#41 - IELTS Speaking test in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – June 2016 (General Training)

Test # 41

- What is your full name?

My full name is Shrey Verma.

- Can I see your ID?

Sure!

- Where are you from?

I’m from Delhi, the capital city of my country India.

- Do you work or study?

I’m working as a stock broker in a local firm in my city.

- Where do you live now?

I live in Anand Vihar, one of the oldest residential neighbourhoods in my city.

- Do you live in a house or a flat?

I live in a flat on the 7^th floor in a 10 storeyed building.

- Describe the place you live in.

I live in a three bedroom apartment, with a kitchen, dining room and a living room. My house is very spacious and well-ventilated. The interiors are in accordance with the latest trends in home décor. We also have balconies for two of the bedrooms, and they overlook the garden of my building’s compound. We have a swing-set installed in one of them.

- Do you plan to stay there for a long time? Why?

Yes I do. This is my parents’ house and I know they are not going to move from here for the next 25-30 years, so I’ll also be staying here with them. We have been living here since 10 years now and we are quite attached to this place.

- Are there any transport facilities near your home?

Yes my house is located in a densely populated residential are, so the bus and taxi services are easily available here. Plus the metro railway station is just around the corner of the lane of my building.

- Do you have any entertainment places in your city?

Ohh so many!! People have a very upbeat nightlife in Delhi so we have a lot of pubs, clubs, bars, multiplexes and malls in my city. They are crowded most of the week, but on weekends the rush is insane!! Even if we talk about the daytime, you will always find the malls and theatres crowded.

- How do you spend weekends?

I prefer to sleep late into the mornings on weekends, as on weekdays I have to get up at 5:45 am every morning. Then after waking up I laze around on the breakfast table, and into the afternoon. In the evenings then I socialize; I either meet my friends and cousins, or go for shopping with mom and dad, followed by dinner outside.

- Do you like arts?

Ummm I like mainstream art…like movies or commercial plays. If we consider paintings or photographs, I’m not very educated about how to recognize good art, so I find those things a little less interesting.

- Do you like movies?

Yes I like watching movies. India has the second biggest movie industry in the world, and these Bollywood movies are very entertaining. I also like Hollywood movies, and I especially like the action and horror genre.

- How often do you go to the cinema?

I visit the cinemas twice a month regularly. If at all there is more than 1 release of good movies, I might go even a third time. I like watching movies in the cinemas with friends.

- Did you visit an art gallery before?

I did only once when I was in school. That was a long time back so I don’t remember much of the trip, but it was a field trip from school and we went to a local art gallery that showcased the paintings of Indian artists.

- When was the last time?

As I said, after that one time in school, I haven’t gone to any art galleries or exhibitions.

- Do you have any special plans for the next weekend?

No I don’t. Unfortunately, I am working the next Saturday so I will be having just a Sunday off, so I plan to take it easy as usual and not make many elaborate plans.

Cue Card

Talk about a person who is a leader and admired by you. Please say

- Who is this person?

- Where did you meet him/her?

- Why do you admire him/her?

A leader that I admire is Mr. Narendra Modi, who is our country’s current honourable prime minister. He has been the chief minister of Gujarat for four consecutive terms and the progress that the state underwent under his supervision was phenomenal, which is why the people of my country willingly elected him to be the prime minister of our country. He has made his mark both domestically and internationally, owing to his efforts for development of the country. I have not had a chance to personally meet him, but I got to attend a seminar where he was giving a speech about entrepreneurship development and saw him live for the first time. I must say his personality is very captivating and he emits confidence and authority. Even though he isn’t a fluent English speaker, he made a commendable effort to talk in English the whole time without many flaws. He is adept at using social media, and he has been since September 2014 the second-most-followed leader in the world. He has also been called a fashion icon and is one of the few leaders that my country has had that connects with all the sections and age-groups of the society. These are some of the reasons why I admire him as a good leader.

Discussion

- Are you a leader?

I do have good leadership skills, and I can say this as I was elected the head boy of my school at the age of 15. I was also the lead choreographer in my school and college and used to choreograph and oversee many events and cultural fests. I can say that my good schooling instilled leadership qualities in me and I’m very thankful for that.

- What skills are necessary to be a leader? Why?

To be a leader you need to be a people’s person. By that I mean you need to connect with the people you are going to lead, and not be very domineering, but establish a healthy authority at the same time. You also need to be a good orator, so as to convey your directions clearly to your subordinates. So basically good communication skills, confidence, good knowledge are some of the basic essentials in a leader.

- Is a good leader important for a team?

Of course! A leader decides whether the team goes on a winning path or on a losing one. It is the leader’s expertise and sense of direction that gets the best out of all in the team, and works all of that for the team’s benefit. A bad leader, for example a self-satisfied person would always impose his views on the teammates and not try to consult with or understand the team’s perspective. There have been many examples of bad leadership that have resulted into the team suffering losses, be it in sports, business or history.

- What are the effects of leadership on a person?

Leadership makes a person recognise his own strengths and failures. The more he handles responsibilities, the more he pushes himself to overcome the difficulties he’s facing. Of course, some of the leaders do fall prey to the huge ego boost that comes with leadership, clouding their minds off from good leadership decisions. Overall I feel when a person handles leadership, he evolves, maybe into a better person, or worse.