Public Events : IELTS Speaking Practice Test 18

Speaking Part 1

1How do people in your country celebrate public events?

I think it’s different for every country. In some countries, people get holidays on the particular event. Hence they choose to spend time with family or to celebrate the occasion for its purpose.

2Do you think it is important to celebrate events?

Yes. In today’s world, most people have no idea why they are getting a holiday or what the event signifies. Therefore it is very much important for us to celebrate events to understand their significance.

3Should events be prepared in advance?

Events are always prepared in advance. It takes a lot of planning and calculations to execute a particular event. Thus one should always pre plan an event to avoid chaos and last minute rush.

Speaking Part 2

Sample Answer

Sometime during 2001, when I was living in Kunming, some friends of mine in the Bei Chen area invited me to the street party to promote a new housing compound that some company had just finished building. It was a very- bizarre event. It was held outside in a little park near the new compound. It was a very cute little park with benches and a small playground for little children. I think the event was funded by the owners of the compound because they were giving away food. There was ice cream, soft drinks, beef, lamb, and pork meat sticks, and some other snacks of which I can’t remember the names. The only problem, though, was that you had to stand in a line the length of the Great Wall. Sometimes the line would move fast, like when a bunch of the meat was cooked, but other times it just seemed to take forever. I can’t remember so well, but I think that you had to be living in the Bei Chen area to attend the party. Oh yes, that’s what it was; our friend was living in that area, so we were able to go in for free. The party was so much fun because it was at night and we were allowed to stay out later than usual. My cousin, who lives abroad, was visiting and went with us to the party. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that time.

Vocabulary for Cue card

• housing compound: complex or multiplexEg: She lives in a housing compound. 
• Playground: park where children playEg: Children are playing in the playground.
• seemed to take forever: take a very long timeEg: The delivery seems to take forever.
• Funded: a sum of money saved or made available for a particular purpose.Eg: The company funded 10000 rupees to the NGO.

Speaking Part 3

1Should businesses support local events?

I think that businesses should support local events. It not only helps to create a good image tor the business, but shows customers that the business is interested in their welfare. It can also provide good advertising opportunities for the business. Everyone likes to do business with a community-minded business.

2Should the government preserve traditional events like temple fairs?

I think the government should preserve this kind of event. And furthermore, I think that the best way they can support them is to help financially. Although if you only let the government help to support and sponsor these kinds of events, then companies like Coca Cola, Budweiser, and McDonald’s will have nothing to do. Therefore, I think it’s important to let everyone help to organize and fund the events, but the government should definitely preserve and support these kinds of events.

3Do you think it’s important to take part in local activities?

I personally don’t enjoy participating in local events, but for some reason many people actually do. I’d much rather watch the event from a distance. Maybe this is just because I’m lazy, but I just don’t really feel the need to go out there and be another nameless person in a crowd that won’t miss me at all.

4Do you think it’s important to have a sense of local community spirit?

If a community wants to prosper, everyone must make a concerted effort to put as much into their community as possible. If you don’t take care of your community then your community can’t take care of you. What I’m trying to say is that if you’re in the habit of helping others in your community, then others will he more inclined to help you. It’s also important that you don’t litter, because if you do then the place will look like a mess. Another thing that would help is that if parents and pet owners would clean tip after their kids and pets relieve themselves then there won’t be any excrement on the grass, sidewalks and benches.

5What are the advantages of being part of close-knit community?

Well, one of the advantages is that your community will look out for you. If you’re in trouble you’ll get support from your neighbors, and they’ll be more likely to accept whatever you decide to do. Also, if you are in a close-knit community, more people will be your friend and invite you and your family over to their house for dinner. Like the saying goes, a man is only as rich as how many friends he has.

6In what ways do neighbors cooperate and help each other in China?

This is a tough question, because I personally don’t think that they do. Most of my neighbors are just nosy or busybodies who are always trying to find out some new piece of gossip. All the rest are out working all day and when they come home they just want to watch TV or sleep.

7How has the sense of community changed in recent years in China?

Before the community was very strong in China. You always did things with your neighbors and helped them in whatever way that you could. Also, whenever anyone did something that wasn’t quite right, everyone knew about it, and the person was very embarrassed. But now everyone is out working, and aside from a few old busybodies. no one has time to help or get involved with the affairs of their neighbors.

Vocabulary for Speaking Part 3

• Community-minded: a tendency to help/improve the community
  Eg: She is planning for a community-minded business.
• Preserve: store
  Eg: She is preserving her family scarf.
• Prosper: be successful
  Eg: Grandmother always wants everyone to prosper in life
• inclined to: slightly favouring more
  Eg: She is more inclined to mathematics than she is for Physics.

Bonus cue card: