What the examiner means by "national and local produce and products"
What your country grows, makes and is known for, and what is produced where you live now. Food is the easy way in (rice, mangoes, tea, olive oil, cheese), but the subject also covers crafts, textiles, cars, anything with a "made in". It is the subject candidates prepare least and understand least when the examiner says the word "produce", so learn the word now: produce (noun) is what farms grow; products are things that are made.
Questions that come up
- What is your country famous for producing?
- Do you buy local food here, or mostly things from the big supermarkets?
- Is there anything from home you can't get in the UK?
- How is the food produced in your country different from the food here?
- Should people pay more for food that is produced locally?
- What is made in the area where you live now?
- Did your family use to grow or make anything themselves?
- Do you think cheap imported products are good or bad for a country?
- If you could export one product from your country to the UK, what would it be?
- What might happen to small farmers in the next twenty years?
Grade 7 language for this subject
- Passive: "Most of the world's basmati rice is grown in Punjab." "The mangoes are picked green and ripened on the way." "A lot of cars are built near Sunderland."
- used to: "My grandfather used to grow his own vegetables; nobody does now." "Tea used to be the main export."
- Relative clauses: "The cheese that is made in this area is called…" "Farmers who sell at the market earn more than those who sell to supermarkets."
- Advantages and disadvantages: "The advantage of local food is freshness and jobs; the disadvantage is the price."
- Advice: "People should read the label and buy British when it's in season."
- Second conditional: "If I could export one thing, it would be our olive oil, because the oil here is expensive and not very good."
- Possibility: "Small farms might disappear, or they might survive by selling directly online. I'm not sure."
A model exchange
Examiner What is your country famous for producing?
Candidate The Philippines is known for coconuts, bananas and pineapples, and a lot of them are exported to Japan and the Middle East. My province is famous for dried mangoes, which you can actually buy here in the Filipino shops in Earl's Court. We used to have a few coconut trees behind the house, and my father used to sell the copra, the dried coconut, to a man who came on a motorbike every month. Do you know what copra is? It's used for oil.
Examiner I didn't. Do you buy local produce here?
Candidate Some. I buy British apples and potatoes because they're cheaper in season, but I'm not sure the strawberries in winter are worth it. If I had more money I'd go to the farmers' market, but it's twice the price.
Mistakes to avoid
- Not knowing the word produce. Ask: "Do you mean food that's grown?" is a good repair.
- Listing products with no sentence around them ("rice, mangoes, cotton").
- Missing the passive. This subject is built for is grown, is made, is exported; use it.