IELTS Speaking Part 2 & 3 Topic: Describe a creative inventor or musician

I am going to talk about a brilliant inventor whom I have admired since I was a kid-Thomas Edison. His inventors have greatly influence on life around the world.

I learnt the stories about Edison when I was a little girl in primary school. I came across a biography about him on the internet and there was a lot of interesting information. Edison  was a prolific inventor holding more than 1,000 US patents under his name, as well as many patents in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. Significantly, the number of Edison’s patents as the widespread impact of his inventions: light bulbs and power utilities, recorder, and motion pictures all established major new industries worldwide.

One of his statements which really inspired and encouraged me is “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration”. Working in science as my career, I always remember this quotation whenever I meet failure so that I have strength to keep moving forward.

Vocabulary

Come across (phrasal verb) find something by chance

Prolific (adj) a prolific writer, band etc produces a lot of books

Patents (n) invetions

To keep moving forward (v) to keep trying hard

QUESTIONS FOR PART 3

1. What creative activities did you like to do when you were young?

I love to DIY clothes for dolls and stuff animals. My mom is a tailor so I can use the waste materials for my imagination. I followed the catalogue books and used a tiny needle to sew dresses, skirts and blouses. This activity nurtured my dream of being a fashion designer when I grew up.

Vocabulary

DIY (n/v) (phrase) “Do-It-Yourself”, Sth made by hand

2. Why do people like to copy others’ ideas these days?

Personally, I think it’s a bit judgemental when it comes to copying others’ ideas because a lot of people may come up with similar ideas or someone wants to improve based on the things that were already created. However, there are people who steal others’ ideas on purpose because they are lazy but want to live in fame without working. The situation is even worse in developing countries since the government does not pay enough attention to intellectual property.

Vocabulary

To come up with (v) to think of, to create

To be based on (v) to use particular ideas or facts to make a decision, do a calculation, or develop a theory

On purpose (Phrase) to aim to do Sth

To pay attention to (v) to have an eye on Sth, to notice

3. What’s the best way to cultivate children’s creativity?

First of all, I think parents should encourage children to ask questions. Children have a creative mind so asking questions in a way for them to discover environment surrounding them. Another way is making open-ended questions such as “Tell me why you think so?” or “What do you think about this?”. You might be impressed by their answers. It is also necessary not to stop them make mistakes. Lessons and experience will be gained through mistakes. Letting them solve problems by themselves will teach them to think critically.

4. Do you think creativity can be learned?

Many people assume that creativity is a mysterious trait like charisma — you either have it or you don’t. Scientifically, creativity is a renewable resource that we can tap into at any time and actually, it is a process that can be learnt. It’s not easy, of course. Generating fresh ideas is actually quite challenging because most people find it difficult to go beyond obvious and concrete solutions. True creativity requires the ability to break new ground, which requires significant effort.

Vocabulary

Charisma (noun) a strong personal quality that makes other people like you and be attracted to you

To tap into (v) to use frequently

To go beyond (v) to extend the limit, to push the boundary

5. Why does art help to nurture creativity?

Human beings are not machines. Our brains are not computer hard drives which you can just upload information. I believe humans are creative by nature and art education can help to nurture the creativity that lies within all of us. Art education offers us a break from the traditional way of rote memorization and also cultivates creativity and critical thinking.