IELTS SPEAKING TASK
Part 2
Describe a person you only met once and want to know more about
You should say:
- Who he/she is
- When you met him/her
- Why you want to know more about him/her
- And explain how you feel about him/her
I’m a very curious person by nature. And I try to know more about people who are my close acquaintances.
This is not for gossiping about people behind their backs. I want to know more about them so that in my relationship with them, I can be better aware of their likes and dislikes. And if they are in trouble, I can do my best to help them.
I rarely inquire about strangers, and I believe that I should mind my own business rather than sticking my nose into someone’s affairs.
But, some people are exceptions.
His name is Shirish Raval. He is a general manager at Saraswat Bank – which is the no. 1 union cooperative bank in India.
I have met him on one occasion only and since then I have been waiting for our next meeting. I want to talk to him and know more about him through our conversation.
But let me now tell you about what inspired my curiosity about this Mr. Shirish.
As I am a banker, I usually attend the annual bankers’ conference that our All India Bankers’ Association organizes at the City Hall.
Just last month, I attended one such conference. This time my Kalupur Commercial Bank and Saraswat Bank were the organizers.
So my colleagues and I were representing my bank , and Mr. Shirish and other delegates came as representatives of Saraswat Bank.
As he entered the venue, my team’s senior member Mr. Patel rushed to greet him. I was quite puzzled.
Mr. Patel is not known for his hospitality towards other employees. Yet, here he was welcoming a stranger with courtesy.
I asked my colleague Miss Rekha about this stranger.
Miss Rekha told me that the stranger was Mr. Shirish Raval who is a very successful banker whose client-list includes Gujarat’s top most industrialists.
She also told me that Mr. Raval is a very hardworking person, and with his hard work, he has achieved the post of general manager in a very short period of time. He started his career as a junior clerk just 5 years ago.
His journey is very inspiring for others , and therefore employees from other banks also take inspiration from him and admire his talent.
I was quite impressed by Mr. Raval. And when it was lunch-break, I met him and introduced myself.
He is a very humble person, and he talked with me very politely. He is also a Sachin Tendulkar fan, and our conversation soon segued into cricket.
It was a memorable evening for me. We exchanged our phone numbers and promised each other to meet very soon.
When I came home, I couldn’t stop thinking about his inspiring personality. I realized that I can also make good progress in my career like Mr. Raval.
And if I became a general manager then my family would also reap the financial benefits that I would get as a general manager.
IELTS SPEAKING TASK
Part 3
How do people make friends in India?
Indian people know how to make friends and influence people, if you pardon my borrowing this expression from the title of a book.
We have this talent for befriending strangers.
Previously, it used to happen at schools and colleges or at workplaces.
But, nowadays we don’t have to go anywhere. We can now make friends on social media while sitting in our living rooms.
On what occasions do people like to make friends?
I personally believe that there are no special occasions when people make friends.
But, my observation is that people forge strong bonds of friendship when they are studying at a school or university.
Also during long train journeys, people befriend strangers that travel in the same compartment.
And occasionally, people meet interesting people at parties or wedding ceremonies and make friends with them.
Is it important to have the some hobbies and interests when making friends?
Common interests or hobbies can be helpful to make strong friendships. But, it is not at all necessary to have that.
We need a friend who understands our emotions. So what if he doesn’t like cricket the way we do or doesn’t get excited about a piece of music the way we do?
We only need a shoulder to cry on.
What qualities make true friends?
In my opinion, better understanding and the respect for the other person’s opinions are quintessential to a great friendship.
Describe a time you visited a new place
You should say:
- Where the new place is
- When you went there
- Why you went there
- And explain how you felt about it
I am a nature-lover and I like to go back to nature whenever opportunity arises.
Just last month, I once again got this opportunity when my uncle Nanjibhai Patel invited me to his village Rampur.
Rampur is a quaint little village that is nestled in Aravalli Hills.
The village is a 2-hour drive from my city.
When we reached there, my uncle took us all to his farm where he grows fruits and other seasonal crops.
One thing that intrigued me was the drip irrigation system that he had installed in the farm.
My uncle is a tech-savvy farmer and he often imports latest equipment from countries like China, Israel, Germany , and Russia.
This system he imported from Israel when he went there on a trip in 2018.
This system helps a farmer to use the water efficiently, and there is no wastage of water.
I am a banker but I like to know about modern farming techniques as I also have a farm on the outskirts of my city.
And my uncle also knew about my green thumb, so he suggested that I implement the system at my farm too.
I got the details of the system and also learned about the process of importing this system.
I decided that once I reached home I would instantly start the process of importing the system.
And I did just that. Today my farm also has that drip irrigation system that my uncle recommended to me.
Now, I realize that our prime minister Mr. Narendra Modi is a visionary leader. Because he wants to implement this system in farms in not just his home state Gujarat but all over India , and this way he wants to reduce the wastage of water in agriculture.
Which do you prefer? Living in a city, or only visiting it as a tourist?
I would not think about living anywhere other than a big city.
Villages and beautiful countryside are great up to certain extent. But you can’t live there permanently.
You need amenities such as transport system, hospitals, schools , and amusement parks to live a colorful life. This can only happen in a city.
How do young children react when they go to school for the first time?
Every child will react in its own way. We can’t generalize the reactions they have on their first day at school.
But, I can talk about myself, and even my children.
I cried a lot when my parent dropped me off at my nursery school on the first day.
Even my girl is just like me. She was crying very much and we had to bring her home as her teacher herself couldn’t control her.
How do young and old people react differently to new things?
Young people like new experiences. So when they encounter a new thing, they feel curiosity and they instantly feel good about that new thing.
On the flip side, old people are indifferent to any changes in their lives. They don’t care if they come across something new.
Why do some people want to go to college far away from home?
The reason varies from person to person. Some wants to live their lives independently. They can’t do it if their university is just in their city.
When they go to a different city, they can live in a hostel or rent a house. This gives them the freedom to live their own lives without any interference from their parents.
But not all the students prefer this.
Some wants to stay in their city only. But they have to reluctantly go to another city which is quite faraway from their hometown. This is because they do not have a good university in their own cities.