Professional Documents
Culture Documents
FAMILY
I have a large/small family.
My family has seven members.
This is my immediate family.
My extended family consists of at least 40 relatives. .
We are a close-knit family and meet each other for family gatherings
at least five times a year.
My family are quite close.
I have been married for 14 years.
I was raised in the city/country.
I have five siblings. I get on well with all of them.
MY JOB
I am a secondary school teacher.
I teach English and science.
My job is very demanding, but its rewarding too.
I often work long hours.
Apart from teaching, one of my responsibilities is to organize exams.
In my work I deal with difficult teenagers.
My work involves not only teaching, but running the English Club as
well.
This job needs a lot of experience, paper qualifications are no good.
I commute one hour to work.
THE WEATHER
Its incredibly hot today, but it may rain in the evening, as the
weather has become quite unpredictable recently.
Its boiling hot today, but I hope it will cool down a bit in the evening.
Its very sunny and, as always, very humid.
Its a lovely day today, bright and sunny with only a few clouds in
the sky.
LEARNING
MEDIA
I spend quite a lot of time watching TV. I mostly watch
documentaries.
I occasionally read newspapers, but I mostly read about the news on the
internet. My favourite website is BBC News, as its so comprehensive and
the information is quite accurate.
The British Council, 2013
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)
I often use the internet to search for information, but I find that many
websites are unreliable and the information there is either misleading or
simply not true.
FUTURE PLANS
My dream is to visit Australia. I have never been there and sister tells
me its a really exciting place.
My ultimate goal is to complete my studies and get a degree.
Im thinking about changing my job. I would like to work as a secondary
school teacher, as I feel its more challenging than my present job.
Im going to start a family soon, so I wont have much time for
professional development.
BOOKS
Im now reading a book called The Fault in Our Stars. Its about
teenagers suffering from cancer, but the book is not gloomy at all. In fact,
its very funny at times.
I am an avid reader of romantic comedies. I cant help it!
This book is a real page turner.
The book has a strong plot with twists and turns, likeable characters
and vivid descriptions of the jungle.
Its the best book Ive read for a long time.
The book is hilarious so I do recommend it to anyone who wants a
good laugh.
FILMS
Ive recently seen a really good film. Its called Gravity and its about
two astronauts in the space. The special effects are amazing.
I am addicted to soap operas. I need light entertainment to relax at
the end of the day.
The film is based on a true story.
Its a thriller starring Bruce Willis. Its not suitable for children, as
there is quite a lot of violence in it.
I do recommend it.
In fact, Ive never seen such a good film.
FOOD
A the moment I am on a diet, so I avoid deep fried food, but I make
sure I have at least one nourishing meal a day.
I never skip breakfast.
My family often eat out and our favourite place is Rebung Chef. This
restaurant is very popular, so you need to book a table in advance.
I have a sweet tooth, so my favourite part of dinner is, of course,
dessert. I particularly like chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream on top.
Who do you spend your free time with? What kind of things do you do
together?
How much time do you spend at home? What do you enjoy doing?
What sort of music do you listen to? Why do you enjoy it?
Does anyone you know have an interesting hobby? What does he/she do?
Have you got any plans for this weekend? What are you going to do?
Do you prefer to spend your free time on your own or with other people?
Why?
Do you like cooking? What sort of things do you cook?
Whats your favourite food? Why do you like it?
Do you like going to parties? Tell me about a good party youve been to.
Tell me about a day youve really enjoyed recently.
Is there something new youd really like to learn about? Why?
Are you happier doing mental or physical work? Why?
Do you prefer working on your own or with other people? Why?
What kind of work would you really like to do if you could choose?
Which area of your country would you like to get to know better? Why?
Whats the most interesting place youve visited near here? Tell me about
it.
Have you ever used English on holiday? Where were you? What did you
use it for?
Do you like to plan your holidays carefully or do you prefer to just go?
Why?
Where would you really like to go on holiday in the future? Why?
How much TV do you watch in a week? Would you prefer to watch more TV
than that or less? Why?
Tell me about a TV programme youve seen recently.
Do you have a favourite newspaper or magazine? Why do you like it?
Do you use the Internet? What sort of things do you look for in the
Internet?
The British Council, 2013
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)
DESCRIBE, SPECULATE
and REACT.
DESCRIBE THE PICTURE:
Who is there? Where are they? What are they doing? What do they look
like? How do they feel? Whats in the background (if important). Whats
the weather like (if important).
A general impression is better than separate details. You wont have time
to go into them, anyway.
There are three people in the picture. I think they are at a family
gathering. The woman on the left is making a speech.
We can see some skyscrapers in the background.
SPECULATE
This is a lively, bustling city. It must be Tokyo.
She looks quite surprised. Perhaps shes forgotten about her own birthday.
REACT
I like this photo. It reminds me of my childhood days.
This photo makes me think of my own grandmother and the time we
celebrated her birthday.
I would love to try this. In fact, Im going on a trip like that next month.
I like this picture, though Im scared of heights and I am not keen on
trying out things like that.
First of all,
Then
again,
Well,
Despite
that,
Anyway,
In fact,
Actually,
I forgot to
mention
that
as well as
On top of
that,
All the
same,
Still,
Even so,
Similarly,
Another
thing is,
Whats
more,
I mean,
What I
mean is
In other
words,
What I'm
trying to
say is
Now,
about the
next
question,
As a
result,
Let me
think,
Besides,
In
particular
One of the
reasons
why
Lets see,
Instead,
Of course,
Obviously,
Naturally,
For
instance
The first
thing Id
like to say
is
On the
whole,
Because
of this,
such as
My point is Right,
At the
same
time,
As a
matter of
fact,
In
contrast,
that is
That is to
say
I feel
I suppose
Im afraid
I guess
I reckon
Tell me about something that you have done recently to keep you fit.
Will you continue doing that?
What are the reasons people do sports activities?
Tell me about the time you received some good news by letter or email.
Did you tell other people about the good news?
What is the best way to communicate good news: by letter, email,
telephone or in person?