Speaking E.C.C.E. Personal Questions

E.C.C.E SPEAKING  -

 PART 1 – Personal Information

TUTOR: KARAKOSTA RANIA

1.     Do you come from a big or a small family?
I come from a big/ small/ single-parent/ nuclear family. There are … members in my family: my father/ my mother… and me.

2.     Can you tell me a little bit about your family?
Well, my family is… (small/ big…). There are …. of us in my family: my father… and me. We (don’t) live with my grandparents.
My father is… years old and he is a/an….
My mother is …. and she is a/ an…
My brother / sister is….   
I have no siblings. I am an only child.

3.     Do you have a good relationship with your parents?               OR 
Do you get on well with your parents?
I get on well with my parents. / I get along with my parents. It’s nice to have people to depend on, somebody to stand by you, to give you advice and help you deal with problems./ We don’t get along these days. We fight a lot. ….

4.     Which person in your family are you closest to?
I am closest to my sister/ brother because we are almost the same age; we have lots in common / enjoy each others’ company; she /he is trustworthy, reliable, compassionate; we can share our secrets …

5.     What are your hobbies?  OR What do you like doing in your free/ spare time?
In my free / spare / leisure time I like/ I prefer / I enjoy playing football/ doing sports/ watching TV/ going to the movies/ hanging out with friends/ painting / reading books….

6.     Do you have much free time?
I have lots of free time as…….. / I don’t have much free time since I go to school on weekdays and I have lots of homework every day. I do have some free time on weekends.

7.     What do you like to do on weekends?
I like going out / hanging out with my friends or visiting relatives, but I also enjoy staying in, watching a good film on TV, reading a book or listening to music and relaxing.

8.     Can you tell me something about the place where you live?    OR
What is your town / village / neighbourhood like?
I live in ….. (Corfu, Greece)
I live is a small village / small town / big city… in the south (north, west, east) of … (Corfu).
There is a lot of green. / It’s a quiet/ noisy/ clean/ polluted place.
I live in a(n) agricultural / industrial / suburban / rural / urban / touristic area.
It’s near the centre of the town/ in the suburbs / on the outskirts of …It’s conveniently located near the shops… There aren’t many shops where I live.
It’s a small/ quiet neighbourhood and all my friends live nearby. Everyone knows each other. My neighbours are very friendly.

9.     Do you live on this island/city?
Yes. I was born here and I’ve been living here since I was born.

10.            Why are you learning English?
I am learning English because it is an international language. Lots of people use English as a lingua franca / to communicate with each other. It is a necessary qualification if you want to have more opportunities in today’s workplace.
Generally speaking, I like learning foreign languages because I believe it helps you understand the world better. As regards, English I think that it has become an international language and it will help me with my future career.

11.         How long have you been studying English?
       I’ve been studying English for about seven years now.

12.     Is there anything you don't like about your island/town /city?
Although it is a very beautiful island/town / city, and a very nice place for someone to live, I still think that there are some things that could be improved. For example, … (it could be cleaner...)

13.             Do you like music?  OR What kind of music do you like to listen to?
Yes, I do. I particularly like Pop/ Hip Hop/ Rock/ Jazz/ Classical / Greek music… I also enjoy listening to Foreign music/ House/ Reggae/ … I also like folk music…   I love music. I also play the (guitar…)

14.   Are you a school or university student? What subjects do you study?
 I am in my first/second/ third year of (senior) high school. I study ….. (Math, English..)
I am first/second-year university student. I study Medicine at the University of Athens.
 I am a graduate/post graduate student in Social Sciences. I study...
I am looking forward to graduating so I can look for a job.

15.             What is your favourite subject at school? Why?  OR Which subjects do/did you enjoy at school?
I like/ liked Maths and Physics because they are very interesting to me.  I also enjoy/ enjoyed chemistry, but my favourite is/ was biology. I want to be a biologist one day.
(English, Greek, ancient Greek, Latin, Music, Art, Physical Education, Computer Studies, Geometry, Geography, Science, …)

16.    What are your ambitions / plans for the future?
When I grow up I want to become a / an… / My ambition is to become a / an……..I want to become a / an……., so I need to be patient / polite…., good at Maths, speak many foreign languages…
Next year I am planning to do a course on.../go to university.
I m finishing my studies this year so I am going to look for a job.
Well, I hope I will finish school, go to university and get a degree. Then I hope to find a good job and make a family.

17.   Where do you usually go on vacation /holiday?
Well, we usually spend the summer holidays on this island/city, but sometimes we may visit other Greek islands or go on a tour around Greece.
Well, we usually spend our summer holidays on this island because my parents work in t he summer. However, we visit other places/ towns/ cities in Greece on our Christmas holidays.

18.   What are your vacation/ holiday plans for this year?
Well, we haven’t decided yet. We may go to.. . We would like to visit…
I haven’t got any plans yet./I am planning to go to... with friends/family. It’s an island/village... in the... of Greece.

19.   What kind of books and magazines do you like to read?
 I read computer or music magazines and when I have time I like reading science fiction books.
I read (sports/ animal/ art / teens…magazines. I enjoy reading adventure stories/ novels/ police stories/ mystery books…

20.             Where would you like to spend your summer vacations/ holidays?
For my holidays, I would like to go to… because… / I would like to spend my vacations (in Italy / on a tropical island / at the seaside / on a mountain)  … because …
I would like to see traditional houses / historical sites / ancient monuments / lots of trees and flowers / sandy beaches / picturesque villages / the locals and their lifestyle / etc
I would like to go on a camping / sailing / exotic beach / mountaineering / adventure / family / skiing / biking / spa / group / music / holiday.  /
I would like to go on a city break / a cruise / safari /

21.             Do you have a balanced diet? What do you normally eat?
I think I have  quite a balanced diet since I usually eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables / eat at regular hours / avoid junk food / foods high in fat, fizzy drinks and sweets / drink lots of water and fresh juice / prefer foods high in vitamins, proteins / low in fat, carbohydrates, / I have three meals a day : breakfast , lunch and dinner.  Etc

22.            Do you lead a healthy lifestyle? Why? Why not?
 I think I lead quite a healthy lifestyle. I am cautious of what I eat and I take exercise regularly… / I am afraid I do not lead a healthy lifestyle as I eat lots of junk food because I don’t have much time to cook and I don’t take any exercise. I find it boring.

23.            Do you prefer fast food or home-cooked meals? Why?  OR   How do you feel about ready meals?   OR Do you eat a lot of junk food? Why?
I prefer home-cooked meals because they are healthier, freshly-made and my mum is an excellent cook.
As for ready meals, I believe that they are full of preservatives and other substances that are harmful to our health. The ingredients may be stale / old , smell musty / may have gone off / etc
I eat a lot of junk food because it is tasty /I don’t eat a lot of junk food because it is bad for my health/ full of fat….

24.            Do you enjoy going out to eat? Why? Where do you like eating when you go out?
Yes, I enjoy eating out. I mostly enjoy going to cosy restaurants with my friends, although we sometimes go to fast food places, as well. I guess peer pressure plays a role, too.

25.   Have you ever been abroad?
 No, I have never been abroad but I like travelling and I hope that one day I will have the chance to visit some foreign countries such as England, France and Italy.
Yes, I have travelled abroad. When I was… (eight/ ten..)I went to … (Belgium/ Germany…) with my  … (family/ mum)…

26.   Which countries would you like to visit?
 I’d like to visit England, Italy maybe or France in Europe. I would also like to visit some countries in Asia, like China, Japan or India.

PART 2 – ASKING QUESTIONS AND GIVING ADVICE

In Part 2, the questions that you will need to ask are already provided to you.
However, after you have asked them, you will need to give advice.
Here are some useful phrases that you can use:

GIVING ADVICE

I (would) (strongly) suggest/advise that ...

If I was/were you, I'd ...

In my experience, ... works really well.

It's generally best/a good idea to...

The best/most important thing (to do) is to ...

If I was/were in your place, I'd ...

If that happened to me/In that case/If I had that problem, I'd ...

In this (kind of) situation, I (would) always recommend/advise ...

 (If I was/were) in that (that kind of) situation, I'd ..

I think you should/could/would

My advice/ suggestion is to...

Why don’t you...

I think the best thing to do is...

I’ve been in a similar situation and I...

I can understand how he/she must feel …

Personally, I would love/hate it if...

I think/I really think) you need to/must/should ...

How about ...?

It is usually a good idea to ...

You could (try) ...

You probably/definitely/really should ...

EXPLAINING/ JUSTIFYING YOUR CHOICE

I d’ probably choose... because…

I think... would suit me because...

My first choice would be... because

I d’ choose... because it is important to me to...

I d’ rather (not) go to... because...

I ‘d prefer (not) to see... because...

Personally I am interested in...

I think most students would find... more interesting.

I don’t think young people are into... and that’s why I wouldn’t choose it.

I think ... has more to offer.

GIVING YOUR OPINION

In my opinion / view...

Generally speaking, I think...

To my mind...

I’d just like to say...

As far as I’m concerned...

I’m quite convinced that

To be quite honest / frank...

If you ask me...

EXPRESSING A PREFERENCE

I would rather (+ bare inf.)…

I would prefer to ….

I would/wouldn’t like to...

I suppose I‘d prefer...

If I had to choose, I’d...

If it were up to me, I would..

I’d like / love to…