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IELTS Speaking part 1 | Handwriting

writing, notes, pen

Do you prefer to write by hand or use a keyboard?

Have you ever written a letter by hand? (Why/why not?)

Is your handwriting easy for others to understand? (Why/why not)

 Can you tell anything about a person’s personality from their handwriting? (Why?/why not)

Language Focus

This is a question you have probably not even thought about, because writing is something that most people naturally do every day.  

Think about the following –

  1. When do you usually write by hand?
  2. Do you use a keyboard at work or for your studies?
  3. Why do you prefer writing by hand/keyboard?
  4. Do you have a preference or is it something you have never given much thought to?

Take your answers to these questions and try to put them together to answer in one or two sentences. Now, look at our possible ideas and examples below. Did you think of any of these things? What do you like to do at the weekends? Leave a comment and let us know!

Possible ideas

  1. You may write by hand to write out a shopping list or a ‘to do’ lists. You may be one of those rare individuals that still writes handwritten letters.
  2. Most people are more likely to use a keyboard nowadays particularly if they are working or studying. However, you may have just finished high school and some of the course work may have been completed by hand.
  3. You might prefer using a keyboard because it is very convenient. You don’t have to search for a pen and paper. You type notes into your mobile phone, tablet, or computer. You may have a pen and paper with you at all times, just in case you need to write something down.
  4. Most people have probably never really thought about this, and it is fine to tell the examiner that you haven’t thought about something. Let’s be honest, it’s not exactly a topic of conversation at parties or when you meet someone for the first time!

Examples

  • To honest, it’s not something I have really thought about before. I usually use a keyboard, especially for my studies. I have to write things like essays into documents to send them to my tutor which I can’t really do by hand as everything is done digitally. The only time I write by hand is when I make a shopping list so I don’t forget things, but I can’t really say I have a preference for either, it’s just something I do without thinking..

Preference (noun)  UK  /ˈpref.ər.əns/  US /ˈpref.ər.əns/ – this is often used with the preposition ‘for’

the fact that you like something or someone more than another thing or person

This is often used with the preposition for –

I have a preference for sweet food over spicy.

  •  I always use a keyboard as it is just more convenient. At work, everything I do is on computer and if I need to write anything down, for example, a reminder to do something I just pop it in my phone. My phone will also send me a notification which is a really useful function.

 pop (something) in/into something — phrasal verb with pop verb   

 Pop the CD-ROM into a personal computer.

Just pop your supper in the microwave.

Not suitable for academic writing

(related to mobile phones) Notification noun [ C or U ] UK  /ˌnəʊ.tɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/ US  /ˌnoʊ.t̬ə.fəˈkeɪ.ʃən/

A message that is automatically sent to you

 

The response to this question is usually no, but you could think of some other things you might write by hand.

  1. When you go on holiday you may send postcards to your friends.
  2. On birthdays or for other occasions you may write a card

Example

  • I don’t think I have ever written a letter by hand as I usually just send emails. However, when I go on holiday/vacation I like to send postcards to my friends or if it is a birthday, I will write a birthday card out. I don’t think many people my age write letters these days as we mostly communicate using email or use other messenger apps. If I want to contact one of my friends I can just text them or speak to them directly using video chat on WhatAapp or Facebook messenger.

 

Most people don’t often write by hand these days so it’s likely that few people ever get to see your handwriting except for things like birthday cards etc. In this case you can refer back to a previous answer to a question. It is fine to do this in the test. Also, when you are answering one question you may have already answered another question the examiner is going to ask you. The examiner has to ask you that question as they are reading from a script in part 1 even if it seems a little odd.

Example

  • As mentioned earlier, I don’t usually write by hand as I usually use my phone or computer. But when I was studying, I did have to write a lot by hand, and I think all of my teachers could understand my handwriting. None of them ever said they had a problem reading it.

This is quite an interesting question as the police often use handwriting experts to see if they can find out more about a criminal’s personality. However, most of us don’t look at handwriting and think ‘this person must be artistic’ or ‘this person must be a good worker’.

 Example

  • I think there are many different styles of handwriting, but I am not sure if you can tell anything about a person’s personality from it. May be if the handwriting is very large you could guess the person might be an extrovert or if it is small an introvert. However, I think it is difficult to define a person by analysing their handwriting.

Extrovert (Noun) UK  /ˈek.strə.vɜːt/ US /ˈek.strə.vɝːt/

An outgoing person/ socially confident and like to be around other people

 

Introvert (Noun)  UK  /ˈɪn.trə.vɜːt/ US /ˈɪn.trə.vɝːt/

 

A shy/quiet person who prefers to spend time alone rather than with other people

 

Define(Verb) UK /dɪˈfaɪn/ US /dɪˈfaɪn

To explain and describe the meaning and exact limits of something

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