#52 - IELTS Speaking test in Kenya – June 2016

Test # 52

Personal Questions

– Which part of your house would you change?

I would like to change the interiors of my house.

– What is the reason for that?

I feel they are a little old fashioned and many new things in interior designing have been introduced in the market, for example the styles of the curtains and couches.

Cue Card

Talk about a special event organized by your parents for you when you were young. Please say

– What was it?

– Where and when did it take place?

– What made it so special?

I want to talk about my birthday party that my parents hosted for me when I was 13 years old. It was my first year of being a teen and my parents wanted to celebrate my birthday in a very memorable way so they threw a big party where all my friends and relatives were invited. The party was organized in the compound of my apartment where we used to live. Since my birthday morning, all preparations were going on, like setting up the decorations, food counters, game props and chairs and such. The party started at 7 in the evening and we had a lot of fun playing games like musical chairs and passing the parcel. The reason why it was so special was because I hadn’t had such a big birthday party thrown for me before. And I was thrilled by the amount of gifts I had received!! So this was the one event that my parents made very special for me.

Discussion

– Why do you still remember that event?

As I said I never had such a big birthday party thrown for me before. And many of my friends still tell me that they too have never had their birthday celebrated in such a way when they were young.

– What are some things people usually remember from their past?

People remember things like their favourite song, favourite toy, favourite dress, I think things that they liked a lot. Sometimes people also remember things like animal bites, or some big injury like from falling off a bike.

– Why do you think it is?

These things have had a lot of impact in our lives, that’s why people remember these things. For example my favourite doll is something I would never forget because I had really memorable times playing with it.

– People usually keep many things or souvenirs. Why?

These people might like collecting things from different places. It might give a feeling of a trophy win to them to be put on display. I also like collecting souvenirs as I feel our travels need to have some physical memories too like from my last holiday in Delhi, I brought back metro train counter. It will be symbolic of the good times of my holiday there.

– Are there other ways to remember experiences they had at some point in their lives?

Yeah there are always photographs to remember experiences. Nowadays it is easy to capture videos too since everyone has a camera in their phone. So such forms of media help in remembering experiences.

– What do people keep for remembrance in your community?

People keep handkerchiefs, scarves, a bracelet or most commonly a photograph. I don’t think there’s anything else that people might keep for remembrance. Some romantics also preserve a flower or a card if it is given to them by their loved ones.

– Many young people don’t want to associate themselves with traditions, why?

I think following the rituals attached with the traditions are more of the reason why young people don’t want to be associated with them. For example bursting crackers and meeting friends on Diwali is something everyone likes to do, but not many youths want to sit for the long Diwali puja, a kind of ceremony to worship Goddess Lakshmi the goddess of wealth. It may seem boring to the young people.

– Do you think it’s good for the youth to know their culture? Why?

Yes of course the youth should know about their culture. It’s a different thing if they want to follow the customs and rituals associated with it. But they should at least be aware about the different norms of the culture they’re a part of.