Ielts jeremy Chiron Ideas and Examples for ielts speaking

5. Are there any problems people may experience when receiving visitors to their
homes?
If the visitors informed you ahead, there shouldn't be any problems; but if they decided to drop
by (= visit) unexpectedly, then your house might not be clean, or you might not have any snacks to
offer them. You might not be wearing any nice clothes, and most important you might have some
other things to do. A good thing is that nowadays, people usually call on your mobile before visiting,
so it gives you a chance to avoid these problems. Another slight problem could be that you need to
do (=clean) the dishes everyone used after having people over. In China, a lot of people smoke, and
you might not want your guests to smoke at home, but, in our culture, it's hard to ask them to step
outside for a cigarette. And not every guest has the decency to do so.
6. How important is giving hospitality to friends/strangers in your culture?
It is very important to be hospitable in Chinese culture. We always pay extra attention to
making people feel at home when they visit us. We believe that it is a sign of courtesy (= politeness),
and we should make sure that people feel as comfortable as possible. In the countryside, it is very
common for farmers to offer tea to people who pass by. I visited many old villages in Fujian and
Guizhou, and I was always well received by the locals when I asked them for directions. Chinese
people are usually very welcoming.

---

391
A Controversial Issue in Your Country
Tell me about a controversial issue in China.
You should say: what the issue is and why it is controversial
what the arguments are on the issue
what most people think about it
and explain what your opinion on the issue is.
• Death penalty: 2 opposing sides: China is not the only country.
• Injections or simply executed (shot): ultimate punishment for rapists,
murderers, drug dealers
• In
human? Deprives the criminal of his right to life
• What if the police or the judge made a mistake: innocent victims?
• Can it deter people from committing crime?
I think that the biggest controversy in China has to do with the death penalty. Of course China
is not the only country where criminals can be sentenced to death, and a number of criminals are
executed annually. This issue has divided public opinion into two opposing camps: those in favor
of the capital punishment, and those who oppose it.
In China, criminals can be executed using firearms; that is to say the executioner will fire a
bullet into the back of the convict's head. But nowadays, I read that they are killed by a lethal
injection. It's supposed to be less violent, although the result is identical. A lot of people in China
believe that it is a fair choice to repay these people for the crimes they have committed. The
defendants of capital punishment think that mass murderers, drug dealers and corrupt officials don't
deserve a second chance.
On the other hand, many civil organizations place a serious emphasis on (the concept of) human
rights. Many opponents of the death penalty argue that criminals should be imprisoned for life,
because nobody should have the power to decide whether another person should live or die. In
addition, they believe that if the criminal stays in prison for a long time, it will give him time to
think about his wrongdoings. It gives him a chance to have regrets and to be forgiven: I guess it
sounds more humane.
I have heard that in the United States, many people have been the victims of wrongful
executions. Thanks to the new DNA testing technology, later investigations have found quite a few
people innocent (= they were exonerated) after their sentence. And this is absolutely horrible. I guess
it could also happen in my country.
Advocates of the death penalty argue that it deters crime. It is true that convicted murderers or
rapists who are killed will not offend again, but I wonder if it really prevents other potential
criminals from doing something bad. In contrast, people in favor of the abolition of the death penalty
think that capital punishment encourages a culture of violence. I believe everyone should be given
a second chance under special conditions.