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Example Questions The interview will begin with the examiner saying something like: Q: Hello. My name is ........

and this is my colleague ........ Q: And your names are? Q: Can I have your mark sheets please? ........ Thank you. Q: First of all we'd like to know something about you. The examiner will then ask each of you some questions. For example: Q: Tell me about where you come from. Q: Do you enjoy studying English? Q: Do you have any hobbies or interests? Q: Why are you preparing for the CAE exam? Tips! You'll gain extra marks if you're able to give full, relevant answers to these questions. 1) Offer more than the bare minimum in your answers. Q: Tell me about where you come from. A: I come from Bielefeld. (Don't stop there!) It's in the northern part of Germany. It's a lovely place with a busy town and it's also close to some nice countryside. 2) Avoid short, 'yes', 'no' answers. Q: Do you enjoy studying English? A: Yes I do! I quite like studying languages and English in particular. I have a lot of English friends and love to be able to communicate with them in their own language. And I love being able to read English novels. Q: Do you have any hobbies or interests? A: No, not hobbies really. I used to like collecting things as a child but that doesn't interest me now. I suppose you could say music is a big interest, I especially like listening to English bands. 3) Offer examples to help you explain a statement. Q: Why are you preparing for the CAE exam? A: Because it's important for my job. As part of my appraisal, my boss advised me to take an English exam to help me develop my professional skills. I passed FCE last year and if I'm successful at CAE I'd like to try CPE.

"That's an interesting point." "I was interested in what you said about ..." "So, when you say ........, do you mean ........?" "Could you explain what you mean by .......?" That's a good question.', 'Well, let me think ...'

YOU Describe yourself. FAMILY


WORK

Describe your family? Do you have a large or small family? How much time do you spend with your family? What do you like to do together as a family? Do you get along well with your family? Are people in your country generally close to their families?


EDUCATION

What do you do? What are your responsibilities? How many hours do you work each day? Do you enjoy your work? Is there some other kind of work you would rather do? If you could change your job or profession, what would you do? Describe the process of getting a job in your country. Describe the company or organization you work for. What is your position? What do you like about your job? What do you dislike about your job?


STUDIES

Describe your education. What kind of school did you go to as a child? Did you go to a co-educational school? What was your favourite subject as a child? Who was your favourite teacher? What is the education system like in your country? Do you think your country has an effective education system?

What are you studying now? What is your area of specialization?

HOMETOWN

Describe your hometown. Whats special about it? Where is your hometown located? Is it easy to travel around your hometown? What is it known for? What do people in your town do? What are the main industries in your hometown? What problems face your hometown? What languages are spoken in your hometown? What are the advantages of living in your hometown?


WEATHER

What are some problems faced by your hometown? Compare your hometown with another city. What are some environmental problems faced by your hometown?


HOME

Whats the weather like in your country? Does the weather affect your mood? How do rainy days make you feel? Whats your favourite season of the year? What do you like to do when its hot? What do you usually do in the winter? How many seasons does your country have?


WEDDING

Describe your home. What kind of building do you live in? How long have you lived there?


TRAVEL

Have you ever been to a wedding? Whose wedding was it? Where was it held? What clothes do people wear? Describe the wedding ceremony. What sort if gifts do people buy for the bridal couple? What kind of clothes did the bride and groom wear?


COMPUTERS

Do you like to travel? What kind of places have you visited in your life? Which place would you really like to visit? Why? Whats the best place youve ever visited?


INTERNET

Do you think computers help society? Do you think computers are bad for health? How do you think computers have changed the world?


EMAIL

Do you use the Internet much during the day? What do you usually do on the Internet? What are some advantages of the Internet? What are some disadvantages? Do people in your country use the Internet a lot? Do you do any shopping on the Internet?


FRIEND

Do you send and receive email regularly? Who do you usually communicate with? How often do you check your email? Do you think writing email has strengthened or weakened peoples writing skills? What are some disadvantages of email?


PLACE

Describe a friend. How long have you known each other? What do usually do together? What do you like the most about him / her? How often do you see each other?


SMOKING

Describe a place you like to go. Why is this place special to you? When did you first visit this place? Where is this place located? What language is spoken here? Do you speak this language?


MARRIAGE

What do you feel about smoking in public places? Do you think smoking should be banned in peoples homes?


HOBBIES

What is the attitude toward marriage in your country? Do most young people plan on getting married in your country? What are some of the advantages of marriage? What are some of the disadvantages? Is the divorce rate high in your country? Do you think people should be allowed to get divorced?


FILMS

Do you have any hobbies? What are some of your hobbies? When did you first develop tis hobby? What are some of the advantages of having a hobby? How much time do you spend on your hobby?


SHOPPING

Do you enjoy watching movies? Whats your favourite film? Who are your favourite actors? How often do you watch films?

Do you enjoy shopping?


SPORTS

How do you feel about shopping? Do you like shopping on the Internet? Do you have any favourite stores? What dont you like about shopping? Which is the most popular place to shop in your hometown?


FOOD

Do you like sports? Do you enjoy watching sports? Do you enjoy participating in any sports? Which sports are most popular in your country? Whats your favourite sport/ When did you first become interested in sports? How often do you participate in sports? What equipment do you need for your favourite sport?


FESTIVAL

What are some of your favourite foods? What foods are popular in your country? What are some of the famous dishes of your country? Do you enjoy cooking?


TELEVISION

Whats the most important festival in your country? How do people celebrate this festival? What special food is associated with this festival? What special activities are associated with this festival? What do you enjoy most about this festival? Do you think festivals are important for a society?


TOURISM

Do you watch television a lot? What do you usually watch on television? How many hours of television do you usually watch? What are the most popular shows in your country? What kind of shows do you like to watch? What are some advantages of television? What are someof the disadvantages of television? What did you last watch on television? Why do you think certain TV shows are so popular?

Which places would you recommend to a visitor to your country? Do a lot of tourists visit your country? What do they usually do there? How has tourism changed your country? Is your country expensive for most tourists? What are some famous landmarks in your country?

DAILY ROUTINE

Describe your daily routine. What do you usually do? What do you do on the weekend? What is you typical weekday like? Does your life change much from week to week? Do you have any free time during the week?

YOUR COUNTRY


CLOTHES

Which country are you from? Where is this country located? Which part of the country do most people live in? What are the main industries in your country? Is it easy to travel around your country?


GOING OUT

What type of clothes do you like to wear? What kind of clothes do people in your country usually wear? How important is fashion to you? What kind of clothes do you dislike? Do you think people behave differently in different kinds of clothes? What kind of clothes do people wear to work in your country? Are clothes expensive in your country?


GAMES

Do you like going out or staying at home? What do you like to do when you go out? How often do you go out? Do people in your country go our a lot? How and where do people in your country usually socialize? What kind of entertainment is popular in your country?


COLOURS

Do you enjoy playing any games? What kind of games do you play? Do you think adults should play games? What do children learn from games? What kind of games did you play when you were a child? What games are popular in your country today? What kind of games were popular when you were young? Do you think mental games like chess are good for you?

Do you have a favourite colour? What are your countrys colours? Do you think colours affect our moods? Can you learn anything about a person from the colours he / she likes? Do you like the same colours now as you did when you were a child?

MUSIC

Do you like music? What kind of music do you like? When do you usually listen to music? What kind of music did you like when you were younger? What kind of music is popular in your country? Do you play any musical instruments? Do you wish you could play any musical instruments? Which is your favourite instrument?

Introduction 1. Hello. Could you show me your identification card please? Hello. Sure, here it is. 2. Could you tell me your full name please? My full name is X. I am also called by my nick name Y. 3. What shall I call you? You could call me X. 4. How are you? I am well thank you, and yourself? 5. How old are you? I am 22 years old. In other words, I was born in 1980.On the eighth of March 1980, to be exact. 6a. Does your name have any special meaning? Yes, my name does have some special meaning. My family name means peace, and my first name means strong one. My nick name was given to me by one of my high school teachers, and it does not have any special meaning really. 6b. Does your name have any special meaning? I presume you are referring to my Muslim name. Yes, the English equivalent of my family name would be something like peace, and in the case of my first name it would be strong one. My nick name was randomly chosen by one of my high school teachers, and it really doesnt have any special meaning. 7a. Is your name important to you? No. I dont think it can do anything for me. I believe a person has to work out his own life. I am planning to do this as well as I can. 7b. Is your name important to you? Not really. I am part of the new generation who do not attach too much significance to our names. Names were important to the older generation as they of the opinion that it will determine your destiny to some extent. However, I personally believe that I myself will determine my destiny irrespective of what my name is. I will do this by acquiring good qualifications and by working hard. Hometown 8. How long have you lived in your hometown? I come from xxx. My parents have been living here for the past thirty years or so. I grew up here and I attended a well-known school called School number 163. We live in a respectable area with many shops, restaurants, and a variety of

other businesses. The people in our building are generally friendly and quite, which makes it a pleasure to live there. 9a. Where do you live? I live with my parents here in xxx at the moment. To be more exact, we live in an apartment building in one of the northern suburbs of the city. I have my own room and enjoy the privacy that it brings, but I am looking forward to the day that I can have my own apartment. Allow me to explain: they are good parents, and I love them very much, but I would like to be more independent soon 9b. Where do you live? Well, that is not so easy to answer. Please allow me to explain. During the week I live in a dormitory at the university, but over weekends I live with my parents in a village about one hour by car from xxx. So I really do not know which of the two to call my home at the moment. 10. Can you tell me something about your hometown? Yes, certainly. XXX is in the northeast part of my country. It has about three million inhabitants. It has many heavy industries such as automobile, and machine tool manufacturers. In addition, it is rich in history. For example, the xxx invaded the city and committed many atrocities (that is to say many crimes) during the occupation. This is still remembered by many of the elderly folks to this day. Another example that I could mention is the Imperial Palace that belonged to the last dynasty. 11. What are the main places of interest in your hometown? Why? Sure. Firstly, I could mention the Great River, which you will find around the city. To the northeast of the city there is the famous Mountains and the zoological park and botanical gardens. In summer it is a popular place to visit and see tigers, bears, wolves, other animals and even pandas in their natural environment. In winter we often go skiing there. Secondly, I would like to mention the Park. It consists of a large park, with many gardens and a lake. In addition it also is the site of an emperors tomb from the Dynasty. Lastly, there are many other sites that are worthwhile visiting. For example, Government (City Hall) Square with the Great Theater alongside it, Java Square, and the spectacular TV Tower, which is the highest architectural attraction in my country 12. What places in your hometown do you like best? There are many places that I like. If I had to choose one place, I would like to tell you about Government Square. Firstly, it is the largest square . What I mean is that it is a large open space where one can see the sky clearly, and feel free. Secondly, it houses an important government building. I guess you could call it the City Hall. 13a. What are the main crops in your region? In our region many crops are grown. For example one would find all kinds of vegetables in the fields of this region. In addition, many farmers have orchards. Here they grow many kinds of fruit like apples, pears, and peaches. 13b. What are the main crops in your region? In our region many crops are grown. For example one would find all kinds of vegetables in the fields of this region. In addition, many farmers have orchards. Here they grow many kinds of fruit like apples, pears, and peaches. Lastly, it is important to note that it is not known for its agriculture. It is better known as an industrial city. For example, here are many heavy industries manufacturing anything from aircraft and automobiles to machine tools. 14a. What is the difference between your hometown and other cities (such as Hong Kong)?

The main difference between my hometown and Hong Kong is the climate. For example, there they have a tropical climate. That is to say that it is very hot and humid. Here in my hometown we have cold winters and hot summers. Secondly, My hometown is an industrial city, whereas Hong Kong is more a financial center. That is to say, here we have many factory workers, or to be more exact, familyorientated workers who are not very wealthy, and in Hong Kong there are many tycoons, millionaires, and wealthy people 14b. What is the difference between your hometown and Hong Kong? The main difference between my hometown and Hong Kong is the climate. For example, there they have a tropical climate. That is to say that it is very hot and humid. Here in my hometown we have cold winters and hot summers. Although cities like Toronto,New York, are larger than my hometown , they all are bustling with industrial and cultural activities. Maybe Hong Kong is an exception, as it is better known as one of the most important financial capitals of the world. 15. Can you tell me something about the character of the people in your hometown? Well, they aren't any different from the inhabitants in any other large city. For example, here we also have many wholesome families as well as our share of criminal elements in the society. In addition, I believe that my hometown has not been westernized to the same extent as a city like HongKong. For example, the people have not become materialistic to the same extent as the inhabitants of

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