IELTS Speaking Test Part 2

Describe a piece of electronic equipment you find useful. You should say:

- what it is
- how you learned to use it
- how long you have had it

and explain why you find this piece of electronic equipment useful.

Well, the internet is essential, but that’s not really ‘equipment’, so I’d have to say my laptop computer. I use it for work and a lot of other things too so I’d be really lost without it. I’ve had one for about 10 years. I’ve had different makes and models, but I think I’d have to say that I’m using it more now than ever before. Like I said, I use it for work everyday, so that’s a lot of hours I spend using it, and then I also use it for personal reasons, you know, emails, chatting or calling my friends, surfing on the internet for information, banking transactions, booking tickets and many other things.

I don’t really think I learned to use it, that’s to say I didn’t take any classes or anything, it’s more a case of over the years I’ve discovered just what you can do with some of the applications. I’m not a tech geek or anything like that, so unless I need to do something I won’t bother to find out about it. When I have a need to do something then normally the first thing I do is to look on the internet to find out about it, then when I find the information I need or an application I can use I download it and start experimenting with it until I can do what I wanted to do. The good thing about the internet is that there’s a lot of advice and information about almost anything you might need to do, so it never takes long to find out how to do something new.

As I said earlier, I’d be lost without it. A big part of my day revolves around my laptop and in many cases it really is essential for many of my daily activities. Sometimes it’s difficult to even try and imagine life without it. So in terms of being useful, really, it’s essential and I think that the fact that it’s become such a big part of my daily life just shows how technology really does change the way we live and work, as ten years ago I lived quite happily without one. 

IELTS Speaking Test Part 3 | Technology and housework

What kinds of machine are used for housework in modern homes in your country?
Well, we have the normal things like vacuum cleaners, automatic washing machines and for helping in the kitchen the usual microwave oven, blender and other electric kitchen appliances. 

How have these machines benefited people? Are there any negative effects of using them?
Certainly I think the vacuum cleaner has made life much easier for people who have carpets in their home. I mean, can you imagine trying to clean a carpet without one. It must have been a lot of work before they were invented. I think many people would say that the automatic washing machine has maybe had the most impact in terms of saving time and energy for washing clothes on a regular basis. It’s so easy now just to put the clothes in and leave them and then return later and take them out and that’s it - done. In fact, we take it for granted, but only a couple of generations ago we were still washing clothes by hand, which must have been very time consuming.

I don’t think there are any negative effects of using such machines, apart from the increased energy consumption, but really, nowadays most people don’t have the option of doing things in the same way as their grandparents did. I mean, the pace of life is so fast now that people need all the help they can get from machines, to help save them time.

Do you think all new homes will be equipped with household machines in the future? Why?
That’s a distinct possibility, that homes will come with everything you need in terms of automation as an integral part of the package, so you won’t need to go and buy any of these machines, they will come as part of the home. It would make a lot of sense in most cases, and I think that in the future we will have even more machines helping us as the way we live continues to change and evolve. Let’s face it, doing housework is neither interesting nor fun, and there are so many other activities that you could be spending your time on which are much more worthwhile. - See more at: http://englishsolutionsco.blogspot.com/2012/08/cambridge-ielts-7-sample-speaking.html#sthash.XXNAQ1qv.dpuf