SPEAKING PART 3

Apr 27 • IELTS

SPEAKING PART 3

IELTS Speaking Part 3 Topic: Family

Q. 1: Is family important in your country?

Answer: Yes, in my view family is extremely important in my country. People have strong emotional ties with their family members, and they consider their family as the foundation of support, love, and guidance. Most individuals prioritise their family’s well-being over personal ambitions, and it is common for family members to help each other in difficult times. Even though modern life has made people busier, family gatherings and traditions are still valued and celebrated widely in my country and many parts of the world.

Alternative Answer: Thank you for this question. Well, people in my country believe that family comes first and they put their family ahead of anything else. They would do anything for the family, and I am proud that family bonding in my country is quite strong.

Q. 2: How has the size of the family changed in the last few decades in your country?

Answer: Over the past few decades, the size of families in my country has significantly decreased. In the past, joint families, where multiple generations lived together under one roof, were the norm. However, with urbanisation, changing lifestyles, and economic pressures, nuclear families have become more common. People are moving to cities for jobs, and the cost of living has made it difficult to maintain large families. As a result, families today typically consist of just parents and their children, rather than extended relatives. Single-parent families - comprising of only a mom or dad and children have also increased.

Alternative Answer: From my experience, I can say that my grandfather had an extended family and people at that time used to live together with close relatives. As far as I have heard, their forefathers also lived in a joint family and the number of family members was sometimes more than twenty! However, the trend of living in an extended family has changed remarkably in cities where most of the families are nuclear in nature. The villages in my country still have large families who live together but the number is shrinking day by day.

Q. 3: How do you think the family will change in the future?

Answer: In the future, I think families will continue to become smaller, and more people may choose to live independently. With technological advancements, virtual communication may replace traditional family gatherings to some extent. Additionally, the concept of family may become more flexible, with more acceptance of single-parent families, same-sex couples raising children, and even friends living together as a form of chosen family. However, despite these changes, emotional connections and the need for family support will always remain essential in people’s lives.

Alternative Answer: I believe more people will have a nuclear family and the size of the family will be small in the future. Many people, in our country, do not like to have more than two children nowadays and who knows they will consider having one baby policy in the distant future. The very norm that a man gets married to a woman and has their own children to form a family is being challenged by the concept of same-sex marriage and this trend will increase in the future. I also believe that the number of single-parent families will increase in the future.

Q. 4: What role do grandparents play in the family in your country?

Answer: Grandparents play a significant role in families in my country. They are often seen as sources of wisdom and guidance, passing down traditions, values, and cultural knowledge to younger generations. In many cases, they help in raising children, especially when both parents are working. Additionally, grandparents provide emotional support and often act as mediators in family conflicts. However, as families become more nuclear, the involvement of grandparents has decreased, and many elderly people now live separately from their children.

Alternative Answer: Grandparents in a family are like the pillars of virtue and they play an important role. They maintain a balance for the family by nurturing the old traditions and values and teaching how to adhere to the roots. With the increasing number of "both working parents", grandparents often look after the children. They often advise the rest of the family from time to time regarding family matters as they have more experience and thus their advice often saves us from making wrong decisions. In this regard, they act like reliable mentors.

Q. 5: Who do you think should be responsible for the care of the elderly, the family or the government?

Answer: Ideally, both the family and the government should share the responsibility of caring for the elderly. Families should provide emotional support, companionship, and care to their ageing parents, as it is a moral and cultural duty. However, not all families are financially capable of supporting their elderly relatives, and in such cases, the government should step in. Governments should provide healthcare, pensions, and senior care facilities to ensure that elderly people can live with dignity, even if they do not have family support.

Alternative Answer: I believe the family has the major responsibility to look after their elderly family members and support them personally as they did in their youth age. These senior citizens have sacrificed a lot throughout their lives to form a family and then to make them happy. The young members should do everything in their power to accompany their elderly members and provide them with their necessities.

Having said that, the government has some responsibilities as well. These senior members were once taxpayers and thus they deserve healthcare, social welfare, entertainment and other facilities from the state.

Q. 6: Why is the number of joint families decreasing in modern times?

Answer: I believe the number of joint families has been decreasing in recent times due to several reasons. One of the main reasons is urbanisation - people are moving to cities for better job opportunities and living in smaller apartments, which makes it difficult to accommodate extended family members. Secondly, modern lifestyles have changed, with younger generations preferring more independence and privacy. Economic factors also play a role, as the cost of living has increased, making it harder to support a large family. Finally, differences in opinions and lifestyle choices between generations often lead to conflicts, making nuclear families a more practical choice for many people.

Alternative Answer: I believe the city-centric life, which is highly competitive and busy, has diminished the concept of the joint family and increased the concept of the nuclear family. Besides the urban influence, ever-increasing inflation, our affection towards a materialistic life and less inclination towards traditions and values have fueled this trend.

YOUR TURN. . . GOOD LUCK!

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SPEAKING PART 3