IELTS Speaking Test Part 2: Describe A Book You Have Recently Read

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Answer:  One of the books that I have recently read is called At Home: A Short History of Private Life by an author called Bill Bryson. It is a thick, factual book about many different subjects. It is really a collection of information and anecdotes related to our private lives, past and present.

The book is mainly about things that have been included in our homes over the centuries. The author started out by wondering about the history of everything in his own home. As it is a factual book rather than a novel, it does not have a plot as such.

Each chapter in the book covers the history of a particular room. For example, the chapter on the kitchen talks about the history of running water, electricity, gas cooking and so on. The chapter about the bathroom looks at the history of plumbing, sanitation and privacy. The book contains so much interesting information that I think I will have to read it again in order to take it all in.

As to the kind of people who would enjoy it, I think anybody who is interested in history and enjoys learning lots of interesting facts  would enjoy reading this book. It would also appeal to a busy person, as it’s a good book to dip in and out of, because you don’t have to follow a story, as you would with a novel.

You can just take it chapter by chapter, or even page by page, as there is something to learn on every page. Each chapter is written like a story, even though it is a factual book, so it takes the reader to all sorts of unexpected places, and for me it was a real page-turner. 

I like this book because I learned such a huge amount from it, which has made me look around my own home with different eyes and appreciate just how far we have come in a short space of time in terms of architecture, technology, lighting, comfort and many other things. 

This sample answer took around 2 minutes, which is the maximum amount of time you need to speak for Part 2 of the IELTS exam. 

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