#58 - IELTS Speaking test in Myanmar (Burma) – August 2016

Test # 58

Personal Questions

– Do you enjoy studying alone or with friends?

I enjoy studying with friends as we also chat and gossip while studying, which makes our time together a lot of fun. It’s true that not a lot of studying can be done at like this, but doing subjects like maths or accounts are fun with friends.

– Do you like advertisements?

Yes, I do. I like watching them when I’m not watching anything in particular on the TV. There are some pretty funny ads nowadays that are quite fun to watch.

– Have you ever bought a product after watching its advertisement on TV?

Yes, I have. This mostly happens with packet foods like a new flavour of potato chips or a bar of chocolate…I can impulsively buy them and if I don’t like them I don’t feel very guilty about spending money on them.

– Is it good to advertise online?

Yes, why not! Almost everyone is online for most of their time nowadays, so placing ads online can get more viewers or potential buyer. In fact, on Facebook, there are many ads that are displayed on the side of our wall and they easily grab our attention.

– Have you learnt art in your school?

Yes, I did. It was a compulsory subject till the 8^th standard and we used to regularly learn to sketch and paint, and also some craft work too.

– What do you prefer, drawing or painting?

Umm, I’d prefer drawing because I’m a little better at sketching than painting or colouring. I’m not very good at colour combinations.

– Have you ever been to an art gallery?

Yes, I have, only once, though. I was supposed to meet an art professor for some academic work and had to go to meet him at an art gallery in my city. I had to wait for a while before he could meet, so I looked around at the paintings on display. I’ll admit I wasn’t very fascinated, given my lack of understanding in this field.

– Do you have a plan to study art in the future?

No, I’m sorry I don’t think I’ll be studying art. My field of study now is very far from art….I can join art classes as a hobby, but not for anything serious.

Cue Card

Describe something that you share with someone else. Please say

– What it is

– Who you share with

– Why you share it, and

– How you feel about sharing it.

I usually share my books with my friends. I’m very fond of reading fiction and I have a good collection of fiction books related to mystery, horror, fantasy and romance. I prefer to share my books more with those friends who are as passionate about reading as I am, that way I can be sure that they’ll take good care of my books when they are reading it, you know like not folding the pages or reading with dirty hands. Even I borrow books from my friends that I haven’t read. I feel pretty good about sharing my books. I love discussing the book later on with my friends and we also speculate on a sequel if we know about it, or the after-book life of the characters. I enjoy these activities immensely.

(Here are some other topics you may talk about in this cue-card: cosmetics, clothes, study material/notes, two-wheeler)

Discussion

– How do the Internet and mobile phones impact on our lives?

They impact our lives in a great way! Almost everyone has a mobile phone today, and the internet facilities are so cheap that people all have internet plans. Owing to this fact there are a number of utility apps that are being launched that make our daily lives very convenient, for example, a restaurant app like Zomato, a cab-calling app like Uber, a shopping app like Myntra.

– What are the advantages and disadvantages of study or work in a group?

The advantages are you get more ideas to do a task, so if the first one doesn’t work, the second backup is available. People can also learn to adjust with people having different opinions and learn to put forth their own ideas. And I’d like to explain the disadvantages by mentioning the saying ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’ – so a lot of people on one task may actually ruin it rather than making it better. Also, it is a lot of waste of time and resources if the same work can be done by one person alone.

– Should children be taught to share?

Definitely, they should be! Sharing is a great quality that can make children be generous and kind-hearted when they grow up. Starting with sharing their toys and games, they can grow up to share books and stationery, and later on, their rooms in college, and other things they own without hesitations or grudges.

– What things should children share and what are the things that they shouldn’t be sharing?

As I said, children should share their toys and games and books, but they shouldn’t share much of their clothes, lest the other person might have a different build than them, and their clothes might become misshaped. For example, if a fatter child wears a thinner child’s t-shirt, the t-shirt may get stretched out and might not look good on the child that owns it. Same thing goes for shoes as well.

– Should students share accommodation?

Yes, they should! They already do in hostels and colleges. Many students who move out of their city together for studies take up a rented apartment and share the house and its responsibilities. It is very common nowadays.

– What are the advantages and disadvantages of that?

The advantages are that they can adjust with people of different lifestyles, and staying with friends creates memories for a lifetime that cannot be replaced! On the other hand, you may start developing a dislike for the other person if you don’t like their habits and have to endure them every day.