In today’s post we are covering IELTS Speaking questions and answers on the topics of Friends, Road Trips, Drivers and Self-driving Cars. The questions were shared by a student who took IELTS in Ghana. The answers below show a good way to respond to these questions.
NEW! In this podcast episode you can watch the video and LISTEN to all the questions and answers. It’s great to improve your pronunciation, intonation and overall fluency!
Watch and listen in the video, or read the model answers below:
Speaking test
Part 1 (Interview) Questions & Answers
1. Do you work or study?
Well, I completed my studies a few years ago, and I’ve been working in the bakery industry ever since.
2. What kind of job do you have?
I work as a cake decorator at a large bakery. We decorate cakes for special occasions, such as birthdays, anniversaries, various parties or even weddings. We use different frostings, fruit and berries to create unique designs and make sure no two cakes are ever the same.
3. What do you like about your job?
The best thing about my job is that I can be creative. It requires me to come up with new ideas every day, so I never get bored. I also enjoy working with my team, we’ve all grown close over the last couple of years and some of my colleagues became my best friends.
4. How many hours do you work?
About 40 hours a week, but sometimes I put in more hours if we have a particularly large order or a wedding, because wedding cakes are massive. They can have 3 or 4 tiers and can take a couple of days to make.
5. What do you think can be done to make you happy on the job?
Well, I’m already pretty content at my job. I guess the only thing that would make me happier is if we didn’t have to start that early. Some of my shifts start at 7am, which means I have to leave home at 6:30 in the morning, but after a busy weekend I really need my sleep!
6. Do you sometimes make time to meet with your friends?
We all live quite close to each other, and like I said before, some of us work together so we see each other basically every day. Apart from that, we try to make plans to meet at least once or twice a week, especially on the weekends.
7. What do you do when you get together with your friends?
It depends on our mood and our levels of exhaustion. Sometimes we plan trips to new and exciting places, and other times we might just all get together at home to watch a movie and order some pizzas.
8. Why are your friends important to you?
I think my friends have become my second family! We’ve all basically grown up together and shared a lot of experiences growing up, helped each other through hardships of adult life and also had many happy moments.
Part 2 (Cue Card) Question & Answer
Describe a memorable car journey you went on. You should say:
– where you went
– why you went there and with whom
– how long the journey was
and explain why this journey was memorable.
Answer
One of the best car trips that I have been on was during our summer break, when my friends and I decided one day to take a trip to the coast.
The actual journey was only 7 hours long, but we decided to stop at different small towns and soak in the sights at different beaches.
We enjoyed exploring the different areas and local tourist spots. Each town along this route had its own special charm, it’s unique beauty, and we had trouble picking a favourite!
But what made this journey especially memorable was the sheer beauty of the nature that we encountered. The highway offered panoramic views of rolling hills and cliffs on one side and crashing deep blue waves on the other. And the sunsets were just unbelievable. In fact, every point seems like a picture-perfect postcard.
I remember we turned up the music and sang our favourite songs and laughed, savouring every moment. It really was an unforgettable journey.
Part 3 (Discussion) Questions & Answers
1. What industry do you think needs experienced drivers?
I guess that would be any industry that requires people to drive heavy vehicles like buses and trucks. So, that would include public transportation and long-haul drivers. This is mainly because they hold the power over the lives of so many people, including those that travel in their vehicle as well as anyone in close proximity to them on the road. Even a small mistake can end in a tragedy.
2. Apart from checking the Driver’s Licence, what other things should companies do before hiring drivers?
I think as with any other job, employers should do a thorough background check and be on the lookout for any red flags in their driving record such as fines or previous accidents. It would also be necessary to make them take a practice road test in order to properly assess their driving skills.
3. As technology advances, do you think the demand for experienced drivers in various industries will increase or decrease, and why?
I think we will see a reduction in the number of drivers in these sectors, mainly due to the rise of driverless vehicles. As we know, driver fatigue is one of the major causes for road accidents and obviously a self-driving car won’t get tired on a long delivery route. I guess that would mean that less qualified people could be hired to just monitor these vehicles.
4. How might experienced drivers be affected by the rise of driverless vehicles?
I think job displacement would be a serious concern for them, however, you never know. From my own personal experience, I’ve noticed that while the rising use of artificial intelligence has caused some jobs to become obsolete, it has also resulted in the creation of many new opportunities and job fields. These driver’s expertise and skill could be used in a more supervisory role, or they could even be used to help the AI to learn from them.
5. Do you think driverless vehicles can replace planes?
They could, but I think there would always be a large group of people that would prefer a human pilot, and I happen to be one of those people. A self-driving car is less of a danger in my eyes, because as a driver, I would still have the ability to manually control my car if needed. That’s definitely not the case with a plane full of people.
6. What are the advantages of driverless vehicles?
Well, there are a number of benefits. The main one would be a reduction in the number of accidents caused by human error. Self-driving vehicles don’t get distracted or tired. I think this would inevitably lead to less traffic congestion and smoother, hassle free commutes to work. Another plus point is that people could use their commute time better, instead of just focusing on driving.
Bonus Answer
7. What are the disadvantages of driverless vehicles?
I think the main concern for people is that AI might respond incorrectly to a situation on the road, and who to blame if it makes a mistake. This is new territory for everyone involved. Recently, there was a case where a driverless car was involved in an accident and a passenger in another car got seriously hurt. If a human driver caused that, they would have been given jail time. But what do you do about a self-driving car? It’s not very clear, but I guess in time we will learn how to deal with these things.
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