Model Answers By Topic
16. Hometown
SPEAKING
PART 1
1. Where is your hometown located?
My hometown is located in the northern part of my country, close to the coast and surrounded by mountains.
2. What is your hometown like?
My hometown is a quaint provincial town, quite far away from the capital. It’s pretty quiet most of the time although it does hold a bustling farmer’s market every other weekend. Otherwise, there’s not much hustle and bustle.
3. Does it have any historical buildings?
Yes, my hometown has one or two historical buildings, including a farmhouse that was built over 200 years ago.
4. What do you like about your hometown?
What I love about my hometown is the sense of community and the laid-back lifestyle. I left home and moved to the city because I found the pace of life too slow, but now I often miss it.
5. Has it changed much since you were a child?
No, my hometown hasn’t changed a huge amount since I was a child. It’s too far away from a big city to become a commuter town, so it’s kept its rustic charm.
6. Do most of your family and friends still live there?
No, most of my friends now work in the capital like me. But my parents still live there and I have a few aunties, uncles and cousins there too. Most of my younger relatives have already left too. There just aren’t enough good work opportunities.
7. What kinds of jobs do people in your hometown have?
People in my hometown tend to work in agriculture or something related to it. Other than that, there’s some tourism, so there are one or two hotels and a slowly growing hospitality sector, but it’s not huge.
8. Do you ever miss your hometown?
Yes, these days I often feel a little homesick. Although I don’t really like the small town mentality of some people there, I feel good when I visit and feel like I belong there. It’s a feeling I don’t often have in the big city - I must be a country girl at heart!
Listen to Speaking Part 1 Model Answers:
PART 2
Describe your hometown.
You should say:
where it is
what you can see there
and say why you think people choose to live there
Model Answer:
My hometown is a suburban town in the Southeast, near the outskirts of a large city and just inside the major ring road around the city. The great thing about my hometown is that it’s a commuter town with good transport links, so it’s easy to get into the city centre, but at the same time, it's also near the countryside.
I guess the most picturesque place is in the centre of the town. There’s a nice little pond with ducks that local people often feed. During a sunny afternoon you will often see parents with toddlers and elderly people enjoying the pleasant atmosphere. But, in my opinion, the nicest area in the village is the high street. There are some old pubs, a post office and some shops and amenities like a butcher’s, a grocer’s and a hairdresser’s.
There aren’t any monuments or statues or anything like that, and it's certainly not a tourist destination, but the town centre is worth visiting occasionally because it’s a pleasant place to walk, and there are a few benches in case you want to sit down and relax.
One of the main reasons people like the town is that they don't want all the noise of a metropolis, but they still want to be able to quickly and conveniently travel into the city centre. People like the village because the pace of life is slow and you are away from the hustle and bustle of the city. That's why you tend to see a lot of older people and families here. To be honest, for young people it's probably a little boring!
Listen to Speaking Part 2 Model Answers:
PART 3
1. In what ways could you improve your hometown?
My hometown is a great place to live if you like peace and quiet and a slow pace of life, but it could do with a few more shops and services. It would be great to have a bigger supermarket in the town, and it could be useful to have a few more restaurants. It would also be nice if it was slightly more cosmopolitan. Some of the locals have a small town mentality, which gets on my nerves.
2. Do people who grow up in the same hometown have similar personalities?
I really don’t think so. Obviously, your roots are really important and affect who you are, but there are many other factors which are much more important, such as your parents, family, friends, and school. In my opinion, the only time that your hometown can influence what kind of person you are a great deal, is if it is in a very remote place, so that you spend all of your time in a particular environment with a very specific culture.
3. Many people leave their hometowns when they become adults. Why is this?
It’s probably because most young people want a faster pace of life - they want the hustle and bustle of a big city. They also usually want better job opportunities. Most of the time, the best opportunities are in big cities, so young people tend to migrate to cities when they leave school or finish university. I think young people are also attracted by the culture, nightlife and entertainment options in cities - they want to be in a more cosmopolitan and lively environment.
4. Why do most people have a strong connection to their hometown?
The majority of people have strong roots to their hometown, with a lot of personal connections such as friends and family there. So, they have a reason to visit the town regularly to catch up with relatives, and this also gives them a chance to reconnect with childhood friends. As well as that, I think most people have a lot of fond memories from childhood, and feel a deep attachment to the place where they grew up.
5. Is it better to grow up in a small town or a big city?
I think there are pros and cons to both. Big cities are more cosmopolitan and offer a lot more opportunities for education, for entertainment and to meet lots of other people. However, small towns are often nice places for families, because there are fewer problems with crime, they are quieter and safer, and usually there are more places where children can play outside, and enjoy the fresh air.
6. What factors make a town attractive to live in?
I think this is a question of personal taste. Some people love to live in a lively city, while others prefer quieter towns and villages with a slower pace of life. But, in general, we can say that a town which is safe, where the locals are friendly, and where local services work effectively, is attractive to everyone. It also helps if the transport system is efficient as most people like to be able to travel easily into and out of the town by car and by public transport.
Listen to Speaking Part 3 Model Answers:
WRITING
GENERAL TEST WRITING TASK 1
A foreign friend is going to move to your hometown and has asked for your advice about living in the town. Write a letter to your friend.
In your letter:
suggest a good part of the city to live in
explain what public transport there is
and say what there is to do in the city
Model Answer:
Dear Hernan,
It was great to receive your letter and I was very surprised and happy to find out that you’re going to move to my hometown. It will be great to see you there once you’ve arrived!
You mentioned that you’re looking for accommodation in a nice part of town. Well, I’d like to recommend the area where I used to live. It’s in the outskirts of the town to the northwest, and it’s one of the nicest neighbourhoods. The transport links are good too, as there are several regular buses that connect the area to the rest of the city. I think you’ll take to the neighbourhood because, although you don’t have the hustle and bustle of the town centre, there’s a real sense of community and the locals are very friendly. I’m sure you won’t feel homesick at all.
There are lots of things you can do in the town. There are several nice restaurants which you’re bound to enjoy, and there’s one pub, ‘The Grumpy Mole’, which has an excellent selection of ales. I’m sure you’ll like the surrounding countryside too, and I can suggest a few bike trails which are fantastic in the summer.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions about the town, and looking forward to catching up soon.
Best wishes,
Tom
WRITING TASK 2
Model Answer:
There are both pros and cons to raising children in a small town. Towns and villages usually offer a cleaner and safer place for children to grow up in, however, it is often more difficult for such small towns or villages to offer children a high quality education.
Cities and large towns often have problems with pollution and crime while small towns and villages are usually less polluted and provide a safer place for children. In smaller provincial towns you will often find close-knit communities where people know their neighbours, and locals are able to watch what happens in their neighbourhood. As a result, the streets are safer and the children are better protected. In addition, towns and villages don’t tend to include such a large number of factories or industrial plants, and have lower levels of traffic, so the natural environment is generally much cleaner. A more rustic environment with less air pollution and a greater sense of community therefore provides a healthier place to live in and raise youngsters.
However, children can be held back by limited academic opportunities in smaller towns and villages. In small towns, and especially in more remote villages, the small number of pupils and the schools’ more limited resources can make providing a high quality education difficult. With fewer pupils and less funds available these schools cannot offer such a wide choice of subjects or extracurricular activities, such as learning another language, or playing an instrument. Furthermore, with fewer pupils in each year group, classes cannot be organised by ability, so the best students may be held back by slower students. Finally, small towns do not offer the same higher education options as big cities and it can be much more costly for children to study at university if they need to leave home or commute a long way to do so. As a consequence of all these factors, the children raised in small towns and villages have lower chances of academic success.
To conclude, there are upsides and downsides to growing up in a town or village compared with a larger city. The environment in a city is often more polluted and less safe for children, but a city can usually provide opportunities for learning and development that a smaller town or village cannot match.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of raising children in a small town?
VOCABULARY
Topic Vocabulary:
attachment (noun [u]):
Definition: A feeling of strong emotional connection to someone or something.
Example: She felt a deep attachment to her parents and got very homesick when she left home.
belong (verb):
Definition: To be a part or member of a particular group, place, or category.
Example: He never felt like he really belonged in the city.
catch up (phrasal verb):
Definition: To speak to someone to find out about the recent events in their life.
Example: She spent 2 hours on the phone catching up with her school friend.
commuter town (noun [c]):
Definition: A residential area where people live but typically travel to work in a nearby city.
Example: He lives in a commuter town, just outside the capital.
cosmopolitan (adjective):
Definition: Reflecting a mix of cultures and influences from around the world.
Example: New York City is known for its cosmopolitan atmosphere.
homesick (adjective):
Definition: Feeling a strong desire or nostalgia for one's home or familiar surroundings.
Example: After a month away, I started to feel homesick.
hustle and bustle (idiom):
Definition: Busy, noisy activity and movement, especially in a crowded area.
Example: The hustle and bustle of the city can be overwhelming.
leave home (verb phrase):
Definition: To stop living at the family home.
Example: Many young people feel homesick when they leave home to go to university.
locals (noun [pl]):
Definition: People who live in a particular place or community and are familiar with its customs and culture.
Example: The locals knew the best restaurants in town.
migrate (verb):
Definition: To move from one place to another, often between countries or regions.
Example: Many people migrate to cities looking for work.
outskirts (noun [pl]):
Definition: The outer parts of a town or city, away from the centre.
Example: Their house is on a quiet street in the outskirts of the town.
pace of life (idiom):
Definition: How fast or slow daily activities happen in a place or culture.
Example: Life in the countryside has a slower pace compared to the bustling city.
provincial (adjective):
Definition: Relating to or characteristic of a province.
Example: The town's provincial charm attracted visitors seeking a peaceful getaway.
quaint (adjective):
Definition: Charmingly old-fashioned or picturesque.
Example: The quaint little cottage looked like something from a storybook.
reconnect (verb):
Definition: To reestablish a connection or bond, especially with people or places from one's past.
Example: After years apart, they decided to reconnect and became close friends again.
roots (noun [pl]):
Definition: The place or culture from which a person or group of people comes.
Example: She returned to her hometown to reconnect with her roots.
rustic (adjective):
Definition: Characteristic of a rural or countryside place, often simple and rough in appearance.
Example: The rustic cabin in the woods was a perfect escape from city life.
sense of community (noun phrase):
Definition: A feeling of connection with a group of people who share common interests, values, or location.
Example: The neighbourhood's annual picnic strengthens the sense of community.
small town mentality (noun phrase):
Definition: Considering local matters very important, and not having exposure to other ways of life.
Example: People in the village were suspicious of strangers, which was a characteristic of their small town mentality.
suburban (adjective):
Definition: Relating to a residential area located on the outskirts of a city.
Example: They moved to a suburban area for a quieter lifestyle and more space.
