IELTS

PART 1

– What is your full name?
– Can I see your ID?
– Where are you from?
– Do you work or study?

How do you spend time with your family?

We’ll have a delicious big dinner together with scrumptious food prepared by my mom. After we have dinner at around 7 o’clock, we’ll watch the news, have some chat with each other or huddle together to play cards.  It’s a precious time when we can momentarily get away from the hectic whirlwind of daily activities.

Vocabulary

Scrumptious (adj) delicious

Hectic whirlwind (expression) a busy schedule

Huddle together (phrase) gather together

Do you want to live with your family in the future?

I think probably not. It’s better for me to try to start an independent life as a grown-up. However, I still have the responsibility to tak good care of my parents that I’ll make time to visit them at least twice a week.

Vocabulary

To make time to do Sth (n) to try to spend time doing Sth that is not just for fun like hobbies

How has your family influenced you?

Although my parents are traditional, they try to become my friends, by helping me and encouraging me without forcing me to live up to their expectations. They also imprinted on me proper principles like moral values, respect, humbleness, patience, diligence, etc. I think my family shaped who I am now. I’m deeply thankful for having such a wonderful family.

Vocabulary

To live up to SO’s expectations (v) to try to please others

Imprint (v) to establish securely, as in the mind or consciousness

Diligence (n) careful and persistent work or effort

Do you watch a lot of TV?

Well, not really. I mean we have a TV set and cable subscription and all, but we don’t really watch the box all that much. I guess something that we still watch from time to time is The Voice, a singing competition. It’s all the rage in our country right now, and supposedly has really high viewership.

From time to time (idiom) sometimes

All the rage (phrase) to be very popular at a particular time

What programs do you like to watch?

I’m a fan of competitions on TV like, as I was saying, The Voice. I also find quiz shows quite interesting. I feel like I really broaden my horizons and learn a wealth of knowledge about the world around me.

PART 2

Describe a person who solved a problem in a clever way.

You should say:

• Who the person is
• When you meet the person
• Where you meet the person
• And explain why you think he or she is clever.

ANSWER

My baby cousin, Jason, is well-known for his mischievous and playful nature who always seems to get off the hook whether by luck or by design. I’ve lost count how many times he has managed to get out of trouble without suffering.

Jason’s house is in the same neighborhood as mine and we are as close as two siblings could be. He’s a few years younger than me but we have lots of things in common. We were both hyperactive and enjoyed making others’ lives a misery when we were kids, which earned us a nickname as “the cousins from hell”. However, I had to admit he was a bigger troublemaker than me. I remembered the time when he was grounded for playing truant from school and had to mow the lawn in the garden, he brilliantly had it covered without breaking a sweat. It was at the weekend and since Jason wasn’t allowed to go out, I spent the entire morning at his place to keep him company. He kept putting off cutting the grass in the garden because it was hot outside. As we were playing cards inside, some of his friends stopped by with a determined look on their faces. It turned out they wanted Jason to help them pass the last round of a video game, slaying the dragon and reclaiming the kingdom or something like that. In case I forgot to mention, Jason was an exceptional gamer and his dream was to become a professional one day. He kept denying at first but his expression changed when he looked at the messy garden. Then, he made a deal with them, cleaning up the garden in exchange for the kingdom, which sounded ridiculous to me considering how hot it was outside. And much to my surprise, all the kids frantically nodded their heads and looked ready to work. It had to be one of the funniest scenes I witnessed in my life when my cousin, who was supposed to be punished by skipping class, comfortably sat in the house playing video game while some innocent kids, who had no reasons to torture themselves, were diligently mowing the garden. I didn’t know whether to yell at my cousin or praise him for taking advantage of his friends but undoubtedly, I was impressed since after all, it was a win-win situation.

• mischievous (a): enjoying playing tricks and annoying people
• get off the hook (idiom): to allow someone to escape from a difficult situation or to avoid doing something that they do not want to do
• by design (idiom): as a result of a plan; intentionally
• have (something/ nothing) in common: to resemble one another in specific ways or no way
• hyperactive (a): too active and only able to keep quiet and still for short periods
• make one’s life a misery (idiom): to cause someone to suffer or be unhappy for a long period
• troublemaker (n): a person who often causes trouble, especially by involving others in arguments or encouraging them to complain about people in authority
• grounded (a): not allowed to participate in social or recreational activities
• play truant (idiom): stay away from school or work without permission or explanation
• mow the lawn: to cut the grass on a lawn with a lawn mower
• have something/ someone covered (idiom): to have done, gotten, or provided whatever is needed
• break a sweat (idiom): to put forth a large amount of energy or effort into or toward a task
• keep someone company (idiom): accompany or spend time with someone in order to prevent them from feeling lonely or bored
• slay (v): to kill somebody/something in a war or a fight
• exceptional (a): unusually good
• frantically (adv): quickly and with a lot of activity, but in a way that is not very well organized
• torture (v): to hurt somebody physically or mentally in order to punish them or make them tell you something
• take advantage of (idiom): to use a situation or opportunity to get what you want
• win-win (a): providing a good result for everyone involved

PART 3

Do you think children’s wisdom are influenced by their parents?

Children’s mental abilities are determined by several factors, both internally and externally, however, their parents often play a much more influential role than others. Genetically speaking, kids partially inherit their intelligence and resourcefulness from their parents. Some are fortunate enough to have all the good genes that make them not only highly intellectual but also physically attractive. Yet, it doesn’t mean one who wasn’t born a genius cannot have wisdom since it could be obtained through learning and experiencing. And unsurprisingly, the majority of people gain wisdom that way. Those who are constantly seeking knowledge, guidance and experience can develop a better sense of judgement and perception of surroundings. Hence, never cease to learn.

• internally (adv): on the inside of your body
• externally (adv): on the outside of something/somebody
• partially (adv): partly; not completely
• inherit (v): to have qualities, physical features, etc. that are similar to those of your parents, grandparents, etc.
• intellectual (a): connected with or using a person’s ability to think in a logical way and understand things
• resourcefulness (n): the quality of being good at finding ways of doing things and solving problems, etc.
• genius (a): a person who is unusually intelligent or artistic, or who has a very high level of skill, especially in one area
• cease (v): to stop happening or existing; to stop something from happening or existing

Do you think children have good habits nowadays? Why?

Some do and some don’t, I suppose. The advancement of technology and convenience of modern society obviously have beneficial effects on children’s development, however, unless being used wisely, they may pose serious threats. For example, lots of kids these days are leading a sedentary lifestyle with little interest in outdoor activities because of their addiction to hi-tech gadgets. Admittedly, video games help to boost their brain activity and creativity but those means nothing if children get sick. Obesity, eye fatigue and other ailments are direct results from lack of physical practice. Therefore, parents should encourage a balanced lifestyle and set a good example in order to raise a well-rounded kid.

• pose a threat (idiom): create a situation or an activity that could cause harm or danger
• sedentary (a): (of work, activities, etc.) in which you spend a lot of time sitting down
• fatigue (n): a feeling of being extremely tired, usually because of hard work or exercise
• ailment (n): an illness that is not very serious
• set an example (idiom): to behave in a way that someone can copy, especially by doing something good
• well-rounded (a): having a variety of experiences and abilities and a fully developed personality