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Part 1: Introduction and Interview
Examiner: Good afternoon. My name is David Smith. Can you tell me your full name, please?
Candidate: Hi, good afternoon. My name’s Chloe Chiang.
Examiner: Thank you. In this first part, I’d like to ask you some questions about yourself. Let’s start with the topic of Hometown. Where is your hometown?
Topic 1: Hometown
Candidate: Well, I was born and raised right here in Hong Kong. Specifically, I live in Sham Shui Po, which is one of the older, slightly grittier neighbourhoods on the Kowloon side. It’s absolutely packed with street markets and has this amazing working-class history to it.
Examiner: What do you like most about it?
Candidate: I’d have to say the raw authenticity. Hong Kong can feel incredibly corporate and shiny, but my neighbourhood has held onto its roots. You’ve got these tiny, family-run shops that have been there for generations, sitting right next to new hipster cafes. It’s got a lot of character.
Examiner: Would you say it’s a good place for young people to live?
Candidate: Mmm, yes and no. In terms of convenience, absolutely. it’s brilliant because everything is right on your doorstep. But housing is a real issue. The apartments tend to be pretty tiny and a bit run-down, so if you’re a young professional wanting a lot of space or modern amenities, it might feel a bit suffocating.
Topic 2: Apps
Examiner: Let’s move on to another topic. What kinds of apps do you use most frequently?
Candidate: Oh, honestly, I’d be completely lost without my digital wallet and transit apps. Because life moves at such a crazy pace here, I’m constantly tapping my phone to pay for everything—from my morning coffee to hopping on the MTR. They’re basically essential for survival at this point.
Examiner: Is there an app you used to use a lot but don’t use anymore?
Candidate: Actually, yeah. I used to be obsessed with this calorie-counting app a while back. But to be frank, logging every single thing I ate became a massive chore and just ruined the joy of food. So, I ended up deleting it and never looked back.
Examiner: Do you think apps make our lives easier or more complicated?
Candidate: It’s a bit of a double-edged sword, isn’t it? On one hand, they sort out so much daily life admin, like banking or ordering groceries in two clicks. But on the flip side, we’re constantly glued to our screens. It’s like you can never truly switch off because of the endless notifications.
Topic 3: Public Transport
Examiner: Now I’d like to ask you about public transport. How often do you travel by public transport?
Candidate: Oh, literally every single day. I don’t drive at all, so I rely completely on the MTR network to get to work, and then I’ll use the buses or the occasional Star Ferry on the weekends.
Examiner: What are the advantages of using public transport compared to driving?
Candidate: Well, in a city as packed as Hong Kong, driving is just a massive headache. Public transport is incredibly punctual and cheap. Plus, it helps you avoid rush-hour traffic and the challenge of finding parking, which can be both difficult and expensive in Hong Kong.
Examiner: How could public transport in your area be improved?
Candidate: To be fair, our system is pretty world-class already. But if I had to pick something, the trains can get incredibly crowded during rush hour. Maybe if the government offered bigger discounts for off-peak travel, it would encourage people to spread out their commute times a bit more.
Topic 4: Weekends
Examiner: Let’s talk about how you spend your free time. How do you typically spend your weekends?
Candidate: I usually try to do something completely different from my desk job. Saturdays are mostly for getting outdoors—heading out for a trail run or a hike in the country parks to get some fresh air. Then Sundays are much more laid-back, usually just a massive dim sum lunch with the family.
Examiner: Do you prefer planning your weekends or just seeing what happens?
Candidate: Definitely the latter. My whole workweek is scheduled down to the minute, so when Saturday rolls around, I just want to play things by ear. It’s much more relaxing when you don’t have a set agenda.
Examiner: How important is it to have a clear distinction between the workweek and the weekend?
Candidate: I think it’s vital, especially with the grueling work culture we have here. If you don’t maintain clear boundaries, work-related stress can easily spill over into your personal life and eventually lead to burnout.
Part 2: Individual Long Turn
Examiner: Now, I’m going to give you a topic, and I’d like you to talk about it for one to two minutes. Before you talk, you’ll have one minute to think about what you’re going to say, and you can make some notes if you wish.
Here is your cue card.
Describe a beautiful place you have visited.
You should say:
- Where this place is
- When you visited it
- What you did there
- And explain why you find this place so beautiful.
Examiner: All right. Remember, you have one to two minutes for this, so don’t worry if I stop you. I’ll tell you when the time is up. Please start speaking now.
Candidate:
Right, so I’m going to talk about a place called Tai Long Wan. It’s tucked away on the far eastern coast of the Sai Kung Peninsula here in Hong Kong.
I last went there around November of last year. It was right around the time the brutal summer humidity finally broke, so the weather was absolutely perfect for being outdoors.
To actually get there, my friends and I had to do a fairly demanding hike through the hills, but it was totally worth it because you end up at these four gorgeous, secluded beaches. Once we arrived, we basically just spent the whole afternoon disconnecting from the world. We hung out on the white sand, waded in the water, and later on, we grabbed some amazing fresh seafood at a tiny village cafe nearby. We just stayed until dusk, sitting on the sand and watching the sky change colors.
What makes it so incredibly beautiful to me is how much it catches you off guard. When people think of Hong Kong, they always picture neon lights, packed streets, and massive skyscrapers. But Tai Long Wan completely flips that stereotype on its head. It’s just this wild expanse of pristine sand, crystal-clear turquoise water, and huge green hills rolling into the ocean. There are no cars, no high-rises, and no city noise at all. It just has this peaceful, untouched vibe that feels lightyears away from the usual frantic pace of the city. That pure, natural contrast is exactly why it stands out to me as such a stunning place.
Examiner: Thank you. Do you think you will go back there again in the future?
Candidate: Oh, definitely. It’s my absolute go-to spot whenever I need to escape the chaos of the city and just clear my head.
Part 3: Two-Way Discussion
Examiner: We’ve been talking about a beautiful place you visited, and I’d like to discuss some more general questions related to this topic. Let’s consider first the idea of Tourism and Natural Environments. Why do you think people are so drawn to natural landscapes when choosing a holiday destination?
Candidate: I reckon it’s mostly a psychological escape from modern city life. Most of us spend our days trapped in these high-rise buildings, dealing with noise, pollution, and the constant buzz of our phones. Going somewhere remote or natural is the ultimate antidote to that. It gives you the space to breathe, slow down, and just clear your mind in a way that you simply can’t do in an urban environment. It’s basically a mental reset.
Examiner: But tourism can often damage these fragile ecosystems. Do you think governments should restrict the number of visitors to beautiful natural areas?
Candidate: Yeah, I think they absolutely have to. When visitor numbers become excessive, natural areas can come under considerable pressure and may gradually deteriorate—you get litter everywhere, trails get eroded, and it messes with the local wildlife. Putting a cap on visitor numbers or using a booking system, like they do in a lot of national parks now, just makes sense. It protects the environment and actually makes the experience better for the tourists anyway, because no one wants to visit a nature reserve that feels like a crowded shopping mall.
Examiner: How has technology changed the way people travel?
Candidate: It’s completely transformed it, honestly—mostly by stripping out all the traditional hassle. Nowadays, we rely so heavily on things like navigation apps, mobile payments, and instant online booking. It just removes so much of the friction. For instance, when you’re out and about here in Hong Kong, you can manage your entire day right from your phone… so getting around feels completely seamless. But at the same time, it’s definitely shifted our expectations. People now expect instant information and perfectly smooth experiences wherever they go… which wasn’t really the case a decade ago. So overall, It’s made travel incredibly efficient, but we’ve also become massively dependent on it.
Examiner: Let’s shift our focus to Beauty in Architecture and Cities. What makes a city or a building “beautiful” to people today?
Candidate: I think nowadays, people appreciate functionality and sustainability way more than just fancy decorations. In the past, architectural beauty was all about how grand or ornate a building was—like old temples or cathedrals. But today, we tend to find beauty in clever design—buildings that bring in tons of natural light, incorporate greenery, and complement their surroundings rather than appearing out of place.
Examiner: Some people argue that modern cities all look identical because of global architectural trends. Do you agree with this viewpoint?
Candidate: I can definitely see why people say that. Globalization has meant that corporate districts all over the world use the exact same steel-and-glass skyscraper designs. If you stand in the financial heart of Hong Kong, London, or Singapore, they can feel pretty identical, which is a bit of a shame. That said, I don’t think local identity is completely dead. A lot of modern architects are trying to fight that trend by intentionally weaving local history, cultural symbols, or traditional materials into their blueprints to give the buildings a genuine sense of place.
Examiner: Thank you very much. That is the end of the speaking test.
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