[The examiner asks the candidate about him/herself, his/her home, work or studies and other familiar topics.]
Topic: School
Q. Did you go to secondary/high school near to where you lived? [Why/Why not?]
A. Yes, in fact, both of my primary and secondary schools were in the same locality where I lived in. My elementary school was only 15 minutes walk away while my high school was 25 minutes walk away from my home. I went there as my parents thought these were good schools and I should not travel far without them accompany me every day. So I ended up going to schools which were nearby my living place.
Q. What did you like about your secondary/high school? [Why?]
A. I had many friends and my days in my high school were great. Moreover, most of our teachers were committed to teaching us and I have learnt so many things from them. I was in the golden period of my life and enjoyed everything I did at my secondary school. Nice teachers, good friends and an inquisitive mind made my high school days some of the best days of my life.
Q. Tell me about anything you didn’t like at your school.
A. I liked almost everything at school except for the fact that we were obliged to take the acting class once a week. I am not against extracurricular activities and I believe that acting classes are helpful for many, but making it mandatory to all is something I did not like. I enjoyed watching theatres and acts, but I never wanted to an actor, so hated the acting rehearsal.
Q. How do you think your school could be improved? [Why/Why not?]
A. I think my school was already great and one of the best places to be in my teenage days. I loved my school and adored my teachers who were very knowledgeable and helpful. Our school did not have separate playgrounds for junior and senior students and that was one aspect that bothered me. I believe that’s something the school needs to address as junior pupils often can’t play when seniors occupy the field. A separate ground could solve the problem.
[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]
You should say:
and explain why you would like to own it.
Cue Card Answer:
I would like to thank you for allowing me to talk about something I do not own now but desire to have in the future. I must say, this is an interesting topic to talk about. During my preparation time for this topic, I have thought about a few things that I fancy, but finally decided to talk about one thing that I dream the most to have in the future and this one thing is a private car.
My family and I live in a metropolitan city and travelling is an everyday activity for all of us. Sometimes, daily commute becomes cumbersome due to the inadequate number of transportation and unbearable traffic congestion, not to mention the time it kills on the road. So, as soon as I got admitted to high school, I desired to own an automobile. However, I was aware of the fact that I would have to be minimum 18 to have a valid driving licence and I was barely 14 at that time. So in a sense, I wanted to have a car since I was a high school student but was not eligible to have it until I turned 18. Now that I am 22, I want it more than anything else in the world – materialistically speaking!
I can’t recall when was the first time I saw a car. As I heard from my grandmother, my mother gave birth to me in a hospital and on her way back home, they hired a taxi. So, it’s silly but true that, I saw a car when I was barely a week’s old! However, I can remember riding in a car when I was 4 or 5 years old; if the memory was not something that developed in my brain by hearing stories from others!
‘Where did I saw it first?’, well, I can’t say it accurately either but my best guess is that I got interested in a car when I first rode in an automobile in my early childhood. That was my uncle’s vehicle who came to visit us and gave us a ride to a nearby shopping complex. It was a black car but I am not sure what model it was.
I want to own it because having a car is convenient in many ways. It offers freedom of mobility and comfort. I would be able to avoid a long queue at a bus bay every day and save time. The car would help me plan my own tour schedule and I would often be able to take my families to different places. I am hoping that I would buy a car when I have a job in the near future and my preferred model is the Mazda 6, 2018 model.
Discussion topics: Owning things
Q. What types of things do young people in your country most want to own today? Why is this?
A. Well, young people in my country are obsessed with electronic gadgets, expensive cars, powerful computers, and I am sure most of them would like to own these items more or less. I think the modern generation has a fascination with electronic tools like the smartphone, computers and gaming consoles and they want to use the latest gadgets whenever possible. They feel the same way about cars. This has something to do with their lifestyle and attachment to technology.
Q. Why do some people feel they need to own things?
A. I believe owning things we need and like is in our DNA. From ancient time, we have been feeling an urge to own the house, farming lands, cattle and crops. This trend continues and in this modern era, we have become more materialistic than ever before and want to possess as many things as we can. This has something to do with the rapid expansion of technology, our exposure to different forms of advertisements and our lack of self-satisfaction and contentment.
Q. Do you think that owning lots of things makes people happy? Why?
A. I don’t even remotely believe that owning so many things makes people happy. Happiness is a mental state, and for being happy we need to be mentally contented and satisfied with whatever little we have. My experience has taught me that people with houses in different cities, piles of cash, multinational businesses and all the materials money can buy have more responsibilities, work pressure and stresses than average people. So, if we want to be happy, we need to learn to be satisfied with the things we have. Expectations to own more drive us away from attaining peace and happiness, I believe.
Discussion topics: Possessions and success
Q. Do you think television and films can make people want to get new possessions? Why do they have this effect?
A. Yes, I believe that electronic media like television and films have a profound impact on shaping our psychology and can often allure us to have more and get new things.
Many of us, knowingly and unknowingly, getting exposed to posh lifestyles shown in movies and soap operas, especially by our favourite stars. This forms a hidden desire among us to own even more.
Owing more is a natural human tendency. So when this is fueled by TV shows, cinemas and the advertisements we watch, it’s natural that we would want to have even more than we actually need.
Q. Are there any benefits to society of people wanting to get new possessions? Why do you think this is?
A. I believe the benefits, in this case, are only a few while the drawbacks are huge. The first benefit of the trend is that it creates more job opportunities as more companies get in the manufacturing and sales of such products. Such a competition, on the other hand, eliminates the monopoly in business and fosters the economy to a certain extent.
However, considering the drawbacks, including the social, environmental and personal, it should not be encouraged and we should be wary of our mentality to possess all new products.
Q. Do you think people will consider that having lots of possessions is a sign of success in the future? Why?
A. Yes, for many, material gains and money are synonymous to success and this will become even more prevalent in the future.
We already live in a society where our success is measured by the bank balance we have and the cars we drive. In the coming days, people would become more prone to doing so. The degradation of moral values, our materialistic expectation and our inclination to earthly possessions would fuel this psychology in the future. To cite an example, a doctor who works in a rural area primarily to serve less privileged people is considered less adept and successful than his friends who have amassed a fortune by overcharging rich citizens in a city.
I see no positive social changes in our measurement of success. So I guess that would become more intense in the future.
This post was last modified on 11th April 2019 1:21 pm