IELTS Speaking Part 3: Internet
1. Do most people have a computer at home in your country? What do most people use it for?
2. Do you think all the information on the internet is true?
3. How can people find reliable information on the internet?
4. How has the internet changed the way we live?
5. How has the internet changed the way we work?
6. Do you think the internet is safe for children to use unsupervised?
Sample Answer:
1: Do most people have a computer at home in your country? What do most people use it for?
Answer: Well, to answer this question, I should first mention that the ownership of computers is almost ten times higher in cities than that of villages in my country. Thus most of the families living in a city own at least a computer except for poor people while almost one in twelve families in rural areas have a computer or a laptop.
The activities on a computer vary based on the users’ age group. For instance, children like to watch cartoons, draw pictures and play games on a computer while teenagers mostly use the Internet on a computer or laptop to use their favourite social networking websites, find information to complete their school assignments and for entertainment purposes. Adults often use a computer to connect to the internet, check emails, learn new software, create presentations, do online shopping and listen to their favourite music.
2: Do you think all the information on the internet is true?
Answer: I believe without an authentic source and credible publisher, we should be wary of information we see or find online. The Internet is an astonishing source of information but the fake news and fabricated information are all around there. Thus, I would not believe everything I see online except they are from an authoritative source. For instance, if I find a piece of information on a website like www.bbc.com, from the official government website or from a prominent and mainstream online newspaper, I would believe it. However, any news found on a social networking website like Facebook, or from a dubious website should always be verified before believing it to be true.
3: How can people find reliable information on the internet?
Answer: People have to rely on credible websites with many years of reputation, mainstream online newspapers that are famous, government websites and fact-finding sources to get authentic information. Anything found on social networking platforms should always be verified before sharing as these are often targeted by spammers and fake news producers.
Google Scholar is an excellent place to find academic papers which are real and to be sure if an image is fake or real someone can take advantages of Google image search feature. The popular encyclopedia offers real information and they could be trusted. Another excellent way to filter away the bogus news is to look for the author and publisher’s credentials. Lastly, people should use their common sense. If an offer is too good to be true or if a story has so many unbelievable facts, people should check further to find out more about it.
4: How has the internet changed the way we live?
Answer: Honestly speaking, the Internet has revolutionalised the way we live. Many of us can’t believe how the people in the pre-internet era managed to do all their works at home or at the office! The Intenet allows us to work more proficiently at home, work more productively at the office and let us communicate with anyone from the far distance of the world. We make video calls to be in touch with our loved ones, do online shopping, participate in meeting in another city and even drive our cars with the help of the Internet. With this technology, we have amazing access to information and they are just a few mouse clicks away. These days we even do banking online and the need to travel to long distance for ordinary tasks are no longer required. Thus the present era with the spectacular power and blessings of the Internet is truly remarkable.
However, there is a downside to this fabulous technology. Our overreliance on the internet has made us home-centric and we prefer to stay at home rather than going outside and socialising. This is detrimental for our social and personal life that we often fail to realise.
5: How has the internet changed the way we work?
Answer: The Internet has dramatically changed the way we work as well. A large number of people work from home nowadays and the Internet has created thousands of jobs for the new generation and this has been possible due to the widespread acceptance of this technology. The Internet allows us to save a huge amount of data and they are easily accessible at a later date. We use emails, video conferencing, project management software and blogs and these are essentials for an office these days. Without the Internet, we would still have to keep track of every calculation with the help of papers and pens and the mistakes would have been more frequent. Employees in most modern offices have computers to help them finish a task and learn new things.
6: Do you think the internet is safe for children to use unsupervised?
Answer: I believe, children should not be allowed to use the Internet without some sort of supervision from parents. The Intenet is a great source of information and entertainment but it also contains harmful contents that could psychologically damage children and the predators often search for children to harm them. Thus parents should either enforce a rigid parental control on the browser and network-level which would monitor online activities of children and filter out bad contents or should be present physically when their children use the Internet. It is not to take away children’s freedom but for their safety.
