IELTS Speaking Sample #2

Good afternoon, my name is Anna. Could you tell me your full name please?
Roberto Rossi.

What should I call you?
Robert.

Thank you. Do you work, or are you a student?
I’m a student.

Can you tell me about your studies?
Um well, uh my studies are in relation to cultures in the world. Uh When I was- when I was young, my father used to travel a lot and used to come back home, giving me a picture of a very vast world where people used to live and think and behave in different ways. So in comparison to what I used to study in geography, the world seemed to be a lot more interesting to go and- and explore. So as soon as I got rid of all that and I finished school I decided to uh go and experience uh first-hand what it really means to live in direct contact with a different culture. So I ended up looking for the most traditional and isolated cultures in the world at that time a few years ago, and uh I decided to go and live as one of the local people; which I did for a period of time. So that experience really changed my life and made me understand also, a lot better, what I wanted to study umm at University.

What is your favorite subject?
Anthropology, and social anthropology in particular. So in reality what I do, is I go back to one of these places where I’ve been in the past and I- and I see in what way the society changes as the rest of the world changes, and uh in what way it is affected by the outside world. So I ended up learning the language and I and I ended up understanding probably a lot more what really goes on in uh- in uh the inside of a person who lives in a little dot in the middle of the ocean, and all he or she knows is that and that is the universe- in comparison to us, um being sort of constantly bombarded by- by a lot more information.

What is your study plan?
I’m starting to and- I’m thinking of furthering my studies by doing a Masters and perhaps a PhD. I’m very interested in following umm what I started already. And err, and err, again, not only from my professional point of view, but also for a personal point of view I think it is very important to do things combined together, and what we learn and understand in life can really be of help to other people if we- umm if we develop it to a certain extent.

Thank you. Do you have any hobbies or interests?
Oh yes, a number of them. I like to umm read a lot, and I also like to play soccer. Um But err, I can say that lately, unfortunately, I don’t much time to do either of them.

What hobbies are popular with young boys and girls in your country?
Well, young boys and girls mm like to interact and meet and have a good time together. So, we start generally since we very young by meeting at the end of the day when we get out of school at the local bar or corn- corner in the area where we live in the square and in the same area with lots of other people, older and younger than us. And uh hobbies generally for the young boys umm are sport and socializing and dancing. And same for the girls, except that the girls are certainly a lot more into fashion and umm dancing.

Do people usually continue their hobbies when they get older?
When they can, they do. Generally that depends on what kind of commitments they are involved to and uh with, and if they can afford, only also in terms of time uh in what they like to do.

Thank you. Now I’d like to ask you to speak one-to two minutes on a topic. You have one minute to plan your answer.
Topic: Describe a movie, which made a strong impression on you.
Well um, the name of the film is [inaudible]. It is actually a very famous movie. It won the Oscar in 1989. And um…it’s a movie about the story of a kid who grows up in a small village in Sicily. And we can see very clearly through the film uh in what way the community influence him, and uh also his first love story with a local girl and how much they affect his life. So it’s actually a movie in retrospective because it goes back, and uh he tries to get in touch with the same girl. And by doing that, you basically revisit the most important part or his life. Parts. And uh, it is really showing us in what ways all these things really affect all us. How much we keep on dreaming, and how much we keep on hoping in our lives; especially when we can’t leave- err what we really wish and desire to leave, especially when it comes to emotional things.

And uh it’s a film that ah is also based on a true story, and um I think um the public can really feel that. So it’s also shot in a very, very good way and we can see Sicily through 50 years of life. And from the end of the Second World War to today, which is also more or less perhaps, you know, the period of time of my life, of my father’s life. Anyway, the main actors in the film are [unknown] and the famous actor who I don’t remember.

Thank you. Do you go to the movies often?
Yes, yes, most often as I can. I really like films, especially the European movies – French, Italian, and English. I really like the way they represent the- the European culture.

Thank you. Now I’d like to ask you a few more questions about films and movies. Are films popular where you come from?
Yes, they are very popular. Actually, cinema and movies is a big industry in Italy. And uh it has been the second major industry in the world in terms of films uh in the 50’s, so you have probably seen yourself a number of Italian movies. But uh, actually, it is a particular kind of way of making films and uh they still remain very popular. Yes.

Do you think people are going to the cinema more these days compared with 25 years ago?
Umm…No, I don’t think so. I think that today TV and videos and DVDs actually have replaced often what people used to go only going to the theatre. A few years ago when I was younger, I remember, there were a lot of people going to the cinemas and it was packed, and the same movie was left there for weeks and weeks and weeks where now normally, a show in the same cinema for a lot less.

What films are popular with young people these days?
We have in Italy a very strong American influence and as well, so a lot of American movies, and a lot of high-tech movies with special effects. And uh but at the same time we also keep maintaining a kind of our own genre and some Italian movies they never get to the overseas market, they also remain- become very popular in Italy.

Do peoples taste in films change as they get older?
I think so; I think so- I think movies also a little mirror of how we change in life, what interests us and what we see in them. And um ah, as you know, in our 20s we are perhaps a little more romantic and we like certain kinds of movies, and then perhaps we like to think a bit more about our life… and we see different kinds of films.

Has technology made a difference in the quality of modern films?
I think so, yes, a big difference. Um the effects now seem to really suck you in when you see a movie. And the way the film edited, they also keep your attention a lot better than in the past. You can see the way that they are put together, and also the sound quality is a lot better, and umm I think there’s been certainly, technologically speaking, a big improvement there.

How will technology be used to improve films in the future?
Well, ah I am not an expert but I think that if we will ever get 3-D movies, ah or movies in 3-D, ah we will uh find ourselves even more immersed in what uh for only at the moment only our eyes and our ears can see in two dimensions.

Why have the forms of popular entertainment changed over the years?
Because the society has changed a lot. And now uh we seem to be rushing all the time, and we want to consume everything a lot faster. So I think every form- form of entertainment is also reflecting that kind of very fast, quick way of ah wanting something different, and wanting something very quickly and ah…yes.

Will people still go to the cinema in the future?
I hope so. I don’t know, but I think there will be people that, like today, like to see not only the new movie but also the old movie because it represents what they have seen what they were younger and what they and also what they were dreaming at that time and I think that remains within us all our life.

Thank you, that is the end of the speaking test.