CELPIP Speaking Task 7: Expressing Opinions
1. In the age of laptops and iPads, Do you think Handwriting is still important?
Sample Answer
Handwriting has remained an integral part of our lives; however, in the age of laptops and iPads, it is losing significance due to modern devices with incredibly comfortable features. With handwriting, the process becomes tedious. On the contrary, contemporary devices have features like voice typing; the writing process becomes straightforward.
Moreover, the handwriting varies from person to person, so in some cases, it is not easy for a third party to decipher what you have written. It isn’t the case that if you type it on a laptop, it is easy for another person to comprehend it because it looks the same.
Furthermore, in case you want to convert your content into images or videos with typed content, it becomes straightforward, whereas in the case of handwritten content, first you need to digitalize it, so in the modern scenario, the process of putting forward your content to handwriting has become cumbersome that is why it is losing its sheen.
2. Do you think dictionaries are useful for learning a language? Explain your reasons.
Sample Answer
There is no denying this conviction that dictionaries’ are and will remain integral to learning a language because we must focus on words to understand any language correctly. For that, the best medium is a dictionary because, in that, we can find the synonyms and antonyms of a particular word, and we come to know about the parts of speech, whether that word is a noun, a verb, or an adjective, so this way we can differentiate.
Moreover, when we communicate, we come across new words, and we do not know the meaning of them, so the easiest way to get information about such material is a dictionary because asking your teachers or your parents is a lengthy process, sometimes they are not available, and sometimes even they don’t know the meanings.
So, with dictionaries, the learning process becomes straightforward. Moreover, dictionaries have changed with time because they have also evolved; these days, we have online dictionaries.
So, at the click of a button, we have access to billions of words, so the knowledge at our disposal increases when we use a dictionary. They are very integral to us, so their significance will remain.
3. Do you think computers will replace teachers in future? Explain your reasons.
Sample Answer
Despite the availability of computers to provide significant information, machines cannot replace teachers. While computers may be interactive to some extent, they cannot match the invaluable support teachers provide for the holistic development and paradigm shift in a learner’s performance.
It is indisputable that computers hold vast amounts of information on every topic, accessible to students with a single click in various formats such as web pages, audio, video, and images. However, the personal touch of a teacher is irreplaceable. Teachers specialize in specific subjects and can easily comprehend students’ needs. They can also adapt the teaching module to cater to students who may be struggling or emotionally distressed. In contrast, computers cannot adapt to students’ emotions as they lack emotions.
Computers may provide general answers to struggling learners, but teachers can profoundly impact their performance due to their experience in handling students and conflicts related to them. Therefore, teachers will rely on computers to obtain information in the future, but learners will continue to depend on their teachers due to their implicit faith in them.
4. Do you think democracy is the best form of government? Explain your reasons.
Sample Answer
There are various forms of government, like dictatorship, monarchy, and democracy. In my opinion, democracy is the best form of government because, in other forms, the central focus is not the welfare of the people. Moreover, the general public has little say in the working system. In a democracy, the people are the ones who select their representatives and take action on their behalf.
This process changes every five years because those who are the heads are questioned after every five years in the form of elections, so those people who do not do their job correctly fail to come in the next term. The public has the power to choose the representative of their choice, or, moreover, in this setup, anyone who wishes to be in the government can work hard and work for the welfare of the people. By winning their confidence, he can become a part of the government.
Moreover, the general public has this right to challenge the government’s decisions, which is impossible in dictatorship and monarchy. So, in my opinion, democracy is the best form of government, and all nations must adopt it.
5. Do you think cinemas will close in the future? Explain your reasons.
Sample Answer
Cinemas have been a popular source of entertainment for people over the last century. However, with changing times, cinemas may not survive in the future. The primary reason for this is people’s busy schedules today. With intense competition and the need to work harder to earn a living, people have less time to spare.
It makes it challenging for them to go to the cinema amidst traffic congestion. Technology has improved dramatically, and people can now enjoy various entertainment options at home. They can have a home theatre and access their favourite movies on OTT platforms. Furthermore, the cost of going to the cinema has increased significantly due to the high fees charged by film stars, resulting in increased ticket prices.
It makes it difficult for the general public to afford to watch movies with their families. As a result, the trend is changing, and cinemas may not be financially viable to continue operating.
Therefore, in the coming years, we might see cinemas cease to exist.
6. Do you think farm animals are important? Explain your reasons.
Yes, farm animals are essential nowadays and in the past. Since the early period, farm animals like cows, buffalo, pigs, goats, and sheep have helped our society in different ways.
These farm animals provide our dairy products. They also help us perform farm activities and produce essential products that are rotated in the industry.
These animals are being cared for. They are essential because the species of these animals are disappearing too much from the earth. But if they are being cared for, their importance is too great because our dairy products nowadays are in too significant a shortage.
The supply is decreasing because we are not getting the animals nowadays because of their hunting. And I believe if they are being taken care of and not killed, they will help us increase the products which we need for our daily necessities.
7. Do you think disability is an obstacle to achieving success in life? Explain your reasons.
Yes, I do believe that disability is an obstacle to achieving success in life because there are certain limits when you get disabled.
If you have some specific aim in any field like the Army, Navy, or being a pilot, and you are disabled, you don’t get a chance to have too much success. You don’t dream of any opportunity because you are lacking that particular disability. There you lack if it’s of eyes, ears, or any body part where you are being tested on that basis. And yes, you always get a job because you are disabled.
The priority is there, but you lack in getting the growth. The people who are already in typical jobs are disabled, but they never dreamt of getting some excellent opportunity because of their disability. They stay in one particular position all their life.
The government gives them a position so their earnings can continue in their family, and they do not have to bear the financial problems. So they are just given the priority of getting a job, but thinking of getting some achievement, opportunity, or more growth and development holds them back, which is a barrier. So yes, it’s a barrier to success in life.
8. Do you believe social media positively or negatively impacts personal relationships?
Well, it is quite debatable whether social media positively or negatively impacts personal relationships because many couples sometimes start their relationships only on social media platforms. So, for them, that is a positive approach. They come across that platform, and sometimes, they feel that they are the right partners and that their marriage is successful.
On the other hand, it hurts people who are not very social, and if something goes wrong, it bothers them if they post something. In any approach, if the person doesn’t like it or it’s affecting their relationship, it has a harmful impact. It is a pretty imbalanced approach because both impacts affect every individual differently. Social media, for some, are pretty interactive and quite an excellent platform to explore and build relationships, but on the other end, it didn’t go very well for some. Some people ruin their lives by getting personal relationships coming out on that social media platform, like celebrities. Their life is not private, so they significantly impact this social media.
9. In your opinion, should public transportation be free for everyone? Why or why not?
No, I don’t believe that public transport should be free for every individual because it is an organization run by the government, and if the government keeps it free for everyone, it will lose money. The government can take different approaches, like keeping public transport prices nominal. It should not be too much higher or too much lower.
It should be consistent so that every individual in the country can travel and not face any problems or feel it’s too much for them to pay. But keeping it free would be quite a one-sided approach. So it would not be beneficial for the government, and the government, when taking some charge, would also go to some NGO support.
So they are supporting, for when they take the tax on some transport, besides the fare, it goes to these non-profit organizations to further support the people and children who need help. So, it should not be completely free. It should have some consistent amount everywhere in the country with high transportation costs.
It should be balanced out. It should be checked and reviewed and should be consistent.
10. Is it better to work from home or in an office? What are your thoughts?
Working from home is a better opportunity because you work on a particular schedule.
You always have a set of mind that you have to wake up, get ready, and go out of the office. You interact with innumerable people. You get a chance to explore. You get experience in getting more opportunities because when you work in the office environment, you get better and prefer upcoming opportunities.
You can handle people because you interact with them and know people from different societies. Moreover, you enjoy the office ambience environment, and you are in that particular flow that your interests start getting to work more. But when looking at the opposite approach, when you are working at home, it’s sluggish.
You always feel that to avoid getting ready, be in your casuals, and you are not too much in an official approach. You do your work, but you are not so active because I have never experienced doing work from home. However, I do have friends who work from home, and I see them. They are not too interactive and active and are lazy every time.
They are just spending their nine hours sitting idly. So, working in an office is a better approach.
10. Should governments invest more in space exploration or address issues on Earth first? Why?
I believe that the government should invest more in the issues on the earth first before exploring more space because there are many different areas the government should still look after, like pollution. If we talk about air pollution, there are still many places in our country, mainly the central part of India, Delhi, which is the most populated. Whenever there’s a change in the climate, people get sick and have different problems with breathing, taking, and inhaling.
So, these kinds of issues are still present. It is due to globalization. So there should be taken a deep and deep that why this happening.
Moreover, regarding other areas like noise pollution, they still need to work on how they should work, like how transport on the road should be handled. Multiple things are going on at one end. So, these kinds of issues should be addressed so that people can relax and take deep breaths in the air.
They should not be stressed out. Walking early in the morning, they face traffic, which can cause stress because they might inhale diseases. So, yes, these issues should be taken care of.
11. Do you think children benefit more from homeschooling or attending traditional schools?
Well, children benefit more from attending traditional schools because it’s always seen that they have a particular schedule when they go to school.
They wake up early, have breakfast on time, and attend school, where they learn from a teacher in a disciplined way. However, when we faced the COVID issue, where children had to sit back at home and study, it was quite destructive because they were getting addicted to gadgets and just getting online from the teachers. Still, they were not concentrating on their studies.
While online, they were doing multiple things. The camera only showed them that they were available, but beyond the camera, they were doing other things like playing with gadgets, eating something, or chatting with their friends or family. So, yes, it had a worse effect.
It was having a worse effect on the children. After COVID, most students returned to school but were not in the same tune, taking exams, going to school, and being in the same discipline. So, it took a year to get them on the same platform.
So, yes, traditional schools should be there. And in the future, it should be the same, like no homeschooling.
