IELTS cue card: «Describe a family member you spend a lot of time with», пример ответа

Describe a family member you spend a lot of time with.

You should say:

who this person is

what you do together

how often you see them

and explain why you enjoy spending time with them.

The family member I spend the most time with is my grandfather. He's seventy-eight, he used to be an engineer at a factory, and since my grandmother passed away he's lived with us.

Our main ritual is chess. Almost every evening after dinner we play a game or two, and even though I've got much better over the years, he still beats me about seventy percent of the time. On weekends we often walk to the bazaar together, because he insists on choosing the fruit himself, and he also loves fixing things around the house, so I'm usually his assistant.

Since we live in the same flat, I see him every single day, which I think is quite common in Uzbekistan but unusual in a lot of other countries.

The reason I enjoy his company so much is that he's incredibly patient, and he never talks down to me. He asks my opinion about the news and actually listens. He also tells amazing stories about what Tashkent was like in the sixties and seventies, before most of the buildings I know were even built.

I sometimes think I've learned more from those chess games and walks than from a lot of my lessons.

Should elderly people live with their families?

Ideally, I think so, if the family can manage it. Older people stay more active and less lonely, and children benefit from growing up with their grandparents. That said, it only works if everyone has some personal space.

How have family roles changed in your country?

Quite a lot in cities. Both parents usually work now, so grandparents often do much of the childcare, and fathers are more involved with their children than in my grandfather's generation.

What can young people learn from older people?

Do families spend less time together than in the past?