A lesson on describing  national holidays

In part 2 of the IELTS speaking test you are given a topic to speak about for 1 to 2 minutes, and in part 3 of the test you need to discuss more general questions related to the same topic. In this lesson, you will first listen to a monologue and then an informal discussion.

1) Learn more about Norouz from Leila

Hi. My name is Leila. I live in Tehran. My favourite holiday is Norouz – the festival of new day. Norouz is the Iranian New Year and is a spring festival. We celebrate Norouz for several days in Iran. During Norouz I don’t get up early and don’t go to school. Before Norouz my mother and I clean and decorate the house and set Haft-sin table. We prepare food for a big party, and eat fish and rice. We also wear our new clothes, visit friends and family, hang out with them and give them presents. During the celebrations, children eat lots of candy and sweet things and many people travel. I love Norouz; it’s a beautiful and fun holiday.

2) Listen to an Arab and a Korean discussing their favourite national holidays

A: Wow! That dress your sister’s wearing is gorgeous! What was the occasion?
J: Oh! That was for Chuseok, the dress is called the hanbok. 
A: Did you say Chuseok? What’s that? A holiday?
J: That’s right! It’s a traditional Korean holiday. It takes place in september or October each year to celebrate the harvest.
A: So, does everyone dress up like that?
J: Some people do.
A: So what else does everyone do on Chuseok?
J: We get together with our relatives, and we eat a lot.
A: Well, that sounds nice.
J: Not only that, but we go to our hometowns and visit the graves of our ancestors.
A: So I suppose the airports and train stations are mobbed with people, right?
J: Totally. And the traffic is impossible! It takes hours to get anywhere.
A: I think every country’s got at least one holiday like that.
J: What holiday comes to mind for you?
A: It reminds me of Eid al-Adha: a four-day religious holiday we celebrate where I come from.
J: In what way?
A: Well, people put on their best clothes, and we eat a ton of great food. We also travel to be with our relatives and visit the graves of our loved ones who have died.
J: How about that! Sounds just like our holiday.