Luyện theo cấu trúc Cambridge IELTS 1 · Speaking Part 1–3: Family Meals

1. On weekdays it's usually just me and my younger sister, because our parents often get home quite late from work. At weekends, though, the whole family sits down together, and those meals tend to go on for a long time.

2. Yes, almost every evening. My grandmother lived with us, and she was quite strict about it: nobody was allowed to start eating until everyone was at the table. At the time I found it a bit annoying, but looking back, it was a nice routine.

3. I'd say eating at home, on the whole. It's healthier and much cheaper, and you can actually have a proper conversation without a waiter interrupting. Eating out is fun for special occasions, but I wouldn't want to do it every day.

4. My mother, mostly, although my father has started cooking more since he retired. He's quite adventurous, so we never know whether dinner is going to be a great success or a complete disaster.

5. I'd love to learn how to make my grandmother's fish soup properly. I've tried a couple of times, but it never tastes quite the same, so I suspect there's a secret ingredient she hasn't told me about.

I'd like to talk about a meal we had about three years ago, on the evening before my cousin moved abroad to study. It took place at my aunt's house, which is in a small town about an hour from where I live.

Almost the whole extended family was there, I think about twenty people in total, including my grandparents, my uncles and aunts and a crowd of younger cousins. There wasn't enough room around the table, so we pushed two tables together in the courtyard and borrowed chairs from the neighbours.

As for the food, everyone had brought something. My aunt made a huge pot of chicken hotpot, my mother brought spring rolls, and my grandfather, who rarely cooks, insisted on grilling some fish himself. There was far too much, of course, and we ended up sending everyone home with boxes of leftovers.

The reason I remember it so clearly is the atmosphere. It was cheerful, but there was also a slightly emotional feeling underneath, because we all knew my cousin wouldn't be home for at least two years. Towards the end of the evening, my grandfather stood up and made a short speech, which he never normally does, and a few people, including my cousin, got quite tearful. It made me realise that these meals aren't really about the food at all. They're the moments when a family actually stops and pays attention to each other, and I think that's why it has stayed with me.

1. The main reason is probably that people's schedules no longer match. Parents work longer or irregular hours, and children have extra classes in the evening, so it's genuinely hard to find a time when everyone is at home. On top of that, screens play a part: even when people are in the same room, they're often eating in front of a phone or the television.

2. I think the biggest benefit is communication. A meal is one of the few times when parents and children talk without a particular purpose, so problems at school, for example, tend to come up naturally. There's also some evidence that children who eat with their family have healthier diets, simply because they're less likely to rely on snacks or fast food.

3. They've changed quite dramatically. Twenty years ago, most meals were cooked at home from fresh ingredients bought at the local market. Nowadays, especially in the cities, food delivery apps are hugely popular, and supermarkets sell a lot of ready-made meals. People also eat a wider variety of foreign food than before, which I think is a positive change.

4. Yes, I'd strongly support that. Cooking is a basic life skill, and if young people can prepare a simple, healthy meal, they're much less dependent on processed food when they leave home. It could also be combined with lessons on nutrition and budgeting, so it wouldn't take time away from other subjects as much as people might fear.

5. I suspect they'll become less common in everyday life, because they often take a long time to prepare. But I don't think they'll disappear. If anything, they might become more valued as something special, eaten at festivals or family gatherings, and restaurants that serve authentic traditional food are actually quite fashionable among young people at the moment.