#59 - IELTS Speaking test in the Netherlands – August 2016

Test # 59

Personal Questions

– What do you do for a job?

I work as a department manager in a local construction company in my city.

– How long have you been working there?

I’ve been working here for 18 months now; I joined this firm sometime after I completed my studies.

– What is the best part of your job?

The best part of my job is that I have a great boss who is very intellectual and experienced. I’ve learned a lot from her in my time in the office and she keeps giving her subordinates advice so as to make them grow career-wise.

– Can you describe your hometown?

Yes, my hometown is a megacity and is quite advanced in terms of infrastructure and technology. My city has a lot of entertainment places like multiplexes, themed restaurants, and gardens and parks near the river that flows through my city. My city also has architectural monuments that are also maybe 100 years old, so I can say my city is an amazing blend of modern and ancient architecture and culture.

– Did it change in the recent years? How?

Yes, my city is developing quite a lot! There are corporate parks being built for many national and multi-national firms who are opening up their offices in my city, these parks are only seen in big metro cities of my country. The government is also improving the public transportation facilities and a metro project is also underway. I think we’ll be seeing even more changes in the coming years.

– What is the difference in its present state compared to the past?

As I said, the pace with which the development is seen is really very impressive! Bungalows are being demolished and many swanky new buildings are being constructed that provide world-class amenities, something that complements the improved standard of living of people. The life is becoming more hectic and busy, which wasn’t the case around 30-35 years ago.

– Have you been to other cities in your country?

Yes I have, I have been to Mumbai, Delhi, Surat, Kolkata, Pune….many big as well as small cities and towns.

– Can you describe them, too?

Well sure! I’d like to categorize them as there’d be too much to talk about if I start talking about each city individually. The cities where the infrastructure and facilities were more impressive than my city were Mumbai, Delhi, and Pune, and the crowd of these cities was also very modern and outgoing. The lifestyle in these cities seemed almost at par with any developed city in the world. On the other hand, cities like Surat, Navsari, Kolhapur, Deesa have a long way to go in terms of lifestyle changes and modernization. But the people of these cities are more culturally rooted and the manner in which festivals and events are celebrated here is very authentic.

Cue Card

Describe a meal that you have shared with friends. Please say

– Who organized it?

– Who did you share it with?

– What were all of you talking about?

I would like to talk about a lunch that I and 3 of my friends planned. We decided that instead of going out to a restaurant, we would try a potluck. We were each supposed to bring one item prepared and we’d pool it all and enjoy our lunch picnic. We chose a Sunday for this, and all four of us were at it from Saturday evening, wanting to prepare the best dish that we could cook. We met at my house the next afternoon and were amazed to see how beautifully we had outdone ourselves! The food and the presentation by each one of us was superb and we couldn’t help appreciating each other’s efforts. We talked about the recipes for a while and also talked about how much fun this was than just going to a restaurant, and that we should be doing this more often. Then again, being girls, we switched to gossiping about a few common friends and made jokes and laughed a lot. Overall, it was a very lovely afternoon and we enjoyed it immensely!

Discussion

– What was the reason for that meal?

The reason was that we hadn’t met in a very long time, I mean two or three of us would meet occasionally but not all 4 together. We have been best friends since school so it was kind of getting very weird not being able to meet each other for this long.

– What kind of food were you eating?

Well, it was all continental. I had cooked Chinese appetizers, another friend brought Lebanese food, Hummus, Falafel and Pita bread, the third friend got Italian pasta, and the fourth one got Mexican food, like tacos and salsa.

– Who do you prefer to eat with, young or older people?

I don’t mind eating with people of any age as long as the food that is served is delicious. I’m very fond of eating and for me, food matters more than the company.

– Is having a meal together as a family important? Why?

Yes it is! Eating alone in your rooms, or at the office, even though you have a family is very illogical according to me. I just cannot eat alone, I either need to watch TV or read a book or talk to someone while eating. I think this is a psychological need of people while eating that eating alone makes them depressed. This is why I feel people should eat with family if they can. Moreover, it gives all family members a chance to know about each other’s day and things going on in their lives.

– Do you think fewer families are eating meals together nowadays? Why?

Yes because joint families are getting separated and in the nuclear families both parents work. So it may happen that sometimes either one of the parents isn’t at home for meal times. Even kids have classes after school nowadays so they tend to carry tiffins or eat some fast food outside which makes them skip meals.

– Is there an advantage to having people from different age groups eat together?
Ummm…there may be, people of the younger age can observe the dignity with which the older people have food, and can learn proper table manners. On the other hand, older people can observe the young when trying new cuisines that they’re trying for the first time, like eating Asian food using chopsticks, or knowing how to eat Lebanese food with all the weird looking dips.