CONTENTS

Sample answers

Sample questions and answers  from speaking part 1, 2 and  3

Key vocabulary

Words and terms frequently used  when talking about work

Word formation

Learn how to use  wide variety of parts of speech, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives

Collocations

Find out groups of words that usually used together by native speakers

Useful resources

References to teaching and authentic materials related to this topic: IELTS blogs, podcasts, videos and articles

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Home Town: Sample questions and answers for IELTS speaking exam

Part 1

  1. Describe your hometown.

-My hometown is a small city. It is both traditional and modern because of having several festivals celebrated by the locals, and at the same time it is starting to be developed with increasing number of infrastructures and establishments.

  1. Where is your hometown located?

-My hometown, Sorsogon City is located in the southernmost tip of the Bicol Peninsula and the Luzon Island. Bicol is one of the regions in the Philippines and Luzon is the biggest island in the country.

  1. Is it easy to travel around your hometown?

– Yes, it is. It is a small city but there are different kinds of transportation available.

  1. What is it known for?

-It is known for “Pili nuts”. They are said to grow in volcanic soil.

5. What do people in your town do?

Agriculture and fishing are common in my hometown. Also, with the latest modernization, numerous office jobs have appeared in my town.

 

 

 


Part 2

Describe your home town. You should say:

 

  • Describe the place
  • What is special about it?
  • Compare it to other cities in the world?

My hometown is called Sorsogon. I was born and raised there and I can say it is definitely my favorite place. It is located in the southernmost tip of the largest island in my country. I cannot tell that it is a very big province. The town is both traditional and modern. I call it traditional because there still are many festivals celebrated by the locals, yet modern, as it is starting to be developed just like other province having much more sophisticated infrastructure.

Sorsogon is a province that is about 12-hour bus ride from the capital city of the Philippines. Main roads are part of the national highway, so they are wide and huge. The highway happens to be an important place, because it is a key passage for buses and cars that cross it on their way from the North to the South.

Sorsogon is also special as it offers many tourist attractions. For example, in a close vicinity, there are an active volcano and a lake with very beautiful scenery.

Among all the places I have been to, I think Sorsogon is one of the best. There are wonderful places to visit – not crowded and not polluted. I frequently go to beautiful and clean beaches. Sogroson is located on many islands that are not yet developed and are very peaceful and relaxing to stay in. On top of that, natural cold and hot springs are popular here as well. Many people visit this place to experience them.

Part 3

  1. In what ways can you improve your hometown?

One problem in my hometown is a low accessibility of some places due to problems of public transportation systems. Although there are different means of transportation, it can still take you hours to get to certain venues. For example, the earliest bus leaves at 5:00 am and the latest – around 5:30 pm. Therefore, for those who go back from work after 5:30 pm, it gets increasingly difficult to commute.

  1. What is the main reason for liking a hometown other than the fact you were born there?

 

I reckon, we all love our hometowns, because we were raised there. I am personally used to this place and I have become very comfortable with it. I have created some very pleasant memories here – met friends, family, my first love, first academic achievements. In my hometown I was formed physiologically as an individual.

 

  1. Most people in this world do not live in their hometowns. Why?

 

Well, I guess the majority of people feel that there could be more opportunities outside of their hometowns and consequently – comfort zones. Therefore, many believe that living in such a comfortable place, with relatives and friends can be distracting and too relaxing on the way of pursuing goals. Also, people (not only youth) strive to explore other places and experience different cultures across the globe.

 

Key vocabulary: Definitions and examples


 WORD

DEFINITION

EXAMPLE


famous

well-known

In the 12 days they were in Nevada they paid visits to some of the most famous landmarks in America

 

situated

located somewhere

Windsor is situated 20 miles (32km) due west of London in the Thames Valley.

 

imposing local buildings

visually impressive buildings

There ‘s the imposing Queen ‘s Hotel.

 

huge

extremely large

The universe is so huge and so old we must expect loads of different places where life could exist

 

shopping mall

shopping centre

All high streets and shopping malls are slightly rearranged versions of each other.

 

poor area

region; part of world, country or town lacking money

Cities have rich and poor areas.

 

ethnic neighbourhood

a district forming a community with a common national or cultural tradition within a town or city

PThe multitudes of ethnic neighborhoods in Melbourne are found mainly out in the suburbs.

 

district

an area or quarter within a city or town; a locality within a country

Melbourne had three identifiable districts: upper middle class, middle class and working class.

 

traditional

relating or conforming to well-established customs, practices or style

My hometown is a small city. It is both traditional and moderns.

 

infrastructure

the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g., buildings, roads, and power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise

Wit is starting to be developed with increasing number of infrastructures and establishments.

 

establishment

a business organization, public institution, or household

More and more educational establishments are starting business studies

 

transportation

a system or means of taking people or goods from one place to another

It is a small city but there different kinds of transportation are available

 

agriculture

the science or practice of farming

Agriculture and fishing are common in my hometown.

 

fishing

the activity of catching fish, for commercial or sporting reasons

The seas around Mayo support a wide variety of fish species which provide the sea angler with excellent fishing.

 

pace

the relative speed of progress or change

We will remind students to raise their hands if the lecture pace is too fast.

 

poverty

the state of being extremely poor

Absolute poverty in the globalising developing countries fell sharply in the last 20 years.

 

amenities

organizations, businesses, or buildings providing a service in a particular location

The village offers an excellent range of amenities including grocery and food stores, post office , public house , primary school and Churches of various denominations.

 

outskirts

outer areas of a town or city

A gondola from the town centre or a cable-car from the outskirts take you up to Rochebrune

 

shortage

an insufficiency of something needed or wanted

One of our biggest problems locally is the shortage of housing, particularly for young adults.

 

congestion

the fact or instance of blocking or overcrowding a place, especially with traffic

The new bridge should ease congestion in the area.

 

vibrant

full of energy and enthusiasm.

A vibrant cosmopolitan city.

 

bustling

full of activity and people

Louth is a beautiful unspoilt Georgian town , with a bustling market

 

provincial

relating to or involving a province

Scenes of violence were reported in provincial towns

 

dull

boring

Students short of money have always faced long hours of dull or repetitive work in supermarkets , pubs or clubs

 

local delicacy

something that is good to eat belonging or relating to a particular area or neighborhood

But the French were the first to consider geese a culinary delicacy

 

growing rapidly

ncreasing quickly

The interactive games industry is growing rapidly

 

culture

art, music, literature, and related intellectual activities, considered collectively

It is less stressful than a big city , and full of bookshops , libraries , and people interested in culture

 

downtown

n or relating to the business and commercial centre of a town or city

The heart of Sydney’s downtown

 

intersection

a road junction

The University’s main entrance and reception is at the intersection of Borough Road and Albert Road.

 

dramatic change

sudden and striking difference, modification or an alteration

This dramatic change was caused both by the presence of the pairing family and by the introduction of herding and agriculture

 

railway

1-a track made of parallel bars on which trains run
2-the system of transport

Japan’s privately run railway, for example, is among the best in the world.

 

industrial facilities

the means to do something, as provided by the equipment in a building, room, or other place

A very large number of the city’s industrial facilities were destroyed or severely damaged

 

familiarity

experience and knowledge of something

Increase customer familiarity with a product

 

crowded roads

roads full of people

The roads can be very crowded with traffic

 

accessibility

being physically accessible or available

South Liverpool is the ideal short break destination with easy accessibility from the north via the M5

 

traffic

vehicles moving on roads

At peak hours, we have been overloaded with traffic.

 

it used to be

used to talk about habitual actions in the past

Downtown used to be very commercial, with merchants selling their products.

 

improved economically

Become better

Multiple new train lines improved economically remote city’s parts.

 

business center

a place where businesses can rent offices or rooms for meetings, events, etc

Business Center is located along Norton Shops.

 

building

structure such as a house

The engineer said the Council does not intend to demolish the building or breaking the street line on Market Square.

 

expanding

growing larger in size or scope

Northampton is an expanding area and wages for care assistants cannot match those to be found in industry , ‘ says Bill Aitken , the department ‘s operations manager


 

Word Formation


WORD

PART OF SPEECH

EXAMPLE

 

growth

noun

The borough has experienced one of the fastest population  growths in England in the last decade

to grow

verb

North America, that ‘s second behind Mexico , whose population  grew 1.8 percent over the previous year.

 

growing

adjective

The interactive games industry is growing rapidly


tradition

noun

My hometown is a small city. It is both traditional and modern.

traditional

adjective

My hometown is a small city. It is both traditional and modern.


accessibility

noun

South Liverpool is the ideal short break destination with easy  accessibility from the north via the M5.

to access 

verb

With the opening of the bypass scheduled for early December shoppers should be able to easily  access the town’s businesses.

 

accessible

adjective

Peterborough and Swindon now almost as  accessible as suburbs only fifteen miles away from Piccadilly


Collocations


beautifully

delightfullys

ideallyg

pleasantly

conveniently

inconveniently

centrally

remotely  

adverb+

situated

 

neighbouring

surrounding

northern

southern

rich

wealthy

poor

working-class

coastal

country

local

metropolitan

rural

suburban

urban

agricultural

business

commercial

adjective +

district

 

build

found

live in

verb +

town

 

big

large

major

little

small

nearby

ancient

historic

medieval

old

adjective+

town

 

hall

square

walls

council

life

planning

town+noun

town

 

the centre/middle of (the) town

the edge/outskirts of (the) town

phrase

town

 

good

great

ideal

terrible

adjective+

place

 

interesting

busy

crowded

quiet

strange

faraway

out-of-the way

remote

adjective+

place

 

big

high-rise

large

tall

low

single-storey

adjective+

building

 

small

attractive

beautiful

fine

imposing

impressive

magnificent

crumbling

ancient

historic

old

seventeenth-century, etc

adjective+

building

 

build

erect, put up

demolish

destroy, flatten, gut, knock down

pull down

damage

renovate

restore

verb+

building

 

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