IELTS Speaking Test with Sample Answers-5

Part One - Introduction

[The examiner asks the candidate about him/herself, his/her home, work or
studies and other familiar topics.]

Names:

Q. How did your parents choose your name(s)?

A. It is a tradition in our country that newly-becomes-parents discuss with

relatives and friends about the name of the newborn. Many relatives suggest
names and parents even search online for great names. As I heard from my
father, he and my mom did the same. However, instead of searching online, as
the internet was yet to be available back then, they bought a book that listed
several hundred names for newborns. Finally, they took my grandmother's
suggestion and named me Vida.

Q. Does your name have any special meaning?

A. Yes, the name has a nice meaning, at least to me and my parents! The word
'Vida', which is my first name, means 'dearly loved'.

Q. Is your name common or unusual in your country?

A. I don't think it is that rare as I have encountered several other girls in my life
who share the same name. However, I would not say that the name 'Vida' is
very common as well.

Q. If you could change your name, would you? [Why/Why not?]

A. Definitely not. I love my name and the very sound of this name gives a
special feeling in my heart and mind. I am Vida to my parents, relatives, friends
and I want to be it to the rest of the world for the rest of my life.

Part 2 - Cue Card

[The topic for your talk will be written on a card which the examiner will hand
you. Read it carefully and then make some brief notes.]
Describe a TV documentary you watched that was particularly interesting.

You should say:

what the documentary was about

why you decided to watch it

what you learnt during the documentary

and explain why the TV documentary was particularly interesting.

[ You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one
minute to think about what you’re going to say. You can make some notes to
help you if you wish.]

Sample answer to this Cue Card Topic:

Sample Answer :

A plate of yummy food can remove the tiredness of the day. In fact, we eat, we
live and this is true for all living being. But recently I had seen a documentary
about food and their processing that shocked me heavily and it was one of the
most interesting TV documentaries I have ever seen.

People take food for several reasons, and the most prominent of them is their
craving to the food or they want a comfort for their hunger. But my idea of
taking food for comfort has been changed after watching the Food Inc., a
documentary on the food habits, food processing and how the large
corporations cheating with innocent people. Actually, the documentary
unfolded some blind parts of the food industry across the world. Food habits
and tastes have been changed with the course of time and to meet the growing
needs, the food producing corporations are following numerous irrational ways
and having their profits.

Generally, before watching any movie or documentary, I like to do some

homework on them such as I analyse rating, read reviews etc. to know if they
are worth watching. Accordingly, I found that Food, Inc., a documentary by
Robert Kenner, has been nominated for some prestigious awards in the USA.
Moreover, the teaser of the documentary also attracted me. So, I started
watching this documentary and came to know about a large number of
confidential issues regarding food business. In fact, staying healthy is not
enough today, we should be also careful about our food selection. The food
items that we take from the superstores and chain shops are entirely unhealthy
for us. At the same time, the food producers are damaging the environment.
Such issues were highly confidential until Mr. Kenner unveiled them on screen
through his documentary. Watching the documentary film was a nice
experience for me.

Food, Inc. taught me a wide number of things and I try to follow them in my
own lifestyle. Basically, the documentary is an analysis of the existing food
markets - how these food items are grown, how the corporations are abusing
the environment, food, animals and people engaged in the food processing,
how they are cheating the consumers and more other intriguing issues. The
advertisements of different food products show that the foods items are hand
picked directly from the farms. But in reality, they are not, the foods are
‘manufactured’ in factories. Has anyone ever thought how the seasonal
vegetables are available all around the year or how they are found in plenty
during off-seasons? No, we do not think about such issues. We are not allowed
to! The food industry owners do not want us to know these secrets lest they
fail in the business. Moreover, the filmmaker had to remain careful about legal
issues against him, the production company and channel that would broadcast
it while making this documentary.

Food, Inc. has taught me some good and valuable lessons. I think it is good to
be healthy but at the same time, we should be careful about foods we eat.
There are three segments of the documentary and each of the parts revealed
some highly sought information for the audiences that the food producers
never wanted to expose in public. The entire productions process, especially in
the case of meat, it is inhumane and disastrous to the environment. Besides,
the large-scale productions of grains, green vegetables and fruits are also not
sustainable. The majority of the vegetables and fruits are preserved with toxic
chemicals harmful to human health. The advertisements create an appealing
impression like the foods and grains are gathered from a large ranch filled with
green plants. But the inner scenario is completely different and there are no
links at all with the large farms or greeneries. I loved the documentary for its
bold expression of unethical activities from the food industry owners.

Part 3 - Two-way Discussion:

Discussion topics:

Different types of TV programmes:

Q. What are the most popular kinds of TV programmes in your country? Why is
this?

A. I guess news, talk shows and TV series are the most popular TV programmes
in our country. People love to get updates and most of the TV channels have
some sort of news programmes. This is why people want to watch the news
daily. Talks shows give an insight of a pressing issue and bring many popular
personalities to the programme and people love to watch what they have got
to say on an issue. TV series is highly entertaining and have many genres and
viewers can always pick their favourite series based on their preferences.
Personally, I like TV series and news programmes. Apart from that, some music
and sports channels have gained huge popularity in recent days and I am a fan
of these channels as well.

Q. Do you think there are too many game shows on TV nowadays? Why?

A. I think the number of sports and game shows is on the rise and it is
interesting to notice that a good number of sports channels has gained
tremendous followers these days. Game shows are entertaining and exciting
and people love to watch their favourite sports team win a competition.
Following the national team compete in international stage is a passion for
many and the TV channels want to reach those audiences. Apart from that, quiz
shows, game shows and other shows related to sports are also gaining
popularity.

Q. Do you think TV is the main way for people to get the news in your country?
What other ways are there?

A. I think TV is still the main source for people in my country to get news and
updates on current events. With the increasing popularity of the Internet and
social networking platform, many young people opt to the Internet for getting
news. However, TV is still the main source for news for the whole nation.

Among other common sources for news, people rely on radio, newspaper and
the magazines. Obviously, a great proportion of people these days depend on
the Internet for latest news.

TV advertising:

Q. What types of products are advertised most often on TV?

A. I would rather say what type of products and services are not on the TV?
Starting from cosmetics, household appliances and cars manufacturers, online
stores, fast food chains shops, real estate businesses and so on all want their
presence on TV and to attract more people to their products and services. I
personally believe beauty products and electronic products have the highest
number of TV advertisements in our country and whenever I turn on a channel,
their adverts are there.

Q. Do you think that people pay attention to adverts on TV? Why do you think
that is?

A. I think people pay attention to TV ads even after they are bombarded with
those adverts constantly. Sometimes people pay attention to those adverts
willingly and sometimes unconsciously. I believe that whenever someone has
to pick a product from a store which offers a large number of brands and
manufacturers, people opt for the one they have noticed on TV. Besides,
whenever someone is in front of a TV set, his eyes and ears concentrate on the
things shown on the screen, and even though many of us are irritated with the
number of adverts shown on TV, we have no alternatives if we want to watch
our favourite programmes on TV.

Q. How important are regulations on TV advertising?

A. I think every advert should go through a rigid screening before they are live
on TV. The authority should make sure that the advertisement is suitable for
the whole family, do not broadcast fake products or services and does comply
with the advertisement policies.

IELTS AZErbaijan TEAM