TASK B

You would like to buy a gift for your mother. Which is the best gift?

Candidate B : A very good morning to examiners and fellow candidates. Please allow me to
kickstart the topic. In my opinion buying sandals is the best gift for my mother. This is because
sandals are being worn every day compared to gifts like flight tickets which can only be enjoyed
once. It is totally worth it as my mother will wear the sandals whenever she goes out to run her
errands or even meet her friends. Currently my mother is just wearing simple slippers which I
think is very uncomfortable for her when she is walking and also it will expose her to bacterias.
Wearing sandals is better because it will protect her feet and also it is adjustable to fit her feet
size. Sandals are also very lightweight and convenient to wear out as it does not need much
time compared to wearing sneakers or high heels. Therefore, sandals are the best gift for my
mother. What do you all think?

Candidate E : Although we cannot deny that a pair of sandals is a good present, I will suggest
buying a multi purpose cooker for my mother. As my mother is aging, I am reluctant to see her
standing for a long time, merely to prepare our meal. She always prioritizes the nutrition we are
supposed to take. Sometimes, I would try to suggest to her to order delivery food through online
platforms such as Foodpanda but she claims that it is not healthy to eat outside food which are
full of MSG. Besides, my mother loves to cook. She enjoys studying the recipe. Therefore, I
believe that a multi purpose cooker is the best gift for my mother because it allows my mother to
cook anything she wants. She can use the multi purpose cooker to cook, bake, steam, stew and
so forth. Not only that, but a multi purpose cooker is able to save time. For instance, when my
mother tends to cook ABC soup, the only thing she needs to do is put in the ingredients,
including tomato, potato, carrot, onions and others into the multi purpose cooker. Later, she can
do other things while waiting for the soup. The time saved will create a golden opportunity for
me, as her daughter to communicate with her. Consequently, it will foster our relationship. How
about the others?

Candidate A : I beg to differ, Candidate E. In my opinion, buying a flight ticket is the best gift
for my mother. This is because it has been a while since we went for a trip together. This is due
to the pandemic as we are not allowed to travel overseas. I would buy flight tickets to New
Zealand for my mother and me. This is because my mother had always wanted to view the
aurora or as known as The Southern Light in New Zealand. She had heard many of her friends
saying that it is worth going there as the scenery is beautiful. Not only that but travelling with my
mother would also help us to understand each other more. My mother is busy working while I’m
busy studying almost every day. We had no time to understand and create beautiful memories
with each other. Travelling is the best way to understand each other as we spend most of the
time together. In the meantime, we can create beautiful memories and also capture beautiful
pictures together. What do you all think?

Candidate D : In my perspective, I will buy an oven for my mother. The particular reason for
the gift is that my mother loves baking. When she is baking, I can clearly see her beautiful smile
on her face. I love the way my mother smiles when she has totally taken a rest from the hustle
and bustle of life in order to enjoy her hobby. As a maxim goes, no man is really happy without a
hobby. Although my mother has sacrificed lots of time to take care of us since we were small, I
hope I can be the one who is able to make her in seventh heaven and delight in life. Previously,
there was no oven in my house. My mother can merely use the air fryer to bake but it is limited.
Not so many varieties of cookies or cakes can be made by using the air fryer. Not only the
variety, but the size or capacity of the cakes and cookies are also limited. We have to bake for
many rounds if we aim to prepare the cookies or cakes in a vast amount. Hence, I am pretty
sure that an oven will help my mother a lot in baking. How about the others?

Candidate C : I’m sorry for interrupting. I think buying a plant for my mother is the best gift. My
mother is a workaholic but she loves plants. However, she does not have the time to take care
of plants like watering it every single day. Therefore, I can take another alternative by buying air
plants for her. Air plants are tiny but they are beautiful. They can be hung at the windows as
decorations. These plants are suitable for my mother as they are not needed to be taken care
of. They just need a sufficient amount of air to survive. Apart from that, buying plants would be
the best gift for my mother because it can help her to release stress. As we know, working
adults are under a lot of stress in their workspace or even personal lifestyle. Buying a plant for
my mother could help her to release stress because she can just look at the plant to release
stress. These greeneries and plants would help my mother to feel secure, relaxed and improve
her mood. Therefore, buying plants for my mother is the best choice.
Candidate F : From my standpoint, I will buy my mother a freezer. I am sure that mother is
always the one who stays in the kitchen. She always takes the responsibility to prepare our
meals. In this context, a freezer can be my mother’s good helper. By having a freezer, it can
indirectly reduce the number of visits to the supermarket. What’s more, our country is fighting
against COVID-19. It is better to ensure my mother spends more time at home than going to the
supermarket. Formerly, my mother tends to buy groceries at the supermarket twice per week. If
I am able to buy a freezer for my mother, she can plan to buy the groceries once a week. The
time saved enables her to study more dishes with rich nutritional value. How about the others?

Candidate E : I would like to reinforce my point that buying my mother a multi purpose cooker
is the best gift. As I mentioned just now, my mother is very fond of cooking. A multi purpose
cooker allows her to cook in a very easy way. Without the multi purpose cooker, she has to use
various pots to cook different dishes, including griddle, grill, stir fry pan, wok and just to name a
few. Consequently, she has to spend more time cleaning those pots after cooking. This is
undoubtedly a tiring thing. In short, I suggest buying a multi purpose cooker for my mother in
order to reduce her workload and have more time to enjoy her life.

Candidate F : After listening to other candidates’ opinions, I would like to change my stance of
view that an oven will be the best gift for my mother. My mother has indulged in baking which is
her new hobby. The oven does not only play a role as a gift but in fact, a signal of love and
support from me as her daughter. Buying her an oven will create more golden opportunities for
me to spend time with her. When my mother is baking, I will lend her a helping hand. As a
result, we will be able to foster our relationship.

Candidate D : I agree with the opinion given by Candidate F. By having an oven, we may not
only strengthen our family bond, but we can also gain extra income. This is because baking
cookies or cakes by using the oven will contain less oil. It is healthier. When the cookies and
cakes are nutritious, we can sell them to the public. As society in this day and age is promoting
a healthy lifestyle, as a saying goes, health is the most precious possession of a man, I believe
that the cookies and cakes made by my mother using the oven will be well received by the
public.

Candidate C : I beg to differ from Candidate D & F. I still hold on with my point, which is that
buying plants would be the best gift for my mother. This is because I would like my mother to
take up a new and healthy hobby. My mother’s hobby is watching TV which I think is very
passive and bad for her body if she watches it for a very long time. Buying her a plant would
help her to understand the beauty of plants and nature. Sooner or later, she would love plants
and be interested in gardening. She would have a more active lifestyle if she loves gardening.
Watering plants and digging the soil would be her daily routines. Hence, buying her a plant
would encourage her to take up gardening as a new hobby while maintaining an active lifestyle.

Candidate B : I beg to differ from Candidate C. In my opinion, sandals would be the best gift
for my mother. This is because it is comfortable to wear. Some sandals are lightweight and have
arch support that will make my mother comfortable in moving around. As my mother is aging, I
think buying good sandals would benefit her as she needs to be active in her lifestyle by
exercising and meeting up with friends. A normal slippers would cause a lot of problems for her.
For example, leg aches and cramps which had made her to be lazy. She would not want to
exercise or even walk around the park due to her leg problems. Therefore, investing money
buying good sandals is the best gift for my mother.

Candidate A : I agree with Candidate B who said that sandals would be the best gift for my
mother. Although sandals might be a small gift compared to those lavish gifts, I knew that my
mother would still be elated with this gift. She knows that she is being appreciated and loved in
this family. All in all, money doesn't buy love but it comes from the heart. The sandals are the
symbol of love and I am sure that it will be the best gift for my mother.

Candidate C : Since time does not permit, I would like to bring this discussion to an end.
Factually speaking, this group does not have a common opinion on the best gift for our mothers.
Thus, it is in tandem with the saying “one man's meat is another man’s poison”.