IELTS Speaking band 8 sample test 5: Food and cooking

Examiner: Let's start with food. What is your favourite type of food?

Candidate: Oh, Korean, without a doubt. I got hooked after a friend dragged me to a Korean barbecue in Soho, and now I'm basically obsessed. I love the balance of flavours, the sweet, the spicy and the sour, all in one bite. Kimchi is a must for me, and I'll happily eat it with almost anything.

Examiner: Do you enjoy cooking? Why or why not?

Candidate: Yeah, I really do, and it's become my weekend thing. I'm not a classically trained chef by any means, but I like experimenting, and there's something quite therapeutic about chopping, stirring and watching a recipe come together. The other week I attempted bulgogi from scratch, and it was a bit of a disaster, to be honest, but the second go was spot on.

Examiner: Do you usually eat at home or eat out?

Candidate: It's a mix, though I'd say I eat out more than I should. Working in a hectic office in Canary Wharf, I'm often grabbing something near the station, and at weekends I'm usually with my mates trying somewhere new. Still, I try to cook at home midweek, mostly because my bank account has started giving me a hard time.

Examiner: Now, I'm going to give you a topic, and I'd like you to talk about it for one to two minutes. Describe a meal you really enjoyed. You should say: what you ate, where you ate it, and who you were with, and explain why you enjoyed this meal so much. You have one minute to prepare.

Examiner: All right, please start speaking now.

Candidate: The meal I'd like to talk about was a birthday dinner at a Korean barbecue in Soho, about six months ago. It was for my flatmate Jamie, who'd been on at us for weeks about wanting somewhere loud and fun. Five of us squeezed round a table with a built-in grill, which, I'll admit, is a bit of a recipe for chaos, but that was half the fun.

Candidate: We ordered loads, really. There was marinated beef that we cooked ourselves on the grill, pork belly with a sesame dipping sauce, and a massive bowl of bibimbap that arrived sizzling in a stone pot. The side dishes kept coming too, pickled radish, kimchi, a sort of spicy potato salad, and we kept asking for more kimchi. I think the bibimbap was the star, honestly, with a crispy layer of rice at the bottom and a fried egg on top that was perfectly runny.

Candidate: Why I enjoyed it so much, I think, was the whole experience. The food was great, obviously, but what made it special was the buzz of the place, the smoke, the noise, and everyone being slightly messy and laughing at themselves. Jamie was genuinely touched by the fuss we made, and we ended up staying so long that the staff must have been glad to see the back of us. I still think about that night whenever I want something hearty and communal. It's a meal that reminds me why I love eating with people.

Examiner: Thank you. Do you think eating out with friends is more enjoyable than eating at home?

Candidate: Usually, yeah, because the atmosphere does half the work. Still, a good home-cooked meal with mates on the sofa is hard to beat, so it really depends on the mood.

Examiner: Let's consider eating habits more generally. How have eating habits changed in your country in recent years?

Candidate: The biggest shift, in my view, is that food has become a lifestyle statement. People post their brunches, track their macros and care far more about where their ingredients come from. At the same time, the rise of delivery apps means a lot of people are eating takeaway more than ever, which rather undermines the healthy image. London has also got a real street food scene, which is a good thing, because it's made global cuisines accessible for people on a budget. I'd say we're more adventurous than we used to be, even if we're not always more disciplined about it.

Examiner: Do you think fast food is a problem for public health?

Candidate: Yes, I think it is, though I'd stop short of blaming it entirely. The real issue is how cheap and convenient it is, especially in deprived areas where there seem to be more fast food outlets than supermarkets. Those calories add up, and so do the links to obesity and diabetes. That said, I don't think people should be lectured for enjoying a burger now and then. Good government policy would focus on making healthier food more affordable, rather than just putting warning labels on everything. Education helps too, but it can't compete with a two-pound meal deal.

Examiner: Why do you think some traditional foods are disappearing?

Candidate: Mostly it comes down to time and money. Traditional dishes can take hours to prepare, and fewer people have the patience or the kitchen space, so they're easily replaced by something faster. Some ingredients have also become harder to source or more expensive, which pushes them off the menu. But I think there's a cultural side too. When a dish is linked to your grandparents' generation, younger people can see it as a bit dated, and that's a real shame. Restaurants and home cooks can help by putting them back on the table and telling their stories.