IELTS Speaking Part 1 Topic & Questions in 2019: Emails/ Letters with Band 9 Answers

1. Do you like to write a letter or email?
I really like writing letters to other people, especially on special occasions. I remember writing many letters, like birthday letters, or farewell ones to any of my friends or relatives who had to go somewhere far away from me. My friends and relatives always feel happy when they receive a letter from me; they say that it makes them feel important and cherished.

2. Do you think emails are useful?
Emails are really useful and important to me. I can use emails to contact people who are staying far away from me, and this really comes in handy as I have lots of foreign friends. Moreover, I can receive notifications of special deals or interesting information through emails by subscribing to any online channels that appeal to me.

3. What sorts of letters (or emails) do you think are the most difficult to write?
Formal emails, like the ones you send to recruiters, to your boss, to your professor and so on, are very difficult to write. You have to choose the right tone for the emails so that they do not appear too casual or too serious, and you have to pay attention to the format of the emails too.

4. Do you prefer to write letters or emails? Why?
It depends. For special occasions, like on someone’s birthday, I prefer writing letters to congratulate them as handwritten letters can show my sincerity. However, if I need to write something formal, say to a recruiter to apply for a certain position, email is my first choice. It’s instant, easy to format and I can attach different files with it so it is very convenient too.

5. Do you think email might one day replace handwritten letters?
I don’t think so. Handwritten letters still carry in themselves special meanings, one of which is that they can show a writer’s sentiment. I always think that it feels different when you look at someone’s handwriting, like you can actually sense their feelings when they wrote the letter. So handwritten letters are irreplaceable, at least to me.

Vocabulary

1. Cherished [adj] (bringing the pleasure of love or caring about someone or something
that is important to you)
E.g. Her most cherished possession is a 1926 letter from F. Scott Fitzgerald.
2. Tone [noun] (the general mood or main qualities of something)
E.g. I didn’t like the jokey tone of the article – I thought it was inappropriate.
3. Sincerity [noun] (honesty)
E.g. So when I sat down to write my public letter of apology, it dripped with venomous sincerity.
4. Sentiment [noun] (tender feeling or emotion)
E.g. That song is full of patriotic sentiment. It moved me deeply.
5. Come in handy [expression] (to be useful)
E.g. I’ll keep these bottles – they might come in handy