What the examiner means by "village and city life"
Where you grew up, where you live now, and the comparison. Most settlement candidates have moved from one to the other at least once, often from a village or small town abroad to a British city, which gives this subject real content. The examiner wants advantages and disadvantages, preferences with reasons, and what you would choose if the choice were free.
Questions that come up
- Did you grow up in a village or a city? What was it like?
- What did you use to do there that you can't do here?
- What are the advantages of living in a big city?
- And the disadvantages?
- Is life in a British village different from a village in your country?
- Where would you live if money were no problem?
- Is a city a good place to bring up children?
- Do you think villages will survive, or will everyone move to cities?
- What advice would you give someone moving from a village to London?
- Has the place you grew up changed since you left?
Grade 7 language for this subject
- Advantages and disadvantages: "The main advantage of the city is work. The disadvantage is that you never see your neighbours."
- Second conditional: "If I could choose, I'd live somewhere small, near the sea, but I'd still want a train to the city." "If my children were older, I'd move out of London."
- used to: "Where I grew up, we used to leave the doors open." "I used to know everybody; here I know three people on my street."
- Possibility: "Villages might survive if people can work from home. I'm not sure the shops will."
- Advice: "You should learn the bus routes first. You'd better not expect people to say hello."
- Relative clauses: "The village where I grew up had one school." "People who move to cities for work often go back when they retire."
- because of / due to: "People leave because of the lack of jobs, not because they want to."
A model exchange
Examiner Where would you live if money were no problem?
Candidate Honestly, I'm not sure. If I had the money, I'd probably buy a house in a small town, maybe in the Midlands, somewhere with a garden, because my children have never had one. But I'd worry about work and about being the only Indian family. In Birmingham we're not noticed. So maybe a town that's an hour from a city. Is that what most people here want, or do they prefer London?
Examiner Many want exactly that. What would you miss about the city?
Candidate The food, definitely, and the temple. And my wife would miss her friends more than I would. The advantage of a city is that everything is near; the disadvantage is you pay for it in rent and noise.
Mistakes to avoid
- Answering "city" or "village" without the for whom and why.
- Only describing. The examiner asked "would you", so use would.
- Forgetting your own country. The comparison across countries is richer material than village against city alone.