IELTS Speaking Part 2
Describe a prize that you received
You should say:
- What was it?
- When you received it?
- What did you do for it?
And explain how you felt about it?
Sample Answer
I’m not a big competition taker, so I’ve not won that many rewards my entire life. But for any that I’ve taken part in, I always put all my heart and soul into it and cherish every single reward I’m given. One of such prizes is an antiquarian copy of the book “Gone with the wind” I won in an online book review competition last year.
The reason I participated in the event was because I have a love for old books. As someone who is a bit old-school and nostalgic, I’ve always wanted to have a collection of rare copies of used books. Yet, antique book collecting seems to be quite a bit of a pricey hobby, so I just now and then seek opportunities to earn a give-away, for example, by taking part in a competition.
The book I won is simply something I’ve always desired for. It was still in a very good condition for its age when I opened the parcel and got the book out. It has a dark navy cloth-bound cover, wrapped in a dust jacket in Victorian inspired style. The board and spine titles are gold foil stamped, and the binding stays intact despite some edge wear and spine chip.
According to the competition organiser’s claim, this copy was printed in a limited number of 100 copies only. That means it’s worth quite a considerable value, and I just felt in sheer bliss for becoming one of the 100 owners of the edition.
IELTS Speaking Part 3
1. What rewards can children get from school?
Rewards are there to praise and motivate a kid, I suppose. So, if it is the case, there are a wide range of ways schools can do that. Prizes can fall into two main categories: tangible and intangible. The former is probably in the form of material objects such as a piece of stationary, books, and even a sum of money. The other type of incentives can be a day trip to the kids’ favourite spots, such as a theme park, or just simply some act of recognition, such as giving them a customized certificate for their good work.
2. Should parents push their children to get prizes?
I think, for a start, we should define the word ‘push’ first. If it means a kind of encouragement or motivation, which is to help the child to go beyond their comfort zone and make use of their full potential to achieve what they deserve, then it is something parents should do. However, if overdone and, in most cases, against a child’s will, incentives might become pressurizing, which then does more harm than good to a kid. This is because the child might be under apprehension of not being good enough and become stressed out.
3. What kinds of rewards can companies offer to their outstanding employees?
I think corporation-based types of prizes are quite similar to those granted by schools to children, which can be divided into two categories. However, as grown-ups may be more in favour of materialistic ones, the rewards tend to be in the form of pay raise or promotion, or the combination of both. Some companies can also organise events of appreciation to tribute their staff at the end of the year, which can also be a way to honor and motivate the staff members.
