IELTS Speaking: Friends and Family

IELTS Speaking: Family and Friends

Planning on taking IELTS any time soon? Then you’ll want to read our IELTS Speaking posts, where we put teachers in students’ shoes. That’s right. We’ll be sharing mock answers to common questions asked in the IELTS Speaking section of the exam – from English teachers! Each post will highlight useful words and phrases so you can brush up on/enhance/improve your ability to use synonyms and natural language. We hope you enjoy this series and hearing it ‘straight from the horse’s mouth’ (no offense to our teachers!). In this post I’ll be interviewing myself – I’m a little nervous!

Do you spend much time with your family?

I would say that I spend more time with my immediate family than the bulk of my extended family. That said, I get along well with one of my cousins because we have a lot in common. His daughter is also around the same age as mine. And I’m routinely in touch with my aunt on WhatsApp. At 70, she’s still the life of the party and has a fabulous sense of humour. For the most part, though, I hang out with my immediate family comprising my daughter and two energetic dogs.

Who are you closest to in your family?

As I mentioned, I’m closest to my daughter as we have a strong mother-daughter bond. I’m also close to my brother who unfortunately lives in another city so we don’t get to see each other too often. We do stay in touch via WhatsApp though. He’s someone I can confide in and lean on for support and advice if there’s anything on my mind. So even though we don’t live in the same place it’s nice to know there’s someone out there who has got your back. Hopefully he feels the same about me!

Do you prefer spending time with your family or friends?

One of my dearest friends who I’ve known since school sadly emigrated to New Zealand a few years ago, and my other friends live far away, so I’d have to say, my family. I don’t make friends that easily as I’m quite an introvert, so I really value the friends I have. If only there were a teleportation machine so we could visit all our loved ones all over the world!

Are you still friends with your childhood friends?

I suppose that would depend on how you define childhood as I met my best friend when we were around 13. I’m not still in touch with any friends I made before that as we drifted apart, as childhood friends often do. But I don’t think you ever forget them. They’ll always hold a special place in my heart. In fact I still have handwritten letters sent to me from my first-ever best friend during the summer holidays and those are so precious.

TIP 3: Learn some useful catchphrases used in conversation, such as: Actually / Well / I would say that / That’s a tricky question but I would have to say / That’s an interesting question. / All in all / Generally speaking / On the whole / For the most part I I haven’t really given that much thought but I would have to say / Off the top of my head I would say, etc. It’s also absolutely fine to use ‘fillers’ to give you time to think, such as: um… er… you know.

Is family important in your country?

I think the high value we place on family is not restricted to particular nations – it’s pretty universal I reckon. That said, I think there are some countries that are known to be particularly family-oriented. I’m thinking of Mediterranean cultures, for example. It’s possibly stereotypical but that film, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, comes to mind, where you have this huge, very close-knit family. Because my country is so incredibly culturally diverse, saying it does or doesn’t value family would be impossible. Nevertheless, I can say that modern families the world over seem to be less close-knit than they were for various reasons. While previously you may have had grandparents being more involved in raising their grandkids, for example, nowadays you find more and more couples having to do it all on their own, or relying on paid childcare. 

TIP 4: While it’s great to continuously expand your English vocabulary, you should avoid trying to memorise long lists of words for IELTS. Rather focus on learning fewer words and using these in your speech during your English classes or while chatting with other students (or you could even talk with yourself while driving or taking a walk!), so that you don’t freeze up during your speaking exam. Best of luck!