Speaking practice: answer out loud for one minute
How are elderly people treated in your culture?
1:00
12 conversation questions about ageing and society
- 1How are elderly people treated in your culture?
- 2Should the retirement age be raised?
- 3Who should look after elderly parents: the family or the state?
- 4What can younger and older generations learn from each other?
- 5Is ageism a problem in the workplace?
- 6Would you want to live to 120?
- 7How should cities be designed for an ageing population?
- 8Is it fair that young people pay for older people's pensions?
- 9What does it mean to age well?
- 10How has the role of grandparents changed?
- 11Should older people be encouraged to keep working?
- 12What do you look forward to about getting older?
Useful phrases
- Traditionally, ...
- There's a growing expectation that...
- It places a huge strain on...
- Intergenerational...
- It's a matter of fairness.
- Quality of life matters more than...
- I'm all for..., provided that...
- Something I look forward to is...
Key vocabulary
- pension
- money paid regularly to someone who has retired
- ageism
- unfair treatment because of someone's age
- life expectancy
- how long a person is expected to live
- intergenerational
- involving different generations
- care home
- a place where elderly people live and receive care
- strain
- pressure that causes difficulty
Sample answer
How are elderly people treated in your culture?
Traditionally, in my culture, elderly parents live with their children, and grandparents are deeply respected. That's slowly changing as more young people move to cities for work, and it places a huge strain on families. I think we need a mix: families still play a central role, but the state should provide good care options so that looking after a parent doesn't mean giving up your career.
Practise "Ageing and society" with a real partner
Questions are easier to remember once you've answered them out loud. Start a live 1-on-1 video call and use this topic to get the conversation going.
Practise this topic liveHow to practise this topic
- Answer each question in at least two or three sentences.
- Try to use two of the useful phrases and one new word in every answer.
- With a partner, ask a follow-up question like "Why?" or "Can you give an example?"
- Alone, record your one-minute answer and listen back for one thing to improve.