Band 9 Sample – Topic: A time you borrowed something from your family or friend

Describe a time you borrowed something from your family or friend You should say:  What you borrowed Who you borrowed it from What you borrowed it for And explain why it was useful to you Model Answer  I’m going to tell you about a time my grandfather lent me his car when mine broke down (stopped working). My car was in the shop after it left me stranded (stuck) without brakes, so I really appreciated his kind gesture. If he hadn’t done this for me, I would have been lost since this was the time before Uber, not to mention I live in the suburbs of Atlanta so there isn’t much public transportation available. I borrowed his Honda Civic for about a week. I used it to get to work and school as well as run other errands. As I said, it’s nearly impossible to get around my town without your own personal vehicle.  The brakes in his car weren’t the best either, so he only allowed me to take it on short journeys. With this said, I didn’t go out with friends or take any road trips with it. As my grandfather is known to have a bad temper (gets angry easily), I was very careful in it to make sure I didn’t scratch, dent (to leave an indent), or get in an accident with it. It was useful to me all basic ways. Without his offer, I would have been able to get to work and school which were the basis of my life. Since everything is spread out (not close together) and not walkable, we completely rely on our cars in my town. QUESTIONS Who is more important to you, friends or family? In the deepest part of my heart, I think family natters more to me, although sometimes I may spend more time with my friends. You know, we can only be born once by our parents, but we can make new friends all the time. Besides, in this benefit-oriented society, only parents truly love us. Therefore, family should, carry more weight. In a typical family, who plays the leading role? Well, the stereotype is that the father is the breadwinner of the family, the person who makes the decisions and takes responsibility for the whole family. This can be understandable because the father tends to occupy high positions in society while the mother tends to be housewife or only gets involved in some trivial work like cleaning or babysitting. However, this is not really the case in modern society where freedom and equality is being put a higher emphasis on. Women are as successful as men and are no longer in charge of the monotonous household chores like they were in the past In your country, what kinds of family members usually live together? Well, to the best of my knowledge, despite the increasing popularity of nuclear families, extended ones still exist in our society. Usually both parents and one, two or three kids would livetogether under the same roof. In other cases, a grandmother or grandmother joins them to take care of the small kids while the parents are away for work, for example. Other less common situations are many generations reside in the same house, usually a multi-story house. Families like these often consist of an uncle, aunt, and their families and so on. Typically, many problems occur when a great many members are in a similar place Do young and middle-age people live with old people? Frankly speaking, unlike in Western countries where it is common to send older grandparents to nursing homes, most people are bound by their duty,  which means that they should or, in another sense, have to pay back what their parents have given them. As a consequence, the young generations and middle- aged people tend to share the same house with older people. This can be beneficial since small children can receive special care from their grandparents, obtain invaluable hands-on experience and tend to develop a good code of conduct later on. What would children do to make their parents proud? I guess kids can have good performances at school and behave well to their teachers and the elders. Parents usually take a great pride in their kids if their children get a good score at school, or when others tell them that their kids are nice people. As well as this, I deem it a necessity if children help their parents out with mundane tasks ground the house like sweeping the floor, or washing the dishes. Do you like to spend time on your own or with your family/friends? I would love to hang out with my families more. As my parents are always pied up at work we can hardly manage time for one another. So, we often try our best to spend time by having a dinner together at some restaurants at the weekend or see a movie together if time permits. For me, it’s much better to build a close-knit family and strengthen our bonds.   What are parents’ responsibilities for their children? Primarily, they are responsible for the safety and upbringing of their children. Obviously, it includes a lot of things, such as feeding them, comforting them and looking after them under any circumstances. They need to make sure that their  children have everything they need and are well looked after, have opportunities to learn about things, grow up and develop as well-mannered individuals. What’s the influence of parents on their children? At first, parents’ behaviors influence their children greatly. If parents are polite, generous and kind, their children tend to be like this. Besides, parents have influence on their children in making some great decisions. I think good parents should help their children make better decisions and offer them useful guidance. What’s more, parents’ attitudes to work, marriage and life can also influence their children. The children may lose confidence in love and marriage if their parents often quarrel.