IELTS Speaking Model Answer 9 Bands

NOTE: There are many possible ways to answer these IELTS questions. These are only some ideas and should not be considered the only possible answers.

IELTS speaking interview | Part 1

Examiner:
What is your name?
Candidate:
My name is Usman Ali.
Examiner:
May I see your ID please?
Candidate:
Of course, here it is.
Examiner:
Do you work or study?
Candidate:
I’m working at the moment. I’m an Engineer in a local company here.
Examiner:
Do you like your job?
Candidate:
Well… sometimes. It’s really interesting, but it’s also very demanding. I don’t get a lot of free time and I have to travel sometimes which means that I have to be away from my family – that part I’m not so keen on, but on the whole it’s a good job and I enjoy it.
Examiner:
What is happiness according to your understanding?
Candidate:
That’s an interesting question. I think everyone has their own interpretation of what happiness is, depending on their culture, beliefs and their own personality. For me, personally, it’s having the freedom and opportunity to do what I want. I don’t need to have a lot of material things to be happy, but the freedom to choose what I do, when I do it and how I do it is very important. That’s what makes me happy.
Examiner:
What do you think makes people happy?
Candidate:
That’s a difficult question to answer without talking for hours on the topic. Basically different things make different people happy. Some people think that buying a lot of things or having a lot of money makes them happy. Others feel happy when they have no stress in their lives or when they achieve something in their life such as graduating from university or getting a good job, getting married or starting a family and I guess that most people think that the idea of stopping work eventually and retiring will make them happy.
Examiner:
What do you do to remain happy?
Candidate:
Really … I just try to always do the things I want to do. Sometimes I can do them immediately and sometime I need to plan for them. I also try to avoid negative people as much as possible. I’m not very materialistic, as I said before, so it doesn’t really bother me or make me sad if I don’t have the latest or newest of everything. As long as I’m doing what I want or working towards doping what I want to do … I’m ok.
Examiner:
Do you think money is important for achieving happiness in life? Candidate: Well, that depends on how important money is for you as a person I guess. For some people it’s everything … right. For others it’s not so important. There are rich happy people and rich people that are not as happy … as we all know. For sure having enough money to do what you want can certainly make life easier, but that doesn’t automatically mean that you’ll be happy. It’s a personal thing … although it’s clear that money isn’t always necessary to be happy. Lots of people are happy but they don’t have a lot of money. Would they really be any happier if they had more money? I don’t think the relationship between money and happiness is that simple. For me personally … yes, it’s important, but it’s not everything.

IELTS speaking interview | Part 2

The Examiner:

That’s the end of part 1. Now, in Part Two, I am going to give you a topic and I want you to talk about it one to two minutes. I’d like you to describe fashion in clothes.

Talk about fashion in clothes. 1.       What type of clothes do you like and why? 2.       How often do you go to markets/shops to buy new clothes? 3.       Do you spend a lot of money on new clothes? Why? / Why not? Explain the importance of clothes to you.

Before you speak, you have one minute to think about what you are going to say.

Examiner:
You have a couple of minutes to speak. Don’t worry if I stop you.

Candidate: 
Well, fashion is a strange thing isn’t it? I mean it’s a total invention by some people who dictate what we should or shouldn’t be wearing at any time. Really, it’s all a bit ridiculous because we’re allowing someone else to influence what we wear rather than making our own choices. For me, it’s simple; I wear clothes that are appropriate for the occasion or function. So, like, if I’m going to a business meeting then I wear a suit and tie suitable for the occasion. If I’m going out with friends, then something appropriate depending on where we’re going.

I don’t really follow fashion – in fact I usually make a point of not buying the latest colors or styles, because they change so often and I can’t be bothered shopping for clothes that much … it’s boring. I’d rather buy something that I will be able to wear for years than have to be buying more clothes every six months or so just to keep up with fashion.

Anyway, not all fashions suit all people, but many people wear clothes that just don’t suit them only because they are in fashion and that’s just plain stupid. I generally only buy clothes when I need them – I don’t like shopping for clothes, it’s a waste of time. So I only go when I need something, sometimes it’s every couple of months but sometimes it’s a lot longer.

How much I spend on clothes depends on what I’m buying. If it’s for a special occasion then I usually spend a bit more – but if it’s for normal everyday use then I don’t spend as much. Brand names and stuff like that don’t really impress me. If I like something then I like it – not really important who made it.

So fashion for me just isn’t really an important thing in my life, clothes are something I need to cover my body in an appropriate way depending on the situation and shopping for clothes or buying clothes certainly doesn’t make me happy or anything like that. It’s just something I have to do sometimes. Clothes for me are not really important.

IELTS speaking test | Part 3

Examiner:
Why do people dislike going to markets to buy new clothes?

Candidate:
 Some people love shopping for clothes in markets and other don’t. I guess those that don’t … well, it’s because they don’t like the environment – too many people – too busy, or the type of clothes available are not what they are looking for. There could be many reasons. Maybe they don’t like going clothes shopping in markets simply because their friends wouldn’t go there.

Examiner:
Why do people spend more time choosing new clothes?

Candidate:
Well, like I said before… many things make different people happy … and I know that many people, especially women, have a lot of fun clothes shopping… it makes them happy checking out everything that is available and trying them on. They can spend hours and hours looking for the perfect, blouse, pants, or whatever it is they are looking for. It’s like a hobby or pastime … it makes them feel good, it’s like a social activity as well for them, especially if they go with a friend or their family. Of course some people maybe spend a lot of time choosing clothes because they are indecisive and can’t make their mind up which clothes they like best…sometimes there is just too much choice … no .

Examiner:
What is the importance of clothes / fashion in your country?

Candidate:
Here people are very fashion conscious. I mean they spend so much time shopping for clothes it’s incredible! Clothes here show who you are, they define you and let other people know which social group you belong to. People here worry a lot about what they look like so there is a lot of importance put on clothes and your appearance and stuff like that. Brand names on clothes are another important factor here … it’s important to wear the right ‘names’ to be fashionable.

Examiner:
What is the negative impact of fashion on young people in your country?

Candidate:
It’s difficult to measure, not just here but anywhere, I guess it’s subliminal – they don’t really realize how much their actions and decisions are influenced by external forces but if they put as much effort into other areas of life as they do into ‘being fashionable’ it would be interesting to see what would happen. I mean can you imagine fro a moment if they didn’t spend all that time and money on buying clothes and shoes and fashion accessories and spent all that time, money and energy on other things … that would be interesting to see. But of course, society has taught us that to be accepted we have to follow certain norms and most young people follow what their friends are doing so that they are accepted by their peers or social group. I guess the worst impact for young people could be the lack of ability to be a real individual in spite of what others might think about their clothes or fashion sense. Putting too much importance on being accepted socially could definitely have detrimental effects on young people’s future way of thinking. After all … fashion isn’t real – it’s just an industry … a way of making lots of money for a certain group of people.
Examiner:
Do clothes reflect people’s personalities? Why? / Why not?

Candidate: Uh, sometimes they could, but then again maybe not. I guess … because everyone wears more or less the same … don’t they. I think as you get older you maybe express your own style a little bit more, but when you are young you generally follow what all your friends are wearing and they can’t all have the same personality. If you think about it – the fashion industry dictates what people should be wearing – so how does that reflect people’s individual personality. Maybe the color has more to do with expressing your personality than the style of clothes. You know, dark colors mean that you’re serious and things like that. However, if we all designed and made our own clothes then I guess that would definitely mean that our clothes reflected our personalities, but as most clothes are mass produced and people’s personalities are not … I don’t see how they can reflect or show our personalities.

Examiner:
Describe a fashion show that you attended.

Candidate:
Well, once I was invited by a friend to attend one – not the sort of thing I would usually go to - but it was interesting to see how it was. They did it in an old castle, which was impressive … the way they had illuminated the walls etc. There were a lot of people there all looking very fashionable of course. The models were beautiful, the place was full of photographers and the atmosphere was all very exciting and the music was very evocative too. Backstage everyone was frantically working to get everything organized… it seemed a bit chaotic at times, which was in total contrast to the perfectly executed catwalk parade outside. I don’t think I would go again, because I don’t really like that sort of thing, but it was interesting to see it once thanks to my friend.