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IELTS Speaking Part 3 - Question set 8

Question set 8: Two-way discussion.


•  How can technology make our life easier?
Thank you for allowing me to answer this. Technology is a blessing for all and has made life easier. With the use of the technology, you can do the unimaginable things now. Earlier, people had to control their television set like increasing or decreasing the volume or changing channels manually. But in the current days, you do not need to get up to the television set raise the volume or change the channel and get back to the sofa again. It is the time to change channels or increase/ decrease the volumes with the help of a remote controller. Once, people used papers and pens to write letters to meet their communication needs. The scenarios are altered and people have cellular phones (better known as mobile phones), e-mails, and social networking sites etc. for communication which is the blessing of the modern technology. Moreover, people now can travel comfortably than the past and travelling hours has been reduced to a great extent.

•  What are some greatest inventions you know about?
Well, it is difficult indeed to make a list of the inventions as the numbers are unlimited. But being the age of technology, a wide number of inventions have been done in past years. The invention of the internet is considered as the most important invention and we use it for numerous purposes. The invention of the cellular phone has made a revolutionary change in the sector of communication. Now people could reach the near and dear ones living in the opposite corner of the world within a few seconds. Inventions of different newer electrical instruments are also notable. The invention of artificial hearts needs to be acknowledged as well as it has been saving lives. The mass marketing of iPhone from Apple was also another important invention and that was the first touchscreen phone that gained skyrocketing popularity. Besides, electric cars are also the other inventions which have helped us greatly. Further, the invention of robots, spacecraft etc. are also notable in this case which have some sort of influence in our life.

•  Why should we restrict the use of mobile phone in public places?

Though there are no exact reasons to restrict the use of mobile phones in public places, it should be accomplished for some reasons. Undoubtedly mobile phones help us to communicate with the world and have numerous blessings, but there are some demerits as well. For instance, you are in a public library and it is expected that silence should be maintained. But if a mobile phone cries out loud, it is really annoying for the others who are busy with reading. The noise created by the phone and discussion over the phone inside such places is really un-welcomed. You are enjoying a musical concert at a concert hall and suddenly you heard your phone ringing. At that moment you will be the focus of attention which is embarrassing. Further, you work for a shop and a client is asking for something to you while you are busy with your mobile phone. Either you are talking on the phone or texting someone. Does it look decent? No, it does not. In such situations, the use of mobile phones is always unwanted. So, the use of mobile phone should be restricted in public places.  

•  Why mobile phones are gaining its popularity?
The mobile phone is one of the latest inventions of modern science. But with the passage of the time, the name has been altered for its mobility to everywhere. Truly, the mobile phones are gaining unexpected popularity. The use of mobile phone is everywhere now. It is accessible by the people of all strata. The advantages are huge. One can easily communicate with the rest of world with this device. In fact, this is the easiest mode of communication and one can always be connected. Moreover, smartphones now allow the users to be connected to the internet and perform the necessary tasks. The use of mobile phone is not limited to talking only, it is entertaining too. You can click high-quality pictures, play video games, record videos or audios, set your daily plans or events and many more. Thereby, I think, mobile phones are gradually gaining popularity.  

•  Can you do without your mobile phone?
Ummm! It is impossible for me to do without my mobile phone even for a single second. It has become the part of my body. I forget to take some necessary documents to my office but do not forget about the mobile phone. I need to plan for different meetings with my clients and colleagues while sometimes I take pictures of family events with the phone. Besides, I use the mobile phone for listening songs and often watch movies online in line with using it as a device to communicate with people. In fact, the mobile has become related to me in such a way that I cannot deny its necessity even for a single moment in my life.


•  What should you do in a bad weather?
Well, a bad weather is one of the worst things for me. The entire day is filled with boredom. It makes me chained to my home. In that moment I will have nothing to do except sitting at my place and pray for the weather to be clear. But I think there are many interesting things to do during a bad weather and I should follow the ideas to make the bad day into a bright day. The first thing is that I shall plan in the early hours of the day that how to spend the rest of the day. Usually, in a bad weather, it rains around the day. Roads become muddy and slippery. So, I should not take the car even if I need to go somewhere for emergencies on such a day. If possible, I should cancel all the events and appointments for the day (except the emergencies) and stay home round the day. I should spend time with my wife and as she likes listening songs, I should accompany her. After listening songs with Samantha (my wife), I should watch movies of my preferred genre. I like action movies while Samantha prefers comedy. So, I should move to action-comedy movies and watch them together until noon. You’ll be happy to know that Samantha loves to take foods cooked by me. So, I should also cook some foods for her to be served during the lunch and should allow her to prepare the supper. Besides, I should also plan for a party in the evening with my other family members or relatives or a couple of friends. This is the way I should pass a bad weather. Though it may sound a bit different from other people as they will move to their respective works but I will stay home. I should pass the day with my family and if they have occupational works, I should also disallow them to start for office. This is a sudden break in the monotonous life and helps boost energies of people.

•  Will bad weather mould or change people’s personality?
Yes, bad weather will change people’s personality but it will happen only for that day. When people will experience a bad weather, they will either get angry or get happy. Some of the people will be angry as they will have to miss many important things and some other people will be happy as they do not have to attend the preset events. It will happen that some people are missing their important meetings or works and any appointments. As a result, they will be annoyed but will have nothing to do except waiting. On the other part, people who prefer relaxation more than their works will be happy as they will have not to attend their jobs or other events. People with a pleasant personality will turn into a negative one due to the bad weather after being failed to do the necessary things. But this personality transformation will be temporary. The sun has a positive impact on people. When people will see the sun, in a bright mode, they will forget their dullness. They will laugh and shout. A good number of songs have also been composed over the rising of the sun. However, people who were happy now will be dull. They will get back into their real personality again once the weather is over. So, I think this will be enjoyable to all as they actually will get some enjoyable moments for the bad weather. They will be amazed at their personality change and it will make them laugh how they reacted when the weather turned into a foul weather.

•  What is the relationship between weather and culture?
Well, culture and weather have some interconnections. It has been formulated based on the geographical aspects. Weather is one of the important factors in producing food crops and has been playing a significant role in the entire agriculture system. If there is no water, there will be no crops. Again, if there is excessive water, there will be no crops as the crops will be destroyed by the excessive water. So, a large number of people belonging to agricultural society try to maintain a good relationship with the weather. They have formulated their culture with the belief that if they could satisfy the weather, they will have good crops. But the scenario is different in modern cities. People observe and form different cultures in different weather conditions to make them more comfortable and enjoyable. In most of the cases, the cultures are determined by the weather pattern. People take the necessary measures to observe the seasons. For instance, winter is a climatic condition or a specific situation when the weather is cold. You cannot move without warm clothes in that season. A culture to put on warm dresses has been formulated. Similarly, in the monsoon, the culture of carrying an umbrella has been formed. In some cases, people carry umbrellas in summer as well to protect them from the blazing heat from the sun. So, it appears that weather and culture are closely interconnected with each other.

•  The climate has changed these 50 years. Have you noticed the changes?
Yes, I agree with you. The climate has changed greatly in the past 50 years. A lot of changes have taken place by this time. Environmental degradation is the key cause of the changes, I think. Firstly the seasonal change should be mentioned here caused for the environmental imbalance. Earlier there were five or six seasons but now there are hardly three seasons appear round the year. The number of wildlife in different forests and jungles was more in the past comparing the current days. They have become extinct as they do not have their natural habitat. Random deforestation, environmental degradation etc. are the key cause of their extinction. With the passage of development, people are in need of furniture and modern amenities, and thus they are cutting down trees. Forests are being destroyed which is causing ecological imbalance across the globe. People are destroying the natural habitat of the wild animals and also polluting the other relevant elements of the environment. As a result, nature has experienced a negative change and the consequences are falling upon us. We are to suffer from the climatic changes. I also have noticed that when I was a kid, the summer was not as hot as it is today. Besides, in the rainy season, it rains less than the past days. Sometimes, there are excessive rains which cause flash floods in some of the parts of the low-lying regions in the world. But such sudden accidents were not found 50 years ago. I bet in next 50 years a massive change will take place across the globe unless the environmental pollution is not stopped.

•  What changes do you predict in the following years?
Ummm! I think there will be massive changes in the environment. Firstly, the climate will go to its extreme. There might be only one season, summer because all the other seasons will vanish due to deforestation and ecological imbalance in the environment. Food scarcity is another potential issue as the lands are losing fertility for the extensive use of chemical fertilisers. Besides, the chemicals used in the croplands are also getting mixed with water which is also a serious threat to human and animal health. By drinking the polluted water, they may develop different deadly diseases.

Desertification is the other issue that will be a great concern for the world. Currently, a large portion of the forests are being cut down to serve several purposes and accordingly the cutting is going on indiscriminately. But it is imperative to plant trees with the ration of cutting them down. Unfortunately, people are cutting more instead of planting. The emergence of natural calamities in the recent past years is also a concerning issue and in future, the frequency may increase more. The events of flash floods, cyclones, erosion, excessive rains or droughts in some places, heat waves, cold waves, hailstorms, thunderstorms etc. will be seen frequently. If such situations prevail for longer times, I think the entire environment with all of its elements will collapse someday. Then it would be highly difficult for the humans to rise up. In fact, war with nature is unwise as nature will be the winner at the end of the day, while the modern people have made nature their opponent. It appears to me that they are in a battle with nature and wants to win over it. Alas! They do not have any idea how powerful nature is. Climatic change is one of the changes that are seen now. Hope nature will show her mercy to us.

•  Are the people interested in gathering the weather information in your place?
Uhh! France is the country of temperate climate but the countrymen are highly aware of the climate change around the world. The country is surrounded by a couple of mountains which bring variations in the climate of the country. Usually, the mountain areas always remain cold comparing to the other regions while the northern part is mild in winter and tolerable warm in summer. So, the climatic issues are one of the concerning issues for the people. The continental climatic condition owns the chance of a sudden change and thereby, the people need to remain alert, always over the changes. Though the seasons like winter and spring are pleasant in the current days, due to the massive aggression on the climate, they may get a terrible change. The dry summer seasons is also a concerning issue for us. With the climate change, the summer may turn drier which would be intolerable to some extent. It is also a shocking event that the rate of global warming is more in France comparing the other parts of the world. The warming trend continued till 2009 beginning from 19602 and the government is trying to control the situation. Different initiatives have been taken and people are now aware than before over the climatic issues. They get regular weather updates for their own benefits.

•  How does weather influence people’s personalities in your country?
This is an interesting question. In fact, the weather has something to do with the moods of the people in my country. Usually, the moods and personalities of the common people get a massive change with the change of weather. For instance, in summer, usually, people are frank and speak a lot. They organise for private parties and always in a jolly mood. You may be confused with their personalities as the man with the most seriousness also becomes a cheerful one. But the scenario changes entirely in the winter. People do not prefer to talk that much and keep silence even in trips. This is the common scenarios in France during the season changes.


•  Why do people need to travel every day?
Well, people are in need of travel for numerous purposes. The first and most important cause of the travel is communication. Without a perfect communication, it becomes difficult to do everyday tasks. So, communication over a telephone or by other means is less effective than the physical presence of any individual or party. If you are present in somewhere where you are supposed to be, you can make the issues clearer than communicating by the other means. But to be physically present there, you are to travel. Besides, people also travel for some leisure purposes as well. For instance, immediately after the marriage, the newlywed couple goes to visit some distant places or travel to discover something new in a foreign land. The trip- they are undertaking is only for pleasure. Thereby, it appears that travelling is one of the important parts of human in the current days and they undertake it to meet their respective purposes.

•  What problems can people have when they are on their journey, for example to work or school? Why is this?
People may experience several problems during their travels to offices or to schools. Traffic congestion is a common issue for all and it kills time unusually. When they get stuck in a traffic jam, they are to sit idly and it happens mostly when narrow roads are to accommodate more vehicle than it could do actually. Besides, they also may face the gas shortage in the vehicle. It is natural that the driver did not check the gas level and it ends in the middle of the destination. So, they are to change vehicles. Thirdly and most importantly, they may also experience some accidents regardless of large or minor. Usually, accidents occur for several reasons and the most prominent reason is the violation of the traffic guidelines. Often vehicle drivers start racing against time or each other and finally lose control over the vehicle resulting in an unwanted accident.


Thank you for the interesting question. I completely disagree with the statement. In the past days, the daily journeys were almost the same as they are today. There has been no notable change found yet. Moreover, the number of vehicles has increased and numerous destination routes have been created. As a result, people are travelling more and more comparing the past. Most of the people travel to meet their needs and in the future, the need will grow more. As a consequence, the number of the daily journeys will increase. To accommodate the growing passengers, the number of vehicles will be increased by both public and private sector. In addition, I think the transportation system will be made developed than the current days. Traffic congestion will be removed and thus transportation will be smoother.

•  What do you think people can learn from travelling to other countries? Why?
Umm! Learning is an interesting issue but one cannot learn everything s/he wants. So, when people travel in foreign countries, they visit the historical places or pass some special moments in the tourist places where they have nothing much to learn actually. However, they could learn about the culture and customs of the place, partially. It is impossible to learn all the things within a short time. Mostly, people visiting a foreign country could learn about the eating habits, most famous customs, traditional issues etc. because the heritages are always prioritised before the tourists so that they could get a positive impression over the tourist spot or about the nation. However, some of the learning is helpful indeed. One may have heard about the Eiffel Tower but has not seen that. The trip to France will bear a great importance on the individual to learn about and observe the structure in real life.

•  Can travel make a positive difference to the economy of a country? How?
Yes, travelling can make a positive difference to some extent. When the travellers arrive at a different place, they are to get the necessary things in exchange for local currency. By this way, the local economy gets boosted. It receives the extra currency from the travellers and gradually the domestic production level increases. Besides, the travellers are always ready to visit the tourist spots and when they spend currency for visiting the places, it opens the earning sources for the local people. Moreover, when the foreigners come to visit any country, they made different plans and often it has been found that they are in professional relations with the people of the host country. It is really helpful for expanding the economy of a country by both formal and informal means.

Definitely, a society could be benefitted from the members who have travelling experiences. Usually, the people who have travelled in different parts of the globe are aware of many issues which are beyond to the limit of the ordinary people. The majority of the people grow idea about something by secondary perception. So, they clearly lack the inner and outer aspects of the issue. But when someone travels, s/ he own the chance to see and know about the things clearly and when they return to the native land, they share the experiences with the fellow men or in their community. As a result, a type of informal awareness is created in that specific society which is beneficial for them to a great extent. Besides, knowledge has no boundary and it could be transmitted to anyone by any forms. So, when the people return to their native land, they subconsciously try to spread the earned knowledge from the trip. By this way, the society could be benefitted.

Studying English:

•  What problems do you have when studying English?
Well, English is a foreign language to me and as a French national this is a bit difficult for me to pronounce the perfect English. When I try to speak English, I cannot make the right pronunciations. Besides, my English reading skills are not up to the mark and filled with some local tones. Besides, during the conversations, I cannot speak fluent English. This is a challenge for me to study English. I cannot participate in the conversations with the native English speakers which is embarrassing for me to a great extent. Moreover, when I am to write something in English, I have grammatical errors in the texts. Sometimes it appears that the meaning is entirely changed when I start writing. So, I try to read some English newspapers and then start writing like them. But all the time I cannot write a good form of English for the grammar issue. Vocabulary plays a great role in studying English. Being a non-native English learner, my vocabulary is so poor that I lost words during the conversation or writing. Sometimes I cannot realise the meaning of the words and then seek the words into English dictionaries and reference books and then get the meaning of the sentences or contexts I go through in different texts. With the extensive vocabulary and complicated grammar system, sometimes I am at a loss what to do or say in ‘situations’. So, I am afraid sometimes that I would not be able to learn English properly. Further, my listening skill is also weak. I cannot differentiate between words pronounced similarly like ‘walk’ or ‘work’, ‘sun’ or ‘son’, ‘to’ and ‘two’ etc. As a result, I often misunderstand the words and it takes more time for me to realise the real meaning. The most troublesome part for me is to reply to someone after hearing any conversation. Whatever the troubles are, I try hard to study English and will never give up trying until I grow the four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) perfectly.

•  Do you think that English is the most important language in the world?
Ahhh! It’s a difficult question to answer. I think English is one the widely used language among the non-native speakers. This has gained the status of the best language and also is termed as the international language for it is used by millions of speakers around the world. They use English for communication and effectively they are being served for the purpose of communication. When people of different nations come together in a place and they need to communicate with each other, they cannot use any language other than English. Learning English increases your skills as a bilingual and as a result, your acceptance also increases in everywhere. You can use the language in any part of the worlds if you are unaware of the language of that specific region. Almost all the available information in computer and the sector of technology are written in English. Each of the higher study fields is documented in English. This language has been being used for long and I think even before the age of colonisation. In the present world, the people in all parts of the planet are familiar with the language and have adopted it as their second language. So, when the people of different nation meet together, they can share their cultures and values with each other that help people to learn about newer things which one of the important benefits of English language. Besides, if you want to improve yourself in the modern age and want to use science for your betterment, you are to make friendship with the English language.

Further, English is easier to learn than learning most other languages as it has only 26 alphabets. In your private life, English helps you enhance your opportunity to read books, watch movies etc. For instance, if you know English, you can use the social networking websites. If you know English, you would be able to watch movies without subtitles. If you know English you will have the chances to get a better job with a better salary. So, I think for all those reasons, English is considered as the most important language in the world.

•  What other languages are taught in your country?
Umm! In France, the government is trying to make it a multilingual country and accordingly has started activities to make people familiar with different languages. Even the educational system of France also encourages learning several languages. Usually, English is preferred everywhere in line with the French language. Since the country is enlisted with some of the international bodies, few other continental languages are also taught here like Italian, German, and Dutch etc. The government is willing to make a country a multicultural one and accordingly tries to promote cultures of different levels. Besides, some other languages like Arabic, Chinese, Turkish, Hindi, Urdu etc. are also exercised in the country due to the populations of those states. Mostly the languages are taught in schools and there are some other language training institutes as well who provide with the service for the people who want to learn. As a result, you can find people speaking different languages and it is not a surprise. But often it becomes a bit of troublesome for the people to communicate with the other nations when they are unaware or unfamiliar with the languages they are asked to use. Interestingly, learning English at the primary level is a must for all the students and it helps to make them stronger in using English in their real-life situations.

•  Do you think that age is the most important factor of learning English? Why?

Yes, I do think so because age has many things to do with learning a language. Age is considered as the most important factor for learning a language, especially the English language. In general, people learn a language in two ways and one of those is termed as explicit learning while the other one is known as the implicit learning. The implicit learning is the process in which we learn our mother tongue and in the explicit learning process, we need to learn the language consciously. Explicit learning is a conscious process and different approaches are followed to master the language. So, when it is about learning the English language, we need to learn in implicitly which also refers to the natural learning process. In this way, we learn the language like we are taught our mother tongue. But when you have crossed your puberty, it is expected that you would not be able to learn the language in an explicit manner, I mean you cannot learn it naturally. You have to ‘learn’ the language. You have to learn the rules and manners of the language. You are to be aware of the imposing of the rules in the right places, you are to learn about grammar, sentence construction, and more other grammar issues which are in fact hard to maintain in the adult age. As a result, when you are set to use the language in your real life situations, there are chances that you may fail to communicate effectively with your counterparts. So, I think the tender age is the most appropriate time to learn a language and if you want to learn English, you need to start early. Besides, if you have kids under 13, it is imperative to start teaching the language. Whenever they will cross the 13, it would be tougher for them as well to master the language perfectly.

•  What difficulties would a foreigner have when he learns your native language?

Uhh! It’s a great question. It is a bit troublesome for the foreigners to learn French and if they try for a longer period, it is expected that they could learn the language properly. The most common forms of troubles are mispronunciations of the words and spelling of words. Sometimes the non-native speakers cannot get the perfect accent with the words. People who are entirely unskilled and unfamiliar with the alphabets, it is a bit difficult for them to begin with the language. Moreover, being a fluent speaker of French, it takes more time. Whenever you are going to speak the language, you will discover some sort of unintentional mistakes. Making singular and plural in this language may appear a bit interesting to the foreign speakers. The accents may seem harder to them in the beginning unless they are aware of the basics.

•  What problems would people in your country have when communicating with foreigners?
Ahhmmm! Actually, there are no notable problems in communicating with the foreigners. Most of the French people are now well aware of the communication with the foreigners and as the second language, they use English to reach the other people. Though a majority of the French people cannot speak the perfect English, they could continue their communication in an effective manner. But there are some other French people who can speak the perfect form of British English and you cannot differentiate if they are British or French when they speak English. The dialect and pronunciation they use belong to the natives British. Sometimes there are few misunderstandings with the people regarding communications but the repetition of the statements twice or thrice makes it clearer and the communication is perfect.

•  When would be most suitable for children to learn English?
I think when the children are in their first grade that is the perfect time for to start them teaching English. When they are at their tender age, they can adopt whatever they are taught and language learning methods are most effective when you are a kid. The brain cells are enabled to get the things easily regarding the language learning. So, they can remember the rules and other related issues to learn a language. In English language, it is difficult to some extent to learn it as the learners cannot remember the grammar issues but in the case of the children, they can easily memorise the rules. Sometimes when they memorise, they try to apply the rules in their real life from the memorization and thus they learn how to use a language in the practical situations. So, I think when the children are of six or seven years old, they should be sent to learn the English language.

•  How will translation and interpretation develop in the future?

In future, the development of translation and interpretation may experience a change to some extent. Currently, people translate and interpret languages using their own senses, skills and command over the language. But with the change of technology, someday almost all the languages of the world will be available on the internet and then I think the auto-translation will be available. Though some of the languages are available on the internet and the auto-translation is available, I think in future it will be easier comparing the current days. Translation or interpretation will not take so much labour and efforts as it is required today. Moreover, the quality of the translated copies will be more benefitting for the users. They would be able to use the copies immediately without any corrections or amendments. Currently, when the translations are done with the automated software or services, they cannot provide the perfect copy and the users need to amend the copies accordingly after their needs. But in future, I believe, it will be changed entirely.

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