Part 1 – Introduction & Interview
Topic: Study:
Q. What subjects are you studying?
A. Currently, I am pursuing my Masters in Law, and the subjects that I am studying include jurisprudence, company law, international law, contract law & management and criminal law to name a few.
Q. Why did you choose those subjects? How long have you been studying them?
A. I did complete my graduation in law and then chose to pursue my masters in the same major to have a better qualification in the field of laws. I have always felt passionate about this profession and would like to work in this field in the future. As for the subjects I am studying, those were offered by the university and I consulted with a teacher before registering for these courses. The teacher suggested me to take those subjects and I obliged.
I am studying these subjects for almost a year.
Q. Do you enjoy them? Why?
A. Yes, I do enjoy these subjects a lot because I am learning new things almost regularly. Besides, we have some really excellent and qualified teachers who make them more interesting and engaging. Since I want to pursue my career in the field of laws and have a sheer passion for this course, I thoroughly enjoy them.
Q. Are there many job opportunities for you?
A. Yes, I believe that plenty of job opportunities for qualified lawyers are available in my country. Apart from the job opportunities in large and prestigious law firms, law-degree holders can possibly start practising on their own. I am, however, very much looking forward to work for a large law firm in my town at the initial stage of my career.
Q. What is the best thing about studying in general?
A. The best thing about studying is that we constantly learn new things and can be better prepared for the challenges in life. Moreover, studying keeps our mental faculties alert which ultimately helps make someone a better person in life. Studying not only ensures the degree we need to have a better career but also help us understand ourselves and the world we live in. Thus, studying is the most common method to learn about the world, people and untold stories of history.
To me, studying is a very important activity that enhances my knowledge, entertains me and prepares me to face life.
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Part 2 – Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card
Describe a friend with whom you like to spend time with.
You should say:
- when and how you met
- how often you see this friend
- what kind of personality your friend has
and explain why you like spending time with this friend.
[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:
He was my childhood friend, but I lost him about 15 years ago when his father had to leave my home town to live in another big city in order to carry on the job he was holding. Since then, I didn’t really see him until, of course, one day I met him about a couple of years ago at a local fish market where I live. I could barely recognize him after more than 15 years as he had become a “big man” in his mid 20’s by then. In fact, I would probably have never recognized him unless his uncle, the only relative of him I knew, was kind enough to introduce him to me after so many years, leaving me completely speechless and ecstatic!
After meeting Ivan, my childhood friend, with whom I got along nicely until the day he left our home town, we both wanted to visit each other as often as possible in an effort to renew our friendship. But, because of the long distance between us, it wasn’t really possible. So, the only time we could meet is when I travel to his city in order to do some shopping, which seldom more than once a month.
Being the only child of his parents, Ivan could be moody and demanding sometimes. Having a reserved personality, Ivan told me that he didn’t really have many friends except me and a few others from his college.
I like spending time with Ivan mainly because he is very serious about his life and career. Besides, I could trust him like a brother with my life since my childhood as he would never reveal our “secrets” (friends have “secrets”. Don’t they?). In fact, he treats me more like a brother than a friend, since he doesn’t have any siblings, advising me at every opportunity to take good care of my elderly parents, which I really appreciate. Finally, I like to spend time with Ivan because he appreciates and understands the value of my time, and that not too many people would befriend him because of his introvert personality (even though he is a great person once you get to know him).
Sample answer 2:
The friend I like to spend my time with more than any other friend is Steven. I met him when I was only 8 years old and was in primary school. After that, our intimacy developed and we became best friends.
One day he forgot to bring his physics book to the school and I helped him with my book. We talked for a long after our classes and our friendship started to begin. We went to college together but we got admitted to two different universities. Since we are studying in the same city now, we can meet each other and spend time together whenever we want.
We are yet to finish our graduation and both of us are busy with our own stuff but whenever we get vacations, we spend time together. Since we live in the same town, we visit each other’s house and thus we meet at least twice a month.
He is a kind and talented person who helps people and always wished the best for others. He is studying mathematics and he has a talent in mathematics. Sometimes he explains some complex mathematical theories in a very simple and interesting way which helps me a lot in my studies. He is passionate about reading books and often shares his books with me. We often exchange our thoughts about books and politics.
I like to spend time with him because we have many common interests. I never feel bored spending time with him. Since we are friends for a long time, we understand each other very well. A good friend always extends helping hands when we are in need, and Steven does it always for me and for others. We do so many fun stuff together and help each other in our studies. Good friendship, understanding and common interests make us close friends and those are the primary reasons I like to spend time with him so much.
Sample Answer 3:
I happened to meet this person who later became my friend in a yoga and meditation class which I joined lately. It was quite a chance that this person who goes by the name “Gajender” sat beside me during the class.
After these classes, it has been quite a regular feature that we spend time together, almost every weekend. Yet another reason why I like spending time with Gajender is the humorous character that he possesses.
I always find him in a jubilant mood in spite of the fact that he went through some troublesome experience in life. He lost his only son and that too at a young age of 25. I must say, he is one of the persons who has really made a positive impression on my mind and has contributed a lot in the way I have started looking at life.
The reason why I like spending time with him is the positive vibes that I feel out of him. He is one of the persons, rather the first person in my life, who has a very positive attitude towards life.
Part 3 – Details Discussion:
Q. Is friendship important in your culture? Why? Why not?
A. Yes, friendship definitely does stand out on a pedestal which is high, I would like to say, even higher than the pedestal where the other relationships stand at. However, here I would also like to mention that with the term relationship, I would like to exclude the relationship of one with his or her spouse and immediate family. In our culture, we revere our friendship. We often recite that life is impossible without friends. Thus, friendship is very special in our country, tradition and society.
Q. How many close friends do you think someone can generally have? Why is so?
A. There is definitely a limit to all the good things that one can have access to and I am afraid this is applicable to the number of really close friends we can have as well. Interestingly, we tend to have a fewer number of close friends as we grow up. I personally had many friends in my school days and I thought all of them were very dear and close to me. With the passage of time, the number has shrunk.
Thus, one can have ‘n’ number of friends, but there are only a few who can be categorised as “close friends”, those whom one can confide in and have a heart to heart talk. In general, I believe one can have 2-3 very close friends.
Q. Some people say that friends are more important than family? What do you think? why?
A. I would humbly disagree with the opinion that friends are more important than family. There is no doubt that friends are quite important in our life and they will be beside us in our ups and downs, but family is something that stands above all. Our relationship with our family is incomparable to any other relationship because they are the persons who protect us, support us and sacrifice for us big time in all situations without anything in return. Our relationship with our family is selfless and genuine and that makes it the most important relationship in the world.
Yes, friends do definitely have a special edge in our life but family comes first. Perhaps then stands the friendship which is very important as well.
Q. What are the qualities of a good friend? Do our expectations from a good friend change over time?
A. A good friend is a person with whom one can confide in, share one’s heart out and trust like a family member. With a really good friend, we can share anything and everything without even thinking about the after-effects of it. A good friend is also one who gives us frank, fair and genuine advice, guidance and support in the hour of our need. He or she would be with us in our good time to share our joy and happiness and support us in our difficult time to overcome the obstacles.
I think some qualities of a good friend are expected by all – regardless of our age, geographic locations and culture. However, from my personal experience I can say that when we are younger, we make good friends considering our common interests and mutual understanding. But when we grow up, we want the qualities (the ones that I have talked about) to be rooted and steadfast in a good friend.
Q. Why children can make friends easily but adults cannot?
A. Well, children can make friends easily for many reasons. First of all, they lack complexity in their mind. They can share emotions with other children easily and they do not think about the aftermath of talking or befriending with others. They also get easily attracted to others when they find similar features among them.
On the other hand, adults are unable to make friends so easily as children do basically because they think critically and most of the cases take time to consider someone a good friend. They judge several aspects of a person before opening their hearts and minds to someone. Interestingly, adults even smell something fishy if someone approaches them with a friendly attitude!
Q. Do our requirements for making new friends change over time? Why?
A. Umm… yes, sometimes our requirements to make new friends change over time and this is particularly true when we grow up. Our education, interests, activities and professions greatly affect such requirements and decision. In our adulthood, we open our hearts to a few numbers of close friends and make new friends who would not only share our laughter but also support us in needs. And many a time, our ‘necessity’ leads us to make a new friend. For instance, when we are in high schools, we need friends to get support in academic needs. The requirements of a new friend, however, change when we join a company or start a business.
Q. Why people these days have more online friends than real-life friends?
A. Umm… I believe that some people have more online friends than real-life friends for some specific reasons. Use of technology in every aspect of life is the key cause of this trend, I think. Most of the people are busy with their studies and jobs and to keep pace with modern life, they cannot manage ample time to spend with friends in real-life. So, they tend to make more online friends. Besides, making online friends requires little effort and keeping in touch with them is easier. Due to the introvert nature of some people, they feel more comfortable chatting with online friends than mingling with real-life friends in different social occasions. Perhaps, the widespread use of smartphones and the internet has enhanced this trend.
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