IELTS Speaking Test 1

Good afternoon, my name is Andy. Could you tell me your name please?

Michael Galovic is my name.

Thank you Michael. I’d like you to tell me about your home-town or city please.

It is Belgrade, ah capital of former Yugoslavia, now Serbia. Uh.. One and a half million inhabitantsplaced at uhhh the congregation of two big rivers – [unknown].

Can you tell me about the most interesting things in Belgrade?

Um probably its past – uh.. a colourful past I would say. And then physically, the configuration anddynamics of the place.

And could you describe places of special interest I could visit near where you live?

Oh yes, there are ah many ah wonderful, ah natural interest places so to say, and places of historicalinterest. But mostly the famous monasteries – medieval monasteries from say 13th century on.

Hmm and what would be the best way for me to get to those places?

I guess the best would be to simply umm look up the travel agency that deals with err inter-Serbiatours, especially the monastery tours. And they are well guided, and you will be well taken care of.

Hmm should I go there at any special time of year?

Uhh certainly, as in whole Europe, I think the best time is sometime in Spring or Autumn.

Hmm … Springtime or Autumn?

Yes, say April, May uh; and then perhaps September, early October.

Oh I see, Ok, thank you for that. I’d like to ask you a few questions about food and diet now.What do you usually eat for breakfast?

Umm well I’m not much of a breakfast eater…but so I tend to have a light breakfast. But say, peopletend to eat a lot for breakfast, and uh it’s also things I guess that are meat-based and milk - hot milk,and hot tea is accompanying all that.

Mmhmm and what is the most important meal of the day, in your opinion Michael?

Uhh well in my opinion, as I am told it should be the breakfast. But for me personally I love earlydinners – that’s my preference. I am not saying it is the most important; it’s the one that I like themost.

Mmhmm mmhmm and what should we eat to stay healthy?

Um I would say certainly not err heavy food that takes a lot to digest, so I would recommend a lot of vegetables and fruit, and err fish and chicken rather than red meat although I wouldn’t discard redmeat just like that at all.

Mmhmm will peoples diet change in the future?

I have impression, because we are witnessing the obesity daily in many countries. So it’s all aroundus and it’s uh becoming a very serious problem. And I have impression that everybody starts focusingon that, so I have impression that we’ll get err more attention to diets that will make us feel light andagile and err being able to perform. So I guess the clever combination of our food intake is moreimportant than only what we eat. Err it is not just about what we shouldn’t eat I think, it’s more abouthow we eat it and when. So we should maybe start our meals with easily digestible things such asfruit and finish with heavier stuff, rather the other way round.

Thank you...thank you. Speak one-to two minutes on topic, with one minute to plan answer.Topic: Describe a celebration you recently participated in.

Um By the end of um January, precisely on 27th of January last, I was at a friend’s place on CentralCoast. As err err a guest to his family feast, and he was celebrated- celebrating sorry- his family was

celebrating, their family patron Saint day, which is a very important feast for the Serbs in the orthodoxtradition. So it was interesting to see how that particular feast is being celebrated.Umm originated centuries ago, it is still very strong, going strong. And very few things have changed Iwas amazed to witness. But the main thing was that err um over there in Europe err, given the time of the year, these feasts are usually celebrated in November, December, January – it is cold, so thefood, accompanying food is corresponding, it’s heavy, and all that you need to eat during that time.Whereas here we were sweating in the hot January and yet we had the same type of food that wewould be eating in January in Europe. So that was interesting. But the most important thing about thattype of feast and celebration is that the host, both my friend and his wife, were standing on their feetall the time-the whole day, absolutely um err being impeccable hosts to every whim or need that weah guests would have, some 20 of us. So um it was really a special day and all of us, 20 people there,felt very, very special.

Thank you Michael. Michael, are there many similar celebrations where you come from?

Yes, but this is the most important one I think.

Thank you. Now let’s talk more about traditions and celebrations. What role do traditionalceremonies play in the social life of people in your country?

Umm they have always played an important role. But I have impression that it is err more so the casethese days, when even the youth is embracing them – simply feeling need to go back to their roots.

And what traditions were important for your grandparents, say 50 years ago?

Apart from- Apart from that Slava, or family patron saint day, all other major and secondary orthodoxChristian festivities or err festive days are important, or were important as well. Such as Christmas or Easter for instance, or that keeps being the major focus of my tradition and people.

Mmmhmm. And which traditions are we likely to continue to celebrate in the future?

Umm..But, I will say precisely those that we mentioned before. I have a feeling that they are simplygoing strong, that they err are not fading. Simply because in this time and era people areoverwhelmed by-by the velocity, by the speed, so at the same time they feel need to go back to their own beginnings and traditions, so it is simply err reviving what we already have.

How would you describe young people’s attitudes towards tradition?

Um I would say that at the beginning many of young people would maybe not embrace fully the ideaof going through every painstaking detail of preparations and err behaviour codes for all thesecelebrations and feasts. But then uh, gradually it will become a part of their lives, and um that wouldbe their connection with their families and extended families, so they would kind of grow more andmore into it, and trying to adhere to every rule that tradition was brought to them by their parents andgrandparents. So at the beginning maybe the youth would take it lightly on the surface only, but thenlater um I think the traditions will be embraced fully.

And do you think customs and traditions are changing these days?

Um, I would say so inevitably because of the adjustment to urban- to the urban living if you wish, andto the fast times that we live in. So definitely there are concessions to what err used to be donebefore. But the core, which is much more important, is always preserved. At least has been the caseso far.

Do you think traditions and customs are affected by advertising?

I never actually gave it a thought. Uh there might be, but again in my personal experience I haven’tseen any kind of uh direct influence that would uh change or alter, take people from their originaldirections whatever the advertisement is about.

Do some countries celebrate traditions more than others?

Um I wouldn’t say so, I have impression that all countries celebrate traditions, or rather the peoplewho live in these countries. Even in some new countries, a conglomerate of different people, and allthese people would stick to their old traditions. That’s how I see it. So, people who wouldn’t follow thetraditions would do it in all sorts of countries, or in any country.

Thank you Michael, that’s the end of the speaking test.

IELTS Speaking Test 2

Good afternoon, my name is Anna. Could you tell me your full name please?

Roberto Rossi.

What should I call you?

Robert.

Thank you. Do you work, or are you a student?

I’m a student.

Can you tell me about your studies?

Um well, uh my studies are in relation to cultures in the world. Uh When I was- when I was young, myfather used to travel a lot and used to come back home, giving me a picture of a very vast worldwhere people used to live and think and behave in different ways. So in comparison to what I used tostudy in geography, the world seemed to be a lot more interesting to go and- and explore. So as soonas I got rid of all that and I finished school I decided to uh go and experience uh first-hand what itreally means to live in direct contact with a different culture. So I ended up looking for the mosttraditional and isolated cultures in the world at that time a few years ago, and uh I decided to go andlive as one of the local people; which I did for a period of time. So that experience really changed mylife and made me understand also, a lot better, what I wanted to study umm at University.

What is your favourite subject?

Anthropology, and social anthropology in particular. So in reality what I do, is I go back to one of theseplaces where I’ve been in the past and I- and I see in what way the society changes as the rest of theworld changes, and uh in what way it is affected by the outside world. So I ended up learning thelanguage and I and I ended up understanding probably a lot more what really goes on in uh- in uh theinside of a person who lives in a little dot in the middle of the ocean, and all he or she knows is thatand that is the universe- in comparison to us, um being sort of constantly bombarded by- by a lotmore information.

What is your study plan?

I’m starting to and- I’m thinking of furthering my studies by doing a Masters and perhaps a PhD. I’mvery interested in following umm what I started already. And err, and err, again, not only from myprofessional point of view, but also for a personal point of view I think it is very important to do thingscombined together, and what we learn and understand in life can really be of help to other people if we- umm if we develop it to a certain extent.

Thank you. Do you have any hobbies or interests?

Oh yes, a number of them. I like to umm read a lot, and I also like to play soccer. Um But err, I cansay that lately, unfortunately, I don’t much time to do either of them.

What hobbies are popular with young boys and girls in your country?

Well, young boys and girls mm like to interact and meet and have a good time together. So, we startgenerally since we very young by meeting at the end of the day when we get out of school at the localbar or corn- corner in the area where we live in the square and in the same area with lots of other people, older and younger than us. And uh hobbies generally for the young boys umm are sport andsocialising and dancing. And same for the girls, except that the girls are certainly a lot more intofashion and umm dancing.

Do people usually continue their hobbies when they get older?

When they can, they do. Generally that depends on what kind of commitments they are involved toand uh with, and if they can afford, only also in terms of time uh in what they like to do.

Thank you. Now I’d like to ask you to speak one-to two minutes on a topic. You have oneminute to plan your answer.