TEST 2 IELTS 5

PART 1 Whats your favorite color? [Why?] My favorite colors are black and white. I like them because they are easy to combine with others when I wear clothes. Another reason is that they always have straightforward manifestation in everything like the idiom in black and white. Do you like the same colors now as you did when you were younger? [Why/Why not?] My favorite colors have changed from time to time. When I was young, I love pink because it is bright and youthful. However, when I grew up, I felt that pink is just appropriate for children and I realized that I preferred black and white to pink as I look more stately when I wear clothes in those colors. What can learn about a person from the colors they like? In my view, there are many things we can learn about a person from the colors they like. Each color has a meaning about persons character, their outlook in a matter or even a culture of a nation. For instance, in Middle Ages, they believed that yellow was the color of sham, like we say a yellow dog nowadays. On the other hand, it is also the color of wealth and prosperousness. Do any colors have a special meaning in your culture? Yes, we have some colors that cleave to some special meanings. Lets say red. It symbolizes our national flag and blood. Many of our heroic civilians had shed their blood for the independence of nation. Another color is green. It is the color of plants and simultaneously, the camouflage battledress of our country during the war. These are decisive colors from our war time until now. They bring us hope and luck to defeat strong enemies. PART 2 Describe a song or a piece of music you like. I love listening to music and I have many favorite songs. One of the songs I frequently listen to is a French song named Bonjour Vietnam. It is sung by Pham Quynh Anh, a Vietnamese Belgian girl, who has a beautiful and pianissimo voice. I knew this song through a newspaper. It has been a phenomenon for a long time in both Vietnam and overseas. Many people, especially the overseas Vietnamese, got a lump in their throat, even burst into tears and commended profusely when they heard the song. Obviously, Im not an exception, every word

in this song impressed on my memory with a strange feeling. The word Vietnam, which is resounded in the end of the song, has brought to every listener a holy feeling. All familiar images of Vietnam were mentioned in the song with a tenderly love through her voice. The composer got the sources of inspiration from Quynh Anh herself. He saw an image of Vietnamese women with a graceful act in her and they have evoked him some heart-breaking memories of the war in Vietnam. Temples, statues of Buddha, paddy fields and roads, houses are very familiar to us but she has never seen. Thats why the song has that name like this. She wants to say hello to her motherland, to every simple things in that. The song is all overseas Vietnameses sentiments that were not born in Vietnam but are always tenterhooks to come back to their native country. It has contributed to bring pictures of Vietnam to all over the world. PART 1: Which part of your country do most people live in? Tell me the main industries there. How easy is it to travel around your country? Has your country changed much since you were a child? PART 2: Describe a well-known person you like or admire. You should say: who this person is what this person has done why this person is well-known and explain why you admire this person. PART 3: Famous people in your country What kind of people become famous people these days? Is this different from the kind of achievement that made people famous in the past? In what way? How do you think people will become famous in the future? Being in the public eye

What are the good things about being famous? Are there any disadvantages? How does the media in your country treat famous people? Why do you think ordinary people are interested in the lives of famous people? PART 1: Which part of your country do most people live in? In my country, there is an unbalance in the density of citizens. Most people in my country live in urban areas, especially in the two biggest cities which are Hanoi and HCMC. It is a normal phenomenon in every country. Big cities attract people to live in due to their quality of accommodation, the chances of vocations, etc. Tell me the main industries there. In the two prominent cities, the main industries are Economy, Finance and Service. Therefore, it is easy for you to find many edifices, industrial zones, banks, financial companies and services galore. These industrial not only bring the cities the faces of modernization and means but also help their civilians upgrade their standards of living. How easy is it to travel around your country? Yes, it is quite easy and convenient for you to travel around my country. It has a net of transportations. If you want to travel around the cities, you can take buses which are systematic or pedicabs which are more special and suitable to dawdle. If you want to travel through longer distance, you can take coaches, trains or planes which are both improved considerably. Has your country changed much since you were a child? Yes, I concur with that statement. My country has hanged a lot from the time I was a child. The first which is also the noticeable change is its economy. About fifteen years ago, Vietnamese people had to reconstruct their countrys economy from the state of being uprooted by wars, indigence and wrong plans of the government. However, lets look at what we have achieved nowadays. Year in year out, we have made the economy more and more developed and modern. Secondly, the quality of living has been improved more than in the past. Many people have escaped from poverty. Besides, we live in better conditions than in the past. PART 2:

The famous person whom I like is a special singer. His name is Ha Anh Tuan. In my opinion, nowadays, there are lots of singers who sing kinds of music galore. Therefore, it is easy for you to have a person to admire and so do I. I remember exactly the first time I listened to him. At that time, he was a competitor in a contest named Sao mai im hn. At that time, the person I wanted to watch was Hoang Hai because I had read an article saying that Hoang Hai was the prominent candidate. However, inadvertently, I could not watch Hoang Hais performance but Ha Anh Tuans performance. I really was attracted by the way he sang. He went to town in every melody. I could say that his performance was out of the world. I have many reasons why I admire him. Firstly, he has an outstanding way of singing which distinguishes him with others. It is very natural and simple but precise. Secondly, he is a kind of person who dares to think, dares to do and dares to accept, which influences me most. He had temporarily abdicated his studying in Germany to come back to Vietnam to fulfill his passion of singing. Next, I suppose he is an intelligent singer in the ways of communicating and fashion. And last but not least, what I want to say is that it is very absorbing to have a person to admire. PART 3: What kind of people become famous people these days? In my opinion, nowadays, people have more chances to become famous. Firstly, the people who become well-known are talents in special fields such as singing, acting, the level of knowledge and Information Technology. The second which is also a pity is that some become famous due to their scandals which they may deliberately or inadvertently make up. Is this different from the kind of achievement that made people famous in the past? In what way? Yes, it is. As far as I am concerned, there are more kinds of achievement that made people famous now than in the past. Firstly, in the past, people were mostly well-known for their outstanding success in studying or their glorious feat of arms. Comparing to now, people have more ways to become famous. Secondly, in the past, if you want to become famous for your great ability in acting, singing, dancing, etc, you must be the best in your country or your regions. Today, you do not need to be the best to become famous, which makes people famous easily. How do you think people will become famous in the future? I believe that the ways making people famous in the future will certainly differ from now. Firstly, as the technological age advances, people will probably become celebrities for their achievement of brand-new technological inventions. Secondly, it is likely that Internet and

Social Network will play a vitally important role in discovering talents and upgrading peoples famousness. What are the good things about being famous? Are there any disadvantages? In my opinion, everything always has advantages and drawbacks. Lets talk about the advantages. The first is that you can earn much money, which helps you become affluent and do almost things which need to be done. Secondly, If you are a celebrity, you will be admired and loved by a multitude of fans. Lastly, your luck can rub off on your family. Now, lets turn to the disadvantages. The first which is also most easily perceived is your private lives. You must be careful in every move if you do not want to have scandals which are the main topics for newspapers. Secondly, many mean people try to make your acquaintance because of wanting to take advantage of your fame. How does the media in your country treat famous people? Luckily, the media in my country are not as hostile and strict as those in other Western countries. They treat well-known people in the gentle environment, which helps them have more chances to upgrade their talents and fame. However, they are ready to criticize them if possible. Why do you think ordinary people are interested in the lives of famous people? I have many reason for this fact. Firstly, the reason is that ordinary people are curious about their idols and want to know what famous people is like in genuine lives. Secondly, many people who have sinister ideas are interested in the private lives of the famous people to find their mistakes so that they can uproot their fame. Trich tu trang web: http://www.ielts-simon.com IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a person Describe a person you admire. You should say: who the person is what he or she is like and why you admire him or her. Here are some ideas. Ive underlined the best vocabulary. Im going to talk about my father because he has been a major influence in my life. My father was always a good role model for me as I was growing up. Hes hard-working, patient and understanding; hes also got a good sense of humour and seems to get on well with everybody. Hopefully Ive inherited some of these traits. I admire my father because I think he brought me and my brothers/sisters up well; he was

quite strict but always fair, and he has always been someone I can turn to for advice. I think my father set a good example by working hard and having a positive outlook on life. I remember that he used to leave for work early and come home quite late, but he always made time for me and my brothers/sisters. IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a festival A common topic for the short presentation (IELTS Speaking Part 2) is describe an important festival in your country. My advice is to look for a description of your festival on Wikipedia. Copy the best parts of the description and make small changes if necessary. As an example, Ive copied a short description of Christmas from Wikipedia. Describe a festival: Christmas Christmas is an annual holiday that, in Christianity, commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. Popular customs of the holiday include gift-giving, music, an exchange of greeting cards, church celebrations, a special meal, and the display of various decorations; including Christmas trees, lights, nativity scenes, and holly. In addition, Father Christmas (known as Santa Claus in some areas) is a popular figure in many countries, associated with the bringing of gifts for children. Over the Christmas period, people decorate their homes and exchange gifts. In some countries, children perform plays re-telling the events of the Nativity, or sing carols that reference the event. Christmas, along with Easter, is the period of highest annual church attendance. A special Christmas family meal is an important part of the celebration for many, and what is served varies greatly from country to country. In England and countries influenced by its traditions, a standard Christmas meal includes turkey, potatoes, vegetables, sausages and gravy, followed by Christmas pudding, mince pies and fruit cake. IELTS Speaking Part 3: common question types Here are 3 common question types that the examiner could ask you: 1.Compare and contrast. 2.Give an opinion. 3.Imagine. If the topic is cities, the examiner could ask: 1.How is life different in cities compared to rural areas? 2.How do you think life in big cities could be made easier?

3.What do you think cities will be like in 50 years time? Here are some answers using ideas from this weeks lessons: 1.Firstly, the cost of living in cities is much higher. Housing is much more expensive in cities compared to rural areas; everything costs more. I think life in cities is more difficult. There are more people, so theres more competition for jobs. Life is a lot slower in rural areas, everyone knows each other and theres a sense of community. I dont think rural areas experience the social problems that you find in cities, like crime and homelessness. 2.In my opinion cities need to be well-planned. Good public transport can definitely make life easier because there are so many people and it can be really stressful just to move around. Public areas like parks are also important because people need space to relax, and I think cities should be made into healthier places to live and work. 3.I imagine cities will be less polluted because well have electric cars and better public transport. More people might work from home so maybe cities wont be so busy. But I think there will probably still be problems because more and more people are migrating to cities. So Im not so optimistic about issues like crime, homelessness and unemployment.