IELTS Speaking topic: History

1. Do you like (to learn about) history?
2. What historical event do you find most interesting?
3. Do you think history is important?
4. Do you like to watch programmes on TV about history?
5. Do you think you can really learn history from films and TV programmes?
6. Do you think the internet is a good place to learn about history?
7. Can you name a person from history who you would like to learn more about?
8. Why would you like to learn more about him/her?

Yes, I am a big fan of reading historical stories. When I was a little boy, I always took some historical books from my father’s bookshelf and read the historical events. I feel that history not only can cultivate my mental development, but also give me a better picture of human society.

Personally I am fond of the Battle of Red Cliffs happened in the early period of Three Kingdoms, which was a decisive battle at the end of the Han Dynasty. It was also the typical battle in Chinese history renowned for the fewer and weaker defeating the more and stronger.

Yes, the main factor is that like our native language, history forms a cultural identity and keeps a unique record of country, and also we can learn the experiences from history to correct our current actions.

Yes, I enjoy watching some documentaries about history on TV because I can see a lot of video materials that can not bee seen in the textbooks. I always watch them at home during my time off with my son to learn something about history.

I don’t feel that watching the current TV series can make you be aware of the history, you know, TV programmes are more engaging than books, however the true historical events in most of the TV series have been distorted by the producers to cater for the audience. It’s really shame as the young people will misunderstand the history by these irresponsible productions.

Yes. History is full of debates so you can find both of the two sides of opinion online which will help you be aware of the true facts and think critically. I always google some engaging historical materials about the Song Dynasty, for example, to know about the truth.

The people I’d like to learn about is Wu Chengen, the author of A Journey to the West. He combined the folk tales and his own imagination to write the great fairy story in the 16th century. I want to know about his personality as much as possible and I believe that his imagination is what is lack of nowadays.