IELTS Speaking Part 2 & 3 Questions with Model Answers

1. When was it
2. What you did
3. How you enjoy it

I know many children, and I have spent time with many of them, but here I would like to talk about my niece and nephew Gia and Tanay, who are six and three years old. They are my cousin Jyoti’s children, who live in Canada. Last year my cousin spent a week with us, when she came to India in December. Gia and Tanay are very cute and I just adore them. Gia is a very chubby child, but Tanay is very thin. When Gia smiles, she has dimples on both cheeks, which look very beautiful. I always feel like picking at her cheeks but she screams when anybody does so. Tanay has curly hair and does not like getting his hair combed. I shared my room with my cousin and both her children. I am a very organised person and keep my room spic and span, but Gia and Tanay loved to mess everything up. Normally I don’t like if anyone messes up my things but with them I didn’t mind at all. I would make sad faces, when they fiddled with my things, but they would look at me with their cute smiles and dimples and then I would forget everything. Both love chocolates and candies and I had kept some in stock for them. It was sometimes very amusing to watch their small pranks. They surely knew what they wanted and managed to get those things somehow. My cousin told me that she had to leave her job because she wanted to be with her children, and not leave her with a nanny. Nannies are very expensive in Canada, and on top of that, are not very good at their job. Schools start only after the child is 5 years old. There is a park in my neighbourhood, where I took them almost every day when they were with us. All the children in the park would surround them and they loved being the centre of attention. They loved the swings and the merry-go-round in the park, and would cry every time we had to come back home. The week with Gia and Tanay passed very quickly I am looking forward to their visit this summer also. May God bless them with a long and happy life.

Follow-ups of An occasion where you spent time with children

• Why is it hard for parents to raise a child?

Raising a child is a full-time job. Many parents find it difficult to raise a child because they are busy in their work, and hence find it difficult to manage enough time. They have to work also because they want to provide their child with the best education and other things. The situation is worse in families where both parents are working.

• What things can children learn from toys?

Children can learn a lot from toys. They develop imagination and creativity when they make stories with their toys. They also learn about sharing when they share their toys with their friends.

• What’s the best age to raise a child?

As such, there is no best age for raising a child. One should have a child only when one is fully prepared to enter the commitment of raising the child. That is why, perhaps, nowadays people are having children later on in life. Raising a child is a full-time job and requires the full commitment of at least one parent.

• What do you think about children from rich families who have lots of toys?

I think it is not good to buy children lots of toys. Children who have lots of toys do not learn to share their toys. They also do not value their toys, because they have too many of them. It also has been seen that children who have lots of toys do not develop their imagination as compared to children who have fewer toys.

Children

• Do you think children are important?

Yes, children are important because no one lives forever. Children are the future of any civilization. They carry the times forward.

• How do you think children and teenagers are different?

Teenagers are also children, but slightly older children. They are confused, children. They don’t know whether they are children or adults. When they play with small children they feel out of place, when they sit with older people, they feel out of place. Important physical and hormonal changes are going on in their body, which is stressful for them. They are still children at heart, but they start looking older.

• Do you think children today are happier than children in the past?

No, I do not think so. I think that today’s children are faced with more stress than children of the past. They are exposed to the global culture and want to adopt it, but their parents want them to stick to the traditional culture. This stress was not faced by the children of the past. Moreover, children are exposed to a lot of career options and want to walk on the untrodden path, but their parents want them to follow the traditional courses and traditional jobs.

Single-Child Families

• Do you have any brothers or sisters?

(Personal answer) (If you answer "No") Would you like to have a brother or sister? OR What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages for children to have brothers and sisters (or, a brother or sister)?
Yes, I would because I would not feel lonely at any time, and would always have someone
to play with or share my feelings with.
OR
No, I am happy being an only child. If I have a brother or sister, I would have to share my room and things. Now, I have the undivided attention of my parents. Then, their love also would be shared.

• For parents, which do you think is better, to have one child or more than one?

I personally think, two children should be there in every family because children learn to share and care for each other. They also give each other company when parents are busy at work.

• Do you think parents of a single child treat their child differently to the way parents who have several children treat their children? OR Do you think parents of a single child give their child more love than parents who have several children?

I think all parents treat all their children the same, but sibling jealousy is very common.
Older child feels that more love is being given to the younger child and vice versa.
Children's Play - Indoors and Outdoors

• Is there any difference between the way children play today and the way children used to play, in the past?

In the past children used to play outdoor games, but today children mostly play indoor games. They play electronic games, which are usually played alone.

• Which do you think is better (for the development of) children, indoor activities or outdoor activities? OR Which do you think is better for children, to spend time indoors or spend time outdoors?

I think both indoor and outdoor activities are needed for the development of children. It
is the responsibility of parents to see to it that their children do both indoor and outdoor
activities equally.

• What benefits are there for children (and/or young people) in playing sport?

Children have a lot of benefits of playing the sport. Firstly, it develops them physically. Secondly, it also leads to mental development. We all know that a healthy mind resides in a healthy body. Sports also teach children many virtues of life. They learn competition, cooperation, and sportsmanship, which means winning with modesty and losing with grace.

• Do you think children today should do more physical exercise?

Yes, children, today should do more physical exercise because lives have become very sedentary. On top of that children eat a lot of junk food, which is rich in fats and salts and is leading to childhood obesity.

• What sports do you think are most suitable for children?

All types of sports are most suitable for children. They learn competition from competitive sports, which are played alone, and they learn co-operation from team sports, which they play in a group.

• How do you think indoor games affect the development of children?

Indoor or electronic games are very important for the development of children.
a. Video game playing introduces children to computer technology
b. Some games provide practice in problem solving and logic. E.g. Age of
     Empires
c. Video games have proved to improve visual skills.
d. They make learning fun. The cost of failure is lower. This encourages risktaking
    and exploration.
e. Some games have therapeutic applications with patients.
f. Games are entertaining and fun.

• What about outdoor activities? How do they affect the development of children?

(Same as answer 14)

• How important do you think it is that young children's play allows them to get some physical exercise (such as running around outside)?

I think it is very important for children to play outside. It gives them the much-needed exercise and also gives them a chance to be with nature.

• Do you think computer games (and/or hand-held electronic games and /or online computer games) are good for children?

(Same as answer 17)

• Do you think watching TV is good for children?

Watching TV is very good for children, but only if it is done in a limit. When children watch too much TV, then they forget their homework and other outdoor activities.

• Do you think it's important for children to learn to co-operate with other children?

Yes, it is very important for children to learn to cooperate with others. In adult life we have to cooperate with others around us, and so children should learn this skill in their childhood.

Children's Education

• Which do you think is most important for a child's education, family, friends or school?

OR

• Where do you think children learn more, at home or at school?

All these things are equally important. A family educates the child in different ways. Friends and schooling have their own role in educating a child. A family gives social values. Friends teach sharing and caring. Schools impart academic education apart from social values and other things.

• What types of books do children like?

Children like books with lots of graphics, such as comics. They also like books of the bold font. They like books, which pique their imagination.

• Do you think parents should read adult books to their children?

No, I think parents should read children’s books to children. Children can read adult books when they become adults.

Children and families

• Do you think hitting children is sometimes necessary for discipline? (Why?)

I do not think corporal punishment is needed to discipline the child. Corporal punishment can prove very damaging in the long run. Children can become rebels or they may withdraw into their shell. Corporal punishment can turn stubborn children into even more stubborn children.