Speaking Part 2 - Cue Card and Speaking Part 3 - Follow Ups

Influence of a Teacher in education

Describe a teacher who has influenced you in your education.
You should say:
where you met them
what subject they taught
what was special about them
and explain why this person influenced you so much.

Education related follow up questions

Developments in education

  • How has education changed in your country in the last 10 years?
  • What changes do you foresee in the next 50 years?

A national education system

  • How do the expectations of today’s school leavers compare with those of the previous generation?
  • What role do you think extracurricular activities play in education?

Different styles/methods of teaching and learning

  • What method of learning works best for you?
  • How beneficial do you think it is to group students according to their level of ability?

River, Lake or Sea

Describe a river, lake or sea which you like.
You should say:
what the river, lake or sea is called 
where it is
what the land near it is like
and explain why you like this river, lake or sea.

Water body related follow up questions

Water-based leisure activities

  • What do people enjoy doing when they visit rivers, lakes or the sea? Why do you think these activities are popular?
  • What benefits do you think people get from the activities they enjoy in the water?
  • What are the different advantages of going to the sea or to a swimming pool to enjoy yourself? What do you think the disadvantages are?

The economic importance of rivers, lakes and the sea

  • How does water transport, like boats and ships, compare with other kinds? Are there any advantages/disadvantages of water transport?
  • How important is it for a town or city to be located near a river or the sea? Why? 
  • Have there been any changes in the number of jobs available in fishing and water transport industries, do you think? What do you think this is? 
Describe someone in your family who you like.
You should say:
how this person is related to you
what this person looks like
what kind of person he/she is
and explain why you like this person. 

Follow up questions

Family similarities

  • In what ways can people in a family be similar to each other?
  • Do you think that daughters are always more similar to mothers than to male relatives?
  • What about sons and fathers?
  • In terms of personality, are people more influenced by their family or by their friends? In what ways?

Genetic research

  • Where can people in your country get information about genetic research?
  • How do people in your country feel about genetic research?
  • Should this research be funded by governments or private companies? Why?
Describe something healthy you enjoy doing.
You should say:
what you do
where you do it
who you do it with
and explain why you think doing this is healthy.

Follow up questions

Keeping fit and healthy

  • What do most people do to keep fit in your country?
  • How important is it for people to do some regular physical exercise?

Health and modern lifestyles

  • Why do some people think that modern lifestyles are not healthy?
  • Why do some people choose to lead unhealthy lives?
  • Should individuals or governments be responsible for making peoples lifestyle healthy?
  • What could be done to encourage people to live in a healthy way?
Describe a game or sport you enjoy playing.
You should say:
what kind of game or sport it is
who you play it with
where you play it
and explain why you enjoy playing it.

Follow up questions

Children’s games

  • How have games changed from the time when you were child?
  • Do you think this has been a positive change? Why? 
  • Why do you think children like playing games?

Games and competition

  • Do you think competitive games are good or bad for children? In what ways?
  • How can games sometimes help to unite people?
  • Why is competition often seen as important in today’s society?
Describe an important choice you had to make in your life.
You should say:
when you had to make this choice
what you had to choose between
whether you made a good choice
and explain how you felt when you were  making this choice.

Follow up questions

Important choices

  • What are the typical choices people make at different stages of their lives?
  • Should important choices be made by parents rather than by young adults?
  • Why do some people like to discuss choices with other people?

Choices in everyday life

  • What kind of choices do people have to make in their everyday life?
  • Why do some people choose to do the same things every day?
  • Are there any disadvantages in this?
  • Do you think that people today have more choices to make than in the past?
Describe a party that you enjoyed.
You should say:
whose party it was and what it was celebrating
where the party was held and who went to it
what people did during the party 
and explain what you enjoyed about this party.

Follow up questions

Family parties

  • What are the main reasons why people organise family parties in your country?
  • In some places people spend a lot of money on parties that celebrate special family events. Is this ever true in your country?
  • Do you think this is a good trend or a bad trend?
  • Are there many differences between family parties and parties given by friends? Why do you think this is?

National Celebrations

  • What kinds of national celebration do you have in your country?
  • Who tends to enjoy national celebrations more: young people or old people? Why?
  • Why do you think some people think that national celebrations are a waste of government money? Would you agree or disagree with this view? Why?

Describe an idea you had for improving something at work or college.
You should say:
when and where you had your idea
what your idea was
who you told about your idea
and explain why you thought your idea would make an improvement.

Follow up questions

Ideas and education

  • Some people think that education should be about memorising the important ideas of the past. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
  • Should education encourage students to have their own new ideas? Why?
  • How do you think teachers could help students to develop and share their own ideas?

Ideas in the workplace

  • Should employers encourage their workers to have new ideas about improving the company? Why?
  • Do you think people sometimes dislike ideas just because they are new? Why?
  • What is more difficult: having new ideas or putting them into practice? Which is more important for a successful company?

Describe a competition (e.g. TV, college/work or sports competition) that you took part in.
You should say:
what kind of competition it was and how you
found out about it
what you had to do
what the prizes were
and explain why you chose to take part in this competition.

Follow up questions

Competitions in school

  • Why do you think some school teachers use competitions as class activities?
  • Do you think it is a good thing to give prizes to children who do well at school? Why?
  • Would you say that schools for young children have become more or less competitive since you were that age? Why?

Sporting competitions

  • What are the advantages and disadvantages of intensive training for young sportspeople?
  • Some people think that competition leads to a better performance from sports stars. Others think it just makes players feel insecure. What is your opinion?
  • Do you think that it is possible to become too competitive in sport? In what way?
Describe a piece of electronic equipment that you find useful.
You should say:
what it is
how you learned to use it
how long you have had it
and explain why you find this piece of electronic equipment useful. 

Follow up questions

Technology and housework

  • What kinds of machine are used for housework in modem homes in your country?
  • How have these machines benefited people? Are there any negative effects of using them?
  • Do you think all new homes will be equipped with household machines in the future? Why?

Technology in the workplace

  • What kinds of equipment do most workers need to use in offices today?
  • How have developments in technology affected employment in your country?
  • Some people think that technology has brought more stress than benefits to employed people nowadays. Would you agree or disagree? Why?
Describe a hotel that you know.
You should say:
where this hotel is
what this hotel looks like
what facilities this hotel has
and explain whether you think this is a nice hotel to stay in.

Follow up questions

Staying in hotels

  • What things are important when people are choosing a hotel?
  • Why do some people not like staying in hotels?
  • Do you think staying in a luxury hotel is a waste of money?

Working in a hotel

  • Do you think hotel work is a good career for life?
  • How does working in a big hotel compare with working in a small hotel?
  • What skills are needed to be a successful hotel manager?
Describe a website that you bought something from.
You should say:
what the website is
what you bought from this website
how satisfied you were with what you bought
and explain what you liked or disliked about using this website.

Follow up questions

Shopping online

  • What kinds of things do people in your country often buy from online shops?
  • Why do you think online shopping has become so popular nowadays?
  • What are some possible disadvantages of buying things from online shops?

The culture of consumerism

  • Why do many people today keep buying things which they do not need?
  • Do you believe the benefits of a consumer society outweigh the disadvantages?
  • How possible is it to avoid the culture of consumerism?

Online retail businesses

  • Do you agree that the prices of all goods should be lower on internet shopping sites than in shops?
  • Will large shopping malls continue to be popular, despite the growth of internet shopping?
  • Do you think that some businesses (e.g. banks and travel agents) will only operate online in the future?
Describe a famous business person that you know about.
You should say:
who this person is
what kind of business this person is involved in
what you know about this business person
and explain what you think of this business person.

Follow up questions

Famous people today

  • What kinds of people are most famous in your country today?
  • Why are there so many stories about famous people in the news?
  • Do you agree or disagree that many young people today want to be famous?

Advantages of being famous

  • Do you think it is easy for famous people to earn a lot of money?
  • Why might famous people enjoy having fans?
  • In what ways could famous people use their influence to do good things in the world?
Describe an interesting TV programme you watched about a science topic.
You should say:
what science topic this TV programme was about
when you saw this TV programme
what you learnt from this TV programme about a science topic
and explain why you found this TV programme interesting.

Follow up questions

Science and the public

  • How interested are most people in your country in science?
  • Why do you think children today might be better at science than their parents?
  • How do you suggest the public can learn more about scientific developments?

Scientific discoveries

  • What do you think are the most important scientific discoveries in the last 100 years?
  • Do you agree or disagree that there are no more major scientific discoveries left to make?
  • Who should pay for scientific research – governments or private companies?
Describe a time when you were asked to give your opinion in a questionnaire or survey.
You should say:
what the questionnaire/survey was about 
why you were asked to give your opinions
what opinions you gave 
and explain how you felt about giving your opinions in this questionnaire/survey

Follow up questions

Asking questions

  • What kind of organisation want to find out about people’s opinions?
  • Do you think that questionnaires or surveys are good ways of finding out people’s opinions?
  • What reasons might people have for not wanting to give their opinions?

Questionnaires in school

  • Do you think it would be a good idea for schools to ask students their opinions about lessons?
  • What would the advantages for schools be if they asked students their opinions?
  • Would there be any disadvantages in asking students’ opinions?
Describe a restaurant that you enjoyed going to. You should say:
where the restaurant was
why you chose this restaurant
what type of food you ate in this restaurant
and explain why you enjoyed eating in this restaurant

Follow up questions

Restaurants

  • Why do you think people go to restaurants when they want to celebrate something?
  • Which are more popular in your country: fast food restaurants or traditional restaurants? Why do you think that is?
  • Some people think that food in an expensive restaurant is always better than food in a cheap restaurant – would you agree?

Producing food

  • Do you think that there will be a greater choice of food available in shops in the future, or will there be less choice?
  • What effects has modern technology had on the way food is produced?
  • How important is it for a country to be able to grow all the food it needs, without importing any from other countries?

 

Describe a meeting you remember going to at work, college or school. You should say:
when and where the meeting was held
who was at the meeting
what the people at the meeting talked about
and explain why you remember going to this meeting.

Follow up questions

Going to meetings

  • What are different types of meeting that people often go to?
  • Some people say that no-one likes to go to meetings – what do you think?
  • Why can it sometimes be important to go to meetings?

International meetings

  • Why do you think world leaders often have meetings together?
  • What possible difficulties might be involved in organising meetings between world leaders?
  • Do you think that meetings between international leaders will become more frequent in the future? Or will there be less need for world leaders to meet?
Describe a friend of your family you remember from your childhood. You should say:
who the person was
how your family knew this person
how often this person visited your family
and explain why you remember this person.

Follow up questions

Friendship

  • What do you think makes someone a good friend to a whole family?
  • Do you think we meet different kinds of friend at different stages of our lives? In what ways are these types of friend different?
  • How easy is it to make friends with people from a different age group?

Influence of friends

  • Do you think it is possible to be friends with someone if you never meet them in person?
  • Is this real friendship?
  • What kind of influence can friends have on our lives?
  • How important would you say it is to have friends from different cultures?
Describe someone you know who has started a business. You should say:
who this person is
what work this person does
why this person decided to start a business
and explain whether you would like to do the same kind of work as this person.

Follow up questions

Choosing work

  • What kinds of jobs do young people not want to do in your country?
  • Who is best at advising young people about choosing a job: teachers or parents?
  • Is money always the most important thing when choosing a job?

Work-life balance

  • Do you agree that many people nowadays are under pressure to work longer hours and take less holiday?
  • What is the impact on society of people having a poor work-life balance?
  • Could you recommend some effective strategies for governments and employers to ensure people have a good work-life balance?
Describe a time when you started using a new technological device (e.g. a new computer or phone).
You should say:
what device you started using
why you started using this device
how easy or difficult it was to use
and explain how helpful this device was to you.

Follow up questions

Technology and education

  • What is the best age for children to start computer lessons?
  • Do you think that schools should use more technology to help children learn?
  • Do you agree or disagree that computers will replace teachers one day?

Technology and society

  • How much has technology improved how we communicate with each other?
  • Do you agree that there are still many more major technological innovations to be made?
  • Could you suggest some reasons why some people are deciding to reduce their use of technology?
Describe an interesting discussion you had as part of your work or studies.
You should say:
what the subject of the discussion was
who you discussed the subject with
what opinions were expressed
and explain why you found the discussion interesting.

Follow up questions

Discussing problems with others

  • Why is it good to discuss problems with other people?
  • Do you think that it’s better to talk to friends and not family about problems?
  • Is it always a good idea to tell lots of people about a problem?

Communication skills at work

  • Which communication skills are most important when taking part in meetings with colleagues?
  • What are the possible effects of poor written communication skills at work?
  • What do you think will be the future impact of technology on communication in the workplace?
Describe a website you use that helps you a lot in your work or studies.
You should say:
what the website is
how often you use the website
what information the website gives you
and explain how your work or studies would change if this website didn’t exist.

Follow up questions

The internet

  • Why do some people find the internet addictive?
  • What would the world be like without the internet?
  • Do you think that the way people use the internet may change in the future?

Social media websites

  • What are the ways that social media can be used for positive purposes?
  • Why do some individuals post highly negative comments about other people on social media?
  • Do you think that companies’ main form of advertising will be via social media in the future?
Describe a house/apartment that someone you know lives in.
You should say:
whose house/apartment this is
where the house/apartment is
what it looks like inside
and explain what you like or dislike about this person’s house/apartment.

Follow up questions

Different types of home

  • What kinds of home are most popular in your country? Why is this?
  • What do you think are the advantages of living in a house rather than an apartment?
  • Do you think that everyone would like to live in a larger home? Why is that?

Finding a place to live

  • How easy is it to find a place to live in your country?
  • Do you think it’s better to rent or to buy a place to live in? Why?
  • Do you think that there is a right age for young adults to stop living with their parents? Why is that?
Describe a writer you would like to meet.
You should say:
who the writer is
what you know about this writer already 
what you would like to find out about him/her
and explain why you would like to meet this writer.

Follow up questions

Reading and children

  • What kinds of book are most popular with children in your country? Why do you think that is?
  • Why do you think some children do not read books very often?
  • How do you think children can be encouraged to read more?

Reading for different purposes

  • Are there any occasions when reading at speed is a useful skill to have? What are they?
  • Are there any jobs where people need to read a lot? What are they?
  • Do you think that reading novels is more interesting than reading factual books? Why is that?
Describe a day when you thought the weather was perfect.
You should say:
where you were on this day
what the weather was like on this day 
what you did during the day
and explain why you thought the weather was perfect on this day.

Follow up questions

Types of weather

  • What types of weather do people in your country dislike most? Why is that?
  • What jobs can be affected by different weather conditions? Why?
  • Are there any important festivals in you country that celebrate a season or type of weather?

Weather forecasts

  • How important do you think it is for everyone to check what the next day’s weather will be? Why?
  • What is the best way to get accurate information about the weather?
  • How easy or difficult is it to predict the weather in your country? Why is that?
Describe a TV documentary you watched that was particularly interesting. 
You should say:
what the documentary was about 
why you decided to watch it
what you learnt during the documentary
and explain why the TV documentary was particularly interesting.

Follow up questions

Different types of TV programmes

  • What are the most popular kinds of TV programmes in your country? Why is this?
  • Do you think there are too many game shows on TV nowadays? Why?
  • Do you think TV is the main way for people to get the news in your country? What other ways are there?

TV advertising

  • What types of products are advertised most often on TV?
  • Do you think that people pay attention to adverts on TV? Why do you think that is?
  • How important are regulations on TV advertising?
Describe an occasion when you had to wait a long time for someone or something to arrive. 
You should say:
who or what you were waiting for
how long you had to wait
why you had to wait a long time
and explain how you felt waiting a long time.

Follow up questions

Arriving early

  • In what kinds of situations should people always arrive early?
  • How important it is to arrive early in your country?
  • How can modern technology help people to arrive early?

Being patient

  • What kinds of jobs require the most patience?
  • Is it always better to be patient in work (or studies)?
  • Do you agree or disagree that the older people are more patient?
Describe a film/movie actor from your country who is very popular. 
You should say:
who this actor is
what kinds of films/movies he/she acts in
what you know about this actor’s life
and explain why this actor is so popular.

Follow up questions

Watching films/movies

  • What are the most popular types of films in your country?
  • What is the difference between watching a film in the cinema and watching a film at home?
  • Do you think cinemas will close in the future?

Theatre

  • How important is the theatre in your country’s history?
  • How strong a tradition is it today in your country to go to the theatre?
  • Do you think the theatre should be run as a business or as a public service?
Describe an interesting discussion you had about how you spend your money. 
You should say:
who you had the discussion with 
why you discussed this topic
what the result of the discussion was
and explain why this discussion was interesting for you.

Follow up questions

Money and young people

  • Why do some parents give their children money to spend each week?
  • Do you agree that schools should teach children how to manage money?
  • Do you think it is a good idea for students to earn money while studying?

Money and society

  • Do you think it is true that in today’s society money cannot buy happiness?
  • What disadvantages are there in a society where the gap between rich and poor is very large?
  • Do you think richer countries have a responsibility to help poorer countries?
Describe a time when you visited a friend or family member at their workplace. 
You should say:
who you visited 
where this person worked 
why you visited this person’s workplace
and explain how you felt about visiting this person’s workplace.

Follow up questions

Different kinds of workplaces

  • What things make an office comfortable to work in?
  • Why do some people prefer to work outdoors?
  • Do you agree that the building people work in is more important than the colleagues they work with?

The importance of work

  • What would life be like if people didn’t have to work?
  • Are all jobs of equal importance?
  • Why do some people become workaholics?
Describe a book that you enjoyed reading because you had to think a lot.
You should say:
what this book was 
why you decided to read it
what reading this book made you think about
and explain why you enjoyed reading this book.

Follow up questions

Children and reading

  • What are the most popular types of children’s books in your country?
  • What are the benefits of parents reading books to their children?
  • Should parents always let children choose the books they read?

Electronic books

  • How popular are electronic books are in your country?
  • What are the advantages of parents reading electronic books (compared to printed books)?
  • Will electronic books ever completely replace printed books in the future?
Describe something you liked very much which you bought for your home.
You should say:
what you bought
when and where you bought it
why you chose this particular thing
and explain why you liked it so much.

Follow up questions

Creating a nice home

  • Why do some people buy lots of things for their home?
  • Do you think it is very expensive to make a home look nice?
  • Why don’t some people care about how their home looks?

Different types of home

  • In what ways is living in a flat/apartment better than living in a house?
  • Do you think homes will look different in the future?
  • Do you agree that the kinds of homes people prefer change as they get older?
Describe a very difficult task that you succeeded in doing as part of your work or studies.
You should say:
what task you did
why this task was difficult 
how you worked on this task
and explain how you felt when you had successfully completed this task.

Follow up questions

Difficult jobs

  • What are the most difficult jobs that people do?
  • Why do you think some people choose to do difficult jobs?
  • Do you agree or disagree that all jobs are difficult sometimes?

Personal and career success

  • How important is it for everyone to have a goal in their personal life?
  • Is it always necessary to work hard in order to achieve career success?
  • Do you think that successful people are always happy people?
Describe someone you know who does something well.
You should say:
who this person is
how you know this person
what they do well
and explain why you think this person is so good at doing this.

Follow up questions

Skills and abilities

  • What skills and abilities do people most want to have today? Why?
  • Which skills should children learn at school? Are there any skills which they should learn at home? What are they?
  • Which skills do you think will be important in the future? Why?

Salaries for skilled people

  • Which kinds of jobs have the highest salaries in your country? Why is this?
  • Are there any other jobs that you think should have high salaries? Why do you think that?
  • Some people say it would be better for society if everyone got the same salary. What do you think about that? Why?
Describe a shop near where you live that you sometimes use.
You should say:
what sorts of product or service it sells
what the shop looks like
where it is located
and explain why you use this shop.

Follow up questions

Local business

  • What types of local business are there in your neighbourhood? Are there any restaurants, shops or dentists?
  • Do you think local businesses are important for a neighbourhood? In what way?
  • How do large shopping malls and commercial centres affect small local businesses? Why do you think that is?

People and business

  • Why do some people want to start their own business?
  • Are there any disadvantages to running a business? Which is the most serious?
  • What are the most important qualities that a good business person needs? Why is that?
Describe a child that you know.
You should say:
who this child is and how often you see him or her
how old this child is
what he or she is like
and explain what you feel about this child.

Follow up questions

Relationships between parents and children

  • How mush time do children spend with their parents in your country? Do you think that is enough?
  • How important do you think spending time together is for the relationships between parents and children? Why?
  • Have relationships between parents and children changed in recent years? Why do you think that is?

Children’s free-time activities

  • What are the most popular free-time activities with children today?
  • Do you think the free-time activities children do today are good for their health? Why is that?
  • How do you think children’s activities will change in the future? Will this be a positive change?
Describe something you don’t have now but would really like to own in the future.
You should say:
what this thing is
how long you have wanted to own it
where you first saw it
and explain why you would like to own it.

Follow up questions

Owning things

  • What types of things do young people in your country most want to own today? Why is this?
  • Why do some people feel they need to own things?
  • Do you think that owning lots of things makes people happy? Why?
  • Do you think television and films can make people want to get new possessions? Why do they have this effect?
  • Are there any benefits to society of people wanting to get new possessions? Why do you think this is?
  • Do you think people will consider that having lots of possessions is a sign of success in the future? Why?
Describe an open-air or street market which you enjoyed visiting.
You should say:
where the market is
what the market sells
how big the market is
and explain why you enjoyed visiting this market.

Follow up questions

Shopping at markets

  • Do people in your country enjoy going to open-air markets that sell things like food or clothes or old objects? Which type of market is more popular? Why?
  • Do you think markets are more suitable places for selling certain types of things? Which ones? Why do you think this is?
  • Do you think young people feel the same about shopping at markets as older people? Why is that? 

Shopping in general

  • What do you think are the advantages of buying things from shops rather than markets?
  • How does advertising influence what people choose to buy? Is this true for everyone?
  • Do you think that any recent changes in the way people live have affected general shopping habits? Why is this?
Describe something you did that was new or exciting.
You should say:
what you did
where and when you did this
who you shared the activity with
and explain why this activity was new or exciting for you.

Follow up questions

Doing new things

  • Why do you think some people like doing new things?
  • What problems can people have when they try new activities for the first time?
  • Do you think it’s best to do new things on your own or with other people? Why?

Learning new things

  • What kinds of things do children learn to do when they are very young? How important are these things?
  • Do you think children and adults learn to do new things in the same way? How is their learning style different?
  • Some people say that it is more important to be able to learn new things now than it was in the past. Do you agree or disagree with that? Why?
Describe a journey [e.g. by car, plane, boat] that you remember well.
You should say:
where you went
how you travelled
why you went on the journey 
and explain why you remember this journey well.

Follow up questions

Reasons for daily travel

  • Why do people need to travel every day?
  • What problems can people have when they are on their daily journey, for example to work or school? Why is this?
  • Some people say that daily journeys like these will not be so common in the future. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Benefits of international travel

  • What do you think people can learn from travelling to other countries? Why?
  • Can travel make a positive difference to the economy of a country? How?
  • Do you think a society can benefit if its members have experience of travelling to other countries? In what ways?
Describe a person who has done a lot of work to help people.
You should say:
who this person is/was
where this person lives/lived
what he/she has done to help people
and explain how you know about this person.

Follow up questions

Helping other people in the community

  • What are some of the ways people can help others in the community? Which is most important?
  • Why do you think some people like to help other people?
  • Some people say that people help others in the community more now than they did in the past. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Community services

  • What types of services, such as libraries or health centres, are available to the people who live in your area? Do you think there are enough of them?
  • Which groups of people generally need most support in a community? Why?
  • Who do you think should pay for the services that are available to the people in a community? Should it be the government or individual people?
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.

Follow up questions

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?

 

Describe a song or a piece of music you like. 
You should say:
what the song or music is
what kind of song or music it is
where you first heard it
and explain why you like it.

Follow up questions

Music and young people

  • What kinds of music are popular with young people in your culture?
  • What do you think influences a young person’s taste in music?
  • How has technology affected the kinds of music popular with young people?

Music and society

  • Tell me about any traditional music in your culture.
  • How important is it for a culture to have musical traditions?
  • Why do you think countries have national anthems or songs?
Describe one of your friends. 
You should say:
how you met
how long you have known each other
how you spend time together
and explain why you like this person.

Follow up questions

Qualities of friends

  • What do you think are the most important qualities for friends to have?
  • Which are more important to people, their family or their friends? Why?
  • What do you think causes friendships to break up?

Other relationships

  • What other types of relationship, apart from friends or family, are important in people’s lives today?
  • Have relationships with neighbours where you live changed in recent years? How?
  • How important do you think it is for a person to spend some time alone? Why/Why not?
Describe a festival that is important in your country. 
You should say:
when the festival occurs
what you did during it
what you like or dislike about it
and explain why this festival is important.

Follow up questions

Purpose of festivals and celebrations

  • Why do you think festivals are important events in the working year?
  • Would you agree that the original significance of festivals is often lost today? Is it good or bad, do you think?
  • Do you think that new festivals will be introduced in the future? What kind?

Festivals and the media

  • What role does the media play in festivals?
  • Do you think it’s good or bad to watch festivals on TV? Why?
  • How many globalisation affect different festivals around the world?