IELTS Writing Task 2 (Essay)
Walking is known to be beneficial for health and yet fewer and fewer people are walking these days.
What are the reasons for this?
What can be done to tackle this problem?
Useful Vocabulary
— Walking is universally regarded as the best aerobic exercise
— health benefits derived from it are numerous
— attributed to
Reasons
a hectic lifestyle
no walking tracks in some crowded areas
stray dogs are a nuisance to joggers
Solutions
self-motivation to overcome laziness
set realistic goals (20 minute walking in a leisurely way is enough)
a treadmill at home
Some people say that women are more peaceful than men as their characters are naturally more nurturing than aggressive.
To what extent do you agree with this?
Useful Vocabulary
amicable
sympathy and compassion are considered as feminine traits
Disagree
No scientific evidence
Research conducted at Oxford/Cambridge/Howard university shows that there is no difference
Nurturing (upbringing) influences the child’s behavior to others
wrong to categorize men as aggressive and women as sympathetic
social environment determines the caring nature not the gender
Internet crime is increasing rapidly as more and more people are using the internet to make financial transactions.
What can be done to tackle this problem?
Useful vocabulary
cybercrime
The internet (remember to put the article ‘the’ before the word ‘internet’
a boon
a bane
enforce strict laws against cybercrime
awareness about the potential threat
online fraud
Solutions
Laws that address the issue of cyber security
equip the law agencies with equipment and trained professionals
spread awareness about cybercrime
seminars online/offline should be conducted
‘cyber security awareness week’ can help people to protect themselves
IELTS Speaking Test - Part 1
Music
Do you often listen to music?
Yes, and I am not ashamed of admitting that I am addicted to it.
When do you listen to music?
There is no specific time that I spend listening to my favorite songs. It all depends upon my mood and the urge to listen to a particular song whenever I feel like doing that.
How much time do you spend listening to music every day?
This also is a very difficult thing to answer.
On weekends I generally spend half an hour listening to my favorite songs.
On weekdays , if I am very tired after a day’s work, I play old Indian movie songs on my phone at night. I fall asleep while listening to those old melodies.
What kinds of music do you like to listen to?
I am not a choosy person. I can enjoy both classical and pop songs.
For instance, I would prefer hip-hop or rock music when we family members are flying kites on our kite-festival called Uttarayan.
Whereas, I would love listening to soft relaxing music while I am reading a book at night.
What is your favorite kind of music?
My favorite is Indian Classical music.
I love Pandit Hariprasad Charasiya’s music. He is a well-known flute player.
And when I hear Pandit Shivkumar Sharma’s santoor concert, I feel as if I am in the seventh heaven.
Have you ever been to a concert?
No, but I would love to do that. I have heard a lot in the praise of live performances.
It must be a very thrilling experience for music lovers.
Due to pandemic, the last 2 years (…. it is June 2022 when this speech is being written) didn’t offer any opportunity to go out and enjoy live music.
I am hopeful that I will get to hear Mohit Chauhan performing at a live concert in near future.
Do you like to listen to live music?
Yes, but I have never been to a live concert before.
I have seen a lot of videos on YouTube where the audience is enthralled by the rocking performance of the musicians.
But, I can vividly recall the time when my son’s friend Aakash , who is a guitarist, played my favorite song “Chhalla” on his guitar. It was my birthday, and Aakash had come to my house to wish me.
Till today, I haven’t heard any other version of “Chhalla” that is better than Aakash’s on that day.
When did you start listening to this type of music?
It was the first time I was hearing someone performing live in front of me.
Since then I have been constantly making visits to Aakash’s house or invite him to my house to hear his guitar music.
Where do you listen to it?
I hear it when Aakash, my son’s friend, plays a song on his guitar.
There are know other amateur musicians among my friends. Otherwise I would go to them and request them to play something for me.
Tea and Coffee
Do Indian people like to drink tea or coffee?
As far as I know, there are more tea drinkers than those who prefer coffee in India.
Especially, in the region where I live, people drink a lot of tea.
Do you prepare tea or coffee for guests at home?
Only when my wife is not at home. There are two reasons : First, I don’t like spending more than 2-3 minutes in the kitchen, especially in the summer when heat is quite oppressive inside the kitchen.
Second, even if it’s winter, I would still have my wife prepare the tea. Because she makes excellent mint tea that a tea-drinker would surely love to have.
When was the last time you drank tea or coffee?
To be honest, just this morning I had a cup of tea with some glucose biscuits. Tea and glucose biscuits together is like a staple food for me.