IELTS Speaking Band 9 Examiner vs Examiner Mock Interview

 Reference : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywORet2gBAw&ab_channel=AcademicEnglishHelp

What is your full name?

My full name is Adrian Lee, please just call me by my first name Adrian. 

Okay, Adrian. May I see your identification please?

Yes, absolutely. Here you go, this is my passport, I used it for registration. Okay that's absolutely fine, thank you. Thanks.

What do you like doing in your free time ?

Well, when I have some spare time on weekends, I like to hang out with my friends, do something active like sports. I played football with a couple of friends last week, and also, I like to watch movies to relax and recharge my batteries.

Where do go to relax?

In order to unwind, I usually take a stroll in the park near my home. There's a lot of green space there and some benches, so sometimes I sit down and just stare out into space, and meditate for a few moments. 

Let's talk about your home. Can you describe your flat or house?

Yes, I live in a two-bedroom flat with my wife and daughter in the heart of Budapest, very close to the Danube River. It has of course a kitchen, a living room, a bathroom and a balcony as well. It's bright and spacious.

What is your favorite room?

Uhm, if I had to choose, I would say that the room I like most of all is my office, just because that's where I do my work, and I like my job, so I would say that it's my office. 

Where can you easily walk to from your home? 

Well, since as I just mentioned, my flat is in the center of Budapest, there are a lot of place conveniently available to me just a short walk away. For instance, a supermarket, also a big shopping mall with movie theater, and even athletic centers are located just maybe a kilometre from my place. 

Have you renovated any part of your home over the years?

Yes, I have. Just about 16 months ago, we renovated our kitchen and our living room. These two rooms used to be separated by a wall which we removed. We wanted an open-floor concept, so that we could socialize a little bit more easily when one of us in the kitchen and another person is in the living room. 

Do you recycle your rubbish? Why or why not?

Definitely we recycle as much as possible, I make sure to separate my plastics, paper, metal, glass, into different containers for the recycling truck to take away. It's very important to do this, to preserve nature as much as possible, and I'd like to think that I do my part in that. If you could renovate any part of your home in the future, 

What would it be? 

That's an interesting question, and I have actually throught about it. My wife and I were discussing this just the other week that come summertime we will likely renovate our balcony, add some more space out there, and also maybe some kind of a cover so that we can enjoy it year round, and have guests over for barbecues.

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Talk about your favorite dessert.

- What is it?

- Where do you eat it?

- When do you especially like eating it?

- What do other people think about it?

- Why do you like this dessert more than others?

You will have one to two minutes to talk about this topic.

You will have one minute to prepare what you are going to say.

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The dessert that I love more than any other, would have to be New York cheesecake. I think the first time that I had this dessert was in my childhood, probably around the age seven or eight. When I can remember. New York cheesecake, it's usually a round flat cake with graham cracker or a cookie crumb base. The main layer is made of cream cheese, sugar, egg and maybe some other ingredients, and then often on the top, people will put some fruits or some kind of chocolate or fruit syrup. I usually eat cheesecake either at home, or at a restaurant. The reason being is that my wife knows how to make New York cheesecake. She knows it's my favorite, so she prepares it for special occasions, such as my birthday. And, any chance I have to eat cheesecake at a restaurant, I always go for it. I choose it instead of any other dessert on the menu. Last time, I believe I had it at a local pastry shop called, Sweets, just down the road from my place. I especially like eating it in the evenings after my main meal. If I've had a steak for example, then topping it off with a slice of cheesecake is just superb. I do believe that most people love eating cheesecake as well, not only because of its delicate, sweet, flavor, but it's also a light cake compared to some others, like a chocolate cake. So, it's a bit easier to digest. And, I think that it's sweet flavor, and also slightly sour flavor gives it a uniqueness which many people like, Whenever I meet with my friends, or talk with others about cheesecake then they always agree that they love it as well. So, and I like it more than other desserts for the same reasons. 

Part 3

Let's talk about sweets and cakes. In general, have people's consumption of sweets and cakes increased or decreased over the last few decades? 

I definitely think that people these days are eating a lot more sugars and sweets than they were in  past generations, simply because of the availability of sugar, I think there are more chocolates and candies available in stores than ever before. If I just think about my local grocery store, there are two aisles dedicated to just these types of food products. And, also in the past, I believe people ate such types of foods maybe once a week. Nowadays, people are eating them even several times a day.  

Can you eleborate a bit?

Yes, so if I think about my childhood years, my parents would restrict eating candies or cakes to once ot twice a month, but these days, I find myself eating a chocolate bar at least three to four times a week. Too many sweets can cause health issues for people. 

Do you agree with this statement? Why, why not?

Yes, I concur with this notions simply because the facts are proven. Medical reports are now well-established that eating a lot of; especially refined sugars, leads to health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, as well as cardiovascular disease. Certain types of sweets and cakes can be very expensive. 

What do you think contributes to the high price of some confectionaries?

It's a good question. The reason why some cakes and confectionaries can be in the high-price ranges, like 10, 20 dollars, or I've even heard of some cakes costing in the hundreds of dollars, is likely because the ingredients needed to make them are quite pricey, such as real vanilla extract. And, also, the amount of training that goes into, and effort that goes into preparing these cakes is extensive. Some of these pastry chefs go to school for years and years to master their craft. 

So, is it worth the cost? 

Yes, I believe that it is worth every penny. When a person finds a good pastry shop, perhaps a French macaron shop, then tasting those sweets, their texture, and their flavor, it's absolutely divine, and can be worth what they're asking. Okay, now let's talk about making food. 

How have food preparation practices improved over the decades ? 

There has been significant development, especially with the technology that's being used to prepare foods, such as kitchen appliances, blenders, mixers, and for instance ovens; which gives chefs a lot more control over timing and heat; thereby preparing meals more specifically to what they would like and probably producing better flavors as well. 

Do you feel that any of these changes have been for the worse?

That's a good question, give me a moment to think... Perhaps not with the tools, but rather the ingredients. There have been certain changes that are negative; especially, the flavor of a lot of the base ingredients. I think in the past there were a lot more organic foods available to cooks and chefs, such as meats from farms, and real fruits and vegetables that weren't genetically modified. I believe these days that's making it a little bit more difficult for chefs to produce the same flavors as before. Some people say that the tradition of quality home-cooked meals is slowly disappering. 

Why is this? 

Hmm, well, certainly the pace of life has really increased in a lot of the world. What I mean by that is, people are very busy these days, so they just don't have as much time to cook at home. Also, I think a lot of the art of cooking hasn't been passed down from generation to generation over the last 30, 40 years the same way as it had been in the past. Furthermore, It's probably more expensive to cook at home now just because good ingredients cost more than they used to.

What can be done to encourage people to bake or cook more?

Hmm, well, I guess people can be educated about the benefits of cooking at home, such as gaining more respect for food when we're interacting with it more intimately in our kitchens, as well as spending more with out families in the process of cooking and eating as well. So I think that governments and schools can really focus on letting people know that cooking at home does lead to happier and healthier life. 

How would it impact society if people cook more at home?

Well, as I just mentioned, ultimately I believe that people would be in better health because they would pay more attention to what they're eating, as opposed to just picking menu items in a restaurant. In the short term. it might negatively impact the hospitality industry, as people would be spending less money in restaurant