INDEX

Sr. No. CONTENT PAGE NO.

1. Expected IELTS Speaking Topics (Cue-Cards) 2

2. Expected Cross Questions with Answers 4

3. Solutions to Expected IELTS Speaking Topics (Cue-Cards) 19

4. Expected Writing TASK 1 Topics with Answers 80

5. Expected Writing TASK 2 Topics with Answers 96

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 GREY MATTERS Expected Speaking Topics 2018
NO.1 IELTS InstituteAwarded by IDP & BRITISH COUNCIL in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015,2016, 2017, 2018
www.facebook.com/greymatterschandigarhwww.youtube.com/greymatterschandigarh www.greymattersgroup.org

1. Talk about a time when you had to change 23. Talk about a trip you had by public
your plans. transport.
2. Talk about a sport that you have watched 24. Talk about a quiet place that you want to
and would like to take up. visit again and again.
3. Talk about an unusual meal. 25. Describe a website that you visit often.
4. Talk about a job that you want to do in 26. Talk about something that you recently
future. bought and felt happy about it.
5. Talk about a special day on which you 27. Describe a talkative person that you know.
didn’t have to spend a lot of money.
28. Talk about a building that you admire.
6. Talk about a comic actor popular in your
country. 29. Describe a country where you would like
to work for a short time.
7. A public place you visited and you think
needs improvements. 30. Talk about your favourite game.

8. Describe something important that you 31. Talk about something that you own and
lost in the past. would like to get replaced.

9. Talk about a favourite story in your 32. Talk about an interesting/unique animal
childhood. you have seen.

10. Talk about a dress you wore on some 33. Talk about a friend whom you met after a
special occasion. long time.

11. Talk about a magazine that you often like to 34. Talk about a time when you had to be
read. polite.

12. Describe the time when someone took a 35. Talk about a time when someone visited
good photograph of yours. your home.

13. Describe an occasion when you received 36. Talk about a subject that fascinates you.
a good/ best service from a restaurant or a 37. Describe the idea of your dream vacation.
shop.
38. Describe a party you attended recently
14. Describe a recent event that made you and enjoyed.
happy.
39. Describe the most beautiful natural
15. Talk about a subject you liked in school. scenery you have ever seen.
16. Talk about your favourite song. 40. Talk about a poisonous plant that you
17. Describe a friend from your childhood. know.

18. Describe a plan which did not go well. 41. Talk about an international day that you
would like to celebrate.
19. Describe a popular person you know.
42. Talk about a successful sportsperson.
20. Talk about a street market in your city.
43. Describe your favourite childhood toy.
21. Describe a recent development happened
in your area. 44. Talk about a time when you helped
someone.
22. Talk about something which you have
learned outside of college or school. 45. Talk about something that helps you to
concentrate.

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46. Describe a technology you often use 55. Describe something that cannot be learnt
(other than computer). at school.
47. Describe a competition (music, cooking 56. Talk about a famous personality in your
etc.) you would like to participate in. country.
48. Talk about a math skill that you learned in 57. Talk about a person who helped you at
your primary/ elementary school. some point of time.
49. Talk about favourite song. 58. Talk about a river or lake in your country.
50. Describe a time when something made 59. Talk about a place where people go to
you happy. listen to music.
51. Describe your first mobile phone. 60. Describe a leisure facility that you would
like to have in your hometown.
52. Describe a place where you often visit
with friends and family.
53. Talk about a successful businessman in
your country.
54. Talk about something interesting that your
friend did.

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 GREY MATTERS Expected Cross Questions 2018
NO.1 IELTS InstituteAwarded by IDP & BRITISH COUNCIL in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015,2016, 2017, 2018
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 High School
 Are you still in contact with your friends from
high school?
Yes, I am in contact with my friends from high
school. Many of them are now in different cities
and countries. But we stay in touch through social
networking and also we have reunions
sometimes.
 What is your high school like?
Give a brief description of your school- describing
buildings, gardens, play grounds and other
facilities.
 What subjects did you study in high school?
I studied many subjects in secondary school like
social science, mathematics, Hindi and many
more.
 Which class did you enjoy the most during
your high school?
I enjoyed all the school years a lot. However,
there was a lot of excitement and a feeling of
pride when I got promoted from the primary wing
of the school to the high school wing.
 Why did you choose to attend the particular
school?
My parents choose my school for me. I think I
was too young to decide on my own and my
parents choose the best school for my siblings
and me.
 Punctuality
 Do you wear a watch?
Definitely, I wear a watch and I think everyone
should wear one too, or keep a check on time.
These days‘ people check the time on their
mobile phones, however, the point is to be on
time and not waste time.
 In your country is it important to be on time?
Yes, it is very important to be on time to
meetings, class or for work. Time is valued a lot
in India, as unlike money, time once gone doesn‘t
come back.
 Do you like to be on time?
Yes, being on time is extremely important to me. I
ensure that I am never late for my classes and
other appointments and meetings. I understand
that time is much more important than any other
material thing or money.
www.greymattersgroup.org
 Do you wear a watch?
Definitely, I wear a watch and I think everyone
should wear one too, or keep a check on time.
These days‘ people check the time on their
mobile phones, however, the point is to be on
time and not waste time.
 How do you feel when others are late?
When others are late occasionally, it may be due
to a genuine problem; however, if someone is
late very often, then it‘s definitely a habit that I do
not appreciate.
 Rain
 Does it rain much in India?(Where? When?)
India is a diverse country with different climatic
conditions in different regions. So there are some
parts of India that receive a lot of rain, like
Cherrapunji in Meghalaya, Amboli in
Maharashtra, etc. Some places receive a lot of
rainfall only during the monsoon season, like
Mumbai, Chennai, Goa, etc.
 Does it rain much in your hometown? (Include
how often)
It doesn‘t rain much in my hometown. It is only
during the monsoon season that is in the months
from June to August that we receive some rainfall.
 In what season does it rain the most? OR When
(in what month/season) does it rain most in
your hometown?
It rains the most in my hometown in the monsoon
season that is in the months from June to August.
 What about the other parts of India? OR In
which season does it rain most in other parts of
India?
India has a varied terrain. In many parts of India, it
mostly rains in the monsoon season. However, it
also depends on the geographical location as it
affects the rainfall in many regions.
 Would you prefer to have more rain or less rain
(in your hometown)?
I would prefer to have more rain in my hometown.
In the last few years, there has been a drastic
change in the seasons and the summers get very
hot. If there is more rainfall in the summers, there
will be respite from the heat.
 Do you like rainy days? OR How do you feel on
rainy days? OR Do you feel sad on rainy days?
I like rainy days in the summer season because the
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 temperatures drop and we get respite from the
summer heat. In winters I am not too happy when it
rains, as it becomes very cold after it rains.
 How does rain affect different people’s moods?
OR How does rain affect people’s lives?
I think rains affect people‘s moods when it restricts
their activities or leads to a loss in the work or
business. Some people feel happy when it rains as
the weather becomes pleasant and people can
enjoy hot beverages and fried snacks.
 Do you prefer rainy days or sunny days?
I prefer rainy days in the summers and sunny days
in the winter season. Rains give us respite from the
heat in the summers and we can enjoy sitting out in
the sun on a cold winter day.
 What do you do on rainy days (or, on a rainy
day)?
I enjoy hot beverages, like coffee and fried snacks
like fritters and samosa on rainy days. It gives us an
opportunity to stay at home with family and spend
quality time with them.
 What do you usually do when it rains (or, when
it starts to rain) and you are outside?
If it rains when I am outside, I usually look for a cafe
or a place where I can sit and enjoy coffee and
some snacks.
 Do you think rain is good? (Why?)
Yes, I think rains are good. Rains are important to
maintain the ecosystem‘s balance. Rains help with
maintaining the groundwater levels. They make the
dust settle down and help clean the environment.
For agriculture-based economies, rains during the
rainy season are very important for a good crop.
 How does rain affect (life in) your country?
Agriculture is a major part of India‘s economy and
that is largely dependent on timely rains. So a lot of
farmers depend on a good monsoon season for a
good crop. Unseasonal rains can have an adverse
effect on agriculture, as it can destroy crops. In
places where there is water shortage, people
depend on rains and save rain water in reservoirs.
 Is there any part of India where it doesn’t rain
much? (Where?) OR Is there an even
distribution of rain throughout India?
India is a diverse country with different climates in
different parts. There are many parts in the east of
India that experience a lot of rain throughout the
year. In most parts of India; monsoon season is the
time when most of the rainfall happens. In some
western parts, like in the deserts of Rajasthan,
there is very little rain. Sometimes some states
experience droughts because of no rainfall for a
very long period of time.
 What effects can a shortage of rain (a drought)
have on people’s lives?
Droughts/Shortage of rain can have adverse effects
on the livelihoods of many people, especially those
who are dependent on agriculture. Sometimes
people are forced to leave their hometowns due to
water shortage and start afresh somewhere else
and face hardships. Many people die each year in
India and all over the world because of droughts.
 Can you remember any time when it rained
particularly heavily in your hometown? (When?)
Yes, I remember that during my childhood it used to
rain continuously for days and the roads and parks
got filled with water. We used to enjoy a lot playing
in the rain and the pools of water. This used to
happen during the monsoon season. Now the
amount of rainfall has reduced drastically due to
climate change.
 Does rain ever affect transportation in your
hometown? (How?)
Yes, sometimes the rain affects the transportation.
It is mostly on some roads where the drainage
system is not good or when it is blocked. At such
times the water logging happens on the roads and
the movement of traffic is affected.
 Do you think the seasons have changed in
recent years, compared to the past? (Why?
How?)
Yes, I think seasons have changed in the recent
years because of global warming and the
consequent climate change. The summers last
longer and the winters are shorter. Also, the
amount of rainfall during the monsoon season has
reduced. Sometimes we hardly get any rains during
the monsoon season.
 Work
 What work do you do?
(Personal answer)
 Why did you choose that type of work (or
job)?
I choose that type of work as it suited best to my
area of interest and my field of study as well.
 Do you like your job?
Definitely yes, I love my job. It is very important to
like the job you are doing as it contributes well to
your performance at work.
 Do you miss being a student?
Yes, I miss being a student. Now, when I look
back I realize that those were the best days of my
life.
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 Studies
 What subjects are you studying?
I have just completed my senior secondary in
commerce stream. Now I wish to go abroad for
my higher education.
 Why did you choose to study that subject?
I choose to study that subject only as I can see a
great future ahead in that field of study moreover
it was my own interest that pushed me to choose
that subject to study.
 Are you looking forward to work?
Yes, I am looking forward to have a part-time job
when I go abroad to study. I would prefer having
a job in my own field only so that I can gain some
experience and practical knowledge as well.
 At what time of the day do you prefer to
study?
I prefer to study in the mornings because at that
time I feel very fresh and I can concentrate well
on my studies. In fact, it is advisable to all to
study in the morning. Things studied at that time
of the day can be retained well for longer hours.
 Friends
 Do you have many friends?
Yes, I have many friends, but only a few close
friends.
 How often do you talk to your friends?
I talk to my friends every day. By best friend is also
my neighbour. We are together most of the time.
 How do you communicate with your friends?
I communicate face-to-face and also through cell
phone and apps like Whatsapp.
 What do you think makes people have a long
friendship?
Mutual understanding makes people have a long
friendship. If people can tolerate each other‘s
shortcomings and be simple and straight forward,
then friendships can be for a long time.
 Does it make things easier in a friendship if you
have similar interests?
Yes, definitely. With similar interests friends can
spend time together and not get bored. They will
also have similar topics for discussion. In a lasting
friendship it is very essential that your likes and
dislikes are similar.
 How do people make friends now?
Nowadays, people make friends through internet by
joining social networking sites like face book, twitter
and whatsapp.
 Do you think we meet new people differently
now than in the past?
Yes, definitely. Nowadays, we meet new people
through internet by joining social networking sites
like face book, twitter and whatsapp. Earlier, people
had lots of free time and they made friends by
meeting personally.
 Is friendship (= are friends) important to you?
(Why? /Why not?)
Yes, friends are very important for me. I can share
all my feelings with them, and they understand me
very well because they are mostly my age.
 Do you prefer to spend time with friends or
spend time alone? (Why?)
I prefer to spend time with my friends. I love their
company and I enjoy with them.
 What kind of people do you like to have as
friends?
I like my friends to be honest, trustworthy, helpful
and intelligent. I also like friends with a good sense
of humor.
 Teachers
 What kind of teachers do you like best?
I like teachers, who are friendly and have
patience; who do not get mad at me when I don‘t
understand anything. I like teachers who have
depth of knowledge of the subject, and who have
good communication skills to teach well.
 Who was your favorite teacher when you
were young?
When I was young Mrs. Promilla was my favorite
teacher. She used to teach me Maths. I
remember I used to be very weak at Maths, but
Mrs. Promilla taught us so well that Maths
became my favorite subject.
 Would you want to be a teacher in the future?
Yes, I would definitely want to be a teacher in the
future. I think I have the patience. Moreover,
teaching is a very lucrative profession nowadays.
 Have you ever had bad teachers before?
No, I have never had bad teachers in my life. All
my teachers have been very nice.
 Animals
 Do you like animals?
I would say I don‘t hate them. I am not very much
of an animal lover but I like them if they exist and
I am able to see them. But, owning an animal
might be something I won‘t prefer.
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 What’s your favourite animal? (Why?)
I love cows a lot. I think they bring in lot of peace
and care in a house. You see them, they rarely
make any noise and still for some reasons when I
look into their eyes, it feels very peaceful and
lovely.
 Are people in your country fond of animals?
Yes, they are. People in my country love animals.
You could find a dog or a cow being owned by a
family. And it is not for any monetary reasons but
because they like being around them and caring
for them. Animals do bring a certain extent of
happiness and togetherness in a family.
 What kinds of animals as a pet do the people
have in your country?
As a pet, most of the people have dogs in their
house. Dogs are preferred over other animals
because firstly they are very friendly and loyal to
their owner. Also, they help in guarding the house
against all the possible odds.
 Do children like animals?
It all depends, I assume. There are some who
love animals and then there are even those who
are scared of them and not like them. Also, there
are some who like to irritate animals just for the
sake of fun.
 What kind of animals do you think children
like?
I think for most part, children love dogs and cats.
Because these are the animals that children can
have lot of fun with. They can play and roam
about with them.
 What was your favourite animal when you
were a child?
I was not a very particular animal lover as a child.
I used to get irritated when people annoyed or
irritated animals, but going out and playing with
them was not my idea of having fun.
 Did you have any pets when you were a child?
Yes, my father got a dog for us as we were child.
But, I remember he was so aggressive that we
rarely played with it. He used to keep only for
guarding the house. However, later on when he
started recognizing us he allowed us to come
near him. I remember, my brother actually
bonded a lot with him and so when he died it was
a true shock for my brother.
 What do you think are the benefits of a child
having a pet?
I think a child learns a lot from a pet, especially
unconditional love and that is really important. In
times when people just do things for the benefit of
doing it, a pet teaches you that apart from the
money and the fame and the success there are
so many other things which are important in life.
 If you have children in the future, will you
allow them to raise a pet?
Definitely yes. I think having a pet in the house is
very important because it allows the kids to learn
about love, patience, respect and so much more.
It brings happiness and togetherness and tells
you that no matter if the other person is more or
less powerful you should stand for the right.
 Mobile Apps
 Which Mobile Apps do you use?
I use a lot of Mobile Apps for different purposes
like Whatsapp for sending messages to my
friends and family members. For social
networking I use Facebook and for sharing my
pictures I use Instagram. Apart from this I use
Apps to read news or do banking with my phone.
 Which ones do you want to use?
I would like to use Apps to know more about jobs
or studies related to my field. I believe there is a
huge requirement for Apps related to specific jobs
or courses and these can help people in
becoming good at what they do or study.
 Which ones are popular in your country?
In my country Whatsapp, Snapchat and
Instagram are the most popular Apps as people
in my country like to spend their time by chatting
with each other and sharing their pictures.
 Do you want to make an App?
Yes I would like to make an App. I would make an
App for the IELTS exam which can help students
in preparation of the exam and to score good
band.
 Dictionary
 Do you often use a dictionary? If yes, how
often and what for? If not, why not? If not very
often, say how often and why not very often?
Yes I use dictionary very often, in fact daily. I am
a student and I read a lot of text related to my
studies. I often come cross words I don‘t know
the meaning of and I use a dictionary to look up
the meaning and synonyms.
 Do you prefer to use an electronic dictionary
or a dictionary made of paper?
I prefer to use an electronic dictionary now as it is
very convenient and I can easily search for a
meaning in a matter of few seconds. I have a
dictionary App downloaded on my phone.
7
  If someone gives you a dictionary as a gift,
how would you feel?
I would feel happy, as it is a very useful gift for
me or for anyone. We keep coming across new
words every day and everyone should have a
dictionary.
 Do you think it would be interesting to write a
dictionary? Or do you think it would be
interesting to be a part of a team that is
writing a dictionary?
Yes, I think so. It will be very interesting to
understand the details of all words, like which
part of speech they form, what the origin of the
word is, its synonyms and many more such
details.
 What kind of person do you think writes a
dictionary?
A person who writes a dictionary has to have an
in-depth knowledge of the language and also
needs to know the origin and history of the
language. It requires a great deal of work and
thoroughness, so the person has to be very
patient and through.
 Transportation
 What’s the most popular means of
transportation in your hometown?
The most popular means of transportation in my
hometown is the bus. My hometown is on the
national highway, and there is bus service to
different places every two minutes.
 How often do you take buses?
I take the bus pretty often, in fact three or four
times a week to travel to the college/ university.
 Can you compare the advantages of planes
and trains?
Trains are cheaper than planes, but planes are
much faster than trains. In trains you can take as
much luggage as you want to, but in planes there
is a restriction. Railway stations are there in
almost all cities and towns, whereas airports are
there in only a few places.
 Is driving to work is popular in your country?
Yes driving to work is popular in big cities, and in
places where transport facilities are not so good.
In fact today, driving to workplace is considered
as a status symbol also.
 Do you think people will drive more in the
future?
It is difficult to say about the future as it is
uncertain, but the rate at which traffic congestion
is increasing on the road, I think people will use
public transport more.
 Would you ride bikes to work in the future?
No I don‘t think that I would ride bikes to work, as
far as I am concerned, they are not very safe.
 What form of transportation do you usually
use?
I usually prefer private transport to public transport.
I feel that the public transport is not very
comfortable and leads to wastage of time.
 Watch
 How often do you wear a watch?
I don‘t wear a watch very often. I check the time
on my cellphone. I wear watches occasionally. In
fact, today watch is nothing more than an
accessory.
 What was your first watch like?
My first watch was a basic children‘s watch. It
th
was a gift from my parents on my 5 birthday. It
was digital and was pink/ black/ blue in colour.
 What kind of watches do you like to wear?
I like to wear watches that match to my outfit as I
told you today people wear as an accessory. And
also on which it is easy to check time.
 Do people still wear watches in your country?
Yes, people in my country still wear watches.
Although the purpose of wearing watches are
different as it used to be in past. There are many
national and international brands available.
 Home/ Accommodation
 Do you live in a house or flat? Or what kind of
accommodation do you live in?
I live in an independent house. It is a two-storey
rick house.
 Can you please describe it a little?
It is a two-storey brick house. There are four
bedrooms with attached bathrooms, a kitchen, a
living room and a drawing room. There is a small
lawn in the front and a kitchen garden in the
backyard.
 What’s your favourite room in your home?
My favourite room in my home is my own room
because I have decorated it according to my own
taste.
 Do you have any plans of moving to some
other accommodation?
I have plans of going abroad for my higher
studies so only I have to move to abroad for that
purpose. Apart from that we do not have any
plans of moving out of that home.
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 Hometown
 What’s (the name of) your hometown?
I belong to Chandigarh, which a small but
beautiful and planned city. And is the capital city
of two states i.e. Punjab and Haryana.
 Would you say it is an interesting place?
Yes I would say that it is an interesting place. As I
told you it is the capital city for two states so it is
a happening city. It is known for shopping
centres. It is known for its lush green environment
and for that matter it is also called city beautiful.
 What do like the most about your hometown?
Although, I like everything about my hometown
but if asked particularly the thing which I like the
most is that it is well planned and connected to all
main highways and railways.
 Is there anything that you dislike about your
hometown?
As such there is nothing that I dislike about my
hometown but yes there is a thing that I would
like to mention
 Newspapers
 Do you often read newspapers?
Yes, I often read newspapers. I read the
newspaper every day. I come to know what is
happening around me and in the world.
 How old were you when you started reading
newspaper?
I was 10 years old when I started reading
newspaper. I started with the Sports Section.
 What kinds of newspapers do you usually
read?
My father has subscribed to The Tribune. So I
read that daily. It is a National Daily, but has
maximum circulation in Punjab.
 Why do you think people read newspapers?
People read newspapers to know what is
happening around them. They also read
newspapers for the international news. They also
read newspapers for the employment
advertisements and matrimonial.
 Do you care about the news?
Yes, I do care about the news. I think news is
very important. We should be aware of what is
happening around us in the whole world.
 Celebrity
 Who is your favourite celebrity in India?
My favorite celebrity in India is Amir Khan. He is
an actor par excellence. Recently, I saw his
movie Dangal, which is very motivational one and
I liked it very much.
 Do you like any foreign celebrity?
Yes, I like some sportsperson from Australia and
South Africa.
 Would you want to be a celebrity in the
future?
No, I don‘t think that I would want to be a
celebrity in the future. I am happy with the quiet
and peaceful life of a commoner.
 Do you think that we should respect famous
people’s privacy?
Yes, we should respect famous people‘s privacy.
They have a right to their privacy. It can affect
their performance if anyone invades their private
life.
 How do celebrities influence their fans?
Celebrities are the role models for their fans.
People always like to follow their favourite
celebrity. From the way they talk to the way they
talk, people want to do everything that they do.
 Music/ Musical Instruments
 Do you often like listen to music?
Yes, I often listen to music. I like listening to film
songs and Punjabi folk songs.
 When do you listen to music?
Whenever I am free I listen to music. Whenever I
do not get a sound sleep I listen to music. I have
downloaded quite a good range of music in my
mobile phone. Listening to music relaxes me.
 Have you ever been to a concert?
Yes, I have been to a concert once. There is a
village near my hometown where a famous
Punjabi singer comes once a year to perform for
charity. Last year I went with my friends there. He
performed live. He always has his tambourine in
his hands. It was an electrifying performance.
 How do you feel when you listen to the
music?
I feel very relaxed when I listen to the music. I
feel all my worries and tensions have flown out of
my mind and body. I forget everything for a
moment.
9
  Have you ever learned to play musical
instrument?
Yes, I tried learning the guitar. My cousin has a
guitar and once I stayed with them for a few days
during vacations. But, I found it quite difficult.
 Is music an important subject at school in
India?
Unfortunately, it is not. Music is an optional
subject in some schools, but all schools do not
have it.
 Letter/ Emails
 Do you often write (or, send) emails?
No, I don‘t often write/ send emails. I sometimes
write official emails, like for sending in a job
application through email and sometimes I write
to my friends.
 What do you write about?
I sometimes write official mails, like the one for
job application. When I write to my friends or
relatives, it is informal and I ask about their health
and wellbeing and tell them about what‘s going
on in my life.
 Name
 Do you think emails are useful?
I don‘t write handwritten letters any more. If I
need to, I send an email. All
 How often do you write letters?
I don‘t write handwritten letters any more. If I
need to, I send an email. All official and personal
letters can be sent through emails now.
 How do you keep in touch with your friends
and relatives (by email, letter, by phone or by
any other way)?
I stay in touch with my friends or relatives mostly
through the online social media apps and
websites, like Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram,
etc.
 Maps
 Do you use maps?
Yes, I use maps for navigation. Nowadays I use
maps application on my mobile for directions while
traveling. The app also tells me about the traffic
and the time it would take to reach the destination.
 Travel (space travel)
 Do you want to travel in outer space?
Yes, I would love to travel to moon or any other
planet like Mars. I want to see how our planet,
earth, looks from Space.
 Family
 How often do you meet with your family?
I stay with my family. I meet my family members
every day.
 How do you spend the time with your family?
I spend time with family in many ways. We eat
together, cook together, watch TV together and
do many things together.
 Do you want to live with your family in the
future?
Yes, definitely. My family is my life Even though I
go to some foreign country temporarily; I finally
want to be with my family.
 Are you close to all of your family members?
Yes, we are a very close-knit family.
 How has your family influenced you?
My family has influenced me in many ways. We
depend on each other for many things. We guide
each other from time to time and we do many
things together.
 Does your name have any special meaning?
Yes, my name has a special meaning. My name
is Sonia. It means a ray of light. My name is very
significant for me. It has been my identity for the
last 56 years. It is a gift given to me by my
parents. It brings out positive feelings from within
me. I am proud of my name.
 Is your surname very common in India?
My surname is Dhawan. I think it is very
common. I know many people with this surname.
 Do you like your name?
Yes, I love my name. It is my identity. It is the
meaningful name. It is my parent’s gift to me.
 Would you like to change your name?
No, I would never like to change my name. I love
my name as it is.
 Do people in India ever change their names?
Yes, sometimes people change their name.
Sometimes, when a girl gets married, her in-laws
give her a new name and start calling her by that
name. However, it is a very cumbersome
process to change one‘s name in papers.
 What name does people at home (your family
members) call you?
My nickname is Mohini. At home everyone calls
me by that name.
10
 Boat
 Do you often travel by boat?
No, I don‘t often travel by boat. I don‘t live in the
coastal area and where I live people do not travel
by boat. Boating is done only in places with water
such as the Sukhna Lake.
 Have you ever been on a boat while you were
on holidays (on vacation)?
No, I have never traveled to a coastal area for
holiday. I never got a chance.
 (Similar to above) Have you ever been on a
boat tour while you were on holidays? (Same
question as above. Can be answered
differently)
No, I have never been on a boat tour, but yes, I
did boating once then I went to Chandigarh to visit
my relatives. They took me to the Sukhna Lake.
 Would you like to go on a boat tour?
(Why?/Why not?)
Yes, I would definitely like to go on a boat tour. I
think it would be great fun. My relatives live in
USA. They told me that there‘s a cruise to Alaska.
One day I would love to do that cruise.
 (Similar to above) Would you like to have a
holiday on a boat?
 Where in your country do people most often
use boats? (or, travel by boat)
India has a long coastline. The coastline is more
than 7000 km. People living near the coast use
boats very often.
 Do many people in your country own their own
boat?
Maybe people living near the shores have their
own boats, but people living off shore do not have
their own boats.
 Would you like to buy a boat?
No, I would not like to buy a boat. I think it would
be a waste of money.
 If you had your own boat, what would you do
with it?
If I had my own boat, I would buy a house near
the beach and do boating every day.
 Gift
 What is the importance of gifts?
Gifts are gestures of love. They strengthen bonds
of friendship. Gifts make the recipient feel special.
 Is there any pressure on us to buy presents?
As such, there is no pressure on us to buy
presents. But sometimes when we receive costly
presents then there is a pressure to reciprocate in
the same way. Then it may cause pressure. I
believe that gifts should be just gestures of love.
Too costly gifts should not be there. Nowadays,
we belong to a consumerist society. There are so
many choices of gifts. This may seem good to
some, but I often get confused when it comes to
selecting a gift.
 How often do you buy others gifts?
I buy gifts very often. I buy gifts for my friends and
siblings, but I don‘t buy expensive gifts. I am not
earning yet. So, my budget is restricted to my
pocket money only.
 Do you like to send expensive gifts?
No, I don‘t buy expensive gifts. I am not earning
yet. So, my budget is restricted to my pocket
money only.
 What kinds of gifts are popular in your
country?
All sorts of gifts are popular in my country. People
buy gifts according to their choice and pocket.
 Why do people send gifts?
Gifts are tokens of love. They give happiness to
the giver and receiver both.
 Feedback
 What can be the effects of positive feedbacks?
 What can be effects to providing negative
feedbacks?
 If negative feedback demotivates a person, in
what ways we can convey a person that he/she is
lacking somewhere or need to improve upon?
 Strangers
 How do people meet strangers?
 How people make friends on social media?
 Which is more beneficial, chatting with strangers
on Facebook or having a video call with them?
 Why do people prefer to share some matter with
strangers instead of sharing with their friends and
family?
 Do you like to communicate to strangers?
 Why do people like to share their feelings or
secrets with strangers?
 Do you like to meet new people?
11
  What difficulties do you face while talking or
meeting strangers?
 Problems
 Why people want to take part in extreme sports?
 What problems can people have when they
travel?
 How old people and teenagers tackle with the
problems related to economy?
 Why these days, people started sharing their
problems with strangers rather than family and
friends?
 What problems are children facing these days by
not getting involved in sports?
 Photograph
 What kind of cameras do you like?
 Do you like to prefer having photos on walls or
have them saved in phones?
 What is the difference between a digital and a
printed photograph? Which one is better?
 Is it necessary to be a professional photographer
for being news reporter?
 Childhood
 What kind of toys should not be given to
children?
 What kind of child were you?
 Did you help your mother in childhood?
 Goals
 Is it important to have realistic goals?
 Is it always necessary to have something to
aspire in future?
 Is it important for children to have goals?
 What are the goals of children, youngsters and
elders?
 How can parents encourage their children to
achieve their goals?
 What are the goals of young people?
 How goals of younger people are different from
that of older people?
 Does goal changes as we grow older?
 Stay Alone
 Why do people stay alone?
 Why people prefer to spend time outside while
others prefer to spend time in a single room?
 Do you agree that there is a right age for people to
stop living with their parents?
 Plants
 What are the most common plants in your locality?
 Why do people like growing plants?
 Do you often visit place where there are lots of
plants?
 Story
 Is it considerable to ignore rest of story and focus
on moral?
 Science
 Who like science subject more- boys or girls?
 What would the effect of not having science
subjects in schools?
 What is the role of studying science subjects in
school?
 Do scientists help in global problems?
 What is the role of internet in science?
 Do you think Science subject alone is enough for
knowledge?
 Job
 On what basis would you choose a job- money or
satisfaction?
 Do you want to work in a city which is beautiful but
lacks in providing employment opportunities?
 Is job security more important than job
satisfaction?
 What are the factors people consider while
choosing a job?
12
  Do elder people should resign from the jobs so
that younger people would get a chance?
 Do you need to work extra hours?
 Is it easy to find a job in India?
 What should the government do if there is
unemployment?
 Is high salary important? Why?
 Is it easy to find job in your country?
 Is it OK to do a job in low salary?
 What is the difference between working conditions
of past and present era?
 What is the right age of getting a job?
 Business
 How can children develop their family business?
 Do bad businessmen get success in your country?
 What are the qualifications required to run a
successful business?
 Should practical experience or qualification be
compulsory for running a business?
 What are the requirements for starting a business?
 What are the difficulties faced by people to start a
business?
 Do you want to start your own business or want to
do a job?
 TV Programme
 Why people today prefer to watch Hollywood
movies and serials the most?
 What is more effective way of storytelling- books
or television?
 What kind of channels are there for youth?
 Do children and older people have same interest
in TV channels?
 Do you think people watch foreign TV shows in
India?
 Do you think TV should be used in classrooms for
education purpose?
 What types of TV programmes are popular in your
country?
 Should youth be allowed to watch TV for long
hours?
 Achievement
 What do you want to achieve in your life?
 Do students feel encouraged when they get prize?
 Who is your Role Model?
 Have you ever made a decision for your friend?
 How do parent‘s decisions affect their children‘s
life?
 Have you taken clear decision in your life?
 Should children take decisions with the help of
parents?
 What are some of the decisions that children make
in the young age?
 What is the difference between decisions making
in past and present?
 Is it easy to make decision on our own or should
take help?
 Do you think youngsters should take their own
decisions?
 Have you ever take any clever decision in your
life?
 What kind of clever decision was it?
 What are the advantages and disadvantages of
taking clever decisions?
 How the decisions taken by parents affect the
children‘s life?
 What important thinks do you consider while
taking big decisions?
 What skills are necessary while making decisions?
 Save Money
 Nowadays who saves more money-men or
women? Why?
 What are benefits of saving money?
 What are the reasons to money?
13
 Car Driving
 Should secondary schools give permission to drive
to students?
 Do automatic cars have advantages?
 Would you want natural resources to be used
nowadays?
 Can cars work on nuclear power?
 Is it necessary to learn driving?
 News
 Do you think newspapers affect the human‘s
everyday life?
 Some news are confidential, do you think they
should be shared?
 What kind of news do women and youngsters like
to listen?
 How important is it for you to gather news every
day?
 What sort of news are you interest in?
 Besides newspaper, what are the other sources of
getting news?
 Do you think news affect people‘s everyday life?
 Do people in your country share good news?
 Is it important to get news on international
matters?
 Do you read newspaper or follow internet?
 Would you like to be a news reporter?
 Famous
 Do you think it is easy to become famous in your
country?
 In which ways do people become famous?
 Why do you want to become famous successful in
future?
 Why do children want to become famous?
 What type of achievements made people famous
in past?
 In which field people become famous?
 Are celebrities talented by birth or become famous
with hard work?
 Encouragement
 Why is encouragement important?
 Is it necessary to encourage children?
 Can more encouragement be dangerous?
 How encouragement at office (work) is different
from encouragement at home?
 Time
 How time was important in past as compared to
present time?
 How did young and old generation manage their
time?
 Is it necessary to be always early?
 What do you think about people who are always
early?
 Do you think managing time is important?
 Which is better in managing time- old or young
generation?
 Do you think it is possible to learn how to manage
time?
 Exercise & Fitness
 Should men and women go to the same gym?
 Where do ladies prefer to do exercise- indoors or
outdoors and why?
 What are some of the common exercises
performed in your country?
 What are some of the exercises that you
performed during your primary or secondary
school days?
 What can be done to encourage people to live a
healthy life?
 Do you think people of every age group should do
some exercise or join gym?
 What do you do to stay fit?
 Who pays more attention towards their health-
men or women?
14
  Where would you like to go for yoga?
 What should schools do to promote healthy
lifestyle among children?
 What do people usually do to remain healthy?
 Lifestyle
 Do you think government should promote healthy
lifestyle among people?
 What changes in the lifestyle people need to do in
order to stay healthy?
 Should government and schools impose rules to
promote healthy lifestyles?
 What habits have changed the lifestyle of people
nowadays as compared to past?
 Space
 What is the role of space craft?
 Rainy days
 Does it rain much in India?
 Does it rain much in your hometown?
 In which season does it rain the most?
 In which season does it rain in the most part of
India?
 Would you prefer to have more or less rain in your
hometown/ country?
 Do you think rain is good?
 Do you prefer rainy days or sunny days?
 High School
 Are you still in contact with your friends from high
school?
 What is your high school like?
 Did your parents choose your high school for you?
 What subjects did you study in secondary school?
 What was your favourite subject during your high
school?
 How do you feel about your high school?
 Films
 Do you like to watch films?
 Do you prefer foreign films or Indian films?
 How often do you go to cinema to watch movie?
 What was the first movie that you watched,
particularly in a theatre?
 Bus or Taxi
 How often do you take the bus?
 When was the first time you took a taxi?
 What are the advantages of taking a taxi as
compared with buses?
 Is it convenient to take us or taxi in your
hometown?
 Singing
 Do you often like to sing?
 When do you like to sing?
 How much time do you often spend in singing
every day?
 What kind of music do you like to sing?
 Is it difficult to sing well?
 Do you want or ever wanted to be a singer?
 Hats
 Do you like to wear hats?
 What kind of hats do you have?
 Where do you like to buy hats from?
 Is wearing hats popular in your country?
 Dance
 When was the last time you went to a place where
people go to dance in your country?
 When was the last occasion you danced a lot?
 Do you like dancing?
 Did you learn to dance?
 Have you ever learnt dancing?
15
  Why do you think people love to dance?
 Do you think children love to dance?
 Do you see dance on TV?
 Computer
 Do you use computer very much?
 When you do use a computer?
 What do you use computer for?
 What was your experience when you used a
computer the first time?
 How did you learn you use a computer?
 Have computers changed your life anyway?
 Are computers used much in your country?
 Do you think computers are useful in everyday
life?
 Computers are now used a lot in education sector.
What do you think of you?
 Do you play computer games?
 Do you think computers are perfect now or do they
still need to be improved?
 Mobile Phones
 What type of mobile phones do you use?
 Which kind of application would you like to create?
 What is the difference between usage of mobile
phones in past and present? How do you think it
would harm us?
 What do most people use cell phones for?
 Do most people have mobile phones in your
country?
 How much time do you spend on spend on mobile
phones?
 What kinds of gadgets are used in your country?
 How young and old people use mobile phones
these days?
 How do you feel if someone around you speaks
loudly on phone?
 Help
 Do you like to help others?
 Is it popular in your country to help others?
 Music
 What is the difference between classical and
western music?
 Do you like listening to music? Why?
 At what age do people listening to music in your
country?
 Have you ever attended any live concerts?
 What type of music do you like listening to?
 Are there any changes occurred in your music
taste as compared to past?
 Where do people usually go to listen to music?
 What are the advantages of listening to music?
 Waste Management
 Can you talk about waste management in your
country?
 What can be the effects of successful waste
management on the GDP of a nation?
 How can the economy be affected by setting up
new industries?
 Forget
 What kind of things one should never forget?
 Did you ever forget to bring something?
 How do you remind yourself of lost things?
 How we can remember things in mind?
 Environment
 What should government do to control noise
pollution?
 What factors contribute to noise pollution?
 Migration
 Why do people migrate from rural areas to urban
areas?
16
  What difficulties do people face when they migrate  How can we inculcate reading habit among
from rural areas to urban areas? students?

 Why most of the people are migrating to other  What kind of books do people usually use?
countries?
 Clothes
 What type of problems do people face when they
migrate from one country to another country?  What kind of clothes do you prefer to wear and
why?
 Is it easy to find jobs in your country?
 Do you like to wear funky outfits?
 Learning
 What kind of clothes do you prefer to wear on
 What kind of skills children mostly learn at school? weekends? And why?

 How can old people be helped to learn?  Do you think the preference of wearing clothes
today is same as compared to the past?
 What is the most effective way of self learning?

 What skills do you want to learn in future?

 What are the benefits of reading for children?

17
 IELTS
GREY MATTERS
GUESS PAPERS
(FULLY SOLVED)

SPEAKING TOPICS
18
1. Talk about a comic actor popular in your country.
You should say:
 who is he/she
 what type of person he/she is
 how you came to know about him/ her
 and explain why he/she is popular

Solution:

 I know of many comedians who entertain people but here I would like to talk about my favourite
comedian who is Kapil Sharma
 He is very famous nowadays because of his TV show – Comedy nights with Kapil.
 He is in his early thirties and looks very handsome.
 He basically hails from Amritsar and his father works in the police force. His mother is a housewife.
 He was the winner of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge Season3.
 He is a multi-talented personality and can also sing very well.
 He was a contestant in the reality show ‗Star ya Rock-star‘ and was the first runner up in that show.
 In Dec 2013, he was ranked 93rd in Forbes India Celebrity 100list.
 He has hosted many shows but he was appreciated the most for hosting Jhalak Dikhla Ja Season 6
with Manish Paul as a co-host.
 He is basically a stand-up comedian but can also do some slap-stick comedy.
 His show Comedy Nights with Kapil is my favourite show.
 This show is telecast on Colours channel every Saturday and Sunday from 9 – 10pm
 I never miss any episode of this show. It has very clean comedy.
 It can be seen with family. In fact all my family members watch this show together.
 Many celebrities also come on this show.
 They come there to promote their latest movies and also make this show more enjoyable for us.
 People get a chance to interact with these celebs.
 Navjot Singh Sidhu is also a permanent character of this show but he sits on the side of the
audience.

Follow up questions:

 Do your family members and friends like this actor?

Yes, they do. In fact, we all watch his shows together. He provides a type of comedy, which the
whole family can enjoy together.
 Why are film personalities famous?
Film personalities are famous because the entertain people. Many people watch their movies and
so come to know about them. They talk about their favour
 Do you think youngsters try to Copy film stars?
Yes, they do. Film stars are their style icons. Young people want to dress like their favourite celebs,
walk like them, talk like them and do everything like them.
 What are benefits and drawbacks of it?
The celebs set a good example, then it is very beneficial for the youngsters. For example, if celebs
work for charity, many youngsters also come forward and help. However, if any celeb smokes and
drinks in public, young people start thinking it is glamorous to do so and so do the same, which is
definitely not good.

19
2. Talk about the most interesting subject that you learnt in school.
You should say:
 what was the subject
 how long did you study it
 why you think it was interesting
 how did the teacher make it interesting

Solution:

 I studied many subjects in school.

 Till 10th, I studied English, Hindi, Punjabi, Maths, Social Sciences, Life Sciences and Computer
Science.
 Out of all these subjects, maths was my favourite.
 I studied maths from class 1 to class 10.
 I remember, till my 4th class, I used to hate maths.
 I was never very good at it.
 But in fifth, Mrs. Harinder became my maths teacher.
 She was very patient with me and would not be mad at me even if I went to her again and again
for understanding something.
 Slowly, I began to get my concepts clear and maths became my favourite subject.
 From 5th to 10th, maths remained my favourite subject.
 Mrs. Harinder was not just my favourite teacher, she was everyone‘s favourite.
 She developed our interest in maths by including mathematical activities and games.
 We would have quizzes and riddles to solve, which made it very enjoyable.
 She would have chocolates for the winners.
 Her way of teaching made maths very easy and interesting.
 I started getting good grades because of maths.
 Now, I teach maths to my neighbours children, who are in 5th and 6th.
 They seem to love maths too.
 I had a good teacher once and that is perhaps why I could become one.
 So, maths is the subject I found the most interesting.
 Maths is a subject which we use in our everyday life
 It makes our life orderly and prevents chaos.
 The present age is one of skill-development and innovations.
 The more mathematical we are in our approach, the more successful we will be.

Follow up questions:

 Is science an important subject in your schools?

Yes, I believe science is an essential subject and a minimum level of science should be
compulsory for all the students because it science helps us in understanding everything around
us. Also it is due to science that human beings have made great progress and life is better than
ever.
 In what ways do people learn about science?
There are lots of ways to learn about science nowadays. It is taught in schools at elementary level
and nowadays there is lot of content available on Internet, like people can watch videos on
YouTube related to science experiments. There are also lots of channels on Television such as
Discovery science where people from all age groups can learn about science.
 Do men learn science faster than women?
Well, I believe learning about science has nothing to do with the gender rather it depends on an
individual‘s learning abilities. Both men and women have turned out to be great scientists in this
world.

20
3. Talk about your favorite song.
You should say:
 which is it
 where did you listen it first
 why is it your favourite song
 and explain how was your experience with the song

Solution:

 I love music and I love listening to Hindi and Punjabi songs.

 Most of these songs are very meaningful.
 Here I would like to talk about a Punjabi song by a famous Punjabi singer GurdasMaan
 The name of the song is Boot Polishan.
 It is my favourite song.
 It is from his album Boot Polishan
 It was released in 2008.
 The song gives the message that work is worship.
 Instead of begging for money a person should work and earn.
 It does not matter if the work is small such as polishing shoes of people.
 If a person works and earns he can always hold his head high.
 I heard this song about two years ago and since then it has become my favourite song.
 Actually Gurdas Mann is my favourite singer.
 He is a multifaceted personality.
 He is a singer, actor, director and a lyricist as well.
 He writes the lyrics of his songs himself.
 He has also acted in many Punjabi movies.
 All my family members also love his songs.
 When we go out anywhere together we play his songs in the car.
 All his songs have messages.
 He even performs in stage shows.
 He always has his tambourine in his hands when he performs.
 There is a village near my home town where he comes every year and performs for charity.
 I went there last year.
 It was an electrifying experience.

Follow up questions:

 Do teenagers and adults enjoy the same kind of songs?

It depends on the personal taste. Generally speaking, teenagers like songs with fast beats and
adults like songs with good lyrics and soft music.
 What are the factors, which make people like a song?
A song should have good lyrics, a good composition, a pleasing voice and a good video to be liked
by people.
 On which occasions do people in your country sing together?
In my country, people sing together on birthday parties, marriages, anniversaries and national
holidays like the Independence Day and so on.
 Why do you think people of different age groups have different favorite songs?
This is because tastes change with age. At a younger age we like faster beat songs. When we grow
older, we start liking slow songs and songs related to religion.

21
4. Talk about a math skill that you learnt in your primary school.
You should say:
 what was it
 how did you learn it
 do you find it useful and how is it useful
 and explain how it will be beneficial for you in future

Solution:
 I learnt many math skills in my elementary school – such as counting, addition, subtraction,
multiplication and division.
 I was good at all of them
 In fact math was my favourite subject in primary school
 Here I would like to talk about counting.
 Our teacher used to teach us this skill by making dots or dashes and asking us to count them.
 Sometimes we were taught to count on our fingertips.
 Sometimes we were shown pictures of objects and we had to count them.
 Counting is very useful in our day to day life.
 Knowingly or unknowingly we use this skill for measurements and buying and selling.
 We need to do counting while using money and other things.
 Even housewives use this skill while working in the kitchen.
 They have to count the ingredients used in making various dishes and also need to do counting for
measuring things.
 Counting is the base of all other math skills like addition, subtraction and multiplication.
 In the future also counting will definitely be needed in each and every field.
 Everybody needs to count in his daily life at some time or the other.
 Without this basic skill life is un-imaginable.
 I remember, Mrs Promilla was my math teacher in primary school.
 She used to be my favourite teacher.
 That‘s why math became my favourite subject at school.
 It is because of this skill that today I am successful.

Follow up questions:

 How do you think calculators are helping in maths?

Computers are making calculations much faster and also error free. There are no chances of any
calculation going wrong. Repetitive and boring calculations are becoming easier.
 Do you think computers will make it less important for people to learn math?
No, I don't think so. The computers can do calculations, but learning maths will still be necessary
because maths is not just calculations, it is much more than that. It is needed in simple activities like
cooking, shopping where one cannot use computers.
 Do you think computers are going to be more intelligent than humans?
No, never, because Artificial Intelligence is also the creation of human brains. Computers can never
beat humans. The fears of AI are unfounded. Even if we believe that computers can be more
intelligent, then also they can never have the emotional Intelligence of humans.

22
5. Talk about a magazine that you read.
You should say:
 which magazine it is
 where you read it
 what was the magazine about

Solution:

 Magazines are good source of knowledge and entertainment.

 There are many Magazines available in the market but my favorite magazine is ―Meri Saheli‖.
 It is a Monthly and its editor is Mrs. Hema Malini, the famous actress.
 I like this magazine because it is not a magazine to read and throw, it is a collectible.
 I have collected many past issues.
 There are many regular features in this magazine like the cooking tips, home décor ideas and family
and social life improvement topics.
 I get many new ideas of preparing different varieties of snacks, vegetables and desserts and now I
can prepare variety of food to my family and friends.
 I also get new tiffin ideas for my kids.
 Now they eat tasty, healthy and nutritious food which makes them keep licking their fingers and
satisfies me a lot.
 This magazine also contains material about the relations, their problems and the solutions.
 I also get to know the latest fashions from this magazine.
 They have special issues from time to time such as knitting special, Diwali special, cookery special
and soon.
 Sometimes there are free samples of some cosmetics with the issues.
 Once I received sample of Olay total effects.
 I liked it so much that I now routinely use this cream.
 Whenever I get time, I flick through the pages of the magazine.
 Every time I come across something new.
 It is a complete magazine for me and my family and has something for everyone.
 That‘s why, this is my favorite magazine.

Follow up questions:

 What is difference between magazine and newspaper?

A newspaper is printed daily, but a magazine can be weekly, fortnightly, monthly, quarterly or
annually. A newspaper has news related to various topics, whereas a magazine caters to a specific
segment. For example, those who like sports will read sports magazine, and those who are tech
savvy, will read tech magazine.
 What magazines attract women?
Women usually get attracted towards magazines on beauty, cooking and may be interior decoration
and housekeeping.

23
6. Talk about a time when someone took a nice photograph of you.
You should say:
 when was the photograph taken
 where was the photograph taken
 who took the photograph

Solution:

 Nowadays, almost everyone has become a photographer.

 The smart phones of today have made it possible.
 I click many selfies with my phone and keep deleting those, which don't turn out good.
 Actually, I become very conscious in front of the camera and the photographs usually don't look
natural.
 Here, I would like to talk about a time when a professional photographer clicked a photograph of
me, which has come out very nice.
 I remember it was my cousin‘s wedding two months ago.
 I was wearing my new silk suit.
 After the main function, we were all dancing like mad to the tune of DJ.
 All my cousins were on the floor.
 The cameramen were there covering it all.
 Later on, we asked the photographer to give us all the photos and videos he had captured in our
external drive, so that we could see them and pick out the best ones.
 The photographer was very reluctant to give all the coverage to us, but we insisted and he had to
give in.
 All my photographs on the dance floor were good, but one was exceptionally good.
 Two of my cousins are also there in the pic and all are looking good.
 We were all so engrossed in dancing that no one was conscious.
 All of us are in a typical Bhangra pose.
 I was wearing a yellow suit with green embroidery and matching jewellery.
 One of my cousins was in magenta suit and the other one in royal blue.
 This picture has come out very colourful.
 My aunt got this photograph enlarged and framed and gifted one copy to all three of us.
 Now this is adorning the wall of our living room.
 Whenever, I see this picture, the memories of the whole wedding come in front of my eyes.

Follow up questions:
 There are a lot of additions made to photographs these days. What attitude of people
does this show?
People want to look their best. Nowadays, people do a lot of editing on photographs. In my
opinion, it takes away the originality of the moment. Sometimes, people do such additions or
changes with wrong intentions. They may put someone‘s face on someone else‘s body. This
may hurt the sentiments or may even cause problems.
 Is this going to affect the photographers and their working style?
Yes, of course. Photographers who know how to make subtle changes and make people look
good may become more popular and get more work. But, they should remain within some limits
and not make changes, which make everything look artificial.
 Do people like digital photographs or printed photographs?
It is a matter of personal choice. Digital photographs don't occupy space and the person may
store thousands of them in one‘s computer or laptop. Printed photographs can be put on display
in a frame. But, one cannot have many of them.

24
7. Describe a friend from your childhood.
You should say:
 when and how you met
 how often you see this friend
 what kind of personality your friend has
 and explain why you like to spend time with this particular friend.

Solution:

 I am going to tell you about my first ‗best friend‘ from childhood, Rahul. I met him when I was only 8
years old and was in primary school.

 After that, our intimacy grew up and we became best friends. One day he forgot to bring his book to
school and that day I helped him with my expire books. After that, we talked for a long after school
and our friendship started to begin. We went to college together and then got admitted to different
Universities. Since we were studying in the same city, we can meet each other and spend time
together.

 We are yet to finish our graduation and busy with our own stuff but whenever we get vacation we
spend time together. Since our hometown is same, we go there together and thus we meet each
other at least twice in a month.

 He is a helpful and talented friend who helps people and always wished best for people. He is
studying Mathematics and he has a talent in Mathematics. Sometimes he explains some complex
mathematical theories in a very simple and interesting way. He is passionate about reading books
and that makes a good bonding with me. We often exchange our thought and criticism about books
and politics.

 I like to spend time with him because we have many common interests between us. I never feel
bored spending time with him. Since we are friends for a long time, we understand each other. A
good friend always extends helping hands when in need and I've found Rahul by my side always.
We do so many fun stuff together and help each other in our study. Good friendship, understanding
and common interests make us close friends and those are the major factors for what I like to
spend time with his.

Follow up questions:

 Is friendship important in your culture? How many close friends can you have?
Friendship is really important indeed and I think that it should be of paramount importance in all
cultures worldwide. Our friends are our siblings and those people who we have chosen to have in
our lives. Moreover, a friend is a person you can call whenever you are sad, happy, angry, excited
and so on. We should take into account that many people in different countries consider their pals
to be more valuable than their own parents. As far as I‘m concerned, I believe that someone can
have two or three close friends and I can tell that from my personal experiences.
 Are friends more important than family?
That‘s a really difficult question to answer. It is widely accepted that parents are those people with
whom we are connected by blood and also our closest relatives. Friends, on the other hand, are
just some people we come across during our lifespan and it‘s our choice whether we will keep
them in our life or not. But, as I mentioned earlier, there are many adults who consider that
friendship is more important compared to family and the reasons for this may differ. From my
point of view, I would argue that parents and friends should be equally important in someone‘s life
because a fulfilling and complete life consists of both family and sidekicks. Besides, life without a
friend is death without a witness.

25
8. Talk about a successful sportsperson.
You should say:
 who is the person
 what are his achievements
 why do you admire him

Solution:

 I think, sports play an integral/important part in our lives and every person has a sportsperson in
their life who they admire either secretly or openly.
 Today I would like to talk about a sportsperson who has been a constant source of inspiration to
me and the millions of other people in our country.
 His name is Virat Kohli and he is a cricketer.
 He plays as a right handed batsman
 He is just 29 years old and also one of the youngest Captains of Indian Cricket team.
 He leads the Indian cricket team in all the three formats of the game i.e. One Day Internationals,
Test Cricket and T-Twenty matches.
 He is also ranked as one of the world‘s most famous athlete by the Forbes Magazine.
 One of his greatest achievements was leading Indian Under 19 team to victory in World cup
tournament.
 He Debuted (note the pronunciation - debued) for India when he was only 19 years of age and
since then he has never looked back and broken a lot of records.
 Currently he has the second highest number of International centuries in the game, just behind
the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.
 From a personality perspective, he is an aggressive player with a winning attitude and strong
commitment towards the game.
 One thing that a lot of people don‘t know about Kohli is that he lost his father while playing a test
match for his state team but he still continued to bat and only after he had saved his team from
losing, he went for the cremation of his father.
 Apart from sports, Virat Kohli also does a lot of charity through his foundation which works for
better education and healthcare of underprivileged children.
 Recently he was in the news for his marriage to famous Bollywood Actress Anushka Sharma.
 They got married in Italy and it was one of the biggest weddings of year 2017.
 I wish that he will win the world cup for India in 2019 and lead India to number one spot in all

Follow up questions:

 Do teenagers like exercising in your country?

Yes, in my country teenagers love to exercise, many of them go for jogging in parks near to their
homes and some of them also join gymnasiums and sports club for exercising because it helps
them in staying fit and healthy.

 Do you think physical education is necessary? Why?

Yes, physical education is necessary because it helps us in staying fit and healthy. It also teaches
us a lot about different sports and nutrition. With the help of physical education, we can learn the
right way of doing exercise so that we do not injure ourselves during exercising.

 How do you think physical education classes affect children's development?

Physical education classes help children in learning about their bodies and how to stay healthy.
These classes also make them aware about healthy diets which promotes growth among them.

26
9. Describe an occasion when you received a good/best service from a restaurant or a
shop.
You should say:
 what the service is
 when and where did you receive the service
 with whom you went there
 any explain why you like the service

Solution:

 I am a shopaholic and I love to purchase things.

 Here I would like to talk about a situation when I received a very good service from a shop in a
shopping mall in Jalandhar.
 Last month I went there with my cousins to buy some clothes for myself.
 I wanted to buy a pair of jeans and I had heard about this shop in Viva Collage, which sells jeans
of all top brands.
 We went straight to that shop and the salesmen welcomed us with smiling faces.
 They started showing us various varieties and allowed us to try them on.
 We were very happy to know that Levis Company was offering a deal.
 We picked out the colours of our choice and happily made the purchase.
 Two jeans needed slight alterations in length, which they got done within an hour at no extra cost.
 We were very happy with their prompt service.
 Later on we enjoyed at the mall and had lunch there at a food outlet.
 In the evening we watched a movie in the same complex.
 When I came home and showed my jeans to my family, they also liked it a lot.
 I refer that shop to all my friends and relatives because of their services.

Follow up questions:

 What jobs require staff to get in touch with many people?

There are many jobs which require their staff to be in touch with people, such as the jobs of
salesmen, some jobs related to go field work, jobs in banks and malls, teaching jobs and so on.
 What qualities does the staff need? Why?
The staff needs good communication skills. They need to be polite all the time, and also have a lot
of patience. They need to have good knowledge of what they are selling or offering.
 What’s the difference between services in big shops and small shops?
In big shops, things are displayed, and you can pick up what you need, but in small shops, the
salesmen guide and personally show you what you ask for. They even guide you about the
products. The return policies of big shops are better than those of smaller shops. Big shops offer
more variety of products, whereas small shops have less variety.
 What should people do when they get bad service?
People should complain if they get bad service. They can complain to the store manager or the
company of which they have got the product.
 Why do some people not know what service is good?
Some people do not know what service is good, because they have not compared it with the other
stores or the other brands. Sometimes it is also because people are not aware of the concept of
customer service.

27
10. Talk about an unusual meal.
You should say:
 when did you eat it
 where did you eat it
 with whom have you had this meal

Solution:

 When I was a child, I used to be a very selective eater.

 My mother was always worried about my health.
 I used to drink milk but then I started avoiding it too.
 I remember I used to intentionally spill milk or throw it in the washbasin when no one was looking.
 Once I mother caught me throwing it.
 My parents scolded me a lot.
 My dad told my mother that I should not be given milk again.
 My mom was caught between a rock and a hard place.
 I don‘t know how she came up with a fried milk recipe but the next day I was given some cutlets
instead of milk.
 I had no idea what they were but I loved them.
 From then on, every morning, I ate those fried things.
 I felt like the luckiest kid. I also took a few for my friends in school.
 They all loved them too.
 Someone in school asked me, what they were made of.
 I asked my mom but she said it's a secret.
 For a few days I forgot about it but then one day, I actually saw my mom making them from the
kitchen window.
 They were made from milk. It was fried milk.
 My mother had found a way of feeding me milk and at the same time making sure I didn‘t throw it.
 She added a lot of other things to it like eggs, lemon peels, and cornstarch.
 I don‘t think I would have eaten them, if I knew they were made from milk before tasting them.
 My mother made a whole meal out of something I hated.
 It was of course less healthy as it was fried but she used very little oil too.
 Even now, I sometimes crave them.

Follow up questions:

 Do you think having dinner at home is a good idea?

Yes, of course. Home cooked meals are always healthier than meals at restaurants. At home we
use the best oils and add spices to our taste. We also wash the vegetables properly before
cooking.
 Do young people like to spend time with their families or friends?
Young people like to spend time with friends more because they have no generation gap with
friends. When they spend time with family, there are chances of misunderstandings. Parents have
to be friendly, otherwise young people drift away from them.
 What do you think are the benefits of having dinner together?
When families have dinner together, it increases family bonding. They share their day‘s
happenings with each other. It has also been seen that when families have 3-5 meals a week
together, then children do not fall into vices like drugs and alcohol.

28
11. Talk about a street market in your city.
You should say:
 where is it located
 what can you buy there
 how you feel about it

Solution:

 I believe shopping is a great pastime and people shop at different places like malls and roadside or
street markets
 Rich people nowadays prefer to shop in the malls whereas youngsters and economically weaker
people shop from markets nearby their home or the street markets
 Today, I would like to talk about a street market which is near my hometown and all kinds of things
can be bought here.
 This market is usually open on Sundays. It is located in our city centre
 Most of the street hawkers and vendors come to sell their products here.
 One can buy anything from clothes, books, utensils, mobile screen guards and everyday use items
from this market.
 There are also a lot of street vendors who sell toys for children like bubble maker etc.
 Sometimes one can see few street artists as well who perform stunts in the market.
 There are also a lot of food vendors in this market and one can eat a variety of snacks like burgers,
sandwiches etc.
 The street food available in this market is really delicious. Although sometimes the food may be
unhygienic.
 This market is very popular amongst youngsters as they get the latest in fashion at very nominal
rates.
 Most of the items available at this market are of inferior quality but due to their low price people
prefer to buy them.
 I recently bought a second hand book from this market. The name of the book is One Indian Girl. It
is written by the author ChetanBhagat.
 The original book is for 300 Rs but I got it for only 100 Rs. So I was very happy with the purchase.
 I like to go to this market with my friends. Next time I will buy some mobile accessories/ jewelry
from this market.

Follow up questions:

 Do people in your country enjoy going to street markets that sell things like food or
clothes or old objects? Which type of market is more popular? Why?
The people of my country usually shop their necessaries from the street markets. It is like a
culture for them to visit the markets once a day. So, it seems they enjoy much in shopping in
those markets more than shopping at the concrete-build shopping malls. The shopping malls are
popular among the top class people but most of the ordinary people like to visit the open markets
for some specific reasons. The first cause is that a large variety of a single product is available
there which is not found at the attractive shopping malls.
 Do you think markets are more suitable places for selling certain types of things? Which
ones? Why do you think this is?
The markets are visited by most of the commoners and they are on their way to home. So, those
places are suitable to sell certain types of things like small electronic gadgets, hair cut facilities,
clothes for common use etc. The things are sold in the open markets as the products and things
are frequently used and thus get damaged soon, but the people do not care about using those
with care as they are less expensive comparing to the shopping malls and available in the open
markets.

29
12. Talk about a dress that you wore on some special occasion.
You should say:
 what is the dress
 who gave it to you
 when did you wear it
 and explain how you feel about it

Solution:

 Everyone loves fashion nowadays. Even I also like to try new outfits every day and especially on
the functions or special occasions
 I have got a huge collection of different dresses and suits in my cupboard.
 Here, I would like to talk about a traditional suit, which my maternal gave me as a gift on my
birthday.
 It is a bottle green suit with magenta and golden embroidery
 It also has a multi-coloured stole to go with it which had a golden lace on all sides
 It is studded with golden beads
 It has a very traditional ethnic touch to it
 It is a very beautiful suit
 The stole is in crinkled silk
 She gave me matching accessories also
 She gave me a golden beaded purse to go with it.
 Whenever I wear the suit, I wear my traditional Punjabi shoes, which match perfectly with the suit.
 When I wear that suit everyone compliments me
 I feel very good when I receive those compliments.
 Actually, my aunt runs her hobby classes of cooking in Chandigarh.
 I stayed with her during my vacations and helped her.
 She could accommodate more number of students because of my help.
 She offered me money, but I refused because I had not helped her for money.
 So she bought this expensive suit for me on my birthday.
 I really like the suit and have worn it on many occasions. Last time, I wore this suit at my college
farewell.

Follow up questions:

 What kinds of clothes do people wear after work?

People wear comfortable and casual clothes after work, because usually at work, people have
to wear uniforms or formal clothes. Once people come back home, they like to relax and want
to be more comfortable.
 What kind of clothes should people wear at work?
At work people should wear proper and formal clothes. At some workplaces, uniforms are
needed, which gives them an identity and develops a sense of discipline. It also depends on
the type of work people do. If someone is working as a gym instructor, he or she cannot wear
formal clothes to work. They have to wear sportswear.
 Do you think students need to wear school uniforms?
Yes, I think students need to wear school uniforms, as they act as a social leveler/equalizer.
Uniforms give an identity to the students and also inculcate a sense of discipline among
students. Uniforms are also good for the school‘s security, as if any miscreants enter the
school, they can be easily spotted.

30
13. Describe something that cannot be learnt at school.
You should say:
 what the skill is
 why it cannot be learnt at school
 why is it important
 how can we learn it

Solution:

 I believe it is an interesting topic because whenever one says the word learning the first thing that
comes to mind is school.
 School is a place where most of the learning happens in the early phases of our life.
 Today I would like to talk about a skill that I believe we still do not learn at school but we learn it at
home from parents.
 This skill is called cooking and it‘s normally taught by the mothers in the house.
 Most importantly it is one of the essential skills in lives because we cannot survive without food.
 The reason why it cannot be taught in the schools is because schools do not have the proper
infrastructure and time to teach such skills.
 Schools mostly focus on children‘s education and sports development.
 Also teaching this skill requires individual attention and safety precautions as cooking involves
working with fire. So it‘s difficult for schools to provide the same.
 This skill is important because children cannot always be dependent on their parents for cooking,
when they move out of their homes like for higher studies or jobs, they have to cook for themselves.
 One of my friends who recently moved to Canada, learnt how to make Flat Indian bread and lentils
from his mother, 3 months before leaving to Canada.
 Now he is sharing an apartment with four friends and he cooks Flat Breads for others every day.
 If he wouldn‘t have learnt how to cook then it would have been really difficult for him to eat
 Canadian food as he is a vegetarian whereas Canadian cuisine is largely non-vegetarian
 The learning of this skill happens mostly at home but there are also some people who run cooking
classes which one can join and learn how to cook.
 Nowadays people are also learning how to cook by reading books and watching recipes on Internet
websites like YouTube.
 There are also many TV programs like master chef. By watching these programs people can learn
to make new dishes.

Follow up questions:

 What qualities are most important for work?

A lot of qualities are required for work such as discipline, punctuality, teamwork and honesty etc.
But I think the most important quality is your dedication towards work, if one is dedicated to his/her
work then all other qualities follow.
 What skill do you want to learn soon?
I would love to learn some skills that will help in the development of my personality. I think
interpersonal skills are very important because wherever we work we have to deal with people and
if one have good interpersonal skills they can work together with their colleagues.
 Why is it necessary for teenagers to learn to use computers?
It is very important for everyone including teenagers to learn about computers nowadays because
computers have now become an essential part of our lives. We can see computers everywhere
from shopping malls, offices, hospitals etc. Most of the jobs today involve using computers, so if
they do not learn computers it will be difficult for them to find employment in future.

31
14. Describe a country where you would like to work for a short time.
You should say:
 which country/city is it
 when would you like to go
 why do you want to work/ settle in that country

Solution:

 I am planning to go abroad for my higher studies.

 My dream country for my further studies is Canada.
 I would like to work there for the time that I am there.
 I have heard that students can work part time while studying over there.
 My friend went to Humber College Canada for his Business Management course.
 He told me a lot about the education system there.
 He is working part time in a pizza outlet.
 He gets 10 Canadian dollars an hour.
 He can work 20 hours per week but he can be flexible with the number of hours he can work per
day.
 So he works 5 hours on Saturday and 5 on Sunday and two hours per day on weekdays. In this
way his study is not disturbed.
 He is managing his overhead expenses very nicely.
 I intend to join him soon.
 He has promised to help me find a job there.
 I would like to work in the library.
 Part time jobs in the library get filled up very fast.
 If I don‘t get a job in the library, I would like to work in a restaurant or a fast food outlet.
 I think it would be a very good way to learn about the culture and to meet new people and make
new friends.
 Canada is a beautiful country.
 My friend is in Toronto and he has told me that he has visited many places there.
 He told me about the CN Tower and the Niagara Falls.
 So, I would definitely like to work in Canada for a short time.

Follow up questions:

 What kinds of jobs are easy to get in a foreign country?

My cousin who lives in Canada tells me that there are many jobs that are easy to get for students
studying there. The most common ones are the jobs in restaurants or fast food outlets like
McDonald‘s, Burger King, Subway, and those in the college campus itself, like jobs in the library,
etc.
 Should young adults work abroad?
Yes, young adults should work abroad because of several reasons like, taking care of their
overhead expenses, taking the financial burden off their parents‘ shoulders, they become more
independent and responsible and they gain experience about the work culture, which would help
them in their future. It is also a good way to learn about the culture of that country and to meet
new people and make friends.
 If they don’t work abroad, would it be helpful for them to travel in a foreign country?
Yes, travelling is definitely helpful. They would come to know about the culture, meet new people,
see new places, and make new connections. However, if they don‘t work, they may not be able to
afford travelling.

32
15. Talk about a time when you had to change your plans.
You should say:
 when it happened
 what was the plan
 why you had to change it
 and explain how you felt

Solution:
 Although I have encountered many such occasions important or unimportant when I had to alter
my plans because of some or the other reason.
 But here today I would like to mention the one that I kind of really regret but it the situation was so
urgent that I had no other option but to alter the plans.
 It was so happened, I was in my graduation final year. One of my cousins‘ wedding was around
the corner. Though the date was not fixed but the tentative month was decided.
 It was around those days only that the final exam of my final year was to be held and again the
date sheet was not out. So I had no idea that when the exams would be held.
 Since the month of the marriage and the month of my exam were same, I was very worried that
the exams would not come up on the same date.
 I was so excited about the marriage and was fully prepared for the marriage. I bought everything
from clothes to accessories everything.
 Since it was family event, all the relatives, cousins etc. would be meeting after ages, so the
excitement reached its peak.
 After few days, the date of the marriage got fixed and it was 18th of May. With the date fixed for
marriage, the excitement got doubled and fear of date sheet to be out as well.
 And right before a week of the marriage all my fear turned into reality. My date sheet for exams
was out. And one of my exams was clashed with the date of the marriage.
 The marriage was in Mumbai, since I reside in Chandigarh, it was not possible for me to reach
there on time after exam. Exam was equally important; I could not miss the exam because I had
applied for internship with a reputed company which very much dependent upon the results of my
final exam.
 So I decided to drop the plan of going to marriage and decided to prepare and go ahead with the
examination.
 Though it was a really difficult time since so wanted to attend the marriage. But I had no other
option than choosing exam over marriage.
 I felt really bad about changing my plans of going to marriage. I really regret that time. And after
marriage when family returned and narrated everything about marriage, every event, that regret
turned into remorse.
 But later on when my result was out and passed my exams with distinction and I even got
selected for internship, all the regret turned to happiness.

33
16. Describe something important that you lost in the past.
You should say:
 what did you lost
 how you lost it
 where you lost it
 how you felt when you lost it

Solution:

 In the era of technology, we use many electronic items for our convenience.
 Many electronic items like different types of gadgets such as mobile phones, watches, computers
and many more are become part of our life.
 My daily work becomes easier by using these items.
 However, if I lost any of them it creates many problems for me.
 Here I would like to talk about an incidence when I lost my watch which was very close to my heart
as it was gifted to me by my mother on my 23rd birthday.
 That watch was of Casio Company.
 It was a limited edition watch. There were many attractive features in the watch like water
resistance, dual time, sleep monitor, calorie counter and step measurement.
 It was my dream watch and my mother completed my wish. But I lost it last year in Goa.
 Last year I visited Goa with my friends where we had enjoyed a lot by visiting different beaches.
 I did many water activities like scuba diving, jet skiing, paragliding, bumper ride and banana ride.
 After doing such fun activities when I return to my hotel room. I released that my watch was not in
my hand. I had dropped it into the sea or on the beach while performing water activities
 The was not change that I can go back and find it, as in whole day I went to different beaches and
other site seeing places of Goa.
 I was very disappointed because I lost my favourite watch.
 My mother saved money every month for many years to buy me this watch.
 Hence, I felt very guilty at that time.
 I am a very fitness freak person and I was using that watch for my daily workout. It was very useful
for me to calculate my calorie intact as well as it also counts the calories which I burnt during my
training sessions.
 So I felt very frustrated at that time as it was one of the precious gifts which I ever received in my
life.

Follow up questions:

 What lesson did you learn after the loss of that thing?
The most important thing I learned is that I should always carry my belongings with utmost care.
 What measures should we take to protect valuable items from getting lost or stolen?
We should keep our valuables in a safe place. Preferably n a cupboard or a separate safety case
which is fixed to a wall and locked. Moreover, it is also possible that we can rent a locker in bank
where we can keep our valuables.
 How should we take care of our important things in daily life?
We should keep those things that we use in our everyday life at a proper place. For example,
mobile phones, gold rings, necklaces, bracelets, wallets and so on. We should keep them in a
drawer and when we are at home, we can lock that drawer so that they are safe from being stolen
or being damaged.

34
17. Describe a public place you visited and you think needs improvements.
You should say:
 what is it
 when you visited
 what you liked and disliked about it
 why do you think it needs improvements

Solution:

 There are many public places in every city where people can socialize and hang out with each
other, such as parks, city centers, marketplaces, public schools and colleges, public banks and so
on.
 Here I would like to talk about Niku Park, a very famous park in Jalandhar.
 Last year my sister and her children visited me.
 To entertain my nephew and niece, I decided to take them to Niku Park. On their second day with
me, we went there. Niku Park is a very old park.
 I remember, my parents used to take me there in my childhood, sometimes.
 However, the park was a lot different than I remembered.
 A few years ago, many new rides were added to the park.
 My niece and nephew became very excited when they saw the rides.
 The tickets for the rides were also very economical.
 Children below a certain height were not allowed on some rides, because of which my nephew,
who is younger and shorter was not eligible for a few rides.
 He was very disappointed at first but within a few seconds he forgot all about it.
 He enjoyed all the other rides like the toy train, bumper cars and the Ferris wheel.
 I also enjoyed a few rides with my nephew.
 Time just flew by with the kids.
 I liked everything about the park except the fact that people were throwing empty water bottles
here and there.
 I feel that some trashcans should be there at very frequent intervals and also some notices not to
litter the place should be put up.
 On the whole journey back, the kids kept saying that they would like to visit Niku Park again.
 Unfortunately we couldn‘t visit it again as my sister didn‘t have much time.
 My nephew and niece are visiting me again this year and every day they remind me that they
want to go there.
 I don‘t think they will wait for the second day this time.
Follow up questions:
 Are there many public places in India?
Yes. India is a big and diverse country having a lot of population. Where there is public, there are
bound to be public places.
 Do you like to exercise in public places such as parks?
Yes, of course. In this way, I get to exercise and also get some fresh air. Moreover, there are many
people exercising in the park, which encourages everyone to exercise there.
 What measures should governments and individuals take to keep these places clean?
Governments should have trash-cans at regular places and appoint people to regularly clean these
bins. People should be educated by the media to keep these places clean. There should be fines
for those who litter the place.

35
18. Describe a party you attended recently and enjoyed.
You should say:
 what party it was
 where the party was held
 who attended the party
 and explain what you did in the party

Solution:

 Frankly speaking, I am not a party buff and usually attend only those parties wherein I know some
people or there is something exciting going on.
 The party that I am going to talk about is the one I went last month.
 It was my friend‘s friend birthday bash and she invited all of us.
 Initially, I was fine with going there but later on my friend told me she cannot come along and I
almost cancelled my plan, when my friend‘s friend actually called me and invited again to come.
 Hesitantly, I said a yes and I would say that was the best yes I had ever said.
 The party was in Rishikesh, a tourist spot in Uttarakhand, India.
 It was a night party and there were camp fires, music, dance, games and lot of interesting people.
 To my surprise, Anusha i.e. my friend‘s friend knew a lot of people and had invited them all.
 And I met and talked to many interesting people that I might otherwise never have come across!
 This included the self-employed interior designer; marathon runners; entrepreneurs, writers.
 It was exciting to talk to them and find out how they are connected with the host.
 Not only were the people great, the food and other services were fantastic. There were stalls of
different kinds and one could eat whatever they wish. And it was really tasty food too!!
 What‘s more, I discovered that actually I did know quite a few people there after all.
 I am almost won over.
 Next time she offers to host a party, I might even find myself looking forward to it, you never know.

Follow up questions:

 Do children like to party?

Yes, they do. Party means fun and enjoyment to them. It means new clothes, lots of eat and a
chance to dance and make marry.

 Do adults like to party?

Yes, adults like to party. To adults, it means a time to get together with friends and family. It
means having a break from the monotonous routine life. It is a time to recharge one‘s batteries.

 Do you like loud music in party?

No, personally I don‘t. It gives me a headache. But most of my friends do. They think that any
party is incomplete without loud music.

36
19. Describe a popular person in your country.
You should say:
 who is he
 how do you know him
 why is he popular

Solution:

 I think, sports play an integral/important part in our lives and every person has a sportsperson in
their life whom they admire either secretly or openly.
 Today I would like to talk about a sportsperson who has been a constant source of inspiration to me
and the millions of other people in our country.
 His name is Virat Kohli and he is a cricketer. He plays as a right handed batsman
 He is just 29 years old and also one of the youngest Captains of Indian Cricket team.
 He leads the Indian cricket team in all the three formats of the game i.e. One Day Internationals,
Test Cricket and Twenty Twenty matches
 He is also ranked as one of the world‘s most famous athlete by the Forbes Magazine
 One of his greatest achievements was leading Indian Under 19 team to victory in World cup
tournament
 He Debuted (note the pronunciation - debued) for India when he was only 19 years of age and
since then he has never looked back and broken a lot of records.
 Currently he has the second highest number of International centuries in the game, just behind the
legendary Sachin Tendulkar
 From a personality perspective, he is an aggressive player with a winning attitude and strong
commitment towards the game.
 One thing that a lot of people don‘t know about Kohli is that he lost his father while playing a test
match for his state team but he still continued to bat and only after he had saved his team from
losing, he went for the cremation of his father.
 Apart from sports, Virat Kohli also does a lot of charity through his foundation which works for better
education and healthcare of underprivileged children.
 Recently he was in the news for his marriage to famous Bollywood Actress Anushka Sharma.
 They got married in Italy and it was one of the biggest weddings of year 2017.
 I wish that he will win the world cup for India in 2019 and lead India to number one spot in all
formats of the game.
Follow up questions:
 What are the qualities of being popular?
A popular person is one who is a people‘s person. He should be friendly and approachable by
people. He should be helpful and empathetic. He should be a good listener and try to lead by
example.
 Do you know any popular star who likes helping other people?
Many celebs are attached to some charity organisations or are running their own NGOs. Salman
Khan has his charity ―Being Human‘, which is doing a lot for Charity.
 Do you think children should imitate their idols?
It is not a question of whether they should. We have to realise that they will always imitate. So, the
onus is on the celebs to be good role models and do what is good to be imitated.

37
20. Describe your favourite childhood story.
You should say:
 who told you the story
 what was the theme of the story
 why did you like it
 and explain what was the moral of the story

Solution:

 I heard and read my stories in my childhood. My parents and grandparents told me many stories
about various aspects of like. Here, I would like to talk about a story that I heard from my
grandmother when I was seven years old.

 This is actually an incident from the great epic Mahabharata, where the pandas and karaka went
to learn archery and other skills in the hermitage of darunacharya. As we all know, Arjun was
expert in archery among pandavas.

 One day the mentor darunachara asked all the candidates to sit under a tree. He then kept a
wooden idol of a bird on the branch of a tree and informed all disciples that they had to target the
eye of the wooden idol of a bird and hit it with the arrow.

 After that he called all students one by one and asked them that what they could see.

 The reply comes that they could see sky, branch, bird, and other students and so on. Listening to
such answers, the mentor didn‘t allow any of the candidates to hit the target. Finally, he called Arjun
and asked the same question again. And this time Arjun replied that he could see the eye off the
bird only and nothing else.

 Listening to this, the mentor immediately handed the now and arrow to him and permitted him to
take a shy in which Arjun was successful in hitting the eye off that wooden bird.

 The moral of the story is,‖ we should learn to be focused the goals in our life. If we are focused on
the target and not o other trivial things. We are bound to get success‖.

Follow up questions:

 What other stories do you remember from your childhood?

I heard plenty of stories of my childhood. I don‘t remember most of them today, but I can recall
stories about Ramayana, Mahabharata, Akbar, Birbal, Thakurmar Jhuli, Pancharatna, Chanakya
and stories of our independence from my grandfather as he took an active part in the fight for
freedom for our country.
 What is the role of stories/tale in the development of a child?
Stories play an important role in the development of a child. They help the child to image the story
in their mind, which is the first step to develop creativity in the mind of the child. Another important
benefit is that we can impart the knowledge forms the basis of the child‘s personality. Last,
storytelling often satisfies curiosity of children and enhances their mental growth.
 What are the benefits of grandparents telling stories to children in family?
This is one of the best ways to pass on the cultural heritage to our offspring. What is more, this
tradition is very important in joint families because in such families grandparents get a creative
activity by which they can pass their time, and they also help in taking care of children.

38
21. Talk about a job that you want to do in future.
You should say:
 what the job is
 what qualifications are required for the job
 how this job is different from other jobs
 and explain why would you want to be good in this job

Solution:

 It‘s difficult to predict the future as to what job will dominate the labor market, but I‘m pretty sure
that teaching English as a foreign language stands a good chance of being one of the hottest
professions in the upcoming years.

 And, to be honest, I‘m working hard on enhancing my English teaching ability to prepare
myself properly for this golden opportunity and become an IELTS examiner down the road.

 Teaching English requires patience and perseverance and if you‘re an impetuous and bad-
tempered person, then this noble profession is not cut out for you.

 In this job, I will have to get exposed to people of different educational and cultural backgrounds,
some of them might be too stubborn to be a good listener or simply they‘re too lazy to acquire any
knowledge.

 The two qualities I have mentioned is my strong suit actually. I have been employed as an English
teacher and somehow learnt about the art of imparting knowledge and encourage students
to actively participate in the lessons without being fed up with the students, I think
this characteristic can be tackled over time and that being not too lenient with the students means
I care for them pretty much.

 At the moment, teaching social subjects like Literature or History admittedly doesn‘t guarantee
a lucrative income.

 Yet it‘s not the same for English as it‘s an international language and is a prerequisite for
international students or those working in multinational corporations.

 So, l speculate that in the foreseeable future the job as an IELTS examiner will promise a bright
future.

Follow up questions:

 What kinds of jobs are poorly-paid in your country?

Obviously, manual workers receive the lowest income in my country; they work hard physically but
with no good pay. Some of these occupations don‘t require much brain work and usually include
factory workers, street cleaners or caretakers. Somehow; it is proportional to the efforts and time
they spend when they were young.
 Do people who have different levels of income feel happy about how much they earn?
This is a fascinating question, really. The discrepancy in income levels generally reflects the degree
of happiness a person may feel. This is due to the fact that when people have the means, they can
easily afford high-quality services and enjoy their life better. They can go to the cinema with their
buddies to watch a blockbuster or hang out at some coffee shops. These things make people
satisfied in life. On the contrary, if people can‘t take their mind off stuff like how to earn a living to
support their family financially, definitely they sense no happiness in this life.

39
22. Talk about a time when somebody visited your home.
You should say:
 who he/she was/ they were
 when it happened
 what you did for the occasion and the visitors
 and explain how you felt about it

Solution:

 My parents are very hospitable and we have visitors to our house very often
 Here, I would like to talk about an occasion when my aunt and uncle came from Canada and stayed
with us for two weeks.
 They immigrated to Canada 5 years ago and after that it was their first visit.
 They have their own home, and my father takes care and gets it cleaned once in a while, but as
they had come for only two weeks, we didn't let them to stay there.
 Both my uncle and aunt are very nice.
 Actually they had come to finalise the wedding of their son who was working in Canada.
 One of their Indian neighbours in Canada had suggested the match and they has done most of the
talks through video chats on phone.
 Every day was life a celebration, while they were in our place.
 My mother used to cook all day and she seemed to enjoy it too.
 They told us that they missed the Indian cuisine over there, especially dishes like bitter gourd and
bottle gourd.
 I was very happy, because my mother prepared many desserts also, which are my favourite.
 I have a sweet tooth, but normally my mother doesn't prepare too many sweet dishes.
 My father has diabetes, so my mother avoids making things, which tempt him.
 Aunt and Uncle told us all about their life in Canada.
 They said that the quality of life was good, but they had to put in a lot of hard work initially.
 It was difficult finding a job.
 But, now they were well settled and had their own home.
 They told me about the education system there.
 They motivated my parents to send me there for higher education.
 That is why I am taking the IELTS today. I hope I will be with them soon.

Follow up questions:

 Do you often invite friends to visit your home?

Yes, I like to invite friends to visit my home. Sometimes we have get-togethers at home and
sometimes when we have to study or make a project, I invite my friends over.
 Do you like visitors coming to your home?
Yes, I like visitors coming to my home. It‘s good to have relatives and friends come over and
we can spend quality time with each other.
 Do people often visit you at your home?
Yes, people visit me at home quite often. We have an extended family system that we follow
and a lot of my relatives live in the same city. Also, sometimes my friends and neighbors also
visit us at home.
 How often do visitors come to your home?
Visitors come to my home very often, in fact twice or thrice a week.
 When do visitors come to your home?
When someone has to visit, they usually call ahead and come. There are no specific times
when people visit us at home.

40
23. Talk about a trip you had by public transport.
You should say:
 when was it
 where did you go
 who was with you
 how did you feel about the public transport
 did you face any problems

Solution:

 In our day-to-day life we visit many places for various purposes

 Sometimes we use our own vehicle and sometimes we use public transport
 Normally when I have to go somewhere near then I use car but for distant places I use public
transport
 Here I am going to talk about a visit for which I used public transport.
 Actually, last month, I went to Jaipur Rajasthan with my family.
 This time we used bus for going to Jaipur
 There is a tour operator company near my hometown known as Express Travels
 My father booked this tour through them.
 There were 12 other families with us.
 It was vacation time and so children were also there with their parents.
 We boarded the bus at 7am.-
 On the way we enjoyed a lot.
 I made many friends and we played antakshri.
 The bus made three halts on the way to Jaipur.
 We straightened our legs and had refreshments at those stops.
 The bus was an AC coach and was very comfortable.
 There was also an LCD in the bus and we saw the movie Sargi.
 We reached Jaipur at 7pm.
 We stayed at hotel Gangaur which was a very nice hotel.
 We saw the Amer Fort, HawaMahal, The City Palace and many other places.
 One whole day we had reserved for shopping.
 My mother bought some Jaipuri quilts and I bought some lakh jewellery.
 As it was a package holiday, we enjoyed with the other families and made many friends.
 I still have good friends from that trip and we are in touch with each other through Facebook.

Follow up questions:

 Do you prefer public transport or private transport?

I think I‘d prefer public transport. It‘s much more inexpensive and because it can contain a large
number of people, it helps ease the intensity of traffic jams during peak hours and reduce the
greenhouse gas emissions caused by vehicles. Private transportation is more costly in terms of
fees, taxes and gasoline.
 How often do you take buses?
Almost everyday. Since my house is so far away from my university, it‘s impossible for me to travel
by motorbike. In addition, the air is heavily polluted by exhaust fumes and traffic jams always take
place, especially during peak hours. Thus, I‘d prefer to take the bus, to save time, save gasoline
and causing less pollution.
 What will become the most popular means of transport in your country?
I think buses will take the lead. You can travel the distance without much worries about ticket price
or rainy weather outside. Also new buses now offer better services like comfortable seats for the
elderly or good air conditioning systems.

41
24. Talk about an international day you want to celebrate.
You should say:
 what day is it
 when and how is it celebrates
 what is the importance of this day

Solution:

 Although there are many national and international days celebrated throughout the world and
many of them are not even known to us.

 But today I would like to talk about international women‘s day celebrated throughout the world on
8 March. It is internationally recognized by United Nation Organisation.

 It is a focal point in the movement of women‘s rights.

 Today, International Women's Day is a public holiday in some countries and largely ignored
elsewhere. In some places, it is a day of protest; in others, it is a day that celebrates womanhood.

 International Women‘s Day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

 This day has been observed since the early 1900 and today acclaimed internationally throughout
the world.

 In the past year, we've seen women from all walks of life stand up and start the conversation of
issues women still face like gender equality and sexual assaults.

 Although women are respected and should be respected on all days, but particularly on this very
day, people show their reverence towards women.

 At some work places women are given holiday on this very day, at some other places they are
provided with some special gifts or incentives.

 The prime idea of celebrating the Women‘s day is to make the women happy. It will make them
feel that it is not just the love you have for her but that you trust her as a woman and respect her
for the powerful women she is.

 Most of the time, women at home spend their lives tending to others and often put their own plans
on the back burner to accommodate family plans. On this special day, the least you can do is plan
a small get-together/trip for your lady love.

 All you need to do is get in touch with her favorite girls and send them off for a few hours of
absolute bliss!

42
25. Talk about a quiet place that you want to visit again and again.
You should say:
 where is it
 when do you like to go there
 what you do there
 why do you like to visit there

Solution:

 It is very difficult to find quiet places in the fast-paced life of today. However, I would like to talk
about a place where I go quite often and I find great peace there.
 The place I am referring to is a Sikh temple in my hometown, GurdwaraSukhchainana Sahib.
 I go there once a week, sometimes with family and sometimes with friends. Sometimes we walk to
the gurdwara, and sometimes we go by car. It is about 3 km from my home. It is away from the
main road, so it is very quiet there.
 Whenever I go there, I do circumambulation of the holy book inside the main hall and pay
obeisance to the almighty.
 There is a well-maintained fish pond in the gurdwara, which has many species of fish. I just sit on
the steps of the pond and listen to the holy chants going on all the time there. It gives me great
peace of mind.
 Sometimes I take some bread from home and feed the fish. There are two catfish among the other
many, which seem to be talking to me.
 I know it is all my imagination, but I love it over there. I feel that the tempo of life has slowed down a
bit.
 It is so relaxing to watch the movements of the fish in the water. This activity takes away all the
physical and mental tiredness away from my body. I feel very light-heated after that.
 Even though there is always a great rush in this temple, yet one can find peace and quiet over
there.
 Sometimes, I offer voluntary services in the community kitchen over there.
 Free food is offered to one and all in the community kitchen and this service is round the clock.
 I generally go there on weekends and spend a good two hours over there.

Follow up questions:

 Why do some people not like quiet places?

Some people do not like quiet places because they want fun and frolic all around them. They want
activity and noise
 Do you know other quiet places?
There are many quiet places in the countryside. Many of my friends live in villages. Whenever I go
to their homes, there is no noise of traffic, and you can hear the chirping of the birds and the rustling
of leaves, which is very soothing to the ears.
 Do you need a quiet place when you are working?
Yes, I do appreciate a quiet place when I‘m working, but unfortunately it is not always possible. So
I‘ve got used to some amount of noise around me
 Why do people like to spend time in quiet places?
People like to spend time in quiet places because sometimes they want to be with themselves, then
they go to quiet places, and feel relieved of their stress.

43
26. Talk about something that helps you to concentrate.
You should say:
 what it is
 how is it performed
 how it helps you concentrate

Solution:

 Life has become very fast and it looks as if there is too much to do and too little time.

 So, concentrating on one thing and doing it nicely has become a big problem.

 I have tried many things to help me concentrate.

 Sometimes, I take a power nap and sometimes I do yoga.

 Here I would like to talk about a method which I tried doing to improve my concentration, and it has
worked wonders for me.

 I go out and do some brisk walking in a park opposite my house.

 I sweat out my worries and stress and feel very light after that.

 I have noticed that whatever I do after that, I can do with full concentration.

 You know ma‘am, brisk walking is a form of aerobic exercise, which releases endorphins in your
body, which make you feel good and you can concentrate better with a happy mind.

 My cousin is a physiotherapist, and she told me the science behind this exercise.

 When I do yoga, even then my concentration improves, but brisk walking helps me shed some
pounds from my body.

 When I have to study long hours, such as during exams, I go up on my terrace and take a few
rounds.

 Then I can study with full concentration again.

 Walking is also good as we are all leading sedentary lifestyles.

 It provides the much needed exercise also

 So, walking is something, which helps me concentrate.

44
27. Talk about something that you would like to get replaced.
You should say:
 what is it
 when you replace it
 why you replace it

Solution:

 Today‘s era is a consumerist one. We see new things all around us.

 There are new models of cell phones, TVs, bikes, cars and so on.

 When I see these new things, I wish to get them.

 Unfortunately, I am not earning yet, and so I have to restrain myself.

 Here I would like to talk about something, which I want to replace very soon and that is my cell
phone.

 I have a very basic model of cell phone, but all my friends have smart phones.

 My parents have flatly refused to buy me one, because they are saving for my education abroad.

 They are spending very frugally for my sake, and so I cannot pester them to buy me one.

 I have started saving all my pocket money, so that I can buy a reasonably priced smart phone.

 I visited a local mobile phone store.

 There I saw a RedMi phone for 7,000.

 It has 5 inch screen, 3 GB RAM, 32 GB memory and many in-built apps.

 I have read some reviews on the net.

 RedMi is the best-valued low-range phone in the market.

 It has Android technology

 I will get about 2000/- for my old phone.

 I think within a month or two, I will be able to replace my old phone with a new one.

45
28. Talk about an interesting / unique animal you have seen.
You should say:
 which is it
 where did you see it
 how was it interesting
Solution:
 India is a diverse country. There are many types of animals found in India.
 There are pet animals, domestic animals and wild animals.
 Here I am going to talk about an animal which I found interesting. It is the elephant.
 I have seen it lot of times but last time I saw it in the zoo on a trip to Delhi.
 I like an elephant because it is interesting in a lot of ways.
 The elephants are the biggest land animals.
 They are herbivorous and can be identified because of their trunk.
 The trunk is the projection of their nose and the upper lips.
 There are two types of elephants, the Indian and the African.
 African elephants are bigger than their Indian counterparts.
 They have comparatively larger ears.
 Among the African elephants both the males and females have tusks whereas, only the males
among the Indian elephants have tusks and so they are called tuskers.
 The back of the Indian elephants are convex whereas that of the African elephants are concave.
 Indian elephants can be tamed and they are more beautiful.
 Elephants are gregarious animals and live in herds headed by tuskers.
 They have a well-structured family life.
 The young ones, called the calf, are looked after by the cow elephants.
 Their cry is called trumpet.
 In India, elephants are captured, tamed and used for various purposes.
 Elephants are among the few animals whose existence is not endangered till now.

Follow up questions:

 Do you think it is right to keep animals in zoos?

I think animals should not be kept in captivity. In zoos, animals may not get the same level of
freedom and the natural environment they enjoy in forest. Hence, in my opinion, forests will be
better than zoos.

 What can be done to protect endangered animals?

Poaching such animals should be met with stiffer penalties. Techniques like captive breeding
should be used to ensure that their number is increasing.

 What is your opinion about using animals for scientific experiments?

Well, it is bit difficult to comment on it. It is certainly unethical to use animals for scientific
experiments but it is far better than testing on human volunteers. As far as there is no other
option, we have to use animals for experiments.

46
29. Talk about a technology that you often use (other than computer).
You should say:
 which is it
 when do you use it
 how do you use it
 and explain why do you like to use it

Solution:

 Technology is all around us.

 Today, we cannot imagine our life without technology.
 One piece of technology I use very often is my jogging machine.
 I use it at the gym every day for five days a week.
 The gym is at 2 minutes‘ walk from my home.
 So, I go there daily in the morning.
 I use it to keep fit.
 While I am on the machine, I listen to my favourite music.
 When I started, I used it at a speed of 5 km an hour.
 Now I can run on it at a speed of 8 km an hour.
 It has inbuilt programs which have a warming up session and a cool-down session.
 My gym instructor guided me its use.
 There are many other machines in the gym, but I love this the most.
 I sweat all my stress out on this machine
 After I have used it, I feel very refreshed and happy, although I am full of sweat.
 I feel I have done something for myself.
 Then I do some weight training after this cardio session and come home.
 I used to be very fat and eat a lot of junk food.
 After I started going to the gym, I lost weight and my body has got toned up.
 I don't even feel like eating junk food.
 I ask my mother to make healthy salads and food cooked in low fat.

Follow up questions:

 Do you like to use new technology?

Yes, I like to use technology. I feel a part of today‘s time. I like to use various gadgets, such as
cell phones, tablets, laptops which help me connect with others.
 Does technology deeply affect people's life?
Yes, it does. Technology is all around us. It saves our time as many jobs are done by machines.
People can be connected all the time because of communication technology. Children can get
better education through technology. Businesses can spread globally because of technology.
Food can be produced much better and more in yield because of technology. There is no aspect
of life that technology has not touched.
 Is there any difference between technology in cities and in small towns?
Yes, cities have better access to technology than small towns, but towns and villages are catching
up soon.
 Do you agree that men are more obsessed with new technology than women?
No, I do not agree at all. Men and women are the same. There are no gender differences
nowadays.

47
30. Describe a competition (music, cooking etc.) you would like to participate in.
You should say:
 what kind of competition it is
 what would you do in this competition
 why does this competition interest you

Solution:

 When I was in school, I participated in many competitions.

 Once I participated in a science fair. I was part of a team.

 We were the 1st runners up.

 Here, I would like to talk about a competition; I would like to take part in.

 It is a painting competition.

 Every year there is an environment fair held in my hometown

 The Rotary Club organises this in the month of December.

 Many competitions are organised, such as mono-acting competition, poetry recitation, flower
arrangement, salad decoration, painting and soon.

 Individuals can participate, and even schools can send their students.

 My friend participated in flower arrangement competition last year and won the 1stprize.

 The prize was a small trophy and a book ‗The Wings Of Fire‘ by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.

 I am very food at drawing and painting

 I would love to compete in painting competition and try to do my best and win a prize.

 The theme of the painting is announced there only.

 The brushes and paints have to be carried with you, but the sheets are provided there only.

 I have made many paintings with poster colours and gifted them to my friends andr elatives.

 Everyone in my circle knows that I love drawing and painting.

 I am waiting for the fair this year, so that I can participate and try my luck at winning a prize.

Follow up questions:

 What kinds of people are competitive?

I think in their hearts, all people like to compete and see where they stand among others. But, some
people are confident and want to compete more often. Some people are not so sure, but are
pushed into competitions by their parents or teachers. The fear of losing takes away the competition
spirit from many. Many people realise their potential only after competing.
 What kind of activities/competitions people like to take part in?
People like to compete in singing, dancing, painting, sports, quizzes and many more types of
competitions.

48
31. Describe a time when something made you happy.
You should say:
 what was it
 when did it happen
 where did it happen

Solution:

 I can remember many happy times of my life and out of those, I would like to talk about the time that
I can still remember vividly regarding my success in the board exam.
 The moment I heard that I had been awarded a scholarship based on my performance in the board
exam, I became the happiest man in the world.
 This was indeed a very happy moment for me as it is something I was looking forward to achieving
and the news made my parents quite happy and proud.
 I spent almost a month with great anxiety regarding my result publication.
 I started speculating so many things and many of them were negative. I could hardly keep away the
tensions about my upcoming result.
 The result was so important that my college admission would mostly depend on it.
 I could not sleep well in the night before the result publishing. I think this is a common anxiety for
students and I was familiar with this type of anxiety.
 However, this particular exam results game me more nightmares than any other time of my life.
 The result was published at around 11.00 am and I found that I did exceptionally well.
 I was so relieved and happy that I literally shouted.
 Then I hurriedly came back to our home and gave the news to my parents. They were happy too.
 My father bought sweets and my mother gave it to our neighbours.
 I felt excited, happy and relieved. At that time I was about 15 years old. It happened in our
hometown called Chandigarh.

Follow up questions:

 Do you agree that money is a source of happiness?

Well, certainly, money brings joy and happiness in a person‘s life.
 What are your views on happiness?
I think happiness is a mixture of several things. A person needs money to become happy. However,
he needs the company of other humans to enjoy that money.
 Do you think people can be happy because of their work?
Of course, if a person loves his job, it is certainly a source of happiness. I, for instance, love my
work at Google and feel happy and satisfied after a day‘s work.
 Where or how should people find happiness?
I think people should find happiness in moments they spend with their friends, colleagues, clients,
and family members.

49
32. Talk about a time when you helped someone.
You should say:
 what was the situation
 what did you do to help
 what was the result

Solution:

 Well, I believe that if you will help others, then God will help you, so I never miss a chance to lend
a helping hand to someone in dire need.

 I remember vividly that during the last year when I heard my aunt talking about the poor
performance of my cousin brother, and deterioration of his performance in the class test due
which the entire family was under stress.

 Instantly, I insisted her to send him to me for an hour or so, for study. Although I was having my
certification exams within a month, still I realized that allocating an hour for somebody's future
from my leisure time would not be a big deal, and the very first day it took me no time to realize
that it was not his hold on the concepts that was taunting him, but it was impostor syndrome to
blame for, which I figured out from the knowledge gained from a psychology book.

 First, I tried to build his confidence through showing him the brighter side of the picture, and gave
him the example of a half- filled glass, but all in vain. Then I taught him one lesson, and instructed
him to come prepared for the test, the very next day.

 Eventually, he popped up, but his scores were again embarrassing that even gave a panic
attack to me. Finally, after observing his way of studying, I concluded that it was the lack of
revision and performance anxiety that prevented him from giving optimal performance.

 Then I motivated him and within a month, he started scoring well above the passing grades, and
his mother informed me later on that he not crossed the threshold of passing marks, but
he passed with flying colors.

 Believe me, I felt myself over the moon and thanked the almighty for blessing me the skills
through which I can help others.

Follow up questions:

 How did you feel about it later?

Well, I really felt as if it was not he who has passed, but it was me who successfully kept the
promise.

 Should young generation be more helpful?

Well, if we want to make our planet a better place to live, it is important for teenagers to play a
lead role because they have enough time after attending their classes and are invigorated with
the limitless energy.

 What do you think about unpaid jobs?

Voluntary jobs are beneficial as long as you are either gaining a valuable experience from in, or
you are serving the humanity while doing it.

 Do you support volunteering?

If you go by my way, absolutely because by undertaking a voluntary task, one can set a model for
others to work for the sake of mankind without any greed.

50
33. Talk about a building that you admire.
You should say:
 where is the building
 when you visited
 why you liked
 where did you hear about it

Solution:

 India has a rich historical background.

 There are many buildings, which are the pride of India.
 Here I would like to talk about the Parliament House in New Delhi.
 I visited this national building when I was in 10th.
 Our school took us on an educational tour.
 It is not only important historically, but also architecturally.
 The architecture of this building depicts Indian traditions and culture.
 Parliament House is one of the most magnificent buildings in New Delhi.
 Visitors to Delhi generally pay a visit to this building.
 The two Houses of Parliament—the LokSabha and the RajyaSabha are located within its walls.
 It is a huge circular building spread over 6 acres of land.
 The building has twelve gates among which Gate No. 1 on the SansadMarg is the main gate.
 The Central Hall is circular in shape and its dome, which is one of the most magnificent domes in
the world.
 The Central Hall is a place of historical importance. The Indian Constitution was framed in the
Central Hall.
 At present, the Central Hall is used for holding Joint Sittings of the two Houses.
 The Chamber of the LokSabha is semi-circular in shape and has seating accommodation for 550
Members.
 RajyaSabha Chamber is smaller in size. It has a seating capacity of 250.
 The building is fully air-conditioned.
 It combines the value of both the old and the new forms of architecture.
 The outer portion of the building is finished in red sandstone.
 Though entry to Parliament House is free, it requires official permission for visitors to enter the
Parliament.
 The total time required to see the Parliament House is approximately 2 hours.
 The best time to visit Parliament House is when it is in session.

Follow up questions:

 How will the future buildings be in your opinion?

I have never given a thought about this subject. However, I guess, in future, buildings will be
made using mightier materials like glass and steel. Also, people will give more importance to
conservation of land. The buildings will be strong enough to withstand natural disasters like
earthquake and the buildings will be fire resistant.
 Speak about different types of buildings of your city?
There are a variety of buildings in my city. We can see low-rise and high-rise flats, bungalows,
tenements, row houses, shopping complexes, high-rise commercial and office complexes,
multiplexes, old houses and religious buildings like temples, churches, mosques, etc.

51
34. What would be your perfect vacation look like?
You should say:
 where would you like to go
 who would you like to go with
 how would you like to spend it

Solution:

 Holidays can be relaxing holidays in which a person just goes to some different place and lazes
around to relieve his stress.
 Holidays can also be hectic in which the whole aim is to do as much sightseeing as possible.
 So for people who otherwise have physically active lives, a relaxing holiday would be perfect.
 But for all others the hectic holiday would be ideal.
 I prefer to see new places and meet new people.
 So, for me a perfect holiday would be full of life.
 I would like to go to Jaipur with my family.
 We would go by train.
 We would go through Pack Travels tour operators..
 They have very reasonable packages for anywhere within India.
 We would stay there for a week and see a lot of places.
 There are a lot of forts and palaces in Jaipur.
 We will see the HawaMahal, JantarMantar, City Palace, Maharani Palace and Amer fort.
 We would also do a lot of shopping there.
 I have heard that every December there is a handicraft fair there which has handicrafts from
different areas of Rajasthan.
 I would buy some handicrafts from there.
 I would buy some souvenirs for my friends.
 There is also a ChokhiDhani place there just like Haveli where many artists display the culture and
tradition of Rajasthan.
 The entry ticket includes the traditional Rajasthani meal.
 I would enjoy that also.
 It would be a perfect holiday for me.
 Holidays break the monotony of day-to-day life
 They bring mental and physical relaxation.
 They help us to recharge our batteries and come back to work with added energy.

Follow up questions:

 Do people in your country like to spend holidays abroad or at home?

India is a diverse country. There is a lot to see and do in India. People in my country like to spend
holidays by visiting many places in India, and also abroad. It also depends on their pocket and the
time they can afford for holidaying. There is so much diversity within India that it seems like
visiting a foreign country at times. For example, if a person from the north India visits the South,
he experiences different culture, different food, and different language and enjoys himself at the
fraction of cost of what he would spend on visiting a foreign country.
 What are the benefits of spending the holiday abroad and in own country? Which one do
you prefer?
Holidays abroad are a much broader experience of a new culture, food and language. But
domestic holidays are easier on the pocket and also very beneficial in many ways. Holidays
abroad are also a status symbol, as they can be afforded by few people. Holidaying in one‘s own
country is safer than holidaying abroad. I prefer holidaying abroad, but it seems like sour grapes
for the time being.

52
35. Talk about a situation where you had to be polite.
You should say:
 where was it
 who was there with you
 what did you do to be more polite
 how did you feel about this situation

Solution:

 I am normally a very well behaved person and I don‘t lose my temper easily.
 But there are some situations in everyone‘s life when it is very easy to be impolite but still one
behaves politely.
 Here, I‘m going to speak about a situation when it was very easy to be angry and rude, but I still
behaved politely.
 It happened in my own house.
 All my family members were at home with me.
 I had to control my temper to be more polite.
 Later on I felt very happy about this situation.
 It so happened, that I had bought a beautiful pearl necklace for myself.
 I bought this necklace after saving my pocket money for one whole year.
 One day my 7 year old cousin came to my house and started fiddling with my jewellery box.
 I stopped her many times but she wouldn‘t listen.
 She took my pearl necklace and broke its string.
 All the pearls scattered on the floor.
 I was very angry.
 I wanted to slap her hard and speak some harsh words to her.
 But I had read somewhere that if you are really very angry then you should clench your fist and
count 10.
 I did that. And, by the time I had counted 10 my anger vanished.
 I didn‘t say anything to my cousin.
 After all she‘s only a child.
 Then I picked all the pearls and got them re-stringed.
 I know very well that if I had beaten my cousin for breaking my necklace or even spoken some
harsh words to her, I would have felt very bad later on.
 Anger and rudeness lead to nothing.
 So, this was the situation when I behaved politely.

Follow up questions:

 Are Indian people becoming much politer or not?

I think Indian people are now more polite than before because more and more people are
educated nowadays as compared to the past. Schools teach us about politeness and children tell
their parents as well to be polite with each other. Also because of newspapers and TV news
people have learnt that they should not fight and be polite with each other.
 In what ways do Indian people show politeness?
Indian people show politeness by adding respectful words such as ―ji or aap‖ when they talk to
others. Also the tone of their speech is very respectful when they talk to others.
 What are the uncivilized manners on public transport?
Talking loudly on phone, putting your feet on the seat and keeping luggage in the path are some
examples of uncivilized manners on public transport.

53
36. Talk about a place where people go to listen music.
You should say:
 what kind of music is performed there
 what type of people go there
 why people go there
 and explain your impression of this place

Solution:

 Nowadays because of technology, we don‘t need to go to any special place to listen music.
 Music is all around us – on TV, on radio and on the internet.
 I also don‘t go to any place specially to listen music.
 But, yes, I do enjoy music which is played in restaurants and shopping malls and cafes whenever
I go there.
 Here, I would like to talk about a place where most people go to hear religious music.
 It is a famous Gurdwara, of my home town.
 Every evening, a famous devotional singing group of my home town performs there from 6 to 8
pm.
 People of my home town as well as from neighboring villages come there every evening to listen
to the religious hymns and chants.
 This Gurdwara is in the suburbs of my home town.
 It is dedicated to the sixth guru of the Sikhs, Guru HargobindJi.
 My parents go there every evening.
 Once or twice a week I also accompany them.
 When I listen their devotional songs, I feel very relaxed.
 I feel lighter; I feel as I have got rid of all my stress and tensions.
 BhaiDevinder Singh is such a good Raggi that his music touches the heart.
 People also get to enjoy tea from the community kitchen there.
 There is a pond outside which have fish and children love feeding the fish over there.
 There are benches all around the pond for people to sit.
 Some elderly people who cannot go inside sit on these benches and enjoy the sound of the
religious music coming from inside.
 My friends have also started going there and they too enjoy it.

Follow up questions:

 What type music is famous in your country?

In my country almost all types of music are popular. I would say that although pop is a little more
renowned, it doesn‘t mean that other kinds of music like rock, jazz and metal aren‘t rife as well.
International music constitutes a big part of people‘s entertainment, especially at bars and night
clubs.
 Do you think it is good for children to listen to music?
Definitely. Scientists think that being exposed to music early in life increases a child‘s ability to think
creatively and intelligently. Even if that weren‘t the case, music is a wonderfully expressive art form
that should be enjoyed by people of all ages. If children listen to music, they can learn a lot about
the world and other people through lyrics, and begin to understand some of the issues people face
in life. Listening to music is also really good fun and can be a way for children to enjoy themselves.
In fact, I can‘t think of a single reason why someone would think children shouldn‘t listen to music.

54
37. Describe a place where you often visit with friends and family.
You should say:
 where is it
 how you know the place
 how you go there
 why you want to visit it

Solution:

 I love shopping.
 It‘s one of my favourite hobbies.
 I normally do shopping in bulk at wholesale stores.
 There is one such store – Best Price around 15 minutes‘ drive from Jalandhar.
 The store opened around four five years ago.
 I remember when it opened there was a huge advertisement and one could see claims like best
price guarantee.
 I thought it was a marketing gimmick.
 Then one day my uncle visited it and told us the claims are not false.
 The store really offers huge discounts.
 There are heavier discounts on larger order sizes.
 We normally go there once every month.
 It‘s around 12 kms from my house. We normally prefer to take our car.
 Sometimes my uncle also joins us.
 We buy so many things like groceries, utensils, cleaning supplies and fruits.
 Recently they added a new garments section too.
 Another advantage is that the store offers free cardboard packaging.
 Also on orders worth more than Rs 5000 they offer free home delivery as well.
 They have a good parking space too.
 But during festival season even this huge parking falls short.
 We can see queues outside the store.
 I can spend hours and hours here just shopping and never getting bored.
 There is just one thing that I dislike and it‘s the long queues at the checkout counters.
 They have around 20 checkout counters and they are always full.
 It takes anywhere between 15 to 30 minutes waiting for the turn.
 It ones place I can safely say the wait is worth the fruit.

Follow up questions:

 Do you like to hang out with your friends?

Yes, I like to go out with my friends quite often. We normally meet over the weekends and watch
a movie together or go for shopping. Sometimes we just roam around in the market.
 What do you think is the most important thing of being friends?
The most important thing about being friends is caring for each other. And friends should not be
selfish. They should also trust and share things with each other.
 Do you think that technology makes it easier to make new friends?
Yes it is very easy to make friends nowadays because of technology. Earlier people could make
friends only when they met someone but now they can make friends on social networking
websites and also from different parts of the world.

55
38. Describe something you learned in a place or from someone.
You should say:
 what it was
 what you learnt
 how you felt

Solution:

 I have learnt many skills from people around me in my life.

 Here I would like to talk about a useful skill of cooking, which I learnt from my maternal aunt.
 My aunt is in her forties and she is very tall and beautiful.
 She lives in Chandigarh and I used to spend my summer vacations with her, when I was in school.
 She has a gifted hand in cooking.
 She has her unique way of teaching how to cook.
 She never made me feel as if she was teaching us.
 She just kept me involved in the kitchen while she cooked.
 We learnt a lot just by observing her.
 I learnt cooking because I too want to be able to cook like her.
 I also learnt cooking because it is a very useful skill in today‘s time.
 Moreover, as I plan to go abroad for my higher education, this skill will be very useful.
 I will not face any food problems.
 I am a vegetarian and I have heard that veg. food outlets are very few in foreign countries.
 This skill has proved very useful because many times I have been able to attend to guests when my
mother was not at home.
 My aunt not only taught me simple routine cooking but also some Chinese dishes.
 She also taught me how to make pizzas in the electric tandoor.
 She also bakes excellent cakes.
 Whenever anybody in our family celebrates a birthday, the cake is always baked by my aunt.
 She loves experimenting in the kitchen and she has many of her own recipes which are quick and
easy and at the same time very delicious.
 She also presents her dishes very well.
 She says that the look of the dish is as important as its taste.
 I am fortunate; I have a talented aunt who has taught me this useful skill.

Follow up questions:

 How to help old people learn?

Old people can be helped to learn by teaching them with patience. Children of today find the use
of technology so easy that they get impatient when the old people cannot grasp things fast. We
must realise that they need time. They can also be taught with the help of YouTube videos.
 Do people in your country like to take online courses?
Yes, online courses are very popular, especially for people who are working. They can take
classes at their leisure. These courses are also good for people in remote areas who cannot go to
the college or university. Physically handicapped people also like to take online courses, because
it is difficult for them to attend regular classes.
 What kinds of teaching methods are suitable for old people?
Traditional methods of teaching by a teacher are suitable. The teacher can take the help of
technology to teach old people. For example, he can play videos to teach a skill.
 What is the most effective way for self-learning?
Nowadays, YouTube videos are a very good option. You can find a video to teach almost
anything on You Tube.

56
39. Talk about an important river or lake in your country or hometown.
You should say:
 which water body is that
 how do you know about it
 why does it impress you so much

Solution:

 India is a diverse country.

 There are many rivers, lakes, beaches in India which are important.
 One important river that I would like to talk about here is the river Ganges or the Ganga, as we
popularly call it.
 River Ganga is a sacred river and treated as a Goddess among the Hindus.
 It has significant influence on the life of the Indians.
 It is one of the longest rivers of the world and is the longest river in India.
 The River Ganga emerges out of the Himalayas and fall into the Bay of Bengal.
 It has a number of tributaries like Yamuna, Ramganga, and Ghagar etc.
 The Ganga is Perennial River as water is available throughout the year.
 The river has formed one of the most fertile flood plains of the world.
 We get the golden crops from the fertile lands on the bank of River Ganga.
 The water of River Ganga is widely used for agriculture purpose.
 The Ganga has been made national waterways of India.
 It is navigable up to Haridwar.
 The Ganga plain is one of the most fertile plain and is the granary of India.
 Our government has initiated projects for wider utilization of kind water of River Ganga.
 This would bring enormous prosperity and economic development in our country.
 All these features made the river as the ideal river of India.

Follow up questions:

 Do people like that river in your country?

Yes, of course they do. It is treated as a Goddess. People put the ashes of their dead kith and kin
based on the belief that this will give the departed souls a place in heaven.
 Do you like any activities in water?
Yes, I like boating. Once I went to Sukhna Lake and did boating over there. I just loved it.
 Is it necessary for everyone to love swimming?
Yes, I believe everyone should learn swimming. People in coastal areas specially need to know it.
It is a good exercise and enjoyable too.
 Do people in your country go to swim in their free time?
Yes, many people do, especially in summers. I come from a small town and there are 4 swimming
pools there, which show that people like swimming.

57
40. Describe a person who likes to talk a lot.
You should say:
 who is he/she
 how do you know him/her
 do you like him/her

Solution:

 I know many people who are very talkative but here I am going to talk about my cousin Rubina,
who is the most talkative person known to me.
 She is my paternal uncle‘s daughter and lives next door.
 She is fifteen and is studying in 10th class.
 She is tall and beautiful and has a fair complexion.
 She has dimples on both cheeks when she smiles.
 She has jet black curly hair and generally leaves her hair loose.
 She is such a chatterbox that when she is around, you don‘t need any TV or radio for
entertainment.
 She can go on and on and sometimes I wonder from where she gets all the energy to speak so
much.
 She is loved by all in our family and even in the neighbourhood.
 She is fond of watching movies and then she tells me the story in so much detail that I feel I have
actually seen the movie.
 She has a great sense of humour and can lighten up any tense situation.
 She is very good at studies and wants to become a lawyer.
 I believe she will be a very good lawyer because she has good communication skills.
 No one can feel bored in her company.
 She is an extrovert and can make friends very soon
 She is also very conscious of her health and goes for morning walk daily.
 She used to be very chubby in childhood but now she has shed off the extra kilos and looks very
fit.
 Sometimes her talkative nature has put her in a lot of trouble.
 Many times her teachers have punished her in class for talking a lot.
 I remember once she was made to stand out in the sun for one hour in the scorching heat of the
sun.
 She was on the verge of fainting but even that could not quieten her.
 I love this cute chatterbox and when she is quiet, I feel something is wrong and I don‘t like it.

Follow up questions:

 Do you think communication is important?

I believe communication is central to the existence of mankind.
 Why do you think so?
Without effective and clear communication, we cannot work together and solve problems.
Rather, lack of communication has led to several problems ranging from international issues such
as the world wars to personal problems in a family.
 In what situations is it helpful to be communicative?
I think clear communication is necessary in business, professional or personal situations.
 Should parents teach their children to communicate properly?
I think this is the primary responsibility of parents. They should teach effective communication to
their children from a young age.

58
41. Talk about a leisure facility (cinema, theatre, sports centre) in your hometown.
You should say:
 what is it
 where the facility provided
 when do you go there
 and explain how you feel on going there

Solution:

 Every town wishes a few enjoyment locations and facilities, like cinemas, theater, parks, sports
centers, etc.
 Right here I would like to speak approximately a leisure facility that I would really like to have in
my homeland.
 It is a theater for plays and other cultural events
 I belong to Ferozepur, which is a small city known for its spare parts industries.
 There are many modern facilities in my hometown, but I feel that arts and cultural events have
taken a backseat due to the modernization.
 I have been to the Tagore theater in Chandigarh, where many plays, dance events and other
cultural events are organised.
 I once saw a dance competition there.
 It was for promoting the traditional dances of India and many students from local schools
participated in it.
 They performed dances from all over India, like Bharatnatyam, Odisi, Hakka, Bhangra and many
more such forms of dances.
 I was very impressed with the performances and felt proud of our diversity and culture
 I think such a facility would greatly benefit the young generation
 Technology had taken over our lives and we are forgetting our roots.
 Just a facility will not only be a pace of leisure but also keep us connected with our roots and will
make the hidden talent come out.
 Many talented children and youngsters will get an opportunity to showcase their talent.
 I hope to see such a leisure facility in my hometown in the near future.

Follow up questions:

 Do you think it’s important to take some time off work or study and do some leisure
activity?
Yes, it‘s very important to take some time off from our work or studies. We are leading
increasingly hectic lives and to remain productive we need to take time off and re-energize and
rejuvenate ourselves. We all need to take breaks to DE-stress and release our tensions

 What kinds of leisure facilities are popular in your country?

Leisure facilities like sports centres, clubs, theatres, cinemas, shopping malls with multiplexes and
food courts, etc. are popular in my country.

 Do you think entertainment methods will be home based in the future?

Yes, there will be many more home based entertainment methods in the future. This has already
started happening, and with the rapid advancement in technology and I think this will continue in
the future. People don‘t feel the need to socialism and go out because all they need for
entertainment is available at home, like televisions, gaming consoles, home theatres, etc.

59
42. Describe the first time when got a mobile phone.
You should say:
 what difference has it made in your life
 how did you get it
 who gave it to you

Solution:

 Mobile phones have become an indispensable part of our lives.

 I got my first mobile phone when I completed my high school.
 It was a Samsung S2.
 My uncle gifted it to me.
 Actually, he was buying a newer model.
 I had completed my10th
 My parents would not buy me one.
 So, I was very happy when my uncle gave me his old one.
 I still have it
 It is black in colour.
 It is a rectangular phone and had 4.3 inches touch screen display
 It also has a calculator, a calendar, an alarm, a light and some games.
 Its battery backup is very good.
 I am very possessive about my Samsung phone.
 I never let anybody touch my phone.
 I use an Airtel prepaid connection with it.
 I have to pay for it from my pocket money.
 So, I use it very frugally.
 I play Tetris on my phone.
 I also use the phone to send SMS to my friends.
 Sometimes I use the calculator and sometimes I listen to FM radio on my phone.
 It is a very sturdy phone.
 Many times it has fallen from my hands, but it did not break and works perfectly well.
 It has a camera of 5 megapixels on which I capture some photos of my friends and family.
 I click many selfies with it.
 I use many applications like whatsapp and Facebook to stay connected with my friends.
 There are many newer models now, but I am happy with it.
 I will buy a new cell phone only after I go abroad for my higher studies.
Follow up questions:
 Do most people have mobile phones in your country?
Yes, most people have mobile phones in my country. The smart phones have become very
affordable and the government is doing a lot to make the Internet access available through
cellphones to even the remotest parts of India.
 Does the use of cellphones cause any problems to others?
Yes, cellphones can cause problems to others. For example, when people use their cellphones in
places like libraries, hospitals, classrooms, etc., it leads to a lot of disturbance. These days it is very
common to find people talking loudly in buses, trains, and other public places, which is also a cause
of disturbance.
 What do people use cellphones for?
Cellphones have become an indispensible part of our lives. People use cellphones for various
purposes, like paying bills, making train/bus/air reservations, booking movie tickets, social
networking, and entertainment by playing games, watching movies/TV shows, and so on.

60
43. Talk about a businessman that you admire.
You should say:
 what is the name
 what has he done
 why do you admire him

Solution:

 There are many successful businessmen in my country, such as Anil Ambani, Mukesh Ambani,
Rattan Tata, Vijay Malya and so on
 But here I would like to talk about Mukesh Ambani.
 He is in his late fifties and looks very handsome.
 He has a degree in Chemical Engineering
 He joined his father in Reliance Industries in 1981, at the age of 24.
 He has a great vision and ever since he joined his company, he took it to new heights.
 He set up India‘s first private oil refinery at Jamnagar Gujarat.
 This refinery can produce 33 million tonnes of oil per year.
 He made it possible for India to compete at the global level.
 He also owns the domestic cricket club of IPL known as the Mumbai Indians
 In 2012, he was ranked the richest man in India and the second richest in Asia.
 He is the 19th richest man in the world
 He has a net worth of 21 billion dollars.
 He lives in Mumbai.
 His house has 27 storeys and is worth 1 billion dollars.
 He lives there with his wife, Nita Ambani, three children and a staff of 600 people.
 He believes that businesses should constantly innovate otherwise they will stagnate and wither
away.
 He believes that the main purpose of businesses is to create jobs and wealth.
 And, he has successfully done so by his various industries.
 His achievements have made him known not only in India but across the globe. 21 In 2013, he
was conferred ‗Entrepreneur of the Decade‘ by All India Management Association.
 So, I think Mukesh Ambani is a very successful businessman of India mainly because of the way
he managed his assets in the petroleum industry.

Follow up questions:

 What kinds of people become famous these days?

There are a large number of professions that can make you famous. Film stars and models
always enjoy fame. Sportspersons, especially cricket stars live in limelight. Politicians also get
publicity but people look at them with some suspicion these days.

 Do you think hard work is necessary to become successful in life?

It is rightly said that 'diligence is the better part of valour'. To become successful, one should be
hardworking though other factors like luck and environment also play a role in deciding success.
 Is it necessary to have a role model?
Having a role model has many benefits. Firstly, by learning about their life, you get a lot of virtues
that you can adopt in your own life. Also, it will teach you how to tackle difficult situations in life.

61
44. Describe an outdoor sport that you haven’t done yet and would like to do in future.
You should say:
 What activity is it
 When and where would you like to do it
 What special skills or equipment do you need

Solution:
 There are many outdoor activities which I haven‘t done yet such as bungee jumping, paragliding,
mountain trekking and so on.
 But here I would like to talk about an outdoor activity which I would really like to do in the near
future.
 This activity is bungee jumping. It is an adventure sport.
 My cousin went to Rishikesh 6 months ago and he tried this activity over there.
 He showed me his video.
 I am really fascinated by this activity.
 My cousin told me that a company of New Zealand by the name of Jumping Heights has set up a
bungee jumping centre in Rishikesh.
 They charge Rs. 2500/- and make you do this activity.
 They have a very good setup.
 It is done from a height of 83metres. No special skills or equipments are needed.
 You just need a medical certificate that you are not suffering from any heart ailment or asthma.
 All other equipment is provided by them.
 He told me that there is a huge queue of people who go in for this activity.
 Mostly youngsters try this activity.
 He told me that he was a bit nervous but they guide you very well and all the people over there
boost your morale.
 He told me that it was a stupendous feeling and he enjoyed it very much.
 He would go there again with me and do it once more.
 We have to register one month in advance.
 They take all the safety procedures and so no accidents have been reported so far.
 I would like to do this activity in April or May because it is very cold nowadays.
 I am really excited for the day to come.
Follow up questions:
 Why do some people take up adventurous activities?
Some people, by birth, are adventurous in nature. According to them, these activities provide
them a lot of confidence and self-reliance. Some males think it is the most effective way to prove
their masculinity. However, I do not believe in this doctrine of putting oneself into danger to show
off.
 Were people interested in adventurous activities in the past?
In the past, people were interested in adventurous activities as they are now. In the past too,
adventurous activities were the ways to get recognition and approval in society.
 Is it advisable to encourage children to take up adventurous hobbies?
That does not seem a good idea. Adventurous activities involve a lot of risk which all children may
not be able to handle. So, adventurous activities should not be encouraged in childhood.

62
45. Describe a famous athlete that you know.
You should say:
 Who he/she is
 How you know him/her
 What he/she has achieved
 and explain what is he/she famous for

Solution:
 An athlete by definition means any person who is trained to compete in sports.
 Here, I would like to talk about an athlete, who is known as the flying Sikh of India.
 He is none other than Milkha Singh.
 I had heard about him, but I came to know more about him after I saw the movie Bhag Milkha Bhag,
starring Farhan Akhtar.
 He was born in a Sikh family in Punjab of the undivided India.
 He was a teenager when his family was massacred in front of his eyes.
 He had to run for his life.
 He was chosen to represent India in the 200m and 400m races in the 1956 Melbourne
Olympic Games.
 At that time he could not progress beyond the initial stage.
 He participated in the National Games of India in Cuttack in 1958 where he set national
records for the 200m and400m.
 The same year he won a gold medal in the 400m competition at the Commonwealth Games in
Cardiff, making him the first male Indian to have won an individual athletics gold medal at those
Games.
 He won the gold medal at the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo beating the Pakistani runner Abdul
Khaliq.
 This prompted an invitation from Pakistan in 1960 for another race.
 Milkha once again beat Khaliq in a nail-biting finish.
 Impressed by the Indian athlete‘s performance, the then President of Pakistan, General Ayub
Khan complimented him.
 He that Milkha did not run, but flew.
 Thus Milkha gained the famous title—The Flying Sikh.
 During his later career he became the Director of Sports in the Punjab Ministry of Education, a
post from which he retired by1998.
Follow up questions:
 How important is hard work in getting success in sports?
Hard work is essential in sports. Sportsmen should work hard at all levels to ensure success.
They should maintain their physical fitness by regular exercise. They should also keep on
practicing to sharpen all the required skills and to develop innovative styles. Apart from this,
psychological conditioning for sports people is equally important. They should learn to stay calm
and optimistic even under pressure. To develop such an attitude they should make extra efforts
under the guidance of sports psychologists. I can say that toughness of mind works better at
times in getting victory.
 Does luck play any role in sports? Why?
I believe that luck is actually the result of hard work and positive mental attitude. We often see that
persistent people become successful in the end. I do accept that ome people are gifted in sports,
but they cannot reach to the top if they don't work hard or if they are pessimistic.

63
46. Talk about your favourite/ helpful website.
You should say:
 what is it about
 when you found it
 how often do you visit the website
 and explain why do you like it

Solution:

 One of my hobbies is surfing the net and I have visited many sites.
 One useful website is yahoo.com.
 My friend told me about this site.
 It is educational, family friendly, safe for kids and adults and above all it is very easy to navigate.
 I check my e-mail regularly on yahoo.com. My e-mail ID is xyz@yahoo.com.
 I also have yahoo messenger which helps me to chat online with my friends and relatives who
also have this messenger.
 Sometimes I play games online.
 My favourite game is Word Racer.
 It is a vocabulary building game.
 I have learnt many new words through it.
 Yahoo answers are a forum on this site where you can ask any question and you will get replies
from all over the world.
 Yahoo maps are a link on this site through which you can locate any place of the world.
 There is also an astrology link on this site.
 You can do a lot of online shopping at yahoo.
 You can search for jobs at yahoo jobs. You can read the latest news and the latest
advertisements.
 There is something for everyone on this site. I think this is a complete site in itself.

Follow up questions:

 What are the benefits of Internet?

There are many benefits of the Internet. Internet has revolutionised each and every field of life.
Today we can video chat with anyone across the world, do shopping from any corner of the world
and study from any college or university of the world.

 Should the Internet use be compulsory for all students? Why?

The internet is a powerful tool for the students today. However, I don‘t think its use should be
made compulsory. If its use is made compulsory, the students of poor strata may be burdened
with the cost of computers and the Internet connection.

 Can elderly people benefit from using the Internet, as well?

Of course, the elderly can be benefited the most. They can stay connected with their children and
grandchildren all the time. The elderly have a lot of time at their hands, so they can pass their time
by surfing the net and playing games online. They do not need to go anywhere for small
requirements. They can order anything sitting at home. They can consult any doctor anywhere in
the world by showing their digital scan and X-Ray reports.

 Compared to several decades ago, do you think the Internet has change people’s lives?
The Internet has totally transformed people‘s lives. Life without the Internet now seems incomplete.
It appears as if one is cut-off from the world and life has come to a standstill. It has made many
things easy, but at the same time increased our dependence on such technology.

64
47. Talk about a poisonous plant you know about.
You should say:
 what is it
 where is it found
 what are the advantages and disadvantages of it

Solution:

 Angels trumpet, more specifically Brugmansia, is a poisonous plant which is available in our
country and I have seen this plant many times in different locations in my hometown.

 Brugmansia has large and fragrant flowers and this is the most probable reason they are called
angel‘s trumpets.

 This plant is very closely related to the genus Datura. They are either semi-woody or shrub plants
with pendulous and large flowers and they do not have any spines on their fruits.

 This plant can be found in tropical areas of the world and since my country is a tropical country,
this is found in my country as well.

 This plant has some medical values and alkaloids found in this plant are used to make medicines
like anti-asthmatic, ant cholinergic, spasmolytic, and anesthetic. Traditional usages of this plant
include the treating of pains and aches.

 This plant is highly toxic and the flower can cause disorder and hallucinations. The flower and the
plants part can be very dangerous for children and we need to keep away the children from
putting it in their mouth.

 I mostly know about this plant from my childhood when the elder people prohibited us to go near
this plats and strictly prohibited us from touching the flowers.

 Then I came to know that this plant is poisonous and later on I googled to find out the details of
this plant. This is how I learned about this plant and its usages and toxicity.

65
48. Describe a puppet show you have seen.
You should say:
 when did you see it
 where did you see it
 how did you like

Solution:
 Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets –
inanimate objects, often resembling some type of human or animal figure, that are animated or
manipulated by a human called a puppeteer.
 In India puppet is commonly known as ‗Kathputali‘. I have seen a puppet show during my visit to
Rajasthan.
 Puppets were carved from a piece of wood and covered with costumes in Rajasthani style. The
show that I have watched was based on a theme that is ‗Girl Education‘.
 The puppets made were controlled by the people off-screen with the help of strings. Dialogue
delivery was also done by the same people who were controlling the puppets and making them
move.
 Through puppets and being uneducated themselves they conveyed beautifully and electrified
manner that how important for a nation, for a society and for an individual to educate women.
 Puppets are included in the traditional art of India and dates back from 5th century BC.
 However, modern style puppetry came into being now which has completely transformed the
existence of puppetry not in India but throughout the world.
 Puppets are of varied kinds. There are human-arm puppet, hand puppet, glove puppet, light
curtain puppet, finger puppet and many more.
 This art form is not getting much attention toady, though many of the families especially in urban
India making their ends meet through this art form only.
 This is the heritage of our country and I really think along with the other necessary
developments, there is a pressing need to look into this too.

66
49. Talk about a time when saw an insect dancing.
You should say:
 what did it happen
 where have you seen this
 what was the situation
 and explain how did you feel about it

Solution:

 Well the topic sounds very interesting and thought provoking as it is very rare and fascinating that
you saw an insect dancing. Or maybe if we have seen this sight then we are not aware that we
call it dance of insect.

 Here I would like to share the incident when I saw something like this. Although, when I saw it, I
did not know that what we call it but later when I research a bit on it I got to know about it.

 The insect that I saw dancing was honey bee. It was during the spring season when the flowers
blossom.

 One of my neighbours has a small and beautiful lawn in his house. I use to pay visit to his house
often and it was at his house that I saw honey bees dancing.

 It was during a fine day; we were sitting in his lawn and sipping tea when I saw honey bees flitting
among flowers.

 Although it is a very common sight, as it was the spring season and it is during this season that
honey bees drink nectar from the flowers.

 All of a sudden, it struck my mind that what are they actually doing by revolving around the
flowers. When I saw it deeply, I observed that there fluttering around the flowers making a pattern
very much looks like the number 8.

 Later, on reaching home when googled it and searched on it I come to know that it was actually
that bees were dancing. And we call it ―waggle dance ―in scientific language. Through this dance
honey bees pass information to each other.

 It was quite surprising to know that even such wonders also exist on earth.

67
50. Describe something interesting that your friend has done but you haven’t.
You should say:
 what is it
 when did your friend do it
 why you want to do it

Solution:

 Today is the world of technology. New inventions are coming day by day into the world market.
One of such innovations is the internet.
 It has changed the life of every person completely. Nowadays, mobile phones are available in the
market and it has a large number of social websites and apps.
 One of these apps is Facebook which makes the people crazy about it. Today I would like to talk
about this social app which I haven‘t used still yet.
 One of my best friends Tejinder Singh has already used this app since 2016.he learned about this app
from his cousin who is residing in Canada.

 He started this app in 2016 when Facebook was not famous enough in the country India. He made his
Facebook login id and password and it helps to keep in touch with his friends, relatives, and family
members.

 He also spends his leisure time by using this app. Because one could share his views, photos, videos
with his near and dear ones. This app helps him to always keep in touch with his friends.

 Nowadays, this social website is famous among all over the world. A million number of users are crazy
about it here in India.

 All my friends have Facebook user id‘s, so they insist me to make my Facebook account. By doing this
I could keep in contact with all my near and dear ones.

 I can share my pictures, videos, and feelings with my relatives, friends and make new friends on
Facebook. This could give you a chance to make acquaintances with unknown people and you
could learn something new which could be valuable for you in your life.

Follow up questions:

 Why some things are most interesting for a person?

In this fast progressing world every person is so busy that he seeks some relaxation and wants
some source to spend his or her leisure time. So there could be some things which a person could want
to do to make his life pleasurable but he became unable to do because of some reasons.
 Do your friends help you to fulfill your desires?
Yes, definitely my friends always get ready to help me in fulfilling my desires. We always discuss which
some friends have already done and some not. So we suggest these friends that how one could do
these things.
 Is it necessary to do certain things on right time?
Yes, of course, it is obligatory to do certain things on right time. Because time is very precious and it
never comes back. So a person should understand the value of time. Sometimes we
lost great opportunities to do certain things in our life because of our negligence of time.

68
51. Talk about an achievement that you are proud of.
You should say:
 what was the achievement
 when did you achieve it
 whether you faced any difficulty in achieving it
 any explain why is it worth proud of

Solution:

 One achievement that makes me really proud is that my website, Grey Matters English, has
been nominated for ―Best Website 2014‖ in the Macmillan Dictionary ―Love English‖ Awards.

 This nomination is the result of a huge amount of really hard work in taking my original idea of
learning English in simple steps, just one step per day, and turning it into an internationally
successful e-learning tool, which is used around the world by many thousands of people.

 Running Grey Matters has been particularly difficult over the last year as we upgraded to a
completely new website, built with different computer coding. This was tough for me as I had to
learn a lot about how websites work in order to communicate with a team of developers. I had to
learn to talk their language – the language of computers!

 Another thing I take great pride in is that we are now recording all the dialogues in our audio
lessons in American English as well as British English. The American actors we employ are
taking great care to adapt the British language into natural American English.

 This means that my students can choose which accent to speak, and understand both accents,
including the difference in vocabulary, especially idioms and phrasal verbs.

 The reason I am particularly proud of this aspect is that it makes the content of our lessons
totally unique, and we and our American actors are constantly surprised at how different British
and American English really are!

 It‘s a matter of great pride for me that I have managed to make all this work, and it gives me a
huge sense of achievement.

 However, the thing that makes me the most the most proud of all is the thought that so many
people around the world have improved their English using my method.

Follow up questions:

 How to measure a person’s success?

It is very difficult to measure success. Success is a very subjective term. Different people give
different meaning to success, so measuring and defining success is not an easy task.

 Do you think the way people gain success has changed?

Definitely the way people gain success has changed. Earlier, people did a lot of hard work and
success was limited to a small area. Only politicians, sportsmen and film stars were used to be in
limelight. But now any person can become successful overnight because of his/her talent.

 How successful people should be rewarded?

Successful people can be rewarded by acknowledging their work. Some awards can be given.
Some monetary benefits can be given. Sometimes giving promotions can also be a way to
reward successful people.

69
52. Talk about a person who helped you at some point of time.
You should say:
 who is the person
 how the person helped you
 how did you feel about being helped by the person

Solution:

 Mr. David is a professor of history and a very famous person in the university. He helped
a lot while completing my thesis on Old History of Europe. He is a man of letters and
skilled in various arts.

 He also loves to take part in social activities and assist his students in needs. I think this
is a nice cue card topic for me and I would like to thank you for this.

 When I was not getting the supervisor for my thesis, Mr David extended his helping hand.
He allowed me to make him my supervisor in the thesis. Accordingly, I started taking
suggestions and directives about the thesis which were really necessary for me.

 In fact, without support from Mr David, the dean of the faculty, I would not have submitted
the thesis in due time. He helped me always with the necessary information and valuable
directives.

 I was told to select a subject for the thesis and I picked the topic – Old History of
European Continent. History was my favourite and I thought that I would be able to
complete the work in due time and smoothly.

 But I stumbled in each of the steps after the topic selection. I could not manage the
necessary resources for exploration and I also did not get my supervisor who would guide
me through the process.

 All the professors were engaged and then Mr David told me to write his name on the
space for supervisor in the thesis form.

 Honestly, I felt lucky when I got him as my supervisor. Moreover, we had a very good
understanding and I got all the required supports from him.

 He was like an affectionate father to me. The moments under his supervision were nice
and I finally made a good result.

Follow up questions:

 Do you think people are losing their helping mentality?

Most people believe so. It is an accepted fact that people have become more
materialistic. So, they are not willing to spend their precious time and money for others.

70
53. Talk about a thing you just bought and you are happy about.
You should say:
 why you bought it
 why you selected this product
 from where you purchased it
 and explain why are you so happy about it.

Solution:

 I have bought many things in my life.

 But one purchase which has really made me happy is my Smart bracelet pedometer.
 I bought it from Amazon.in for Rs. 1000/-
 Actually, it was for about 3000/- but I grabbed a deal on Diwali.
 I always wanted a fitness tracker, but somehow, could not buy it because I thought these were very
expensive.
 My cousin bought a fit bit wristband for about 10,000.
 Then I saw this wristband of Cardmisha Company on Amazon online store.
 It is orange in colour and looks like a cute watch.
 Its battery lasts for about a week
 It has OLED display, so I can see my workout results.
 It has a heart rate monitor.
 It tells me how many steps I have walked in a day.
 I like to do a minimum 5000 steps a day.
 It is very motivating, when I do more steps.
 I feel I have done something for myself.
 It is made in China, and I know China products have no warranty or guaranty, but I bought it
because the other similar products were too expensive.
 I am very happy with it, because I feel motivated to walk more and keep myself fit.

Follow up questions:

 What do you see when you buy a thing?

I believe in quality and not in quantity. So, whenever I go to buy a thing I see the quality and it
should be of reasonable price. Sometimes costlier things are not of good quality.
 What are your thoughts about the trend that people buy new things instead of repairing the
old ones?
I believe that it is leading to a lot of environmental damage. Our landfill sites are filling up. As far
as possible, we should avoid buying new things and get old ones repaired.
 What is the product, which is consumed most in your country? Why?
Well, India is a diverse country and it is difficult to name one product, which is used the most.
Many things are used a lot. Almost everyone seems to have a cell phone nowadays. So, maybe
you can say that a cell phone is used the most.
 Is increasing consumerism a good trend?
No, definitely not. It does add to the economy, but it is causing a huge damage to the
environment.

71
54. Talk about a time when you went on vacation and did not spend any money.
You should say:
 what was the occasion
 where did you go
 who did you went on vacation with

Solution:

 Well special days are very important in everyone‘s life and in our country people spend a lot on
their special days like birthdays and marriages.
 If on such occasion one doesn‘t have to spend a lot of money, then it will make the day extra
special.
 I would like to talk about one such special day when I organised a birthday party for my friends at
a newly opened restaurant in our town.
 It was my 20th birthday and all of my friends were asking me for a treat.
 Since we had tried all the major restaurants in our town, I thought of taking them to a new place.
 I saw an advertisement in the newspaper about a new theme based restaurant that had opened in
our city.
 The name of the restaurant was Big Chill Café and it was based on a musical theme.
 I quickly called the café and made a reservation for 8 people.
 They told me that per person cost would be around 1000 Rs and I gave them the confirmation.
 We reached there around 8 PM in the evening.
 As soon as we entered the café we were astonished/amazed by the interiors of the café.
 The walls were decorated with huge poster of famous singers.
 The furniture was very trendy and the restaurant had beautiful lighting.
 In the background famous rock songs were being played.
 There were also lot of musical instruments like guitar and drums lying in one corner of the
restaurant.
 They had reserved a huge table in the centre for us.
 We quickly ordered some snacks which were also named after famous songs
 The starters were really delicious and we had a great time enjoying the snacks along with the
music.
 After that we ordered some food and surprisingly the waiters also brought a surprise birthday cake
which was ordered by my friends.
 But the biggest surprise came when I asked for the bill and it was only Rs 100 instead of Rs 8000.
 First of all I thought it was a mistake but when we called the hotel manager they told us that
 We were their 100th customer so they decided to give us a discount.
 I felt really overjoyed on hearing this and when I told my parents about it, they were also very
happy.
 So it was a special birthday on which I gave a grand party to my friends but still I didn‘t have to
spend a lot of money.

Follow up questions:

 Do teenagers spend much more money than before?

Yes, teenagers spend a lot more money than before because the average income of families has
grown as compared to the past. Moreover since there are nuclear families nowadays so parents
like to fulfill the wishes of their children and in order to make them happy they give them more
pocket money to spend.
 How can people save money as much as possible?
Well, there are lots of ways to save money nowadays. People can invest their money in small
savings scheme floated by the government. They can also keep a certain amount of money from
their incomes every month and save it for later.

72
55. Talk about your favourite game.
You should say:
 what the game is and how it is played
 when your learned to play it
 who taught the game to you
 what do you enjoy about the game

Solution:

 In my country people pursue many sports like soccer, hockey, tennis, snooker, cricket and so on.
However, my favorite sport is cricket. It is also the most popular game globally.

 I can say that in India, cricket is not only a sport but it is a religion for the majority of Indians. Cricket
can be played as a T 20 Match, one day match and as a five day test match.

 It is played between two teams consisting of eleven regular players and one extra player in each
team. One team bowls first and the other team sends two of its player to bat on the ground. Two
umpires on the ground and a third umpire sitting in the pavilion observe the game.

 First of all, I learned cricket when I was a child. While, I used to play cricket in a big ground near my
home with the boys of my area.

 I haven‘t taken any formal training in cricket because I wanted to play it for fun only. I didn‘t want to
be a cricketer in my life.

 It is a long and one of the most exciting sports in the world. Even a one day match runs for around
eight hours. The most astonishing feature about cricket is its uncertainty.

 It is full of ups and downs. We, as viewers, generally cannot predict what may happen next in the
match and that is the reason it keeps us stuck to our seats and maintain interest in the match. I
often go to see the match live in a stadium in my city with my friends and family members.

Follow up questions:

 Name some indoor and outdoor games in your country.

Cricket, football, athletics, cycling, swimming, handball, basketball, tennis, volleyball, badminton,
water polo etc. are outdoor games. And, chess, carom board, Ludo, Computer games, card, and
table tennis are indoor games played in country.
 Tell me about a team sport.
The team sport I like most is cricket. This game is very popular in my country as well as in south
Asia. Moreover, the world cup cricket attracts and entertains millions of fans all over the world.
There are two teams in a match and each team has 11 players to take part in the game. One is the
bowler the other is a wicket keeper and are fielders. One team makes the bowling and fielding and
the others team goes on batting. Score or runs are counter and the team with higher runs/score will
win the match. It‘s played in large stadium and people also like to watch international match on TV.
 What changes happened to your sports sector?
At the beginning of 80s, we tried to establish football. This game was very popular at this time.
Unfortunately, we could not develop this field. Then we also tried with swimming. Although, two of
our heroes crossed the English Channel and earned international recognition. But, we still do not
earn anything in the Olympics. Now, cricket is our passion. The sun is still waiting to rise in this
sector.

73
56. Talk about a friend whom you met after a long time.
You should say:
 how did you meet
 how do you keep in touch
 why is this person important to you

Solution:

 I had many friends in childhood, but the friend I am going to talk about here is Sukhninder.
 I met him when I was in the 4th class, in the Government Primary school where I studied.
 When we were in 6th he and his family moved to America.
 Now we are in touch through e-mail.
 Occasionally he calls me.
 Sometimes we video-chat through Skype software.
 We share our nostalgic memories of the past days with each other.
 He is very important to me because we are bosom friends and we share all our joys and sorrows
with each other.
 I like him because he is an honest and straightforward person.
 He had a very helping mentality.
 Whenever I was in trouble he used to come and help me.
 He tried to understand me.
 He never fought with me.
 In class I was weak at maths and he used to help me.
 I had a very bad handwriting and he helped me to improve my handwriting also.
 He is a very loving, caring and affectionate person.
 So he became a very intimate friend.
 When he was here he was very skinny.
 But now, he has grown very tall and handsome.
 He has done his graduation in computer animation.
 He made an animation of me and it was so funny that I remembered his naughty pranks of
childhood.

Follow up questions:

 What things do you consider before making someone you friend?

I see only genuine commitment towards the relationship before considering someone as my friend. I
think this is enough for me. Some people see qualifications, nature, financial status, and religion./
But, I believe that a person can be proved a true friend in life if he is honestly dedicated to the
relationship.
 How do you maintain your friendship?
I believe true friendship isn't required to be maintained. Still, we should stay in regular touch through
phone calls, SMS or emails when we cannot meet each other personally, so that we can update
each other about the developments of life.

74
57. Describe the most beautiful natural scenery you have been.
You should say:
 where the landscape is
 how people can get there
 what special thing would people from outside would like to see there

Solution:

 When I was a university student, I went to a village which was the living place of my best friend's
grandfather's house.

 It was in a remote area and the natural scenery I saw there was the most beautiful natural
scenery I have ever seen. It was in (...say the name of a place...) and the small river, the hill, the
green fields and the blue sky made a combination that I felt something out of the world.

 I saw it in one autumn evening when I went to explore the surroundings of the village. That was
awe-inspiring scenery that I will never forget. I saw this scenic beauty in 2011 and it was mid-
autumn season then.

 My friend, I and one of my friend's cousins were present at that time and I heard from my friend
that his village was a very beautiful place. I could not believe how much beautiful it was until I saw
it with my own eyes.

 We left for the river in the evening and I was amazed to notice the hill and the sloping road track
beside it. The river was flowing gently and the vast paddy fields were all around us.

 I heard the chattering of the birds in the green trees and the sound was creating a harmony in my
ears.

 To me, this was a truly amazing feeling to witness natural scenery that could exist only in our
imagination. I have seen many rivers, hills and paddy fields but in my friend's village, they were
arranged in such a way which is only possible in an artist's picture.

 The blue sky seemed very nearer to the horizon and the vast green all around us make me feel
like visiting in a fairy land.

75
58. Describe a recent event that made you happy.
You should say:
 what you did
 where you were
 who you were with
 and explain why it made you happy

Solution:

 I had been longing for a brand new mobile phone and I got it last month. It was the event that
made me too happy. This is a wonderful question for me. Thank you for the nice question.
 One of my maternal uncles presented me with a nice mobile phone set. It was an iPhone 6S. The
present came marking my 19th birthday. I was so happy with the phone set. In fact, I had long
been waiting to arrange money to have such a mobile phone. But it was not possible for me to
arrange such a huge amount of money alone. Thereby, the present was a blessing to me.
 I turned 19 years old yesterday. My parents had organised a family party centering the day.
Almost all of the family members were invited to the event. All of them were intimate with my
family.
 As we never miss an invitation from them, they also did not miss it. But I was really happy with the
presents that they bought for me. In fact, I got some of the remarkable gifts on my birthday. The
mobile phone was the best among them. I unpacked the mobile phone at the end of the event and
was greatly surprised seeing the mobile phone.
 This was not a formal event. So, I enjoyed some freedom. I talked with my relatives and cousins. I
also spent some time by watching a horror movie with the cousins of my age. It was a nice
experience to enjoy a movie together.
 Moreover, I also helped my mother in serving the foods. I forgot to say that I also took part in
preparing the foods. In fact, most of the foods were prepared by me and they were delicious too.
Everyone enjoyed their meal. I also greeted the guests when they took leave of us. To make the
long story short – I was the centre of attraction on the day, and thus had to manage almost all the
things.
 This event made me happy for several reasons. First of all, it was my birthday. I became older
one year. I also got some more freedom in my family. Besides, the invited guests also blessed me
and wished a bright future for me.
 The other happy event was receiving the mobile phone. To be honest, it was the most important
thing that made me happy on this day. I do not know how my dream came true on this day. At
first, I did not realize that it was a mobile phone. When I opened the wrap, I was extremely
surprised with the iPhone. It was golden in colour and its specifications were standard as I
desired. So, this event made me really happy.

Follow up questions:

 What makes you happy in life?

Everything that is good for me, my family and the mankind makes me happy. I don't believe in a
conditional and emotional response to the situations in my life. I firmly believe that complete
acceptance of everything in life makes us eternally happy.
 How do you celebrate happy moments of life?
It depends a lot in the situation. Generally, I go to restaurants or any ice cream parlour with my
family and friends. I also take photographs of all who are present there.

76
59. Describe your favourite childhood toy.
You should say:
 which is it
 who gave it to you
 how often do you play with it

Solution:

 I had many toys in my childhood but here I am going to talk about my electric toy car.
 My father gifted it to me on my 11th birthday.
 I used to spend hours playing with it.
 I was greatly fascinated by it.
 It was red in colour.
 It worked with four pen torch batteries fixed in a box under the car.
 When I switched it on, it would move in all directions.
 If there was an obstacle on the way then the car could change directions.
 Along with that it had lights which flickered at times.
 I was so fascinated by this car that I used to finish its batteries very soon.
 I used to show it to my friends with pride.
 None of my other friends had such a beautiful toy car.
 I just loved it when I saw the jealous look in their eyes.
 I remember, once I took it to school in my bag.
 When I came home I got a big spanking from my mother.
 I was very possessive about my car and never used to let anyone touch it.
 Even though I don‘t play with the car any more I still have it in my room.
 Its colour has faded now but it has emotional value for me.
 That is why I have never thought of giving it away to my younger cousins.

Follow up questions:

 What is the difference between girls’ and boys’ toys?

Traditionally, girls used to like dolls, kitchen sets, fairies, butterflies etc. boys normally preferred
aggressive toys like guns, cars and things to build and things which make lot of noise. But these
differences have been disappearing over the year.
 Do you think toys really help in children’s development?
Yes, toys play a big role in children‘s development. It helps to develop their motor and sensory
skills and also their cognitive abilities. At the same time, it also leads to their social development,
especially when they play with other kids. Kids also learn responsibility when parents ask them to
properly store their toys.
 Does modern technology have an influence on children’s toy?
Yes modern technology has a big influence on toys. Both the type of toys available and the
children‘s preferences for toys have changed over time. Today robots, app controlled cars are
more popular. Board games are becoming less and less popular. Simple action figures and dolls
have also become much more detailed.
 What toys are popular with kids in India today?
Many types of toys are popular in India. Children like wooden toys and other mechanical toys, but
electronic toys are fast gaining popularity.

 In general, do children have many toys today?

Yes, they do. When I look at the children around me, I feel that they have too many toys. I never
had so many. I think, today, parents are substituting they time they have to spend with their
children by giving them more and more toys.

77
60. Talk about a place which is not famous in your country.
You should say:
 which is the place
 where is it located
 how do you come to know about it
 and explain why the place is not famous

Solution:

 There are many interesting places in and around my hometown, where many people go to, like
parks, malls, sports centres etc.
 Here I would like to talk about an interesting place, which is not popular.
 Not many people visit this place.
 It is a farm stay at about an hour‘s drive from my hometown.
 It is called Farmer‘s Villa.
 It is one of the villages that falls on the national highway 44, on the way from Phagwara to
Amritsar.
 It offers all the modern facilities and comforts for the tourists/ visitors.
 At the same it offers an opportunity to experience the Punjabi culture.
 They offer cooking classes for traditional Punjabi dishes.
 The farms there are organic and chemicals are used there.
 They offer walks around the village and also rides on tractors in farms.
 It is not very well known because not many people from the cities around this village know about
it.
 Mostly foreign tourists stay at this farm stay to experience the Punjabi culture.
 I haven‘t yet visited this place but I plan to go there with my family soon and stay there for a
couple of days.
 I have heard that is very quiet and away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
 I think it would be very nice weekend getaway for my family and me.
 We can all spend quality time with each other there and also get in touch with our roots and
culture.

Follow up questions:

 What kinds of tourist sites are popular in your country?

There are different kinds of tourist sites popular in my country. Some are popular because of their
historic or architectural importance, some are for their natural beauty, some for their traditional
culture, some for their arts and crafts and some for religious importance. The diversity India has to
offer in terms of culture and terrain attracts many foreign tourists every year.

 What can governments do to prevent pollution in tourist sites?

Governments can do a lot to prevent pollution at tourist places. There should be proper waste
disposal facilities; there should be strict rules and heavy fines for spoiling and littering the tourist
places. The government can promote eco-tourism.

 What are the advantages of visiting lesser known places?

There are many advantages of visiting not so famous places. It is less noisy and less crowded. It
gives us an opportunity to experience the local unadulterated culture. There is less pollution,
because of not many visitors.

78
 IELTS
GREY MATTERS
GUESS PAPERS
(FULLY SOLVED)

WRITING TASK 1
(GRAPHS)
79
 The bar chart below shows the number of tourists who traveled to Australia in 1995 and 2005. The
line graph shows the number of tourists who did two types of holiday.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons
where relevant.

Tourists to Australia
1,600,000
1,400,000
1,200,000
1,000,000
800,000 1995
600,000 2005
400,000
200,000
0
UK US Japan

3,000,000

2,500,000

2,000,000

1,500,000 Staying at resorts

Backpacking
1,000,000

500,000

0
1995 2000 2005
SOLUTION

The given column graph depicts the number of tourists from the US, the UK and Japan and Australia in 1995
and 2005. The line graph illustrates the statistics about the two types of holidays they did.

In 1995, the maximum (nearly 1,500,000) tourists visited Australia from Japan, whereas the minimum
(approximately 500,000) tourists were from the US. 800,000 tourists from the UK holidayed in Australia. After a
decade, the number of tourists from the US trebled to 1,500,000, whereas those from the UK almost doubled
to 1,500,000. It is interesting to note that the tourists from Japan decreased by 500,000.

From the line graph it is manifest that in 1995, the number of backpackers stood at 250,000. From 1995 to
2005, the number of backpackers grew considerably from 250,000 to 1000,000. There was a moderate
escalation in the number of tourists holidaying in resorts from 1995 to 2000. The number rose from roughly 1.7
million to 2.5 million. From 2000 to 2005, the number fell sharply from 2.5 million to 1 million.

Overall, the total number of vacationers increased over the given period. Backpacking became more popular,
whereas staying in resorts lost popularity during the given period of ten years.

80
 The graph below shows the result of a survey of young people in four European countries on the
most effective solution of global warming.

Summarise the information making comparisons where relevant.

60

50
percentage of young people

40
Lifestyle changes

30 Government regulations
Environmental issues
20 None of these

10

0
Portugal Spain Italy Netherlands

SOLUTION

The given vertical bar graph elucidates the outcome of a survey as to the best solution of global warming
among the people of four European countries, which are Portugal, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands. It is clear
from the graph that lifestyle changes were rated as the best solution by the maximum youth of all the countries.

50% of the Portuguese young people rated lifestyle changes as the best solution for global warming.
Government regulations and environmental issues were considered the best ways to solve global warming by
20% and 17% respectively. The maximum Spanish young generation also was of the view that lifestyle
changes were the most effective solution but their percentage was lesser than that of the Portuguese in this
respect. 17% and 20% young people of Spain rated government issues and environmental factors as the best
solution. The overall trend of the Spanish, the Italian and the Dutch youth was the same for all the factors with
minor differences in percentage.

Overall, only a minority of the youth of all the countries opined that none of these factors could help to reduce
global warming.

81
 The graph below shows the population of three cities in 1990, the population forecast of 2000 and
the actual population of 2000.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons
where relevant.

Predicted population for 2000

Cities Actual population in 1990 Actual population in 2000
(made in 1990)
Sao Paulo 15 million 24 million 18 million
Jakarta 9.5 million 14 million 17.5 million
Shanghai 13.5 million 17 million 12.5 million

SOLUTION

The given table shows the actual population of Sao Paulo, Jakarta and Shanghai in 1990 and 2000. It shows
the predictions made in 1990 for the expected population in 2000. It is clear that the predictions made were
quite different from the actual population.

Sao Paulo had the highest population in 1990, which was 15 million. It was closely followed by Shanghai,
where the population was 13.5 million. Jakarta had the least population of only 9.5 million. It was predicted that
in 2000, the population of Sao Paulo would increase significantly and reach 24 million. However, the actual
population of Sao Paulo in 2000 was only 18 million, which was 6 million lesser than expected. The population
of Shanghai was expected to increase moderately and become 17 million by 2000. Surprisingly, the population
of Shanghai fell slightly and by the end of the decade it was 12.5 million. The population of Jakarta was
expected to rise by 4.5 million by 2000, but here the actual population was almost double of that of 1990. It
was 17.5 million in 2000.

Overall, Sao Paulo and Jakarta had almost equal population (18 and 17.5 million) in 2000, whereas actually
Shanghai had significantly lower population (12.5 million) in 2000. The predictions made in all three cases
proved wrong.

82
 The diagram shows how tea leaves are processed into five tea types.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons
where relevant.

SOLUTION

The diagram presents the manufacture of five different types of tea. It is immediately apparent that although all
the teas are produced from the same leaf, the differences in the manufacturing process result in five different
types of tea.

The first three stages of manufacture are the same for all of the five teas. The leaves are grown, they are then
plucked, and following this withering of the leaves occures. The final stage is also the same, which sees all the
leaves dried in an oven. However, in the stages in between this, differing methods of production are employed.

To begin, white tea is unique as it involves no other processing. In contrast, green, oolong and large leaf black
tea are all rolled as part of the process. However, while green tea is steamed before being rolled but is not
fermented, the other two teas are first rolled and then both fermented (oolong only slightly but large leaf black
completely). Finally, small leaf black tea is neither steamed nor rolled, but is crushed before being fully
fermented.

83
 The chart below show the proportion of the energy produced from different sources in a country
between 1985 and 2003.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons
where relevant.

Other 1985
renewable, Natural gas,
1% 13%

Coal, 8%

Hydrogen, 4%
Oil, 52%

Nuclear, 22%

Other 2003
renewable,
4% Natural gas,
23%

Oil, 39%
Coal, 13%

Hydrogen, 4%
Nuclear, 17%
SOLUTION

The given pie charts compare the percentage of energy generated from various sources in a particular country
from 1985 to 2003. It can be seen that the use of some sources to produce energy increased with time,
whereas that of others decreased.

Oil was the major source of energy production throughout the whole period, although its usage dropped from
just over a half (52%) in 1985 to approximately two fifth (39%) in 2003. The use of nuclear also declined from
22% to 17% over the given period.

The use of natural gas and coal showed an increase from 13% and 8% in 1985 to 23% and 13% respectively
in 2003. Interestingly, the proportion of energy produced from hydrogen remained stable at 4%, whereas that
from other renewable sources increased from 1% to 4% over the given period of 18 years.

Overall, the maximum energy was produced from oil and the least from hydrogen and other renewable
sources.

84
 The chart shows the information relating to people within 15-minute drive service in a particular
region in UK. It also compares the people living in urban areas and people living in rural areas.

Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information given below.

People within 15 minute drive service

Doctor

Post office

People living in urban areas

Primary school People living in rural areas

Secondary school

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
% of people

SOLUTION

The given bar graph compares the access to medical, educational and postal services by the city and
countryside people in a specific region in the United Kingdom. Overall, it can be seen that almost all urban
people are within fifteen-minute drive to all these mentioned services.

Cent-percent urban and rural people have access to medical facilities. They are all within fifteen minutes drive
to a doctor. Similarly, secondary school can be reached within 15 minutes by all residents of villages and cities.
All city people have a post office in their propinquity. However, five per cent of villagers have to drive more than
fifteen minutes to avail postal services. The biggest discrepancy lies in primary school facilities. Only sixty five
percent of villagers have a primary school within a quarter of an hour drive, where as the remaining,
approximately, one third inhabitants of countryside have to drive children to far-off schools.

Overall, the rural and urban communities have similar access to medical, postal and secondary school facilities
but only about a third of villagers do not live close to a primary school.

85
 The table below shows the production of cacao beans in six regions between 1992 and 1998.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons
where relevant.

Production of cacao beans (IN TONS)

REGIONS 1992 1994 1996 1998

NORTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA 46,000 25,000 39,000 46,000
AFRICA 29,000 43,000 1,19,000 25,000
ASIA 1,19,000 1,24,000 2,34,000 4,36,000
OCEANIA 40,000 45,000 65,000 76,890
SOUTH AMERICA 1,43,000 1,40,000 1,12,700 3,89,000
ENGLAND 56,000 67,000 43,000 49,000

SOLUTION

The given table presents the production of cacao beans in six global areas from 1992 to 1998. It can be seen
that the production of cacao was higher in South America and Asia than all other given countries.

In 1992, the highest production of cacao was from South America at 1,43,000 tons, which decreased slightly in
1994 and 1996, but picked up again and reached 3,89,000 tons by 1998. Cacao production in Asia also
increased considerably from 1,19,000 tone in 1992 to 4,36,000 tons in 1998 which was the highest figure for
that year.

In Oceania, cacao production almost doubled from 40,000 tons in 1992 to 76,890 tons in 1998. Africa and Asia
showed fluctuating trends. In Africa, cacao production almost trebled from 1992 to 1996, starting at 29,000
tons in 1992 and reaching 1,19,000 tons in 1996. However, in 1998, it fell drastically and reached an all time
low of 25,000 tons. In England the production hovered between 43,000 and 67,000 over the given period.

Overall, cacao production increased in some areas and decreased in others.

86
 The maps below show the village of Stokeford in 1930 and 2010.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons
where relevant.

SOLUTION
The pictures illustrate the development of the village of Stokeford that have taken place over a period of 80
years. In general, it is clearly shown that River Stoke and a bridge remained unchanged throughout the given
period of time and many more houses had been constructed in 2010.

There were major changes in the village of Stokeford over the years. First of all, the shops located in the east
of River Stoke were destroyed and more houses were built in 2010. The next noticeable feature is that the
farmland in 1930 was demolished and it was converted into residential places with new roads being
constructed.

Furthermore, primary school was developed in 2010 and it was almost doubled in 2010 compared to 1930.
Part of the gardens in 1930 was used for the residential purpose by building more rows of houses near the
main road. The left-over garden with a large house was then developed into a retirement home in 2010.

87
 The chart below shows employment figures in different tourism-related industries between 1989
and 1999.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons
where relevant.

1400

1200

345.7
Employment in thousands

1000

284.7 Sports
800 77.4
Culture (museums, galleries, etc.)
114.2
82.8 Travel
600 60.9
Food
357.7
283.4 Hotels (and other accommodation)
400

200
299.2 306.0

0
1989 1999

SOLUTION
The bar graphs compare employment figures in five leisure-related industries between 1989 and 1999.

The hotel industry employed the most people, almost 300,000, in 1989. It was closely followed by the sports
and food industries, which had just fewer than 285,000 workers each. Far fewer people worked in the fields of
culture (82,800) and travel (60,900).

Excluding culture, all fields of employment increased over the 10-year period. The largest rise was in the travel
industry. Employment in this industry almost doubled to 114,200 in 1999. The number of food-related jobs also
rose significantly and by 1999 this industry had overtaken the hotel industry as the biggest employer, with just
over 350,000 workers. Employment in hotel and sports industries increased steadily over the same period,
while the number of culture-based jobs dropped slightly, from 82,800 to 77,400.

To sum up, overall employment in tourism-related industries rose steadily. The only exception to this was in the
field of culture, where employment decreased slightly.

88
 This bar chart shows the different reasons for making journeys in the UK in 2006 and how males
and females differed in this.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons
where relevant.

walking

visit friends

education

shopping
purposes

personal business
women
school run men

holiday/day trip

sport/entertainment

commuting and business

0 5 10 15 20 25
percentage

SOLUTION

The bar charts elucidate the percentages of British people travelled for 9 different reasons in different genders
in 2006.

It is immediately apparent that, the most common purpose of journey was commuting and shopping, being
more than 20% of trips. The next common reason for people‘s trip was visiting friends and school run, which
accounted at above 15%, closely followed by personal business of around 10%. Travelling for sport or
education purposes came in 4th places of nearly 10% out of total travelling reasons. The least common types
of journey was walking and holiday, both have the same percentage of around 3%.

However, there are differences among genders. Both sexes took approximately the same time of journeys in
holidays, walking and personal business purpose. While slightly more travelled by men for education purposes,
more women visited friends. Interestingly, almost twice females took a trip for shopping and school run,
likewise, around 7% and around 4% more men commuted to work and committed to do a sport, respectively.

The two areas women travelled significantly more than men were shopping and the school runs, whereas men
made a trip for the team work purposes – sports and business.

89
 The graph below shows the average number of UK commuters travelling each day by car, bus or
train between 1970 and 2030.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons
where relevant.

9
Number of commuters (millions)

Car
Bus
3 Train

0
1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030
Year

SOLUTION

The line graph compares figures for daily travel by workers in the UK using three different forms of transport
over a period of 60 years.

It is clear that the car is by far the most popular means of transport for UK commuters throughout the period
shown. Also, while the numbers of people who use the car and train increase gradually, the number of bus
users falls steadily.

In 1970, around 5 million UK commuters travelled by car on a daily basis, while the bus and train were used by
about 4 million and 2 million people respectively. In the year 2000, the number of those driving to work rose to
7 million and the number of commuting rail passengers reached 3 million. However, there was a small drop of
approximately 0.5 million in the number of bus users.

By 2030, the number of people who commute by car is expected to reach almost 9 million, and the number of
train users is also predicted to rise, to nearly 5 million. In contrast, buses are predicted to become a less
popular choice, with only 3 million daily users.

Overall, by the end of time number of people who commute by car and train is predicted to rise. In contrast
buses are predicted to become a less popular choice.

90
 The line graph shows the percentage of women who were employed in four countries from 1985 to
2005.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons
where relevant.

Women Employed

70

60

50
Percentage

40 USA
Korea
30
Afghanistan
20 France

10

0
1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
Year

SOLUTION

The line graph reveals the employment rate of women in four different countries for an interval of twenty years.
The data is shown for USA, Korea, Afghanistan and France from 1985 to 2005. As is shown clearly from the
graph, all nations witness an upward trend of employed women except for Afghanistan.

To be specific, the percentage of working women in America shows steady increase over a period of 15 years,
from 45% in 1985 to around 62% in 1985 until it is followed by a slight downward trend and ends up at exactly
60% in 2005. Having the same tendency with the USA, the percentage of employed women rises stably during
the interval of 25 years with the annual average increase of about 5%. The figures for working women in this
country vary from 20% in 1985 to a peak at precisely 40% in the year of 2005 with no decrease during that
period.

In the case of france, the rate of working women in this country drops substantially during the second half of
the 1980s, which results in the lowest point at over 30% in 1990 before rising continuously until 2005. In term
of Afghanistan, the data of employed women in this nation grows moderately over a decade from 1985 to
1995. After 1995, however, there is a dramatical decrease in the rate of working women for 5 years, from 40%
in 1995 goes down to merely 10% in 2000 and it continues to drop then but with the lower percentage.

Overall, among four countries, the USA and France are the two countries where the majority of women are
employed in the end.

91
 The diagram shows how energy is produced from coal.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons
where relevant.

SOLUTION

The diagram illustrates the many stages involved in the production of energy from coal.

First of all, the coal is mined and then carried to the surface. After that it is carried along a conveyor belt to a
power plant, where it is burned in a large furnace to which oxygen is added. There are two by-products of this
process: raw syngas and slag.

At the next stage of the process, harmful substances like carbon dioxide, mercury and sulphur are removed
from the syngas. Following that, the purified gas is used to drive a gas turbine which powers a generator,
producing electricity. The gas turbine also produces hot exhaust gases which are piped to a heat recovery
steam generator, which converts the heat into steam. Flue gases are given off. The steam is subsequently
used to power a steam turbine, which again is used to generate electricity.

Overall, the process is complex but efficient in that electricity is generated in two ways – from the syngas itself
(in the gas turbine) as well as from the hot exhaust gases (via the steam turbine).

92
 The following pie charts are on the share of world wide web browsers used for accessing the
internet.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting main features, and make comparisons where
relevant.

2001 2010

Others, Others,
0.50% 0.6%

Chrome,
Firefox, 1.0%
22.3% Internet
Firefox,
Explorer,
Opear, 37.9%
36.9%
2.1%
Internet Safari,
Explorer, 0.5%
73.6% Safari, Chrome,
4.9% 15.5%

Opear,
4.2%

SOLUTION

The given pie charts present information about the share of various Internet browsers in the web search
market in years 2001 and 2010.

In 2001, the Internet Explorer dominated the market with 73.6 percent share. The distant second runner was
the Firefox with just 22.3 percent stake. Opera‘s share was only 2.1 percent while that of Chrome was 1
percent. Safari and others were insignificant.

The scenario changed drastically during the next decade. Internet Explorer was no longer the biggest player.
With about 38 percent stake, Firefox had the largest market share. It was closely followed by the Internet
Explorer. Chrome was the biggest gainer since it increased its market share fifteen times from just 1 percent in
2001 to 15.5 percent in 2010. Opera and Safari also gained market share, and they stood at 4.2 and 4.9
percent respectively.

In nutshell, the Internet Explorer was the only browser that lost market share during this decade and every
other browser gained.

93
 The map below shows the development of a seaside village between 1995 and present.

Write a short report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below.

SOLUTION

The two maps show the layout of the same seaside village in 1995 and at present.

Overall, it is evident that the infrastructure for housing and recreation has increased at the expense of
agricultural land and commercial fishing.

The most notable changes are the disappearance of the fishing port and adjacent fish market, as well as the
creation of a golf course and tennis courts in the north-east, where farmland and a forest park were still found
in 1995. Furthermore, a new housing development containing apartments is now found on the waterfront at the
former site of the fish market, and a number of restaurants have been built on the opposite side of the road
where shops used to be.

There was also an increase in the total number of houses, from 12 in 1995 to 16 at present. In addition, the
road encircling a small housing development west of the main road has been extended further westward.

The hotel and cafe in the south-east have remained as it is. A new car park has been added next to the hotel.

94
 IELTS
GREY MATTERS
GUESS PAPERS
(FULLY SOLVED)

WRITING TASK 2
(ESSAYS)
95
 Many people believe that companies and individuals should pay to clean up the environment in
proportion to the amount of pollution they have produced.

Do you agree or disagree? Give your own opinion and examples.

Growing population and economy have been negatively impacting the environment and risk in creating
irreversible damage and pollution. Many believe that those who contributed to the pollution such as companies
or individuals should be responsible to pay for the cost of cleaning. However, I strongly do not agree with this
due to several reasons.

Firstly, everyone has to understand that we share the role to keep the environment pollution free together. Any
single action done by an individual can cause a huge impact to the environment. With the increase of
deforestation for economy purposes, the amount of oxygen decreases as plants could not perform
photosynthesis fast enough to convert carbon dioxide to oxygen. As the consequences, air pollution increases
affecting the human health and animal population. The overall lifecycle is affected as mother nature and
humans are interdependent to survive.

Secondly, the lack of government enforcement highly contributed to the amount of pollution happening.
Government should review their current policy and identify the root cause of the pollution. With the lack of
enforcement, general public and enterprises are free to do as they wish without abiding the rules and
regulation of the respective countries. For instance, survey done by World Health Organization in Asia Pacific
showed that 80% of the population is actually aware of the rules and regulations but choose to ignore as there
has been no action from government. It is the government responsibility to educate the public on the
importance of protecting the environment that they live in.

In conclusion, the responsibility to clean up the environment lies on everyone and not only on companies and
individuals that caused it. It is unfair when humans make the damage to the environment and mother natures
have to bear the irreversible consequences. Therefore, it is crucial for everyone to have similar aim and vision
to keep the environment clean.

Traffic and housing problems in major cities could be solved by moving large companies and
factories and their employees to the countryside.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

These days with increasing urban populations, there are major problems with congestion and not only the price
but also availability of accommodation in large cities of the world. It seems that one possible solution could be
to relocate large companies and factories as well as their respective employees out of these urban areas and
into more rural ones. I strongly agree that this would have a positive effect in making cities more livable.

To begin with, the traffic problem in cities doesn‘t only exist from commuting employees, but also the general
public travelling around the city. While this may be a fact, if the number of worker‘s vehicles is reduced on city
streets, a large percentage of traffic will obviously decline in rush hours. For example, peak hour traffic is
undoubtedly made up largely of staff from companies going to and from home.

Secondly, in regards to housing problems, populations will always continue to grow in cities and therefore
inadvertently decrease the number of cheap and available apartments. This is certainly obvious, however, a
large proportion of these apartments are occupied by employees from large firms and their families. If this
workforce is relocated to housing estates in the country, city apartment blocks will fall in price and certainly
increase in availability.

In conclusion, by relocating workers to rural areas to work and reside, heavy traffic conditions and lack of
adequate accommodation in city centres will obviously change for the better. As far as I‘m concerned, I agree
that the government should enforce such a law in order to increase our standard of living in our hectic city life.

96
 In some countries, it is illegal for companies to reject job applicants for their age. Is this a positive
or negative development?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or
experience. Write at least 250 words.

In some countries it is forbidden to reject job applications because of applicant's ages. Even though some
people think that companies have right to reject any application without stating any reason, governments force
employers to give equal opportunities to every applicant. I think this have some positive and negative effects.
In some jobs like construction and heavy industrial jobs, a worker should be physically fit to complete the
assignment given to him, so companies try to increase their chances of reaching the correct person by
prohibiting applications of older people. Also it becomes more and more harder to get along with developing
technology by age so that education is becoming a great expense for some employers. Because of these
factors most of industry leading airline companies have maximum age limits for pilots and cabin crew.
On the other hand there are also a lot of companies believe that great experience comes with older ages.
Those companies instead of prohibiting applications of older people they even state minimum age limits for
applicants in their job openings. These kinds of companies are mostly does experience oriented jobs like
television programming or film making. They prefer experience of older people over young people‘s fresh
ideas.
So that every employer have different requirements. While some of them are looking for physically fit and
powerful workers some of them just look for experienced brains to generate innovative ideas. Because of this
situation I think that restricting rejection of job applications just because of applicants ages is a negative
development.

Billions of dollars are spent on space research. This is a waste of money. More money must be
spent on improving the problem of people on earth. To what extent do you agree?

Nowadays, many countries across the globe are spending huge amount of money on space research programs.
Rather than invest such amount of money in tackling the issues people face on earth. I believe that multi billion
dollars spent on space research is an absolute waste of funds. Therefore, more cash should be spent on improving
problems like global warming and health related issues which are of paramount significance to the people of this
planet.
Firstly, space research or travelling brings very little benefits. Space research as we all know is a very complicated
issue, even if a new habitable planet is found in the galaxy, it can take up to two thousand light years to reach the
surface of such planet. Thus, making it impossible and a complete waste of time. Secondly, space research cost a
fortune as tons of cash are been used to finance such exploration. Such kind of hard earned cash should not be
used for a project that is likely not to yield any dividend. Finally, space experimentation comes with a great danger
and risk. As astronauts are made to come out of their shell and travel to outer space with a great unforeseeable
consequences.
Climate change also known as global warming is one of the most pressing matters on earth and require a very
effective and swift action. More money should be poured into dealing with this problem and finding a long lasting
solution in order to save this plant and the people within it. Every day climate change is afflicting the world severely.
For example, typhoon, floods, and storm, just to name a few. If more money are continue been spent of space
exploration and the challenges people face on earth are been ignored, the planet might get over run and then there
won't be anyone left on it. Hence, it is better to save our planet first instead of exploring other planet.
Health issues have been the major contributors to the increase in morbidity. People are dying by the minute from
diseases, money for space research should be used to find a cure for deadly communicable illness. For example,
Ebola which have claimed the life of over one billion people in Africa. protecting the people of the earth is of prime
importance and should be the priority.
To conclude, space research is a luxury with no significant long term benefits. So money spent on such experiments
are waste of cash, and should instead be channeled into improving the life of the people in our planet and saving the
earth from dying out.

97
 In some cities, there are few controls on the design and construction of homes and other buildings,
and owners can decide on the style of their houses. Do the advantages of this outweigh the
drawbacks?

Nowadays, more and more individuals and companies demand to have a complete control over the design of
their residential properties without any interference from the authority. While this development serves buildings‘
owners greatly, there are several demerits which need to be considered.

To begin with, lesser control on the buildings‘ style in large cities indeed has some benefits. With the freedom
to build personal architectures, individuals are enabled to use their creativity and imagination to create unique
and modernized houses which make the cities look incredibly attractive to citizens and tourists. For example, a
city with different types of houses and office buildings always draws more attention than places that have the
same design for all architectures. Additionally, giving residents the power to decide their houses‘ style will save
a substantial amount of the governments‘ revenue. Because people now pay individually for the architects, the
authority is released from the budget burden.

Unfortunately, despite the aforementioned benefits, there are massive setbacks of such a development. Firstly,
unlike the past when people were forced to apply the same buildings‘ design, the residential area of cities will
not maintain a standardization of houses in the future because each property now has a different style. This
makes the area unappealing to the citizens who are seeking for a settling place. Secondly, without any strict
control on the construction, there will always a risk of damaging the surrounding architectures. For instance, a
building may collapse and cause severe consequence if the construction is not carefully supervised by the
authority.

In conclusion, while letting people decide style of their own architectures bring several advantages, its
drawbacks are far more unfavorable to the cities.

Some psychologists think that the best way to overcome the stress of everyday life is to spend a
portion of the day doing absolutely nothing.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

A number of psychologists believe that people to overcome their stress of every day affairs need to do nothing
a portion of a day. However, it appears that this idea cannot be completely correct. I will explain why in this
essay.

Firstly, according to people's experiences, when they are workless, they cannot avoid thinking about the
sources of stress. This is because, they are able to focus on their problems due to the sufficient time they have
to check all aspects of their issues while they do anything. As a result, it makes us suffer from a high level of
stress. In addition, a second and perhaps most significant and negative impact of this method is to miss a part
of life's opportunities which can be used in order to take effective actions. For instance, in the modern life
which is full of stress, individuals should spend their time to search for easier remedies to solve their problems
to be safe from the sources of anxiety. Although there are a lot of reasons for stress of everyday life these
days, overcoming them is easier than the past thanks to the technological improvements. Thus, people should
not miss their opportunities by doing nothing.

It is true that the tiredness would be the primary source of stress and people need to be relaxed and free of
stress in a portion of a day to refresh themselves. Despite this, today's life is like a competition. If individuals
miss their opportunities because of tiredness, they won't have any chance to improve as much as they wish.

To conclude, this method to reduce the stress may not be effective. It seems to me that it could not help people
not only to get opportunities but also to overcome the stress of everyday life.

98
 Some think that children should start school as early as possible, while other believe that they
should start school at the age of seven.

Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Education is very important for everyone. Some people think that children should begin their formal education at a
very early age (4 year), whereas others opine that the age of seven years is the best for young people to commence
educational studies. This essay intends to analyse both perspectives before reaching a conclusion as to which
approach is better.
Advocates of sending the child to school at the age of 4, cite a host of benefits. They say that children who begin to
study at a very early age have more chances to succeed in the future. It is a well-known fact that the younger the
individual, the easier it is for him to acquire new knowledge and information. Such children get a head start in
learning, which definitely gives them an advantage in their later school years. Secondly, if children remain at home
till 7 years, they while away time in unproductive activates. But, when children attend school, they are purposefully
engaged in activities that stimulate their minds and encourage them to develop and improve.
On the other hand, there are myriad reasons for sending children to school at around 7 years of age. Every child
must have his or her childhood, during which playing and communication with friends and parents is very important.
Childhood comes but once in life and should be spent as much as possible with parents. Basic qualities, such as
kindness, self-confidence and a good sense of humor cannot be gained from studying. This interaction with parents
becomes less after children start school, because they get busy in homework and other activities.
Another important aspect of sending children to school at a later age is that in their early ages children need more
exercise, because at this age the development of their body is a very essential aspect. The stress of school and
homework stifles the growth of many children. As it is, there are many years of schooling for children even if they
start at seven.
To conclude, both approaches have their own sets of merits. Parents have to see what suits them best. If both
parents are working, and the family is nuclear, then early age would be better. Otherwise, it would be better to send
children to school at the age of seven.

Some people think that new technology is improving the lives of workers, other say it has more
disadvantages. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

The introduction of a new technology always transforms the way people live and work. While some people
think that this is beneficial for workers since it reduces drudgery and increases safety, others believe this leads
to loss of employment. I agree with the former view.
I strongly agree with the view that machines play an instrumental role in making work conditions comfortable.
During the last few decades, machines have assumed the roles which are not considered worthy of a human.
For example, the job of cleaning the floor and that of removing dust on roads is done by machines. Moreover,
machines have made workplaces much safer than before. One study has revealed that most of the hazardous
work is now done by machines. For example, many chemical companies use robots with preset computer
algorithms to produce hazardous goods such as acids. Thus, machines have improved the lifestyle of workers.
On the other hand, some people think that machines have led to job losses in various industries. Computers,
for instance, have replaced numerous workers in clerical positions. In the 1990s, the massive computerization
programmes of the Indian government replaced more than a million workers in various government
departments. Artificial intelligence is threatening the livelihood of a large number of people. Tesla and Google
have already launched autonomous vehicles. These vehicles do not need a driver and this has the potential to
disrupt the lives of drivers in all parts of the words.

In conclusion, though the introduction of new technologies has the seeds of destruction of jobs for workers, I
think it will transform their lives in a positive way.

99
 The quality of life in large cities is decreasing. What could be the reasons behind this? What
measures can be taken to resolve this problem?

The world's biggest cities are alluring new inhabitants the way giant sponges are sucking the water out of their
surrounding areas. Despite the various benefits the cities can provide, the life quality suffers under a diverse
set of environmental and socio-economic issues. In this essay, the most prevalent reasons and solutions will
be discussed.
One of the most critical causes of the shattering quality is the worsening of the city dwellers' health due to
various environmental pollutants. The smog in the World capitals and other high-density urban areas- e.g.
Shanghai and Los Angeles- has become unbearable for their inhabitants and require the undertaking of
hampering measures.
The other often mentioned cause is intensified crime events. For that reason people are living under constant
fear and threat; leaving them prone to stress related diseases and higher probabilities of falling victims of
crimes. For instance, in Latin America's biggest cities, like Sao Paolo, is not recommended for women to walk
alone at the streets even during the daylight.
For the problems, there are always solutions. Referring back to the pollution problem, the cure has been
declared mainly by the means of cleaner energy and transportation systems. Many so-called 'green cities' like
Copenhagen are leading the way in the development of higher quality public transports and prioritising the light
vehicle traffic.
Dealing with crimes is a far more complicated. Psychologists believe that more beautiful, clean and happy
external environment can reduce crime levels. Thus, this can be something city planners should look into more
deeply when planning our urban areas. But most likely, providing people sufficient amount of opportunities and
guidance in their lives would be the most effective prevention measure as far as I believe.

To summarise, there are many adversities that can reduce the urban life quality such as environmental
pollution and crime; however, there are also opportunities and tools to reduce these effects. Mainly, planning
our cities more wisely by taking care of negative environmental and socio-economic effects to peoples' well-
being, is necessary and doable.

The best way to reduce youth crimes is to educate their parents with parental skills. To what extent
you agree or disagree?

Recent decades have witnessed the upwards spectrum in the juvenile delinquency rate, raising many
questions of the significance of parental skills. Although parental skills‘ positive implications on youth crimes
could be pronounced, I believe there are more effective alternative solutions.
On the other hand, it should be acknowledged that parental skills could minimize youth crimes. Specifically,
parents with good parental skills would teach their children many moral codes or precepts conforming to the
social norms. Therefore, young individuals would distinguish what is right or wrong in the society, acting as a
deterrent for breeding future offenders.
On the other hand, I believe that official authorities could undertake more practical initiatives to combat this
issue. First, the legislation of the prohibition of programmes with sexual or aggressive contents on both the
mainstream and alternative media should be enacted. This is proved that these materials could culminate in
some mental impairments in viewers, especially those at the young age, which is connected to their propensity
for crime commissions in the future. In addition, governments should incentivise some outsourcing investment
activities. This suggests a causal relationship with the construction of many highly-industrial parks with
manufacturing factories, offering many employment opportunities with stable salary for young people,
minimizing their possibilities to commit crimes to make ends meet.
In conclusion, I partially agree that parental skills mean a decline in the delinquency rate. However, there are
many measures of higher efficiency that governments should conduct such as the censorship of X-rated and
violent images on media or employment opportunities to eradicate this problem.

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 Scientists have been warning for many years about the importance of protecting the environment
and that we must limit the use of energy in our daily lives. Despite warnings, many people do not do
this.
What are the reasons for that and how people can be encouraged to take an interest in protecting
the environment?

The scientists have repeatedly warned about the increasing wastage of energy and degradation of the
environment. However, the people have not responded positively since the immediate effects of these issues
are not apparent and the technology is believed to solve every problem.
The overall reaction of people to the frequent environmental threats highlighted by scientists is extremely
inadequate. This is because all the alarming environmental reports talk either about potential problems that
may occur after decades or about issues that have happened in the distant part of the world such as the
melting of polar ice. And in both cases, people feel less responsible due to the absence of tangible effects on
their life. Another reason is that after the unprecedented technological advancements the world has witnessed
recently, people now are so confident that new inventions will fix the problems without any change in existing
lifestyle. For example, many people believe that the efficiency of motor vehicles, air conditioners, and other
electrical and mechanical appliances will increase in the future. Consequently, they can continue to use these
products at the same pace.
To push people to be more proactive and responsible towards protecting the environment, the media, using its
different types, can play a key role in drawing people‘s attention to the seriousness of problems their careless
attitude to the environment could lead to. For example, a documentary about plastic bags that shows a bag‘s
entire cycle which starts the moment a careless person throws it in the street till the moment it sinks into the
sea and reaches the stomach of a fish causing its death is a very influential method. Such methods can help in
changing people‘s mindset towards environment and energy use.
To conclude, the limited effects of environmental issues on people‘ life and the confidence in the capabilities of
technology to tackle these problems make people less responsive to the scientists‘ environmental warnings.
More media focus is required to raise the awareness of people to the consequences of their practices.

The trend of increased consumer goods production is damaging the natural environment. Why is it
happening? What are the solutions for this situation?

The process of production of consumer goods involves considerable damage to the natural environment. This
not only involves extraction of raw material by damaging nature but also significant pollution during production.
The production of finished goods requires an input of a large number of raw materials. Production of steel, for
example, needs extraction of iron ore from mines which involves the destruction of large tracts of land through
deforestation and removal of topsoil. This permanently destroys the nature in the region. Moreover, steel
production requires burning fossil fuels and this causes significant land, air, and water pollution. Thus, the
increase in consumption of automobiles results in extensive and irreparable damage to the environment. Also,
the transportation of goods from factory to customers damages the natural environment. For instance, an
Oxford study pointed out that transport form an Amazon warehouse to end users emit more than one metric
tonne of carbon dioxide which is equivalent to cutting down one tree every day.
To solve this crisis, governments, as well as individuals, can take some serious measures. Firstly, the
government should impose a green tax on all goods that pollute the environment. The collection from this tax
should be used to plant more trees and clean polluted water. Secondly, regulatory agencies should create a
green rating for each product based on the extent to which it damages the environment. This rating will allow
consumers make informed decisions and they will be able to purchase less polluting goods. Finally, individuals
should responsibly dispose of used products so that they can be recycled and their environmental impact can
be reduced.
In conclusion, all consumer goods damage the environment. However, with the active cooperation of
governments, corporations, and individuals their adverse impact can be reduced. This will make the
environment more sustainable.

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 Some of the methods used in advertising are unethical and unacceptable in today’s society.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

There are a good number of unethical commercials which are not accepted by a community. I strongly believe
that these commercials use inappropriate means such as nudity, gender biases to influence the people into
buying their product.
There are many advertisements that largely insult women and hurt them deeply because of the inappropriate
content. In order to draw the attention of as many people as they can, advertisement companies overly focus
on the attractions of a fit, stunning and young girl rather than the product itself. This way of intentionally
exposing their bodies in non-female related products makes many women around the world feel
offended. Furthermore, due to the inducing gestures of the promoting girl and her short dress/ clothes, some
advertisements‘ content can be classified as nudity. Broadcasting such commercials on TV channels which all
family member including kids watch make the parents lose their temper because of the threats that early
exposure to sex-related material poses to their kids.
Another issue in some of today‘s commercials is their gender-biased content. The frequent link of a product to
a certain class of people in the community makes others feel inferior. For example, the slogan of an expensive
perfume that says ―The perfume respected men deserve‖ makes those who cannot afford it feel
humiliated. Also, there is always a hidden link in commercials between cleaning products and women. This
unconsciously instills in the brain of people that only women are supposed to do the cleaning work at home.
This increases the genderism between men and women in the society which is totally unaccepted.
All in all, it is remarkably noticeable that women abuse and genderism are serious problems that many
advertisements nowadays suffer from.

Some people believe that trade and cultural relationships between the countries is a positive
development, while others disagree.
Discuss both the views and include your own opinion.

While some people consider that the growing trade and cultural relationships among the countries has myriad
prospects as it has led to a better economic and cultural understanding between the countries. Others believe
that it leads to the degradation of individuality of many countries. I agree with the former view.

Clearly, the establishment of numerous multinational companies in developing countries has provided
a plethora of job opportunities for the unemployed people and has helped in improving the economy of the
country. For example, countries like China and India have immensely benefited from the international trade as
various MNCs have invested in these countries and provided numerous jobs for the local people. Moreover,
owing to globalisation people are able to enjoy a variety of music, movie, and cultures of different countries.
Earlier people were unaware of festivals such as Halloween, Christmas and Easter egg, but now most of these
festivals are celebrated throughout the world. In addition to this many Indian spiritual practices such as yoga
and meditation are respected and practiced throughout the globe.

However, globalization has posed many threats to the cultural and economic development of a country. First of
all, the small local companies face the danger of extinction as they lack the resources and power to compete
with multinational companies. To exemplify, many Indian wood industries are suffering because people today
prefer to buy plastic furniture from the international brands. Secondly, the eradication of traditional cultural
values is clearly visible in the young generation. They prefer to wear western clothes over the traditional ethnic
clothes like dhoti and kurta pajama. Moreover, instead of celebrating their local festivals such as Guru
Purnima, youngsters prefer to celebrate western events and festivals such as Valentine‘s day and Halloween.

To conclude, even though globalisation has disadvantages but the advantages far outweigh them. It not only
helps in improving the economy of a country but also bridges the differences among communities of the world.

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 Many people believe that reducing the speed limit is the best option for road safety improvement.
Do you think there are other measures that could be put in place?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?

It is considered by some that the best way of improving road safety is lowering the speed limit as it
forces people to drive slowly. Others believe that governments can take alternative measures such as road
safety awareness campaign as most of the people are uneducated about the traffic rules and signs.
Clearly, lowering the speed limit will force the people to drive slowly which will decrease the number of life-
threatening accidents occurring due to high speed. A study shows that most of the fatal car accidents occur
due to high speed as the driver is unable to control the car in case of an emergency. So, lowering the speed
limit will increase driver‘s control over a vehicle and help in reducing the death rates and injuries from
automobile accidents.
However, others hold the opinion that lowering the speed limit will result in a tremendous increase in traffic
congestions leading to reduced productivity. A study shows that most of the people drive at a slow and
reasonable speed regardless of the set speed bar. So, lowering the speed limit will force people to spend
economically productive working hours in vehicles and the government can take alternative measures to
improve road safety. It can organize road safety campaign to spread awareness about the traffic rules and
signs. A survey shows that almost seven out of ten people are unaware about the road signs such as
pedestrian crossing. Such campaigns will play a vital role in increasing road safety.
To conclude, even though imposing a lower speed limit will reduce the number of car accidents it will increase
the traffic congestions. So the government can use alternative measures such as organizing road safety
campaigns to educate the people about the traffic rules and signs. This will tremendously reduce the life
threatening accidents around the world.

Some people believe that using animals to test the safety of human medicines is cruel and
unwarranted, whereas others feel it is a medical necessity. Discuss both views and state your own
opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or
experience.

Some people argue that testing medicine on animals is inhuman and immoral as this often leads to the death
of these innocent creatures. Others opine that this is indispensable since testing cannot be done on humans
directly. I believe in the former view.

Undoubtedly, scientists need to conduct trials on animals to invent new medicines to treat human ailments. If
new drugs are not tested on animals such as rabbits and mice, and are delivered untested to humans, they
may lead to serious health problems and sometimes even death. Therefore, this process is important for
improving the life expectancy of humans.

On the other hand, some people believe that testing medicines on animals is a cruel act. Many animals go
through a lot of mental and physical pain during this process. Some even die due to excruciating pain. These
immoral acts are completely avoidable if medicines are tested on cells and microbes rather than animals. In
fact, microbiology focuses on developing medicines using these techniques. Moreover, these people believe
that human life is not superior to an animal‘s life. All living organisms are equal and, hence, animals should not
be forced for laboratory experiments.

To conclude, I believe for healthy living and disease free society, medicines are essential to prevent ailments.
So medicines should be tested on animals, without any cruelty as well as saving and realizing the importance
of their life.

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