IELTS Speaking part 1 | Text messages

Most people probably send more texts than make phone calls. How often is a good question, as some people may send hundreds per day while others only a few.

Have a look at these questions

1. Do you text your friends all day even at work/university/school?
2. Can you use your phone at work/school/university?
3. Do you only text when you have free time? (finished work/university classes/school)
4. Do you send a lot of texts per day?

Examples

• I send text messages all of the time. I don’t know how many I send every day, but it is probably in the hundreds. If I want to speak to my friends or my parents I just text them rather than call them as I know they might be busy.
• At university I am not supposed to use my phone in class, so I just send text messages when I have finished. The messages are not really that important, just arranging meet ups with friends and things like that.

Meet up – phrasal verb – to meet another person/people and do something together

Most people would say that sending text messages is more convenient than making a phone call.

Think about the following questions

1. Is it more convenient to send a text message? (why?)?
2. Do you have to respond to text messages immediately?
3. Would you be allowed to take a phone call at work or during classes at university/school?

Examples

• Most of the time I send text messages to my friends. If they are at work, I know they probably can’t answer the phone, so texting is better than a phone call. It is more convenient to text, but I hate it when I have to wait for a reply. Although, if I am busy, I may not reply to a text immediately either. The only problem with a text is you don’t always know if the person has read it unless you use apps like WhatsApp.
• I think it is better to send texts really, I can send hundreds of texts for free but if I make a lot of phone calls then my service provider will charge me for them. If I have something to discuss with a friend, I could be on the phone a long time, but can discuss things by text for free. However, I usually get sore thumbs after texting for a while.

Service provider (n) – U.K. /ˈsɜːvɪs prəvaɪdə(r) US /ˈsɜːrvɪs prəvaɪdər/ – a company that provides a service to customers, especially one that connects customers to the internet or phone

Thumb (n) U.K. /θʌm/ US /θʌm/ – the short, thick finger at the side of the hand, slightly apart from the other four

Look the following questions

1. Is it better to call people when you have something important to discuss?(Why?)

2. If there was an emergency would you send a text or make a phone call?

3. Is it better to speak to friends on the phone than to write hundreds of texts?

Examples

• Obviously if I have something important to discuss then I will always make a phone call. For example, if I have to discuss something about work with my boss then I will call him rather than text. In an emergency I think it is better to call someone rather than text. If you make a phone call, then someone can come and help you immediately, but it could take ages for them to come and help if you send a text.

Ages (pl) – (informal, especially British English) a very long time

• In an emergency then I think it is better to call someone. I remember when my car broke down and I needed to call my friend to help me. If I had sent a text I could have been stranded for ages. If someone has an accident or witnesses an accident then they will have to call 999 if they want assistance, it wouldn’t be very useful if they sent a text message.

Break down – phrasal verb – (machine or vehicle) to stop working because a fault

Strand (passive) – (v) – U.K. /strænd/ US /strænd/ to be left somewhere unpleasant, remote or inconvenient

Witness (n)  U.K./ˈwɪtnəs/ US /ˈwɪtnəs/ – a person who sees something happen and is able to describe it to other people

For this question think about when you may receive spam texts.

Spam – (u) UK /spæm/ – US  /spæm/ – unwanted emails/texts/posts usually advertisements

1. Have you ever received a text advertising a product?
2. Have you ever received a text from someone telling you that you have received a gift/won a prize?
3. Have you ever received a message that was supposed to be from your bank that you found strange?

 Examples

• Unfortunately, I get a lot of spam messages these days. I don’t know how they manage to get people’s contact details, but it is very annoying. For example, I have had a few texts that were supposed to be from my bank, but I knew the were fake so just deleted them. I also received one once which was very odd, it said that it was from one of friends that had been in an accident on holiday and needed some money to pay for their hospital treatment. I almost fell for that one.
• Yes, I have had a few confusing messages. For instance, I have received quite a few supposedly from Amazon or Microsoft telling me that my account has been hacked. These kinds of texts are obviously scams to try and con people out of money. I am sure some people fall for them and lose a lot of money, so I think there should be some kind of law to stop this from happening.

Annoying (adj) U.K. /əˈnɔɪɪŋ/ US /əˈnɔɪɪŋ/ – to make someone feel slightly angry

Fake (adj) U.K. /feɪk/ US /feɪk/ – not what somebody claims it is; appearing to be something it is not

Fall for something – to be tricked into believing something that is not true

Supposedly (adv) – U.K. /səˈpəʊzɪdli/ US /səˈpəʊzɪdli/ – according to what is generally assumed or believed

Hack (v) U.K.  /hæk/ US /hæk/ – to secretly find a way of looking at and/or changing information on somebody else’s computer system without permission

Con (n) U.K. /kɒn/ US /kɑːn/ – a trick; an act of cheating somebody

Scam (n) U.K. /skæm/ US /skæm/ – a clever and dishonest plan to make money