IELTS® Speaking 1 Practice 12

What types of advertising do you like?

Back in the day, I used to enjoy those catchy jingles on prime-time TV. Normally, at least one in ten TV commercials would have some kind of entertaining slogan that could really crack me up. Sadly, with all the banal Internet ads these days, creative advertisements are few and far between.

Billboards and newspaper ads are about the only types of advertising I can tolerate. And only because I can easily pay no attention to them whatsoever. This is not the case with all those annoying pop-ups on the Internet or the notorious commercials on TV that abound during prime-time viewing.

What types of advertising do you dislike?

I detest various forms of covert advertising, which are plentiful, if you ask me. Sometimes, you find and watch a decent film, only to realise that it is packed with product placement. As far as I am concerned, such forms of advertising have no accountability to the public and should be banned.

Internet ads, especially on Google and Facebook, can get really annoying. There are times my newsfeed is drowning in ads and my inbox is flooded with spam emails. Some of them are rather attention-grabbing, but on closer inspection, they almost always have hidden disclaimers.

What popular types of advertising are there in today’s world?

Internet ads are definitely all the rage. Some of them are quite creative, using vigorous words and entertaining slogans. One must be wary of false advertising, though, as the Internet abounds with companies that lack integrity.

Gone are the days of those Madison Avenue provocative advertisements, full of celebrity endorsements, misleading words, and exaggerated claims. Today, only genuine types of advertising count. In my opinion, testimonials from real customers and word-of-mouth advertising reign supreme.

Why do you think there are so many advertisements nowadays?

I believe it has become immensely hard to get your product or service noticed. In the past, transit advertising and promotional flyers could do the trick. In this day and age, advertising calls for utmost creativity, and one must truly excel in guerilla marketing to succeed.

Unless your business has a strong focus on the local community, you need to get inventive with advertising. Luckily, there is no shortage of forms of advertising out there. From catchy tunes on the radio to telemarketing to cold calling, you’d be hard-pressed to not know how to stand out.

What are the various places where we see advertisements?

One curious aspect of advertising is that its old forms don’t seem to go anywhere. They are here to stay, and in this day and age, you can see the non-intrusive Google ads and the good old aggressive sponsorship alike. It seems that there is no escape from advertising.

It is my strong belief that various types of advertising evolve in parallel with media. Take classified ads, for example. In the past, you would only see them in newspapers and magazines, but nowadays, you can notice them on TV and on the Internet alike.

Do you read often?

Yes! I am an avid reader. I read a lot. I usually have a book with me in my bag or in the car seat next to me.

Yes. I am a big reader. I like to read all kinds of books in my free time. I always have notes in my books. And I would call myself a bookworm. 

Do you read in bed?

Yea! I like to read in bed. I usually like to read science fiction as part of my bedtime reading, but sometimes it gets a little bit too exciting, so I have to read something a little bit lighter or more whimsical.

What kinds of books do you like to read?

I relish books that make me feel emotional. For example, I have just finished this book about a war, and there was a poignant moment at the end of the book when the characters had to say goodbye forever.

I revel in horror books. When I am reading these books, I get a real spine-tingling feeling. I enjoy that.

I kind of like tearjerker books. Sad stories make me appreciate and understand life better. My soul experiences a wealth of sublime feelings when I read these kinds of books.

My favorite kind of books is the one with the unraveling of the plots, so as a reader I have to figure out what is going on. It gets so exciting.

I love books that are informative and thought-provoking. I can learn a lot and gain a fresh insight into something new by reading these kinds of books.

I delight in books that are set in the future. This book genre usually unveils how future technologies can backfire and be used against their makers, and it leads us to think about the relationship between technology and humanity. 

What types of books do you dislike?

I don’t like reading books that are heavy-going. I feel like I will never be able to finish reading these books, so I might as well just stay away from them.

Talk about the book you are reading now or have read recently. You should explain:

• How and why you got it

• How long you it took you to read it or how long you have been reading it

• What kind of book it is

And elaborate on whether you would like to read something similar to this book and why

I’d like to talk about “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” which is the fantasy book I have recently finished reading.

This book is part of a popular fantasy series for children, but in fact I decided to start reading it to study English. Anyway, it took me a little less than a month to finish reading it. A few weeks is longer than it usually takes me to read books in my own language, but I think it’s a little more difficult for me to read books in English.

As for how I got this book, I borrowed it from the local library after I had finished reading the previous book in the series a few weeks before.

Now, let’s talk about how I feel about this book. I have to say that this book is a real page-turner, and it really grabbed me from the get-go. I couldn’t put it down because the story is so gripping. The characters are also very enchanting and fun to watch. Another reason I like this book is that I can see myself in the character of Harry Potter. I mean he is brave but at the same time reckless and impulsive. He makes decisions based on his gut feeling and what feels right. I am a little like that. I consider myself a rule-breaker, always trying to be adventurous and doing things that others tell me not to do.

In the future, I plan to read every book in the “Harry Potter” series because I’d like to know what happens next. 

“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” is a great book to practice English, and it has an entertaining story too. I’ll start reading the next book in the series as soon as I can.