Here are some examples of how to answer speaking questions one and two. Do not memorize these answers; the ETS can tell if you have memorized answers and you are only repeating them. However, these should give you some ideas about how to structure your answer. Try repeating these to get used to the organization.
Would you help your friends when they need help, even if they don’t ask, or would you wait until they ask for your help?
Personally, I would help my friend even if they didn’t ask for several reasons. First, it shows that I care about them. I had a friend whose father needed open-heart surgery and he needed money to pay the medical bills. Even though he didn’t ask, I contributed money to help the family so that his father could have the surgery he needed. His father had surgery and now he feels much better because of my help, and they know I care about them. In addition, my friends are too shy to ask for my help. My friend John was once in the hospital and his parents called me to tell me. I visited him and brought him his favorite food from McDonald's, and he was so happy to see me, but he was too afraid to ask me to pay him a visit himself. That’s why I would help my friend even if they didn’t ask.
There are different ways of escaping from the stress of modern life. Some people read, some people exercise, while others work in their gardens. Which do you prefer, and why?
Of those three options, I prefer to exercise for several reasons. First of all, exercise releases endorphins which help to calm you. Endorphins are the body’s chemicals that fight stress. You get a release of these chemicals when you do some exercise, and it makes you feel better physically and mentally. For example, when I exercise a lot my body feels stronger and my mind feels happier, so I know that this works very well for me. Secondly, exercise takes your mind off your stressful day. When I exercise, I hike and I am out in nature and I see nature’s beauty such as the ocean and the trees. This calms my mind, and that’s why I prefer to exercise.
Talk about a game, sport or other group activity that is played in your country. Explain why you think the activity is enjoyable.
In my country, the game that is played very commonly is soccer. There are several reasons for this. First of all, it brings friends together and you do teamwork. For example, in my neighborhood there were 10 boys and we all became friends through playing soccer. It increased our bond with each other. Secondly, soccer is a simple game to put together. You only need a ball and something to be the goal post, but that could be a couple of rocks. In a game like baseball you need a lot more equipment like a bat and a ball, and everyone needs gloves. Soccer is an easy game to play in my country for this reason.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Cell phones should be banned in the classroom.
Although some people think that cell phones should be allowed in the classroom, I think they should be banned. Cell phones are a distraction. Nowadays, young people have smartphones on which they can play games, check their social media accounts and text their friends. They should not be doing those things during class time. Secondly, it’s rude to the teacher. I was a teacher for several years and I was so frustrated because as I was trying to teach, the students were fooling around with their phones so my efforts were in vain. I think therefore these should be banned.
Some students attend college full-time, while others attend college part-time. Which do you think is better? Explain why.
Although some people prefer to attend college part- time, I’d rather attend college full-time for a few reasons. First of all you will be done more quickly. When I went to college, I finished in four years because I went full time. Therefore I got out of school quickly and immediately found a job as a pharmacist for $60.00 per hour. In addition, if you attend full time you can focus better on school. When people go to school part-time it is usually because they have a job. I think people should not work while they are in school they should focus on school, so that’s why I feel it’s better to go to school full time.
Your university plans to open a cafe inside the campus library. Do you think this is a good idea? Explain why or why not.
Personally I think it is a good idea to open up a café inside the library. First of all, the university will earn money. In my case, I attended New York University and we had a café inside the library. The university earned a lot of money and was able to buy equipment for research facilities, so we had really great facilities. Secondly, people will save time. This is because people tend to go home when they are hungry or need a coffee. When I was at University I saved a lot of time by going to the café instead of going home to eat and drink. That’s why I’m in favor of this idea.
Talk about a famous person that you admire. Explain why you respect this person.
I admire Gandhi for several reasons. First of all, he was able to secure the expulsion of Britain from India. He was able to do this by making India more self-sufficient. He taught Indians how to avoid using cotton from Britain. He also taught Indians how to obtain salt by evaporating seawater. After that, they didn’t need England’s salt anymore. In addition, he practiced non-violence to achieve his goals. Instead of encouraging people to fight, he protested by fasting. He was able to pressure governments to make positive changes in this way. For instance, he once fasted to pressure India into paying money that they owed to Pakistan, and he was successful. That's why I admire Gandhi.
Personally, I would help my friend even if they didn’t ask for several reasons. First, it shows that I care about them. I had a friend whose father needed open-heart surgery and he needed money to pay the medical bills. Even though he didn’t ask, I contributed money to help the family so that his father could have the surgery he needed. His father had surgery and now he feels much better because of my help, and they know I care about them. In addition, my friends are too shy to ask for my help. My friend John was once in the hospital and his parents called me to tell me. I visited him and brought him his favorite food from McDonald's, and he was so happy to see me, but he was too afraid to ask me to pay him a visit himself. That’s why I would help my friend even if they didn’t ask.
There are different ways of escaping from the stress of modern life. Some people read, some people exercise, while others work in their gardens. Which do you prefer, and why?
Of those three options, I prefer to exercise for several reasons. First of all, exercise releases endorphins which help to calm you. Endorphins are the body’s chemicals that fight stress. You get a release of these chemicals when you do some exercise, and it makes you feel better physically and mentally. For example, when I exercise a lot my body feels stronger and my mind feels happier, so I know that this works very well for me. Secondly, exercise takes your mind off your stressful day. When I exercise, I hike and I am out in nature and I see nature’s beauty such as the ocean and the trees. This calms my mind, and that’s why I prefer to exercise.
Talk about a game, sport or other group activity that is played in your country. Explain why you think the activity is enjoyable.
In my country, the game that is played very commonly is soccer. There are several reasons for this. First of all, it brings friends together and you do teamwork. For example, in my neighborhood there were 10 boys and we all became friends through playing soccer. It increased our bond with each other. Secondly, soccer is a simple game to put together. You only need a ball and something to be the goal post, but that could be a couple of rocks. In a game like baseball you need a lot more equipment like a bat and a ball, and everyone needs gloves. Soccer is an easy game to play in my country for this reason.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Cell phones should be banned in the classroom.
Although some people think that cell phones should be allowed in the classroom, I think they should be banned. Cell phones are a distraction. Nowadays, young people have smartphones on which they can play games, check their social media accounts and text their friends. They should not be doing those things during class time. Secondly, it’s rude to the teacher. I was a teacher for several years and I was so frustrated because as I was trying to teach, the students were fooling around with their phones so my efforts were in vain. I think therefore these should be banned.
Some students attend college full-time, while others attend college part-time. Which do you think is better? Explain why.
Although some people prefer to attend college part- time, I’d rather attend college full-time for a few reasons. First of all you will be done more quickly. When I went to college, I finished in four years because I went full time. Therefore I got out of school quickly and immediately found a job as a pharmacist for $60.00 per hour. In addition, if you attend full time you can focus better on school. When people go to school part-time it is usually because they have a job. I think people should not work while they are in school they should focus on school, so that’s why I feel it’s better to go to school full time.
Your university plans to open a cafe inside the campus library. Do you think this is a good idea? Explain why or why not.
Personally I think it is a good idea to open up a café inside the library. First of all, the university will earn money. In my case, I attended New York University and we had a café inside the library. The university earned a lot of money and was able to buy equipment for research facilities, so we had really great facilities. Secondly, people will save time. This is because people tend to go home when they are hungry or need a coffee. When I was at University I saved a lot of time by going to the café instead of going home to eat and drink. That’s why I’m in favor of this idea.
Talk about a famous person that you admire. Explain why you respect this person.
I admire Gandhi for several reasons. First of all, he was able to secure the expulsion of Britain from India. He was able to do this by making India more self-sufficient. He taught Indians how to avoid using cotton from Britain. He also taught Indians how to obtain salt by evaporating seawater. After that, they didn’t need England’s salt anymore. In addition, he practiced non-violence to achieve his goals. Instead of encouraging people to fight, he protested by fasting. He was able to pressure governments to make positive changes in this way. For instance, he once fasted to pressure India into paying money that they owed to Pakistan, and he was successful. That's why I admire Gandhi.
