- your hometown
- changes in your hometown
- weather
- a fascinating job
- working conditions
- benfits for workers/employees
- work & family life
Speaking for IELTS Part 1
Let’s talk about your hometown. What do you think is special about it?
I suppose you could say it's special because that's where I come from, my whole family has roots there, and have had for many generations.
It's quite a small place and it's certainly not famous for anything like its food or being home to a famous writer or personality, but it does have a beautiful beach and it's really popular with visitors.
You could say it's special because the people there are extremely friendly, warm and hospitable and they make you feel really welcome.
How can you improve your hometown?
I suppose there are some aspects of it which might benefit from modernization, such as the telecommunications infrastructure and some of the roads could do with some attention, but there aren't really any serious problems like in some of the bigger cities.
There's no crime here, virtually no problems with traffic or things like that, but sure, if there was more money to invest in the area, then some of the infrastructure could benefit from this.
How has it changed compared to the past?
Honestly, it hasn't really changed at all - it's almost exactly the same as when I grew up there as a child.
I mean some things have changed, like a couple of new stores that have opened and things like that.
But overall, people still do the same things, I see the same people whenever I go back to visit, and sometimes it seems like time has stood still there - which I think is quite nice.
Let’s talk about the weather. What kind of weather do you have in your city?
Well, basically, there are two seasons - the rainy season and the dry season, although sometimes it's not quite so simple and there can be surprise storms or unexpected changes in the weather for a few days.
But mainly from December to April it's dry, what we refer to as summer here, and then from around May through November it's winter and it can rain a lot - I mean like constantly some days.
And that's the season when hurricanes or really bad storms are more likely to occur. But all year round the temperature is around 27 - 28 during the day as it's a tropical climate here - so it's almost always nice and warm, even if it rains.
What kind of weather do you like and why?
I like both the dry weather and the rainy season we have here - I think it would be boring just to have the same weather all year round.
It's nice to have a change, you know because you can get tired of constant sun all the time, so the slightly cooler weather in the winter is refreshing.
Speaking for IELTS Part 2
Describe a fascinating job that you heard about.
You should say:- where you heard about it
- what kind of job it was
- explain why you thought it was fascinating
A few years ago I met a guy here, he was on vacation, well actually he was kind of working at the same time as being on holiday. He was a travel writer for a company which produces guide books and websites for tourists visiting different places all around the world.
I thought his job sounded fascinating because he explained that he gets to travel all over the world, although in recent years he's been concentrating on central and south American destinations. He usually spends around a month or so in a particular destination, to really get a feel for the place and to research it thoroughly.
Then he writes a report regarding all the different aspects related to the destination such as accommodation, how to arrive - depart, local attractions, things to do and see, things to avoid and the usual sort of stuff tourists need to know whenever they visit a place for the first time.
So, basically, he's always traveling and working, but he also gets to visit all these amazing places that most people only dream of going to. I suppose you'd have to really love traveling and exploring strange places to want to do a job like that - but he seemed to love it, I think you would say he was a bit of a free spirit, roaming around all over the place.
I could imagine doing it for a couple of years maybe, but he'd been at it for several years and was still thoroughly enjoying himself - and that is one of the great things about that type of job - if you really love it - it's not like work at all - it's just like doing what you really enjoy and getting paid to do it. I guess that's why he seemed so happy.
Speaking for IELTS Part 3
Work / working conditionsWas the job in question a well paid job?
I'm not really sure, it wasn't something we really talked about. What I do know is that he claimed for all his travel-related expenses such as flights, hotel, taxis, and so on - but I have no idea how much he was paid for the work that he did.
He certainly didn't complain about not getting enough money, but then, as I said, I never actually asked him exactly how much he earned from the job.
How have the working conditions in your country changed in recent years?
Obviously, there's a lot more technology involved in many more jobs nowadays, which has made some jobs easier than before, but on the other hand, there are certain jobs which have hardly changed at all.
As for actual conditions, such as the number of hours, employee benefits and suchlike, it all depends on the type of work you do and if you work for a large international company or not.
The large multinationals generally provide the best working conditions and salary packages - more or less in line with what you'd expect anywhere else in the world.
Smaller companies are becoming more aware of such things but often it's still the case that people are working for a family business or for someone they know and so working conditions are not always a priority - in fact, just finding a job for most people is good enough in many cases, one which pays regularly and doesn't have too many problems.
What benefits in your opinion do workers need, apart from salary?
Ideally, workers should have health insurance, enough rest days, annual paid vacation, and be sure that they are working in a safe environment, one without unnecessary risks.
Then there is the need to look at things like pensions and other longer-term considerations in terms of benefits, as well as the option to have maternity leave and then return to work afterward.
I think those are probably the most important or the most common ones that people would consider as important.
Does working too much have any influence on family life?
That's something which greatly depends on the individual circumstances. For example, a young man who is single and still lives at home with his parents and is working many hours every week might not feel that his time with the family is impacted much by his work schedule, and in fact, the family might even be happy that he is working hard for his future.
On the other hand, a man or woman who is married and has children at home would probably have a completely different view on the matter.
If they had to work too many hours each week, it would mean that they would be able to spend much less time with their own family. Something which I'm sure they wouldn't be very happy about.
So I suppose each person has to decide how much work is okay and how much is too much - because everybody's different or has different personal situations which might or might not be affected by it.