Part 1 – Introduction & Interview:
Q. Can you tell me your full name, please?
A. Sure, my full name is Rakib Hassan. You can call me with my first name which is “Rakib”.
Q. Can I see your ID card, please?
A. Yes, of course. Here you are.
Q. Do you work or are you a student?
A. I am a student. I am doing my graduation and hopefully, I will work after I finish my Master’s degree.
Q. What qualifications or certificates do you hope to get?
A. I will finish my graduation, hopefully within the next two years, and then study to get my Master’s degree and later on a PhD degree. Apart from that, I wish to be a certified Accountant which I would finish along with my Master’s degree.
Q. Do you enjoy watching films? Why/ why not?
A. Yes, I love to watch movies a lot. Whenever I get some free time, I watch a movie either on my computer or on the TV that we have at our home. I have recently subscribed to “Netflix”, which is a media-services provider, and watching movies has become even easier for me now.
I believe that films are a great source of entertainment and knowledge. It also helps us learn a new language if we are interested. Movies, these days, come with special effects and great themes. Many movies are based on historical events or characters and intriguing facts. Those types of movies are very effective in terms of learning about new things. Many movies have great themes and important messages and address many social and international issues. We can learn a lot from movies and in fact, I believe that movies are a great tool to shape our mentality and society if used positively.
Q. How often do you watch films?
A. I usually watch 2-3 movies in a week. During my exams, I don’t watch movies at all but when my exams finish and I have plenty of free time, I often watch movies more than my usual frequency. Last week I watched a movie which was a science-fiction and I enjoyed it a lot.
Q. Do people generally prefer watching films at home or at the cinema? Why?
A. In the past, most people preferred to watch movies in a theatre. However, the advancement of technology has changed this preference and most people, these days, prefer to watch movies at home. With the introduction of the internet, movie-streaming service, smart TVs, satellite TV channels and 3D movies, people can nowadays have a great movie viewing experience at home. Watching movies at home is far more convenient and less expensive than watching cinema at a movie theatre.
However, this does not mean that people no longer love to watch movies at a movie theatre. Watching a movie at a theatre gives a better movie viewing experience and the opportunity to socialise and dine outside which is exciting, in my opinion.
Q. Would you like to be in a film?
A. I don’t think so. I am a great fan of movies but acting in a movie is something I have never considered. I think, like every other profession, acting requires a great deal of passion, rehearsal, natural talent and appearance. I do not have any slightest intention to act in a movie as I don’t have many of the qualities a good actor/actress should have.
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Part 2 – Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card
Topic:
Describe a film or a TV programme which has made a strong impression on you.
You should say:
- what kind of film or TV programme it was, [e.g. comedy]
- when you watched the film or TV programme
- what the film or TV programme was about
and explain why this film or TV program made such an impression on you.
[You will have to talk about the topic for 1 to 2 minutes. You have one minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]
Model Answer 1:
I don’t really get to spend much time watching TV programs mainly because I remain busy with other priorities in life. But, sometimes, I do enjoy watching different kind of comedy shows and documentaries because they make me “think” differently. Today, I would like to talk about one such comedy show which made a great impression on me.
I watched the program about a couple of years ago in the absence of my family who were out on a visit to see a “terminally” ill relative of them. Coincidently, the comedy show was also about an “elderly” ill person, with “limited” mobility, who wanted to find his “love” for the last time before dying.
But the problem was, of course, no woman was willing to put up with the old man because he had a very “tight fist”. In other words, he was a very “stingy” man with no intention whatsoever to spend any money on others, even if it meant spending on his “wife”! In fact, he was so “stingy” that he even liked to “sleep” on his money sometimes due to his fear of getting them stolen by others. Anyway, finally, one elderly lady became kind enough to marry him on one condition. And the condition was, the old guy would need to stop sleeping with his money. The guy happily agreed. But, after the marriage, the guy still kept sleeping with his money. The wife saw it and angrily reminded about his “promise”. The guy very calmly answered that “he was not sleeping with his money any more, rather the money was sleeping with him!” Needless to say, that was the moment when I simply burst out in laughter!
I really liked the comedy show mainly because it did highlight on a very natural human instinct which “pushes” people to go to any length, even if it is “lying” or “cheating”, in order to find “love” regardless of age or sex. It also made me realize the fact once again that even though sometimes “money” is what helps us “buy” love, it pushes us away too.
Sample Answer 2:
Nowadays, I do not watch TV much, but when I was a student, I used to watch television a lot. I liked many TV programs and watched them regularly during that time. The TV program that made a strong impression on me was a documentary that I watched on the Discovery Channel.
The TV program was called “The sacrifice of genius” and it was a serial that had 10 episodes in total. I watched every episode and enjoyed them thoroughly. This was mainly a documentary serial which emphasised the sacrifice the famous and genius scientists like Marie Curie, Thomas Edison and 8 other scientists made in their life.
I watched the TV program during the third term of my university years. In our local time, the program was broadcast at 9.00 pm every Thursday. It showed the life and work of the famous scientists and the sacrifices they made for others to make the world a better place. These stories were presented in a fascinating way and each episode was made painstakingly. I got the impression that I was actually watching those great scientists and their works in person!
I have learned so many things about the lives of these scientists and the sacrifices they made. Those sacrifices were unbelievable and after watching this program, I could not stop thinking about those famous scientists and their supreme dedication.
This program has helped me judge life from a different perspective. I realised that working hard to bring something important for others can be more meaningful than our personal achievements like wealth and fame. I later searched for more details of those scientists and other famous people and learned about their life and work. I was actually inspired by this program and started learning deeply about the people who made the world a place where we no longer need to live in the darkness and do not have to compete with the wild animals to collect our food.
Model Answer 3:
My favourite television program is an old series which was produced during the ’80s in America. The title of this serial was “MacGyver” and it was an action TV series. MacGyver was produced for about 5 consecutive seasons, and it was considered as one of the top-rated TV series in its era.
RCTI was the local television station in Indonesia that broadcasted the programme. The TV series was usually played once a week for about one hour, and I remember that it was played on Friday Night at 7.00 pm. So as a teenager during that time, I would have sat in front of the television from 6.45 pm and waited for the programme to start. On the very next day, my friends and I would discuss what had happened in it, how cool and exciting the episode was and how smart and talented Mr MacGyver was.
The unique thing about it is that the main character, MacGyver, did not like to use a gun. Instead of using rifles, that we see many heroes do, he used his creativity in creating tools to fight his enemies. I remembered that in one of the episodes, where he was locked by his enemy in a garage, he found some tools, that are used to open the gate of the garage, he escaped from this place.
I believed I learned some positive things from this series. I learned that we should be encouraged to use our creativity rather than using our physical power and weapons. I believe that MacGyver had influenced so many teenagers during my era and I hope that it would be remade in the future.
Part 3 – Details Discussion:
Q. Do you think what children watch on TV affects their behaviour?
A. Yes, I agree with the notion that children get affected by the TV programmes they watch. Children learn new things very fast and TV programmes have a great influence on shaping their behaviour, thought pattern and attitude even more than their friends and classmates. I remember mimicking my favourite cartoon heroes when I was a child and it is, in fact, true for all children. Children catch the things they see and listen and try to mimic what they find interesting. That’s why they are likely to be hugely affected, both positively and negatively, from the TV programmes they watch.
Q. In your opinion do children in your country watch too much TV these days?
A. I don’t think that children in my country, in general, watch too much TV. Though they like watching cartoons and other TV programmes a lot, parents often make sure that their children do not watch TV for very long hours. Due to the study pressure and easy access to computer games, children nowadays do not have the “scope and interest” to watch TV all the time. But I would agree that there must be many children who watch it more than they should and their parents need to make sure that their children’s leisure hours are spent wisely.
Q. Why animation movies are becoming more popular these days? What types of people watch animated movies?
A. Well, animation movies are gaining more popularities these days for many reasons. The primary reason is that they are thoroughly entertaining and the use of modern technology makes them more realistic and captivating. Most of the animated movies can attract audiences of all ages, and children just love them. Besides, fun and senses of humour in such animated movies help change the mood of the audience.
Many animated movies have big budgets now and they can also make the audience emotional, joyful and thoughtful. Furthermore, they are produced with a mixture of several genres which is often not possible for a movie where human actors and actresses act. As a result, they are getting more popular these days. Generally, animated movies are popular with all types of audience, particularly kids are fond of such movies. And most importantly, people can enjoy such movies with the whole family.
Q. Do you think there are too many foreign films on TV? Why?
A. I think people nowadays have a satellite connection with channels from different countries and that’s why they have plenty of options to watch movies made in foreign countries. The globalisation has also contributed to promoting foreign movies and many people prefer to watch Hollywood movies over their locally produced movies. So I would agree that there are too many foreign movies on TVs but it’s also true that a viewer always has the freedom to watch locally made movies if he/she wants.
Q. Should the Government control what we watch? Why/ why not?
A. I think in this era of democracy and free speech, it would be a bad idea for any government to try to control or impose a restriction on our TV viewing activity. First of all, the government would have to face huge criticism and pressure from citizens and different international organisations. Secondly, a democratic government should never try to impose this on citizens as that would make them act like an autocratic government.
However, if a particular TV channel broadcasts programmes that might be offensive for the country and its tradition, have too much violence and offensive materials, I would opine that the government can impose some restrictions to this TV channel. In short, I would say the control should be for the people’s benefit and to control any possible conflict, but not to take away people’s freedom.
Q. What type of supports the government should provide to creative artists and film-makers?
A. Uhh… I think the government should first provide financial support to creative artists and film-makers. A large number of potential and creative artists cannot produce something meaningful for the lack of required fund. If the government help film-makers and original artists who need capital, it would be a great help to those artists and for the ordinary citizens as well. Moreover, the government may also reduce the charges for materials needed to make a movie or to produce a work of art. If creative arts and film-making could be enlisted in secondary or higher education level, it would also help generate more creative artists and film-makers. Finally, they should be allowed to freely express their ideas and opinion through their works.