Some people think the government should pay for health care and education, but other people claim that it is the individual’s responsibility. Do you agree or disagree?

Introduction: Partially agree. Basic health care should be free (Government’s duty) but the more advanced and expensive treatments should be borne by the individual.

Paragraph 1: Health care should be free otherwise the less privileged group like the unemployed and the elderly will not be able to afford it. Moreover we pay taxes so we are entitled to free health care.

Paragraph 2: Advanced treatments like costly surgeries and specialised tests should be borne by the individual. However, the government can fund the treatment costs for those below the poverty line.

Paragraph 3: Government can also make the people aware about some preventable diseases – media can help.

Conclusion: Free health care of a good overall quality is an important service for a government to provide because it is the government’s duty but the people should also take care of themselves so that some diseases which are preventable can be avoided.

Sending criminals to prison is not the best method of dealing with them. Education and job training are better ways to help them. Do you agree or disagree?

Intro: Agree partially. Some serious offenders need to be locked away but for all others some alternatives like education and job training are better.

Paragraph 1. Why prisons are not the best solution:

-          Maintaining prisons is very expensive

-          Less serious criminals learn new crimes by mixing with other criminals and these contacts may continue even after they are out of prison.

-          A jail sentence is supposed to act as a deterrent for further crime but statistics does not support this as many offenders return to prison time after time.

Paragraph 2: Why education and job training are better.

-          Illiteracy and poverty lead to crime. So education and job training gives people the skills to earn their livelihood.

Paragraph 3: Community work is also a good substitute for prison. The offenders can be made to provide free labour for any public building or maintenance of parks.

Conclusion: though prison sentences for all crimes could reduce the number of offences, there are stronger arguments for not imprisoning all offenders.

The government is responsible for protecting a nation’s cultural identity. Thus, some people believe new buildings should be built in traditional styles. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

 Intro: Disagree. Modern buildings should be built in modern styles. However, the old buildings should be preserved.

Paragraph 1: Land is scarce and we have to meet the needs of the growing population. – tall buildings – provide more floor space where people can live or work – no need for deforestation

Paragraph 2: Modern materials are more practical. They are prefabricated and need less time. Now we use concrete and steel instead of stone, timber or brick.

Paragraph 3: Changes are taking place in climate – energy sources are depleting fast – we need energy efficient houses.

We need smaller houses as family structure is changing.

Conclusion: Restate your opinion.

Nowadays, some universities offer graduate students skills that assist to find employment, but some people believe the main function of a university should be to access knowledge for its sake. What’s your opinion?

    

Introduction: It is irrefutable that the main purpose of a university is for career preparation, but a university has a lot of other benefits also - to have new experiences, and to increase your knowledge of yourself and of the world around you.

Para 1: Career preparation is probably the primary reason that people attend university. These days, the job market is very competitive. Careers such as information technology will need many new workers in the near future. At university, students can learn new skills for these careers and increase their opportunities for the future.
Para 2: Students also go to university to have new experiences. For many, it is their first time away from home. At university, they can meet new people from many different places. They can see what life is like in a different city. They can learn to live on their own and take care of themselves without having their family always nearby.
Para 3: At university, students have the opportunity to increase their knowledge. As they decide what they want to study, pursue their studies, and interact with their classmates, they learn a lot about themselves. They also, of course, have the opportunity to learn about many subjects in their classes. In addition to the skills and knowledge related to their career, university students also have the chance to take classes in other areas. For many, this will be their last chance to study different subjects.
Conclusion:  Universities offer much more than job preparation. They offer the opportunity to have new experiences and to learn many kinds of things. I think all of these are reasons why people attend university.

IELTS Interview dated 25-09-2009

                  

1.   What is your name?

2.   How may I call you?

3.   Where do you come from?

4.   Do you work or study?

5.   Do you prefer writing by hand or computer?

6.   What did you write in school days?

7.   Which country would you like to visit?

8.   Do you prefer studying alone or with friends?

           Talk about an advertisement you like

-   Why is it important

1.   What effects do advertisements have on society?

2.   What is the most common advertisement in your country?

3.   Do you like TV advertisements or Radio advertisement?

4.   Why do visitors come to your country?

Many people are optimistic of the 21st century and see it as an opportunity to make positive changes to the world. To what extent do you share their optimism? What changes would you like to see in the new century?

        

Introduction: Change is but natural. Everything undergoes a sea of changes over a period. Many changes are expected in the 21^st century. I am an optimistic person and I believe there will be many beneficial changes in the 21^st century.

Paragraph 1: Positive changes in the medical field.

-         Treatment of cancers – AIDS

-         Cell transplant instead of organ transplant

Paragraph 2:

- Terrorism, wars will become a thing of the past.

-  better alternatives to energy sources

- everyone will have the basic amenities of life

Paragraph 3:

-         Illiteracy and poverty will be wiped out

-         Holidays in space will be common

-         There will be no national boundaries

Conclusion:  Change is imminent in every sphere of human life. What is certain is that those who accept changes, instead of those resisting them, will be more successful. By becoming proactive we can make the changes favourable to us.

School Uniforms

For:

1.    Uniform provides identity to the school. Especially helpful during school trips. Also when some miscreants come in the school they can be easily spotted.

2.    Uniform is a social leveller. It erases any social differences that are there between rich and poor students.

3.    Uniform also improves the discipline of the school and creates a sense of belonging in the mind of students for the school.

4.    Moreover, students don’t waste time thinking what to wear. They have less pressure on them to be the best dressed and so they devote more time to studies.

5.    Uniform prepares the student for the world which has a dress code.

Against:

1.    We have a right to express ourselves and this includes the right to wear whatever we please.

2.    Uniform is not always practical or pleasant to wear.

3.    Expensive and so unnecessary burden on parents

4.    Can be very boring and monotonous.

Nowadays education quality is very low. Some people think we should encourage our students to evaluate and criticise their teachers. Others believe that it will result in a loss of respect and discipline in the classroom. Discuss on both sides.

Introduction: The situation has both merits and demerits.

Paragraph 1& 2: Advantages of students evaluating teachers

-          Evaluating teachers is a good exercise for students. They have to organize their thoughts about their teacher. They have to think about how they themselves learn best and what kind of help they need. This can help them do better in class. Evaluations also give students a chance to develop honesty and responsibility.

-          Teachers can get a lot of useful information from student evaluations. They can find out what the students like about the class and what they don't like. They can learn what the students think is easy or difficult. They can discover which kinds of activities the students prefer. All of these things can help teachers improve their classes.

-          Student evaluations are also helpful for school administrators. Student evaluations help administrators learn which teachers are most effective. They can work together to improve the school program where necessary.

Paragraph 3: Disadvantages

-          Students are not mature enough

-          Lack of respect and discipline

Conclusion: Advantages outweigh disadvantages

The advantages brought by the spread of English as a “global language” will outweigh the disadvantages. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this view?

Introduction: Partially agree – English has become the lingua franca in many parts of the world. It has words from many languages.

Paragraph 1&2: Advantages

-          It is the language of global business – also jobs

-          It is the language of technology

-          Travel easier

-          No need of expensive translations

-          It is a unifying factor – for e.g. in the Indian pluralistic society there are more than 700 odd languages and dialects

-          Easy to learn as it has adopted words from many languages

Paragraph 3: Disadvantages:

-          Local languages die out

-          Local culture dies out because language and culture are inter related

-          May divide into dialects

Conclusion: advantages outweigh the disadvantages

Pressure on the school and university students is increasing and students are pushed to hard work when they are young. Do you think it is a positive or negative development? (2-4-2005)

     Introduction: It is both a positive and negative development. A balance needs to be created. Parents and teachers have a big role.

Paragraph 1: ( why pressure on students is increasing)

-          Highly competitive era

-          You need to get good scores to get into a good college

-          Higher education is very costly - You need to do part time work to fund your education

-          Sometimes parents push children to adopt those subjects in which the child has no aptitude

Paragraph 2 : (How it is a positive development)

-          The habit of working hard right from early years makes them realise the dignity of labour when they are better placed in life later on

-          They do not indulge in any violence and crime and drugs

-          If they work hard in early years they will develop a sound career and will have a happy and contented later life.

Paragraph 3: (How it is a negative development)

-          Stress and strain when children face failures or can’t cope with the pressures - Suicidal attempts

Conclusion: Parents and teachers need to do proper counselling and guide them properly. Aptitude of the student needs to be given consideration. Alternate career choices should be explained to both parents and children

Leisure is a growing industry, but people no longer entertain themselves as much as they used to because the use of modern technology has made them less creative. Do you agree or disagree?

Introduction: Disagree. Modern technology has not made people less creative. It has changed the definition of leisure and the lifestyle of people.

Paragraph 1: Everyday life today is very busy and complicated. Leisure time is spoiled by choices. We are – confused and dissatisfied.

We can’t strike a balance between work and play. We have become workaholics

Paragraph 2: Life in the past was simpler. People worked for basic needs. Now work is not just a way of life. It is for personal fulfilment. We set goals for ourselves – like - house, car. We choose this way of life. Now we have improved standard of living but this has come at a very high cost.

Conclusion: what we need to do

- change priorities

    Leisure is as important as ever

   We should take every opportunity to relax and enjoy leisure.

Results of 25-09-2009 ( exam on 12-09-2009)

N

Academic

6.5

5.5

6

5

6

K

Academic

6

5.5

6

5.5

6

Televised sport

Advantages:

1.    Entertainment in the comfort of the home – rain – cold

2.    Some sports are better seen on TV – golf – team sports

-          Zoom

-         Close-up

-         Replay

3.    Sponsorship funds are in proportion to TV coverage

4.    Watching sports on TV encourages people to go out and play

Disadvantages:

1.    TV encourages professionalism – players start demanding money. Take part in ads etc.

2.    People are becoming sports watchers rather than sports players

3.    Unglamorous matches and events have suffered

4.    ‘Win at all costs’ attitude is encouraged. – drugs etc. 

IELTS Interview dated 24-09-2009

1.   What is your name?

2.   How may I call you?

3.   Describe your city?

4.   Do you drive?

5.   Did your school teach you driving?

6.   When would you like your children to learn driving?

7.   What is your future plan?
8.  How often do you write e-mail or letter?
    9.  When was the last time you wrote an e-mail?
 10.  What do you often write in your e-mails and letters?

Describe a conversation you had in the past that is important to you

-  Where did it take place

-  What was the topic

-  Why was it important to you

1.   Did you share the conversation you had with anyone else?

2.   Do you think that a face to face conversation is better than talking on the phone?

3.   Do you think using an interpreter is effective if two people talking had different languages?

4.   In which situations do strangers talk to each other?

5.   What are the conversations that are usual in your country?

6.   What is the difference in conversation between two men and two women?

7.   What is the difference when you talk to your teachers and when you talk to friends?

IELTS Interview dated 23-09-2009

1.   What is your full name?

2.   How should I call you?

3.   May I see your identification?

4.   Where do you come from?

5.   How often do you go out with friends

6.   Where do you like to go with friends

7.   Do you write a lot

8.   Do you write by hand or by a computer?

9.   Did you learn handwriting in school?

10. What do you write in your daily life?

11. Describe your house?

12. What improvement would you like to do for your house?

Describe an interesting historical place

           -                Where is it

           -  How did you learn about it

1.   Do you think people like to visit historical places? Why?

2.   Do you think people do not visit these historical places now that people can see these places on the internet?

3.   Should there be a ticket to visit these places or should they be free?