IELTS L12 | Speaking | Hometown, Houses
Hometown House
- Tell me about your hometown - Tell me about the house you live in
- What is the weather/ climate like in your ht - What is your favorite part/ least favorite part of
- Would you like to continue to live here? the house
- Is your ht a suitable place for young/old ppl, to - What do you like doing at home?
raise children?
- Is there much pollution?
- What are the advantages/disadvantages of
where you live?
1) Describe hometown
a. Location
- ... to be located in the northern/central/southern/eastern/western/ highland part of Vietnam
- It’s a small town/ a urban city/ coastal city/ a rural village/ a mountainous area with a
population of around...
b. Weather
have a tropical/humid subtropical/temperate climate: có khí hậu nhiệt đới/cận nhiệt đới ẩm/ôn đới
have two/ four distinct seasons: dry season and rainy season/ spring, summer, autumn, winter
the dry season lasts from ... to ...: mùa khô kéo dài từ tháng...tới tháng…….
The weather is rather pleasant all year around
c. Describe a city/ town
What does it have? What is it like to live here? What is it famous for?
- have spectacular natural landscapes: stunning ocean views, rolling mountains: những dãy
núi trùng trùng, dense forests: những cánh rừng rậm rạp, historic buildings: các tòa nhà cổ)
- have lively bars and restaurants: các nhà hàng và quán bar nhộn nhịp
- open spaces: There are a lot of open spaces in the centre of London
- have well-developed facilities >< less-developed facilities (sports facilities, cinemas, malls, ...)
- It's historic but modern at the same time
- There are plenty of things = There’s a bunch of stuff to do there
- to be famous for ...: nổi tiếng về ...
This is a description of Cork, one of Ireland’s main cities.
“Cork city is the major metropolis of the south; indeed, with a population of about 119,500, it is the
second largest city in the Republic. The main business and shopping centre of the town lies on the
island created by two channels of the River Lee, with many of the suburbs within walking distance
of the centre. The buses tend to be overcrowded and the one-way traffic system is extremely
complicated. In the hilly area of the city is the famous Shandon Steeple, the bell-tower of St Anne’s
Church, built on the site of a church destroyed when the city was besieged by the English in 1690.
Back across the River Lee lies the city’s cathedral, an imposing 19th-century building in the French
Gothic style. Cork has two markets. Neither caters specifically for tourists but those who enjoy the
lively atmosphere of a real working market will appreciate their charm. The town has good sports and
arts facilities. The Crawford Art Gallery is well worth a visit. It regularly puts on adventurous
exhibitions by contemporary artists. The fashionable residential districts of Cork city overlook the
picturesque harbour.
There are other residential areas on the outskirts.”
Exercise 1: Listen to four people describing where they live. What type of place each one is?
urban rural coastal mountainous
1……………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………..
2……………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………..
3……………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………..
4……………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………..
Adjectives to describe a city
- The feeling: peaceful, fresh, quiet, sleepy, historic, spacious [with plenty of space]
- The scenery/ landscape: magnificent, spectacular, breathtaking, picturesque [very pretty and
attractive] = scenic
- The life: lively, exciting, fantastic
deserted [no one on the streets, e.g. at night], bustling [with lots of movement], packed [very
crowded], filthy [very dirty], run-down [in a very bad condition]
Exercise 2: Describe your hometown
Where is it? What is it like? What do you like the best about your hometown? Is there anything you
don’t like about your hometown?
The rush hour
For me, the rush hour is the worst time of day. Everywhere is busy, and everyone seems to be
in a hurry. I usually drive to work, but sometimes I get stuck in traffic jams, and when I get to
work I find there’s nowhere to park because the car park is already full. But if I get the bus, it takes
me longer, and that makes the journey very stressful. When I get home in the evenings I
often feel exhausted – more from the travelling than from my work.
The nightlife
The town centre is always lively in the evening, and there is a wide variety of bars, clubs and
restaurants to go to. If you are more interested in culture and cultural activities, you can go to the
cinema, the theatre, concerts, art galleries, etc.
Exercise 3: Answer: What about the rush hour/ nightlife in Phuoc An town?
e. Facilities
- Sports: sports centre golf course tennis courts football pitch skating rink
- Culture: theatre opera house concert hall radio station art gallery
- Education: school college university library adult education centre museum
- Catering, accommodation and night-life: take-away B&B (bed and breakfast) youth hostel club
- Transport: bus service taxi rank car hire car park parking meters
- Others: health centre law courts registry office job centre department store
chemist’s garden centre police station Town/City Hall estate agent
housing estate industrial estate
Question: Is your hometown a good place for young people? to raise children?
2) Advantages and disadvantages
Pros Cons
advantages, benefits, positive effects disadvantages, downsides, drawbacks,
challenges, consequences
- There are various/ some/ several benefits / - There are some/ several/ various drawbacks /
advantages of … challenges / disadvantages of …
- There are some good reasons to ….. - In terms of downsides/ disadvantages, ….
- In terms of advantages, … helps/ supports … - The main negative effect of … is .. / Another
- The main benefit of … is … / Another good negative thing is ……..
thing is …… - Besides benefits, … also pose some
- On the positive side, … challenges / place some disadvantages.
- ……… offers some conveniences - However ……. is stressful, pointless,
- ……… is beneficial / helpful / useful / fruitful unfeasible, impossible
Cities always seem crowded, and they can be dirty (opp clean) and dangerous (opp safe) places
to live. Pollution is worse in big cities, and so is the crime rate. I only walk home at night if I’m with
a friend. When I’m on my own, I get a taxi. Life in cities is also more expensive. Flats cost a lot, and I
think you get better value for money in a smaller town or village.
On the positive side, you get a real mix of people and nationalities in a big city; that makes life more
interesting. I also enjoy the fact that there’s always something going on in a big city, so life is never
dull.
The worst thing about living in a village is that there isn’t much to do in the evening, apart from
going to the village pub. The nearest town is eight miles away, and public transport is hopeless.
And, of course, you don’t get many shops in a village.
Exercise 4: What are the advantages and disadvantages of where you live?
3) Describe changes
“When I was a boy, my hometown was clean and safe. It was beautiful, too. There were big parks
with trees and lakes, and a lot of animals and birds lived there.
Now there are no trees, and the air is dirty and polluted. Instead of parks, there are tall, ugly
buildings, and the traffic is horrible. It’s really noisy. I really miss the good old days, when this was a
small, quiet town”
Exercise 5: What change or improvement do the people suggest for each city?
1. build more …………… and fewer ……………….
2. used to be …………….., ……………….on every street corner, open …………………………….
3. now many …………….., ……………….and………………., open……………………….……….
4. used to be …………………., should ……………….the beaches
5. open a ………………, people …………………………………….
Exercise 6: How has hometown changed since your childhood? What was it like before? What
is it like now?
Homework 1: Answer the questions about your hometown.
1. Would you like to live there for a long time? Would you prefer to live somewhere else?
2. Does your hometown have a lot of tourist? What would you take a visitor to your hometown to see?
3. Does your hometown have any festivals? What are the celebrations about?
4. How do you see your hometown changing in the near future? Is this good or bad?
Homework 2: Describe a rural town that you plan to visit in the future (Listen to the audio for
reference)
You should say:
- where the town is
- when you would like to go
- who would you go with
And explain why you would like to do there
Homework 3: Answer these questions (Listen to the audio for reference)
1. Why do people decide to move from the city to the countryside?
2. What are advantages and disadvantages of living in a big city/ a small town?
3. How might overpopulation affect city life in the future?
