Luyện theo cấu trúc Cambridge IELTS 10 · Speaking Part 1–3: Memory and Remembering

1. Not especially, to be honest. I'm quite good with faces, but names tend to slip my mind almost as soon as I hear them. Recently I've started repeating a person's name once or twice during the conversation, and that seems to help.

2. I rely almost entirely on my phone. Every birthday in my family is saved in my calendar with a reminder the day before, so I've got time to buy a present. Before I did that, I forgot my cousin's birthday two years in a row, which was quite embarrassing.

3. Yes, a huge amount. At secondary school we had to learn poems and long passages of history by heart, and we were tested on them word for word. I found it boring at the time, but some of those poems have stayed with me, so maybe it wasn't completely useless.

4. All the time. I keep a small notebook in my bag for shopping lists and ideas, because I find that physically writing something down helps me remember it, even if I never look at the note again.

I'd like to talk about the first time I saw the sea, which happened when I was about six years old. My family lived in a small town in the countryside, quite a long way from the coast, so a trip to the beach was a really big deal for us.

It was during the summer holidays, and my parents had saved up for a few days in a seaside town in the centre of the country. I went with my mum, my dad and my older brother, and we travelled there overnight on a coach, which was an adventure in itself because I'd never stayed awake so late before.

What I remember most vividly is the moment we arrived. It was very early in the morning, and as we walked down a narrow lane between some houses, the sea suddenly appeared in front of us. It was much bigger and louder than I had imagined, and I remember just standing there, holding my dad's hand, completely silent, which apparently was very unusual for me. Later that day my brother tried to teach me to swim, but mostly I just ran away from the waves and screamed with laughter.

I think the reason I remember it so clearly is that everything about it was new. There were new sounds, new smells and that strange salty taste in the air. Psychologists say that we remember things better when they are emotional and unfamiliar, and that day was both. Whenever I go to the beach now, even for a moment, I feel like that six-year-old again.

1. I think it's partly natural ability, but mostly habit and interest. People tend to remember what they care about, so a football fan might recall every score from last season but forget a meeting at work. Also, people who use techniques like making associations or testing themselves regularly usually retain information far better than those who just read things once.

2. In some ways, yes. Because we can look up almost anything in seconds, we don't bother to store facts in our heads, and I've noticed that I can no longer remember most phone numbers. That said, I'm not sure it's entirely negative. If technology handles routine information, our minds are free to focus on understanding and problem-solving, which are arguably more valuable skills.

3. To a certain extent. Memorising basic things like multiplication tables or key vocabulary in a foreign language gives students a foundation that makes later learning much faster. However, if schools rely too heavily on rote learning, students may be able to repeat information without really understanding it, so I'd say it should be combined with discussion and practical work.

4. I imagine it's because the events of their youth were often first experiences, such as starting work, getting married or having children, which carry strong emotions. They've also probably retold those stories many times, which reinforces the memories. Recent days, by contrast, can be quite similar to one another, so they tend to blur together.