you think that questionnaires or surveys are good ways of finding out people’s
opinions?
A. I think surveys and polls are often the best way to find people’s opinion on something. Though
many people do not write down the correct answers or try to hide information while taking a poll or
survey, the results give a broader sense. Surveys are meant to find out what people think about
something or getting their personal data, and when a large number of participants take the survey, the
result becomes more reliable and useful. However, the survey organisers have to make sure that they
reach the right people for the survey.
Q. What reasons might people have for not wanting to give their opinions?
A. I believe people do not want to disclose their personal data that they feel should not be shared with
strangers. I have such experience when I denied taking a few surveys that were conducted by
organisations I have never heard of. Secondly, surveyors often try to reach people at the wrong
moment. For instance, when someone is rushing to pick his son from the school, taking a survey
would be the last thing on his mind. Finally, if someone gets an impression that his opinion might be
disclosed to others he would less likely take the questionnaire.
Discussion topics: Questionnaires in school
Q. Do you think it would be a good idea for schools to ask students their opinions about
lessons?
A. I believe this is a great idea. If the school authority does not care what students think about the
teachers and lessons, how can they improve the way of their teaching methods? Students, most of
the time, would be honest in their opinion if they are assured that their answers and identity are not
shown to the teachers. The survey results could be used to modernise the teaching system and I
believe that every school should have some sort of surveys where students would participate
sententiously.
Q. What would the advantages for schools be if they asked students their opinions? Would
there be any disadvantages in asking students’ opinions?
A. As I have already said, students can best assess their teachers and their teaching methods. They
are often afraid to come forward and complain about abusive teachers or classmates. Strictly
monitored surveys can reveal what pupils feel about the schools, their teachers and this can be a very
positive way of improving the education system. Moreover, this would reduce the heinous bullying in
classrooms.
I think if the survey is stringently conducted and the result is used positively, there is no downside of
such polls or surveys.
TEST 6
PART 1:
Topic: Television
Q. How often do you watch television? [Why/Why not?]
A. I am not a big fan of television programmes. I mostly watch movies and TV series on my laptop.
However, I watch news, documentary and a few episodes of my favourite TV series on television. So I
would say I watch TV for about 6-7 hours a week.
Q. Which television channel do you usually watch? [Why?]
A. I watch BBC, CNN and a few other news channels whenever I am in front of the TV. Besides, I
watch a few TV series on ABC, FOX, and STAR World. National Geographic Channel and History
channel are two of my favourite channels for documentary and educational programmes. These
channels, in my opinion, have better programme quality and complies with my taste as a viewer.
Q. Do you enjoy the advertisements on television? [Why/Why not?]
A. I do not mind a few advertisements while watching one of my favourite programmes and I
understand that these adverts are important for the owner to generate some revenue. However,
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frequent advertisements and lengthier breaks often irritate me. These breaks are sometimes so long
spun that I am forced to switch the channel.
Q. Do you think most programmes on television are good? [Why/Why not?]
A. I would not say that most programmes on television are suitable for all and have excellent quality.
With the huge popularity of satellite TV, people have hundreds of channels to watch and I believe all
of those are not suitable for people, especially for children. However, we have a choice to pick the
type of shows we like and want our children to watch. So we can and should stick to those favourite
and quality channels.
PART 2:
Describe a friend of your family you remember from your childhood.
You should say:
 who the person was
 how your family knew this person
 how often this person visited your family
and explain why you remember this person.
My friend Alexandra:
Thank you for letting me talk about a friend I have and I would like to say who this person is, how I
met him, what we do together, how long we know each other and why I particularly like this friend.
Well, the friend I will be talking about is Alexandra and she is my best friend. She has a bubbly
personality. She is open-minded and loves travelling. I met het at my School we were seven years old
and till now we are best friends. She is like a sister. When we were child, our parents let us stay
together one afternoon in my house and the other in her house. And we spent all our weekend
together. Usually play with rollers or bike. When we finished the school we started the university, and
we separated a time but always we were in the moment that the other need help. When we started to
work I moved in the same building where she lived. And in the same floor. That was amazing.
Now she is living in Chile. She married there and she has a beautiful baby Benjamin. We cannot visit
each other because are really separated. But always we are talking, I send photos all the time about
this months. She is very reliable and I can always depend on her. An important aspect of his
personality is his natural-born talent and helpful. I love her. And always I remember her.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Friendship
Q. What do you think makes someone a good friend to a whole family?
A. I believe similar mentality, compassion and positive attitude bring someone close to a family. Every
family shares a strong tie and becoming one of them is not so easy. It takes times and when a family
finds someone in times of necessity, they cordially accept the person to the family.
Q. Do you think we meet different kinds of friends at different stages of our lives? In what
ways are these types of friend different?
A. Yes, the friends we have at different stages of our life have different attributes and our
expectations change. Our requirement for friends in childhood is not the same when we get matured.
This even varies when we get older. For instance, people mostly like an adventurous person and
good playmates in their childhood. When they are in colleges, they like friends who would be helpful
for academically and have common interests. When we get older, we have fewer friends but most of
them are close ones.
Q. How easy is it to make friends with people from a different age group?
A. Sometimes age is a determining fact whether two persons can become good friends or not.
However, this is always not a barrier. If two persons from two completely different age groups have
similar interests, habits, and background, they can become good friends. For instance, my friends are
mostly my age, but I have a few junior and senior friends and our friendship started from our mutual
interests and journey together. There is, however, exceptions and friendships are often hard to define
and two persons with completely opposite comprehension can even become friends!!!
Discussion topics: Influence of friends
Q. Do you think it is possible to be friends with someone if you never meet them in person? Is
this real friendship?
A. I think making friends online has become a mainstream trend these days though it was unheard-of
in the pre-internet era. From my personal experience, I can say that people can have good friends
without even meeting them in person. I had two very close pen-pals in my childhood who still contact
me. I also have friends in different countries with whom I have never met.
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As I told, the very definition of friendship is diverse and can vary from person to person. While some
people would not accept friends whom they cannot interact in real life, some would accept friends
even if this means being in touch with the help of technology.
Q. What kind of influence can friends have on our lives?
A. The influence is immense. We become one of them over time. This is why it is so much important
to keep good friends. The company we keep shapes our nature, the way of thinking and impact who
we become. At a time, people share more with friends than they do with family and this is why friends
can be such instrumental in our life.
Q. How important would you say it is to have friends from different cultures?
A. Friends from different country and culture help us learn about traditions, manners and way of life
that are completely new to us. This helps us become more tolerant of other cultures and races.
Sometimes, friends from other countries inspire us to become a whole new person and open new
possibilities to become a better person. However, this is one just one side of the story. Strange
cultures and friends can often influence us negatively.
TEST 7
PART 1:
Topic: Newspapers and Magazines
Q. Which magazines and newspapers do you read? [Why?]
A. I read the Comercio Peru and the Telegraph for here almost every day. Reading newspapers is the
first thing I do in every night before to go sleep. I particularly read the newspapers I mentioned as they
offer great insights into news and in my view, they are not politically biased. I also like their editorials
and world news sections, they help me learn more about different topics.
Q. What kinds of article are you most interested in? [Why?]
A. I like to read the local and international news, interviews, business and finance news.
As a reader, I expect to get updates on local and international news, read editorials and interviews for
an insight into an event and learn about the business advancements. The magazines and
supplements are entertaining and are easy reads.
Q. Have you ever read a newspaper or magazine in a foreign language? [When/Why?]
A. Yes, the telegraph, I read because is one way to practice my reading and learn new word. Some
sections are very difficult but it is ok, is part for my improvement. So from this sense, I read
newspapers and magazines in a foreign language every single day.
Q. Do you think reading a newspaper or magazine in a foreign language is a good way to learn
the language? [Why/Why not?]
A. I definitely believe that reading newspapers or magazines published in a foreign language is a
great way to learn the language. I have learnt this truth from my own experience. I think my English is
better since I started to learn the newspaper. I can understand the majority information that I read,
some months ago when I read something I understood maybe only 25%.
PART 2:
Describe a restaurant that you enjoyed going to.
You should say:
 where the restaurant was
 why you chose this restaurant
 what type of food you ate in this restaurant
and explain why you enjoyed eating in this restaurant.
Madan Tusan Restaurant in Peru:
Chinese food restaurants began to settle in the 40s as large and lavish restaurants located in
downtown Lima. In them, events and banquets were held, leading to business meetings and
celebrations of all kinds. Over time, these restaurants would be called "Chifas", which would take an
air of mystery and distant past image of Chinese immigrants owners. When the owner was a woman,
charged chifas another mystery. These ladies own the chifas, were called "Madam".Chifas soon
began to reach other districts of Lima and delicious flavours began to take an important place in our
kitchen. The Tusan, are children of Chinese born in Peru who shared with us their culture and
excellent food. Madam Tusan pays tribute.
Gaston Acurio is a well-known Chef in Peru who transforms simple food into extravagant dishes. She
recognizes cooks and takes them to the city, transforming them into restaurants with comfortable
decoration, exotic drinks and exploits the culture and tradition of another angle.
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Madam Tusan was founded in April 2011. It is a restaurant of Chinese-Peruvian food, known in our
country as a "chifa". It evokes those great chifas of yesteryear, those ladies who ran them with
mastery and following the path where Peruvian ingredients and flavours embrace with the Chinese is
that today is born in the city of Lima, Madam Tusan. A Peruvian chifa for the world. This has many
locations. I chose it because I love Chinese and Peruvian food and this is a fusion, usually the people
who work there are friendly and I enjoyed because is clean, the people are friendly, the food is tasty.
They are special diets to for vegetarian, vegan and gluten free option. It is comfortable because you
have some facilities like: Reservations, Private Dining, Seating, Parking Available, Validated Parking,
Valet Parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Free Wi-Fi,
Accepts Credit Cards, and Table Service
PART 3
Discussion topics: Restaurants
Q. Why do you think people go to restaurants when they want to celebrate something?
A. I believe people want to enjoy the time with friends and relatives whenever they have an occasion
to celebrate and restaurants offer both delicious food and large space. For many, accommodating
many guests at their home is not possible while others want to concentrate on the party and
socialising rather than cooking and decorating the house. Whenever we have an occasion to
celebrate we prefer restaurant as they offer a better environment and a wide range of menu.
Q. Which are more popular in your country: fast food restaurants or traditional restaurants?
Why do you think that is?
A. As far as I recall, fast food eateries were more popular when I was a teenager. These days, people
mostly prefer traditional restaurants even though they are a bit expensive. I believe the health hazard
of fast food is well-known among people and except low-income class citizens and school-going
children, people in my country prefer quality restaurants over the fast food shops.
Q. Some people say that food in an expensive restaurant is always better than food in a cheap
restaurant – would you agree?
A. To a certain extent, I would agree that an expensive restaurant has a better environment,
amenities, and food quality. But it would be too generalised to fully agree to that as I have personally
dined at a few cheap eateries which offer far better qualities and dining experience than many fancy
restaurants in my city.
Discussion topics: Producing food
Q. Do you think there will be a greater choice of food available in shops in the future, or will
there be less choice?
A. I believe the choice of menu will extend in the future. I can still recall only a handful number of
quality restaurants in my city when I was a school-goer and they had a few specific menus. The
number has already increased significantly as has their menus. People in this age of globalisation
want to taste various foreign cuisines and the restaurants are bound to introduce new food items
every now and then. This trend will keep on going and in future, more menus would be added to the
existing one.
Q. What effects has modern technology had on the way food is produced?
A. I would say the modern technological advancement has revolutionised the way we prepare and eat
food. It may sound funny, but with the help of a new microwave oven and the internet, I have tried to
cook a few menus which were impossible in the last decade. The use of tools like cookers, blenders,
microwave oven, and refrigerator and so on we can prepare a variety of food within a few minutes.
The internet makes us universal cooks with access to hundreds of exotic menus. However, there is a
catch- the food is often less healthy than they used to be in the past.
Q. How important is it for a country to be able to grow all the food it needs, without importing
any from other countries?
A. I think being self-sufficient in food production is a great development for a country. It would
eliminate the need for the excessive budget for imported food and would enhance the agricultural
sector of a country. However, from a more practical point of view, not all countries have sufficient
fertile farmlands and farmers to grow all the food they need. They can utilise the land and manpower
to produce far more valuable materials and export those to other countries. So, what I am trying to
say is – this decision should be based on the infrastructure, manpower and geographic location of a
country.
TEST 8
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PART 1:
Topic: Food and cooking
Q. What kinds of food do you like to eat?
A. I like to eat almost all sorts of food which are tasty and are healthy. For instance, I like to try all
type of vegetables and fruits. I really have a healthy diet. Usually I eat food that are rich in vitamins
and minerals. But I love the chocolate and cakes and I use to eat one a week when I made it.
Q. What kind of new food would you like to try? [Why?]
A. I would like to try Russian Food. I don’t know why. But Staple Russian food features lots of fish,
mushrooms and berries and they are my favourite.
Q. Do you like cooking? [Why/Why not?]
A. Yes, I enjoy cooking. I like cooking because I take pleasure in sharing what I make, and I like
particularly making cakes for my family and Italian food. For example father’s day or birthday I usually
made special cakes.
Q. What was the last meal you cooked?
A. Well, interestingly I cooked a meal for father’s day, two weeks ago. My sister in law and me cooked
lasagne with meatball. And a big cake too.
Q. Do you prefer home-cooked food or food from restaurants? [Why?]
A. I always prefer home-made food as they are more hygienic, made of fresh ingredients and do not
contain any harmful ingredients unlike the food from the restaurants. Once in a while, I take a meal at
a restaurant to celebrate an occasion with my family or friends but those are exceptions. Most of the
time I try to avoid dining at a restaurant and take home-cooked food.
PART 2:
Describe an interest or hobby that you enjoy.
You should say:
 how you became interested in it
 how long you have been doing it
 why you enjoy it
and explain what benefits you get from this interest or hobby.
Walking:
I am not exactly obsessed with my health, but I do like to remain active and healthy without spending
too much time on it. One such activity I have started doing lately is walk with some of my close friends
when I was in Peru or alone now that I am here. I have actually started to enjoy it since I am getting
better at it by every passing day.
Anyway, it wasn’t exactly easy in the beginning for me. I started with some friend, when the traffic was
too hard in Lima, and we live near, and we decide to walk after work. We save money, because in
Peru at 6pm the taxi are very expensive, and we save time, because for the traffic, we spent maybe 2
hours to return home, and when we return walking we spent only 45 minutes or one hour. But the best
part is that we talked about job, people and different topics.
Here, I am “alone”, I live with my brother but he is working and my sister in law is whit the babies, for
this reason I try to walk, but I usually do alone. I try to do 5 miles around the house or walking from
the house to college.
I really feel good these days even after some long hours. But the best thing about walking for me is
my healthy is better.
PART 3
Discussion topics: The social benefits of hobbies
Q. Do you think having a hobby is good for people’s social life? In what way?
Answer: To a certain extent, it depends on the type of hobby we are considering. For instance, if
someone’s hobby is reading books, listening to music, creating a piece of artwork or collecting coins,
he or she usually does it alone. But eventually, these hobbies bring like-minded people together in the
long run and promote social relationship. On the contrary, playing soccer or cricket and going to a
gym or doing charity works, require interactions with others and it helps us make new friends. Such
hobbies are beneficial for exchanging ideas and opinions and more importantly work as a team.
Hobbies are a great stress reliever and stop us from wasting time and building bad habits. Thus we
can become more aware of our talent and contribute to our community. Once we find a hobby we feel
passionate about, we usually share it with loved ones and spend more time together. Thus our
hobbies are good for our personal and social life.
Q. Are there any negative effects of a person spending too much time on their hobby? What
are they?
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Answer: I believe spending many hours each day on a hobby for a long has some downsides that we
should be aware of. If someone becomes obsessed with a hobby and spend too much time on it,
he/she may perform poorly in academic and professional life. Eventually, he/she will become isolated
and feel depressed. For instance, one of my cousin’s favourite hobby was playing computer games
and it seriously affected his relationship with others and he ended up performing badly in his school.
His relationship with his family and friends deteriorated and he was upset about it. Now that he has
more healthy hobbies, he enjoys a better personal and social life.
Q. Why do you think people need to have an interest or hobby?
Answer: When our daily routine gets tedious and overly predictable, we lose focus and become
pessimistic. To enjoy our life, to rediscover ourselves, to reduce our stress and to have new
challenges and experiences in life, we need hobbies and personal interests. Spending time doing an
enjoyable activity that is not attached to our work or other commitments will help us become happy
and satisfied in life.
Besides, hobbies allow us to explore hidden talents in us that can be beneficial to our further learning
and career. It also prevents us from wasting our valuable time and creating bad habits. Finally, some
hobbies keep us physically fit and spiritually uplifted. Thus for a balanced life, everyone needs at least
one hobby.
Discussion topics: Leisure time
Q. In your country, how much time do people spend on work and how much time on leisure? Is
this a good balance, do you think?
Answer: The work-life balance and time spent on leisure activities greatly vary based on people’s
profession in my country. A higher office executive in a large city scarcely have time to pursue
personal interests and they are highly focused on their job and career growth. However, small
percentages of them, despite a busy schedule, manage time to read books, enjoy social events and
get engaged in outdoor activities. Students, elderly and children have enough time to do what they
enjoy in their leisure time, and finally, females mostly socialise with other women and do arts or crafts
when they have time.
I believe the time spent in the office is much higher these days for many employees in private
organisations and they should rethink about their work-life balance. Females should take more
outdoor activities and children’s free time activities should be more productive and guided by their
parents.
Q. Would you say the amount of free time has changed much in the last fifty years?
Answer: I definitely believe that people these days have fewer hours for their leisure activities than
the past generations. If we compare our freedom and time to have leisure activities than those of five
decades earlier, we are much busy and less fortunate these days. The increasing population, per
capita resource, demanding job requirements and our expectation to gain worldly success have
changed the fact that we used to have enough time to pursue activities which are not related to
education, job or other commitments in the past. Sadly enough, we spend our free time staying home
or browsing the internet and this is even worse.
Q. Do you think people will have more or less free time in the future? Why?
Answer: I believe people will get busier in their workplace and spend more time on the road due to
traffic congestion in the future. As a result, they will have fewer hours per week to pursue their
interests and many of them would be forced to take a second job to support the family. During the
economic recession, the condition would be worse. Children and the elderly will have fewer places to
go to and city life would be more mechanical than today. Thus the free time people have these days,
which is by the way not enough according to many, would shrink further.
TEST 9
PART 1:
Topic: Friends
Q. How often do you go out with friends? [Why/Why not?]
A. I am a college student here in England, I don’t have many friends now. So, I have free time.
Recently I have started to go out with some of my College’s friends.
Q. Tell me about your best friend at school.
A. Well, the friend I will be talking about is Alexandra and she is my best friend. She has a bubbly
personality. She is open-minded and loves travelling. I met het at my School we were seven years old
and till now we are best friends. She is like a sister. When we were child, our parents let us stay
together one afternoon in my house and the other in her house. And we spent all our weekend
together. Usually play with rollers or bike. When we finished the school we started the university, and
44
we separated a time but always we were in the moment that the other need help. When we started to
work I moved in the same building where she lived. And in the same floor. That was amazing. Now
she is living in Chile. She married there and she has a beautiful baby Benjamin. We cannot visit each
other because are really separated. But always we are talking, I send photos all the time about this
months. She is very reliable and I can always depend on her. An important aspect of his personality is
his natural-born talent and helpful. I love her.
Q. How friendly are you with your neighbours? [Why/Why not?]
A. I am lucky to have some great neighbours who have been with us for many years. They are very
close to me and I consider them dear friends. They are amiable and often visit us. We invite them to
our house during every major celebration and we live in our neighbourhood happily. I like and respect
them and value their privacy, and so do they. We do not hesitate to extend our helping hands to each
other and thus we are more than neighbours.
Q. Which is more important to you, friends or family? [Why?]
A. I believe family comes first. No doubt, my friends are very important to me but family means
something more special. They are like the same soul living in different bodies while friends are like
fresh air who make our life more meaningful.
The reason I put my family ahead is the sacrifices they have made for me. They have abandoned
their own happiness to make me happy and have done everything humanly possible to raise me up
properly. Their sacrifices are unparalleled and incomparable to anything else.
PART 2:
Describe a writer you would like to meet.
You should say:
 who the writer is
 what you know about this writer already
 what you would like to find out about him/her
and explain why you would like to meet this writer.
Paulo Coelho:
I am going to talk about Paulo Coelho. He was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and attended
a Jesuit school. As a teenager, Coelho wanted to become a writer. Born into a Catholic family, his
parents were strict about the religion and faith. Coelho enrolled in law school and abandoned his
dream of becoming a writer. One year later, he dropped out and lived life as a hippie, traveling
through South America, North Africa, Mexico, and Europe and started using drugs in the 1960s. Upon
his return to Brazil, Coelho worked as a songwriter, composing lyrics. In 1986 Coelho walked the 500plus mile Road of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. On the path, he had a spiritual
awakening, which he described autobiographically in The Pilgrimage. In an interview, Coelho stated
"[In 1986], I was very happy in the things I was doing. I was doing something that gave me food and
water – to use the metaphor in The Alchemist, I was working, I had a person whom I loved, I had
money, but I was not fulfilling my dream. My dream was, and still is, to be a writer. Coelho would
leave his lucrative career as a songwriter and pursue writing full-time. I always spent my breaks in the
university in the library. One day I saw “The alchemist” a good story. The Alchemist follows the
journey of an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago. Believing a recurring dream to be prophetic,
he asks a Romanifortune teller in a nearby town about its meaning. The woman interprets the dream
as a prophecy telling the boy that he will discover a treasure at the Egyptian pyramids. I enjoy reading
the book and I decided to read another books of him like The Pilgrimage, Aleph, Veronika Decides to
die (my favourite book) and others.
I would like to find out about how he is inspired to write, to know what he felt in each of his trips, if a
writer like him falls in love with one person or is easy to fall in love with many people and which is his
passion. I would like to meet him because is the only author than I can involve in his stories and
because I read almost five of his books.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Reading and children
Q. What kinds of book are most popular with children in your country?
A. In general, children in my country love to read books that have a lot of illustration images and
comprise imaginary and interesting stories. Since colourful and clear illustrations and artwork support
a simple storyline, most young children love them. They also read folktales and fables that are easy to
read, comics, nursery rhymes, alphabet and counting books.
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Q. Why do you think some children do not read books very often?
A. I think reading is a habit that should be nurtured. If someone feels the joy of reading, he will no
doubt read whenever possible. But for many children, the scenario is different. They are more
interested in doing fun staffs and playing with toys and other children than reading books as the latter
one requires more attention and inscription. However, parents and teachers should often read to the
young child to build the habit in them.
Q. How do you think children can be encouraged to read more?
A. I think parents have a great role here. Children like to mimic their parents and if parents have the
habit of reading books, their offspring will also feel passionate about reading. Besides, we should buy
books for them that have more illustration images and artwork and fewer texts. This will connect the
young readers to books and they will feel interested to read more. Not to mention, we should often
read interesting stories to them from books and this will be highly encouraging for them to pick a book
and read on their own. Finally, teachers and parents can offer some sort of incentives and prizes to
encourage children who do not like to read very often.
Discussion topics: Reading for different purposes
Q. Are there any occasions when reading at speed is a useful skill to have? What are they?
A. I believe we need the skill of speed reading to be able to extract some information from a lengthy
passage and this skill is useful for us to do well in competitive exams. Sometimes teachers ask us to
read in front of the whole class and our speed reading skill can save us from mumbling while reading.
Besides, reading at speed is useful to complete an assignment, thesis work and find information from
a website.
Q. Are there any jobs where people need to read a lot? What are they?
A. I believe doctors, teachers, researchers, computer programmers, writers, meteorologists,
paralegals, historians, journalists and editors read a lot to do well in their professions. These
professionals often read to learn new information, to solve a problem, to deliver a speech, to present
writing to the mass audience, to get ideas and to pass exams to improve their career prospects. In
fact, people from all professions should read to enhance their skills and knowledge as reading is
always helpful to do better in a job.
Q. Do you think that reading novels is more interesting than reading factual books? Why is
that?
A. I believe novels are more interesting to the general audience as they are often more intriguing and
have thrilling plots to entertain the readers and surprise them every now and then. A good novel
opens a new door to the readers and often presents the world from a different perspective. Not to
mention they are fast-paced, thought-provoking and engaging.
Factual books, on the contrary, are based on real events and historical facts. The academics,
scholars and serious readers are more interested in these books as they often want to learn rather
than being entertained. Some factual books, however, are more intriguing and entertaining and are
more widely read. For instance, “The Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank, “The Interpretation of
Dreams” by Sigmund Freud and “The Second World War” by Winston Churchill are some factual
books that have entertained and informed millions of readers throughout the generations.
TEST 10
PART 1:
Topic: Photographs
Q. What type of photos do you like taking? [Why/Why not?]
A. I must mention that I am not a professional photographer and do not understand the technical
aspects of photography. Thus anything that seems beautiful or interesting is my subject of snap
shooting. However, nature, children and landscapes are some common subjects that I like to frame in
my camera.
Q. What do you do with the photos you take? [Why/Why not?]
A. I first transfer the photos to my laptop and then sort out the ones I like. I then store those photos
online. Sometimes I print out a few photos which I believe are worth printing. Sometimes I share a few
of them online with my friends and family.
Q. When you visit other places, do you take photos or buy postcards? [Why/Why not?]
A. I mostly like to take photos in that case. Buying postcards is not a common practice in my country
these days. However, if I visit a different country, I do both. I believe taking photos and buying
postcards have different appeals. Since I know very little about foreign cities, I try to buy some
postcards to make it more interesting.
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Q. Do you like people taking photos of you? [Why/Why not?]
A. I would not allow a stranger to take a photo of mine. I think this is a breach of privacy. However, if
the person is someone close to me, I might allow as I know his or her intention of taking my
photograph.
PART 2:
Describe a day when you thought the weather was perfect.
You should say:
 where you were on this day
 what the weather was like on this day
 what you did during the day
and explain why you thought the weather was perfect on this day.
Florida:
Good topic. I have a sister who live in Florida – Boyton Beach. One of my holidays I decided for
travelling across the beaches in Florida with my sister. She drove all Key West. Key West is an island
and city in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent. Key West and most of the rest of the
Keys are on the dividing line between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The two bodies have
different currents, with the calmer and warmer Gulf of Mexico being characterized by great clumps
of seagrass. The area where the two bodies merge between Key West and Cuba is called the Straits
of Florida.
I remember we spent our time talking, we went some restaurants, and we ate a special ice cream.
And I took a lot of pictures.
Key West has a tropical savanna climate similar to the Caribbean islands). Like most tropical climates,
Key West has only a small difference in monthly mean temperatures between the coolest month
(January) and the warmest month (July) – with the annual range of monthly mean temperatures
around 15 °F (8.3 °C). When we were there the climate was amazing, because was dry and we didn’t
have windy that is because we went in November and it is normally sunny and quite dry. For me he
weather was perfect because my sister could drive quiet and I could took photos and we can spent
time in some of the beaches.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Types of weather
Q. What types of weather do people in your country dislike most? Why is that?
A. People in my country, in general, hate the rain and extremely hot or cold weather. It is natural that
extreme weather conditions disrupt our normal life and damage life.
Q. What jobs can be affected by different weather conditions? Why?
A. I believe people who need to travel a long distance every day to reach their workplaces and
professionals who have to remain outside most of the time are affected most severely by the bad
weather condition. For instance, an office executive who travels more than 60 miles to get to his office
find it hard to drive during heavy snowfall and similarly a vendor who sells street food on the corner of
a street can’t stay outside due to severe weather. People avoid being outside on a rainy day and
that’s why these professionals lose their customers on such a day. Apart from that, drivers, who are
on the road most of the time, farmers who grow crops, and marketing executives, who go door to door
are also worse sufferers.
Q. Are there any important festivals in your country that celebrate a season or type of
weather?
A. I really don’t know. Maybe in July we have the independency day on 28th July. It is really cold and
we have usually three free days. Probably many people can’t enjoy this days.
Discussion topics: Weather forecasts
Q. How important do you think it is for everyone to check what the next day’s weather will be?
Why?
A. I believe everyone should check the weather forecast for the next day and sometimes for the whole
week. It is particularly easy these days as our handheld devices and the Internet can provide us with
the latest weather updates at any time. Without knowing what the weather would be like, we might
end up wearing inappropriately dresses and suffer due to this. If the prediction is a rainy day, we
would be able to take an umbrella or a raincoat to avoid being soaked on the street. Similarly, a hot
day forecast would allow us to dress up accordingly. Besides, we often plan for a backyard barbeque
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party or a tour to open space and if we do not check the weather forecast, our plans may be
completely ruined.
Q. What is the best way to get accurate information about the weather?
A. I believe the internet can be a reliable source for checking weather updates and predictions.
Forecast.io and accuweather.com are tow reliable sources for such information and they have mobile
applications that we can use on our mobile phones to get updates on the weather. Many people in my
country use local TV and radio stations to get weather forecast and updates.
Q. How easy or difficult is it to predict the weather in your country? Why is that?
A. I believe the weather forecast in my country has become less accurate these days than the past
and I don’t know we can’t made it possible because now we have technological advancement.
TEST 11
PART 1:
Topic: Food and cooking
Q. What sorts of food do you like eating most? [Why?]
A. In our country, rice, bread, potato and chicken are some very common food items and I like all of
them. As long as the ingredients are fresh and the menu is delicious, I do not hesitate to try it.
Q. Who normally does the cooking in your home? [Why/Why not?]
A. In Peru, I cook. But now I don’t have my own house, so is my sister in law or my brother who cook.
They are a good cooks. They know how important it is for children to ensure a healthy meal for the
family.
Q. Do you watch cookery programmes on TV? [Why/Why not?]
A. I do not follow such programmes all the time but once in a while, I like to watch different videos in
YouTube. These videos are some of the cookery programmes I have watched.
Q. In general, do you prefer eating out or eating at home? [Why?]
A. I prefer eating at home most of the time. Considering the cost and hygiene, home-made food is far
better than outside junk food. However, whenever I hang out with friends in a restaurant and cafe, I
like to eat a menu they have. But I try to avoid junk food most of the time.
PART 2:
Describe a house/apartment that someone you know lives in.
You should say:
 whose house/apartment this is
 where the house/apartment is
 what it looks like inside
and explain what you like or dislike about this person’s house/apartment.
My sister’s apartment:
My old sister, who live with her boyfriend, lives in a small apartment and this is quite an elegant
apartment in my opinion. For this cue card topic, I would like to talk about this apartment which is
located in Florida. It is on a peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean in United State
of America. She lives specific in Boynton Beach is a city in Palm Beach County.
They bought this apartment 8 years ago and live there alone. The apartment is in a private resort.
With attending staff, valet, and reception. Plus two swimming pools, a moonlight spa, complete
Fitness Center and residents lounge. She has her bike and she can ride her bike or take the shuttle 5
minutes over the bridge to her private Beach Club, tucked between the mansions of Ocean Ridge.
The ground floor level at Casa Costa features a separate street front collection of shops, which will
soon include a planned café, boutiques, and convenience stores.
The apartment is on the 3rd floor. I don’t know how square feet but has 4 bedrooms, two bathrooms,
one dining room. The rooms all have attached bathrooms with them and most of the furniture were
bought from the most renowned and branded shops. My sister had an interior designing diploma and
she has put every effort to make her own house look beautiful. From a neutral point of view, I would
say she is a talented interior designer as she has been quite successful to make the interior of her
own house impressive. The large wooden furniture, the modern and sophisticated design of most of
the furniture
I like this apartment the rooms give complete privacy to the house members as they are not adjacent
to each other. The interior of the apartment is quite attractive. The apartment gives me the impression
of beauty and comfort. For these reasons, I love this apartment.
PART 3
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Discussion topics: Different types of home
Q. What kinds of home are most popular in your country? Why is this?
A. The type of houses people have in my country depends on the location and average economic
condition of people of this area. For instance, most of the rural people have traditional bungalows built
with wood and bamboo. Comparatively rich in rural areas like to have large bungalows and a garden
in front of it. Apartments and high rising building are not available in such an area. I believe tradition,
economic condition and lifestyle have something to do with the choices of houses in our rural areas.
On the contrary, city people mostly own or rent apartments and rich citizens have large houses.
Multistoried buildings are quite common in such an area and despite city people’s dream to live in an
independent house, they mostly end up buying or renting a flat. The property price in recent years has
skyrocketed and middle-class can’t afford to buy an independent house in a large city.
Q. What do you think are the advantages of living in a house rather than an apartment?
A. A house gives a sense of ownership of the entire living space including the garden, pool and the
barbeque area while apartment buildings are shared by multiple owners. Thus freedom of living in a
house is an obvious advantage. A house owner can have parties at their backyard, listen to loud
music and allow children to yell and pets run free. These can’t be done in an apartment as freely as in
a house. Moreover, the neighbours on the top often drop things on the floor and drag chairs and it is
hard to ignore a bad neighbour in an apartment. A house owner can plant trees, enjoy enough
sunlight and fresh air which are absent in many apartments in the congested area. Finally, the market
value of a house increases more rapidly than an apartment.
Q. Do you think that everyone would like to live in a larger home? Why is that?
A. I believe if people are given free will, almost all of them would choose a large house to live in. The
advantages of a large house are obvious and people would opt to live in a large house considering
those benefits. Many city dwellers rent or buy an apartment because they are cheaper.
Discussion topics: Finding a place to live
Q. How easy is it to find a place to live in your country?
A. In rural areas, we have plenty of lands and someone can easily buy a plot and build a house of
their choice. However, renting a house is not that easy in such an area as people do not have large
buildings or houses to rent out to others. I believe, people migrate to cities for a better lifestyle and
job, and this leaves the villages with fewer demands for property renting.
On the contrary, large cities in my country have thousands of multistoried buildings and the landlords
rent out apartments to tenants. This is why it’s easy to find a flat in such a city but the rent is a bit
higher these days. Buying property, on the other hand, is so expensive that a few people can actually
purchase them.
Q. Do you think it’s better to rent or to buy a place to live in? Why?
A. I believe buying a property is always a better option if someone can afford it. This not only gives
freedom of living but also benefits the owner financially. Property price is increasing rapidly and
someone who owns a house can rent out a portion of it to earn from the property. Even if a person
who owns a house needs to relocate, he can easily rent it out or sell it at a higher price.
Q. Do you agree that there is a right age for young adults to stop living with their parents?
Why is that?
A. I think that depends on the county and culture we consider. For instance, a young adult in a
western country is expected to have his own earning source and a living place. Such young adults
should leave their parents’ house as soon as they are 21 years old and have some sort of earning.
In most Asian countries, on the contrary, parents expect that a boy would live with them and take
responsibilities of the family after they become earning members. These young adults often bring their
brides to the house and they live together as a family. It those cultures, adult girls live with their
parents until they get married. This tradition expects that children would take care of their parents
when parents become old. Many youths temporarily leave the house for studies and job but
eventually return to the family.
TEST 12
PART 1:
Topic: Names
Q. How did your parents choose your name(s)?
A. To be honest, I can’t say for sure what was on my parents’ mind when they decided my name. But
once I heard from my mother that my parents decided to name me Vanesa because they were
reading a magazine “vanidades” and they like “van” and decided my name.
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Q. Does your name have any special meaning?
A. as a girls' name has its root in Greek, and the name Vanesa means "butterfly". Vanesa is an
alternate form of Vanessa (Greek). He name of a genus of butterflies that includes the Red Admiral
and the Painted Lady. Also possibly an early-18th-century literary name of English origin created by
Jonathan Swift for "Gulliver's Travels" as a pseudonym for Esther Vanhomrigh, based on the first
syllable of her surname, and possibly the Latin verb "esse", meaning "to
be". Jenessa, Vanita and Vannaleigh are compound forms
Q. Is your name common or unusual in your country?
A. Vanessa with two s is very common in my country Peru. But Vanesa with one “s” like my name is
not common. But the sound is the same so nobody know the difference.
Q. If you could change your name, would you? [Why/Why not?]
A. No, I would never want to change my name and why should I? My parents chose this name with
great love and fervour and this name means a lot to me. I have always been Vanesa and want to be
the same for the rest of my life. This very name defines me as a person and I will never take another
name.
PART 2:
Describe a TV documentary you watched that was particularly interesting.
You should say:
 what the documentary was about
 why you decided to watch it
 what you learnt during the documentary
and explain why the TV documentary was particularly interesting.
Food
Recently I had seen a documentary about food and their processing that shocked me heavily and it
was one of the most interesting TV documentaries I have ever seen.
People take food for several reasons, and the most prominent of them is their craving to the food or
they want a comfort for their hunger. But my idea of taking food for comfort has been changed after
watching the Food Inc., a documentary on the food habits, food processing and how the large
corporations cheating with innocent people. Actually, the documentary unfolded some blind parts of
the food industry across the world. Food habits and tastes have been changed with the course of time
and to meet the growing needs, the food producing corporations are following numerous irrational
ways and having their profits
Generally, before watching any movie or documentary, I like to do some homework on them such as I
analyse rating, read reviews etc. to know if they are worth watching. Accordingly, I found that Food,
Inc., a documentary by Robert Kenner, has been nominated for some prestigious awards in the USA.
Moreover, the teaser of the documentary also attracted me. So, I started watching this documentary
and came to know about a large number of confidential issues regarding food business. In fact,
staying healthy is not enough today, we should be also careful about our food selection. The food
items that we take from the superstores and chain shops are entirely unhealthy for us. At the same
time, the food producers are damaging the environment. Such issues were highly confidential until Mr.
Kenner unveiled them on screen through his documentary. Watching the documentary film was a nice
experience for me
Food, Inc. taught me a wide number of things and I try to follow them in my own lifestyle. Basically,
the documentary is an analysis of the existing food markets – how these food items are grown, how
the corporations are abusing the environment, food, animals and people engaged in the food
processing, how they are cheating the consumers and more other intriguing issues. The
advertisements of different food products show that the foods items are hand-picked directly from the
farms. But in reality, they are not, the foods are ‘manufactured’ in factories. Has anyone ever thought
how the seasonal vegetables are available all around the year or how they are found in plenty during
off-seasons? No, we do not think about such issues. We are not allowed to! The food industry owners
do not want us to know these secrets lest they fail in the business. Moreover, the filmmaker had to
remain careful about legal issues against him, the Production Company and channel that would
broadcast it while making this documentary
Food, Inc. has taught me some good and valuable lessons. I think it is good to be healthy but at the
same time, we should be careful about foods we eat. There are three segments of the documentary
and each of the parts revealed some highly sought information for the audiences that the food
producers never wanted to expose in public. The entire productions process, especially in the case of
meat, it is inhumane and disastrous to the environment. Besides, the large-scale productions of
grains, green vegetables and fruits are also not sustainable. The majority of the vegetables and fruits
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are preserved with toxic chemicals harmful to human health. The advertisements create an appealing
impression like the foods and grains are gathered from a large ranch filled with green plants. But the
inner scenario is completely different and there are no links at all with the large farms or greeneries. I
loved the documentary for its bold expression of unethical activities from the food industry
PART 3
Discussion topics: Different types of TV programmes
Q. What are the most popular kinds of TV programmes in your country? Why is this?
A. TV series, live sports competitions, news programmes, talk shows, music shows, cooking shows,
documentaries, reality TV shows and weather updates are some of the most popular programme
types on the TV in my country.
I believe people of all ages enjoy watching different TV series, weather updates, news programmes
while the youth love to enjoy sports. Cooking shows and reality TV shows hosted by women are
popular among females. Students and more serious viewers mostly watch news, music,
documentaries and talk shows. Due to public demands, these TV programmes are widely common in
different TV channels.
Q. Do you think there are too many game shows on TV nowadays? Why?
A. I do not think that game shows and similar programmes are all over the TV channels in my country,
and we have any reason to be worried about it. Since the inception of the satellite TV channels, we
have dedicated channels for news, sports, documentaries, music, and movies and so on. So, a
particular channel may focus mostly on programmes like game shows, but their number is not that
high, especially not in my country. Many TV channels broadcast a single game show in a season and
have numerous other programmes on their other slots.
Q. Do you think TV is the main way for people to get the news in your country? What other
ways are there?
A. I think TV once was the main source of news and information but the Internet has replaced it
already as a source of news, especially with more than 85% internet users in my country. However,
TV is still a popular source of news and information.
To get news on current events and to get other information, people also rely on the radio, which is
also losing its popularity, online news portals, and newspapers in my country.
Discussion topics: TV advertising
Q. What types of products are advertised most often on TV?
A. I can’t be accurate on that as I do not watch TV much. However, from my experience, I can say
that commercials of beauty products like soap and cosmetics; household consumer products like tea,
coffee, dishwashing and electronics; common consumer products like soft drinks, packeted food, and
cookies; Internet services, insurance services and baby products dominate the TV channels. In recent
days, adverts of real estate companies, fast food chain shops, car manufacturers, mobile phone
makers and pharmaceuticals have also become common.
Q. Do you think that people pay attention to adverts on TV? Why do you think that is?
A. I think people enjoy creative and entertaining TV adverts and we are being greatly influenced by
them. They, however, hate too many commercial breaks during their favourite TV programmes. Since
advertisements are all over there, we often do not pay extra attention to them but they have an impact
on our subconscious mind as we decide what products to buy and what not to largely based on the
advertisements we see and listen to, even without paying much attention.
I think brands and companies are spending a hefty amount of money to shape the consumers’
decisions and behaviours and they often produce commercials that viewers would like. Since
advertisements are so common on TV, we have started accepting that there would be dedicated time
for commercial breaks and we would watch them.
Q. How important are regulations on TV advertising?
A. I think proper regulations should always be in place while deciding what commercials could be
shown to the public and what should be banned, censored or restricted to a few particular channels.
Thus TV channels that are enjoyed by the whole family should not contain any offensive and vulgar
scene and speech. Besides, no commercial should be allowed to target the children. I personally think
that the authority should not allow a commercial to be aired that demeans others, has false claims
and fail to meet the guideline. Regulation of television advertising should cover both the length of
commercial breaks and on the content of the advertisements themselves. Restricting the advertising
of certain products like tobacco, liquor, and gambling is also important. Thus a fitting regulation on TV
advertisements has direct and indirect impacts on our family and the society as a whole and that’s
why they are extremely vital.
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TEST 13
PART 1:
Topic: Telephoning
Q. How often do you make telephone calls? [Why/Why not?]
A. Thank you for the opportunity to let me talk about this. In fact, I scarcely use a landline these days
but profoundly rely on my cell phone. I usually make 5-8 calls a day and receive calls more than that.
Besides, I sometimes make international calls from our landline but that would not be more than once
or twice in a month.
Q. Who do you spend most time talking to on the telephone? [Why?]
A. I guess it would be my mother with whom I talk the most on the telephone. There is hardly a day
that she does not call me and I feel quite relaxed talking to her. She is the person I love the most and
feel most connected to. She loves me unconditionally and calls me whenever she has something to
share. I believe there are many others like me who talk to their moms the most.
Q. When do you think you’ll next make a telephone call? [Why?]
A. Well, this is an interesting question! I will make the next call to my mom as soon as my exam is
over and I am outside. I am sure she is eagerly waiting to know how I performed in my test and I
would let her know how my experience was.
Q. Do you sometimes prefer to send a text message instead of telephoning? [Why/Why not?]
A. Yes, I often send text messages instead of calling someone. I do it whenever I need to send
information to someone like my address, bank account number and so on. I also prefer sending texts
at a time when I believe a phone call might interrupt someone. Thus sending texts is more suitable
and convenient in many situations.
PART 2:
Describe a journey [e.g. by car, plane, boat] that you remember well.
You should say:
 where you went
 how you travelled
 why you went on the journey
and explain why you remember this journey well.
Florida:
Good topic. I have a sister who live in Florida – Boyton Beach. One of my holidays I decided for
travelling across the beaches in Florida with my sister. She drove all Key West. Key West is an island
and city in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent. Key West and most of the rest of the
Keys are on the dividing line between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The two bodies have
different currents, with the calmer and warmer Gulf of Mexico being characterized by great clumps
of seagrass. The area where the two bodies merge between Key West and Cuba is called the Straits
of Florida.
I remember we spent our time talking, we went some restaurants, and we ate a special ice cream.
And I took a lot of pictures.
Key West has a tropical savanna climate similar to the Caribbean islands). Like most tropical climates,
Key West has only a small difference in monthly mean temperatures between the coolest month
(January) and the warmest month (July) – with the annual range of monthly mean temperatures
around 15 °F (8.3 °C). When we were there the climate was amazing, because was dry and we didn’t
have windy that is because we went in November and it is normally sunny and quite dry. For me he
weather was perfect because my sister could drive quiet and I could took photos and we can spent
time in some of the beaches.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Reasons for daily travel
Q. Why do people need to travel every day?
A. Well, it seems like the movement is one of the most fundamental activities of the human being.
They travel every day to reach different destinations including educational institutes, workplaces, or
markets. They often travel to meet someone, visit a place where they engage in recreational activities,
buy or sell something, to fulfil a personal or professional need and so on. Since necessary
establishments are not located at a place and people have very different professions and daily
requirements, they need to travel to a variety of locations and then get back home at the end of the
day.
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Q. What problems can people have when they are on their daily journey, for example, to work
or school? Why is this?
A. I think traffic congestion is the most heinous predicament people face while commuting to their
schools and offices. The traffic jam kills valuable time, create anxiety among many and make them
miss their important schedule. Besides, some people are allergic to dust and yet they have to travel to
and from their offices each day. Long queue for a public bus, extra taxi fare, pickpocketing and
accidents are some of the common problems people face every day. It’s quite sad to notice that some
women face even more challenges and problems while they are on the road.
Q. Some people say that daily journeys like these will not be so common in the future. Do you
agree or disagree? Why?
A. I think for some particular types of people the journey would become less prevalent as they would
take advantages of the technology and complete many tasks from home. However, as a whole, the
necessity for daily commuting and travel would keep on increasing over time. A programmer or a
student might stay home more than they do now but people’s need for getting outside would grow. To
understand what it would be in the future, we can compare it with the past. Even after dramatic
technological progress, more people, these days, travel daily then they did a decade ago. This
obviously forecasts what might happen in the coming decades.
Discussion topics: Benefits of international travel
Q. What do you think people can learn from travelling to other countries? Why?
A. Travelling offers first-hand experiences and enhances our horizon and way of thinking. Travelling
to foreign lands is even more beneficial. It helps us learn about a totally new culture, diversity of
human interaction and refreshes us from our monotonous lifestyle. It is said that a new country always
brings new ideas and experience and this eventually helps us become more receptive to other
cultures and races. For instance, after I visited Europe, I started realising that we live in a world where
we have a diverse lifestyle and hence we should always respect other cultures.
Q. Can travel make a positive difference to the economy of a country? How?
A. I think travelling brings benefits both for the host country and the country of origin of the tourists.
From tourism’s point of view, the number of tourists and travellers directly contribute to the economy
of many countries who rely on tourism. On the other hand, tourists often get ideas for new ventures or
businesses both in the national and international arena and this has quite a powerful impact on the
economy of a country. For instance, the entrepreneur of a large IT firm in my country actually got
inspired to launch his company after he visited a similar company in Finland.
Q. Do you think a society can benefit if its members have experience of travelling to other
countries? In what ways?
A. I am positive that a society, whose members travel to other countries and bring many innovative
ideas, would progress faster than other societies where people scarcely travel. The same lesson is
plenty in our history. Nations which travelled more had better technology, trade facility and
enlightened citizens who helped progress the whole nation. This is even truer in this age of
technology.
TEST 14
PART 1:
Topic: Bicycles
Q. How popular are bicycles in your hometown? [Why?]
A. It’s indeed depressing that bicycles are not as popular as they used to be in our hometown. They
have been replaced by motorised vehicles and people hardly use this environment-friendly mode of
transport these days in my hometown.
I believe people want to ride faster and save time and that’s why they have chosen motorbikes over
the bicycles despite the fact that bicycles are cheaper and good for our health.
Q. How often do you ride a bicycle? [Why/Why not?]
A. I don’t use bicycle, usually my husband dropped me off in the office and picked me up. I would like
to have my bicycle but I am scared.
Q. Do you think that bicycles are suitable for all ages? [Why/Why not?]
A. Yes, they are indeed suitable for people of all age groups. Bicycles are easier to ride, possess a
very low risk of accident, require no costly servicing or repair and are good for health. I think if parents
encourage their children to ride a bicycle every day, obesity would not be so prevalent in the future.
Besides, riding a bicycle on a regular basis keeps us healthy and it emits no harmful gas unline the
motorised vehicles.
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Q. What are the advantages of a bicycle compared to a car? [Why?]
A. First of all, bicycles are cheap and environmental-friendly. Cars, on the contrary, are expensive
and harmful to the environment. Air pollution in some cities is increasing faster due to the number of
cars on the roads. Second, a bicycle does not require enough space to be parked and can be carried
away easily. Car parking is a concern for many. Finally, riding a bicycle is good for our health while
we do no physical exertion while we drive and increasing health-related issues are attributed to our
over-reliance on cars.
PART 2:
Describe a person who has done a lot of work to help people.
You should say:
 who this person is/was
 where this person lives/lived
 what he/she has done to help people
and explain how you know about this person.
Mary Teresa:
Mary Teresa was born in 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997, commonly known as Mother
Teresa and honoured in the Roman Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, was an AlbanianIndian Roman Catholicnun and missionary.She was born in the North Macedonia. After living there for
eighteen years, she moved to Ireland and then to India, where she lived for most of her life. In 1950,
Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation that had over
4,500 nuns and was active in 133 countries in 2012. The congregation manages homes for people
who are dying of HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis. It also runs soup kitchens, dispensaries, mobile
clinics, children's and family counselling programmes, as well as orphanages and schools. Members
take vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, and also profess a fourth vow—to give "wholehearted
free service to the poorest of the poor. A controversial figure during her life and after her death,
Teresa was admired by many for her charitable work. She was praised and criticised for
her opposition to abortion, and criticised for poor conditions in her houses for the dying.
I know about her for two reasons. First my grandmother talked me about her and second my school is
catholic and one of my courses we talked about her. Teresa has been commemorated by museums
and named the patroness of a number of churches. She has had buildings, roads and complexes
named after her, including Albania's international airport. In my country we have a house with her
name. I usually worked there twice a month.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Helping other people in the community
Q. What are some of the ways people can help others in the community? Which is most
important?
A. In fact, there is a lot that we can do to help others in a community we live in. First, we can extend
our helping hands to elder citizens, young children and physically challenged people. Sometimes
spending some time with them can make a big difference. We should then volunteer in charitable
events and help outdoors. Mowing someone’s lawn, trimming hedges, or shovelling their walkway can
be a great surprise that encourages community service. We can truly help others by offering our skills
and then sometimes taking up initiatives to clean the neighbourhood, water the plants and sweep the
streets.
In my opinion, being able to offer our skills for free to other community members could be the best
support to the community.
Q. Why do you think some people like to help other people?
A. People who are benevolent, selfless and possess helping mentality often assist others. This is a
basic human nature and being able to help someone brings unimaginable joy to us. Those who know
how important it is for us to help others and how our little effort can make a great difference do not
fear to extend their helping hands to others. Our life is temporary and people always remember us for
what we do and say to others. Thus kind words, which is also considered a charity, and noble acts to
help others make us live forever.
Q. Some people say that people help others in the community more now than they did in the
past. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
A. I can’t say for sure how supportive people in the distant past were but I have seen people help
each other as long I can remember. We, as a community, can’t sustain without the cooperation and
mutual understanding. Thus I have seen how people risk their own lives to help others even when I
was a kid. Two years ago, a devastating storm hit our area and many people worked restlessly to
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support the victims. So I believe we have flourished as the Supreme Being not only because we have
superior brains but also because we have always supported each other.
Discussion topics: Community Services
Q. What types of services, such as libraries or health centres, are available to the people who
live in your area? Do you think there are enough of them?
A. We have two public libraries, two public parks, one sports centre, two community centres, a night
school, more than five health centres, two support centres for women and children and an old home in
our area. Two of these health centres are funded by the government and another one by an NGO. I
believe considering the population in our area those community service centres are not good enough.
Q. Which groups of people generally need most support in a community? Why?
A. I believe elder, physically challenged and poor citizens need more support than other people in a
community. Since our senior citizens often live alone and are not as physically strong as we are, they
need more help and time from us. Physically challenged people also need assistance as they have
difficulties doing things on their own. Finally, our poor neighbours need our backing as they often find
it hard to manage a budget to live properly.
I also believe that women need a dedicated centre run by other women to discuss their rights. Many
women are often subject to domestic violence and don’t get proper support to overcome it. Such a
centre for women could be an excellent idea, I believe.
Q. Who do you think should pay for the services that are available to the people in a
community? Should it be the government or individual people?
A. I think that should be managed both by the government and capable individuals. For instance, a
community needs health centres, public parks, libraries, security personnel, roads and other
amenities which are too expensive for individuals to manage. The government has a great role in
managing such ventures. Affluent citizens of a community should also contribute by donating food,
paying money to charitable events, running private charitable organisations and so on. If a
collaborative approach is maintained, it would bring a better result in the long run.
TEST 15
PART 1:
Topic: Games
Q. What games are popular in your country? [Why?]
A. Football is the most popular game in my country. Our national team plays football at the
international level and them often bring fame to the whole country. This game is in our blood for
generations and people have a special weakness for this game.
Q. Do you play any games? [Why/Why not?]
A. No, I don’t play any games. But I enjoy walk. I believe walking is a great exercise and I feel very
passionately about it.
Q. How do people learn to play games in your country?
A. Most of the children learn to play games from their seniors and neighbouring friends. Students
often learn it from their school and who have dreams to become sportsmen in the future, takes some
professional training from different sports centres.
Q. Do you think it’s important for people to play games? [Why/Why not?]
A. I strongly believe that all of us should get involved in some sorts of games and sports as they are
entertaining, educative and good for both physical and mental health. An active lifestyle keeps us fit
and healthy. And playing games is the best way to ensure a healthy lifestyle. Parents should
encourage their children to play outdoors sports every single day to avoid a sedentary lifestyle.
PART 2:
Describe an open-air or street market which you enjoyed visiting.
You should say:
 where the market is
 what the market sells
 how big the market is
and explain why you enjoyed visiting this market.
Florence:
I think this topic is difficult. Basically because I do not like outdoor markets. They are usually
dangerous and you are exposed. I've even only been to one so I can tell about this. Two years ago I
had a one month exchange to study Italian. I decided to study in Florence is Tuscany. A beautiful
place to live. My stay was close to the old bridge that is known for selling good quality gold. One day
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with the group of students we went for a walk and one of them mentioned an open-air market that was
famous. So we went.
The market was San Lorenzo by discovering the outdoor section of the market, which runs along
several streets surrounding the Mercato Centrale. File between the hundreds of stalls on either side of
the street with vendors selling pottery, clothing, notebooks, souvenirs and various leather
goods including bags, belts, wallets and jackets. People should take their time looking around and
make sure they have seen everything before they start spending. There are so many options and they
may find their self-having spent all their money before their have made it past the first row of
vendors. This is a great place to find gifts to bring back to friends and family without burning a hole
in wallet because vendors stock a variety of things ranging in prices from 2 euros for a bracelet or
Florentine magnet to hundreds for a leather jacket. The vendors, who speak English very well, may
seem stiff on their initial prices but be firm and you will be sure to walk away with a deal. This part of
the market is open Tuesday through Saturday. This market is really big, maybe you can spend one
day walking around and looking for the best gift o accessory. I really didn’t enjoy. I think that was
dangerous and I didn’t buy anything.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Shopping at markets
Q. Do people in your country enjoy going to open-air markets that sell things like food or
clothes or old objects? Which type of market is more popular? Why?
A. Most of the rich people in my country chose modern shopping complexes over the open-air
markets while the lower middle class often rely on the open-air markets for products like clothes,
kitchenware and food. Overall, shopping malls are more popular these days as they offer better
products and superior shopping experience. The street market is losing its appeal to the shoppers as
they fail to offer warranty and often sells low-quality products. Due to these facts, middle-class
shoppers, especially in cities, are turning to large shopping malls.
Q. Do you think markets are more suitable places for selling certain types of things? Which
ones? Why do you think this is?
A. The core concept of a market demonstrates that numerous merchants would gather at a place with
their products and shoppers would be there to purchase the merchandises they need at an agreeable
price. However, some goods are more common than others and that depends on the type of the
market we are talking about. For instance, an electronic market would have different electronic
products while a food-court would be filled with food vendors and sellers. However, if we consider the
overall scenario of a large market, clothes, kitchenware, cosmetics, food, electronic products, and gift
items are some predominant products. I believe merchants in a market sell products that the
consumers most often purchase and that’s the reason most of the markets have those products.
Q. Do you think young people feel the same about shopping at markets as older people? Why
is that?
A. I believe there is a difference between the shopping habit of older and younger people. In my
country, the young generation often meets their friends at a market place and enjoy fast food. They
are up to fashion items and accessories. On the contrary, older people go to a market to buy things
they need for their houses. They are bargain hunters and spend more time shopping than socialising.
Discussion topics: Shopping in general
Q. What do you think are the advantages of buying things from shops rather than markets?
A. I believe shops offer a particular type of products while the product range in a market is large. For
this reason, shops are often nearby the residential areas and are easily accessible. They are less
crowded and sell products from renowned brands. Shops often sell goods at a fixed price and give
discounts to loyal customers. The environment, security and product warranty are some great
amenities a shopper enjoys in a shop.
Q. How does advertising influence what people choose to buy? Is this true for everyone?
A. I think advertisements have a great influence on consumers. In this era of modern technology and
consumerism, adverts are all around us and they shape our purchasing decisions and spending
habits. We are knowingly and unknowingly being lured to purchase consumer goods that we often do
not need and the credit goes to the advertisements. It also plays a big role while we choose a product
over another one. It is natural that we would like to buy something that we have heard about rather
than buying a product from an unknown brand and advertisers are spending big money to bombard
us with the benefits of their products just to tap this decision-making phase. I believe every consumer
is influenced by the advertisements to some extent but some are making an informed decision while
others are not.
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Q. Do you think that any recent changes in the way people live have affected general shopping
habits? Why is this?
A. I believe people are busy these days and they want to spend less time making something at home
when they can buy them from a nearby shopping mall. Increasing work pressure, city-centric lifestyle
and the availability of ready-made products are the reasons for this change.
We are also living in the age of technology and that is why the number of online shoppers is
increasing rapidly. Thus their shopping habits have changed and they want to get products delivered
at our doorsteps rather than visiting a market and purchasing what they need.
TEST 16
PART 1:
Topic: Giving gifts
Q. When do people give gifts or presents in your country?
A. People in our country love to give gifts to others as a gesture of their good wishes and to show that
they care. If someone invites a person to a birthday party, a wedding ceremony or to a baby shower,
the invited guest always brings gifts. We often buy gifts whenever someone invites us to their house
even if this is just a social visit. Thus gift giving is a part of our tradition. I must mention here that
during the Christmas time, people exchange gifts and cards more than any time of the year.
Q. Do you ever take a gift when you visit someone in their home? [Why/Why not?]
A. Yes, I do so all the time as an invited guest to someone’s house. It is a part of our custom to bring
gifts on a special occasion like a birthday, a wedding anniversary, or to a social visit. Last month I
visited a neighbour with my parents and I bought a showpiece and a flower bouquet for them.
Q. When did you last receive a gift? [What was it?]
A. My husband gave me a lot of things before to come here. He gave me trainers, clothes, cream for
my face. And everything that I need to be here and don’t spend.
Q. Do you enjoy looking for gifts for people? [Why/Why not?]
A. I don’t like buy things. But when I need to looking for gifts for other people “but family” yes I enjoy.
PART 2:
Describe something you did that was new or exciting.
You should say:
 what you did
 where and when you did this
 who you shared the activity with
and explain why this activity was new or exciting for you.
Florida:
Good topic. I have a sister who live in Florida – Boyton Beach. One of my holidays I decided for
travelling across the beaches in Florida with my sister. She drove all Key West. Key West is an island
and city in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent. Key West and most of the rest of the
Keys are on the dividing line between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The two bodies have
different currents, with the calmer and warmer Gulf of Mexico being characterized by great clumps
of seagrass. The area where the two bodies merge between Key West and Cuba is called the Straits
of Florida.
I remember we spent our time talking, we went some restaurants, and we ate a special ice cream.
And I took a lot of pictures.
Key West has a tropical savanna climate similar to the Caribbean islands). Like most tropical climates,
Key West has only a small difference in monthly mean temperatures between the coolest month
(January) and the warmest month (July) – with the annual range of monthly mean temperatures
around 15 °F (8.3 °C). When we were there the climate was amazing, because was dry and we didn’t
have windy that is because we went in November and it is normally sunny and quite dry. For me he
weather was perfect because my sister could drive quiet and I could took photos and we can spent
time in some of the beaches. That was really exciting because was a trip with my sister, and I love
her, she is amazing, she is good, for me she is the best. And we spent time together. We are not
together 18 years ago.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Doing new things
Q. Why do you think some people like doing new things?
A. It’s in the human DNA that we want to try doing something new and exciting. Doing the same thing
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over and over again makes us bore and we want to get out of the banal routine whenever possible.
However, some people always seek adventure and take up new activities while others do not want to
go out of their comfort zone. Due to our inquisitive nature, we have explored the ocean, invented so
many food recipes, created games and sports, have many inventions that we enjoy and have reached
the outer space.
Q. What problems can people have when they try new activities for the first time?
A. A new activity is often challenging, expensive, dangerous for our health and too tough to
accomplish. For instance, reaching the summit of a mountain or switching to a completely vegetarian
diet, two examples of millions of such new ventures, seems easy but are really difficult to do.
However, if we want to achieve something really great, we will always have to take the first step
towards it no matter how challenging they initially become. The joy of being able to do something new
is worth taking the risk. Besides, some new activities are not that much challenging and only requires
determination.
Q. Do you think it’s best to do new things on your own or with other people? Why?
A. It really depends on the type of things we want to do. For instance, if I want to start writing a story
or develop a particular skill, I would rather do it myself. However, if I want to learn how to swim or play
a game, I would definitely prefer someone who can teach me the rules and skills.
I believe some activities are better accomplished alone than a group while others could be learnt and
done quickly with the help of others. So depending on the activity, we may decide whether we should
do it solo or with a group of people.
Discussion topics: Learning new things
Q. What kinds of things do children learn to do when they are very young? How important are
these things?
A. I believe we learn the most important life skills in our childhood. Children learn how to walk, talk,
interact with others, and react in danger and the names of the objects around them. Besides, their
basic character is shaped during this time and they gather the essential skills or reading, writing and
numerations which affect their further learning and skill development in the future.
As someone’s life develops and evolves around the skills he/she learns in his/her early days, it has
the utmost importance in our life.
Q. Do you think children and adults learn to do new things in the same way? How is their
learning style different?
A. I believe, children are more inquisitive and are open to everything new and exciting. Thus they
learn naturally without prejudice and paying much attention. Their brains are more functional and can
process more amount of data. For instance, a child without taking any intensive training course can
learn a language only from the people who speak around him/her.
On the other hand, adults learn new things which they feel they need to learn. Their brains are
already occupied with a massive amount of data and do not take up new skills easily. Thus if they
want to learn a new language, they need to take courses or live in a country where this language is
spoken. However, I must mention here that, our learnings in adulthood have great importance as they
further shape our character and personality.
Q. Some people say that it is more important to be able to learn new things now than it was in
the past. Do you agree or disagree with that? Why?
A. I definitely agree that it is important for us to learn new things now than it was anytime in the past.
The primary reason for this is that we live in a highly competitive era where knowledge and skills are
power. We have an ever-increasing competition in schools, workplaces and life, and without
constantly learning, we would fail to reach our goal. For instance, if an employee fails to develop his
skill, someone else will take up his position. Since technology helps us so much in learning new
things, we should take advantage of it and expand our knowledge and skills to further our productivity.
TEST 17
PART 1:
Topic: Travel
Q. Do you enjoy travelling? [Why/Why not?]
A. Yes, I love to travel whenever I have time. I really enjoy being in a place where I have never been
to, and exploring new cities is a passion for me. I believe travelling offers us first-hand experience
about the world we live in and through travelling, we can understand the diverse cultural aspects and
demographics of the world and its inhabitants.
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Q. Have you done much travelling? [Why/Why not?]
A. I could not travel much when I was a student. As I have a job and a steady earning now, I visit at
least two countries each year apart from visiting different parts of my country now and then.
Q. Do you think it’s better to travel alone or with other people? [Why?]
A. I believe travelling with a group of people is better than taking tours alone. Firstly, group travelling
is affordable and safer. It also lets us know about new people and share and adjust our tour plans. I
can recall at least two events when a fellow traveller’s advice saved me from a disaster. In a group
tour, a traveller has others to rely on and share the cost. Thus I personally prefer a group of fellow
travellers with me whenever I am in a distant city I have never been to.
Q. Where would you like to travel in the future? [Why?]
A. I would like to explore most of the countries in Russia – St Petersburg. I have only been to USA,
Italy and Mexico. I believe all of the Towns in Russia have great destinations and distinctive cultural
aspects. People maybe are not very friendly but there are places have so many adventures to offer to
the tourists.
PART 2:
Describe a child you know.
You should say:
 who the child is
 how you know him/her
 how you act with the child
and explain why you like/dislike this child.
My niece:
Beautiful question I know two beautiful children and treasures that I can talk about. This time I will talk
about my niece whom I adore with all my heart. Her name is Gabriella, the first time I saw her was
through a video or a photo that I do not remember well. I met her when I was 1 year and 11 months
old because I came here with my mother. It was a spectacular trip. I was his godmother of baptism
and it was an honor to be one.
I arrived in England in January with the aim of studying English, I could obviously choose another not
so expensive place to do it but there was no doubt that I would come here because my son was not
alone but also my nephew and I believed and it is a good opportunity to have time with them. We
have dinner together every day during the week, and on weekends we have breakfast, lunch and
dinner. In the evenings we usually play, we sing and the most beautiful hour is the time to sleep when
I can hug them and give those lots of kisses.
Normally I do not like children because they make a lot of noise, but I love these children
unconditionally, I do not get bored, they do not tire me, and they can do whatever they want with me.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Relationships between parents and children
Q. How much time do children spend with their parents in your country? Do you think that is
enough?
A. Overall, parents in our country spend a good amount of time with their children. However, this
amount of time varies based on the professions of the parents and their socio-economic conditions.
Interestingly, mothers spend more time with their offspring as they stay home while fathers remain
busy at their workplace and thus cannot always manage time to spend quality time with their children.
I think average parents spend good enough time with the youngsters, but for nuclear families in which
both parents work show a contrasting scenario.
Q. How important do you think spending time together is for the relationships between parents
and children? Why?
A. The relationship between parents and children is divine and their bond becomes stronger if they
spend quality time together. A child who gets enough attention and care from both parents is usually
happier and possesses a positive mentality while children who do not get enough time from their
parents grow up with depression and melancholy. Since parents are the most reliable persons for a
child and perhaps the best mentors, it is important that they spend enough time together.
Q. Have relationships between parents and children changed in recent years? Why do you
think that is?
A. I believe the eternal relationship between parents and children remained the same but some social
depravities are quite visible in this modern era where some parents put their career ahead of their
children’s well-being and many children do not hesitate to leave their parents in their adulthood. Our
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craving for more materialistic and wealthy life and moral degradations are the primary reasons for
this. A false sense of freedom and yearning for economic stability have further fuelled this trend.
Discussion topics: Children’s free-time activities
Q. What are the most popular free-time activities with children today?
A. Children from rural areas in my country mostly play outdoor games with other children, watch
television programmes and visit different places with their parents in their free time. While children
from cities more often watch TV and play video games. Their pastime activities include fewer outdoor
ventures, and the availability of modern technology like the internet and handheld gadgets glue them
to the digital screen. However, many city children, especially girls, take arts & crafts, dancing and
singing. Collecting stamps and coins and visiting different amusement parks with parents are also
common among them.
Q. Do you think the free-time activities children do today are good for their health? Why is
that?
A. If we consider the pastime activities of modern children, many of them are attached to the TV and
computer screens, which is detrimental for their psychological and physical health. Evidence shows
that many such children end up having weaker eye-sights, obesity and poor performance in schools.
However, free-time activities like arts & crafts, dancing and outdoor sports have positive outcomes as
those pursuits are creative and good for health. Parents should make sure their children take more
outdoor activities in their free time rather than staying home and watching TV or YouTube all day
long.
Q. How do you think children’s activities will change in the future? Will this be a positive
change?
A. I’m afraid the trend shows that in the future children will spend more time inside their home and
spend their leisure time either browsing the internet or playing video games. This can’t be a positive
change as those activities involve less physical movements and more time in front of a digital screen.
This will aggravate the health-related issues and make them apathetic towards socialising and
participating in outdoor activities.
TEST 18
PART 1:
Topic: School
Q. Did you go to secondary/high school near to where you lived? [Why/Why not?]
A. Yes, in fact, both of my primary and secondary schools were in the same locality where I lived in.
Both schools were only 30 minutes’ walk away from my home. I went there as my parents thought
these were good schools and I should not travel far without them accompany me every day. So I
ended up going to schools which were nearby my living place.
Q. What did you like about your secondary/high school? [Why?]
A. I had many friends and my days in my high school were great. Moreover, most of our teachers
were committed to teaching us and I have learnt so many things from them. I was in the golden period
of my life and enjoyed everything I did at my secondary school. Nice teachers, good friends and an
inquisitive mind made my high school days some of the best days of my life.
Q. Tell me about anything you didn’t like at your school.
A. I liked almost everything at school except for the fact that the nun were very strict. And sometimes
they didn’t let us play in the corridor. And when somebody had hungry in a time when wasn’t eat time
they made us wait.
Q. How do you think your school could be improved? [Why/Why not?]
A. I think my school was already great and one of the best places to be in my teenage days. I loved
my school and adored my teachers who were very knowledgeable and helpful. Our school did not
have separate playgrounds for junior and senior students and that was one aspect that bothered me. I
believe that’s something the school needs to address as junior pupils often can’t play when seniors
occupy the field. A separate ground could solve the problem.
PART 2:
Describe something you don’t have now but would really like to own in the future.
You should say:
 what this thing is
 how long you have wanted to own it
 where you first saw it
and explain why you would like to own it.
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My house:
We all have a never-ending wish list of things that we want to buy, so do I. One item that has been on
my wish list for a long time is a house
I hope to cross this item off my list by the time I turn 45. I know it sounds impossible but it’d be cool if I
could do it. And the most important thing is that I have a long-term goal to pursue. Since I am an
independent person, I have always wanted to move out of my parents’ house. As soon as I graduated
college, I wanted to buy a small apartment. Where you would like to buy it *: I’m currently looking for a
condo a little further away from the city centre. Despite the fact that it will take longer for me to travel
to work, the price will be more reasonable and I will be able to afford it.
Having a flat of my own means a lot to me for several reasons. Firstly, I can decorate the house
according to my own tastes and personality. Secondly, I can do whatever I want without interfering in
my parents’ lives. I can invite my friends over for the weekend and I can throw a party anytime I want.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Owning things
Q. What types of things do young people in your country most want to own today? Why is
this?
A. Well, young people in my country are obsessed with electronic games, expensive cars, powerful
computers, and I am sure most of them would like to own these items more or less. I think the modern
generation has a fascination with electronic tools like the smartphone, computers and gaming
consoles and they want to use the latest.
Q. Why do some people feel they need to own things?
A. I believe owning things we need. From ancient time, we have been feeling an urge to own the
house, farming lands, cattle and crops. This trend continues and in this modern era, we have become
more materialistic than ever before and want to possess as many things as we can. This has
something to do with the rapid expansion of technology, our exposure to different forms of
advertisements and our lack of self-satisfaction and contentment.
Q. Do you think that owning lots of things makes people happy? Why?
A. I don’t even remotely believe that owning so many things makes people happy. Happiness is a
mental state, and for being happy we need to be mentally contented and satisfied with whatever little
we have. My experience has taught me that people with houses in different cities, piles of cash,
multinational businesses and all the materials money can buy have more responsibilities, work
pressure and stresses than average people. So, if we want to be happy, we need to learn to be
satisfied with the things we have. Expectations to own more drive us away from attaining peace and
happiness, I believe.
Discussion topics: Possessions and success
Q. Do you think television and films can make people want to get new possessions? Why do
they have this effect?
A. Yes, I believe that electronic media like television and films have a profound impact on shaping our
psychology and can often allure us to have more and get new things.
Many of us, knowingly and unknowingly, getting exposed to posh lifestyles shown in movies and soap
operas, especially by our favourite stars. This forms a hidden desire among us to own even more.
Owing more is a natural human tendency. So when this is fuelled by TV shows, cinemas and the
advertisements we watch, it’s natural that we would want to have even more than we actually need.
Q. Are there any benefits to society of people wanting to get new possessions? Why do you
think this is?
A. I believe the benefits, in this case, are only a few while the drawbacks are huge. The first benefit of
the trend is that it creates more job opportunities as more companies get in the manufacturing and
sales of such products. Such a competition, on the other hand, eliminates the monopoly in business
and fosters the economy to a certain extent.
However, considering the drawbacks, including the social, environmental and personal, it should not
be encouraged and we should be wary of our mentality to possess all new products.
Q. Do you think people will consider that having lots of possessions is a sign of success in the
future? Why?
A. Yes, for many, material gains and money are synonymous to success and this will become even
more prevalent in the future.
We already live in a society where our success is measured by the bank balance we have and the
cars we drive. In the coming days, people would become more prone to doing so. The degradation of
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moral values, our materialistic expectation and our inclination to earthly possessions would fuel this
psychology in the future. To cite an example, a doctor who works in a rural area primarily to serve
less privileged people is considered less adept and successful than his friends who have amassed a
fortune by overcharging rich citizens in a city. I see no positive social changes in our measurement of
success. So I guess that would become more intense in the future.
TEST 19
PART 1:
Topic: Weekends
Q. How do you usually spend your weekends? [Why?]
Answer: Well, I usually stay home on a weekend, and sometimes I go out in the evening to hang out
with my family. In my weekdays I am studying English, I try to stay home on weekends and refresh
myself. Once a month, I usually pick a weekend and visit a movie theatre with my friends or family.
After we finish the movie, we usually have our special dinner in home.
Q. Which is your favourite part of the weekend? [Why?]
Answer: I would say that the whole weekend is my favourite. However, if I have to pick a preferable
part from my weekends, I’d pick the evening. This is the time when I spent time playing with my niece
and nephew. I then call with my husband a mother by phone.
Q. Do you think your weekends are long enough? [Why/Why not?]
Answer: I get two days as the weekend in a week and I think it is fair enough. I know some countries
where employees have only one day as their weekend. If I think about them, I feel that I am getting
enough time to spend with my family and finish some personal tasks. But, metaphorically speaking,
weekends sometimes seems to end sooner than I expect, you know what I mean!
Q. How important do you think it is to have free time on the weekends? [Why?]
Answer: Well, I believe weekends should be relaxing and focused on family. From this regard, having
a free and relaxing time on weekends is quite important. Weekends are meant to be refreshing so that
we can spend quality time with our family and friends and get revived to take responsibilities for the
coming week. I often spend relaxing times on the weekends and that’s helpful for me to perform better
throughout the rest of the week in my office.
PART 2:
Describe someone you know who does something well.
You should say:
 who this person is
 how you know this person
 what they do well
and explain why you think this person is so good at doing this.
My friend Alexandra:
Interesting topic. I know few people. I am going to talk about a friend. She is Alexandra and she is my
best friend. She has a bubbly personality. She is open-minded and loves travelling. I met het at my
School we were seven years old and till now we are best friends. She is like a sister. When we were
child, our parents let us stay together one afternoon in my house and the other in her house. And we
spent all our weekend together. Usually play with rollers or bike. When we finished the school we
started the university, and we separated a time but always we were in the moment that the other need
help. When we started to work I moved in the same building where she lived. And in the same floor.
That was amazing.
Now she is living in Chile. She married there and she has a beautiful baby Benjamin. We cannot visit
each other because are really separated. But always we are talking, I send photos all the time about
this months. She is a good worker. She have been promoted each year in his job. I think she is good
in her work because is very reliable, hard worker, and a good leader. An important aspect of his
personality is his natural-born talent and helpful. I love her.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Skills and abilities
Q. What skills and abilities do people most want to have today? Why?
Answer: Well, Skills are your natural talents and the abilities you develop to perform a task or job.
Life skills help you deal effectively with daily tasks in all areas of life while job skills build your
professional know-how and help you perform work duties well. Skills can be divided into soft skills,
hard skills, domain-specific skills, and general skills. Both are important and I think you need to know
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use your skills and you need to develop the abilities depending of your career. All abilities are
important.
Q. Which skills should children learn at school? Are there any skills which they should learn at
home? What are they?
Answer: Well, when it comes to the skill development of children at school, I believe teachers should
focus on teaching them how to be a good team member and interact with others. This is an important
soft skill that they will need throughout their life. Besides, they should be taught how to be more
tolerant and respectful to others. Finally, teachers should supervise and act to develop the academic
skills of the children.
I personally believe that every child in a school is unique. So the masters should focus on
understanding their passion and talent and then guide them to develop their hidden potential and
abilities.
Q. Which skills do you think will be important in the future? Why?
Answer: I believe technology-related skills will be highly important in the future. We already live in a
world which is surrounded by technology and without these skills, it will be difficult for us to find a job
or to do better in academic life.
Having said that, I also believe soft skills like communication skills, interpersonal skills and time
management skills will have a great demand in the future.
Discussion topics: Salaries for skilled people
Q. Which kinds of jobs have the highest salaries in your country? Why is this?
Answer: In my country, software developers, investment bankers, doctors, university professors,
engineers, dentists and marketing managers receive the highest salaries. I believe the primary reason
these professionals earn a huge sum of money is that those are all special kind of skills and expertise
that a very small percentage of people have.
Q. Are there any other jobs that you think should have high salaries? Why do you think that?
Answer: Yes, I can think of a few other jobs that are really important for our society and the country
as a whole, and I strongly believe that they should have higher payrolls. For instance, a school
teacher is doing a really great job to build an enlightened society, but it’s a pity that their remuneration
isn’t lucrative at all. Similarly, the police officers, cleaners, border security personnel, and the nurses
in hospitals should have higher wages.
The police officers and the other security personnel are taking great risks to maintain the peace in our
society, the cleaners are doing a tough job to clean our neighbourhood on the other hand, and finally,
the nurses are taking good care of our sick relatives in hospitals. The jobs they do are extremely
important for us and for our country, so it’s natural that they should be adequately compensated and
rewarded, I believe.
Q. Some people say it would be better for society if everyone got the same salary. What do you
think about that? Why?
Answer: I think that’s a good idea in theory as it would eliminate the discriminations from our society.
However, it’s a faulty hypothesis and not practical.
If every profession has the same salary, no one would do the job that involves risks, hard work and
challenges. It would, in a sense, collapse the society. From the very beginning of our life, we would
start choosing the easiest tasks and academic subjects and not study or work hard to have a highly
rewarding profession in the future. Why should a student study more than 12 hours a day to become
a doctor or a researcher when he can spend his time doing whatever he wants and become a
salesperson to earn the same salary? I think it does not make sense.
Having said that, I also believe that salary discrimination based on gender, ethnicity and religion
should never be tolerated. The same salary should be offered to employees, regardless of their sexes
and origins, who are working in the same position in a company or organisation.
TEST 20
PART 1:
Topic: Music
Q. What types of music do you like to listen to? [Why?]
A. I mostly like romantic, Christian o instrumental music. However, I am not a fan of a specific type of
music as I believe good music can be found in all genres, and as a music lover, I often try music from
genres that I have little interests in. Thus I also try different artists and music bands.
Q. At what times of day do you like to listen to music? [Why?]
A. I usually listen to music when I am returning to my home. I go back from school walking. It is great
for me, for my mind, my health and I it is my moment to feel relax. The reason I pick the time is that I
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can feel the transformation of the day into night and it is quite sensational. I feel an urge to listen to
music to make the feeling more intense and enjoyable.
Q. Did you learn to play a musical instrument when you were a child? [Why/Why not?]
A. No, because I prefer to dance. In my school I had some free lessons like a music, art, cooking, and
dance. I always was in dance classes.
Q. Do you think all children should learn to play a musical instrument? [Why/Why not?]
A. Yes, I absolutely love the idea of teaching children to play a musical instrument at school. It would
encourage them to appreciate good music and reduce the stress they feel sometimes. Learning to
play a musical instrument is fun, refreshing and thoroughly enjoyable.
PART 2:
You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what
you are going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.
Describe a shop near where you live that you sometimes use.
You should say:
 what sorts of product or service it sells
 what the shop looks like
 where it is located
and explain why you use this shop.
Cooperative Food:
A co-operative (co-op) is a different kind of business. Co-op is owned by individual members and
other co-ops, not big investors, and the members get a chance to have a say in how they’re run.
Profits mean members receive money, rewards and offers and a co-op can support its local
community. They’re everywhere. Big, small, medium. All over the globe, in every industry. They have
four type of products and services: Food, Funeral care, legal service and insurance. I am going to talk
about food. In cooperative you have a big list of products: milk, bread, cheese, jam, and yam,
everything for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You can also buy clean things for the house, personal
care, snacks, ice cream, and there is a coffee machine by the brand COSTA. I Know there are
different kind of shop big, small and medium, I think the cooperative that it is near to the house is
small and I usually go there walking 5 minutes. I use this shop because is near to me, It is not too
expensive, maybe is more than Tesco but cheaper than others. I can found offers for example tissue
for 1 pound of wipes for the same price. I like this place because the people who work there are
friendly and I compare with the people another shop near to cooperative.
PART 3
Discussion topics: Local business
Q. What types of local business are there in your neighbourhood? Are there any restaurants,
shops or dentists for example?
A. Well, In Peru I lived in a residential area which is more like a combination of a residential and
commercial area. So the restaurants, gift shops, dentists, hospitals, electronic shops, grocery shops
and so on are just a few steps away from my house. For instance, the block we live in has more than
6 or 7 restaurants and fast food shops. We only need to walk for 2 to 3 minutes to reach the nearest
restaurant. The same can be said about other amenities and stores which are also within walking
distance. Here I am not sure about the definition of residential or commercial area.
Q. Do you think local businesses are important for a neighbourhood? In what way?
A. Yes, I believe local businesses are important for a neighbourhood and its residents. It’s convenient
to have the necessary amenities and services nearby as it saves citizen’s valuable time. Moreover, it
creates employment opportunities for many and thus fosters our economy.
When residents can avail products and services in their neighbourhood, they would refrain from
travelling to other parts of the city and thus contribute to reducing traffic congestion. On top of that,
business opportunities in a neighbourhood enable many women and less fortunate people start their
own businesses and this, in my opinion, is really important for the advancement of a country.
Q. How do large shopping malls and commercial centres affect small local businesses? Why
do you think that is?
A. Mega shopping malls and large commercial buildings that house a large number of shops and
stores at a single place often pose threats to local and small business entities. As they offer shopping
experience under the same roof, most of the renowned brands find their place in such a large
commercial complex. As a result, shoppers often prefer visiting these mega shopping complexes
instead of small shops which are scattered in different parts of a neighbourhood.
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It’s quite natural that people would like to do shopping from a modern place that offers better security,
better amenities, and entertainment facilities rather than browsing products at small shops at various
locations. From my experience, I can say that large shopping malls in my city, in some cases, have
been the reason many small business owners went out of business or have been forced to relocate in
a large shopping complex.
Discussion topics: People and business
Q. Why do some people want to start their own business?
A. Business is often preferred by many over a job with a fixed salary, and the primary reason is that
business offers more freedom and flexibility. When an employee is forced to be present at the office
from 9 to 5, and sometimes even more, a business person can decide when to work and when to take
leaves. Moreover, the earning from a job is fixed and it grows very slowly over the year. On the
contrary, the possibility of a successful businessman is virtually unlimited. A flourishing businessman
can earn a lot more than a successful employee in an office.
To many people, running a business is equivalent to working for a passion while doing a job is like
obeying commands of the employer. I believe these are the primary reasons why people prefer
running their own businesses to be their own boss than getting a job at a company.
Q. Are there any disadvantages to running a business? Which is the most serious?
A. The great benefits of running a business do not come without bigger risks and responsibilities
associated with it. The inherent risk of running a business can be far more daunting than we can
imagine. A failed business could be a bad enough reason for becoming bankrupt.
When a service holder is assured to receive his salary at the end of a month, a business person has
to make a profit from his ongoing operation to bring any excess money home. Moreover, many
businesses often fail to sustain due to increasing competitions and shifting market demands.
However, the worst of all is that a business person can be financially broken anytime and can’t start a
new business without a significant amount of money and time unlike a service holder, who can be
fired from his job today and get a new job tomorrow.
Q. What are the most important qualities that a good business person needs? Why is that?
A. I believe proper business planning is an important quality that every business person should have.
In fact, proper planning for a new or a running business makes all the differences. Moreover, to be
successful in a business, a person has to be dedicated and hardworking. Commitments to a business
and its consumers drive everyone engaged in the operation to be sincere and service-oriented.
Besides, hardworking is sometimes considered the mantra to success.
As far as I believe, successful businesses are planned by great visionaries like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates
or Warren Buffett who could plan ahead of their contemporaries.
Finally, I would like to conclude by saying that both the promising and successful business persons
have to take advantages of technology, especially in this digital era, to reach the global customers
and be ready to take challenges of any kind.
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