About Your Hobbies

Do you have any hobbies or interest?
Of course I have¡ In my spare time I enjoy doing sports, particularly playing football, reading and a bit of travelling, when possible.

When did you first develop this hobby? How did you first become interested in that?
Well, since I was at primary school I adored playing football and reading. With regard to reading I would say that I started reading very early because of my father. He was an avid reader and always encouraged me to get lost in books.

Spanish: "Si conoces frases o idioms y sabes muy bien lo que quieren decir y en que situación usarlas, entonces Usalos¡¡¡¡ ...te sumarán buen puntaje por ello porque indica que te acercas mucho a un nativo en cuanto al speaking. En este caso he usado get lost in books = perderse entre los libros"

English: "If you already know phrases or idioms and you know what they mean, in addition, what situation to use them, ...Use them¡¡¡...you will get a good score for it because it shows that you have an excellent level in English speaking. In this case I used the phrase: GET LOST IN BOOKS"

What are some of the advantages of having a hobby?
Hobbies bring many benefits, for instance, they get to be a nice break into a busy schedule and furthermore, they can help to buffer the effects of a stressful job, and mitigate factors that contribute to burnout such as a high blood pressure, depression and negative feelings.

Spanish: "Nuevamente un buen vocabulario ayuda mucho a responder ciertas preguntas un poco difíciles. En este caso he usado buffer = amortiguar y burnout = estar demasiado cansado (saturado) y sin ganas de hacer nada, por exceso de trabajo".

English: "Again, a good vocabulary helps a lot to answer some question a bit difficult. Here, I used BUFFER AND BURNOUT (being too much tired because of the work)".

How much time do you spend on your hobby?
As I mentioned before, one of my favourite hobbies is reading and I spend quite a lot on it, particularly at night, before I fall asleep. As far as playing football, I do it every weekend with my workmates.

Spanish: "No digas As I said before, porque es un poco informal..asi que te sugiero uses mentioned, que suena mucho más formal"

English: "You never say: AS I SAID BEFORE,...,because it is informal and therefore, you must use MENTIONED, which is more formal".

What other things like that would you like to do?
I also have a deep fascination and interest for playing the guitar because it seems to me that you can express any mood or feeling with a guitar. Unfortunately, I don't know how to do it. Perhaps someday I'll learn it.

ABOUT YOUR TRIPS

Do you like to travel?
Of course¡ Make life interesting. We love travelling. We go abroad at every our summer holidays. Just to give you an idea, my daughter who only has two years old, has visited Uruguay, Argentina, Spain and the United Kingdom. I consider it is exciting to see new places and enjoy art and culture in general, even more so when you have an open-minded to the world and a positive outlook on life.

What kind of places have you visited in your life?
I have been to Uruguay, Argentina, Spain and now I live in the United Kingdom. There are also a great deal of places we still have not seen but we are planning to go sightseeing throughout Europe for our next holidays.

Which place would you really like to visit? Why?
I would really like to visit the Middle East, for instance countries such as Egipto, Siria, Israel, Palestina, among others, because one can find ancient places which have a rich tradition, historical monuments and where people have kept their traditions until nowadays.

What is the best place you have ever visited?
I have been fortunate enough to visit some places in my lifetime and Buenos Aires city is, by far, the best place I have ever visited and for many reasons: people are kind with a keen sense of humour and truly enjoy sharing their country with tourist; the food is really delicious not to mention to have many choices to choose from. For these reasons and many others, I encourage everyone to visit Buenos Aires city. It will be a trip of a lifetime. I assure you.

Spanish: "Este tema es fácil de llevar en la evaluación, porque es meramente descriptivo. Solo debes de tener un buen vocabulario sobre todo lo referente a viajes".

English: "This topic is easy in the test because it is only descriptive. You only must have a good vocabulary in all matter relating to travel".

ABOUT YOUR HOMETOWN

Describe your hometown?
The town where I live is called Miraflores which is a district of Lima city. It is well known for its shopping areas, gardens, flower-filled parks and beaches. It is one of the most upmarket district that make up the city of Lima, and in addition, you can find almost anything you want.

What's special about it?
From my point of view, the place whose name is "the green coast" is the most awesome of Miraflores because you can find amazing Pacific Ocean views along the beach walk, and besides you can see paragliders flying over beaches, surfers riding waves and restaurants overlooking the sea.

Spanish: "El uso de frases formales antes de dar una opinión son vitales en el puntaje del "speaking". Aqui he usado From my point of view,...,pero también puedes usar: According to me,...,In my view,...,It seems to me that,...,From my perspective,...,To my way of thinking...
Te aconsejo que nunca uses In my opinion..., o, In my case...ya que son informales y muy "básicos" y tu entrevistador puede pensar de inmediato que tienes un vocabulario limitado".

English:"Using formal phrases before you give an opinion is very important to get a high score in the test. Here, I used FROM MY POINT OF VIEW but you can also use According to me,...,In my view,...,It seems to me that,...,From my perspective,...,To my way of thinking...
I would recommend that you never use In my opinion..., or, In my case...in this test because they are informal and you interviewer could think that you have a basic vocabulary".

Where is your hometown located?
The Miraflores district is located on the seafront in the southern side of Lima and it is, without a doubt, the tourist destination and favourite district for staying by tourists, when they are visiting the city of Lima.

Is it easy to travel around your hometown?
Certainly I have always had problems travelling around it due to the chaotic and huge traffic of the city in general. I consider this problem is because in Lima city there are not some important kinds of transport system, such as undergrounds and trams, in comparison with others capital cities of South America.

Spanish: "Cuando quieras dar un ejemplo o ejemplos sobre algo de manera formal, usa for example o such as o for instance.".

English: "When you formally want to give a example about something, you must use for example or such as or for instance".

What is it known for?
Miraflores is not a particularly famous town. Not many people outside of Perú have heard of it but I am confident that all people who have known its awesome beaches, its very warm and polite people and its superb streets, have been delighted with the town.

Spanish: "Fijate que sure tiene hasta dos sinonimos bien formales: confident (el cual lo uso en esta respuesta última) y certain; los cuales recomiendo usar en vez de sure para obtener un mejor puntaje (I am certain.., I am confident...)".

English: "Look, sure have two formal synonyms: confident (which I used in this last answer) and certain; which I would recommend to use instead of use to get a better score (I am certain.., I am confident...)".


"Una vez mas el tener un rico vocabulario en adjetivos para describir una ciudad, te permite afrontar bien este tipo de preguntas leidas lineas arriba: upmarket, awesome, huge, chaotic, warm, superb, etc."


What do people in your hometown do?
Due to the great economic movement and for being a cosmopolitan town, there are all sorts of jobs and professions. Nowadays, more and more students at university are studying to become tourist guides, chefs and business people because that is where the money is.

What are the main industries in your hometown?
It is, by far, the tourist industry because of most tourist that come every year to the Lima city, prefer staying, buying and walking around in my hometown.

What problems do you hometown face?
There are lots of them. I would say that of late, the greater troubles are the chaotic traffic and the crime, which have increased dramatically. To my way of thinking the economic growth of the Lima city has been disorderly and it has created these big problems. I very much hope it will be resolved by the government and municipalities as soon as possible.

What languages are spoken in your hometown?
Spanish of course which is our national language after all. However, Miraflores is considered as a cosmopolitan town due to there are a great deal foreign people staying there and therefore, you can find several people speaking different languages at anywhere.

What are the advantages of living in your hometown?
The advantages? Well, Miraflores is one of nicest and safest areas of Lima city as well as there are highly diverse business, such as shopping areas, cinemas, parks, art galleries, hotels, restaurants, beaches, banks, among others.Those are certainly great advantages because you can find everything and within walking distance.

Compare your hometown with another city?
I would like to compare my town with Buenos Aires city, where the food, the weather and the architecture are really different than my hometown. For example, my hometown's food is much more diverse than Buenos Aires' food where it is basically pastas and meats but with regard to the architecture, it is very lovely in Buenos Aires city in comparison with my hometown. Finally, as far as the weather, it is extremely hot in summer and freezing in winter, in Buenos Aires city, which is really different from my hometown where the weather is mild throughout all year.

Spanish: "Este tipo de preguntas son para ver si puedes pensar "logicamente" en Inglés. Casi siempre es una pregunta difícil porque comparar ciudades o paises es hablar al menos de tres temas que pueden ser la comida, la arquitectura, el clima, los sitemas de transporte, etc. y te exige tener un buen vocabulario de adjetivos y el dominio de conectores comparativos (...is really different than...;...is much more..than...;with regard to...; in comparison with...;as far as....; etc.)"

English: "These type of questions are to see if you can think "logically" in English. Almost always they are difficult questions because when you have to compare cities or countries, you have to speak, at least, about three topics which may be: food, architecture, weather,transport system, and so on, and it requires you have a good vocabulary of adjectives and know very well about comparative connectors (...is really different than...;...is much more..than...;with regard to...; in comparison with...;as far as....; etc.)"

ABOUT YOUR EDUCATION

Can you tell me about your education?
Well, first I went to nursery and primary school, next, I went to secondary school and after finishing it, I continued my study at the University where I was admitted at the Mining Faculty, from which I graduated as a Mining Engineer.

What kind of school did you go to as a child?
When I was little, I went to a primary private school which was strict in every sense of the word.

Did you go to a co-educational school?
Over my primary education I went to a co-educational school and during my secondary education I went to a all-boys school.

What was your favourite teacher?
Without a doubt, Miss Betty, my second grade teacher, because she cared about her students and their education more than any other teacher that I have ever had in my life.

What is the education system like in your country?
In my country, the education system is divided into four sections: nursery school, primary school, secondary school and university, which in turn are divided into private and state education. Usually, the private education curriculum is better and more advanced than state education.

Spanish: "En las dos últimas respuestas, es muy útil también el hacer comparaciones entre personas o cosas para explicar un punto de vista; ya que esta forma de hablar te hace ganar buenos puntos porque permiten ver que tú no solo puedes describir ha alguien o algo por si mismo sino que también puedes aplicar pensamientos lógicos comparandolos. 
Debes tener en cuenta de cuando usar comparativos, dependiendo de la pregunta que afrontes ya que si deseas aplicarlo ante cualquier situación y sin un dominio muy avanzado del Inglés puedes terminar enredandote y causando una mala impresión en tu speaking".

English: "In the last two answers, it is also very useful making comparisons between people or things to explain a point of view since this way of speaking makes you gain good scores because it allow to see that you can not only describe someone or something bad also you can apply logical thoughts.
You must be aware of when you can use comparative phrases. It depends on the question that you face. I would not recommend to use them in any situation, especially if you don't have a perfect knowledge of the English language because you could  get entangled and therefore you could cause very bad impression "

Do you think your country has an effective education system?
Well, I am not an expert about that topic, but it seems to me that the state education curriculum must improve a great deal because it is outdated and does not prepare youth for facing the modern world.

"Cuando te hagan una pregunta difícil como esta, donde te piden que des una opinión sobre un tema específico, en el cual no eres un experto, como en el sistema educativo, o puede ser sobre la situación geopolítica del Medio Oriente o sobre la economía mundial o cualquiera de estos temas rebuscados, te aconsejo que siempre uses esta introducción bien formal I am not an expert about that topic,but...(No soy un experto en ese tema pero...).
A muchos les va muy mal en este tipo de preguntas porque incluso en español son difíciles de responder cuando no eres experto en el tema y se les traba la lengua y no saben como empezar a dar una opinión. Pero, no te traumes con esto, te aseguro que te va a ir super bien si empezas tu respuesta usando la frase que te estoy dando y luego, de inmediato la unes con cualquiera de estas otras: ...but it seems to me that... (...pero a mi parece que...) o ...but I would say that...(...pero yo diría que...) o ....but from my point of view...(...pero desde mi punto de vista...)o ...but from my perspective...(...pero desde mi perspectiva...) o ...but in my view...(...pero en mi opinión...) o ...but to my way of thinking...(...pero a mi modo de ver...), todos los cuales se usan justo antes de dar una opinión de manera formal.
Nunca uses el famoso In my opinion...Esta expresión es buena si vas a afrontar un examen básico de Inglés, pero para afrontar el IELTS te va a restar puntos no solo si lo usas en el speaking sino también si lo usas en el writing".

ABOUT YOUR WORK

What do you do?
I am a mining engineer and I work for a mining company whose name is Hochschild Mining Company. I have been working in the mining field over the last eleven years.

What are your responsibilities?
On my current job my key responsibilities are: Firstly, ensuring that the water that is pumped from inside the mine to the surface has to be of good quality; Secondly, the percentage of fresh air inside the mine has to be at 100% and Finally, I am also responsible to fill all open areas inside the mine to maintain the stability of the mine. I am responsible for making all that happen.

"El uso de los adverbios firstly, secondly and finally, son muy recomendables de usar en cartas o emails formales y no es la excepción cuando hablamos formalmente para responder una pregunta lo mas fluido y claro posible. Debes saber muy bien en que contexto usarlos".


Do you enjoy your work?
I would say that I am enjoying my current work a great deal because my team and I are achieving company objectives and due to these positive results, we are growing in our career within the organization. To sum up, I am completely satisfied with my current job.

"Aqui puedes llegar a tener una duda y tal vez pensar que tengo un error gramatical cuando digo my team and I are...Puedes pensar que debí haber escrito my team and ME are...Te cuento que esta enorme confusión entre I y ME está presente incluso entre nativos de habla inglesa e incluso en peliculas de hollywood también. Debes usar I cuando ejecutas la acción sobre algo o alguien y debes usar ME cuando recibes la acción. En el caso de arriba, es I y no ME porque inmediatamente viene el verbo BE (ARE), es decir mi equipo de trabajo y Yo estamos logrando los objetivos de la empresa; estamos realizando la acción".

"Por otro lado, debes notar que he usado el adverbio de cantidad a great deal (mucho) al final de una expresión. Se puede usar también a lot pero definitivamente nunca debes usar very much (expresión muy simple y limitante). 
Con el uso de este adverbio de cantidad mostraras a tu entrevistador riqueza en tu vocabulario". 


If you could change your job or profession, what would you do?
I can honestly say that I have always thought that it would be awesome and fulfilling having my own business on line through which I can make enough money to live free of concerns as well as being able to manage it wherever I am in the world.

"Nuevamente el uso de adjetivos sofisticados (awesome = formidable y fulfilling = gratificante) para describir algo te sumaran importantes puntos en tu speaking".

Describe the process of getting a job in your country?
Well, firstly, you must apply for a job; secondly, you have to attend a personal interview with an Human Resources Manager and with an Operations Manager and after this, you must pass a medical, psychological and psycho-technical test. Finally, if the company consider you are the ideal candidate, you will get the job.    

Describe the company or organization you work for?
The company where I work is well known for offering its employees the opportunity to continue developing their careers and, in addition, there is a nice work environment where you can find a good communication and a great team work. I feel very comfortable working there.

What is your position?
I am currently Manager of General Services at the company where I work.

What do you like or dislike about your job? 
Honestly, I am very happy working for my current employer because they allow me the opportunity to apply my experience and knowledge within their company. Honestly, there is nothing that I didn't like from my current job because I have had many wonderful experience working there and managed to gain plenty of experience from them.


"En esta parte hemos visto preguntas que son clasicas en una entrevista en inglés cuando aplicas para un puesto de trabajo. Siempre debes hablar muy bien de tu actual o anterior empleador y puesto de trabajo. Definitivamente estas respuestas ayudaran muchisimo a quienes van a pasar una entrevista de trabajo en ingles, las cuales en algunos casos pueden llegar a durar hasta 2.5 horas. 
Hay muchas mas preguntas que te hacen en una entrevista y por experiencia personal te diré que la única manera que salgas victorioso(a) en ellas es practicar unas 12 horas diarias las preguntas y respuestas hasta obtener la correcta fluidez y pausa.".


Si te interesa mucho este tema de entrevista de trabajo en ingles, enviame un correo por aqui para contactarme contigo. Tengo desarrolladas 50 preguntas y sus respectivas respuestas, que casi siempre se dan en las entrevistas en ingles y te puedo dar algunos consejos que son vitales y que me ayudaron mucho para afrontarlos con éxito. Consejos sobre la metodologia exitosa que yo aplique.".

ABOUT YOUR FAMILY

Tell me about your family?
Well, I am married and have a pleasant family. My wife's name is Leticia who is from Uruguay and, in addition, she is an architect. We have a daughter who is two years old and her name is Sofia. We live together at an apartment in the Miraflores district which is located in Lima city.

"Usar siempre enlaces para tener fluidez al hablar. En este ejemplo he usado in addition,..., que significa además,...,pero también se puede usar otros sinónimos como furthermore, besides, y moreover,.... No uses also, es un termino muy de principiante para esta evaluación y te puede restar puntaje".


Do you have a large or small family?
I consider my family is small: just my wife, my daughter and I. However, my wife and I come from large families and hence our extended family is very large.

"Fijate aqui el uso del verbo consider. Este verbo es muy usado en conversaciones formales a cambio del verbo think, el cual también puedes usar".
"Cuando quieres contrastar dos ideas opuestas, usa However,..., que significa Sin embargo,...y para llegar a una conclusión final contundente puedes usar las palabras and hence..., que significa y por esta razón..., o su sinónimo and therefore..."


How much time do you spend with your family?
I like spending my spare time with my family. I generally do this every weekends and on my holiday.

What do you like to do together as a family? 
We do several things together, particularly going for a walk, eating out and a bit of travelling when possible. Moreover, we sometimes do family gatherings with my wife's family and mine.

Do you get along well with your family?
Well, I am really close to my family. Although my wife and I are very different from each other, I guess our relationship is pretty good most of the time. As far as my parents and sisters, I get along pretty well with all of them as well. I am definitely quite lucky.

"En esta respuesta fijate bien en el advervio as well al final de una expresión, significa también. Aqui muchos tienen dudas gramaticales, no saben si usar too o usar also. Ambos significan lo mismo (también) con la diferencia que too se usa al final de la sentencia. En este caso no uso too porque es muy informal y si uso otro sinónimo mucho mas formal: as well".


Are people in your country generally close to their families?
Undoubtedly, Peruvian people are family oriented, even some young adults who are in their thirties still prefer to live at their parents' home. Of course, this is not the case for all Peruvian families, but it is fairly common.

ABOUT YOU

Describe yourself?
Regarding my physical appearance I would say that I am tall and thin and have got dark eyes and dark short hair. I am dark-skinned and I am in my forties.
As far as my personality traits I consider that I am very sympathetic, trustworthy, sensible, clever, self-confident, responsible and well organized.


"En este punto es necesario que conozcas de memoria varios adjetivos calificativos que te califiquen como persona, su correcto significado y cuando aplicarlo. Debes considerar que los adjetivos que debes usar para describir tu personalidad deben ser, por asi decirlo, sofisiticados; es decir, evita usar friendly, nice, polite y algún otro parecido, los cuales son buenos para una conversación informal pero no para afrontar una conversación bastante formal y de evaluación ya que esto demostrará que tu vocabulario es bastante limitado y debes mostrar que tienes recursos suficientes para sostener una entrevista formal como lo es este examen".

"Fijate también en como se enlaza el primer parrafo con el segundo con la expresión As far as (En cuanto a..., En lo que respecta a...) el cual es sinonimo de Regarding... y de With regard to....). Es de vital importancia que uses SIEMPRE estos enlaces u otros (según el contexto) para demostrar fluidez cuando enlazas ideas diferentes. Te invito a que te grabes a ti mismo(a) primero sin usar estas frases de enlace y luego usandolas. Notarás una gran diferencia cuando te escuches".