Speaking Test – Part 1, 2 ,3 – Family
Topic – Family :
Q. Do you have a large family or a small family?
Answer: I have a small family of 5 people which includes me, my brother, my sister, my father and my mother. We all live together, except my sister, who is married and has her own family now. We enjoy our life as caring members of an extended family.
Q. Can you tell me something about them?
Answer: My parents are retired old citizens, and they have raised their family and children really well. My father used to work as a Director at the Agriculture Ministry in our country before retiring from his job about a few years ago while my mother has been a housewife for all of her life. Both my parents have lived most of their lives in the countryside before moving to (…say the name of the city where you live now…) with us because of our careers. My elder brother is a software developer and married to a lovely lady while my sister lives in another country with her husband. We are a family of great traditional values where we love and care for each other as best as we can.
Q. How much time do you manage to spend with members of your family?
Answer: In this busy modern life, unfortunately, I don’t get as much time as I would have preferred to spend with my family members except during the weekend. Of course, if I ever manage to get back to my home from works earlier than usual, then I certainly try to make the best use of the extra time, added to my life.
Q. What sorts of things do you like to do together?
Answer: They say that nothing brings a family together than a great meal. So, as a family, our most favourite time also is when we all get to cook some of our favourite dishes and enjoy them together. And, we do this whenever we get an opportunity, but it happens mostly on the weekends. We also like to enjoy a nice movie, when my sister is around, together during the holidays and at the weekends. By the way, my younger sister has a “bubbly” personality, and she just loves birds. So, whenever she is around, she never forgets to “force” (to put it jokingly) all of us to join her in visiting her favourite “Bird Park” which is home to pretty much all kinds of birds from all over the world.
However, another thing, that we really enjoy doing together, is when we all get to travel to our hometown which is located far outside of the city. We all enjoy being there as this place reminds us of a lot of our memories.
Q. Do you get on well with your family? [Why?/why not]
Answer: We are blessed to have such a family where we all get along with each other very nicely primarily because we all try our best not to “impose” anything on the others. Besides, the mutual respect and appreciation, we have for each other, helps us get on well with each other. On top of that, as a great functioning family, I never shy away from sharing my thoughts and experience with any of my family member which always helps us to put things in proper perspectives. Finally, we never stop offering “gifts” to express our love for each other because “gifts” help build a stronger bond among the family members in my opinion.
IELTS Speaking Part 2
Describe a family (not your own) which you like and are happy to know
You should say:
- Where this family lives
- How you know them
- What each person in this family does in life (student/work/retired etc.)
- And explain why you like this family
Model Answer
Well, I wanna tell you about a young married couple who has just moved to live next door to me. Despite having known each other for just a short period of time, we now become very close.
Umm, I’m currently living in a rented flat with 2 friends of mine. Although it has been almost 2 years since we moved there, we hardly know any next-door neighbors, maybe because everyone is so busy with their own hectic schedule and the fast pace of city life(1) . That’s why even a friendly person like me sometimes finds it hard to get to know more about the people around me.
A couple of months ago, our apartment building welcomed some new residents, a young couple who I guess are now in their late twenties. Only a few days later, after having their house furnished(2) , they invited me to their housewarming (3) because we had helped them to move some furniture. At the party, I felt quite awkward (4) at first but you know, the wife always broke the ice to strike up a conversation (5) with me. She was so nice and approachable(6) , so was her husband. After finding that she and I had a lot in common, we both felt eager to know more about each other.
Well, the young couple got married 2 years ago and now they are running their own business, a small and lovely café just downstairs, on the ground floor. I often come there in my free time, not only to taste new drinks, but also to talk and confide in (7) them. You know, they have given me really good advice whenever I encounter difficulties(8) . On top of that, they are always willing to lend a hand when I’m in need, like, help me do up (9) my house. Well, I look up to (10) them because of their talents and I’m also glad knowing them.
Vocabulary
- Fast pace of city life /fɑːst peɪs əv ˈsɪt.i laɪf/
Ex : I do not live at a fast pace of city life - Furnish /ˈfɜː.nɪʃ/
Ex: They’ve furnished the room very simply. - Housewarming /ˈhaʊs.wɔː.mɪŋ/
Ex: We’re having a housewarming on Friday if you’d like to come - Awkward /ˈɔː.kwəd/
Ex: He’s an awkward customer - Break the ice and strike up a conversation /breɪk ðiː aɪs ænd straɪk ʌp ə kɒn.vəˈseɪ.ʃən/
Ex: Walk up to him every now and then Break the ice and strike up a conversation. - Approachable /əˈprəʊ.tʃə.bəl/
Ex: Malcolm is always very approachable. - Confide in /kənˈfaɪd ɪn/
Ex: She’s nice, but I don’t feel I can confide in her. - Encounter difficulties /ɪnˈkaʊn.tər dɪf.ɪ.kəl.ti/
Ex: He began to encounter difficulties. - Do up /duːʌp/
Ex: He appreciates what we do up front. - Look up to /lʊk ˈʌp ˌtuː/
Ex: He’d always looked up to his uncle.
IELTS Speaking Part 3
- Who is usually the head of the family?
As far as I see, men are usually the breadwinners and take the leading position in the family. Actually, it doesn’t mean that women cannot play that role, you know, because men and women now have equal rights in society. But there is still a stereotype that men are born to be stronger than women, so they tend to be considered the head of a family and have to make vital decisions in difficult situations. Women, otherwise, will be responsible for raising kids and doing housework.
- How do grandparents take care of grandchildren?
Well, busy parents often have their kids looked after by grandparents. Old people, after retirement, tend to have lots of time on their hand to spend on child care. They can talk to their grandchildren, play with them, teach them or take them to school.
- What’s the most important quality of parents? How can new parents learn about parenting?
I think the priority is that parents must be good listeners. You know, to educate children, at first parents should learn to become their friends to whom a child can talk to and confide in when they have problems. They need to be patient and listen to everything their children are sharing every day. This is only one of the important qualities I think parents need. Such parental skills are normally gained through real-life experience and sometimes, learned from others. To be honest, classes teaching those skills are still rare.
