SAMPLE IELTS SPEAKING TEST 6

PART 1 

How much time do you spend using a computer?

I spend several hours every day using a computer because it’s an important part of my work. I try to stay away from the company on weekends, but I’m not always successful at that because there are always so many thinks I want to go with it. Maybe I spend too much time on the computer. I don’t know. It’s a little bit addictive.

Do you use a company more for work, study or personal reason?

The reason I’m on the computer so much is because I use it at work. Most of my work involves creating documents for the company. Because of that, the computer has become a habit for me, so I also end up using it a lot for personal reasons. So, I guess I could say the main reason I use it is for work, but it’s a big part of my personal life, too.

What different kinds of things do you do on the computer?

Besides creating documents at work, I use e-mail a lot to communicate with my work colleagues and also with my friends and relatives. I also keep a lot of personal records on the computer, like the family budget, photographs, and things like that. And I have to admit that I spend a lot of time playing computer games. That helps me relax when I’m working on a big project.

What are some things you like and dislike about using computers?

Nobody can deny that computers make so many things convenient. I couldn’t do my job without a computer, and e-mail makes communications so such easier. Everything I do on the computer is a lot easier than it would be without the computer. On the other hand, as I said before, a computer can be addictive. Sometimes I end up spending an entire Saturday afternoon doing things on the computer, instead of spending time with my family or going outside and getting exercise. It takes some discipline, I think, to keep from overusing the computer.

How often do you use the Internet?

I use the Internet quite frequently. I use it in the course of my work every day. For example, I frequently use e-mail to discuss things with my colleagues. I often have to look for information online, for both work and personal reasons. So, I’d have to say I use the Internet several times a day.

What are some things you do on the Internet?

Besides e-mailing my colleagues and my friends and relatives, I use the Internet for a number of other things. I often use it to find information I need for my work. I also use it to research products before I make a big purchase; I mean something expensive. Last year I had to buy a new refrigerator, so I did some research online to figure out what kind I wanted and what it should cost. I often read the new online, and I find out about movies I want to see and books I want to buy. I do a lot on the Internet.

Do you prefer shopping online or in real stores? Why?

As I mentioned, I like to research products online before I make a major purchase, but usually I prefer to buy things in a regular store. Especially if I’m buying something expensive, I like to see it before I buy it. Also, shipping costs can be very high, and you don’t have to pay them if you buy from store. Sometimes it’s hard to find things locally, and sometimes you can find a really, really good price online, so sometimes I buy things that way. But usually I go to stores.

PART 2

When I was in school, my favorite subject was history. I liked all kinds of history, and I still do. I studied it every year I was in high school, from ninth through twelfth grade. I learned a lot of things. I learned about the important events in the history of my country and about the important people. I learned about all kinds of people – politicians, inventors, soldiers, and even common everyday people who contributed to our history. I learned these things about other countries, too. I like history a lot because I like to imagine and understand what life was like at different times. People have lived under different conditions during different periods of history, and they’ve has different kinds of interest, motivations, and needs. In each period of history, the conditions of that time shaped the events. I think it’s interesting to learn about these things and important to understand them. We are who we are today because of what our ancestors did. I’m still interested in history, and I still read about it often.

 PART 3 

What subjects should be required in school?

I think everyone agrees what the basic primary and secondary school curriculum should be. Everyone needs to study math, science, literature, and history, and probably art and music too. In addition to these things, I think every student should be required to study foreign languages because international relations are so important in the modern world. In addition to that, students should study the history and culture of countries around the world.

Do you think math and science are more important subjects than literature and art? Why or why not?

I suppose many people think math and science are very important because we have a lot of emphasis on technology in the modern world. But technology isn’t everything. For one thing, not everyone has talents in math or science. But even for mathematicians and scientists, literature and art are important. They give us a different perspective on things, and they also help us develop our creativity, no matter what field of specialty we pursue.

At what age should student be allowed to choose their own subjects?

I think high school student should be allowed to choose some of their own subjects. They shouldn’t choose all their own subjects, of course, because there are certain things that are the foundations of a good education, but they can choose some. For example, they can be given a choice among different kinds of literature classes or they could choose certain aspects of history to study. So, I think that beginning in high school, students should be given some choices about what they study. Before high school, I think they’re too young to make wise choices.

What subjects should school offer in the future that they don’t offer now?

Schools in the future may have to put even more emphasis on using computers since we’re now doing practically everything on computer. Computer skills will be just as important, or more important, than reading and writing skills. So student will have to become skilled at using the computer and the software they’ll need for different tasks.