As I mentioned in a previous post, 'your home town' is one of the most common topics in IELTS Speaking. Here are some examples of the kinds of questions you might hear:
- Where are you from?
- Describe your home town.
- What interesting places are there to visit in your home town?
- What entertainment venues are there?
- What is your home town famous for?
- What can you tell me about the history of your home town?
- What kind of jobs do people do in your home town?
- How has your home town changed since you were a child?
- What things are changing in your home town at the moment?
- Do you like your home town? Why?
- Is there anything about your home town that you dislike?
- If you could change one thing about your home town, what
would it be? Why?
- Do you think you'll continue living here in the future, or do you
want to move?
What is your home town famous for?
Every town and city is famous for something - though not every town or city is famous worldwide.
In Bulgaria there's a beautiful town called Kazanlak, where they do two unusual things: they grow lots and lots and LOTS of roses, and they make Kalachnikov guns. Kazanlak produces about 60% of the world's rose oil, which is used in a lot of perfumes and other cosmetics. And of course, Kalachnikovs are used in all kinds of places, for all kinds of terrible reasons! It isn't famous around the world, but when a Bulgarian person thinks of Kazanlak, they immediately think "The Town of Guns'n'Roses" )))
So if you're not sure how to answer the question, imagine that you're talking to a person from another part of your country. You tell them which city or town you're from, and ask "What's the first thing you think of when I mention my town?". Their answer is your answer.
Even better, don't just imagine this: do it. Call or email a few people from other parts of your country, and ask them. It might help your IELTS score :-)
The strange question about jobs
This question might seem a bit confusing. If you live in a city or a large town, people do every kind of job there! So how can you answer this?
1. Think about whether your city has one industry that is bigger
than the others. For example, I once taught a Hungarian
woman called Beata, and near her city there was a huge
factory where workers put Coca-Cola into bottles. Of course,
there were all kinds of other jobs in her city too, but
Coca-Cola was the biggest employer. So she could talk about
this in the exam.
2. Think about your city's history, and the role it plays in your
country now. My own home town, Sydney, was the first city
in Australia, so most Australian companies began there. It is
still the 'business capital', but it isn't the political capital
(that's Canberra), and many Australians argue that the
cultural capital is Melbourne. So I could say that Sydney has
a history of trade and economics, going back to the time
when Europeans first arrived there. I could also say that now,
most Australian and international companies have their head
offices ( = main offices) in Sydney, so it attracts the most
international business people. It also has a huge service
industry, because most international tourists fly to Sydney
first before they explore other parts of Australia. And some
Hollywood films are made there (e.g. The Matrix), because
the industry is well-developed and there are good facilities
for film-making. This also results in a lot of jobs.
The point is that you should try to think of something about the job market in your city that is unusual or interesting. You don't have to say a lot - just one or two points. This is not easy to do while you're in the exam, so be ready for this question before you go!
What if I don't live in my home town now?
That's completely fine! It won't affect your answers to most of these questions. Also, if the city you live in now is not the place where you were born, but you think of this city as your 'home', tell the examiner that and then talk about where you are now. You won't lose marks :-)
With the last question, if you don't live in your home town anymore, it will affect your answer. Just tell the examiner your situation. You can say something like "I don't live in my home town now. I moved here because [reason why you moved]". Then say whether you'd like to go back to your home town to live, or whether you'd prefer to stay where you are now.
More about recent questions
The amazingly useful IELTS Simon website has a section called Recent Exam Questions. After they take the exam, candidates try to remember the questions they received, and write them on the website. If you have time, I recommend you visit this website.
Exercises
Read the 'home town' questions above, and decide which ones would be quite difficult for you to answer. Write your answers, and post them in the comments box here.
OR
Read another student's answers, and suggest improvements.
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