IELTS Speaking Section Part 1, 2 and 3 - Age

IELTS Speaking Section Part 1, 2 and 3 - Age
Growing Up



IELTS Speaking Section Part 1 - Talking about Familiar Topics

Aging


When you were a child, did you think much about the future?

No, it's the other way around actually. Now that I have been an adult, I'm thinking a lot about my childhood. I was so happy when I was a child, and was never worried of how the future would go. I spent most of my time playing with my friends and studying.


What do you miss the most from your childhood?

The freedom, I guess. As a child, I didn't have to think about work, or bills, or other things that become a burden now that I have grown up. I went to school in the morning, and then play with my friends afterwards, I would study in the evening while watching my favorite TV show. As soon as I finished studying, I would go to bed and sleep so that I have enough energy to have fun again the next day.


What do you think of the fact that some people want to be forever young and are afraid of getting old?

Those people are definitely happy as a young person, they may have a perfect life, and they do not want that perfect life to change. But, I personally think that getting older gracefully is a part of happiness in life. I mean, you can't be working forever, one day you will have to retire and spend most of your time doing what you love instead of doing what you are told to do. When we get older and retire, we also have much more time to spend with family, which is a good thing, especially after years of working hard to save some money.


Do you think you have changed much as you grow older?

Yes, definitely. I used to be a cheerful person who worried about nothing, but now that I have bills to pay, duties to accomplish, and other responsibilities, I sort of become a little less happy than I was several years ago. But, this happens to a lot of adults, I suppose, and not just me. The only thing that makes me less unhappy these days is the fact that I lived my life to the fullest while I had the chance. Now that I am expected to play the role as an adult, I should focus on doing my responsibilities.


Are you happy to be the age that you are now?

Considering the amount of pressure in my life recently, the answer would be no. I've been having what's so-called mid-life crisis and I recently feel like my life used to be much happier than this. But this is just a process that I have to go through, it's not that I'm always and will forever be unhappy. I'm just temporarily unhappy right now.



IELTS Speaking Section Part 2 - Self-Presentation

One of Grandparent's Job




Describe a job one of your grandparents did

You should say:

Whose job was it?

What the job was it?

How did s/he do the job?

Explain what you think about the job




Whose job was it?

It is my grandfather's job. My grandmother did not have a real job because we lived in the rural area where women were usually responsible of the household.

What the job was it?

My grandfather worked as a teak farmer and merchant. Like most people who lived in the countryside, my grandfather had land all over the village. The region where I lived is famous for its teak and lumber mills, and this is why my grandfather used his farmland to plant teak instead of rice or other produces.


Teak plantation is a labor-intensive industry, so my grandfather never worked by himself. He had several workers helping him with cultivation, harvest, and wood processing. The teak is usually sold to big wood processing factories.


How did s/he do the job?

I don't really know how the job was done because I was never involved in it. What I did as a child was delivering my grandfather's lunch to the farm while he was working. But I do remember one of the process of teak plantation, which is the cultivation. I remember hearing the noise made by a chainsaw and the crunchy sound that the dry leaves when I stepped on it. I also remember the smell of wood and wet soil.


Explain what you think about the job

The job was really rough indeed. People have to work among saw dust and noises of heavy machinery. They have to carry the wood on a truck through difficult and dangerous terrain. Things become more complicated when there is an inclement weather that makes it more dangerous to do the cultivation process and transport the wood to the lumber mill.


IELTS Speaking Section Part 3 - Discussion 

Elderly

Can you explain some of the differences between younger generation and older generation?

In terms of hard work, I think older generation generally worked much harder because there wasn't much development and resources back then, at least here in my country. There was no internet, no computer, so older generation needed a lot more effort to learn something. For example, to learn welding and metal work, my uncle had to find someone who had such expertise to teach him, and this was not easy. He had to go to other city to meet his trainer. Younger generation is very lucky to have all the resource like internet, they can learn anything more easily. But the thing is, there are more challenges that young generation has to face these days compared to the previous generation. Life is getting more and more demanding, if they cannot catch up with the current development, they will be left behind.


What are the advantages of having an elderly at home?

We can learn from their patience and wisdom. Older people have gone through a lot of difficult situation in life, and we can learn how they could deal with such challenges. Other than getting important life lessons and wisdom, we can also hear a lot of interesting stories from elderly. I have heard stories about my grandfather fighting during the war for independence, which teaches me a lot about bravery and patriotism. This kind of lesson can only be learned from older generation. 


You mentioned about the fact that younger generation can learn wisdom from elderly. Is there anything that elderly can learn from younger generations?

Yes, of course. I think elderly can learn about the most current situation that may affect them directly or indirectly. For example, during a covid19 global pandemic, older people need to be more careful because they belong to vulnerable group. I think young generation, who have better access to information, need to take care of the elderly and inform them about the danger of the virus, as well as reminding them of the importance of following health protocols.  


Do you think older people should be allowed to work?

I'm not a big fan of discrimination in workplace, and age discrimination is one them, so, yes I think elderly should be allowed to work. But, they shouldn't work if they have health problems, or if the job is too dangerous to be carried out by senior citizens. I have seen a lot of elderly working as a clerk or a food seller and I think it is okay for them to have that kind of job. I have also seen elderly who have an important position in private companies although it is pretty rare these days.


Do you think elderly people should be taken care of at home?

Of course, it is better for elderly to be taken care of at home, so they won't feel lonely and sad. Besides, elder people like to play with their grandchildren and spend most of their time with family. The point is, we have to realize that not all elderly people like to be in an adult day care center, and if this is the case, then it would be better if we take care of the elderly at home. 


Follow this link to read other samples of IELTS Speaking Section Part 1, 2 and 3.

IELTS Speaking Section Part 1, 2 and 3 - Photographs

IELTS Speaking Section Part 1 - Talking about Familiar Topics

Taking Photographs


IELTS Speaking Section Part 1, 2 and 3 - Photographs
Scenery


Do you like taking photographs?

Yes, on occasion. When there's a special moment in my life like graduation or school reunion, I will definitely capture it. But I don't take pictures very often, only on certain occasion do I bring camera and take pictures. Some people may like taking pictures with their phone on daily basis, like when they take pictures of their food, their outfit, or their pets. I don't really use my phone to take pictures.


What kind of photos do you like to take?

I like taking pictures of natural beauty and old buildings. In my country, there are a lot of remnants of past Dutch colonialism like offices, buildings or monuments. I personally like to take pictures of the old Dutch houses because of their unique design and the history behind them. Besides old buildings, I also like taking pictures of mountains, sunset, forest, and the sea.

IELTS Speaking Section Part 1, 2 and 3 - Photographs
An Old Building


How do you become interested in photography?

No, I'm not interested in photography per se. I take pictures mostly just for fun. Sometimes I take pictures because a friend of mine asks me to, like during a school reunion, but it doesn't mean that I'm particularly interested in photography.


Do you prefer taking pictures of people or scenery?

I rather take pictures of scenery. Well, I live in the city and all I see here are shops, traffic, working people, and skyscrapers. Enjoying the nature is not something that I can do everyday, so it always becomes a special moment for me, a moment that is worth to take pictures of. 


Do you prefer taking photos with camera or phone?

Personally, I'd rather take pictures with my phone, because it is much more handy. I liked taking pictures with camera, because a picture taken by phone was not of high quality back then. But now, phone camera has been improved and so is the quality of the picture. There are some additional features and configurations that will enable us to take good pictures.


IELTS Speaking Section Part 2 - Self-Presentation

Photography



Describe a an object that you photographed

You should say:

What was it?

Why did you photograph it?

What do you use the photo for?

How do you feel about that photo?




What was it?

I took a picture of a beautiful sunset when I was transiting in Hong Kong International Airport. I was on my way back from the United States, when I saw this beautiful scenery from the airport terminal. I decided to take a picture of it. I took a picture of the sunset with my phone camera so it wasn't of a good quality. I really enjoy taking pictures of that beautiful view, nevertheless.


Why did you photograph it?

I always like the sunset, especially in places where it looks romantic, such as in beaches on top of a mountain. My favorite sunset is the one that I saw in Kuta, Bali. It was a perfect combination of warm light and waves in the sea that I found extremely addicting.


What do you use the photo for?

I use the picture as a cover photo on facebook. It's still there anyway, the picture is still the best picture I have ever taken, after all these years.

 

How do you feel about that photo?

I feel nostalgic every time I see the photo. I went to United States for a summer school program and in this program, I found a lot of good friends. There was so much fun and memories there. I don't get to see them very often now because we're all busy growing up, but the picture helps me remember the happiness that we had when we were young.


IELTS Speaking Section Part 1, 2 and 3 - Photographs
Beautiful Sunset in Hong Kong



IELTS Speaking Section Part 3 - Discussion

Memorable photos

Do people still keep memorable photos these days?

Some of them do. For example, when people are attending a concert, they like taking pictures to capture the moment. However, there are also some people who would rather enjoy the moment instead of busy taking pictures. Some people like framing photos taken on a special event like graduation or wedding, but there are also people who simply save the photos in digital form.


Have you ever framed a photo?

Not really, no. But, I took a picture with my former girlfriend on my graduation day and she framed it. She gave it to me as a gift. We are no longer together but I decided to just keep it anyway.


Why do some people like to take a photo of themselves while some other people don't?

There are various reasons why people avoid camera. Some people do not really like taking a picture of themselves because they think that there are other things that are interesting to take pictures of, like scenery, or other objects. Some other people do not like taking pictures of themselves for privacy reason or because they are not very confident.


Have you ever attended a photo exhibition?

Yes, but it was a long time ago. I went to a museum owned by one of the biggest cigarette companies in Indonesia. They have a museum that displays the history of the company from the era when cigarettes were produced manually until now when some of the production process already uses machinery. The company still produces cigarettes traditionally because they are committed to being a labor-intensive cigarette producer. The photo exhibition tells us not only about the history and the process of producing cigarettes, but also the mission of the company. 


Have you ever visited where taking photos is prohibited? 

Yes, I have. I visited the Tenement Museum at 103 Orchard Street, New York, and visitors are not allowed to take pictures. I went there for academic purpose anyway, so most of the time I would rather ask some questions, pay attention to what the tour guide said, and take notes .


Why do you think it is prohibited to take photos in that place?

I'm not really sure why they have such rule, but I think it has something to do with the purpose of the visit itself. The visit to the Tenement Museum is always accompanied by a tour guide, who is an expert in history, and visitors are expected to pay attention to their explanation. This is a museum anyway, what's the point of visiting a museum if we are busy taking pictures instead of learning about the history.


Follow this link to read other samples of IELTS Speaking Section Part 1, 2 and 3