IELTS Speaking Part 2 & 3 Sample Band 9 – Describe someone who is a good parent

Describe someone who is a good parent/ Describe a good parent you know

You should say:

• Who the parent is
• How you know the parent
• What the parent looks like
• And explain why you think the parent is good.

 

Ok right then, off the top of my head, the parent I’d like to talk about is the mother of a good friend of mine, and the reason for choosing to talk about her is that my friend is always going on about how lucky he is to have such a nice mum. And from what I know about her, I’d say he’s absolutely right.

Anyway, as for how I know her, well it’s basically due to the fact that I went to the same middle school as her son. And because we became pretty good friends, we ended up seeing quite a lot of each other’s parents, especially during the holidays when we often went over to each other’s homes.

And regarding what his mother looks like, well interestingly enough, she actually looks pretty similar to my own mother, because they both have quite round faces and long wavy hair. Having said that, I’ve noticed that my friend’s mother often ties her hair up in a bun whereas my mother usually always keeps it down. And another thing to mention would be that whenever I see her, she always seems to be wearing red clothes, which I guess is probably because red suits her quite well.

But anyway, finally then, with regard to why I think she’s a good parent, well I’d say there are quite a few reasons, one of which would be that she’s always been very supportive to her son. And just to give you an example, when he wondered what major to study at university, he ended up choosing music. And his mother gave him her full support, which is probably not what many other parents would have done, as music doesn’t really leave open a lot of career choices.

And I think it’s fair to say that nowadays, a lot of parents persuade their children to do things which they think are best for them, but my friend has said that his parents have never been like this with him, especially his mother. So I kind of get the impression that she’s never forced him to do anything against his will, and has always let him make his own decisions, which I think’s really great.

 

QUESTIONS FOR PART 3

 

In a typical family, who plays the leading role?

Well, the stereotype is that the father is the breadwinner of the family, the person who makes the decisions and takes responsibility for the whole family. This can be understandable because the father tends to occupy high positions in society while the mother tends to be housewife or only gets involved in some trivial work like cleaning or babysitting. However, this is not really the case in modern society where freedom and equality is being put a higher emphasis on. Women are as successful as men and are no longer in charge of the monotonous household chores like they were in the past

 

In your country, what kinds of family members usually live together?

Well, to the best of my knowledge, despite the increasing popularity of nuclear families, extended ones still exist in our society. Usually both parents and one, two or three kids would live together under the same roof. In other cases, a grandmother or grandmother joins them to take care of the small kids while the parents are away for work, for example. Other less common situations are many generations reside in the same house, usually a multi-story house. Families like these often consist of an uncle, aunt, and their families and so on. Typically, many problems occur when a great many members are in a similar place

 

Do young and middle-age people live with old people?

Frankly speaking, unlike in Western countries where it is common to send older grandparents to nursing homes, most people are bound by their duty,  which means that they should or, in another sense, have to pay back what their parents have given them. As a consequence, the young generations and middle- aged people tend to share the same house with older people. This can be beneficial since small children can receive special care from their grandparents, obtain invaluable hands-on experience and tend to develop a good code of conduct later on.

 

What would children do to make their parents proud?

I guess kids can have good performances at school and behave well to their teachers and the elders. Parents usually take a great pride in their kids if their children get a good score at school, or when others tell them that their kids are nice people. As well as this, I deem it a necessity if children help their parents out with mundane tasks ground the house like sweeping the floor, or washing the dishes.

 

Should teenagers have freedom?

To be honest, they should be given freedom to a certain extent. At this impressionable age, most teenagers can undergo a tough time in their personality growth and they’re particularly rebellious to their parents. Given this, parents should allow them to do what really interests them rather than forcing them to adopt certain behavioral patterns. Having said this, the role of parents is to monitor and advise their children to be on the right path, intervening when possible if their child makes mistakes or does something unacceptable.

 

Do you like to spend time on your own or with your family/friends?

I would love to hang out with my families more. As my parents are always pied up at work we can hardly manage time for one another. So, we often try our best to spend time by having a dinner together at some restaurants at the weekend or see a movie together if time permits. For me, it’s much better to build a close-knit family and strengthen our bonds. 

 

What are parents’ responsibilities for their children?

Primarily, they are responsible for the safety and upbringing of their children. Obviously, it includes a lot of things, such as feeding them, comforting them and looking after them under any circumstances. They need to make sure that their  children have everything they need and are well looked after, have opportunities to learn about things, grow up and develop as well-mannered individuals.

 

What’s the influence of parents on their children?

At first, parents’ behaviors influence their children greatly. If parents are polite, generous and kind, their children tend to be like this. Besides, parents have influence on their children in making some great decisions. I think good parents should help their children make better decisions and offer them useful guidance. What’s more, parents’ attitudes to work, marriage and life can also influence their children. The children may lose confidence in love and marriage if their parents often quarrel.