Describe Your Hometown: IELTS Speaking Cue Card with Band 8 Sample Answer

I grew up in a small coastal town in the south of my country, about two hours by car from the capital. It has a population of around forty thousand people, so it’s the kind of place where you can’t walk down the main street without bumping into someone you know.

In terms of what it’s like, the heart of the town is the harbour. There’s an old fish market there that’s been running for over a century, and every morning you can see the boats coming in and people bargaining over the catch. Apart from that, there’s really just one main street with cafés, small family-run shops and a couple of restaurants. The atmosphere changes completely depending on the season. In winter it’s very quiet, almost sleepy, but in summer it’s packed with tourists, and the population nearly doubles.

As for what people do, traditionally most families depended on fishing, but that’s declined a lot over the last twenty years. Nowadays, tourism is the main source of income, and a lot of people run guesthouses or work in restaurants during the summer. Unfortunately, there aren’t many opportunities for young people, so many of my school friends, including me, moved to bigger cities to study and work.

I have quite mixed feelings about it, to be honest. On the one hand, I feel really nostalgic whenever I go back. I love being close to the sea, and life there is much slower and friendlier than in the city. On the other hand, I can see why people leave, and it’s changing fast, with more holiday apartments and fewer locals. Still, it will always be home to me, and I’d like to live there again when I’m older.

Useful language:bumping into someone you knowthe heart of the townbargaining overalmost sleepypacked with touriststhe main source of incomemixed feelings

Mainly for education and work. Universities and well-paid jobs tend to be concentrated in big cities, so young people feel they have no choice. Cities also offer more entertainment and a more diverse social life. The problem is that this leaves small towns with an ageing population, which makes it even harder for them to develop.

Useful language:concentrated in big citiesan ageing population

Small towns usually have a stronger sense of community, lower living costs, less traffic and cleaner air. People tend to know and help each other. The disadvantages are fewer jobs, limited services such as hospitals, and less entertainment. So I’d say small towns suit families and older people better, while cities suit young professionals.

Useful language:a stronger sense of communitylower living costslimited services

They usually become richer, but they can lose their identity. Local shops are replaced by souvenir shops and international chains, and housing becomes more expensive because owners rent apartments to tourists. Local people can be priced out of their own town. Tourism needs to be managed carefully so that locals benefit too.

Useful language:lose their identitypriced out ofmanaged carefully

Improving internet connections would be a big step, because it would allow people to work remotely from smaller towns. Governments could also offer tax benefits to companies that open offices outside big cities and invest in transport links. If young people could build careers there, many would happily stay.

Useful language:work remotelytax benefitstransport links