Cambridge IELTS 18 · Test 1 · Speaking · Part 3

Cooking Chefs

Young people and cooking

Question 1: What kinds of things can children learn to cook?

I think children can start with simple, safe things — things like assembling sandwiches, making breakfast, or baking basic cakes and biscuits where there's no sharp knife or open flame involved. As they get a bit older and more confident, they can move on to proper cooking, like a simple pasta dish or a basic sauce. The point is to build confidence early with low-risk tasks.

Question 2: Do you think it is important for children to learn to cook?

Yes, I think it's genuinely important. Cooking is a practical life skill, so it teaches self-reliance, and it's also good for health, because children who can cook tend to eat better and understand what's in their food. Beyond that, it develops patience and following instructions. I'd say it's one of those skills that pays off for the rest of your life, so learning it young is valuable.

Question 3: Do you think young people should learn to cook at home or at school?

I'd argue both, but for different reasons. At home, learning is more personal and practical — you pick up the family's way of doing things and cook real meals, and you're more likely to do it regularly. At school, though, it's more structured and reaches everyone, including children whose parents don't or can't cook. So I'd say home is the better place for the habit, but school is important for making sure nobody misses out.

Working as a chef

Question 4: How enjoyable do you think it would be to work as a professional chef?

I think it would be enjoyable in a very specific way — there's real creativity in it, and probably a great sense of satisfaction when you make something people love. But I'd also imagine it's extremely demanding: long hours, standing all day, and enormous pressure during a busy service. So I'd say it's rewarding but far from relaxing, and it's really for people who love the craft more than the glamour.

Question 5: What skills does a person need to be a great chef?

Above all, I'd say technical skill and consistency — being able to produce the same dish to the same standard every single time. But beyond that, a great chef needs organisational skills, because a kitchen is chaotic, and the ability to work fast and stay calm. And I think creativity matters too — the ones who really stand out can take familiar ingredients and turn them into something original and memorable.

Question 6: How much influence do celebrity/TV chefs have on what ordinary people cook?

I'd say it's quite significant, but it's a bit mixed. On the positive side, TV chefs have got a lot of people excited about cooking and introduced them to ingredients and techniques they'd never have tried. But on the downside, they can create unrealistic expectations — people buy expensive equipment or attempt hugely complicated dishes and then get discouraged. Overall, I'd say they're a good influence, as long as you treat them as inspiration rather than a standard to live up to.

Analysis

Fluency & Coherence

Each answer builds claim → reason → example/qualification, and the discussion is split cleanly by the two topics. Qualifiers ("I'd argue", "above all", "a bit mixed") show the speaker weighing factors rather than stating absolutes.

Takeaway: in Part 3, signal a balanced view explicitly ("it's a bit mixed", "both, for different reasons") and then justify each side — that shows evaluative thinking.

Lexical Resource

The vocabulary is appropriately evaluative and precise: "self-reliance", "structured", "the craft more than the glamour", "unrealistic expectations", "a standard to live up to." The register stays discursive, not academic.

Takeaway: for education/career discussion, use self-reliance, structured, the craft, unrealistic expectations — and balance phrases ("far from relaxing", "more the habit than the skill") to add nuance.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

Answers deploy conditionals and concession: "as long as you treat them as inspiration rather than a standard" (conditional), "because a kitchen is chaotic" (causal), "children whose parents don't or can't cook" (possessive relative), and "it's really for people who love the craft" (defining relative).

Takeaway: use "as long as" for a condition, "whose" for possession, and a balanced "X rather than Y" comparison — three structures that lift a discussion answer.

Pronunciation

Watch the clusters and links: "self-reliance" → /sɛlfrɪˈlaɪəns/, "unrealistic expectations" → /ʌnrɪəˈlɪstɪk‿ɛkspɛkˈteɪʃnz/, "a bit mixed" → /əbɪt‿mɪkst/. Keep stress on the evaluative words — "important", "demanding", "significant", "unrealistic".

Takeaway: rehearse the cluster in "self-reliance" and the /t/ links in "a bit mixed"; place nuclear stress on the judgment words so your view is unmistakable.