#35 - IELTS Speaking test in Tripoli, Libya – June 2016 (Academic Module)

Test # 35

- What is your full name?

My name is (name_surname).

- Can I see your ID?

Yes sure!

- Where are you from?

I’m from Vadodara, one of the developed cities of the state of Gujarat.

- Do you work or study?

I’m a doctor…a surgeon. I work with a private hospital in Vadodara.

- Why did you choose this profession?

This is one of the most noble professions there are…and I always wanted to be a doctor since childhood. I want to cure people and help them live better lives, and I feel this is the most blessed profession for doing that.

- Describe the city you live in.

My city is the third largest in my state, and is an important industrial, cultural and educational hub of western India. It is famous for Laxmi Vilas Palace museum, which is also home to the royal family that ruled Vadodara. The weather here is moderate, not too extreme, and there are a lot of places in this city to eat out.

- Describe your neighbourhood.

I live in Alkapuri, which is an urban area in the western side of Vadodara City. It has large shopping malls and some of the best hotels in Gujarat. It is also a commercial hub. The infrastructure is also very developed and the apartments and houses are very swanky.

- What was your favourite sport as a child?

My favourite sport was volleyball and an Indian playground game called kho-kho. The children of my colony used to play both these games a lot…almost every evening we used to gather to play.

- Let’s talk about singing.

Yes sure!

- Do you like singing?

Yes I do…but to be honest I’m not very good at it.

- How often do you do it?

I sing while driving to my office, I hum unconsciously sometimes when I’m doing my work…this is almost every day.

- What about people in your country, do they like to sing?

Yes they do! We have a game called Antakshri which is played with 2-3 or more groups, and everyone is supposed to sing sons beginning with the last letter of the other team’s song. It is one of the most popular family games of India which everyone would have at least played once in their lives.

Cue Card 1

Talk about a skill that you learnt during your childhood. Please say

- What is it?

- Where and when was it?

- How did you actually learn it?

I remember my mother taking me for keyboard lessons in my childhood. I was 13 years old when I started learning the keyboard and did so for 3 years. Every day after school, my mother would drop me at the music academy where I would learn and practice for an hour. After going to the classes for 3 months I learnt some basic melodies. My music teacher used to explain the notes to us and then ask us to practice, correcting our finger movements and body language too with the music we were making. After three years my studies got too much to handle for me so I had to leave learning the keyboard, but I still remember the basics and the tunes that I had learnt then.

Cue Card 2

Describe a place in your town or city that you know well. Please say

- What is this place?

- Where is it located?

- How often do you go there?

I would like to talk about the Baroda Ratri bazaar that is the night market of Vadodara in Gujarati. It is located near a crossroad named L&T circle in my city and it houses a lot of restaurants with all kinds of cuisines and also has a little amusement park kind of a thing for kids with small rides and all. This market starts operations at 8 pm and runs till 3 am every night. This is why it is even more popular among the youth of my city. It is an initiative of Vadodara Municipal Corporation, for increasing good, family oriented public places in the city where even coming at late night is not a problem. I go there at least twice a month with friends or family. If we’re entertaining any guests I be sure to take them there too.

Discussion

- Why is pleasure important?

Pleasure is important in life to live happily. Most of the things we do are to feel pleasure of feel happy. For example I treat patients because if they live a healthy life after getting treated by me, I feel pleased. Therefore I think pleasure is important in life. Moreover, human beings are the only living beings on earth that can feel various shades of happiness for example excitement, enthusiasm, pleasure, satisfaction and so on.

- Why is it better to live in a countryside?

I can see why people would say it’s better to live in the countryside as the environment there is noise and air pollution free. Plus there are no hassles of traffic or rushing to work.