IELTS speaking test in Sri Lanka (with answers)

The following questions were asked on an IELTS test held in Sri Lanka in February 2013.

Model answers are also given.

Part 1 (Interview)

Examiner: Hello, my name is… Can you tell me your name, please?

Candidate: My name is …

Examiner: Can you show me your ID, please?

Candidate: Here you are.

Examiner: Thank you. First I would like to ask you a few general questions about yourself. Where are you from?

Candidate: I come from a small village in rural Sri Lanka. It’s about a 45-minute drive from here.

Examiner: Do you work or study?

Candidate: I’m studying engineering at the moment. It’s a five year course. I’m in my fourth year at the moment.

Examiner: What subject are you studying?

Candidate: I’m studying mechanical engineering.

Examiner: Do you spend a lot of time in the countryside?

Candidate: Well, I come from countryside. Although I am studying in the city, I spend weekends in my native village. So, yes, I think I spend a fair amount of time in the countryside. I love the serene sights and sounds of the country. In fact, I have always felt that taking a stroll around the country is a great way to beat stress.

Examiner: Do you think that people need relaxation time? Why?

Candidate: Yes. In my opinion all people need some time to relax. Our modern way of living is quite stressful. If we don’t take time to relax, it will affect our physical and emotional wellbeing.

Examiner: How do you relax?

Candidate: Whenever I feel stressed out, I listen to some soft music. Sometimes I go for long walks in the countryside.

Part 2 (speech)

Examiner: Now in this part you need to talk about a topic for one minute. I would like you to talk about the place where you have spent most of the time in your life.

Candidate: I have spent nearly the whole of my life in my native village. It is a beautiful place not far from here. I was born there and spent the whole of my childhood in that tiny village. My parents weren’t rich so they couldn’t send me to a good school in the city. But in hindsight, I don’t regret that. I went to a government school in my village. It had fewer facilities than schools in the city but the teachers were good and they treated us like their own kids. There were no cinema theatres or other modern means of entertainment in our village. So we spent most of our free time playing with other kids in the village. When we were kids, my dad would sometimes take us to the city to watch films or other programs. It was during those few occasions that I ever went outside my village. I had quite a few friends in my village. In fact, the whole village was like a big neighbourhood and we knew each one personally. As there were no colleges in my village I had to move to the city after I finished school. Although now I spend a great deal of time in the city, I don’t miss even a single opportunity to go back to my village. My parents and siblings still live there. This place is and will always be important to me because that is where I belong.

Part 3 (Discussion)

Examiner: Do you believe that the appearance of a company is important?

Candidate: I think so. If it was not important, then companies wouldn’t spend so much money in leasing or building posh offices for them.

Examiner: Do customers care about the appearance of an office?

Candidate: I think so. I have felt that offices that look attractive leave a positive impression on customers and clients.

Examiner: Does the size of an office have any impact on the performance?

Candidate: I don’t quite think so. Many successful companies operated from tiny offices before they became successful. Of course they moved into larger premises afterwards, but I don’t think that the size of an office has any great impact on its performance.

Examiner: To what extent do you agree that people should personalize their working area?

Candidate: I’m in favour of personalizing the workplace. I feel that people are more likely to develop an attachment to a personalized working area. It will motivate them to come back to it. It might also improve their performance because people tend to work better in surroundings that look familiar or personal.

Examiner: Thank you. That’s the end of the test.